Code Prime - R1: Rebellion

by Iron117Prime

Lelouch Vi Britannia made a vow to destroy the Holy Empire of Britannia and create a peaceful world with for his sister Nunnally. However, he will soon learn that while he has gained valuable allies he will face an enemy far more evil than Britannia could ever hope to be. Battle lines are drawn as two wars collide into one. (Transformers: Aligned Continuity (Prime, WFC, FOC, RID))

7. Stolen Mask

Hi everyone. Thank you again for your patience, I didn't mean to make you wait so long. I had to drive down to Florida for my cousin's wedding, then I got seven 8-hour shifts at work right after so I didn't even have to time to start writing.

So anyway, thank you again for your patience, this is intended to be a fun chapter before we get into serious action, but a few important things will happen here that you will see for yourself.

And it also appears that the movie "Lelouch of the Re;surection" was recently released (or may be soon released on the 16th, the dates keep changing) Keep in mind that if I do decide to do my own interpretation of it, it won't happen for a long time because I still have to write the story I have planned first.

Alright, now that it's all said and done, let's get started.

Stolen Mask

"Suzaku was the pilot?!" Lelouch exclaimed in shock and surprise as he heard what Optimus just said for the leader of the Autobots had just returned to the Ark after having witnessed Suzaku and Dreadwing defend Jeremiah from a surprise attack by the rest of the Purebloods as well as Starscream and his fellow Seekers. He also informed them of Princess Euphemia, as well as Megatron's appearance and his claim to be a 'protector of Britannia'.

"Indeed he was." Optimus Prime confirmed. "This Knightmare, the 'Lancelot', moved and reacted the same way it did earlier in Shinjuku, it is without a doubt that Suzaku was the pilot."

"Well, what do you know?" Cliffjumper said. "Did not see that coming."

"Hard to believe a kid could give us all that trouble." Bulkhead noted.

"[The way he moved though when I fought him, it felt like he was piloting that Lancelot-thing for years. He's quite the fighter, I'll give him that.]" Bumblebee admitted, considering he fought the Lancelot.

"The Lancelot itself is quite the dangerous weapon as well." Fixit said as he accessed the Ark's systems and found the data on the aforementioned Knightmare "From our own knowledge of Earth-built Knightmares as well as our observations, this Lancelot can move at speeds that surpass any other Britannian Knightmare, as well as built-in shields and four sets of Slash Harkens. From an scientific standpoint, this Knightmare is a work of sneezes….breezes… genius!"

"I'm actually a bit surprised Britannia let a so-called 'Eleven' pilot an advanced Knightmare like that." Arcee commented.

"I think it's more they're using him to test-pilot it because he is an Eleven." Ironhide said.

"I agree." Ratchet said. "This is clearly an advanced weapon, though due to human biology being physically weak, there is only so much pressure the human body can take."

"So if the guinea pig dies from the test, it's no skin of they're bones, because the pilot wasn't a 'true Britannian soldier'." Bulkhead surmised, his face containing disgusted features.

Optimus and everyone else, even C.C., who remained silent during the exchange, looked towards Lelouch as he looked down, his face being one of anger and confusion as he clenched his fists. Suzaku, one of the few people he could consider a true friend, the person who saved him and Nunnally seven years ago from being killed was now an enemy?! Damn Britannia straight to Hell for doing this to him!

"[Hey uh… Lelouch… are you okay?]" Bumblebee asked in concern as he kneeled down in front of him.

"My friend is now my enemy, how do you think I feel?" Lelouch questioned in obvious sarcasm.

Most of the Autobots grimaced a bit as they glanced towards Optimus who looked sympathetically towards the former prince, as he knew exactly how that felt. However, this situation was very different than his own.

"Lelouch, I do not believe that Suzaku has to be an enemy." The last of the Primes began. "We both know his intent on changing Britannia from within."

"Good luck with that." Cliffjumper commented, only to be silenced as Ironhide glared slightly in his direction

"Despite how unlikely that outcome is, we are both aware that his intentions are good." Optimus continued. "Though he may fight in the Britannian military once more in the future, I do not believe he is naïve enough to fully trust Megatron or most of the Decepticons as they have now made their appearance."

"'Protectors of Britannia' my mudflap!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "The Cons are only hear because we are!"

"We already knew that would happen going in, and since Megatron is Britannia's true master, I'm not surprised he's playing that card." Arcee said.

"Regardless, the fact remains that Suzaku, despite his current alignment, seeks to bring peace to this planet." Optimus continued. "Which could make him a possible ally in the future."

Lelouch looked towards Optimus. "I don't know how that'd be possible. Besides the fact he's as stubborn as a rock, he can't just openly join our side without the military using his position to crack down further on Elevens."

"You could use your Geass on him." C.C. suggested. "Wouldn't be too difficult."

"I won't do that! Not to him!" Lelouch said immediately.

Most of the Autobots looked in surprise; did he really value Suzaku's friendship so much that he wouldn't use his Geass and force him to work for him? Optimus however was not surprised, as he knew this from when he and 'Zero' rescued Suzaku from his court martial and went back of his own free will.

"We can figure that out later." Ironhide said. "What do we do about Megatron?"

"We do now have a general idea of who he has with him." Ratchet responed. "Starscream and his band of seekers are with him, not to mention Soundwave, but that's no surprise, though it would seem that even Dreadwing his at his command as well."

"Could you explain to me who these Decepticons are?" Lelouch requested. "I'd like to know what my enemy is capable of."

Fixit then accessed the systems from his own smaller console as he and Ratchet began to show images of certain Decepticons on the front screen of the Ark.

"Starscream is Megatron's second in command." Fixit explained. "He used to be Air Commander of a neutral group of Seekers during the war. Seekers were considered to be the best flyers on Cybertron, he defected to Megatron's side once he took over his personal station. Alongside him are his commanders Thundercracker and Skywarp."

"Thundercracker is a scientist." Ratchet began. "He's among the least reckless of the Decepticons, but he's also a capable fighter in the field. Skywarp, though small and remarkably unintelligent, always rushes in and is also capable of handling his own."

"Starscream himself however is a coward, always relying on sneak attacks and back-stabbing. He's not above groveling either." Ironhide added.

"Then we have Dreadwing, a former captain of Seeker armada back on Cybertron during the war." Fixit explained as Lelouch continued to look through the images. "He's among the strongest of the Seekers and is a master at both long-ranged and short-ranged weapons. His most preferred are remotely detonated bombs."

"He is also fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause." Optimus added. "Although I will say that he values loyalty and honor. Though he will not hesitate to terminate an enemy, he will do it on even ground and in battle, not through deception or manipulation."

"From the way you talk, it sounds like you actually respect him." Lelouch observed.

"He did aid Suzaku in defending Jeremiah from Starscream and the Purebloods." Optimus said.

"I'm not surprised." Ironhide said. "Most of the Cons are pretty rotten, but at least this guy has his own sense of honor."

"Doesn't change the fact he's still a Decepticon." Arcee said with a scowl.

"He took down a few of my friends during the war, so I'm not hanging my hopes on him." Bulkhead commented.

"I feel we're getting off track." Lelouch said.

"Right, then we have Soundwave." Ratchet continued. "Who is arguably the most dangerous of all the Decepticons next to Megatron himself. He is the eyes and ears of their cause, a technical and tactical genius."

"His skills as a fighter are pretty top notch to." Ironhide added. "He almost killed me more than once."

"He's that good, huh?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh you have no idea." Cliffjumper commented. "Especially considering he's got a small army on him."

"Pardon?"

"Soundwave carries an assortment of Mini-Cons with him." Fixit began to explain. "There is Laserbeak, his own surveillance drone; Frenzy, who uses speed; Rumble, who can create minor shockwaves; and his most dangerous one, Ravage, who is fast, strong, and can attack from both short and long distance." The screen displayed the images of all four Mini-Cons; Laserbeak resembling a bird-like-drone, Frenzy being a small red Mini-Con, Rumble being a blue Mini-Con of similar build with large pounders for arms, and Ravage which resembled a large jungle cat with razor sharp teeth.

Lelouch hated to admit it, but he was impressed. This Decepticon seemed like a truly intelligent one and had disposable drones that each served a functional purpose to cover nearly every possible outcome. In a weird way, it reminded him of himself, and even his older brother Schneizel, and it made him a bit unconfortmable. Soundwave's appearance didn't help all that much either.

"Is there anyone else?" Lelouch asked.

"Those are the only Decepticons I saw earlier today, besides Megatron himself." Optimus answered.

"It doesn't mean they're his only troops." Bulkhead said. "For all we know, he could have a whole army."

"Not much we can do about that." Cliffjumeper said. "But we can figure something out from the Britannian side. So Prince Lelouch, who were gonna go up against now?"

Though he could tell Cliffjumper was joking, Lelouch didn't like it one bit. "First of all, don't call me that again. Second, I wouldn't worry about Euphemia. She's no fighter and not much of a strategist either."

"From what I observed from her, it would seem she shares the same beliefs as Suzaku." Optimus added. "She to wishes to bring peace to Earth."

"So she's not one of those fanatics who'd start a massacre?" Arcee questioned somewhat skeptically.

"Euphemia never once held a weapon in her life." Lelouch commented. "She may be a Britannian princess, but I can see she's no killer."

"Her records seem to confirm that." Fixit added as he pulled up her data. "There are no battle records, nothing to indicate that she participated in any form of combat or even politics. In fact, up until now, she has only been a student."

"So why send someone who's virtually useless here to where Clovis was killed?" Ironhide questioned. "I doubt it's to make peace."

"She's probably here because of Cornelia, who is the real threat from Britannia." Lelouch replied.

"Cornelia li Britannia, the elder sister of Euphemia li Britannia, and Second Royal Britannian Princess." Fixit read her records. "Also known as the 'Goddess of Victory', she is the Chief General of the Imperial Army piloting a custom-made Gloucester Knightmare; she also leads her own personal squad known as the Glaston Knights who also pilot Gloucesters."

"'Goddess of Victory', huh? I'm guessing you don't get called that for loosing." Cliffjumper said.

"Her records indicate she has not lost a single battle, ever." Fixit said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, well she's never gone up against us!" Bulkhead said eagerly.

"Let's not jump the gun just yet." Ironhide said. "We also have to keep an eye on Megatron."

"In addition to taking care not to endanger the civilian population of Japan." Optimus added.

"If I know Cornelia, she's going to want to sweep up the entire country looking for us." Lelouch said. "She'll start taking out other terrorist groups and resistance cells one-by-one till she finds us."

"So, Optimus how should we proceed?" Ratchet asked their leader.

"Lelouch, you should return to Ashford for now." Optimus began. "Bumblebee will accompany you, while the rest of us will work to contact Ohgi's group on how we can proceed, until we know our enemy's intention."

"You're really going to be relying on them?" Lelouch questioned.

"They're the only resistance group we are currently acquainted with." Optimus informed. "You even admitted that we alone cannot defeat Britannia and the Decepticons."

"I know what I said." Lelouch stated. "But from what I've seen from them, they're not exactly disciplined."

"What do you expect? They're not trained soldiers, not yet." Ironhide said.

"I'm not disapproving the idea, I'm only saying that when we do build our army, we have to be sure to set a proper example so that we become a force to be reckoned with." Lelouch argued.

"Okay, that does make sense." Bulkhead nodded.

"Nonetheless, we cannot afford to take risks at the moment, the best thing we can do is wait." Optimus said.

"Alright, then contact me when you're ready to proceed." Lelouch said as he turned towards Bumblebee. "Let's go."

"[Got it]" Bumblebee nodded before transforming. Lelouch got into the driver's seat but looked in surprise to see C.C. getting into the passenger seat.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you." C.C. answered. "Obviously."

"No, you're supposed to stay here." Lelouch told her.

"It's too boring here." The green-haired immortal said.

"Boring?" Lelouch questioned. "This is an alien space craft being operated by giant sentient robots and you think it's boring?!"

"I'm over it." C.C. commented. "Plus there's nothing to eat here."

"Considering you were shot in the forehead, I don't think you need to worry about starving to death." Lelouch lowered his eyelids.

"I'd still like to eat something." She replied.

"[Lelouch come on, it's not like the whole world is out looking for her.]" Bumblebee bleeped through his radio.

The young revolutionary sighed. "Fine." He sunk into the seat as Bumblebee drove off toward the Groundbridge station on board the downed ship.

---

It was night time by the time Bumblebee pulled up to the Ashford Academy Clubhouse where Lelouch and C.C. stepped out.

"Alright, one last time. Do you know anything about a boy named Rai?" Lelouch asked C.C.

"That young man with white hair, blue eyes, and amnesia?" C.C. responded. "No, I don't."

"If you're going to stay here, then I think it's best he not see you, since he's taken up residence with Nunnally and myself." Lelouch advised her.

"Since he has amnesia, I doubt he'd recognize me from anywhere." C.C. commented.

"[I think he's more worried about word of a 'green haired crazy girl' getting out, which can lead to the military coming here and causing a whole bunch of problems.]" Bumblebee pointed out.

"Exactly." Lelouch confirmed.

"Well I suppose that makes sense." C.C. nodded. "I'll just wait inside Bumblebee till around midnight when everyone's asleep then climb into your room."

"Why my room?" Lelouch asked.

"Because." C.C. answered with a shrug

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Fine." He walked towards the clubhouse as C.C. got back inside Bumblebee.

---

The black-haired youth entered the dinning room to find Nunnally and Rai sitting at the table.

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late coming home." Lelouch said.

"Welcome home Lelouch." Nunnally greeted.

"Hey, look who's back." Rai greeted as well.

"Nunnally, what are you doing up so late?" Her brother asked. "It's past ten and we have school tomorrow."

"It was my fault actually." Rai told him. "She was just telling me about… well… you and her being royalty and all."

Lelouch did not expect that response as his eyes widened and he gave an audible gasp of shock. "You told him?!" Lelouch questioned.

"Since he's going to be living with us, I felt it was best to get that out in the open." Nunnally explained. "But you don't have to worry, we can trust him."

"You only just met him today." Lelouch said in a tone that indicated he disapproved of her action.

"Hey, it's okay, I won't say anything. It's the least I can do for taking me in." Rai assured. "I promise I'll keep your secret."

Lelouch looked serious for a moment before walking up. "Nunnally, would it be alright if I spoke with Rai in private? I promise I won't do anything, I just need to talk to him."

Nunnally looked a bit unsure, but she was certain her brother wouldn't hurt Rai or anything. "Okay."

Rai sighed as he stood up and followed Lelouch into the kitchen. "Lelouch, I get why you probably don't trust me with this. But I…"

"I want answers." Lelouch stated as he activated his Geass and made eye-contact. The red sigil flew from his eyes and into Rai's, his brainwave patterns shifted before a pair of red rings formed in his eyes.

"Alright, what do you need to know?" Rai answered automatically, now under the affects of Lelouch's Geass.

"What do you know about a girl with green hair named C.C.?" Lelouch asked.

"I don't know anything." Rai responded. "This is the first time I've heard of that name."

"You're certain?" Lelouch persisted.

"I am." Rai nodded.

"What do you remember prior to arriving at Ashford?" Lelouch asked.

"Nothing past me waking up in the nurse's office and meeting you." Rai answered.

"So my Geass can't retrieve lost memories from amnesia." Lelouch made a mental note before cutting off his Geass. The rings faded from Rai's eyes as he gave a slight gasp.

"Is everything alright?" He asked Lelouch, having no memory of being under the Geass.

"It's fine, don't worry." Lelouch told him. "But, I know you already said it, but I need you to promise me you won't say anything about me and Nunnally to anyone."

"I promise, I won't say a word about you and your sister, or about your asshole of a father." Rai responded, though that last comment caught him by surprise. "I may have amnesia, but I'm not stupid enough to know that so-called Emperor is a pathetic excuse for a human being. And about your mother I… I really am sorry…"

"Nunnally told you about that?" Lelouch asked as Rai nodded. "What else did she tell you?"

"Only that Milly and Sayoko are the ones who know about you, and an old friend of yours named Suzaku."

"I see. Well, if Nunnally trusts you, that's all I need." Lelouch assured.

"Alright." Rai said with a smile as he and Lelouch walked back into the dining room to talk with Nunnally a bit. Though Lelouch wasn't exactly thrilled with Nunnally that she reveal their identities to a complete stranger, but Rai seemed like a pretty decent person, despite knowing so little about him. But now Lelouch had to think of a plan for him and the Autobots for when they would face Britannia and the Decepticons. So long as there weren't any more surprises in store, things should be fine.

---

The Next Day

Lelouch couldn't contain yet another surprise as he saw someone standing at the front of the classroom greeting everyone.

"I'll be joining the student body here at Ashford Academy beginning today. My name is Suzaku Kururugi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Pretty much every student in the class was shocked to say the least. Not only was he pretty much the first Honorary Britannian to end up at the school, but he was the very same that was previously accused of murdering Clovis, only to be revealed as a framed victim by the Purebloods.

On one hand, Lelouch was glad to see him again. On the other, he was still angered a bit because now he knew him as the pilot of this Lancelot Knightmare, which could present a problem for him in the future; the last thing he wanted was for his friend to become his enemy. But that can wait, the first thing he needed to do was talk to him after class, and at least make him feel a bit more welcomed and comfortable, it was the leas the could do for trying to save him when they met and found C.C. back in Shinjuku.

The rest of the class period proceeded pretty normally, it wasn't till after class was dismissed that Lelouch overheard what people were really thinking and saying as Suzaku began to put his stuff away.

"What's an Eleven doing here?"

"He was a suspect in Prince Clovis' murder."

"But didn't the Purebloods frame him? Seriously that was cold."

"You don't really think he's a terrorist, do you? Working with that Zero guy and those Autobot things?" One student asked worriedly as Kallen glanced in Suzaku's direction.

"Of course he isn't, the school board would know something like that."

"An Eleven here at school?" Nina questioned in a somewhat frightened tone.

"He is an Honorary Britannian." Rivalz said.

That fact didn't make Nina any less nervous. "I know but still all the same…"

"Well I think it's actually kind of exciting." Shirley said with a smile. "I mean he was face-to-face with transforming robots! How cool is that?! We should.." She was about to walk up and give him a friendly greeting, but Rivalz stopped her.

"The guy just got here, give him some space." Rivalz didn't mind the idea of Suzaku being here, but being the new-guy was always a bit nerve racking, so he figured he let Suzaku settle in before saying hi.

Lelouch stood up from his seat and began to walk toward the door past Suzaku, who noticed Lelouch the first time he entered the classroom, but hadn't said anything to him since then. Lelouch walked into the doorway, before pulling up on his collar, surprising Suzaku, as he walked outside.

---

Suzaku walked onto the roof of the building to see Lelouch leaning against a railing before walking toward him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. It had been seven years since he'd last seen him, aside from Shinjuku, who knows how much Lelouch has changed. But then again, he changed quite a lot himself in that time.

Lelouch turned to him with a friendly smile. "Seven years since we used this signal, long time, huh?" He greeted as he demonstrated said signal again.

"Meeting on the roof like the old days." Suzaku greeted back with a friendly smile as well. "I'm glad you're okay, I've been worried."

"Alive and kicking thanks to you. You almost died… trying to protect me."

"I was just returning the favor, from seven years ago." Suzaku said as Lelouch's smile faded as that wasn't the most pleasant of memories. Suzaku then remembered. "What about that girl, you know, from the capsule?!"

"I don't really know, we got separated during the fray." Lelouch lied. "But you would know more about her then I do, right?"

Suzaku looked down. "No, the only ones who knew anything, were the inner circle of the Royal Guard."

"I see." Lelouch had a feeling that be the case, and most of the Royal Guard, including Clovis, were now dead, so not much he could do about that now.

"And your name, do I still call you Lelouch?"

"The records count my old identity among the dead. I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge now."

"Oh."

"What about you? I mean, you were face-to-face with actual living robots. That must have been nerve racking." Lelouch said.

"Oh you have no idea." Suzaku replied. "I mean, we've both seen some pretty intense stuff, but something like that, alien robots, that's certainly something new."

"Alien?" Lelouch asked, trying to maintain a cover of ignorance.

"Oh yeah… I actually found out they are from another planet. Pretty amazing, huh?" Suzaku said with an impressed smile.

"Yeah, and the way they just took out all those Knightmares at your court martial…" Lelouch said.

"You saw that?" Suzaku asked in surprise.

"Pretty sure the whole world saw it." Lelouch stated.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"But the way they just took down almost a dozen Britannian Knightmares like that, especially considering those people framed you for something you clearly did not do…" Lelouch couldn't contain his own grin. "I couldn't help but feel a tad bit of satisfaction for it."

Suzaku understood why Lelouch felt that way, he was well aware how much his friend hated his own country. Though he was grateful for Optimus and Zero's help, as well as them letting him go, he wished the situation would have been resolved without resorting to violence. But then again, the Purebloods were the ones who shot first so he couldn't hold them solely responsible. Plus he had a feeling that Optimus was telling the truth about these Decepticons as he had only met Megatron the previous night and he could tell right away that this particular being did not want peace as he claimed.

"But, how exactly did you end up from there to here?" Lelouch asked Suzaku, changing the subject.

"I'm surprised as you are." Suzaku replied. "What are the odds we'd end up at the same school? Truth is, someone arranged for me to receive a proper investigation, and that person said a 17-year-old should be in school."

---

Princess Euphemia, the same person who arranged for Suzaku's investigation, was looking at several paintings done by her late brother. Her eyes fell on one in particular, showing a much younger Lelouch and Nunnally sitting by their late mother Marianne Vi Britannia.

"We're all of these painted by Clovis?" She asked.

"Yes." A butler responded.

Euphie brushed her hand along the surface of the one depicting her siblings that she missed so very much. "Such gentle colors…" Her eyes wavered a bit as she remembered the smiling faces of her brother and sister.

"Lelouch… Nunnally…"

---

"We've successfully identified the guerrillas." A staff officer onboard Cornelia's mobile base reported as the data was illustrated on a radar screen at the front.

"That's good, now all we need is there hideout. Get that intel to the Viceroy!" Darlton ordered.

"Yes my lord."

---

Several large motor cannons were lined along the side of a large mountain as they opened fire on multiple Britannian tanks on the ground, who returned fire immediately. The rebel forces were able to keep the Britannian military at bay, however this proved to be only a distraction as Cornelia's Gloucester came in from behind.

"What the…?!"

"Is that Cornelia?!"

The rebels tried to turn their turrets around to fire on the fast-moving Knightmare.

"Relics of a forgotten age." Cornelia spat as she maneuvered her Gloucester around the motor shots before leaping up into the air. While airborne, her Gloucester pulled out its rifle and opened fire, destroying a couple motors before she shot one of her slash harkens to destroy one, and shooting another to take out a separate motor. Using the cords of the harkens, Cornelia was able to maneuver around the motors shot at her even while airborne.

She landed her Gloucester on the ruins of one destroyed motor turret before contacting her Knight.

"Darlton, in here, correct?" She asked, referring to the tunnel behind her.

"Yes, my lady. Shall we accompany you?"

"Not for this level of resistance." She replied as she turned around and drove her personal Knightmare into the tunnel and into the mountain where the rebels were hiding.

"Understood."

Cornelia entered the enemy base where she spotted the rebels. "Surrender at once you feeble minded Elevens!"

"DOWN WITH BRITANNIA!" They all exclaimed as they opened fire with rifles, but they barley did any damage to the Knightmare as Cornelia looked around.

"Doesn't seem that Zero is here, no sign of any Autobots either. No point in going after them one-at-a-time I suppose. Vermin! Rot like the filth that you are!" She opened fire with her Knightmare's rifle to mow down the rebels.

---

Meanwhile, as Darlton and Guilford mopped up the remaining rebels outside the mountain, Dreadwing had maintained a fair distance away from the fight to observe. He wanted to see what Cornelia could do first hand.

"She used her forces as a distraction before ambushing her enemy from behind. A simple and old tactic, but an effective one. She may not be much of a strategist, but her skills as a warrior are indeed impressive. Had she been born on Cybertron, she would have made an excellent gladiator in the pits of Kaon." He thought as he contacted the Nemesis.

"Dreadwing to Lord Megatron. The operation was a success, Viceroy Cornelia Li Britannia has wiped out the group known as the Blood of the Samurai. We have yet however to seen the Autobots or this Zero."

"I'm not surprised." Megatron replied. "I don't expect Optimus to be able to aid every resistance cell in Area 11. Maintain your position and aid the young Viceroy however you can. Should you locate Optimus, contact me immediately."

"Understood my liege." Dreadwing said before he cut off the comns.

Dreadwing was impressed with Cornelia's tenacity, though when facing the likes of the Autobots, he was rather uncertain. But then again, that is why he and the Decepticons were here, to better prepare Britannia in facing the Autobots and he would be certain that Earth would be there final resting place.

---

The Nemesis

"Young Cornelia had only just now arrived in Area 11 and is already making her way through all the resistance cells in this country. She certainly doesn't waste any time." Megatron said as he stood on the bridge of his ship with Soundwave by his side. "In the meantime, Soundwave, have you managed to locate Kururugi?"

Soundwave nodded.

"Excellent. I want you to keep an eye on him." Megatron instructed. "Though I am certain he is not aligned with the Autobots, he seems like the individual who Optimus would take an interest in. Should you find anything related to the Autobots in anyway, inform me at once."

The silent Decepticon nodded once more before entering a set of coordinates in his visor. A Groundbridge portal opened in front of him before walking inside and leaving the evil smirking alien warlord.

---

Ashford Academy Clubhouse – Evening

"Hi Lelouch, we're home." Nunnally greeted as she and Rai came in, with Sayoko pushing Nunnally's wheelchair.

"Hi there, welcome back. Rai, Sayoko." Lelouch greeted before turning to his disabled sister. "I've got a special present for you today."

"Really? What could it be?" Nunnally asked, as she sounded excited.

Lelouch smiled before looking to Rai and Sayoko, bringing a finger over his mouth for the two to be quiet as he waved his hand toward the right. Suzaku then stepped out, causing Sayoko and Rai to look in surprise, but still kept quiet.

The second Suzaku's eyes set upon Nunnally, he stiffened with nervousness. He quietly and slowly walked towards her before turning to Lelouch who nodded for him to proceed. He slowly kneeled down to her level and took her hand.

Nunnally was surprised at first, but she gave a gasp as she recognized the feeling. "This hand…" Suzaku smiled, as did Nunnally as tears of joy fell down her face. "Thank Heaven! I knew it! I just knew you'd be alright." She held his hand close to her face.

"It's been a long time, Nunnally."

After that reunion, Lelouch and Nunnally told Rai about their history with Suzaku, about his father being the late Prime Minister of Japan before Britannia invaded. Of course they also had to explain to Suzaku about Rai's situation, about him having amnesia and him living with Lelouch and Nunnally till he can regain some of his memories, and Nunnally telling him about her and Lelouch's previous royalty status. Suzaku was a bit surprised but also happy to hear about Lelouch opening up to some people, albeit reluctantly.

"So tell me, you will stay the night, won't you?" Nunnally hopped as she, Suzaku, Lelouch, and Rai all sat down for dinner.

"Suzaku's enrolled as a student at Ashford Academy now, so you can see him anytime you want to." Lelouch told his younger sister.

"Is that true?" Nunnally asked in a surprisingly excited tone.

"It would be nice to have some visitors here." Rai said as well.

"Well I still have military duties, so I can't be here everyday." Suzaku replied.

"Hold on, you were in the military?" Rai voiced in surprise as Nunnally looked worried.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I've been assigned to the engineering corps. It's a lot less dangerous." Suzaku replied.

"Oh cool. Engineering, huh?" Lelouch of course knew Suzaku was lying. But choose not to say anything as to not upset Nunnally. He stood up to refill the teapot.

"Oh… let me help you." Suzaku tried to stand up, but Lelouch smiled in response.

"You just sit down. Unlike seven years ago, we get to be your hosts now." Lelouch told him. Suzaku looked in surprise before smiling back. "It's funny, you're a lot more mellow then you used to be."

"And you're a bit more rough." Suzaku joked.

"I suppose." Lelouch said in a half-laugh before walking back into the kitchen.

"So Rai… you really don't remember anything at all?" Suzaku asked the white-haired young man.

"No, nothing prior to waking up here yesterday." Rai confirmed as his smile dropped.

"No parents, no home, nothing?" Suzaku asked

"Nothing at all." Rai said, causing Suzaku and Nunnally to offer sympathetic expressions.

"I'm really sorry." Suzaku said in total honestly.

"Thanks, but it's not all bad. You know what the best part of having amnesia is?" Rai asked with a half-smile.

"Uh… no. What is it?" Suzaku asked in confusion.

Rai shrugged. "You tell me, I don't remember." He joked, causing Suzaku to laugh while shaking his head, even Nunnally giggled a bit. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Pretty corny huh?"

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Lelouch shook his head with a smile at Rai's bad joke as he refilled the teapot. But his smile faded once he saw C.C. enter the room.

"I told you to stay in my room."

"That boy out there, he's the Britannian soldier from Shinjuku as well as the pilot of that Lancelot Knightmare, isn't he? Are you sure this is wise?" She asked.

"Don't worry, it's fine. He's… an old friend… from the past." Lelouch said.

---

"You're getting out Jeremiah!" Guilford said as the glass cell door opened to reveal Jeremiah bound in a straightjacket and looking at the Britannian Knight with a hopeful expression.

"Lord Guilford! You see I'm innocent, don't you?" However, Guilford did not share the same feelings.

"Well it seems in the eyes of the court you are, Orange-Boy." He spat in disgust, much to Jeremiah's shock. "One thing is certain. You used Prince Clovis' death to further your own agenda; and allowed his true killer to escape, but not without suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of these Autobots. If it were up to me, I'd see that you rot away in this cell for the rest of your life! As of this moment, the Purebloods connections to the Homeland have all been severed, and you've been demoted three ranks for failure."

Jeremiah's face was one of complete horror. He had just now lost everything. And it was all because of Zero and those Autobots.

"You have two options to choose from: starting over as a pilot, or cultivating an orange farm."

---

Ashford Academy Clubhouse

"You should come by again, Nunnally would enjoy it." Lelouch told Suzaku as he was about to leave.

"Sure, but um…" Suzaku looked a bit uncertain. "Lelouch, I… I don't think we should be seen together at school."

"What do you mean?!" Lelouch asked in surprise.

"Think, how would you explain it?" Suzaku began. "Being friends with an Honorary Britannian? We have to guard your secret. I know that Rai has promised not to say anything, but still, that doesn't change the dangers that could come if the wrong people find out. I don't want to cause you or Nunnally any trouble."

"Doing it again, huh?!" Lelouch questioned in anger. "Everyone's needs but your own!"

"Again?" Suzaku questioned in surprise.

"Forget it." Lelouch grumbled.

Despite this, the Japanese youth still gave a friendly smile. "Thanks for having me." He turned around and was ready to leave. "I'll see you…" He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked in shock, so much so that his eyes widened like dinner plates. Lelouch noticed where he was looking and to looked in surprise. He noticed Bumblebee!

It was no surprise that Suzaku would recognize the vehicle mode of the Autobot scout considering he fought him in Shinjuku with the Lancelot, despite the change in license plate number as well as the subtle change in the paint job to make it look a bit rusty while on school ground.

"Scrap! He saw me!" Bumblebee thought but kept as quiet and still as possible.

"Hey uh Lelouch… that car…" Suzaku began, but the former prince interrupted him.

"That's my car actually."

"Yours?!" Suzaku looked at him in surprise.

"I kinda used to gamble, and I used the money I got to buy that." Lelouch lied.

Suzaku still looked at the yellow and black car in surprise. "But, it looks just like…"

"That one Autobot from the news?" Lelouch finished. "I assure you, it's not. It was in the parking lot when I saw the whole thing; and considering I've been driving it, I'd think I'd know if it was an alien robot."

Suzaku seemed convinced. "Alright, I guess you got a good point. So, anyway I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Lelouch nodded reluctantly as he saw Suzaku walk away, before breathing a sigh of relief and walking towards Bumblebee.

"[That was close]" Bumblebee said once Suzaku was far enough away. "[So, Suzaku is at your school now?]"

"Looks that way." Lelouch confirmed, in a tone that suggested he wasn't too thrilled. Not with Suzaku being there, but with that he knew his friend was right about them not being seen together at school.

"[We should tell Optimus about this, he'd want to know]" Bumblebee told him.

"Tomorrow after class." Lelouch stated. "Right now, I'm just not in the mood."

"[Because he's still with the Britannian military and we're probably going to fight him again in the future? Or that he's your friend and you can barley speak with him to hide your own identity?]"

"Both." Lelouch confirmed; neither noticing C.C. looking at them from the window of Lelouch's bedroom.

---

The Next Day

Class seemed to be going pretty well the next day, that is until Suzaku walked in before class started and all the other students stopped talking and most looked towards him with surprise. A few of them looked with disgust at how an Eleven attended their school. He sat down in the room, across from where Rai was sitting.

Rai had been told by Lelouch about Suzaku's request, and he didn't like it one bit. So what if the guy was from Japan? What did that matter? He was still human just like everyone else! Being from a different nation shouldn't be a crime! As he looked at some of the disgusted looks some of the students gave him, Rai's own fists clenched in anger.

---

The Ark

"The Blood of the Samurai?" Ratchet questioned as Team Prime had contacted both Ohgi and Zero on different lines; Ohgi talking from a phone in his own small base hidden in a ghetto, and Lelouch being at Ashford on his own cell phone.

"Yes, it hasn't made the news yet, but they were completely wiped out by Cornelia!" Ohgi informed. "They were the largest resistance group in Central Japan!"

"I see, they're going after every large resistance group, likely searching for us, while also wiping out any enemy forces in the country that pose the biggest threat." Optimus said, it was actually a decent strategy.

"Yeah, it may only be a matter of time before she comes for us!" Ohgi stated.

"Unfortunately Ohgi, it's not just Cornelia we need to worry about." Zero told him.

"Huh?"

"That's right, we have confirmation that Megatron is here. He and the Decepticons are getting ready to mobilize as we speak." Ironhide stated.

"What?! They're here in Japan!?" Ohgi practically screamed.

"Don't sound so surprised." Ratchet said. "We knew they'd arrive sooner or later."

"I know, I just hoped that it would be later rather than sooner." Ohgi admitted.

"Keep your head cool Ohgi, panicking will do no good." Zero said.

"Zero is correct." Optimus agreed. "The best thing we can do now is to wait for our moment. Until we know what Megatron and Cornelia have planned, we'd only be charging in blindly, which is something we cannot afford."

"Okay, I understand." Ohgi said with a sigh, having appeared to calm down.

"Sit tight Ohgi, we'll contact you soon on our next step." Zero told him.

"I understand. We'll wait for you." Ohgi then hung up, leaving Lelouch's line the only one on the Ark's frequency.

"Lelouch, Bumblebee has told us that Suzaku is now a student at your school." Optimus said.

"Yes, I met with him yesterday."

"Is this going to be a problem?" Ratchet asked.

"I don't think so." Lelouch replied. "He doesn't know I'm Zero, and he wouldn't do anything that would put Nunnally in danger. Here, he's no threat to anyone."

"Well, it would be easier for us to keep an eye on the kid then." Ironhide commented.

"Lelouch, as we have told Ohgi, it is best that you remain at Ashford for the time being. Should we need you, we will contact you."

"Alright, and I don't think this needs to be said, but I feel it's best the rebels don't learn about Suzaku piloting that Lancelot, it could cause some trouble." Lelouch stated.

"Understood." Optimus nodded.

"Contact me as soon as you can, once you're ready to proceed." Lelouch hung up.

---

Lelouch hung up his phone as stood in the middle-stairwell where nobody else was, having something of a contemplated look on his face.

"Why odes it feel like I'm taking orders from them? I'm nobody's subordinate."

His thoughts were cut off as he glanced out the window he was nearby and noticed Suzaku washing his white shirt which had red writing on it that said 'go back to your ghetto, Eleven!' That caused Lelouch's eyes to widen in shock.

---

Meanwhile, in a separate part of the school, Nina was typing furiously on a computer, solely focused on the data she was working on when the door opened.

"Nina?"

She gave a slight gasp as she was startled, but calmed down when she saw it was Nunnally who came in via her electric wheelchair.

"I'm sorry, am I too loud?"

"Not at all, why are you here?" Nunnally asked. "What about class?"

Nina shivered slightly. "Oh."

"Something wrong?"

"Well it's… I don't know… a little scary." Nina held her arms with fear.

"Scary?" Nunnally questioned.

"We have a transfer student at our class now." Nina said. "It's that boy who was accused of murdering Prince Clovis. The same one with those giant scary robots. He's an Eleven."

Nunnally gasped, as she knew she was talking about Suzaku. Nina was afraid of him, which caused the younger girl to look sad.

---

The Ark

"Cornelia and Megatron, huh? Well, so much for it being easy." Cliffjumper commented.

"When is it ever easy for us?" Bulkhead questioned.

"Optimus with all due respect, I can see where Lelouch and his Geass can help us." Arcee began. "But I can't help get this feeling that he only sees us as tools to bring down Britannia."

"Do you believe he may betray us?" Optimus asked.

"Why would Lelouch do that?" Fixit asked. "His reasons for fighting Britannia are sound, and seeing how the Decepticons are now allied with them, I see no reason why he would side with them."

"Well he does know that he needs us if he stands any chance of taking down Megatron to." Bulkhead pointed out.

"I'm not saying Lelouch would go over to their side, I sincerely doubt he would." Arcee pointed out. "But I don't think that he's on our side, or anyone's side but his own."

"We already figured he had trust issues Arcee." Cliffjumper said. "Given what happened to him and his sister, I'm not really surprised."

"You all heard how he spoke yesterday however." Ratchet said. "His goal is indeed to bring down Britannia, and maybe he does have the right reasoning to do so, but his methods and his ideology…"

"Not to mention his friendship with Suzaku." Ironhide added. "Two good friends wanting to change their world; while one doesn't believe in violence as a means of achieving justice, the other wants to overthrow the old regime through force. This all sounds far too familiar for comfort."

Optimus had a serious expression as he spoke. "You believe the situation involving Lelouch and Suzaku parallels that of my former friendship with Megatron before the war?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than concerned about history repeating itself." Ratchet admitted

"I am more than aware of the similarities between these situations." Optimus said. "As well as the characteristics between Suzaku and my younger self, as well as that with Lelouch and Megatron. However, I have noticed a fair amount of differences as well with both of them. I can respect Suzaku's beliefs, on his goal of changing the Britannian Empire from within through peaceful methods, and perhaps there are those who will try to aid him, such as Princess Euphemia. However, Suzaku has yet to understand that there are those with power who will do whatever it takes to maintain that power, those who refuse to change for the better. A lesson that I learned myself when it was already too late."

All the Autobots were listening to Optimus and gave him sympathetic expressions as they, Ironhide and Ratchet in particular as they knew him the longest, that he did try to bridge peace between Autobots and Decepticons and tried to reason with Megatron several times; only to learn the hard way that Megatron and many of his followers do not want peace, but power.

"The same goes for Lelouch." Optimus continued. "I am aware that his goals may be… extreme, and may parallel Megatron's, however at his core, Lelouch is good, despite both his upbringing and his experiences. Bumblebee has told me of what he learned of the relationship between Lelouch and his sister Nunnally, and we have seen that he values his friendship with Suzaku, even refusing to use his Geass on him to get what he wants. That is the difference that separates Lelouch from Megatron. He is young and he has much to learn; but he is capable of both compassion and love, driven by a desire to create a world not for himself but for those he cares for. Megatron's only desire has been to obtain power solely for himself and no one else."

"And you believe you can help guide Lelouch down a more peaceful path?" Ratchet questioned. "One of justice, not revenge?"

"Yes." Optimus confirmed with a nod. "Britannia must be stopped, but we must also do what we can to avoid becoming just like them. Megatron will do everything in his power to obtain what he wants; he will drive this Earth to the breaking point. No matter what, we cannot allow this world, or humanity, to pay for our mistakes."

"We're with you Optimus, all the way." Arcee swore as she clenched her fist.

"Got that right." Bulkhead nodded.

"You know I'll always stand by your side, Optimus." Ratchet confirmed.

"So will I." Ironhide swore. "And if it also means smacking some sense into Lelouch, then so be it."

"It's time to show the Cons and Britannia that they aren't the only super power here." Cliffjumper said.

"I may not be a fighter, but I am an Autobot!" Fixit stated. "And I will do everything I can to stop the Decepticons."

Optimus nodded as he gave a slight smile. "It has been an honor serving with you all."

---

A deliveryman from Pizza Hut had pulled up to the Ashford Clubhouse with a large pizza and was about to ring the doorbell when C.C. already opened it.

"Oh, thanks for all the repeat business. Although the name on the account we debit has a guy's name on it. Is that okay?"

However, neither of them noticed a stray black cat, the very same one Suzaku and Euphemia had met when they first met and bandaged up, walk into the clubhouse underneath C.C.'s feet.

---

Lelouch worked on creating a secondary compartment on his personal bag for him to store his Zero mask in, with said mask being in front of him. If he ever needed to done his identity as Zero, it would be best to have the mask on him at all times as to assume his role as a revolutionary as soon as possible.

C.C. walked in with her personal pizza, with the cat right behind her, and saw what he was doing.

"Trying to hide your mask, huh?"

"Unlike my Geass, the mask is a physical piece of evidence." Lelouch responded as he put the mask in his bag when Nunnally came in.

"Alright Lelouch, the tea is ready when you are." His sister told him before sniffing something. "That smell, hey did you order pizza again?"

"I'm racking up reward points. I'll be right down, okay?" Lelouch got up and left his open bag on the table.

"Lelouch, maybe you should cut down on the pizza." Nunnally advised light-heartedly. "You wouldn't want a blubbery belly."

"Just don't touch or rub it, okay?" Lelouch joked as he walked past C.C.

"Oooh, scary." Nunnally laughed as they both left the room.

As C.C. looked in the direction where they left, she failed to notice the cat digging its way through Lelouch's bag until the bag fell down ontop of the cat, where it gave a loud meow in distress. She looked in the direction where it happened as the cat slipped past her with something on its head.

"What the heck?"

---

Lelouch sighed. "Yeah, Rai told me he saw some of that going on."

"They're just being cruel to Suzaku." Nunnally said as she held her tea. It was no secret that several of the students were openly displaying racism towards the so-called 'Eleven'.

"No it's just… These things take time, people will come around." Lelouch tried to assure his sister.

"Isn't there anything you can do, though?" Nunnally asked. "I mean he is your friend."

Lelouch didn't really have an answer for that. There were just a lot of complicated feelings about Suzaku right now. However, Lelouch's thoughts were interrupted when he saw the stray cat enter the room and meow, which just so happened to have his Zero mask on its head. This caused Lelouch to stand up and practically scream in shock, causing Nunnally to look in surprise.

The cat hissed as Lelouch tried to chase after it. "Hey! Give that back!"

"Uh… Lelouch?" Nunnally titled her head.

---

The cat gave multiple annoyed and distressed meows as it tried to shake the mask off its head while also being chased out the window by Lelouch.

"A cat…! A stupid little cat!" He climbed out the window and chased it outside. "You gotta be kidding me! There's no way I'm getting exposed by a lousy feline!"

C.C. ate a slice of pizza when she saw Lelouch chasing the cat from the window in Lelouch's room. "That wasn't my fault, was it? I didn't touch anything."

---

Thanks to help from Sayoko, Nunnally had called Rai, Rivalz, Milly, and Nina to see if they could help.

"A cat?" Rai asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's right." Nunnally confirmed. "I think a cat ran off with something pretty important to him."

"Important?" Milly questioned.

"I'm not sure what exactly, but I'm positive it was something of value to him." Nunnally said. "Because, I've never heard my brother sound like that. He was completely hysterical!"

"That's weird, what could be so important to the guy?" Rivalz wondered.

"Maybe the keys to his car?" Rai suggested.

"A love letter?" Nina wondered.

"An embarrassing photo?" Milly guessed.

"Poetry he wrote?" Rivalz guessed as well.

"Poetry?" Nunnally questioned, her brother wasn't a poet so it probably wasn't that.

"Well whatever it is, we're gonna help him find it, right?" Rai asked as he saw Milly and Rivalz sharing mischievous smirks.

"Leave it us!" Milly assured. "We'll get our hands on this thing before Lelouch has a chance to blink! Just you wait!" She gave Nunnally a thumbs up, despite the younger girl not being able to see it.

Rai didn't know why, but he did not like the look in Milly's eyes.

---

Lelouch had chased the cat to the main school building as he followed it the garden and apparently lost it for a second.

"If I had the Autobots with me, we could encircle the enemy… no! If they found out about this, I'd never hear the end of it!"

He spotted the cat running along the roof and began to follow it along the ground, but he wasn't watching where he was going and ended up tripping over a bush. The cat jumped down onto the ground and ran past Lelouch as he got up.

"Get it together!" Lelouch said to himself as he resumed the chase with the cat making it inside the building. It past by a few students in the hall, but none of them appeared to have noticed it, save for two girls as it stopped near them to try and shake the mask off.

"What's up with that cat?"

"Is that the mask Zero wears, or am I crazy?" The other one asked as they saw the cat run off.

"No way, why would it be here?"

Lelouch had just stopped in front of them. "You two saw it!" He quickly activated his Geass. "Forget everything you've just seen!"

Immediately, red rings formed in both their eyes. "Sure, no problem at all." They both said at the same time.

"Good." He continued to chase the cat throughout the hallways till he heard the school chime.

"This is Milly Ashford, your student council president! Cat Hunt everybody!"

The announcement reached all across campus, including the room where Suzaku was studying, and even where Bumblebee was parked outside as C.C. sat on his hood while eating a slice of pizza.

"[Cat Hunt?]" Bumblebee questioned out loud.

---

Milly was in the announcement room along with Nina, Rai, and Nunnally as she spoke through the intercom.

"There's a cat loose that needs to be rounded up! Put everything on hold people! Participating clubs will get budget priority!"

"Is all this really necessary?" Rai thought as he looked in a mixture of surprise and nervousness.

---

It even reached the poolroom where the swim club was at, with Shirley prepared to take a dive off the top diving board.

"And whoever manages to catch our feline friend will get an extra special prize! A big old kiss from one of the members of the council!"

"Wait… WHAT?!" Rai practically shouted over the intercom in near horror.

That announcement caused Shirley to loose her balance as she screamed and comically fell off the diving board to belly flop into the pool.

---

"Members of the… wait like me?!" Kallen questioned in shock.

"EXACTLY!" At least two-dozen boys from the film and science club popped out of the bushes, much to Kallen's surprise.

"You've been hanging around the Student Council, haven't ya?"

"I wouldn't mind a taste of those lips!"

"It's not like gonna be a lame peck on the cheek though, is it?"

"A kiss on the cheek would be fine with me!"

"Wait… we can choose where she lands it?"

"Ooh… yeah!" The perverted guys all moaned while Kallen had a look of comic horror, getting a whole bunch of stalker and rape vibes from this.

"ALRIGHT!" All the guys shouted as they ran off to search for the cat.

"There's no way that's how I'm gonna get my first kiss!" Kallen exclaimed with her face being more red than Cliffjumper's paintjob as she ran for her life to catch the cat before some random pervert did.

---

"What from a member of the council? Does that include Lelouch?" A female student asked as she and several other girls squealed in delight.

"Actually, I prefer Milly." One girl said shyly, much to the other girls' surprise.

"Could you get back in the closet please!" A horribly insensitive girl stated.

---

"Hut! Hut! Hut!" The Football team was already on the run for the cat.

---

"We have the advantage in mobility!" The Equestrian Club was on horseback.

---

"Hurry look for catnip!"

"Science will prevail!" The Science Club tried to dig into the ground.

---

"And when you do catch that cat, bring whatever it's carrying to me! To me! To me!" Milly exclaimed joyously before coughing furiously over the intercomns.

"Scrap! This is the last thing I need!" Lelouch cursed as he tried to find the cat after loosing it in the hallways.

---

Kallen ran through the halls as well. "Offering people up as prizes, that's why I hate Britannians!" She stopped however as she past by a few other students in order to maintain her sickly façade, but resumed running once they were gone.

"Damn it! Why do I have to pretend that I'm sick and feeble!?" Kallen however bumped into someone around the corner. "Geeze, I'm sorry about that…" She however looked in surprise to see who she bumped into.

"Shirley, why are you dressed like that?!" Kallen questioned on account Shirley was still in her bathing suit.

"I didn't have time to change, they're gonna make us kiss somebody!" Shirley stated as she looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "We gotta hurry!"

"I'm with you."

---

"Well, this could be a problem." C.C. said as she stood up from Bumblebee's hood.

"[What could be?]" Bumblebee asked.

"That thing the cat is carrying, happens to be Lelouch's Zero mask."

"[Wait, what?!]" The Autobot scout exclaimed through bleeps. "[How the heck did that happen?!]"

"You got me." C.C. shrugged as she got into the driver's seat. "But we better find it."

"[How are we supposed to do that?!]" Bumblebee questioned. "[I can't just transform and look for a cat! And I can't drive without someone in the driver's seat!]"

"That's why I'm sitting here." C.C. said. "All you have to do is drive and find the cat, I'll grab it and the mask."

"[Well… sure but…]"

"Do you want Lelouch's cover to be blown?" C.C. questioned. "Then you better find that cat."

If he could, Bumblebee would have an exhausted look on his face. "[Oh Primus help me. Fine, let's go! But don't expect me to kiss anyone!]" He drove off toward campus to try and find the cat and mask anyway he could.

---

"Rai, where are you going?" Nunnally asked, as Rai was about to run out of the room.

"To find that cat!" Rai exclaimed. "I don't know if I was kissed or not before, and I don't want my first kiss to be with some random stranger!" He ran out of the room as Milly drank a glass of water to clear her throat.

"Nunnally, is there anything about this cat that's special?" Nina asked as Nunnally began to think. Milly brought the intercom towards her mouth so that everyone else could hear her description.

"I think that its leg must be hurt, because it's footsteps sounded off to me. And uh… Oh, I almost forgot, it meowed like this…"

---

"...MEOW!"

Nunnally's attempt at a meow echoed will past campus, with all the other students cheering and meowing at the same time. It was even heard by Soundwave as he stood on the roof of a building three blocks away. Though he honestly couldn't care what the students were doing, all this activity would make it difficult for him to get any closer without drawing attention to himself, and he needed to be discrete to fulfill his master's mission.

"Should you find anything related to the Autobots in anyway, inform me at once." Soundwave repeated Megatron's orders through his recordings before deploying Laserbeak from his chest. The drone that set off for Ashford Academy.

---

"Kay, let's go!" Milly hopped into the sidecar of Rivalz's motorcycle.

"What happens if a member of the Student Council catches the cat?" Rivalz asked. "We don't get a prize, do we?"

"Do we get a kiss? But of course." Milly answered.

"That so?" Rivalz was now all the more motivated to catch the cat, if it meant getting a kiss from Milly. "Well what are we waiting around for then?! This is my day to shine!"

He drove off in hot pursuit.

"Hey! No speeding on campus!" A random teacher called out.

---

Kallen and Shirley had actually managed to corner the cat underneath a table as it hissed defensively at them; fortunately they did not see the mask that was still stuck on its head. Kallen had also provided her jacket to Shirley to give her some decency as she was beyond embarrassed for running around campus in her swimsuit.

"Okay, we do this right and our lips will be safe. Shirley, you cover the rear." Kallen was about to approach the cat.

"Wait a sec!" Shirley stopped Kallen.

"What's the matter?" The redhead asked.

"Who would you want to get a kiss from? Is there anyone in particular?" Shirely asked, surprising Kallen. "It wouldn't be Lulu would it?!"

Kallen did not expect that sort of question. "Just what would make you think that?!"

Shirley stuttered as her cheeks turned pink. "Oh well.., I guess… it's just…" As she stuttered, the cat used this opportunity to slip past the two girls, neither of them noticing the Zero mask that it was still wearing.

---

The cat was running along the roof toward the clock tower, Suzaku happened to spot it, but didn't get a good look at what it had on its head.

"Hey that's…" He ran towards the bottom of the clocktower where he ran into both Rai and Lelouch.

"Suzaku?!" Lelouch and Rai both questioned in shock.

"Lelouch?! Rai!? You guys are looking for the cat to?!" Suzaku asked.

"Well it's kinda my fault." Rai rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Nunnally told me the cat had something of yours Lelouch, I told Milly…" Lelouch looked at Rai in surprise. "And I thought she'd try to help, but I had no idea she'd bring the whole freaking school in on it!"

Ordinarily Lelouch would have been angry, but there were other things to be worried about right now. "You clearly don't know Ashford's resident She-Devil."

"She-Devil?!" Suzaku questioned in surprise when the trio heard a loud meow from the cat echoing at the top of the clock tower. "Up there!"

"Suzaku! Rai! Wait!" Lelouch tried to chase after them as fast as he could, though he was in far less shape than they were, with Suzaku at the lead and Rain the middle as they ran up the stairs. "Don't go up there!"

"But the Student Council president said to catch it!" Suzaku exclaimed as they continue to climb the stairs.

"Well it's my fault, so I should catch it!" Rai tried to argue. "Plus I don't wanna be kissed by some random stranger!"

"Then I'll catch the cat!" Lelouch argued back as he fell a bit behind. "Don't worry about it!"

"I was always more agile than you!" Suzaku told him. "Remember when that little bird got loose!"

"A bird!?" Rai questioned.

"Quit talking ancient history!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"It was only seven years ago!" Suzaku stated as he got a major lead, with Rai falling behind to help Lelouch.

"You okay, Lelouch?" Rai tried to help him up.

He tried to catch his breath. "He always was an exercise nut."

---

Bumblebee had driven towards the back of the clock tower to avoid being seen. His optics spotted the cat as it climbed out of the window and toward the bell at the top.

"[Okay, I see the cat. Now you go and get it.]" He told C.C., who was still in the driver's seat.

"Not a good idea." C.C. said. "There's already a huge crowd."

More than a dozen students were at the front of the tower, none of them noticed Bumblebee in his vehicle mode on the other side as everyone kept their eyes on the top. This included Shirley, Kallen, Nina, and Nunnally; even Rivalz and Milly as the blue-haired teen pulled up in his motorcycle.

"So someone's got it cornered, huh? So who's the lucky winner?" Milly asked.

"Up there!" Shirley pointed to the top of the roof where Suzaku was climbing closer to the cat. "Suzaku?"

"Easy now, you don't have to be scared." Suzaku tried to ease the cat as Rai climbed out the window after him.

"You got it?" Rai asked.

"Suzaku! Rai! Come back!" Lelouch called to them as he stuck out the window.

"It's alright, leave this to me!" Suzaku insisted with Rai being close behind him.

Lelouch scowled. "He never went with the crowd like this. It's no wonder the military is having him pilot the Lancelot!" He had to think of something and fast. Lelouch then pretended to loose his grip and was actually about to slide off the roof.

All the students on the ground looked in shock and terror at this sight, even Bumblebee could see it and he looked like he was about to make a move, but C.C. put her foot on his breaks to stop him.

Suzaku looked back and gasped. "Lelouch!"

"Crap!" Rai exclaimed as he and Suzaku both slid down the roof to try and grab him. Lelouch was about to completely slide off the roof, fortunately Rai caught his left hand and used his feet to steady himself on the gutter while Suzaku caught Lelouch's right arm and caught the window with his other hand.

"Lelouch, are you okay?!" Suzaku asked him.

"Yeah…" He responded as he was practically dangling off the roof while all the students below looked in surprise. Suzaku and Rai tried to pull him back up, while Lelouch looked past them to see the cat slide underneath the bell, allowing the Zero mask to slide off. He saw it bounce off the roof a bit before catching on a window-pike on the other side, where no one else could see it, causing Lelouch to inwardly breath a huge sigh of relief.

Suzaku and Rai pulled Lelouch back up and to safety. "You okay?" Rai asked him.

"Yeah, thanks." Lelouch nodded.

"Pretty calm for someone on the verge of death." Suzaku tried to joke to lighten the mood.

"Yeah right, I was just limp with fear."

---

Milly couldn't hear them, but she could tell there was some interaction between the three of them.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nunnally asked.

"Rai and that new transfer student just saved Lelouch from a really close call." Milly answered, causing Nunnally to look in surprise before smiling.

---

Suzaku had managed to grab the cat from the bell tower and pull it inside, with the cat biting down onto his arm as Lelouch and Rai looked at it. Suzaku recognized it from the first time he met Euphemia, but choose not to say anything.

"So this is the little troublemaker." Lelouch wanted to ring its neck for nearly exposing him like that.

"He doesn't have a collar, probably a stray." Rai said. "Kinda like me." He joked a bit, causing Suzaku to chuckle slightly and even Lelouch gave a half-smile.

"Wonder what it was carrying though, the president said it had something." Suzaku wondered.

"Those were my car keys." Lelouch said.

"Your car keys?!" Rai and Suzaku questioned at the same time.

"You risked your life for some car keys!?" Suzaku questioned in comical disbelief.

"Well I wouldn't some random guy getting them and stealing my car." Lelouch stated.

"Guess you got a point there." Rai said. "And hey, Lelouch, I'm sorry for this whole mess I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry about." Lelouch assured. "Just be sure to watch your back around Milly. She's a good person, but she can be a real demon when she wants to be."

Rai chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I think I noticed."

"You guys go on ahead, I just gotta get my keys real quick."

"Sure thing." Suzaku nodded.

---

Lelouch had exited out the backdoor of the bell tower with his Zero mask safe in his hands when he looked in surprise to see both Bumblebee and C.C. inside the driver's seat.

"[You got it, nobody saw it?]" Bumblebee asked as Lelouch quickly came to the car.

"Yeah, right here." He handed C.C. the mask, which she took into her hands.

"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing." C.C. advised.

"Shut up." He glared at the immortal girl before speaking to Bumblebee. "We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"

"[My lips are sealed.]" Bumblebee assured, no doubt Ironhide and Ratchet, and even Arcee, would grill both him and Lelouch hard for something like this. "[Well they would be if I had any.]" He then drove off away from the students down a path that no one would see with C.C. and the Zero mask safe inside.

However, neither of them noticed something passing over them. Lelouch would have probably dismissed it as a regular bird if he saw it, but it wasn't a bird. It was Laserbeak who flew over and flew back in the direction it came from.

Suzaku and Rai had both walked outside to where the other students were waiting for them, with the cat still biting down on Suzaku's arm. The situation felt really awkward as everyone was staring at Suzaku, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

However, Shirley smiled before running up to them. "You saved him! Thank you so much Suzaku! You to Rai!"

"Yeah, way to go there guys!" Rivalz gave them both a friendly smile and a thumbs up.

"That cat was carrying something, wasn't it?" Milly asked excitedly.

"Yeah it was Lelouch's car keys." Suzaku answered.

"His car keys?!" Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz all exclaimed at the same time.

"That's exactly what we said." Rai said with a nervous laugh.

"You're kidding me!" Milly exclaimed. "I started this whole cat-hunt only to find out Lelouch just lost his keys?!"

"What did you think it was? My baby pictures or something?" Lelouch questioned irritably as he walked outside to join everyone.

Milly comically pouted. "Awe! After all this time I thought I finally had some dirt on you!"

"Yeah, he almost lost his cool for once." Shirley said in a disapproving tone towards Milly. Rai and Suzaku shared humorous smiles as the glanced toward Lelouch.

"So uh, do you two know each other then?" Kallen asked in regards to Lelouch and Suzaku, causing them and Rai to look in surprise.

"Yeah but… he's an Eleven…" Nina said nervously, causing Nunnally to look in worry.

"So what?! What the hell does that matter!?" Rai exclaimed, surprising everyone. "So what if he's from Japan?! That doesn't mean he's any less human! He eats, talks, bleeds, and breaths the way all we do! I don't care where he's from; he just saved Lelouch's life, the life of one of my friends! As far I'm concerned, he's my friend to!" Rai stated as he put a firm hand on Suzaku's shoulder.

Pretty much everyone was surprised with what Rai said. Though Suzaku was grateful for his support, it made him a bit nervous about the slander he could receive for standing for an Eleven, but that didn't deter the white-haired boy, nor the raven-haired former prince.

"Well said Rai." Lelouch nodded, surprising Suzaku. "He's my friend to." He looked towards Milly. "Madam President, would you permit both him and Rai as members of the Student Council?" This request surprised everyone even further. "The rules are clear: all students are required to join a club, although…"

Though it would be nice for Lelouch to have them close as he did consider both of them his friends, it would also give him a better opportunity to keep an eye on them and see if Rai can remember anything about his past, to see if he's connected to C.C., and maybe see about Suzaku in regards to him being the pilot of the Lancelot. But since Milly was the president, she had final say.

Everyone else looked to Milly as she came to a decision. "Well, you are the Vice President, so I suppose I can't refuse." Her choice caused Rivalz, Shirley, and even Kallen to smile. She was one of the few people who knew Lelouch and Nunnally's true identities, that being said she also knew of the time when they were under the Kururugi household before Japan was invaded so she could tell they had a history with Suzaku, plus she'd like to keep an eye on Rai to help him remember anything on his past.

"Well then, I'd say that's the end of that." Nunnally said as she rolled close to them. "Now come here you three, lend me an ear."

Lelouch, Rai, and Suzaku each looked in surprise but leaned in close to Nunnally before she kissed all three of them in the cheek, causing them to look in further surprise.

"Nunnally…" Suzaku uttered in surprise.

"There you go, the reward Milly promised." Nunnally told them. "Rai, you said you didn't want to be kissed by a stranger, well I'm not a stranger, and I'm an honorary student council member, so I'd say this still counts."

Rai chuckled nervously. "Thanks Nunnally… but I think it's best we just stay friends…" Though it was entirely meant as a joke as several others did manage to laugh.

"Yeah, that is for the best." Lelouch told him, though his face was smiling, his eyes gave Rai a warning saying 'try anything and you're dead!'

"Alright then! Let's celebrate the catching of the cat!" Rivalz exclaimed. "Everything's on the new guys naturally!"

"Oh back off!" Shirley scolded him before smiling at Suzaku. "Hi there, I'm Shirley. Pleasure to meet you."

"Oh right, I'm Rivalz."

"Milly Ashford, student council president."

Though he was surprised, Suzaku couldn't help but smile as other students began to smile and introduce himself or herself to him. "Thank you, the pleasure's all mine."

As all the other students began to interact with Suzaku, the only one who didn't seem thrilled about this was Nina as her eyes shook nervously.

---

Laserbeak flew away from Ashford Academy and made his way back to Soundwave. The surveillance drone attached itself back to Soundwave's chest before its data downloaded into Soundwave's drives. His faceplate shifted to a recored view of Lelouch handing Bumblebee his mask.

"[You got it, nobody saw it?]"

"Yeah, right here."

"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing."

"Shut up. We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"

"[My lips are sealed.]"

His visor zoomed in on the object in Lelouch's hands which he identified as the Mask of Zero, and ran Lelouch's voice through his data and found that it matched Zero's 100%. With the data needed, Soundwave transformed into his vehicle mode and flew off.

---

Every single student and faculty member of Ashford Academy had gathered in the main auditorium for a mandatory announcement. A massive television screen flickered on before it projected the image of a massive gathering at Pendragon with the words 'Prince Clovis' State Funeral'.

But it wasn't just Ashford Academy watching; meanwhile at the Ark, all of Team Prime (save for Bumeblebee, who still remained at Ashford Academy) gathered in front of the massive holographic screen projecting the same image.

At Pendragon, hundreds of people including nearly every noble had been gathered together, as well as countless soldiers in the homeland as other members of the Royal Family, both prince and princess as well as the other consorts all sat in the back as a single man began to step up.

"And now, his Royal Majesty, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire!"

At Ashford; Lelouch shot the man a hateful glare; while at the Ark, Optimus gave a serious expression at the sight of the man.

"All living beings are not created equal!" Charles Zi Britannia began. "Some are born with more power! Some are born swifter afoot! Some with greater beauty! Some with greater strength! Some born into poverty! Some are born possessing abilities that others do not! And others, born sick and feeble! Both in birth and in upbringing! In sheer scope of ability, every living being is inheritadly different!"

At Ashford everyone was paying attention, though many had different expressions. Shirley looked serious as her eyes shook with fear while Nina had a similar expression. Milly also looked in seriousness; Rivalz crossed his arms and had a half-smirk. Kallen tried her best to hide her hate as her eyes shook. Rai looked at the man and clenched his fists. Was this man really Lelouch and Nunnally's father!? The same one who banished and exiled them just for their mother's death and Nunnally's condition?! The more he thought about it, the more he hated this man and he wanted nothing more than to punch his face and knock out a few teeth!

"Yes that is why people discriminate against one another. Which is why there is struggle, competition, and the unfaltering march of progress!"

At the Ark; Arcee, Ironhide, and Bulkhead shot looks of hate towards the image of Charles. Fixit was greatly intimated, the expression on his face being one of fear. Ratchet and Cliffjumper had hardened expressions while Optimus had a serious look on his face. He could easily tell why Lelouch despised his own father and didn't blame him for it. This man was the flesh-and-blood incarnation of Megatron and everything the Decepticons stood for.

---

"Inequality is not wrong, equality is!"

Though most people at the TV studio were listening to Charles' speech, Diethard Ried was focusing solely on the recorded footage of Zero's debut with the Autobots.

---

"What of the E.U. which made equality a right?! Rabble, politics, by a popularity contest! The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth!? A nation of lazy dullards! But not our beloved Britannia!"

Ohgi and the rest of his comrades in the Kozuki Resistance Cell watched the TV and most could either glare or look in fear. Ohgi was among the former.

---

The Britannian military across Area 11 watched and listened as well; including the now-demoted Purebloods along with Jeremiah and Villetta, even Lloyd and Cecile in the Special Corps. Though Lloyd honestly couldn't care less.

"We fight, we compete, evolution is continuous!"

"Evolution, such a pretty little word." Lloyd mused amusingly.

---

Several of the countless Vehicon troopers throughout the Nemesis found themselves listening to Charles speech as well; among them were Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Dreadwing. Though Dreadwing and Thundercracker looked with serious expressions, Skywarp looked bored out of his mind while Starscream merely smirked.

"Britannia alone moves forward, steadying alone into the future!"

"Spoken like a true puppet." Starscream said with a chuckle.

---

"Even the death of my son Clovis, demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress!"

Both Euphemia and Cornelia stood together and watched. Cornelia maintained an ironclad position, while Euphie tired to stand straight, but one look in her eyes said that she was crying hard on the inside.

---

"And now, I have a special message I'd like to give to a certain group of individuals. To this Zero and these beings called the Autobots who claim to fight for the ridiculous and false concepts of justice and freedom!" Charles continued. "You have made a grave mistake in challenging Britannia! All other foes who would dare challenge us have all fallen and you shall suffer the same fate! You may be strong, but you misuse your power in defending the weak! That alone makes you weak, not in physical strength but in will! Do you hear me Optimus Prime? No matter how you may challenge us, we will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder, and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

---

Bumblebee heard all of this from his own radio as C.C. sat in the driver's seat while holding the helmet of Zero.

"So, this is your enemy."

"[Yep.]" Bumblebee confirmed. Just from this speech alone, Bumblebee had begun to hate Charles with every fiber in his body, almost as much as Megatron. He was looking forward to knocking Britannia down a peg.

---

"Bring it on you wannabe Megatron!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Bring! It! On!"

"Who else votes for Groundbridging to Pendragon and making him eat his own words!?" Cliffjumper proposed.

"I wouldn't mind." Arcee commented, her hate-filled eyes not shifting from the screen.

"Remember, we have to proceed carefully." Ratchet reminded the team.

"Yes, like Lelouch previous said, we don't want to plunge the Earth into chaos!" Fixit stated.

"Yeah we know." Ironhide stated. "But that doesn't make me hate this man any less."

"Indeed." Optimus agreed. "Even without Megatron's influence, this world has produced its own Decepticons in human skin."

---

As Suzaku looked at the image, he couldn't help but recall the one question Optimus asked him that he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried…

"What if you go down this path… and you're wrong?"

The more he thought about it, especially after hearing Charles' speech, the more it seemed to make sense… no! Suzaku clenched his fists. He can't be wrong! He just can't be! Because if he was, and Britannia can't change, what hope is there for this world?!

Lelouch glared at the image of his father. He swore, even if it was the last thing he did, he would obliterate his father's empire! He would burn him and everything he stands for to the ground! No matter what!

---

Megatron stood alone on the bridge of the Nemesis as he saw and listened to the whole speech. He couldn't help but give a smirk of pride.

"I expect nothing less from my pupil." He heard the door opened behind him and saw his most trusted soldier walk in. "Soundwave. I trust you found something very interesting?"

Soundwave nodded as he produced a set of tentacles from his body and they attached to the main console on the bridge before a screen on the front appeared as he showed the recorded footage Laserbeak caught.

"[You got it, nobody saw it?]" Bumblebee asked as Lelouch quickly came to the car.

"Yeah, right here." He handed C.C. the mask, which she took into her hands.

"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing." C.C. advised.

"Shut up." Lelouch glared before speaking to Bumblebee. "We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"

"[My lips are sealed.]"

"The Autobot scout?" Megatron questioned as he recognized Bumblebee. "So, he is stationed at this place?"

Soundwave however paused the image and zoomed in on what the human boy was handing to the girl inside before the image focused and the item in question was shown in clear quality.

"Zero's mask!" Megatron stated.

Soundwave then began to shift the image as the screen split in two; one showed the image of Lelouch, the other of Zero in his debut.

"Yeah, right here."

"I am Zero!"

The vibrating lines represent the voices of each of them came together and were a 100% match. Megatron couldn't help but look in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"So, the mysterious Zero is a youth of Britannia?" Megatron wondered. "I would have thought he'd be someone of Area 11, or from somewhere else that fell to Britannia's onslaught. This is certainly…"

However, Megatron noticed that Soundwave wasn't done yet. He saw the image of Lelouch change as Soundwave remotely hacked into the files of Ashford Academy, something very simple for the Eyes and Ears of the Decepticons, and found his student ID both a name and photo: Lelouch Lamperouge, age 17. But he wasn't done yet, Soundwave ran Lelouch's face through the records onboard the Nemesis, which also kept records of Charles Zi Britannia and his royal family. He found a match: Lelouch Vi Britannia.

"Charles youngest son." Megatron observed. "Lelouch Vi Britannia…." The evil alien warlord then began to chuckle before it erupted into full-blown laughter. "Such irony! Charles own son aims to topple his empire! But, now that I think about it, the more it makes sense. Wasn't young Lelouch exiled to Japan with his youngest sister following his mother's death?"

Soundwave nodded in confirmation.

"And the official records count him and his sister among the dead." Megatron continue. "Obviously with Lelouch those claims are exaggerated, but does his sister live as well? How do they live? Did Optimus save them upon Japan's invasion? No, he wasn't even there, for if he were, he surely would have done more than that. Which suggests that perhaps Optimus has met Lelouch rather recently. And given how his own father left him and his sister for dead, it's no secret that he hates his own empire. So his identity as Zero is merely a child's game of revenge, yet Optimus clearly sees something within him, something that he views as worthy to make hm fight alongside him. If Optimus sees value in Lelouch, then perhaps there is something more to him."

Megatron turned to his most trusted servant. "Soundwave, let us keep this information to ourselves, not even our own soldiers most know of it. Knowing Starscream he would likely do something rather reckless, such as attacking the place of Lelouch's current residence. He may destroy Zero, but I doubt Optimus has all his Autobot forces stationed there. And if in the event he and any other Decepticon were captured, it would run the risk of the Autobots learning what we know of this, and perhaps Lelouch could be useful, very useful."

Soundwave nodded in acknowledgment. He would keep this information a secret.

Megatron looked at the paused image of Zero's debut as he stood on the shoulder of his greatest enemy.

"Now then, Optimus, Lelouch, shall we play a game?" He questioned aloud with a sinister smile and an evil glimmer in his eyes.

Done.

Well… this is bad. Megatron knows Lelouch's identity as both the former prince of Britannia AND of him as Zero! Though he's choosing to keep this information to himself and Soundwave because he feels he can actually use Lelouch to his own personal advantage, which he can and will. Lelouch is a genius, but he will learn the hard way that even he pales in comparison to a master manipulator like Megatron who has been playing this sort of game for a very long time.

In the upcoming chapter, the Autobots have their first battle against Cornelia and her forces, which is sure to be epic! Don't miss it!

Oh, I also added a poll on my profile in regards to the future of my Code Prime series. I said before how I will later be adding elements from "Akito the Exiled" and I've already added "Lost Colors", but I am debating wether or not to add "Oz the Reflection" as well. It won't have too big an impact on my overall story, it'll just add more characters and interactions. I'll leave the final decision to all of you. Thank you all for your support and I look forward to writing the next chapter.

See you soon. Transform and roll out!