(I do not own Code Geass. It and it's characters belongs to Sunrise and its production team. This is solely a not-for-profit fan activity, and in no way intends to infringe on copyrights held by Sunrise.)

Turn 7A: Cornelia's Counterattack

(9 years ago, 2009 a.t.b., within the Imperial court of Pendragon Palace...)

"Announcing Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, 17th heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial throne!" came the voice of the emcee as the large doors opened, for a single Prince Lelouch, having just attended the funeral of his mother, Marianne vi Britannia. Still dressed in his mourning clothes of muted black, he stepped bravely forward into the cold environment that he knew was cruel, filled with apathetic nobles. But he had to do it.

"I heard that Empress Marianne was killed inside the palace," murmured a viscount, judging by the rank on his chest.

"There's no way the terrorists could have gotten in there," whispered a baron, voicing his own personal opinion. "I think that the real assassins must have been-"

"Shhh! Beware my friend, you'll regret it if anyone hears about that kind of talk around the palace. Anyway, the matter has long been settled already. The terrorists were caught and executed."

"And yet he remains so steadfast, even when his mother is dead."

"But he has no path to the throne now," added a duke, joining in on the conversation. "And the Ashford family that was backing them is finished too."

"What about his sister, the Princess?"

"I heard that she was shot in the legs," the viscount confided to the group. "And that she had lost her sight."

"What happened?"

"Hysterical blindness, it seems."

"Yeah. Now she can't even be married off for political gain."

The discussion amongst the nobles have been suddenly cut short, when Prince Lelouch spoke up.

"Your Majesty!" declared Lelouch in his childlike tone, trying his best to sound like an adult. "You remember the passing of my mother?"

"What of it?" answered the Emperor, clearly displeased at talking about the dead. "You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia to tell me something that has already been investigated and settled?!"

"No, I have something to present." Lelouch gestured for his servants to bring a television. The television is wheeled in, and switched on, displaying what it seems to be a CCTV feed.

"Your Majesty, this is the camera feed of the front gate of Aries Villa the day my mother died." explained Lelouch as he pushed the play button. Everyone watched the screen closely for what it would reveal.

The earlier few seconds showed nothing, as the video played. Then, a car drove up towards the gates. It was nothing unusual about the car, really, except for the emblem on it. The emblem was the one that caught everyone by surprise. The imperial court sprang to life with murmuring and discussion, on how a critical piece of evidence was not submitted during the trial of the terrorists that killed Empress Marianne

"Your Majesty, you recognise the emblem, do you not?" questioned Lelouch, putting all of his courage into that question. But the Emperor did not reply, staring stone-facedly at his son. "This particular vehicle was found to have entered the villa the moment that the guards left according to my mother's orders." How did he find the camera feed? I thought I destroyed every trace of evidence! F #$ing Victor, getting me to clean up his s% so that I won't be implicated as well.

"What of it?" answered the Emperor finally. "Why are you showing me this, a video feed that is totally pointless?"

"Pointless?"

"Does this video feed prove anything? Does it indict anyone new?" Lelouch wanted shout it out then, but didn't find the guts to do so. "Of course it doesn't. What it does prove is that the terrorists have been impersonating as me to get the Empress Marianne. What a waste of time this is. Send in the next person! I have no time to babysit a child!"

"Yes Your Majesty!" acknowledged his footmen.

"Father!" protested Prince Lelouch. "Why didn't you protect mother?! You're the Emperor! The greatest person in this nation, if not the world! You should've protected her! And after she died you don't even visit Nunnally anymore!"

The Emperor waited for Lelouch to finish his rant, listening with apathetic ears, and then spoke.

"I have no use for weaklings!" declared the Emperor.

"Weaklings?" Prince Lelouch was stunned at the callous coldness of his father.

"That is what it meant to be royalty!"

"Then I don't want to be your heir! I've had enough! I give up my claim on the throne! I've had enough of all of the fighting and scheming over who to succeed you!" This sudden declaration instantly turned the imperial court into a fish market as the hushed whispers became outright gossip as all of the vassals talked about the future implications of Prince Lelouch's actions.

As the discussion died down, the Emperor spoke in an even tone, but everyone knew he had blown a gasket, seeing that his face darkened significantly.

"You are dead." Lelouch gasped and wondered what it meant. "You've been dead since the moment you've been born. Who gave you the clothes to wear? Your home, your food, your very life! All of these, I've given it to you! In short, you have never actually lived! And you dare speak such foolishness to me!"

Lelouch gasped in horror at the sudden scary change in the attitude of his father, falling backwards onto the wool carpet. It immediately jarred him awake, realising it was all a dream, and he was just reliving the moment he was sent as political hostages to Japan."

"Lelouch! Because you're dead, you are not entitled to any rights." Lelouch remember what happened next as he sat up. "I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan. As prince and princess, you will serve as bargaining chips." That's why I have to crush this world of cruelty and remake it anew. thought Lelouch as he got of bed, getting ready for school.


(Moments after Suzaku left for his court hearing...)

"What are your thoughts regarding my proposal?" asked Zero.

"It's ridiculous! There's no way we'll make you the overall boss of this resistance! We don't know who you are and what are your objectives for joining with us!" objected Tamaki. "If you're serious about joining us then at least show us who you are."

"Yes, whatever Tamaki said was right. You need to show us who you are for us let you join our ranks." seconded Ohgi.

"Very well. For certain reasons, I cannot show you my face. But I can share with you my reason for fighting." replied Zero, as he reached inside his coat. A photo soon appeared, in front of all of them. It was picture of a young Nunnally.

"Who's this? A blind girl?" asked Sugiyama.

"My sister. A girl who had everything taken from her when her mother died, abandoned in Japan along with her brother to fend for themselves. All because she was considered weak."

"Wait, you're Britannian?!" Kallen was shocked.

"That's right."

"There's no way we'll allow a Britannian on our ranks! There's no way we'll be able to tell if your intentions are real, you may be a Britannian spy for all we know!" exclaimed Yoshida, astonished to discover that Zero all along had been a Britannian.

"Yoshida, wait." said Kallen. "He may be Britannian, but I believe in him."

"What?" asked Sugiyama. "Are you nuts? He's Britannian!"

"Britannian or not, his hatred towards Britannia itself is genuine. You can't deny that." said Ohgi.

"Yeah but as I mentioned earlier, all his previous acts against Britannia could be fake." argued Yoshida.

The discussion came to a deadlock, as the upper ranks of the resistance were unable to come to a conclusion on Zero's inclusion into their ranks.

"Enough!" boomed Zero. "I understand that you may have certain reservations about me, so how about this?" Everyone turned their heads to listen to him. "I offer you my services as a professional military commander with unmatched skill free of charge, at your service. However, I need you to follow my every command. In addition, I will be gathering men to boost our ranks. I currently now have over a hundred Japanese civilians who are willing to join us."

"Hmm...we're not too sure about it though…" Minami was unsure, hesitant to accept Zero due to his Britannian heritage. "Although you do bring a lot of benefits, but still…"

"How about we put this to a vote everyone?" asked Ohgi, to which everyone agreed. "Those in favour of Zero joining our ranks?" Kallen, Ohgi and Inoue, raised their hands. "Those who object?" Yoshida, Sugiyama, and Tamaki raised their hands.

"What about you, Minami? You haven't said anything yet." asked Ohgi.

"I'm still thinking."

"Well, the problem is, is that I can't fully trust you yet Zero. But however, I do see that your actions thus far have shown your sincerity at fighting for us, though I do not know the reason why. I suppose we can give him a chance. Appointing him to be in charge of our military affairs would benefit us greatly." said Minami

"Then it is decided. Zero would be joining us as our strategist." announced Ohgi. "He will be taking charge during all of our fights. However, this does not give him the power to order us. We would have full choice to reject his orders. Everyone is dismissed."


(Back in the present...)

Early in the morning, at Andover base, the Viceroy was doing a random inspection of the Knightmare frame units. Following her around is the various commanding officers of each Knightmare frame unit. The representative of Camelot, unsurprisingly, was Lloyd Asplund.

"It's a seventh generation Knightmare frame, making its abilities far greater than normal-" Lloyd began introducing Princess Cornelia to the Lancelot, when asked about it.

"I understand that its pilot is an Eleven." interrupted Cornelia.

"That's correct, he's a Honorary Britannian. But..."

"I've granted him a special promotion from private to master sergeant. He should be satisfied with that. I can win without relying on the support of Numbers."


(Meanwhile…)

"Urrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh…" Jeremiah was finally awoken by the sunlight streaming into his office, recovering from the aftereffects of heavy drinking last night.

"Good Afternoon Jeremiah. I'm here to inform you-oh my god what the hell?" began Kewell, as he entered Jeremiah's office.

"Huh? Who's this? Don't you know to not enter my office without permission? Do I have to remind you f #%ers again?! Or are you new here?!" shouted Jeremiah, unaware who was talking to him.

"Piah!" rang a loud slap. The room was deathly silent immediately after that. Nothing moved, and everything was a still picture then, a scenery where a lower rank officer hit an officer of a higher rank.

"S-sir, get a hold of yourself! I'm here to inform you that your presence has been requested by the viceroy in the command room of the G-1 mobile base with the license plate number HBE11-492Z by 1600 hrs today. Please get sobered up before that timing or the viceroy will be displeased with your work attitude " stammered Kewell, as he quickly backtracked out of Jeremiah's office.

Jeremiah was staring into space where Kewell once stood a few moments ago, wondering. What the hell did I just do?

Finally fully awake, he quickly rushed to the toilet to wash his face. Looking into the mirror, he could see what damage he had caused himself. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin rough and dry. What was I doing last night?


Meanwhile, in Viceroy's palace, Euphemia thought about what her sister said last night when they were alone together.

"Those who risk their lives in combat deserve to rule," declared Cornelia. "Never forget that."

I understand the theory, but sister, isn't it a bit too cruel? Not all of us are good at combat, yet good at governance.

While Euphemia was deep in her thoughts, the door to her office opened. An old lady stepped in, dressed in a royal red full-length gown with her greying purple hair neatly tied up in a bun.

"Good morning my dear!" greeted the old lady. "I see that the Middle East have not treated you too badly."

Euphemia looked up to see who it was. "Mother! How glad I am to see you!" She got of her chair, running towards her to give her a hug, embracing her mother tightly.

Victoria li Britannia returned the hug, holding her beloved daughter for quite a while, enjoying the moment of togetherness.

After quite a while, Euphemia broke out of the hug. "Mother, what brings you here?"

"Why, for a retired general like me, I have all the time in the world. Couldn't I take this time and opportunity to visit my dear children?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's just that right now, Cornelia is out in Saitama ghetto, trying to find and arrest Zero, so you won't be able to see her this evening."

"Well, I could always go visit her. I'm authorised as her mother."


Later in the afternoon in Andover base, within the rundown hanger that the Lancelot was kept in, Cecile was helping Suzaku with his school work before he left for school.

"I'm sorry you have to sit here helping me with my homework."

"It's all right. You've never attended a regular school before, so it can't be helped."

"The guys on the student council are helping me, too. But... it's still hard."

"To be perfectly honest with you, I've been a little bit worried. Although it's supposed to be a fairly liberal school, but I was wondering if you weren't fitting in well."

"Me too. I was prepared for that." admitted Suzaku. "But just by chance, I happened to run into an old friend there and he smoothed everything out for me."

"Value that friend." advised Cecile. "If your friendship continues, your reunion wouldn't have been just a coincidence. It would have been predestined."

"Right, I will."

"Anyway, please try one of these." Cecile presented Suzaku with a plate of onigiri.

"Thank you." Suzaku took one gratefully and took a bite out of them. The taste was unfamiliar, nothing like any of the onigiri that Suzaku has ever eaten before. It tasted like some sort of berry jam.

"I'd like your opinion on them."

"Jam?"

"Yes, I just happened to get a hold of some lovely blueberries yesterday!"

"Okay!" came a shout from the ground floor. It was Lloyd.

"Pack up! Pack up! Well done today! We're finished for the day! Hip Hip Horrah! That's all folks!"

"Uhm...what do I do now?" asked Suzaku, looking for guidance.

"Go back to school. Classes may be over for the day, but it's important to meet your friends and have a social life as well." suggested Cecile.


Meanwhile, in Ashford Academy, it was declared break time by Milly Ashford, after an hour in meeting, discussing the next few school events, on what would the theme be, and how would things be settled logistically. Everyone except Kallen and Shirley made a beeline for the toilet, looking to relieve themselves.

"Kallen, can I ask you something important?" began Shirley, as she had barely talked to Kallen since she had been inducted into the student council.

"Hm? What would that be?"

"Kallen, are you hiding something from everyone?"

"Huh? I'm just not sure what you're talking about."

"Just tell me. I promise I won't be shocked or upset. I have already seen you guys doing it before."

"You guys? Who are you talking about?"

"Just admit already, you're going out with Lulu right?!"

"Lulu?"

"The other day, I saw you outside with Lulu, doing you know what."

"Doing what?"

"You know...uhm...kissing?"

"No! No! Hold on! That was all his doing!"

"His doing?!"

"No wait! It wasn't like that! He just held my face like he was going to do it, but he didn't!"

"So you stopped short of doing it?"

"Jibun wo sekai sae mo-" rang Kallen's phone as she picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Kallen, we need you back at Toshima ghetto, Zero has called for us."

"Okay, I will be there!" replied Kallen as she tried to leave the room as quickly as possible, while still maintaining her sick image. "Sorry Shirley, some emergency just cropped up that I have to attend to, so could you apologise to everyone for me? Thank you!"


However, the real reason that Milly Ashford declared the break was to call her mother privately.

"Mother, an arranged marriage is just so...so stifling you know?"

"It's for the best. You get to live a carefree life, with everything you want, and our family gets to rebuild our reputation."

"I understand how much you are desperately seeking to reestablish the Ashford name again ever since Empress Marianne died. But mother, it's just too...I mean, have you ever considered how I feel going along with this?"

"No buts. You will meet your date next week. He'll pick you up just outside school. Don't you worry, he's a nice person." The brief phone conversation ended as Milly hung up.


Meanwhile, Nina took the break session as a moment for her to be alone and recharge, as constant social interaction left her mentally and emotionally drained. Taking this opportunity to further her lab research, she ran multiple simulations of the different methods that she had come up with in order to split the atom, a pet project of hers to help develop a source of energy that would never run out. One of the methods that looked promising was deemed successful by simulator, leading her to cry out loud, "Ah! I've split it!"


Elsewhere, Rivalz was out on dispatch fetching some items to be used in future school events, when he caught sight of a G-1 mobile base moving along the highway. He wondered what is going on, when the place is at peace.


"The Saitama ghetto is completely surrounded as you requested. The Yamato Alliance's hideout, according to Brigadier General Gottwald, should be somewhere in here. It is reported that half the people in the ghetto are cooperating with them. So, if we proceed now, we might encounter fierce resistance from the civilians. However, this recreation should be similar to that of Shinjuku." said Darlton as he briefed the Viceroy on the background of the Yamato Alliance, as they laid a trap to lure out Zero, after days of trying to find him, to no avail. Hence the trap to lure him out.

"What would be the effect from the loss of Saitama ghetto on our GDP?" asked Cornelia, just trying to ensure that they still fulfil the production demands as set by the central government in Pendragon.

"Service sector output is estimated to decrease by 0.2%." replied an analyst in the command room of the G-1.

"Within expectations. Gottwald, You are the only senior ranking officer left after the Shinjuku incident, so let me ask you this one question. Do you think that the situation right now is similar to the conditions of Shinjuku?" Princess Cornelia addressed Jeremiah Gottwald.

"Although I was never in the command room Your Highness, I do believe that there is a high degree of similarity in the conditions of the situation right now in Saitama and the conditions of the Shinjuku incident. However, there was one thing that was missing currently, but I'm not very sure it matters or not." answered Jeremiah steadfastly.

"Tell me."

"Before we were caught up in the fighting with the terrorists, the terrorists had stolen poison gas, but in the current situation in Saitama, there is no poison gas stolen. But I'm not sure whether that fact is important to recreate the conditions of Saitama."

"There will be no need for that." assured Cornelia after listening intently to Jeremiah's opinion and reflecting about it. "Zero is a criminal with a flair for the theatrical. I've recreated the conditions of Shinjuku in order to draw him out. If he's type who's overconfident, he will come, and try to execute the same strategy by taking me hostage to let the terrorists go free. How wrong he will find out himself."

"Are you sure Viceroy?!" Kewell was concerned for his Viceroy's safety.

"What you fail to understand is that war is simply just a struggle between life and death. The winner would be the one that survives. I have no intention of dying here right now. Begin the operation!"

General Darlton gave the command to all of the ground forces, "Attention all forces! Commence the eradication of the Saitama ghetto! All forces, assume level one combat stations!"


On command of the Viceroy, television screens all over Tokyo settlement flashed with the latest news, announcing that the military have surrounded the Saitama Ghetto, a known hiding place for terrorists, and that Viceroy Cornelia is also on the scene. Following that, the newsreader informed everyone that entry now to that region is restricted, as a full scale assault will be launched in two hours. She explained that consequently, power will be shut off in nearby locations.

In the news studio, one of the reporters were wondering why they were instructed to report this to the public.

"Why the hell are we reporting to the public? Wouldn't Zero choose to attack Princess Cornelia at this moment?"

"That's exactly the purpose. Provoking Zero." replied Diethard Reid. "To lure him out."


At the same time, once receiving news of the movement against the Yamato Alliance, Lelouch took the break session to rush back to his room, hastily texting an apology for not attending the remainder of the meeting to the student council chat group. Inside his room, C.C. was enjoying her afternoon pizza, having collected the 8th stamp to go towards getting her Cheese-kun plushie. Lelouch went straight for his cupboard, where he hid the Britannian foot soldier uniform. Taking the uniform out, he stuffed it inside his backpack.

"You're falling for the enemy's provocation?" asked C.C., watching Lelouch as he went about his business.

"Well, they went to such great lengths to invite me. Why disappoint them? Besides, I would like to liberate Cornelia from the chains binding her."

"Building a gentler world or avenging your mother, which is more important to you?"

"They are both of equal importance. By tearing down the system where people have to compete ruthlessly, people would be more inclined to be kinder to one another if they were encouraged to do so."

"But the very thing that you want to destroy is what makes Britannia great, as the last person standing would be the very best."

"Exactly. The weak all lose and the rest are cast aside. That's the kind of nation Britannia is, the world that they live in."

"Survival of the fittest is the most basic rule of nature, you can't deny that."

"I don't deny it. But should we give up on the weak and the frail people like Nunnally? Do we throw them aside because they're weak because of their circumstances? I refuse to accept that cold, Darwinistic rule. I'll destroy that kind of world myself." Lelouch finished packing and got out of the chair, ready to leave.

"I can't let you go, Lelouch. I can't have you dying before you fulfil your part of the bargain." C.C. leveled a pistol at him.

"There is a contradiction with what you say and what you're doing, isn't there?"

"I won't kill you. I'll just shoot you in the leg to quiet you down."

"I see. Then I will do what I feel is the next best opportunity." Lelouch took out his gun as well.

"You think you can threaten me with a gun?"

"Yes, I can." Lelouch pointed the gun towards his head. "Until I met you, I was dead. An empty corpse brought back to life living a lie of life, a life where I did nothing except the act of living day to day. It was like dying a slow death. If I'm to go back to that, then I'd rather-"

"Wait!" C.C. lowered her gun. "I see your point. It's meaningless. A life like that…there's no point in living it. Just go, and do what you wish to do."


(At Saitama ghetto...)

"Bratatat!" went off the assault rifle of a Britannian soldier as the mayor of Saitama ghetto gets riddled with bullet holes.

"Mayor!" shouted an Eleven civilian in concern. "Why are you doing this?! We even have children here! We haven't done anything wrong!"

"That's exactly why!" declared their commander. "Because the people of this ghetto refused to report about the terrorists! You cover for them! Hide them! That's treason against a suzerain state!"

After which, the soldiers began firing on the civilians, with no one spared, not even the children. It was a truly horrifying sight to see. Blood stained the ground deep red, so deep that it might be there forever.

Meanwhile, when hearing the command given by General Darlton, forces of all kinds moved out. Sutherlands began launching from the G-1 mobile base, while APCs and tanks moved forward, accompanied by infantry soldiers on foot, carrying the Britannian made BAR80.

Back in the G-1's command room, an operator informed Cornelia, "Your Highness, the advance party have finished sweeping up the people in charge."

"Okay, tell them carry on with the total eradication of the ghetto."

"Yes Your Highness."

"Suppression of area 4, complete." came in the radio of 9th Infantry Brigade.

"8th and 11th Armour Infantry Regiments are sweeping north and south in a pincer movement." crackled the radio again, this time from the radio operator attached to the 8th Armour Infantry Brigade commanding officer. Out in the field, screams and shouts rang out, from the civilians who were brutally shot and killed with no mercy.

Meanwhile, Lelouch parked his Sutherland from the previous incident from Shinjuku. It had undergone some upgrades when Lelouch kept it underground within the school sewers. The Stun Tonfas have been shifted to the left arm, over an elliptical shield. They have also been lengthened, giving them wider reach. At the back of the Sutherland, were two back mounted cannons, which would slide out underarm to be fired. The cannons were nothing different than that of the normal giant cannon that were used by the Britannian army, just that modifications were made to accommodate the firing of two cannons at the same time.

In the interior of the Knightmare, the operating system has been upgraded, as the addition of two cannons mounted on the back required balancing software for precise movement of the knightmare without toppling over. As a result, the installation of Active Mass Balance Auto Control has resulted in the Sutherland being more stable and agile in spite of the added weight. Its ability to gather information has also been upgraded, as the chest now contained a secondary Factsphere.

Lelouch got of the Sutherland dressed as a Britannian infantry soldier again and witnessed all of the cold-hearted genocide. Seems like Britannia still haven't changed their ways. However, this all looks too similar to what happened at the Shinjuku ghetto. What is Cornelia doing? Emulating Clovis? I thought she's better than that. This has to be some form of trap. thought Lelouch.

Lelouch pushed the PTT button on his uniform, which directly connected him to the troops he had gathered just on the outskirts of Saitama.

"P-1, are your men ready? Did you bring the Sutherlands I gave you all the last time? What about the cables and signal equipment? And the other stuff too?"

"Zero, they are ready and await your orders. Yes, we did bring them as you ordered. But I don't understand why you wanted us to bring large speakers and televisions."

"You will find out soon later. Those that are on foot link up with the Yamato Alliance, and evacuate the civilians within the ghetto. Those in the Sutherlands wait for further instructions. Also, no names please."

"Roger that, K-1."

Right after Ohgi acknowledged the orders, two Britannian Knightmares climbed up to the building where he was. Ah, the two Knightmares I lured here.

"What unit are you from? Why are you all alone? Give me your name and ID!" demanded one of the Sutherlands.

"Private Dario Torres, sir, 3rd Infantry Brigade, RSTA company. My buddy was just killed in a firefight to obtain this disk from a terrorist. Could you please bring it back to headquarters?"

"A disk huh? Well, I need to verify your ID first." One of the pilots got out of the cockpit. Now's my chance.

"Understood. Here's my ID. You will find it is legitimate. Is it not, sir?" asked Lelouch, activating his Geass as he spoke.

"Uhm...yeah, it is real alright. We'll bring this back to base for further analysis." replied the pilot, as he reboarded his Knightmare frame, taking the disk along with him. Yes, Phase 1 cleared. Moving on to Phase 2.

Lelouch returned to his Sutherland Custom, getting ready to start on Phase 2. Time to enter the stage.


(Saitama ghetto's underground...)

"It's hopeless." remarked a member of Saitama ghetto.

"Can't we just break through the Saikyo Line?" asked another.

"They've got heavy armour blocking it. And we can't use the backroads either. They've been blocked as well."

"Any reinforcements from Akabane or Jujo?"

"One man might be able to get through, but not a whole group!"

"Izumi!" a man dashed into the meeting, his tone urgent.

"Well? Any word from the Toda or Kawaguchi districts?"

"Never mind that! Take this!" the man presented Izumi a handheld radio.

"This is Zero." the radio crackled to life.

"Zero?" Izumi was presently surprised. "Zero, you mean?"

"I assume you have heard about the Shinjuku incident, am I right? Do what I tell you and victory is ours. Soon my men from Toshima ghetto would be meeting you, and follow their directions to evacuate all of the civilians to another ghetto."

"Evacuate? Where can we even evacuate? All of the exits are blocked already!"

"You will be evacuating towards the North, in the underground."

"But-but that's where Cornelia is! Isn't that where the enemy forces are concentrated? Anyway, why are we even abandoning Saitama?! This is our home! We have the right to stay here!"

"If you want to be a fool and die right here, so be it. But don't drag everyone else with you. Anyone who does not wish to follow my orders are free to die on the battlefield. Those that do not wish to die would do good by following my instructions."

Ohgi, impatient from waiting for Zero's orders regarding the the Sutherlands parked at the Minami-Furuya station, radioed Zero, "K-1, do you have any orders regarding the movement of Knightmares?"

"P-1, the Sutherlands would be moving soon, so get ready."

"Wilco." acknowledged Ohgi. "Everyone, get inside your Knightmares! We're moving out soon!"

On his command, everyone boarded their Knightmares. Meanwhile, Kallen's radio crackled to life.

"Q-1?"

"Yes?" answered Kallen steadfastly.

"There's a train bound towards the G-1 base, carrying Sutherlands without IFFs. Do not touch the train. It should be loaded with bombs, designed to kill anyone who touches it. Instead, fire a cannon shell towards the train and destroy it. Enemy contacts would then chase after you. Lead them towards this point on the map." Kallen's digital map highlighted the point he has to reach. "Once there, leave it to others to destroy them."

"Understood."

After which, Lelouch was giving Ohgi his orders.

"P-1, bring along everyone in your P-detachment go to this point here on the map, and find a good spot to hide and set up two barricades according to the instructions I've sent you. After you hear the explosion, about 5 minutes later, Q-1 would be coming towards you with enemy tangos right behind her. Trap and shoot down the enemy, then disperse to wait for further instructions."

"Roger."


(In the G-1...)

"Area B-12, suppression complete." came the report from 5th Infantry Brigade.

"F-7, no sign of the enemy." reported the 7th Armoured Infantry Regiment.

"Paladin squad, change course to 5-1-6." ordered Kewell, who was looking at the Blue Force Tracking system on the screen.

"Yes my lord. Changing course to 5-1-6." confirmed the section commander. "This is almost too easy, Is Zero even coming?"

"I guess he's just another terrorist in the end." remarked his wingman.

"Pay attention to the fighting! Zero may come out any second now! And cut the radio chatter!" scolded Kewell.

No sooner that Kewell finished speaking, the radio's response was sounds of two large explosions, followed by static as the connection was cut off. Tch. Zero has finally showed up.

"Your Highness! Zero might have showed up in sector A-5! Two Sutherlands lost!"

"Gester squad, contact lost too!" chimed the commanding officer of the Marauders, another Knightmare unit. "Enemy spotted in G-47!"

"Keegan squad are currently engaged with the terrorists! They were ambushed!" said the commanding officer of the Sentinels. "The enemy seems to be using Sutherlands as well!"

Strange, the train bringing in the Sutherlands have not exploded yet. Did Zero disarm the bombs? No, it couldn't be. No one can get close to the train without a jamming device. thought Cornelia.

Suddenly, a large explosion rang out nearby. The shock wave rattled the G-1 base, and the noise was deafening. At this moment, Cornelia smiled. Caught you, Zero.

"What is the nearest knightmare platoon? Tell them to attack the position of the latest explosion!" ordered Cornelia.

"Yes Your Highness." replied General Darlton, who just recovered from the shock of the explosion. "Rothwell platoon, move over to sector C-3, attack any enemy troops there you might find."

"Wilco, my lord."

"With this, we will finally be able to take down Zero and show the world that his victory in Shinjuku is nothing more than a lucky win." declared Cornelia.

"Oh, will you?" questioned a voice from the back.

"You question me? Me? The Chief General of the Imperial Army? You better have-oh."

"Is this how you greet your mother?" asked Victoria, her eyes narrowed.

"No, erm...I'm sorry mother. I didn't know it was you. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I came to see what you're doing, and I think you should get back to commanding your forces, they are panicking without someone to guide them." Victoria pointed at the table, where countless reports of squads being lost due to enemy attacks.


(Just before the explosion...)

"Is this the train we are supposed the destroy?" asked Kallen.

"Yes, you are right beside it. Keep some distance away from you and the train when destroying it." advised Zero.

"Roger that."

Kallen stopped her Sutherland, letting the train move forward. Taking aim with her assault rifle, she took a deep breath and fired. The effect is almost instantaneous, one burst and the train exploded. The shock wave threw her Sutherland backwards, causing it to land in a crumpled heap. The noise was ear-splitting. Luckily, the auditory sensors of the Sutherland were turned off as advised by Zero.

"Holy crap, how much explosives did they fill the train with," wondered Kallen as she tried to move her Sutherland. Overall, the damage caused by the explosion was quite minor, as the only places where it was damaged is the cockpit hatch and the joint connecting the landspinners to the legs.

"Good job Q-1. You have attracted the attention of a platoon of Sutherlands. Wait for them to chase after you and lead them to this point here and let P-1 do the rest." came in Zero's congratulatory voice.

"Understood." replied Kallen, immediately engaging her Sutherland's Factsphere to look around. Sure enough, a large platoon of 5 Sutherlands came towards the location of the train. Seeing her near the smoldering wreckage of the train, they immediately deduced her to be the cause of the train explosion.

"Enemy who blew up the train seems to be a lone Sutherland. Rothwell Platoon, engaging the enemy." reported the platoon commander. "Everyone, shoot down the enemy Sutherland!"

Each and every one of them took aim with their assault rifle, while Kallen, seeing that they took the bait, dashed off and did not gave them the chance shoot at her Sutherland, whizzing off at top speed towards the point as indicated. The enemy gave pursuit, chasing after her in a staggered column formation.

Kallen, after dodging multiple shots fired at her, finally reached the place pointed out by Zero. Dashing straight ahead into the building, the doors to the building was then blocked as wreckage was dropped in front of the entrance.

"What the-?! Everyone, turn back!" ordered the platoon commander, but it was too late. Behind them the exit was blocked as well, making everything hopeless. There was no way of escape. Looking up for a shred of inspiration, but what was seen was a giant cannon pointed at his Sutherland. The next thing he knew was a large "Boom!" as everything went black.


"Good job Ohgi!" congratulated Kallen over the radio. "Now we've dealt a significant blow to those Britannians!"

"No we have not." Zero was bringing Kallen back to reality with his deadpan tone. "This is a very minor setback to Britannia, as they can easily replace everything from pilots to Knightmare in a very short period of time. By concentrating the tasks I give you, we would one day destroy Britannia. Now is just the beginning. Also, please refrain from idle radio chatter and keep to using codenames I've assigned to all of you to prevent yourselves from being identified by Britannia."

"Okay okay, I will. What a way to be a spoilsport." muttered Kallen.

"Now, each of you would follow instructions I would be passing to each and every one of you individually. Listen carefully." spoke Zero as he gave out the instructions to different groups of people to attack different groups of the Britannian army that Cornelia has deployed.


At the same time, the increase in terrorist resistance have caused quite a bit stir in the command room, as every single operator is reporting either the loss of men or the appearance of enemy forces, transforming the room into a fish market as everyone was shouting in the top of their voices to get themselves heard by the Viceroy, who wasn't taking very kindly to this, with her rage building as the noise level increased.

"ENOUGH!" screamed Cornelia, turning the room from a bustling trade floor to a soundproofed room, such that nothing could be heard. "Darlton, collate what is happening from the operators and brief me. I will not tolerate this level of chaos inside the command room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Your Highness!" echoed all of the men.

"Your Highness, as per your instruction, the current situation is that we are losing forces bit by bit as the enemy uses hit-and-run tactics on us, hitting small pockets of troops where they knew they have the superiority. What would your orders be, Your Highness?" stated Darlton in his calm voice.

"That's enough. Order all troops to fall back. Any further damage would be meaningless." If I'm right, just like last time, Zero would be blending in with my troops, and I would expose him, right where I want him to.

"Fall back?!" one of the staff officers couldn't believe what Cornelia is saying. "Your Highness, with all due respect, we still can fight them!"

"We can't fight them like this. Darlton, give the order to all forces."

"Yes Your Highness." acknowledged Darlton, engaging the line which connected to each and every single radio being used in the operation. "To all forces! Regroup behind the ghetto perimeter at once! Never mind holding formation! Fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once!"

Meanwhile, Lelouch, seeing on his radar screen that the enemy are retreating, smiled. "Phase 2 ended. Time to execute Phase 3." Ha...Cornelia, do you think I would repeat my strategies that I've used before on you when you clearly are enacting the similar conditions to let my drop my guard for you to capture me? I don't think so. Anyway, you're going to die soon...the result of a curse on your own ancestors, the very same monster that now has control over my actions now. At least I will forge a new path for humanity with my life for the upcoming trials ahead with your sacrifice. Goodbye, my dear sister.