Black Knights Hospital, Japan

16:03 MST

August 20th, 2020 a.t.b.

When Lelouch woke up, his eyes were nearly blinded by the bright lights overhead. He winced and looked away. As his eyes slowly began to adjust to the brightness he could make out a red blob next to his head. His vision slowly began to improve and he realized that the red blob was actually a head of red hair.

Once he could see clearly Lelouch sat up and examined his surroundings. He was lying face up in a military hospital bed, dressed in a white hospital gown. The curtains in the room were pulled closed to hide his identity from the outside world. His Zero outfit was nowhere in sight.

Lelouch frowned. 'I must have been knocked unconscious—' His eyes widened as the last few moments of his consciousness overwhelmed his senses. The Shinkiro…the gigantic Battlemech…the Grandmaster's taunting voice…then a bright flash and everything went dark.

The leader of the Black Knights closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillows behind it. He let out an exasperated sigh and gently slapped his hand over his eyes as he began to wonder what had happened after he had been knocked unconscious.

That's when Lelouch looked over at the person who had watching over him. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw Kallen sleeping beside his hospital bed, her head next to his pillow. "It's good to see you again Q-1." Lelouch muttered as he reached out and gently stroked her hair. Kallen looked so peaceful sleeping there at the side of his bed.

"You're awake." C.C. said calmly as she walked through the curtain behind Kallen.

"Report C2," Lelouch ordered in a rather commanding tone. "What's our status?"

"The Grandmaster and his mercenary army have left Japan," C.C. said in her usual apathetic tone as she stopped over to the foot of the hospital bed, "That was four days ago."

'Four days?' Lelouch thought as he rubbed his chin in thought. 'I'm going to need to recover quickly so I can go back to being Zero.'

Then his thoughts turned to the Grandmaster. "We have a problem C2." He said as he looked straight at the green-haired immortal witch. "The Grandmaster has a Geass."

"I know," C2 replied calmly, "Kallen told me about it while you were unconscious. And before you ask, I don't know how he obtained the Geass, or who gave it to him."

"It's not that," Lelouch replied as he leaned back on the pillows behind him. "His Geass is a mind-reading type like Mao had. What bothers me is that he was able to read my mind even though I'm an immortal like you."

"The problem with your logic is that you're not an immortal like me," C.C. stated as she folded her arms across her chest. "Unlike me, you still have the ability to use your Geass." She walked over to the other side of the hospital bed and leaned in close to Lelouch's face. "You are unique Lelouch vi Britannia. When your parents were killed in the World of C, your father somehow transferred his Code to you. But you retained the ability to use your Geass, and you are not immune from other Geass." She stood up and turned away from Lelouch. "I suppose that the World of C warped the transfer process and you only received a partial Code from Charles as a result."

"Interesting," Lelouch muttered and nodded as a sign of acknowledgement. Then it dawned on him. "What happened to the Shinkiro?"

"The Shinkiro was totaled in the battle." C.C. said in her usual blunt fashion. "Rakshata was very upset."

A sweatdrop formed on the back of Lelouch's head as he imagined Rakshata's expression at the sight of the wrecked Knightmare. He laid down in the hospital bed in exhaustion. "Let me get some rest C2." He said and closed his eyes as he heard C.C. walk out of the room.


Southern Fortress Base, Antarctica

23:08 MST

Tamhas sat inside his personal quarters on board the Krieg Chessboard, his mind lost in thought. He had taken off his Grandmaster attire and sat in a chair in front of his chessboard in civilian clothing. He examined the chessboard behind his aviator sunglasses as he planned his next move.

The Grandmaster had been ordered by the higher-ups in the Will of Ares to remain at the Southern Fortress for the duration of the next operation. This applied to his army as well, and it frustrated Tamhas to no end. He was stuck in an oversized freezer while other mercenaries were out doing the fighting.

"It appears that the Supreme Commander wants to keep this war interesting," said a voice that brought Tamhas back to reality. The voice belonged to a teenage-looking boy who was standing in the doorway. The boy was dressed in an all-black uniform that matched his chin-length jet black hair. The boy's ghostly pale skin almost glowed in contrast. A pair of ice blue eyes watched Tamhas as the mercenary got to his feet and turned to the intruder. "Don't you agree Tamhas?"

"Nomen Nescio," Tamhas said as he placed a Red Knight so it checked the White King piece on the chessboard and turned to face his guest, "How is Colonel Morrighan?"

"She is recovering," Nomen Nescio replied coolly as he sat on the opposite side of the chessboard. He stared at the chess pieces and examined the moves the white player could make. "Interesting." He said finally, "The White King must move out of check but that would also put the white queen at risk."

"Indeed," Tamhas agreed as he cracked his neck, the chessboard reflected in his aviator sunglasses, "Zero may need to make a similar choice in the near future if all goes according to the Supreme Commander's plans."


Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. Updates should become more frequent after the end of June.