Author's Ramblings: Ugh... I'm tired. Barely managed to write this up, and it's the middle of the night here, so I'm off to sleep.

Enjoy the chapter, and review please. Also, get ready for the Arc finale next chapter!


Chapter 6: Inception Point: Plans

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Tokyo Concession
Ashford Academy
Same night

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Lelouch groaned as he opened the doors of his room. To say he was tired, was an understatement of the highest order. The use of his Geass-induced vision, the compensation for all the minor changes in his plan, and the very fact that he hadn't slept much the past few nights had brought him to the point of exhaustion.

The fact that as members of the Student Council, they could come and go as they pleased was a very welcome one. The ability to enter even at this time would allow them some rest before the morning.

Normally, the two would each go to their own rooms and sleep, but for tonight, Nunnally had expressed the need to stay close tonight.

He couldn't keep a weary smile from crossing his lips at the thought. No matter how mature his little sister was, the many fears and darker memories she had still got to her now and then, and it wasn't like he didn't appreciate the feeling of closeness. And the unconscious hugs she tended to give him weren't all that unpleasant. He cared for his little sister very much, and the minor discomfort he felt was an unimportant thing compared to making her happy.

"Come on little sister, you have to change. I am too tired to help." he whispered softly to the sleeping form of his sister in his arms. For the umpteenth time, he thanked Sayoko for drilling morning conditioning exercises into him. If it wasn't for those, he wouldn't have been able to physically endure all of this.

"I don't wanna…" the girl in his arms pouted, nuzzling her face into his chest, bringing up a further smile.

"Alright, alright." He replied softly, putting her down on the bed. He was aware that C.C. was there, resting, but not fully asleep, and frankly, he couldn't bring himself to care. If there was trouble next morning, he would take care of it then.

Slowly, gently, he removed her shoes, and made her as comfortable as he could, before taking care of some of his own clothes. He didn't care much for sleeping dressed, but undressing still required more strength than he had left. He would bear with the discomfort for one morning.

With the last bits of his strength, he crawled into bed, lying on his back as his unseeing eyes stared upwards. Soon enough, his dear sister turned to hug him, head once more returning to his chest. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the warmth beaming from that innocent, angelic smile on her face. He even considered turning on his Geass just so that he could see it once more, as it was one of those things he never grew tired of.

With a content smile, his weary eyes closed, letting him descend into the realm of dreams at last. His last thought, before his consciousness, was a bare perception of Sayoko entering the room, and that e would have to thank her in the morning.

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Today, was not going to be a good day, Lelouch decided as he woke up and tried to get off the bed, only to step into something. Nunnally was long gone, and the other body that rested on the bed belonged to C.C., who seemed to be chuckling at the grimace he had made.

"I'm glad you're entertained C.C., now would you care to explain just what I stepped into?"

"A pizza." The girl responded, rolling over from her previous position on the bed, and straight into his back.

"And how, pray tell, did a pizza get here?" he continued

"I ordered it, like everyone else does." She deadpanned, as if he were asking the most stupid question in the world, which, in truth, he probably was.

"And what did you pay it with?" Lelouch asked, though at this point, he really didn't want to know.

"Your credit card." She finished, ignoring the growing twitch above the teen's eye as she scrounged up a surviving piece of pizza from one of the boxes from somewhere around her. He didn't even want to bother with it.

"C.C., someone could have seen you." He offered in an irritated voice

"Don't presume to lecture me Lelouch Lamperouge. I know how to take care of myself." She replied coldly, and Lelouch bit back the reply he wanted to give her. Arguing with her served no purpose.

"Please tell me you haven't been causing trouble."

"Who knows. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." she smiled while speaking. "I did watch your performance last night…"

"Hm. And I suppose you have an opinion on that as well?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I? Why go to such lengths to save Suzaku's life, only to let him walk away after all that trouble?" she asked, voice only slightly exasperated.

"Because he was a friend. I cannot and will not make a sacrifice out of him just to achieve my goals."

"Hm. Or are you just afraid what your little sister would say?" C.C. prodded further, finally getting up from her indisputably comfortable position.

"Infuriating woman." He muttered as he got up and walked away. C.C. impassively watched him, keeping as silent as he was.

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Elsewhere, one Suzaku Kururugi took in a deep breath of air as he walked out into freedom. With the public statement made by Zero last night, he was quickly cleared of all charges, and reinstated to his former position.

It felt good to be free, he mused, carrying a small duffle bag over his shoulder while a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, covering much of his face. Though for now, he had nothing to do. Well, there was renewing the lease on his small apartment, but knowing Lloyd, he was soon going to move into the barracks, so that was a moot point.

"So, what do I do now?" he asked himself, a light smile on the teen's face as he decided it was about time for a decent breakfast. Even his stomach decided to voice its agreement to that course of action. "Breakfast it is."

The streets of the Tokyo Settlement were nostalgic, he realized as he walked by. He hadn't been there in quite a while, his stay in the Britannian military had limited his movements to the army barracks, the training centers and of course, the ghettos. There was no sign of the old Tokyo he remembered from before the war, but he had visited these streets several times over the years before he had made his decision to join the military, and make his attempt to change things from within.

As much as he hated to admit it, what Zero had stated last night… it wasn't pleasant to think of it, but he forced himself, regardless. If he allowed doubt to affect his course of action, all that he had done so far, all his mistakes and choices would be meaningless. But he had a point. What would he do if he was asked to kill someone close to him?

Would he be able to kill, if he was ordered to kill for instance Kaguya? Or Nunnally and Lelouch?

He knew the answer to that question already. It was no. A certain, resounding no. But for what was probably the tenth time this morning, he asked himself 'what if?'. And answers were sadly lacking.

A sudden scream, decidedly womanly scream at that, broke him out of his darkening thoughts. With no little amount of confusion he looked up to notice a pink haired woman falling straight on him.

"Eh?" he mouthed rather dumbly before his instincts kicked in, and he moved to catch her before she hit the ground. His well trained body moved with little effort, even if he lacked the energy to operate normally, and soon enough, the falling girl found herself caught by Suzaku right before she hit the ground.

"Hello?" he offered with a smile.

"Hey." The pink-haired girl sent back with a friendly wave and a smile. "Ehm, there are some bad men after me… would you please help me?"

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Jeremiah was angry. Both at Zero and at himself, as he still couldn't remember what had happened at that highway. Before he was demoted and arrested, he had watched the recordings of those events. How? Why? Those questions remained without answer still.

He no longer had the backing of the purists, and the only person he knew remained loyal to him was Villeta. And he would rather not pull her down with himself, even if she would follow without question. She had spoken of having a similar experience somewhere in Shinjuku… there was that student, could a mere student have been Zero?

But… why would any man or woman of Britannia lead terrorists against his home? It made no sense to him, Jeremiah was a man of loyalty, of honor. He didn't do things like that… before that night. Just like Villeta, just like a bunch of others… general Bradley included. And the only clue he now had was one uncertain hunch by his most trusted former subordinate… though knowing who was coming, he expected that they would all get demoted for this. Cornelia li Britannia was a harsh woman.

Desperation wanted to settle in, the gentle pull of insanity and obsession gnawing at his mind as the name Zero repeated itself in his mind. Zero, the one person responsible for the loss of everything he worked for years to achieve. He only hoped Lilicia, his sister was left alone after his actions.

"Feeling any better lord Jeremiah?" the familiar voice of the dark-skinned beauty startled him from his thoughts.

"Villeta, you're a sight for sore eyes." He muttered darkly.

"I bet. So, same thing, huh?" she offered with an understanding smile as she sat down on the floor, eyeing her old friend with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah."he responded with a chuckle" Any luck with looking up those two students?"

"No. Either they aren't students at all, or they're kept off the official records." She said, shaking her head lightly. It was irritating, almost like chasing ghosts. And going in front of others with such claims would be laughed off like a bad joke. Certainly, they would be seen as trying to shift the blame.

"What did they look like?"

"Those two? The boy was tall, thinly built. Dark, no, black hair, I think. And violet eyes. The girl was slightly shorter, and had long, light brown hair, but that's about it. I'd recognize them if I saw them again, though." she explained to Jeremiah, and the older man merely sat there thinking.

"I might be able to give you a hint to the right direction. Check Ashford Academy. It's the only important academy in the Concession, so it's most likely place to find them." He stated in a calm voice. "Thanks for the visit Villeta."

"You're welcome, my lord."

"You don't have to call me that anymore. If I'm even allowed to pilot a Knightmare again, we'll likely be equals, or you might even end up my superior." He spoke, a few bitter chuckles escaping the man's lips.

"You provided for me when I needed it most, Jeremiah." She answered him, accepting his request. "You believed me when others would have likely laughed, and you shielded me from what would have probably destroyed my career. The least I can do is repay your trust and loyalty."

And with those words, she got up and walked out, leaving her old friend in far higher spirits. Truly, it was the least she could do to the man she owed her life to.

As she left, she cast one last look at the man, right before Gilbert G.P. Guilford entered the room.

"Good morning, Jeremiah Gottwald." He greeted the man, expecting to see an almost broken man as the most recent reports told. Instead, former Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald awaited him standing against the wall.

"Do you have anything to say about the… incident?" Guilford asked

"It was a setup. And I am hardly the only one claiming amnesia." Jeremiah responded, all the while perfectly calm, a skill borne of years of practice. He made a mental reminder that he needed to work on his skills again. He had grown complacent, and it had cost him greatly.

"Are you going to repeat those lies again? Right now your only options are either to return to the military at the rank of pilot, or to go and open an orange farm." Guilford offered the options. Jeremiah barely suppressed a twitch at the mention of the 'O' word.

'Calm down, you can kill Zero later.' He mentally chanted. "I think I will take your first offer, lord Guilford."

"A wise choice. As much as it pains me to say it, it would be a waste to lose your talents." The bespectacled knight offered to the former Margrave before walking out. Guilford never saw the pleased smirk on the former noble's face.

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Elsewhere, Lelouch found himself before the inquis… Milly. And he doubted that the girl would stop until she got details. Sadly(for her), since Shirley, Nina and Rivalz were here, and Kallen was soon going to join in, it wasn't an option.

"Hey! Get your heads to work, we're supposed to receive a new student tomorrow! And not to mention, we have the festival to arrange soon!" Milly shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"So what should we do about it? You know we can't get anything done about the festival until the clubs get all the reports in." Rivalz responded, shrugging his shoulders as if he was sorry about it. As if, and Lelouch found himself agreeing with the blue haired teen.

"Seriously Milly, you worry too much about it. It will all go perfectly especially with you getting things organized." Nunnally assured her, giving the blond a friendly pat on the back. "But who's the new student?"

"The new guy? It's supposed to be an Honorary Britannian, Suzaku Kururugi." She announced to the overall shock of all those present.

"Su-suzaku? The one from last night?" Nina stuttered, her fear of all people non-Britannian coming back.

"Yes, apparently, his patron, an Earl Asplund from what I overheard, pulled a few strings and got him in."

"Do you hear that brother? Suzaku is coming in!" Nunnally shouted happily, hugging her brother now. Said brother chuckled at her enthusiasm, gently giving her a one-armed hug, the other arm currently busy being pinned beneath her body.

"You know him?" Rivalz asked, eyes alit with curiosity as he propped himself over the couch which Lelouch occupied.

"Yeah. Remember when I told you we've lived here from before the invasion?" Lelouch explained. "Well, I've met him back then. He's a very decent sort, the kind I'm not afraid to let around my sister." he added, and it was enough for all those present to understand. Lelouch was protective of Nunnally. Very protective in fact. Enough so, that anyone who tried to do anything to her found themselves in problems.

If Lelouch didn't have problems with him, it also meant the others wouldn't really have any.

"Well… if you think so." Nina added from the sides, some of her fear assayed by Lelouch's words.

"Aww, don't worry Nina, he's a really nice guy. Enough so, that it's silly!" Nunnally joked, bringing up a barely heard giggle from the normally mousy girl.

"Come on folks, let's have some fun!" Rivalz shouted. "There's this new place downtown, and since my allowance just arrived, I'm paying tonight!"

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Even with all that had happened, the day had turned out far better than he ever thought possible, though the sheer chaos that occurred was tiring.

However, he paled when the girl asked him to take her to Shinjuku. He was worried, as the place was still just as dangerous, if not more so than before the infamous incident that had taken place there, but he found himself unable to resist her request, so he escorted her.

"It's so sad." Euphie, as the girl identified herself stated. Before them stretched the many graves made for the victims who died there "So many lives needlessly wasted."

"It is, but there isn't much that can be done about it now. The only thing that can be done is to ensure it doesn't happen again… but that's beyond my power." Suzaku responded, a slight sliver of nervousness slipping into his voice.

"My lady!" a voice shouted from behind them

"Oh damn." Euphie suddenly cursed, much to Suzaku's surprise, since it was about the last thing he expected from her.

"Those wouldn't happen to be the 'bad men' you mentioned?" he asked.

"Ehm, well... yes. It's alright lord Darlton. I am unharmed, and this king young man was polite enough to show me around the city." Euphie stated "I might as well introduce myself. I am Euphemia li Britannia, third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, at your service." she stated with a slight bow, though the light giggle that escaped her lips ruined the moment as two guards tried to escort her away.

"And you, 'young man', thank you for taking care of her highness." Andreas Darlton spoke, the mountain of a man offering the Honorary Britannian a friendly handshake.

"Thank you sir."

"No, thank you. Lady Euphemia is a very willful person, and if you hadn't taken care of her, she might have gotten into trouble. And that would mean my head on a pike." the man added somewhat darkly.

Giving one last smile to Suzaku, lady Euphemia left her shell-shocked companion to simply stand there in confusion. What the hell had just happened?

A bunch of thoughts suddenly came running through his head, but none of those came close to the fact that he spent the day with a girl that Nunnally had told him about several times during their stay at the Kururugi shrine. Euphie, as the girl called her, was supposed to be the kindest of their family, and apart for Nunnaly herself, the only member of their family that Lelouch really liked. A part of him very much wanted to seek out the two siblings right now, but it was not an option, as they now lived in the Ashford academy, at least from what last he heard, and to Honorary Britannians, access was still very much prohibited.

"Hello there." Lloyd's usually content voice saluted from somewhere. Turning around, he realized that the entire trailer they usually used to move around had snuck up on him under the capable hands of Cecile Croomy who was sitting next to Lloyd and smiling. "We were wondering if you would care to join us? I'm afraid that the company is less noble, but we do offer a fine tune up service." The earl joked.

"Am I still..?"

"Are you daft boy? Of course you are! And thank heaven that it is so, do you know how difficult it is to find a good pilot these days?" Lloyd shouted, nearly falling off the trailer.

"Lloyd!" Cecile chided him, whacking the older scientist on the head.

"Yes, yes dear, I'll behave." The man stated with a smile. Suzaku could have sworn the two acted like a married couple at times. And immediately, the frightening image of a bunch little children looking like a mixture of the two, trying to probe him with various lab instruments came to mind.

"Well? What are you waiting for Suzaku?" Cecile asked him, and with the press of a button, one of the side doors opened to let him in. Realizing that he had spaced out there, Suzaku merely jumped in.

"Get some rest. We have a lot of news for you, and a lot of things are about to happen." Lloyd added right before they moved out.

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Another day had passed, and C.C. was bored. The small amount of joy derived from placing all of her stickers on the Cheese-kun gift coupon had already passed her but she drew some contentment from the fact that she only had two more to go, and she could get a free Cheese-kun plushy!

Beyond her euphoria over the new Cheese-kun plushy, she noticed a near running Lelouch entering the room. While that was hardly anything to pay much attention to, he seemed in a hurry, agitated even.

"And what's got you in such a rush?" she asked in a humored tone.

"Don't you watch television, C.C.? I've been formally invited." Lelouch stated with a chuckle.

"You understand that this is most certainly a trap made for you?"

"I do, but what kind of gentleman refuses such a polite invitation by a charming lady?" he spoke sarcastically, waving her concerns off with his hand as he sat down on his desk, and began putting together everything he would need in his head.

"What is it you wish to achieve Lelouch? Destroy Britannia? Find the one responsible for the death of your mother? Build a new world free from the shadow of war and strife? Take revenge for the pain you and Nunnally suffered? Which one is more important to you?" she asked, knowing that it would provoke a reaction from the insufferably stoic man.

"The first three you mentioned are goals of equal import, but the last one… no, not anymore. To simply take vengeance means nothing, it would only propagate the hatred even further. My father pitted us against each other, like beasts to see who would be the last one standing, and as soon one showed weakness, someone would try to sink their fangs into them. "

"You do realize that what you hate Britannia for is but the thing that makes it strong? Natural selection, the survival of the fittest is of the basic laws of nature, it only makes sense to put the most capable candidate on the throne." She responded with degree of boredom. She had succeeded in her plan, and unnerved him

"True, but what of those who don't have the strength to defend themselves? Those who do nothing but simply live? Are they to be destroyed just for being in the way? Cast off to provide power and progress to a man who stoops so low as to pit his own flesh and blood against each other while he pulls the strings from behind the scenes? I would sooner crush such a world myself." Lelouch snarled, crushing his fists into the desk he was sitting at. From behind, he could hear the click of a pistol, but the feeling of range still burned strong in him.

"I can't just let you go to certain death, and Nunnally to follow you there." C.C. stated in an irritated voice as she leveled a gun straight at him.

"You seem to be taking a rather strange approach at it." He retorted having finally calmed down a bit.

"Oh, I have no intention of killing you. Merely shoot you in the leg and tie you up so you can't go." She threatened, and Lelouch couldn't help but shiver at the wording, as if there was something more to what she said. And knowing his luck at times, there likely was.

"Hm." He mouthed with a chuckle, pulling out his own gun. It was a useless weapon in most situations; however, for what he had in mind, it was perfect.

"Come now, you should know better than to think you could threaten me with a gun." C.C. retorted.

"Quite to the contrary, it is the perfect tool to do so." He spoke, raising the pistol until it aimed at his own temple.

"You would take your own life so easily?" she asked him, her visage still remaining calm, but barely.

"I would." He replied, startling the green-haired woman for a moment. "Before you came along C.C., I was living half a life, a walking corpse going through the motions of living without actually being alive. I felt that I was dying more and more every day. All the plans I made, all the aspirations I had, false. Then you came along, and my life once more had a purpose." He explained, slowly lowering his pistol. "If you wish to stop me, you will have to kill me first."

The two of them stood, silently gazing at each other. Even Lelouch's blind eyes had no problems seeing the tenseness that overtook C.C.'s body, the mask that held all emotion at bay falling ever so slightly to reveal what lay between. He himself felt spent thanks to this conversation, the darker feelings he had been keeping beneath the surface for a while now brought up again.

"I see. And I think I understand… a life without purpose, without meaning. It is a horrible thing, isn't it?" C.C. spoke, lowering her pistol as well. 'And not just for you…'

"Yes…it is." Lelouch spoke softly as he passed her by, a single tear sliding down his cheeks as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'And not just for me…'

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"The Saitama Ghetto is completely surrounded. The Yamato alliance's hideout is somewhere here. Half the people here cooperates with them, if we proceed now…" Andreas Darlton announced to his lady.

"What of the drop in production?" Cornelia asked with no small amount of irritation. It was an annoying part of her duties, but they had to be fulfilled regardless.

"0.2 percent, fully within expectations. The media have been broadcasting of the event since this morning." Next to her, Guildford looked up on his data pad.

"What do you think officers? You were all present in Shinjuku… are the conditions the same?"

"Milday? I'm not sure I understand." One of the officers in question responded.

"I see that you aren't. "she flatly stated "This entire action is a lure to draw out Zero. I recreated much of the conditions that had happened there in hopes of drawing him out. Besides, I don't think he would miss an opportunity at adding another name to his list of killed Royals."

"But Milady… you would risk your life for this?" another asked, only to be frightened when she got up from her seat and walked over.

"What you fail to understand that war is a struggle between life and pride. And Zero is a prideful one, with a flair for the theatrical. I intend to use that pride of his and crush him here and now."

She had done all in her power. The trap was set, the bait in. Most of the conditions of the Shinjuku ghetto incident had been recreated in hopes of drawing Zero out into the open where she could take care of him. Certainly, the situation would end in her benefit either way, as the rebel group within the area would be annihilated either way.

"Begin operations." She ordered with a dark smile on her lips.

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"Hm. Our sister seems deserving of her title." Lelouch softly stated, his face unusually revealed as he and his sister overlooked the situation around them. Their vantage point, an abandoned and ruined building was completely safe, but would not remain so for long.

"Indeed. From what I can gather, she seems to have gone to great lengths to organize all of this. A trap?" the girl beside him offered, placing her visored helmet in her hands, taking the opportunity to look at her own reflection on its smooth surface.

"Precisely that, and for me. How could I possibly refuse such a polite invitation?" he stated theatrically to his now laughing sister" What do we know of the local insurgents?"

"The Yamato alliance, badly organized, but numerous. The locals protected them, which is the most likely reason they are being attacked."

"As ruthless as ever, aren't you Cornelia? You replace Clovis, but nothing changes. Britannia still remains Britannia." Lelouch spoke tiredly.

"All of the attacks they took responsibility for were clumsily executed at best, and caused the loss of both civilian and military targets." Nunnally continued with no small amount of disgust as she put on her helmet.

"So we can't rely on them. Come on little sister, this reunion has been too long delayed. It is time we reminded Britannia that they are not unbeatable. Begin operations. " Stated, his final words going over the broadcast as the mask descended over his face.

'-'Yes my lord!'-' the echoing voices of Geass-controlled pilots responded over the radio.

'You may be the Goddess of Victory dear sister… but let us see how you fare against your own battle-hardened men and led by an enemy you know nothing off?' he mused with no small amount of entertainment as Zero and Ghost entered the cockpit of yet another pilfered Sutherland, a slightly psychotic chuckle escaping his mouth.

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"Milady, we've just lost contact with a patrol group." One of the aides called, the area in question highlighted on the massive screen as the small symbols representing the group suddenly changed into the contact lost symbols.

"So someone took the bait." Cornelia commented, slowly getting up. The situation on the screen slowly changed. The initial forces sent in were being decimated by perfectly organized retaliations, and she could even spot some patterns, though they changed before she could take advantage of them. It was fast, systematic, and on every corner of the map at the same time, and her troops were losing their lives quickly. One of the two exits from the region, an important bridge was destroyed along with more than a few

"Do you think it is Zero?" the bespectacled knight asked.

"It is a possibility. Regardless, we've lost too many men already. Fall back, retreat to the encirclement positions, further losses serve no purpose." Cornelia stated.

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"A retreat?" Zero muttered through his mask as he heard the orders Cornelia had given over the radio. 'She isn't defeated yet, so what is she playing at? She is waiting for me, which means she expects me. So… she doesn't want to simply get close and risk getting killed by me.'

"Units P1, P2 and P3, shut down your IFFs and remain in position. Units B and R, move into formation with the others. Ghost, shut down IFFs and get us close to the extraction point."

'Now, let us see what you plan Cornelia. I already see I can't reach you today, but that doesn't mean I can't inflict some rather embarrassing losses to you. Did you truly think I was foolish enough to simply wade into your trap?'

"P1, activate IFF."

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"One unit remaining in the city with their engaged IFF."

"Scramble a group to res…"

"I ordered all troops to fall back. I have no use for soldiers who cannot follow my orders."

"Do your duty even if it costs you your life, my subordinates follow that code without question." Cornelia proudly stated.

"As you command your highness." Guilford stated, her knight following her as they walked out and into their Knightmares. It was time she lead her men herself. Zero would soon fall, and with him gone, the rest of the insurgents would soon follow.

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'She's going out into the open, most likely to challenge us.'

"My lord? There are two units moving in from the north and south." Ghost interrupted his thoughts

"Formation and numbers?" Zero shortly asked, a hand coming up to his chin.

"Fifteen in both groups, pincer formation trying to chase us to the east."

'East? Could she have located one of my extraction routes? No, doubtful. She's likely trying to drive me into a river, where she can control the terrain. Well, not like that will happen.'

"Where is Cornelia?"he asked again.

"It would seem she is right behind the pincer wing to the north."

"Good. P2 and P3, activate IFFs. R1, begin plan delta-1, R2 begin delta-2. B1, open fire at the group taking the road two hundred meters to your left, B2, your location?"

'-'Princess Cornelia's personal guard'-' the voice immediately answered.

"Perfect. Wait for fifteen seconds than begin acting as a transmitter. Ghost, get us out of here." Zero ordered. Now all that was left was to say his goodbyes.

He was tired again, and the entire operation had been one colossal waste of time. However, discretion was the better part of valor, and he certainly didn't appreciate the idea of the two of them getting caught. So, they would leave for today. At least, he had gathered some knowledge on his opponents for the time being.

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"What the hell is going on?" Cornelia shouted at her officers over the radio. How had this happened? There wasn't a single enemy corpse present, and many of the civilians had evacuated to the underground under the cover of the attacks. And what was worse, the only corpses and destroyed frames were her own, as if the bastard had somehow spirited them away and turned them against her.

'-'Good afternoon princess Cornelia.'-' an impeccably polite voice greeted her after several seconds of ranting, going over the static of the chaos around her.

"Zero!" the woman snarled at the face, glaring at the image before her

'-'I'm afraid meeting face to face will have to wait a bit more, milady. However, I do hope you've enjoyed our exchange for the day.'-' he waved goodbye, and the image terminated.

Rage clouded her mind as comprehension dawned… Zero had come, struck against her and left, and she had not once detected him. The trap she had painstakingly set for him had not only failed, but was turned against her, and even her original goal was only half-fulfilled. But strangely enough, Zero hadn't made this a public appearance. In fact, he had ensured that only her Knightmare got the transmission. What was that accursed man plotting?

And just then, as her rage stopped a sequence of explosions ripped through the calming air.


Author's Ramblings: Just a small explanation, most of Lelouch's sudden knowledge of the events is narrated by Nunnally behind the scenes. I didn't want to write just about everything, so I skipped some of those speeches. The battle itself didn't turn out the way I originally planned, but it does work with what I have in mind for later, and it proved to be especially dificult to write for some reason, but since it was important, I couldn't just skip it.

The events with the other characters will have a great degree of weight later on, especially those considering Jeremiah and C.C., not to mention Suzaku and Euphie.

As always, read, review and all that stuff. I'm off to sleep.