Disclaimer: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.


Humankind was doomed.

Setsuna was fleeing the core of the enemy fleet. He had reached out to the species that had been dubbed the ELS, and tried to fulfil the Dialogues-to-Come. He had used his Gundam's Quantum Burst to talk to them using telepathy. The homeless species had seen all the progress that humanity had made to unify themselves and decided that it wasn't enough; that all the sacrifices made to achieve the world envisioned by Aeolia Schenberg was less than the ELS's desire for a new home.

Setsuna broke through the outer shell of the ELS core and flew into open space, only to be greeted by more bad news. The Earth Federation's army was being annihilated, and were being driven back to their orbital base. At this point, the small terminal on Setsuna's left chimed in.

"Setsuna," said the holographic image of Tieria Erde, "Don't panic."

Outside, the Gundam 00 Quan[T] carved its way through the enemy fleet, back towards its allies. Inside, Setsuna gazed at the terminal in lieu of stating the obvious. Tieria took the hint and clarified,

"I mean that Veda has just sent me its back-up plan."

"What is it?" said Setsuna coolly, "How does it expect us to salvage this mess?"

"We don't. We use 00 Quan[T]'s time-space manipulating FTL features to send us back in time."

Setsuna went silent as he considered the implications.

"Will it work?"

"It's our only option. I've already sent the signal to form up around the Celestial Being space station. Lockon, Allelujah and the escape pods from the Ptolemaios are already within range."

Setsuna was glad to hear his comrades were safe. He tuned the voice of Tieria out as it went on about transferring data to enable the new technique; instead he focused on combat, slicing his way through the enemy Mobile Suits. Soon enough, Setsuna arrived at the position indicated by Veda, for best catchment of allies while avoiding transporting any ELS. This position also transported most of the federation's orbital base – Celestial Being's self-titled former Headquarters.

Setsuna took a moment to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. Questions about the technique – How accurate was it? Would those caught get scattered? Where would the arrive? - pounded through his head. He inserted his Veda's choice of temporal coordinates – 1950 A.D. - and waited a few seconds for the optimal moment. He heard Tieria shout, "Now!"

Setsuna shouted his last hope to whoever was listening,

"Gundam 00 Quan[T]: Quantum Burst!"


Quantum Shift
Act 1:
Unification
Chapter 1:
Operation Almark


Crimson hues of blood and fire played across the water as the sun set on Japan. Ruins populated the landscape, and corpses dyed the landscape with their lifeblood. The once proud nation had been reduced to the brink of surrender. So it was that on a battered and broken coastal road into Tokyo, hidden among some abandoned military trucks and burning ruins, three cold and desperate children made their camp.

Lelouch had decided to start a fire to keep themselves warm for the night, and told Suzaku to get some fuel. The latter complained, telling Lelouch to do it himself since his last plan didn't go so well. Lelouch had objected and said that he was the leader and leaders didn't collect fuel. One stern look from the recently crippled and blinded Nunnally had set him straight.

So it was that Lelouch went off and started to rummage around in the army trucks they were hidden by for fuel. As he started to get together some cloth, oil and old bits of wood, he thought about their failed mission that day.

The group had made their way here from the telephone exchange in Tokyo. Lelouch had hoped to call home, to Cornelia or Euphie or... Someone. Anyone. Of course they had only found ruin; the building that should have brought them salvation nothing more than rubble. In retrospect he should have realised his family would abandon him after he was exiled.

He returned to the camp site to find his new family shivering next to an oil drum they had found. A few moments later the waves of heat washed over them. He stared into the fire and reflected on what this war had taught him.

He thought about Britannia, and his fire. Britannia had claimed his mother, his sister, his family and now it had claimed his adoptive country. They took and took, conquering and consuming other nations. Britannia would break each 'Area' and swiftly destroy its freedom, its rights and even its name. No-one would take a stand. No-one would protect the weak and vulnerable from this monstrosity calling itself a country.

"I swear..."

But Lelouch's declaration was cut short by a distinct rumble from the road. The boys quickly stowed themselves and Nunnally under a nearby supply van, just in time; a pair of the new Britannian super-weapons, 'Knightmare Frames', had rolled into view. There was a moment of silence before,

"I could swear I saw someone here, sir," came a deep voice over the loudspeaker.

"There were. Fire's still lit, see. Sweep the area 'n' kill anyone ya find," replied the second.

The children trembled underneath the van they had hidden under, and tears started to form in their eyes. They wouldn't kill children, would they? But as Lelouch had reasoned earlier, Britannia was like a fire. It didn't care what or who it consumed.

"Picking something up on infra-red, sir," came the first voice. "Under the van."

"Then shoot 'em, don't prattle on about it."

Tears started to from in Nunnally's eyes, prompting Suzaku to act. Before Lelouch could stop him, the Japanese youth rolled out from his cover.

"Don't shoot! We're children!"

"Children?" said the second voice, "'Cause all I see is a dog that needs putting down!"

Lelouch rolled out with Nunnally in his arms.

"He's with us! Don't kill us! Please!"

"A pair of traitors as well!" rumbled the first soldier, "Say your prayers, mongrels!"

The Frames lifted their gun arms as Lelouch's mind raced to find a way out of this. They'd probably not believe if he told them he was royalty, if they even cared in the first place. There was no running or hiding. Was it all going to end here? Before he could even declare his wish to protect the weak?

Nunnally leaned into him – as if she had a choice with her legs – and whimpered. Suzaku edged towards the two and brought his arms around them, protectively. The Knightmare's gun was now levelled at them. Lelouch squeezed his sister close and closed his eyes.

He heard a loud bang.


The immortal woman known as C.C. joined Celestial Being about ten years beforehand.

At the time, she had been working for the Britannian government as a spy. This afforded her considerable freedom to build up her connections for the order and - secretly – for Charles and Marianne. The Connection was still in the planning phase, and Marianne had just discovered she was pregnant.

All this led to C.C. deciding to leave the happy couple alone, in favour of attend a formal ball for the evening. Many big businessmen would come to talk in circles around each other for a few hours before running back home. Normally she wouldn't bother attending, but she had a mission tonight.

It was rumoured that the elusive CEO of leading Aerospace firm Fereshte would be in attendance tonight. Over the past 15 years, the company was the leader in every field it turned its hand to. Combined with an enigmatic administration, the company was always the subject of gossip and urban legend. This was further agitated by the fact that the best workers – engineers, researchers and the like - would often be promoted to an internal group called Krung Thep.

Allegedly named after an inspirational engineer the CEO had met, the Krung Thep group was one of the biggest mysteries in the kingdom. Krung Thep members would start disappearing long trips to God knows where; when questioned about their work they would simply state that they were sworn to secrecy. Anyone who infiltrated the team had an 'unfortunate accident', and without proof anyone she tried to investigate walked clean. C.C. didn't like it.

So it was that C.C. found herself in a backless dress surrounded by spineless cowards. She waited as the arrivals were listed – Standard Oil, De Beers Mining, Britannian Steel – until eventually the man she was looking for was finally announced.

"Presenting Sir Lyle Dylandy of Fereshte Aerospace and his fiancé, Lady Anew Returner."

The man in question looked to be in his late 40's, with a lined face and greying hair. He sauntered down into the ballroom with a certain grace that set C.C. on edge. This man, she could tell, was very dangerous. On his arm was a woman who looked about two thirds his age with silver hair, crimson eyes and that same threatening demeanour. She seemed to have an almost unnatural look to her, and it was clear that she was only here to look after her husband. But apparently she was alone in her observations, as the various investors at the party swarmed around the couple.

So it was that C.C. had to wait several hours putting up with drunken flirting and evasive chatter before she could initiate contact. Thankfully, her long life had taught her how to be patient. Very, very patient. But as the ball was starting to come to a end, she saw her chance.

Dylandy was alone, drinking what appeared to be whisky and watching his wife talking to several other ladies across the room. C.C. walked up to him.

"Drinking by yourself, Mister Dylandy?"

The man took a measured sip from his drink, then focused his attention onto the green haired lady next to him

"Aye. What can I do for you, Lady..."

"They call me C.C."

"Yes. So, Lady C.C., are you looking for a drink, or do you want me for business?"

"If I wanted a drink I wouldn't be asking a soon-to-be married man," said C.C.. She decided to work up to her infiltration plan. "How did you meet her?"

"I met her at work, before Fereshte. We dated for a few months before we had to... part ways."

"I take it you found each other again?"

"Aye, a couple of years ago. Thank goodness for Almark's arrogance," said Lyle. "But I'm getting distracted. If not for flirtation or gossip, you must be here on business.".

C.C. appreciated the forwardness as she said, "Indeed. I know who elusive opportunities to invest in Fereshte are. Wherever I look, I am told to look further up the chain of command. Surely you can tell me how I can do so?"

This was C.C.'s angle of attack. Fereshte had never gone public with its shares and had therefore managed to remain incredibly secretive in their operations. One of many reasons Britannia wanted to infiltrate the firm.

Lyle put down his drink and gave C.C. an intense look. The witch swore she could see a rippling golden pattern play across his iris.

"Tell me, how do you think one should go about changing the world?"

The lady known as C.C. could tell that she was being tested.

"In my experience, people need an example, a trailblazer to sound the rally cry of change. After that, a great deal of force is necessary."

Lyle looked a touch disappointed, but then his eyes seemed to ripple once again. He resumed his previous gaze

"Force?"

"Not necessarily physical. Consider the Indian Revolution against Britannia. They created a great change through their force of will."

"Aye, but then China invaded them. What do you think one would need to keep peace in this world?"

The witch considered this question carefully before saying, "I would not know. Time and time again humanity has proven unable to stay its own hand."

"And why is that the case?"

"People refuse to listen to each other, or unify for unity's sake. They refuse to understand each other, which breeds distrust and strife. Why do you ask, Mr. Dylandy?", replied the witch, as she tried to redirect the conversation.

This proved unnecessary. Lyle Dylandy merely nodded in her direction and, for a moment, she thought she could see those golden eyes again. Lyle looked at C.C., and she could tell that she had passed whatever test he had given her.

"Well then. If you're interested in investing then you should come see meat my office. Tomorrow evening?"

C.C. grinned internally. This was surely the beginning of the end for Lyle Dylandy.


Suzaku joined Celestial Being when he saw that same truth about change. But that wouldn't happen for a few months yet. He had far more immediate problems to worry about.

His attempt at protecting his adoptive family hadn't worked, and now he had doomed all three of them. Tears were forming in Suzaku's eyes as he threw out his arms in desperation. Behind him, he could tell that Lelouch was clinging to Nunnally, and Suzaku could hear Nunnally's whimper. He gazed up at the Knightmare Frame before him and braced for his death.

There was a flash, and a loud explosion.

The Frame went up in a plume of fire and smoke as a pillar of light cleaved clean through it, killing the pilot before he could bail. The other Frame looked up at the source of the light, only to be hit by a second bolt. Within three seconds the children had gone from certain death to safety.

By now Lelouch had noticed a distinct lack of being dead, causing him to open his eyes. A small gasp escaped his mouth as he saw the state of the two Britannian 'super-weapons'. Nunnally wanted to know what was going on, and Suzaku had noticed what had saved them.

Descending from the sky was the biggest Knightmare he had ever seen. It was at least three or four times bigger than the Frames he had just seen reduced to slag. It was blue, with humanoid proportions and a massive shield-like... thing on its left shoulder. The machine was steadily lowering itself down right in front of the children.

Lelouch tried to speak up first.

"Wh...Wh...Wha...What?"

Emphasis on tried. A mystified and unusually frustrated Nunnally responded with a curt, "What's happening? Big Brother?"

Suzaku was still focusing on the machine, however. This... thing had just killed two men, and there was no guarantee it was on their side yet. Slowly, the machine landed and powered down, while the children were still gathering their wits.

Slowly, what appeared to be a man in a blue jumpsuit and helmet lowered himself to ground level in front of the Frame opposite them. Suzaku moved to better protect his adoptive family. The man removed his helmet to reveal a middle-eastern man with light brown eyes and a touch of age to his features.

The man looked at them and said, "Lelouch vi Britannia. Nunnally vi Britannia. Suzaku Kururugi. I have been looking for you."

The man's eyes seemed to ripple with gold for a moment, but then it was gone. Suzaku shouted out, "Who are you?"

"Do not be afraid. My name is Setsuna F. Seiei. I have come to make you an offer."

This time Lelouch spoke up, "If you want us to return to the mainland then..."

"I am not here on behalf of the Emperor. I came to offer you a position within my organisation."

The last of the children spoke up, "H-How do you know who we really are?"

"Your Godmother. She's been watching you."

To the royals, the existence of a hitherto unknown godmother was a not unwelcome surprise. The blood siblings thought on this information as Suzaku kept the man talking. The man and his 'Gundam' had been dispatched to extract the children from the Japanese war-zone by a lady known as C.C.. Upon consideration of surveillance reports, Setsuna had decided that they showed 'considerable potential'.

"Potential for what?" asked Suzaku.

Setsuna's gaze lightened somewhat as he said, "All in due time. Will you come with me?"

"You just killed two men in front of us. How do you expect us to trust you?" replied Suzaku.

Setsuna looked over an the Britannian children and said, "Would you like to see again, Nunnally?"

An uneasy silence fell over the group.

"Yes, Mr. Seiei, I would. If at all possible."

The man took this as permission. He walked up to Nunnally and laid his hand gently across her cheek. Lelouch winced at letting this stranger even closer to his dear, vulnerable sister. However, he knew he couldn't really do anything about it. The man's eves started to shimmer a sharp and shifting golden colour.

"I promise this won't hurt," said Setsuna in a matter-a-fact tone.

"Thank you, Mr Seiei."

Slowly a gold started to form around Setsuna's fingertips. The two boys gazed in wonderment, before Nunnally broke the silence with a soft, "Why are you so sad, Mr. Seiei?"

Setsuna winced before replying, "How can you tell?".

"I just... feel some great, formidable sorrow. I feel it lurking deep inside your heart."

This esoteric talk put the boys on edge, but Setsuna remained focused and calm.

"Its a long story. Now, I need you to focus on when you lost your sight."

The camp went quiet for a moment while the man and child focused intently. Until slowly, delicately, Nunnally opened her eyes.

"B-B-Brother," she slowly called out, as Setsuna let go of her.

"Nunnally!" Lelouch said as he caught her in his arms, "Your eyes!"

"I can see, big brother."

Setsuna turned to face Suzaku and asked, "Have I demonstrated the honour of my intentions?".

"Yes, Mr Seiei, you have. What do you want to of us?" said Suzaku.

"I would like to recruit you into the next generation of Celestial Being."


The day after the ball, in the early hours of the evening, C.C. made her way into the Fereshte Headquarters in Britannia. The multinational made its base in this building, so in all probability the information she wanted was here.

As C.C. got out of her taxi, she entered the plaza at the base of the facility; a mixture of garden and park for employees and their children. At it's centre, Fereshte Headquarters towered into the sky; a shard of glass and steel dominating the landscape. It's foundation was shaped like a tear drop, and rose so that the tail closed in towards the bottom of the shape, leaving the building with a flat side.

The lady known as C.C. quickly scurried into the building and entered a marble covered lobby. The windows of the building had been designed not to let much light outside, so few who didn't work here had ever seen the interior. C.C. walked up to the front desk – a old, somewhat battered number with a matching receptionist– and verified that she had made an appointment with the CEO last night, so she would like to see him when he was free, if that wasn't too much trouble.

"I was told someone would be coming for a visit. Use the leftmost lift, ma'am."

So it was that the green haired lady found herself ascending to the top of one of Britannia's earliest skyscrapers. She was rather disappointed that she didn't see anything about the Krung Thep group on the official maps of the place, but she hadn't expected such an infamously secretive group – and company – to be so callous with information.

The lift smoothly halted some three quarters of the way up the building, on a floor marked 'CEO Office and Meeting Rooms'. C.C. gracefully and confidently strode down the central corridor towards the Secretary; whom she recognised as Anew Returner from the previous night. Luckily, Anew appeared to be chatting with her fiancé as C.C. arrived.

"... certain about this, Lyle?" she overheard Anew saying as she arrived.

"No, Anew, I'm not. But I reckon that the truth will change that," came Lyle's reply.

C.C. cleared her throat. The couple turned around to face her.

"Oh, Lady C.C.," came Lyle's voice, "I was wondering when you might show up.".

"Well as you can see, I'm here now."

"Indeed. Come into my office, we have much to discuss."

Lyle kissed Anew on the forehead as he passed her before heading into his office. C.C. tried to follow, but had her arm caught by Anew.

"Is there something that you want from me?" said C.C.

Anew shook her head, "I just wanted to warn you... Don't lie to us. We can tell."

"And?"

"Just... have an open mind as to what you're about to see," Anew said as she released C.C.'s arm. C.C. considered responding, but Anew had already turned back to the work on her desk. C.C. decided to ignore the ominous warning for now and head on into Lyle's office. The glass door swished open and she stepped inside.

The office was a rather futuristic design, all glass and steel. The room was barely lit, save for a large window overlooking the city. There were chairs, paintings, books, a desk – everything you would expect in an office. C.C. felt out of place in such a room; most likely a side effect of her age. Lyle had settled down behind his desk with a drink in hand. He reached under his desk and produced another glass.

"Would you like a drink, Lady C.C.?" he asked.

"I'll have what you're having."

Lyle picked up a bottle of Irish Whisky on his desk and poured out a shot for C.C.. She accepted the glass and took a sip as she settled down opposite a now sitting Lyle. He looked at her with that same intense gaze as last night, and once again she could see those golden eyes for a split second.

"You want to spy on my company," he said, without a flicker of uncertainty in his voice.

C.C.'s eyes widened for a split second. Lyle's tone told her that he didn't suspect, he knew. After weighing her options she replied with a curt, "How could you tell?".

"You won't believe me. Not yet. I would like to ask you something."

"I'm not exactly in an advantageous position."

"Do you know who Celestial Being are?"

"No. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"They are the true masters of Fereshte, and the Krung Thep engineering group."

C.C. could tell she was would be leaving this conversation either betraying Britannia, or in a body bag. This didn't mean much to her, but it still left her unsettled inside. C.C. could tell that whatever she was about to be told was very important, and very secret. She let Lyle continue.

"Celestial Being," said Lyle, "is a private armed group dedicated to three causes. These are known collectively as The Aeolia Principles. These are:

"The Elimination of War

"The Unification of Order

"And The Evolution of Humanity"

C.C. was starting to be freaked out. How could a group with such obvious power and lofty goals remain so secret? She stuttered out a somewhat frightened, "W-What are you saying?"

Lyle turned around, showing her the rippling golden eyes that bore right through her and looked and looked and looked and ohgodohgodohgod...

On C.C.'s forehead her code started to glow violently as she collapsed to the floor. While C.C. was writhing in pain, Lyle put two and two together. He shut down his Quantum Brainwaves before reaching out a hand to help C.C. up off the ground.

Ignoring the helping hand, C.C. slowly clambered up off all fours and started leaning on Lyle's desk. She looked Lyle in the eye as she gasped out, "W-W-What wa-as th-th-that?"

"My Quantum Brainwaves. I have already fulfilled the third of Aeolia's Principles. I am an Innovator."

Charles and Marianne needed to hear about this; it threw their entire plan into disarray. C.C. had to get back to the palace, or the imperial villa. But she had no way out...

Window

C.C. started running towards the window. She could recover and escape before they could stop her. She could...

Lyle Dylandy, also known as Lockon Stratos II, shot the woman known as C.C. in the back of the head.


Li Xingke joined Celestial Being after even Lelouch and Suzaku, out of a mix of necessity and desire.

After he had given a prisoner some medicine against orders, he had only been spared execution thanks to the intervention of the Empress Tianzi herself. Instead, he had been temporarily suspended from duty, leaving him in his civilian apartment. This all lead to, some two years after the invasion of Japan, Li Xingke being awoken by a bump in the night.

Li Xingke supported the throne above the eunuchs; a rare trait in the modern Chinese military. She had him spared from execution; in turn he had sworn unto her his eternal loyalty, and promised to show her the outside world. This had made him a lot of enemies in high places, especially the High Eunuchs.

So in retrospect, he probably should have expected the assassins. The men were very much professionals, despite one of them knocking over his potted white Heather plant. Indeed, Xingke could only be sure of their presence from three shadows on the other side of his open bedroom door. He grabbed the sword and pistol he kept by his bedside and moved into position mere moments before the first assassin came through his open door.

Xingke had taken cover behind the door, emerging in a calculated swivel. With a single sword slash he slit the intruder's throat. He followed this up by ramming himself against the still upright body, using it as a human shield as he ran through the open door. This move sent Xingke, the rapidly dying first assassin and a second assassin behind the first slamming to the ground. Xingke quickly dispatched the two with a stab through their hearts. A quick pistol shot to his left killed the third assassin.

Xingke picked himself up off the ground and took survey of his situation. There were obviously three dead bodies in his apartment. He was in his kitchen-diner, with exits on his near left, near right and far right. The men had approached his room from the right, so that meant they hadn't gained access from the spare bedroom on his left. Since the bathroom on the near right didn't have man-sized windows there was only the main entrance through the kitchen diner. Xingke went to investigate.

The fourth and final assassin would have been able to give Xingke the jump had it not been for one unexpected factor. A hand reached out behind the assassin's head and grabbed him. A swift tug and the so-called threat fell to the floor with a broken neck with a loud crack.

Xingke raised his pistol and aimed it at the newcomer as they stepped around the corner. The man looked oriental to Xingke, but he couldn't guess his nationality. The man had long hair that nearly covered a pair of mismatched eyes. He looked at Xingke and said,

"I take it you are unharmed, Mr. Li Xingke"

Xingke remained in a combat ready stance as he said, "Who are you?"

"My name is Alleluia Haptism. I was here to prevent your death, but you appear to be doing a good job of that yourself."

Xingke considered the situation. The stranger had killed one of the assassins, so he wasn't with them. On the other hand, he was breaking into Xingke's apartment and killing people. He decided to put away the sword but keep the pistol trained on his target.

"I can't see why you would come to save me if not due to some ulterior motive," stated Xingke

"Sorry about that. I'm here on behalf of a group called Celestial Being"

So it was that Alleluia told Xingke about Celestial Being. It's existence, it's desire to change the world, the Aeolia Principles. Alleluia told him that their spies had been observing him for a long time, and that his act of kindness towards a helpless prisoner had confirmed their decision to recruit him.

While talking, the two started to tidy up the bodies. Alleluia sent a 'Mission Success' signal and requested a team be sent to dispose of the bodies. The gun and sword had been put on the table as the two talked about Celestial Being. Only a few weeks ago, Xingke wouldn't have hesitated to say yes, to join a group with those ideals. However, now he had one major reservation

"I would accept your offer if I were I my own man, Alleluia Haptism. But you know I am my Empress's man."

"I know about your commitment, and I'm not asking you to break it. I'm just showing you another way to fulfil it. Tell me: do you think this attack will be a one off?"

Li Xingke realised what Alleluia was saying. The eunuchs had a multitude of reasons to kill him. It would 'eliminate an unruly element'. It would prevent a future threat. But most importantly, it would discourage Empress Tianzi from speaking out in the future. He knew that he couldn't serve his Empress dead, and if this man spoke the truth...

"You're right, Haptism. But I can't just leave her."

"Me and my agents will look after her. We oppose the eunuchs as warmongers. Our advanced medical technology can fully cure your lung cancer."

Xingke's eyes widened – how had this man known? Was what he was saying true? Xingke decided to respond by saying, "I... I only want to make her happy. How can my disappearance be anything but bad for her?"

"You can make the world a better place, for her and for all of us. I'll deliver a letter to her personally. Tell her you have found a new way to make her dream come true, and what has happened here. Please, Li Xingke."

Xingke closed his eyes. He considered his options long and hard. He contemplated every possibility his defection could cause. Alleluia fell equally silent, sending the signal for the bodied to be collected. The clock ticked, and it started to rain. A comfortable silence filled the room until,

"Very well. I accept your offer, Alleluia Haptism."


Lyle Dylandy knew about the Geass Order.

The mind-controlling technique of Geass had became public knowledge during Lelouch's rule, and had eventually died out. This was thanks to the Geass giving, supposedly immortal Code Bearers had found a way to die without passing on their code. Lyle even remembered having to cram on the subject back in school. So when C.C. reacted to Quantum Brainwaves the way she had, it hadn't taken him long to figure out what she was.

With all that in mind, he didn't react when the witch started to pick herself up off the ground mere moments after he had shot her. He waited as she pulled the bullet out of her skull, and watched as the wound started to knit itself back together. Lyle decided to talk to her.

"Ready to hear me out yet, C.C.?"

The woman stiffened as she heard the voice, and picked herself up off the floor to face Lyle. She reached for the gun inside her coat, only to find that it had been removed while she was 'asleep'. It only took her a few seconds to realise what that meant – Lyle knew she was going to resuscitate.

Even without his abilities as an Innovator, Lyle could read her expression like an open book. She was worried about what he knew about the Order. She was angry about being shot. She was curious about Celestial Being. But most of all, she was afraid of what he had done to her. He decided to put her fears to rest.

"I didn't intend to hurt you," said Lyle, "If you can stay calm, I'll tell you what you want to know."

C.C. could tell from centuries of experience that Lyle was not lying. If she played along, she realised, she could get more information to report. C.C. edged away from the window and looked intently at the armed man.

"Really? You would tell me about Celestial Being, and your so-called Innovators?" said C.C.

Lyle responded by saying, "Aye. I'll tell you about those. Which first?"

C.C. considered what Lyle had managed to do before he shot her.

"Tell me, what are Innovators?"

"Innovators are the next step in human evolution. Through exposure to GN particles and Quantum Brainwaves, the body can kick-start vestigial systems in the human body, and start to strengthen them from generation to generation."

All this jargon left C.C. with even more questions – although she already knew the answer to one. Quantum Brainwaves were what Geass's used to work. They were what the codes used to heal the host's body. If what Lyle said is true, could these so-called Innovators shut down her healing? Were they immune to Geass? Could they destroy her code?

She decided to pursue the other avenue of discussion.

"In that case, tell me what Celestial Being are?"

"Celestial Being is a private armed organisation dedicated to fulfilling the Aeolia Principles. We are also from the future."

After Lyle Dylandy dropped this bombshell, the room went quiet for a moment before..

"What?!" C.C. all but shouted.

"We are from the future. We are travellers in the forth dimension. We are time travellers. Take your pick," Lyle said as he smirked slightly, "Why do you think Fereshte is such an trailblazing organization? We cherry-pick research we know will be successful."

This was impossible, but C.C. could tell that Lyle wasn't lying. She was, for the first time in a long, long time, out of her depth. She managed to stammer out her next few questions.

"B-But what about the Ragnarok Connection? Why would you come back? How?!"

Lyle Dylandy, in contrast, was sipping on his whisky without a care in the world. He replied to her questions in order,

"It failed. We messed up first contact. The 00 Quan[T]. Anything else?"

By now C.C's world had been thoroughly shaken. The Connection failed? But the other answers had opened up even more questions.

"W-What do you mean, 'messed up first contact'?"

The conversation continued in this manner for quite some time. C.C. managed to calm herself down, and after falling back onto centuries of experience detecting lies she confirmed that Lyle wasn't bluffing at all. Gradually, she began to piece together a picture of what was going on, or whatever the right tense was.

The world had continued on much like it had done, following the three beats of War, Peace and Revolution. Eventually, Celestial Being had acted as an outside force; using machines called Gundams to break the cycle and unite the world. But a species called the ELS had attacked before humanity could feel the benefits of unity, and a cycle of poor communication had led to war between the two species, which humanity had lost.

This left C.C. in a difficult position. She was curious about Celestial Being – they might be able to change everything; a quality she hadn't seen since Washington's Rebellion. But she had also invested too much into the Ragnarok Connection to walk away, especially considering her pledge to Charles and Marianne. With this in mind, she quickly devised a plan to get the best of both worlds.

"Mr. Dylandy. You said you have spies everywhere," stated C.C.

"Aye, I do. Why do you ask?", replied the Irishman.

"You see, Mister Dylandy, I am currently deeply involved in..."

"The Ragnarok Connection. You can't walk away from it, and you're committed to the royals. Correct?" said Lyle.

"C-Correct," said C.C. - she was still unnerved by Lyle's ability to read her so easily, "But this places me in a unique position. It affords me a high degree of access to information considered confidential. I..."

"Would like to be a double agent, aye?" said Lyle, a smile spreading across his face. He was having fun messing with C.C.'s head.

"Yes. I would like to work with Celestial Being."

The conversation momentarily moved onto the mechanics of this partnership – basic instructions, how to file reports, and the like – before Lyle was forced to end it. With all the revelations that had come to pass – and C.C. dying – the evening had become night, and now the senior offices were being secured for the night.

As C.C. disappeared behind the lift doors, Anew looked at her fiancé. She said, "Do you think we can trust her?"

Lyle responded by saying, "C.C.? Hell no. Not for now, at least."

Anew raised an inquisitive eyebrow, so Lyle continued, "She wants to believe in us, but she isn't ready to let go of her own plans. Deep down, she's starting to doubt the Connection; so when she abandons it we can take her in with open arms. In the meantime, we get a spy in the Britannian Court, not that we need another one."

"I meant, do you trust her not to rat us out?" said Anew dryly.

Lyle put his arm around Anew and kissed her on the forehead. He said, "She won't. Like I said, she wants to believe. She'll put off reporting us until she stops thinking of us as abnormal. Trust me, Celestial Being just gained one of its most loyal members."

He had no idea just how right he would be.


Nunnally looked out towards the stars as she waited for her operation, and started to reflect.

True to his word, Mr. Setsuna had helped the children escape Japan. He had taken them to an island in the Pacific, and taken them to a really tall tower that he called a Mass Accelerator. Nunnally and the others were told to wait in this strange-looking capsule, and despite Suzaku's misgivings they chose to do so. As it turned out, the 'capsule' was actually a shuttle; Mr. Setsuna had sent them into space.

Lelouch was split between freaking out ("Where are the controls?!") and stoical wonderment, but Suzaku kept quiet. It was clear that he didn't trust Mr. Setsuna, which Nunnally supposed she could understand; after all, he had literally dropped out of the sky. Thankfully, Setsuna reached space only a few minutes after the did, in his Gundam machine.

He grabbed the shuttle, and started to drag it through space towards their destination. When one of the children asked where they were going, Setsuna responded with the immortal,

"You'll realise when we get there."

Most of the rest of the trip passed in silence. Lelouch was looking through the shuttle's instruments and trying to figure out how they worked, while Suzaku was brooding in the corner. Nunnally would have helped him, but for the first time in her life she could see the stars – without the light of Pendragon drowning them out.

Eventually, Mr. Setsuna announced that the group arrived at their destination. Outside, there didn't seem to be anywhere to go; not even an asteroid, let alone a space station. So when a door seemed to appear out of nowhere, all the children watched in awe as it revealed itself – even Suzaku. The Gundam pushed the inactive shuttle inside before leaving itself – presumably for another entrance.

Once the doors were sealed, the shuttle's doors opened and revealed the children's welcoming committee. There was a pretty, green haired lady who revealed herself to be the elusive C.C.; her and Lulu's supposed godmother. With C.C. were a couple – a young-ish looking lady with pigtails, who was hugging a flat-chested lady with purple hair. They called themselves the Mileina & Tieria Erde.

The three of them seemed like very nice people; an image that was quickly tarnished when Setsuna entered the room. C.C. managed to get the children out of the room quickly, but not before Mileina had started trying to hit Setsuna and shouting at him, "They're children! What were you thinking?!"

C.C. started to talk to the children as they floated towards the crew's quarters. Suzaku stayed quiet, but Nunnally and Lelouch were eager to find out about their newly-revealed godmother. She told the children a little about herself; apparently she was from Europe, but had emigrated to Britannia. She had done some work for the royal family, but had to leave due to ethical concerns; now she worked for Celestial Being, like Mileina and her husband Tieria.

The next few days passed in a similar fashion. She would spend her time finding out as much as she could about where she was, and her new friends. Lelouch would either be at her side, or challenging someone to a game of chess. Eventually, he found good partner in one Mrs. Mannequin; she could beat him frequently, while her husband looked after Nunnally.

Suzaku was quite different – he wouldn't leave his room most of the time. He barely talked to anyone except Nunnally or Lelouch, and went quiet whenever anyone else was there. Nunnally reckoned that eventually someone was going to give him a stern talking to – one that would get him out of his mood. Unfortunately, no-one had done it by the time she was scheduled to have her leg surgery.

So it was that she was all alone in the immediate build-up to her operation. Lelouch was over at the sick bay – presumably checking that everything was safe – and Suzaku was in his quarters. She was gazing out at the stars when someone settled next to her on the guard rail.

"M-Mister Erde."

The purple haired man looked over at her before turning back to the stars. He said, "You're nervous, Miss Lamperouge."

It wasn't a question. Nunnally said, "I don't want to worry anyone."

Tieria said, "It isn't a problem. I'll stay with you until the operation, if you want."

"I'd like it if you could," said Nunnally

A silence fell over the two, but it wasn't an awkward one. The two just stared out at the stars, soaking in the light of the Milky Way. Eventually, Nunnally decided to ask Tieria something.

"Mister Erde?"

"Hmm?"

"H-Have you ever had this p-p-procedure before?" stammered Nunnally.

"The nerve-regeneration one?" said Tieria. Nunnally nodded, so Tieria went on, "No, but Setsuna has."

"Really?" said Nunnally, "Do you know what happened to him?"

Tieria sighed and pushed himself off the guard rail.

"I'll tell you on our way to the theatre. Come on."

Tieria floated off towards the sick bay. Nunnally quickly followed suit. Tieria looked back at her and started to explain.

"It happened during the ELS Conflict, back in our own time."

Nunnally had heard about the alleged time-travelling nature of Celestial Being. While she was sceptical – understandably so – she believed that they were telling the truth. Which was more than could be said for Lelouch and Suzaku, but at least it was something.

Tieria continued, "He tried to reach out to the ELS, like when he fixed your eyesight. But since we were fighting at the time, the ELS fought back and gave Setsuna brain damage."

"You mean, you were fighting them?"

The two got into a lift as Tieria answered, "Yes. We were fighting to stop them from attacking the ones we love. Ultimately, we failed – which is why we came back in time."

Nunnally thought about Tieria's words. She softly announced, "I don't like fighting."

Tieria gave Nunnally a stern look, and she felt like she was about to be scolded. Tieria announced in a similar tone,

"Me neither."

Nunnally looked at his softening gaze, and responded with the obvious question, "If you don't like fighting, then why do you fight, Mister Tieria?"

There was a ding as the lift arrived at the medical wards. The doors opened, and Tieria smiled at Nunnally. He gave her some parting words.

"Because doing nothing is even worse. Now go on, it won't hurt a bit."

He gently pushed Nunnally into the room as the lift doors shut. Nunnally pulled herself towards her waiting, anxious brother and reflected on Mr. Erde's words. She didn't want him to be right, but deep down she knew he was. She knew that sometimes you had to hurt and be hurt, but by doing it now you stopped it from being worse down the road. With this thought, Lelouch led her to the operating theatre.

As it turned out, the procedure was just lying down on a bed and having some machines move around her. And sure enough, it didn't hurt a bit.


Elsewhere in the station, the lift doors pinged and Tieria floated out into a dark room. There was a table in the centre, and around it were sat Setsuna, Mileina and former Federation tactician Kati Mannequin. There were also holographic representations of Lockon, Allelujah, Feldt Grace, Lasse Aeon and Linda Vashti.

Tieria took the free seat between his wife and Setsuna, who was at the head of the table. Setsuna decided to speak.

"Thank you, Tieria. Shall we begin the meeting?"

There were affirmative sounds from around the table. Setsuna continued, "Very well then, on business. Does anyone have any major announcements?"

Mileina spoke up first, "I've received confirmation that the third of the new GN drives has been completed," which prompted much congratulatory noise as she finished, "The next two are predicted to be completed at four year intervals."

Tieria lent over and hugged his wife and Lyle gave the two a catcall; meanwhile Mileina's mother Linda jokingly grumbled out something about how she could do twice as much in half the time on a shoe-sting budget. She went ignored as Kati Mannequin announced,

"I have verified our recent recruits, and can report that Lelouch Lamperouge is better that I hoped. If he is willing, he will be the tactician of the next generation of Celestial Being."

After the Meisters were scattered in time, the team they had formed had fallen apart. Lyle had formed a multinational company alongside the first few arrivals, Allelujah had started a family, and Tieria was a married man. For these reasons, they decided to form a newer, younger team to begin armed interventions in this world.

At first, Celestial Being had taken care of any Federation soldiers it had caught in its Quantum Shift. After all, the Shift had caused an awful lot of Innovations, which was one on Celestial Being's main issues. So, they had recruited everyone who didn't want to go native, and swore everyone else to secrecy. The newly formed Celestial Being Council had hoped to find an eligible team within these recruits, but they had sadly overestimated the number of people they had caught. This led to recruitment from the general populace.

When they recruited C.C., the council had hoped to get a spy at most. However, when she decided to abandon the Ragnarok Connection, C.C. had immediately become one of Celestial Being's most valuable assets. Upon realising that she was immortal, they had quickly trained her to be a Gundam Meister – and she was damn good at it.

If Lelouch was an eligible tactician, then the search for the other Meisters was now going to kick into overdrive. Setsuna decided to clarify a few thing between them.

"Lockon, how's C.C.'s training going?"

"Well, for the most part. I'm worried about her and her latest contractor, Mao. Thankfully, she knows not to take things too far, and I reckon he could be a valuable resource. Other than that, she's probably the least screwed up Meister we've ever trained."

Setsuna swallowed this information. He responded by saying, "What about Mao as a Meister?"

"I doubt it," interjected Allelujah, "I've been keeping tabs on him, and I don't think he's got the mental stability for it. I wouldn't want to make that worse; but I could be wrong about him. We'll keep him on the B-List."

Setsuna and the others nodded. He asked Tieria,

"Have you found any candidates, Tieria?"

Celestial Being's Spy-Master listed his options, "I reckon we already have a couple. Nunnally Lamperouge is in surgery right now, and with the right attitude, all signs point towards her being a good pilot."

This had Mileina, Allelujah and Lockon objecting furiously, "She's a child! It's bad enough with Lelouch, but her as well?!"

"She's older than I was," pointed out Setsuna, "The question is if she would fight for the Aeolia Principles."

Tieria responded to that by saying, "She certainly believes in them. I think that with a little prompting, she could be convinced to fight. I like her, and Veda's scans indicate that she could be very good in the role. The same applies for Mister Kururugi."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow, so Tieria continued, "He doesn't like our modus operandi, but he has a similar level of potential. Plus, both of them are having doubts about their own methods. With some influence, we'll have ourselves another two Meisters."

Setsuna nodded, "Anyone else have any candidates?"

Allelujah had an eye on someone called Xingke, and Lockon was eyeing up a recently humiliated margrave. Feldt and Lasse were busy setting up spy networks in Africa and the Middle East, and Linda didn't have anyone in mind.

"Understood," said Setsuna, after hearing the options. He told the Observers, "Keep looking, and keep a watch on the ones you've told me."

"We'll take a break before we start the budgeting. Be back in 15 minutes."

The council members left their chairs for a moment, and the holograms of the Observers flickerd out of existence. But, no matter how far apart they were, they all shared the same thought.

The next generation was on its way.


Author's Notes: Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter of Quantum Shift. I'll be trying to update it every other Friday, but I can't guarantee that. Reviews and Comments are encouraged, and if you can provide valid critique I'd be very happy. PM me if you have any questions about the fic, or if you'd be willing to Beta future chapters. Thanks!

Writing Notes: The scene with Nunnally and Tieria went through four drafts; originally it was going to be about star constellations, but it really didn't work. I added Lyle saying 'Aye' because it gives his character a easier-to-write voice, and helps strengthen the Ireland connection. But the biggest pain in the arse was whiplashing between the different times and perspectives without making it an incomprehensible mess. Also, the story is written in British English because a) I'm English, so it's easier for me and b) I guess Britannia's existence would make American English not exist.

Next Time, the new Meisters start interacting with each other, and receive their Gundams