A/N: Good lord this took me long enough! It's been what...? Six months? Sad to say it'll probably be the last one for a bit (ha!) due to work. I'm deploying with the navy in less than a month, so yeah... It'll be interesting to say the least.

I apologize that this took so long, but I just didn't want to write. Not that I couldn't, but at some points I just really didn't feel like it. Which is strange for me. I love writing!

Anyways, enough of my turmoil. Please enjoy the next chapter of my super long, epic story!

And Reviews are life. Give them all to me!

Caged Like an Animal

My eyes widened to a comical size, as I pushed the not dead woman away from me and stood up.

Moving as far away as possible, which was very simple considering the small size of the cell, I turned back to her, confusion being the only emotion playing on my face as she looked mildly surprised at what I had done.

"Who are you?" I muttered, looking on with disbelief etched on my features.

She laughed, and said "Come on silly, I'm Monica…"

I cut her off before anything else was said.

"Monica is dead!" I barked, my tone raw and fierce "I watched her die in Tokyo! I was the last person she spoke to!"

She laughed lightly, a small smile coming to her face as she stood, clad in the uniform of the Knights of the Round that Monica always wore.

"I won't lie, it was a narrow escape, and I almost didn't make it" she said, turning to me "But I was lucky. I work here now, and I'm still the Monica you know and love."

"That's just it!" I shouted, fury on my face "I don't know you, and I don't love you! I knew and loved Monica!"

"I understand where you're coming from…and I know what you mean" she stated quietly.

"No you don't. Please, just…leave. I need to wrap my head around this" I muttered, slumping to the ground, my back against the wall.

"I understand" Monica replied simply, before walking out of the cell and having the guard lock the door behind her.

Once I was sure that she was totally gone, and I couldn't see her anymore, I returned to my bed…if it could even be called that, and sat there, pulling my knees up to my chest as a hundred thoughts whipped through my head.

It should be impossible, physically impossible, for someone to have survived the amount of radiation that was sent into that knightmare, and show up later in life, perfectly fine, acting like nothing had happened at all.

A single sound echoed through the cell, drowning out the footsteps of the pacing guard easily.

"FUCK!"

It was like a routine.

Guards came three times a day to deliver meals that were…passable at best.

Certainly no feast from the Viceroy's Palace, but it kept me alive.

I was let out of the cell once per day to walk around, under heavy guard of course, to stretch my limbs for half an hour before being herded back inside and locked away.

It was mostly these times that Monica would drop by and try to talk to me, hosting mostly one sided conversations as I refused to answer.

I had never seen the Director, so I couldn't put my escape plan into action, but they had left me with another tool at my disposal.

In their negligence to frisk me, they had allowed me to keep my call phone, but without a charger, I had quickly shut it off to conserve the battery that I had.

There was no signal, so I assumed we were either deep underground (very likely) or they had some sort of communication jammer emitting a signal to scramble my phone (also likely).

I let out a sigh of frustration as 'exercise time' neared once again, meaning that I had to deal with the not-dead Monica trying to talk to me.

"If I gained her trust however…I could possibly use it to my advantage" I thought, a smirk appearing on my face before I quickly wiped it off as the guard unlocked the door.

"Alright, your half hour starts now. Get a move on" he ground out, holding the door open wide and shielding himself slightly.

I simply stood up, inclining my head in thanks as I walked past him, hearing him fall into step behind me.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and wrinkle my nose in distaste as the measured steps of the guard echoed in the cavern that I walked around before reaching a stone outcropping and sitting down on it, crossing one leg over the other as I settled in to think.

Rapid footsteps approached, and I easily classed them as Monica's, seeing as she was the only one who came to visit me during my time outside my cell.

Rounding a corner, I observed a smile light her face as I fought to keep my own expression impassive, though it did little to calm the small flutter in my heart.

It seems like no matter what, I would always carry a torch for her, no matter how small the flame got, it would still be burning.

I sighed slightly as she sat next to me, our thighs brushing as she crossed her legs and put her hands in her lap, looking at me expectantly.

"Good day Monica" I mumbled, my voice slightly scratchy from disuse.

Her smile widened even more, this being the first time I had spoken to her since we had our spat in my cell on the day that I was brought to this underground bunker somewhere.

I still had full confidence that Cornelia would be there to break me out eventually, no matter how long it took.

"Andrew, it's good to hear your voice. I've missed it" she mused, looking at me longingly, as if we were star crossed lovers or something.

Lord knows that I still loved Monica, but the last thing I wanted to become was a pawn once again, and come hell or high water, it wasn't going to happen.

"I guess" I mused, refusing to let my eyes meet hers, focusing them on the rocky floor of the cavern.

"You've been so distant, I was wondering if you'd ever end up speaking to me again after everything that happened" she stated, putting a hand on my thigh.

"I needed time. That couldn't be helped" I replied quietly, running a hand over the stubble taking root on my chin and hating the scratchy feel of it under my fingers "I had to think. About you, about us, about this place. Can't fault a guy for wanting to get out."

"No, I guess you really can't" Monica said, laughing slightly before turning serious "What were your thoughts on…us?"

I knew this would come up, I really did, and in all honesty, I didn't mind telling her.

"Monica, you know how I felt about you before your…disappearance. In all honesty, those feelings haven't changed, especially with knowing that you are the true Monica, and not a reproduction, or a cyborg, or anything else.

"When you had vanished in the fight, I had thought the worst. Everyone did after they saw the fireball from your Knightmare after Zero's ace took you out. I grieved, spent several nights crying myself to sleep. Cornelia didn't say anything about it, but I knew that she was worried for my mental stability.

"Time passed, and the wounds in my heart healed, but that didn't mean that I ever stopped loving you. When I was back in Pendragon, I made a stop at the memorial for you, and laid a few flowers for a lost love, but it turns out, it was all for naught, as you were looking for me at the same time.

"Once in that cell, I thought, long and hard, about us. If I still felt the same way, if you did as well. All the possible scenarios that I could dream up, no matter how wild or imaginative, crossed my mind, were analyzed to exhaustion, and filed away to be brought up when needed. And I finally came to a conclusion."

"Oh, and what would that be?" she asked, her voice low and seductive, her teeth tugging on her bottom lip slightly as she hiked one eyebrow and looked at me expectantly with her deep blue eyes.

"I think you have an inkling to what it could be" I merely said, letting a casual smirk slide onto my face, easily adopting the cool demeanor that I had perfected during my stay in Area 11.

"Maybe, but I want to hear you say it" her voice was more of a growl mixed with a domineering tone that sent shivers down my back as I thought of the implications that could be mixed with that tone.

"What I'm saying, is, I still love you, and I want you" I replied in a raw voice, filled with desire.

"Alright, that's enough. You've had your time, now get back in your cell" the guard ordered in an annoyed tone, clearly not pleased to be presiding over two people in love.

"I'll talk it over with the director, see if I can get you out of that cell permanently and into a more…comfortable living arrangement" Monica said, winking at me with a smile.

"I look forward to it" I replied, nodding to her before walking briskly back to my abode, to which the guard quickly locked the door behind me.

Phase 1, was well underway.

Since my talk with Monica, I had been counting days.

It had been 3 days since I had seen her, because she hadn't dropped by during the time I was let out to walk around the cavern (and I'd been let out 3 times, once a day) and it confused me slightly.

Until she dropped by just as I was about to head back in to my cell on the third day.

"Andrew!" she called, catching my attention with the sound of her voice and the waving of a piece of paper in the air.

Making her way to myself and the guard, she promptly handed him the paper and stood beside me, waiting expectantly.

"It all checks out" he finally rumbled, saluting to Monica before turning around and walking away.

"What was all that about?" I asked after a moment, looking at the retreating back of the guard.

"I…persuaded the director to release you into my custody. You're my responsibility now" she mused, taking a hold of my hand and leading me away.

"Where are we going?" I couldn't help but ask as we left the cavern that I had become very familiar with and down a hallway lined with a few sets of large blast doors.

"Somewhere that I know you'll like better than your last accommodations" Monica said, very sure of herself before focusing back on the path ahead.

Wearing heels in a rocky cavern? 0 out of 10 would recommend in my opinion.

Finally, we turned down a smaller hallway, with concrete floors, stopping at a non-descript door about halfway down.

Monica produced a key from somewhere in her uniform and unlocked the door, showing me inside before closing it and then locking it.

"Nice place" I said "Is it mine?"

Monica practically floated past me, sitting down on the sofa and patting the spot beside her, indicating that I should take a seat.

"No, it's mine, but you'll be staying here" she informed me as I sat down.

"Oh…well, I wouldn't want to intrude on your space" I said, looking around the luxurious room.

"Nonsense" she replied, waving off my concern "You'd be a welcome distraction from the monotony."

With that, she disappeared into another room and returned a moment later.

"I'll show you where you'll be staying. Come on" Monica stated, grabbing my hand and lightly pulling me up from the couch to follow behind her.

I followed obediently, her boots echoing off the hard surface of wood floors as she led me to another door within her room.

"And here we are" she stated with an air of finality, opening the door in front of us with a small flourish.

An average room was laid out, with a dresser, a desk, and a large bed. Simple, but effective.

However, I noticed something as I stepped into the room, followed by Monica, who closed the door.

"It appears as though someone is already living in this room. Have you made a mistake?" I questioned, looking at her from the seat I had taken on the bed.

I watched her walk behind me until she disappeared from my view.

"Nope, no mistake. But someone does live here" I heard her say, warm breath tickling my ear.

"It's my bedroom" Monica stated, as I felt something close around my wrist with a metallic noise.

Instinctively, I pulled my hand away, but it was too late.

I was already handcuffed to her bed.

"What's the meaning of this?" I demanded, jerking on my wrist to make a point.

A dark chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at me with hooded eyes.

"Just to make sure you don't try to get away while I work, and then when I'm off, I'll come back to get you" she stated, running her fingers along my jawline.

I then felt her hand dip into the folds of my suit, and pull my revolver out from the holster.

"You won't be needing this while you stay with me" she informed me, walking to a wall safe, opening it, putting my weapon in, and then closing the door.

With that, she blew me a kiss before heading out of the room, locking the door behind her.

"Shit" I muttered, feeling around in the immediate area for anything sharp enough to fit into the keyhole of the cuffs, but my search came up empty.

I had several problems that needed to be rectified rather quickly in my opinion.

First, I needed to get out of the cuffs, then, had to get my gun back, and lastly, get the hell out of that room.

All of them seemed like impossible feats, but I knew I had to escape soon.

It was hours later when I heard a key enter the lock, opening the door to reveal Monica standing there.

I couldn't help but glower at her, my wrist in pain and chafed after I had tried to work the cuff a little looser to give me some space.

"Well, you don't look at all pleased to see me" she said, locking the door behind her and walking towards the bed.

I snorted at the statement, anger clouding my face.

"No shit" I replied "I'm cuffed to a bed. Of course I'm not pleased. Would you be?"

Monica merely smiled at me, sitting on the bed and pulling her legs up, folding them underneath her.

"I demand that you release me at once" I issued, causing her to grin wider and laugh at me.

"Now, why would I do a silly thing like that?" she questioned "You'd just try and escape from me, even though there's nowhere to go."

"What makes you say that?" I shot back, my annoyance still very prevalent in my voice.

"Call it a hunch" she replied, before continuing "Besides, if you weren't tied up, it would probably be more difficult to do this."

Before I had a chance to ask what she was talking about, she kissed me yet again, the sensation of her lips on mine rapidly becoming a familiar feeling that wasn't necessarily bad.

I kissed her back with the usual amount of vigor as I felt her tongue enter my mouth and lazily swirl around, drawing a slight moan from the back of my throat.

This was compounded as she ran her lithe fingers along my inseam to the rapidly hardening length that I was harbouring.

I attempted to pull back, but her lips followed hungrily, a sign that she had really missed me since the fateful battle in Tokyo.

I heard the small whimper from her, as our lips disconnected and her eyes opened, clouded with desire and want.

This was rapidly heading into dangerous territory, and I knew I had to head it off within the next few moments if I wanted to stop it.

After that, well, I had no idea of what Monica would do.

"Wait…stop" I stated, placing a hand over her lips as she was beginning to dive in for yet another kiss.

Her eyes opened and she looked on, questioning my reasoning as to why I had put a stop to her ministrations.

"What's wrong Andrew?" she cooed, her voice soft as silk "I want to show you how much I missed you over all these months and finally do what was planned after you took me out on a date, which I'm still waiting on."

I remained silent, mulling over what was said, as she continued.

"I just don't understand your hesitance to this matter. I want this…and I thought you said that you did too?"

With that statement, the conversation had turned into a veritable minefield. The wrong answer could spell disaster.

I knew I had next to no time to think about this, and I needed her to trust me for my plan to work in the end, so I said what I had to.

"Monica, I do want this. But it's all so fast. And I'm kinda shackled to the bed, which is a turn on for some people, but not me.

"I've already explained my feelings towards you and towards us in the sense that I do want it, but not like this. This is against my will. Just lock the door and post a sentry or something."

I could see her expression morph into one of thought, before she nodded and got up, leaving the room.

She returned a few moments later, a triumphant smile on her face as she walked into the room, closing the door and locking it behind her before crawling onto the bed and stalking towards me much like a cat.

"Your suggestion has been noted, and put into action. There's a guard outside the main door of my room, while the bedroom is locked. There's really no escape for you" she mused, drawing a key out of her pocket and sliding it into the lock of the cuff.

"It's okay. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else" I replied, grinning slightly as I heard the click of the lock and the metal fell away, allowing me to withdraw my wrist and ease the discomfort I had been feeling.

She returned my statement with a grin as she moved her body on top of mine, discarding the handcuffs on the bedside table before grinding her crotch onto my own, and sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body.

"Cornelia, Nonette, I apologize for what I'm about to do" I thought, grimacing slightly as Monica closed her eyes and moaned lightly "Please, for the love of god, rescue me soon."

Having found myself in a difficult situation, probably the most difficult one I'd faced in my entire time here, I steeled my resolve and prepared for what was going to happen.

With any luck, it would be over quickly and she would leave me alone for a little bit.

With this one, time really wasn't on my side at all.

Growling lightly at the thought (which worked in my favor actually) I could feel Monica sliding my jacket off and then throwing it onto the floor and I had to bite my tongue not to say something about it.

She moved back and pulled the ribbons out of her hair, letting it flow freely for the first time since I'd ever met her, and it did indeed look like a golden waterfall was cascading around her.

She was a very attractive woman indeed, I couldn't deny that.

Moving back in, she stole another kiss from me, slow, sensual and full of emotion that I did my best to return, before she pulled away with lidded eyes and a lazy smile on her face.

I knew I had won her trust by this point, but I couldn't back out, even though I desperately wanted to.

It would raise suspicion and I wouldn't get another chance at freedom until someone actually came and liberated me.

Liberated, or killed me, which was also a possibility.

So for now, I had to grin and bear it, watching with trepidation as Monica unzipped her boots and haphazardly kicked them onto the floor before removing her tunic and discarding it in much the same fashion.

I shucked my vest, cringing slightly as I threw it to the floor, and began unbuttoning my dress shirt, counting down the buttons until it was totally off.

4…3…2…1…0

With the last one opened, I took the shirt off and dropped it to the floor, onto the ever growing pile of clothes that had taken up a residence there.

Some was mine, but some was Monica's as well.

She was left in her own white shirt and skirt, her vest forgotten somewhere in the chaos, and all I had on was my pants.

"Finally a chance to see what was underneath that uniform, and I like it" she purred, trailing her fingers lightly over my abdomen.

I wanted to cringe, truly, I did.

The only people I wanted touching me in such an intimate and sensual way were Cornelia and Nonette. Monica had been on that list, but faking your death and disappearing for a long time had a habit of taking that off the table.

I let slip a deep moan as her fingers danced over my skin, more fake than anything else, but it seemed to appease her as she smiled sexily and undid my belt with a measured pace.

It was as if I was getting impatient.

Not for the release, but to finally get this over and done with, and hopefully to never have to do it again.

With any luck, somebody would find me before Monica's libido got the better of her again.

She slipped off my pants, and her skirt and shirt followed posthaste into the mountain of clothes strewn on her bedroom floor.

Running her hand over the slightly throbbing tent in my boxers, I couldn't help but hiss, partially in pleasure but also in anger that she was able to make my body react this way.

"Oh you like that?" she murmured, stroking me again through the fabric, eliciting a moan from my lips "Well, I want the main course. I don't need an appetizer."

Like lightning, she had stripped me of my final piece of clothing and her undergarments disappeared in the same moment as she looked at me with an intense hunger burning in her eyes.

"Once again, Nonette, Cornelia…I don't think I'll ever be able to apologize and feel right due to what is about to happen in this room. Please, I'll beg your forgiveness until the end of my days, but this must be done in order to gain trust. I'm sorry."

With that silent prayer away to the gods, pleading that they heard me and would relay the message that I had given them, my length was seized by warm, greedy hands and guided into the ready and wet slit of the woman looming over top of me.

It was nothing like I had experienced before, and it was NOT in a good way.

With Cornelia and Nonette, it was gentle. It was soft, and loving. Every movement was performed to extract the maximum amount of pleasure and to show the person you were with how much you cared about them.

It was, as most people say, making love at its finest.

But this…this was rushed. This was rough (not the good kind either), this was course, this was just fast, dirty sex to get an orgasm, not to show you care.

I was feeling used.

I wasn't feeling any love from this, or any real pleasure other than the obvious sensations of having sex.

In laments terms, I got the feeling that I was just being used as a stress relief, as a sex toy.

The feeling I got from that realization, was extreme disgust and displeasure, and I didn't make any attempt to hide the grimace on my face.

Monica had her eyes closed anyways as she bounced up and down on my shaft, panting hard as her pace slightly increased.

It took all my self-restraint that I had honed in my time here to not push this woman off and run to the nearest bathroom to scrub myself clean from the feelings of shame and dirtiness coursing through my body as I felt a familiar twist in my gut growing ever larger.

"Monica" I growled through clenched teeth as her pace increased once again, showing that she was close to release as well.

"Do it baby, just do it" she breathed, as her back arched into me and I felt the walls around me contract.

I grunted and let my own seed flow out into her, not caring about the chance of her getting pregnant.

I had plans to kill her anyways, and I would kill my own kin to end whatever the hell was going on right now.

My own breathing began to even out as Monica rolled off of me, landing on the bed with a soft sound.

"Mmmmm that was fucking amazing, don't you think Andrew?" she purred, dragging her foot along my shin "Much better than that bitchy princess or that whore Nonette, eh?"

At those words, unbridled rage flowed through my body, begging to be unleashed on this unsuspecting woman because of what she said regarding the two women that I loved.

All I could do was nod my head in faux agreement, once again attempting to cement my unwavering trust to this woman, to show her that I would do anything.

Until the time came to turn against her, and finally rid myself of this…thing Monica had become.

In the darkened room, time passed damn slowly.

Monica had fallen asleep some time ago, the light, even breathing from her side of the bed indicating that she had finally dropped off was the only sound other than a ticking clock.

I, however, was wide awake.

I couldn't sleep and I knew I wasn't going to get any of it soon.

My body still felt grimy and dirty from the act that we had participated in, and until I got a shower (hell, I'd even accept a wash down from a fire hose at this point) I'd continue to feel this way.

Monica groaned, rolling over towards me and I couldn't help but cringe away, until one of her hands grabbed my arm and dragged me closer, forcing me into a spooning position, much to my discomfort.

If it was Cornelia or Nonette, I'd be perfectly fine with it, but it wasn't, so I wasn't comfortable at all.

Resigning myself to being stuck in her bed for the night, I sighed silently, feeling her body heat radiating onto me and forcing me into a light sleep, alert for anything that could spell danger or disaster for me.

My dreams were plagued with dark thoughts, regarding what could happen when I was finally reunited with my loves after I had been freed.

Anything from them leaving me, to a murder, or a simple suicide on my part because I had been without them.

Needless to say, that sleep was a fickle mistress that night for me.

Morning finally came, much to my extreme satisfaction, and the alarm from the clock beside Monica was enough to rouse her out of bed, allowing me some much needed breathing space.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips, though the way Monica looked at me, she probably thought I was sighing at her naked beauty on display before me.

With a saucy wink, she disappeared into the neighbouring room, and within a few moments I heard the sound of a running shower.

Not one to take chances in a situation like this, in which a room was possibly being videotaped, I didn't want to do anything to arouse suspicion and lose what ground I had managed to gain over the short period of time that I had been imprisoned.

The water cut out and Monica appeared though a cloud of steam, clad in a fresh uniform as she sifted through the pile of clothing, pulling out her boots from the bottom.

She sat on the edge of the bed and put them on, her eyes flitting over to me as she did up the zippers.

Standing back up, she leaned in towards me, her lips puckered and eyes lidded slightly in anticipation for a goodbye kiss.

I had no choice but to give her a brief peck on the lips before she started out the door.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Try not to get into any trouble" she called over her shoulder before she left the room, locking the door behind her from the outside, and then sliding a chain in to assure me there was no chance of escape.

Once I was certain that she had left, I threw back the covers on the bed and got up, gabbing my own clothes from the pile on the floor and shuffling into the bathroom to take a shower.

As I stood under the pounding spray of water, the liquid attempting to wash off the physical and metaphorical dirt on my body, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to all the possibilities that could happen while I was imprisoned in here.

"What's Zero doing? What was the Director talking about? When the hell am I going to get out of here?"

These questions, and more, swirled around in a torrent inside my head, the incessant nagging making it nigh impossible to stop and actually think about one thing at a time.

Finally I'd had enough, and rinsing the shampoo from my hair and the soap off of my body, I stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack and began to dry myself off, the shower revitalizing my body and giving me one less thing to worry about.

Perfectly content to be alone with my thoughts, to continue planning my escape, I used the freedom of movement I had to pace around much like a caged animal would, glancing at the door from every small sound.

Sure, my stress was going through the roof, but I needed to be wary of Monica and of everyone that worked in this place.

I still didn't even know what part of the world I was in, and I needed to figure that out if I was ever going to formulate an escape plan and get somewhere with it.

My thoughts were still buzzing in my head as I sat down heavily in one of the chairs inside Monica's room, running my hands through my hair in annoyance of my situation.

"What changed with Monica?" I thought, tapping my fingers against my thigh "She would've never said anything against Nonette or Cornelia, like geez."

Hours melded by, with the only interaction I had was when a guard brought me a tray of lunch, which wasn't any better than the usual fare I got when I was still in my cell.

Finally, I heard the chain slide out, and the lock click open, before Monica walked into the room, closing and locking the door behind her, and then sitting down with a huff in the chair across from me.

"Long day?" I questioned, my eyes flitting over to hers before looking away quickly.

"Ugh you have no idea" she sighed, propping her feet up on a stool.

"I probably do, but whatever" I thought, my eyes narrowing as I felt a surge of anger, though I quickly stomped it down, as she started to talk about her day.

Ohhh lucky me.

Several days passed, with Monica going out to work, a guard bringing me food, and then her getting back and talking for a solid hour about how hard done by she was with work.

Things had settled into a routine, and I didn't need to give her any sex, but something happened today that made Monica positively giddy, I saw it right when she came into the room.

"You'll never guess what happened today" she stated, twirling around the room.

"I probably won't, but I have a feeling that you'll tell me" I replied, my tone indicated that I was bored to hell.

"Oh come now, don't be like that" she pouted, but continued "I won't tell you, but I'll show you."

"Okay, this can't be good" I thought as my stomach dropped slightly, following Monica as she unlocked the door and went past the guard.

All the way through the cavern, questions darted around in my head, about just what the hell was going on here, and where I was going.

This woman, since she had returned from the dead, had a penchant for doing the worst things, and saying the worst things that I could've possibly imagined.

After walking for a bit, I recognized the cavernous area in which the cells were, and the 'exercise' area was.

"C'mon, over here" she said, gesturing with her hand to a cell.

I walked towards it lightly, my steps covered in trepidation and worry as we approached the Plexiglas wall that made up one side of the cell.

What was inside, shocked me.

"Cornelia!" I shouted, running to the wall and knocking on the plastic to get her attention.

The princess looked up with a start, her eyes widening in shock as she recognized me and jumped up.

I was amazed she did even though I had a fair amount of scruff on my face.

The guard standing beside the door looked over sharply, startled, before being waved off with a gesture from Monica.

"God, you look like shit" Cornelia said, causing me to chuckle.

"Thanks love. Good to see you too" I replied drolly, the smirk showing my jest, before turning serious "How long's it been?"

"Andrew…it's been three months since you disappeared" she stated slowly.

I shook my head, the words not making sense.

"3 months…my god. Where the hell am I?" I thought, looking off into the distance at nothing.

"That's…that's impossible" I whispered, horrified that so much time in the world had passed by, that I had been trapped for so long.

"It's the sworn duty of every officer to escape and attempt to rejoin his own forces" echoed through my mind but I shook it off, not needing to hear the wisdom of Colonel Crittendon at this point in time.

"It's true" Cornelia replied, her eyes becoming downcast before Monica shoved between us and pushed me a few feet back.

"See Andrew? Your precious princess, the 'Goddess of Victory' has been captured. She can't even escape from us, and neither can you" Monica mused, running her fingers through my hair, causing me to jerk my head away.

"Keep your hands off of me" I growled, my eyes narrowing as I looked at the woman in front of me "You've no right to place your hands on me."

"Come on babe, don't be like that" Monica said, attempting to close on me again.

Now this, really pissed me off.

It brought me back to a memory of another girl from my hometown, who played with my heart, used me, and then discarded me.

"Don't fucking 'babe' me" I spat, gritting my teeth in fury "The last person I wanted to see when I got here was you.

"Screwing you? That was a ploy to get your trust. Sure, you're cute, but that's it. Ever since I found you again, you've changed. You're way more arrogant and self-centered then you used to be when you were a Knight of the Round."

The fire of anger that was burning deep within my soul surfaced and I did something that I'd never done before.

A resounding SMACK resonated through the cavern, as the angry red mark burned bright on Monica's cheek and I returned my hand to my side.

"Put him in with her" she whispered to the guard, who didn't move for a moment.

"PUT HIM IN WITH THE FUCKING SLUT YOU IDIOT" she ordered, rounding on the guard, before storming away.

I was shoved into the cell with Cornelia, tripping and landing on my knees as the door closed behind me.

I managed to catch myself from the fall, and grunted as I pushed myself back to my feet.

"Thank you sir may I have another?" I snarked, causing the guard to grunt as he went back to his post.

I looked up to see Cornelia regarding me warily, her eyes unsure if it was really me.

"So what happened after you left our villa?" she finally asked.

I sighed, going to the wall opposite her and sliding down to sit on the hard floor.

"Not much to say really" I replied "I left, walked to the railway terminal, being very cautious to make sure that nobody was following me, and once I got there, I bought my ticket without incident.

"But then the section of the station that I was walking through to get to my platform went dead quiet and there was nobody there but me. The next thing I know I had been hit over the head with something and then it all went black. I woke up here."

"Didn't even make it one day on your own. Why am I not surprised" Cornelia quipped, a small smile on her face.

"What can I say, I really am dependent on you" I replied with the same smile before my face turned serious "What's been going on out in the real world?"

"A hell of a lot actually" she returned, the smile fading from view "Zero made off with a million Japanese. Took them to a manmade island off the Chinese Federation, but I don't remember the name.

"He's also basically put the Federation in his pocket, stopping Odysseus from marrying their Empress, though she is like…twelve."

I couldn't help but laugh, the image of the Oddy I had met with Nonette, garbed up in a tux and standing at the alter waiting for a girl who isn't even a teenager.

Ah political marriages.

"Fantastic" I said, rolling my eyes at the antics of the Emperor, but Cornelia wasn't done.

"You don't even know the half of it. I ran into General Bartley when I fought my way in here and…"

"Bartley…" I mused, cutting her off "Isn't he that sweaty, fat guy?"

"An astute observation indeed" she chuckled "But yeah, him. Apparently, the Emperor and the Director here, are doing something insane."

"Try me" I muttered dryly, looking at the ceiling.

"They want to slay God" she deadpanned, her face set without the hint of any sarcasm or joviality.

There was silence between us for a few seconds before I said "Run that by me again…"

"They want to slay God" she repeated, slightly more forceful."

"Okay, looks like Britannia's finally gone crazy" I thought, still trying not to laugh at how absurd that it sounded "Slay God indeed."

"Bartley didn't tell me everything, but it's why the Empire is conquering so many nations. I even hit the Director, who's also apparently my uncle, in the head with a dagger, and it should've killed him, but he just pulled the thing out like nothing happened" she recounted, surprising me and letting the wheels in my head turn.

"So he's got a Code then" I muttered, recalling our findings on Geass "So that could mean…that the Emperor has a Geass!"

"And how did you draw that conclusion?" she asked after a moment, seeming genuinely curious.

"Well, Geass is a contract power, and the Director is the Code-Bearer, and both he and the Emperor are seeking out the destruction of God, together. It would only make sense for him to have Geass" I stated.

Cornelia stated at me for a moment, scratching her cheek in thought before her eyes darkened.

"So it's true then. My father has Geass" she mused darkly, a deep frown marring her face.

"You knew?" I asked, quite surprised.

"Not for certain, no, but I've had my suspicions for a few weeks though" she replied, her tone growing angrier "That bastard."

"What's gonna happen now?" I asked after a few moments.

"I actually don't know" Cornelia stated, a half-hearted laugh coming after she spoke "This is one time when I actually don't know. When I actually don't have a plan."

"Well, I did have a plan" I said slowly, causing her to look hopeful "But I kinda threw that out the window when Monica was bad-mouthing you."

"She was all over you" she issued "What the hell happened between you. When she was in Tokyo, the two of you were thick as thieves."

"She changed" I spat, my tone filled with nothing but hate and anger "I thought she died. I grieved, I made peace, I moved on, and then she shows up here, alive and well, and then tries to pick up right where we left off before the Rebellion.

"It was probably the worst thing that could've happened by any stretch of the imagination. She got me out of the cell, cuffed me to her bed, left me there all day, then came back, used me for stress relief, and then threw me away.

"Then you showed up, I showed which side I was on, and now I'm here with you" I finished, a small grin on my face as I recalled the sound of my palm smacking Monica.

If there was one thing I hated, it was a bitch who tried to own me.

"Guess I was the knight in shining armor and you were the damsel in distress eh?" Cornelia jabbed, causing a bark of laughter to come out of my mouth.

"Maybe so, but now we're both damsels" I shot back, still grinning.

"Quite the conundrum if I do say so" she replied, a smirk on her face "But it's really good to see you. We were all so worried."

"Sorry" I sighed, looking away from her "I wish I had been able to fight back or something. Even before I was brought here. I've jut been biding my time, waiting for someone to slip up and let me get the hell out."

"Don't worry Andrew" Cornelia murmured, bringing me into a hug "We'll get out of this, I promise you."

I smiled thinly, knowing that she would do her best to keep that promise, before melting into the familiar embrace.