Lulu's Bizarre Rebellion

by Ezit Meti

Lelouch Lamperouge was a boy with an ambition; To one day bring down the corrupt nation of Britannia and create a peaceful world for his sister. However, a single arrow gifted him a power that will help him reach his ambition. Stands... Ripple... A feud between two bloodlines that transcends time... And that's only the beginning of this bizarre rebellion!

38. Geass vs Geass

====Cornelia====

There is little in the Empire that can make a person jump more effectively and efficiently than a member of the Imperial family walking towards you with fury in their eyes and a storm in their wake.

"Your highness!" a bureaucrat yelped, snapping quickly to attention. "We are investigating the -"

Normally she would take at least a small amount of pleasure in watching a man in his position squirm and twist under the weight of her gaze, but right now Cornelia was absolutely not in the mood. A fact that she advertised by drawing her pistol on the man and levelling it directly at his forehead.

"Refresh my memory. When this facility was instructed, I was given the strictest assurance that it could function as a prison for law breaking or dangerous Stand users. Do I recall correctly?"

"Y-Yes, your highness!"

"Then please, at your leisure. Explain how an extremely dangerous, insane Stand user managed to escape when he was the only prisoner you had to look after!"

"W-We didn't -"

"If your next words are some variation of 'account for', I will shoot you. Non-fatally, but only so I can hear the rest of your pitiful information."

She stared him right in the eyes. How pitiful. The man had no backbone when pushed up against the wall. The confidence he had expressed upon completion of the project was built on a house of cards. Ever since arriving as the Area's new Viceroy her first priority had been to eliminate the corrupt elements that had taken root, for only then could she dig deeper to pull out the most festering points among the Elevens, and from there set this Area onto the road towards Satellite status at long, long last.

It seemed as though she still had some work to do regarding that crucial first step.

"Normally we would keep the Stand user unconscious within a specialised cell," was the first step to his attempt at justification. "The walls are thick, and contain a mixture of metals, concrete and other materials. However, they're intentionally designed to be modified in the event -"

"And yet the one prisoner you had managed to circumvent all of your precautions. How?"

"Your highness, if I may?" Andreas Darlton stepped into view with a troubled brow upon his head. That in itself was a concern enough to make Cornelia's rage waver. "I have recovered the relevant security recordings. I believe they can answer your questions more effectively."

The pistol was holstered, and she followed the man inside. The scene inside was every bit the bloodbath the reports had indicated. It all went to show how much these powers changed the course of battle. One person did all this. By themselves. The potential effect of this on the psychology of the Empire was a factor she didn't want to consider, but it sat there at the back of her mind.

"One person. Any person. A Britannian, a Number. Anyone you pass on the street could suddenly become as deadly as any Knightmare, without warning, at any time they chose. They don't need to smuggle weapons. They don't need explosives or firearms or anything sharp and pointy. Their mere presence is enough, and there's no way to know what form it will take until it's already happening."

On the one hand, there was the temptation to squeeze very tightly down on the population until the freaks popped out, one by one. On the other…

Once they were alone in the security room Darlton played the tape showing the madman's escape. It was every bit as brutal as she was expecting.

"Has there been any word?" Cornelia asked. On the screen in front of her, a green haired girl kicked her way out of a vent caked in blood. There wasn't a scratch on her body. "Any strange messages? Any sign of an attempt to contact?"

"None," Darlton replied. "Your highness, it is not my place to question, but how certain are you of this deduction? It may prove to be wishful thinking."

Wishful thinking… Maybe it was. Still, the mere possibility they were alive after all this time was a hope worth clinging to. Lelouch. Nunnally. Hiding in Area Eleven, trying to keep hidden from the people responsible for killing their mother. What did she expect? Did she expect them to come out so freely? Their hatred of them must be absolute, which could mean they'd go so far as to -

The monitor showed Kewell forcing his way into the room, and incapacitating Villetta Nu. This was not the time for personal matters. The threat this one man posed was difficult to overstate.

"I was asked if we should put out an alert asking for information leading to an arrest," Darlton said. "Seeing that any such report would have to explain that the suspect is capable of changing appearance to perfectly match absolutely anybody, it seemed to me the only purpose such an announcement would cause would be a mass panic."

"There's no need," Cornelia said. "Based on previous behaviour, Soresi Kewell will almost certainly make a move towards my sister's upcoming Knight of Honour. Where is he now?"

"Attending a funeral, your highness. It seems as though an incident related to the werewolf attack also resulted in the death of one of the students at the school he is attending."

That school again? Ashford Academy… Was that family cursed? No, that was the wrong way to think about this. If she tilted her thinking, then -

"Where is Villetta Nu?" she asked.

"It appears as though Kewell destroyed her identification and her cellphone," Darlton said, nodding towards the security footage. "In which case, there are two possibilities. Either she's working with him or -"

"Or the fool has gone to track an unkillable freak of nature," Cornelia finished for him. Ashford. That family was connected to Lady Marianne. For them to move to Area Eleven… The essential events happening there… The possibility that those two were still alive. Maybe these seemingly disparate pieces were more connected than they appeared. "I want surveillance on that school, and I want it there yesterday. Keep them out of sight, but ready to move at a moment's notice."

"At once, your highness. I shall also work to increase your sister's security, in case our fugitive tries a more roundabout approach at vengeance."

In the end that's all this was. A giant jigsaw puzzle taking the form of a conquered Area, soaked in their family's blood. Cornelia stormed out of the building with a renewed fire in her belly, and subordinates doing all they could to stay out of her line of sight. She was close. So close she could touch it. So close she could almost make a fist around it. The answers were right there.

All she had to do was keep the courage and determination to reach out… And then, perhaps even with Lelouch's help she could finally make her move to bring Marianne's killer to justice. In the meantime she had other concerns to worry herself with. For example, checking a certain list revealed...

"Villetta Nu has not been placed on the missing in action list," Cornelia told the incompetent buffoon supposedly in charge of the investigation, but in that special way those in authority can pull off where it sounded like both an insult and a question at the same time. "Care to explain?"

Idiots! Her not being here at all means she's either assisting him or being held as a hostage, and either way that information could be used to track Kewell down! What on earth were they thinking keeping that vital information from her? The man shifted slightly in place and then looked to his subordinates, who in turn seemed almost apologetic in their body language. An apology was the absolute last thing Cornelia wanted to hear right now.

"Your highness," the man said. "I do not know who you are talking about. Who is Villetta Nu?"

That question from someone that stressed? He wouldn't dare lie about it, and nor would his subordinates show the same confusion. It was a pointless attempt at deception and these men didn't have the balls to try a double bluff. But that could only mean - Their memories were altered? The influence of a Stand, or maybe -

Could this be what Guilford mentioned on Kamine? Another power besides Stand they didn't know about? Was this really the work of a Stand, or could this be the work of "Geass"?

Chapter 36: Geass Vs Geass

====Suzaku====

"She was an innocent soul, who lit up the life all those she blessed with her presence. To her parents, an obedient carefree child. To her friends, a pillar of comfort and assurance. May she rest in peace forever, cradled in the bosom of our lord."

Was it really alright for him to be here at a time like this? Standing at a funeral for a girl he must have only exchanged brief pleasantries with? Sophie Wood. A victim. Made into a Stand user against her own will and wishes, and then that cursed power turned against her. Killed her. Almost killed the rest of the council as well.

It wasn't her fault but she had almost killed them all. Suzaku watched the dirt being dropped into the grave. If it hadn't been for Nunnally, there might have been at least a second funeral happening today. Like the minister had said, an innocent soul laid to an early rest.

Suzaku scanned the attendees. Most of them, he did not know and could not name. The council was present, but besides them he could pick out the parents. It wasn't difficult: Mrs Wood was bawling into her husband's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Nunnally said, placing a gentle hand on the arm of Mrs Wood once the service was complete. "I'm so sorry this happened."

"Thank you my dear," Mister Wood replied, gently patting Nunnally on the head. "But you have nothing to apologise for. There was nothing you could have done to save our daughter."

"But we accept your s-sympathy nonetheless," Mrs Wood sniffed, dabbing the tears from her eyes and cheeks. "You there! Pardon me, but aren't you Suzaku Kururugi? The Honorary Euphemia has chosen to serve as her Knight of Honour?"

"Yes, I am," he said with a slight bow. "My condolences. You have my assurance that this cowardly, craven attack will be met with justice." Stand! What a convenient and terrible power! It takes the good people of the world and transforms them into monsters, killers. His eyes cast across to Lelouch, who was standing just behind Nunnally with his eyes cast down in transparent, silent guilt. For not being here to help, knowing him. "It is being investigated to the fullest extent of the law, of that you have my absolute word."

"How strange," Mrs Wood sobbed. "The word of an Eleven is giving me comfort in a time like this. Thank you, at least for defeating that terrible thing before any of dear Sophie's friends also… Also…"

She turned into her husband's shoulder and resumed sobbing. He didn't have the heart to correct her. Instead, he walked directly for Lelouch while the other members of the council chatted amongst themselves.

"How're you holding up, Shirl?" Rivalz asked.

"Have you cried yet," Milly asked. "I know it's been so soon after, but…"

"I'm fine," Shirley said, waving it off. "I'll miss her, but… But where's Nina? I haven't seen her since we got back."

The two exchanged glances. Suzaku kept on walking.

"Nina… Isn't feeling well."

Lelouch stepped back from his sister and allowed Miss Sayoko to take charge of the wheelchair so that the two of them could talk in a slightly more private place, away from the others. Suzaku spoke up first.

"You shouldn't feel guilty for not being here. The enemy was a mind reader, so they must have waited until the moment we were all the most vulnerable to -"

"I'm perfectly aware of that," Lelouch interrupted. "Rationally, that is. The trouble is, as a state of being guilt is bound by logic and reason. As an emotion, it's a different matter altogether. Even when it should, you can't dismiss it that easily."

Suzaku clenched his fist. This was only part of why he wanted this conversation just now. About what happened. About what he'd learned so far. About the inevitable truth of the situation.

"Apparently the culprit is a former contractor with C.C." Lelouch suddenly said.

"Huh? A former contractor?" In other words that power really wasn't based on a Stand at all… Geass, like Nunnally's? "Is that why he did this?"

"I can think of several reasons for Mao to do this." Mao. A name to work from. Combine that with the description from Mister Joestar and Suzaku had a decent start. "Revenge and jealousy are the most obvious. Based on what C.C. has told me, it is almost certainly the latter."

"I will need to question her personally. Using third party information for an investigation this important -"

"And if you do question her, what will you tell your superiors?" Lelouch asked. "They won't accept an anonymous source. Recall how we met her, Suzaku. She was being experimented on by Britannia. What makes you think she would wish to risk returning to that?"

"Is that the same reason you haven't responded to Cornelia yet?"

The silence, cliche as it might be, was deafening. There was no point in denying it. He must have seen her signal by now. There was no reason for her to make it, except to him and Nunna. Even Lelouch was not smart enough to wriggle out of that one.

"Somehow she's figured out that you're alive, but not where you are," Suzaku said. "With all the attention on Ashford, it's only a matter of time until -"

"Until what, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked, sounding more tired than Suzaku could ever remember. "Until she no longer benefits keeping our survival secret? Until she drags us back into that viper's pit we call a court? Until we are again used as pawns for political gain?"

"If you didn't want anything to do with politics," Suzaku carefully advised, "You shouldn't be hoarding two sources of supernatural power! If you can't give up C.C. then give up the arrow!"

"Oh, this again? Suzaku, I cannot condone -"

"We are at the funeral for a civilian who died because a Stand ran rampant!" Suzaku insisted. "The less we know, the more funerals there will be exactly like this one. This isn't war, nor is it terrorism or tyranny. It's chaos and it is killing people for no good reason!" He stepped closer. Looked Lelouch right in the eye. "You're smart enough to return it anonymously in a way they could never trace. What do you think they'll do if they catch up and find it in your possession? What on earth are they going to think?"

"And what am I supposed to think?" Lelouch hissed, clearly wanting to raise his voice but not willing to draw attention towards them. "All of a sudden, becoming Euphemia's Knight of Honour and then asking us to surrender ourselves? Was this really your idea, or did she put you up to this?"

"Oh hey, there you guys are!" Kallen meekly said, but even that quiet voice might as well have been a gunshot. Both boys nearly jumped clear out of their skins at the sound. "Sorry. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Not at all," Lelouch calmly said. Amazing how he did that. Furious one minute, then calm the next. The life of exile must have forced that into him. "Suzaku was just expertly dodging all of my questions about the investigation. He kept on saying 'Sorry, that's confidential' in the same stuffy tone."

"Sounds like he'll make a pretty great Knight, then!"

"Hey, come on you two, is this really the time for joking around?"

"Probably not," Lelouch said. He brushed aside a stray strand of hair and strode calmly by Suzaku, back in the direction of the others. "Which makes me wonder why you were telling such awful jokes just now."

That boy! Sometimes Suzaku wondered why he was his very best and dearest friend. An attitude like his should have made them hate each other. Maybe that was the reason to start with. Because they were so different, the conversation was never boring.

"Um… Are you alright?" Kallen asked. "You seem a little tense. You must be really worried about this Stand thing, right?"

"No," Suzaku replied. "The truth is, I… Have you ever seen a side to someone that you didn't know existed? Discovered something about someone you cared about that you could never have imagined?"

"Yes I have," Kallen answered. "And as much as I hate it, recently it's becoming more and more familiar."

Before he could ask what she meant, Kallen walked back off towards the others, following in Lelouch's footsteps. So this was how it was going to be, then? Fighting. Misery. Despair. The fear of the supernatural and unexplained. Pointless deaths and labyrinthine mysteries.

Alright. If that was the way the world was, then he would find a way to change this world for the better. He would solve that maze, he would circumnavigate the deaths and he would find a way to make sure that no other parents had to cry like Sophie's did today! Mao… You will be the first one, the first monster he would corner in his attempt to free this world of them!

And in so doing, he would shine the light forward. He would stand up and serve as an example to the people. Monsters can be fought. There is nothing to be afraid of. In the end that's what people needed. Not vigilantes like Zero. They needed heroes to serve as honest upstanding examples. Maybe it was a bit arrogant to think of himself that way…

But if nobody tried to be that then how could anybody be?

====Kallen====

On the whole, there wasn't any reason for her to stay here anymore. Living in a house full of false comforts, with a false family under a name she rejected. It was almost amusing: She resented wealthy Britannian children for using their family to shield them from consequences for bad behaviour, and yet she was guilty of the same sin albeit in a roundabout manner.

Which is why, when Shirley said "Wow, I didn't realise you lived in such a nice place!" the compliment wasn't exactly received in the spirit it was intended.

"Thank you," Kallen said after she had realised what Shirley really meant, "But I only stay here anymore out of respect for my mother's wishes. Otherwise I would be out of here in a heartbeat."

"Oh really?" Shirley chirped while stepping inside, oohing and aahing a little at the interior as she stepped inside and looked around with big wide eyes. "Why would that be? It's so nice here…"

"The very idea of it is completely ridiculous," her step-mother venomously spat. Her voice loud enough to catch Kallen's attention from outside the dining room while she was walking by. She could hardly help but eavesdrop. "A mere Eleven becoming a Knight of Honour? Ludicrous! Absurd! A direct insult to the Britannian ideal!"

"Yes miss," answered the head maid with more passion in her voice than Kallen could remember hearing. "If I may, there has been gossip among the staff regarding the reason her highness has made such an unusual appointment."

"I expect he truly earned the position by battling a beast other than a werewolf," that vile woman quipped. "One with two backs, perhaps."

That was it, she couldn't take it anymore. The door was opened, Kallen popped her head inside and, in the most sweet and saccharine tone of voice she could muster said "I'm sure you've slain more than your fair share of those in your lifetime."

The woman's rage popped. A vein on her forehead bulged. Lips pursed. She made as if to stand up and yell an insult back, but then she seemed to think better of it and sat back down with barely repressed fury. My, my. That couldn't be good for the blood pressure.

"Very quick, Kallen!" she tersely said. Kallen could almost see the scales being balanced in her mind. Retorting to Kallen's insult with one of her own on side, while the other remembered that Kallen could ruin her public reputation and, through that, give her father grounds for a very public and messy divorce that would put an end to her current lifestyle. "It's such a shame you do not put your talents to more productive uses, else you would fit in quite splendidly in high society."

"Thank you for the advice," Kallen sarcastically replied. "Here's some of mine: Practice making compliments that don't sound backhanded. People will like you more genuinely that way."

Not that she could imagine anyone liking that woman in the first place. Ugh! Forget that, she was distracting herself from the real issue.

"There's nothing wrong with the building," Kallen said. "It's just that the company is hell."

"It's okay, I understand," Shirley said. Sweet smiles and innocence. Not a trace of the stern serious tone she used when wearing - "Your home life is really complicated."

That was a pretty big understatement. Still. There were a few very good reasons she'd brought Shirley here to talk this over following Sophie's funeral. Not the ghetto, nor Ashford. This was the best neutral ground that they could privately talk, and it had certain other advantages as well…

"Oh hey, this is a really fancy carpet!" Shirley cooed. Was this girl really Zero? No, what was she thinking, of course she was. Just like how Kallen pretended to be a sickly girl out in public Shirley was pretending to be a total airhead. "It's so soft! Feels like I'm walking on a cloud. Hope we don't fall through. We'd make a terrible mess."

"I'm sure that won't happen," Kallen said, adopting her own mask for the sake of polite company. "Even if the carpet is soft, the floors are pretty sturdy. My father was never shy about purchasing the best materials money can buy… As you'll see in our little used drawing room."

"Little used? But surely a family like the Stadtfelds must entertain a lot of guests."

"My father tends to be abroad a lot of the time, and my step-mother isn't the kind of woman to entertain others by herself," Kallen said with an icy smile. "That would require basic human empathy."

"The most basic," Shirley nodded, then tapped her lips in thought. "Maybe Milly could show her how much fun it is to throw a party? I'm sure madam president would jump at the chance!"

Kallen reeled. Milly teaching her step-mother how to throw a celebration? It sounded like a sketch comedy. The unstoppable force of Milly's infectious enthusiasm versus that immovable iron wall of superior disdain… It was like a mortal blow where she least expected it!

"Kallen? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," she half said, half laughed. Oh no, her stepmother looking at one of Milly's full body cat costumes with utter disdain, refusing to let her put face paint on while Milly brings the brush closer and closer in a manner like a mother bringing a spoon full of food towards their baby's mouth… It was too much! She had to clutch her stomach to keep from bringing the house down around them. "J-Just give me a moment."

With a hand still trembling from laughter, Kallen reached out and opened the door into the drawing room, leading Shirley inside at the same moment a loud "Hah!" escaped Kallen's lips.

"It's safe to talk," Kallen said. "The doors, walls and windows are all completely soundproofed, and I checked for listening devices."

Shirley's posture and expression shifted before her very eyes. Her back straightened up, her features set into a more serious, not quite a scowl but a decent approximation of one. "Well well," she said. "This is more paranoid than I would expect of you, Kallen."

"Well, it would hardly be helpful if anyone in the house were to overhear -"

"That's not what I meant," Shirley said. She bounced slightly on her feet. "The carpet. Very nice, very high quality. You can really feel it sink beneath your feet." A nod towards the window. "And given the time of day, that side of the house is completely lit up by daylight, leaving no shadows in the garden. It leaves me wondering what your intentions are, if you didn't want to risk Lelouch being here as well."

"Is that his girlfriend Shirley asking her friend?" Kallen asked. Behind her, Jumpin' Jack Flash manifested with its back turned and arms folded, peering over its shoulder. "Or is that Zero wondering what a subordinate wants?"

"Must it be one or the other? Would an answer make any difference in the first place?"

Now Schizoid Man was looming up behind her. Kallen couldn't help but make the assessment. Jumpin' Jack Flash was slightly faster, but Schizoid Man was unquestionably stronger and more precise. If it ever came down to a fight between them then Kallen would have to make perfect use of her own physical aptitude and cunning. Go for the person. Not the Stand.

But this was all conjecture and hypotheticals. Necessary in a world where any kind of power could exist, even one that might turn friends into enemies. Kallen forced herself to relax. She hadn't brought Shirley - Brought Zero here to start a fight. She'd brought the girl here because -

"I want to hear it from your own mouth," Kallen said, keeping her voice low but passionate. "Not something fed to you by Lelouch. In your own words. Why are you Zero? Why are you fighting against Britannia?"

====C.C.====

When it came to travelling through the ghettos the smartest thing to do tended to be "don't bring attention to yourself." Unfortunately one Eleven didn't seem to take the lesson to heart. Instead of avoiding the (seemingly) young woman leaning up against the wall while wearing a dark blue wig and, just to be sure, was covering that up with a slightly oversized hat, he instead approached with undue arrogance. C.C. responded by sipping from a water bottle while avoiding eye contact.

"Hey babe," the man said. "There's only a couple things that would draw someone like you out here to meet someone like me. So, are you paying me, or am I paying you?"

A silent flick of the wrist later and C.C. splashed the wall opposite with the remaining water in her bottle. The man turned in confusion at the gesture, no doubt wondering what would compel her to do something like that. The question did not live a long or fruitful existence as more important questions came to the forefront of his mind, as they rightly should when the woman you were talking to suddenly kicks you in the chest, sending you into that freshly dampened wall, and all of a sudden you're finding it quite difficult to move.

"Wh-What?" the man stupidly asked, struggling in vain to free himself. C.C. reached into her pocket and pulled out a drawing. "H-Hey, you're a freak! What are you trying to do?"

"Searching for this man," she said, referencing the image of Mao. "He is a Chinese Federation citizen called Mao. Do you have any information about him?"

"I don't know anything about that guy!" the man desperately insisted. "You'd be better off talking to the police or maybe even the Black Knights. Leave me alone, please! I don't know anything!"

"Talk to them?" C.C. asked. "Perhaps I shall. What should I talk with them about? Your connection to Refrain smuggling, or your link to human trafficking groups? Or if you prefer you could talk to me about where I might find this man."

C.C. was very, very still for a moment while she watched the fear develop in his eyes. Words failed him and he even stopped struggling against the wall. He really didn't know anything. Tsk! It was the same everywhere. Nobody had seen him, or at the very least nobody was willing to talk about him. Which meant Mao had been meticulously careful in keeping himself hidden away, or else had covered his tracks with blackmail material so potent that whoever brought him into Area Eleven dare not show the remotest sign they knew about him, even on pain of death.

In short: She was running a labyrinth with no idea whether there was an exit or not. Letting Mao choose his next move sat ill on her stomach, but with no more leads to fulfil what could she do but return home to play bodyguard?

He will almost certainly make his move when you're not around to stop him. Or maybe he'll force you out into the open by threatening to expose certain things you don't want known about.

"I know that already," she told the voice in her head. "Unless you have a more concrete suggestion for a next move, let's talk about something else."

For example, the nuances of the political situation within Area Eleven, the implications of the events on Kamine, Cornelia's next move, JOJO, or perhaps even the unidentified mysterious - yet familiar - third party she had sensed making a play on Kamine. There was a great deal to discuss, and for all of her centuries of accumulated experience C.C. wasn't half the tactician or analyst that -

I've just been thinking. Don't you think he'd be much better suited with that half Eleven girl? She's smart, she's passionate, she's gorgeous, she's extremely healthy and comes from a very good family -

C.C. stopped in the middle of the street and rubbed her forehead. She might be an immortal witch but she could still get headaches with the best of them.

"Is this really all that important?"

Well yes, obviously it is. Whatever threat your previous contractor exhibits is a small time deal, Lelouch will crush him as soon as he has the chance. But if he intends to take the world by storm - A good man is made great by having a strong woman by his side. What do you think a great man will become?

"Technically, if he becomes Emperor then he can have as many wives as he likes."

Oh? So that comment about the harem wasn't just a joke?

"I actually was being facetious," C.C. said firmly. "You're being serious. That's the part that worries me."

Hmph! Just because you missed your chance to contract with him like you were supposed to.

"Must you?" Honestly! This person always did know how to rub her the wrong way. "You know how I am with idle gossip. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart."

You eat it up like candy, so no more complaining. We should really discuss how we're going to break up that unhealthy relationship Lelouch has with that crazy girl -

She broke the connection and wandered inside the student council building. That conversation was a good distraction, but right now she needed something a little more immediate to consider. She couldn't be with Nunnally to protect her during the funeral, but with Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen and Shirley all present it seemed unlikely that Mao would make a personal appearance. Then again, it seemed as though he was deliberately avoiding that angle of attack anyway.

The point was that this had seemed the perfect opportunity to get a little search net set out for him. She knew him best. The Black Knights were already on the lookout. As was the military. The difference was that he'd never see her coming. That might have been a trifle too arrogant.

Speaking of arrogant, she found Lelouch sitting in his bedroom. Alone and dour.

"Where is your sister?"

"Talking with Suzaku, Rivalz and Milly in the common room."

"Kallen and Shirley?"

"Searching for a certain someone. I'm sure you can figure out who."

Less talkative than usual. How worrying. C.C. watched him carefully, noticing in particular that he hadn't turned around to look at her. Lost in his own thoughts? Or perhaps navigating the same labyrinth that she was?

"They buried her in a special coffin," Lelouch said after a brief moment of awkward silence. "It was given additional padding, had crosses painted on the inside and the outside. They also tied her corpse down to the bottom, and placed a clove of garlic next to her head. Behold the new superstition of an enlightened modern age."

"This is why I say that Stand is a wicked power," C.C. said. "It lacks in the dignity of Geass and invites barbaric behaviour wherever it appears."

Without warning, Lelouch's shadow - his Stand - detached from his body and quickly spun around C.C. in a way that made it seem as though she were being examined, thoroughly. If it was an attempt to make her lose her cool, he'd be disappointed. She didn't break eye contact with him for a moment and nor did she remotely flinch.

"So you say," Lelouch finally observed, blatantly trying to seem frightening, when there wasn't a single thing he could say or do that could. Not to her, anyway. "Well then! I would say it's high time you addressed a few essential issues regarding your stay with us. Wouldn't you?"

====Kallen/C.C.====

"Why do you ask?"

"Would any answer satisfy your curiosity?"

"Isn't it enough that we fight for justice?"

"Isn't it enough that I'm helping your little rebellion?"

"No," Kallen said.

"It's not even close to enough!" Lelouch hissed.

"Because this is a matter of trust -"

"You're keeping too many secrets -"

"You'll need to be more open than you have been."

"That's why I need answers. Now!"

====Kallen====

Kallen watched Shirley very carefully the entire time, and it was such a strange thing. The normally meek, slightly clumsy friendly girl she thought she knew was standing there with a grim expression, staring back without breaking eye contact. It honestly felt like suddenly talking to a completely different person. Shirley Fenette had left the building.

"If I read you correctly," Shirley said, "Your problem is that he is a Britannian Prince."

"That's right," Kallen replied. "For all we know, he might decide to abandon the Black Knights to work with Britannia. What would you do if he did that?"

"Whatever he asked me to do," Shirley answered. "If he's done something like that, it must be for a good reason. Therefore - "

"Therefore, either of you can abandon ship anytime you want!" Kallen interrupted. "It's all fine for the two of you! Any time you want, you could abandon us and try to get your revenge from within Britannian society! What about those of us that don't have the option?" And even if they did, would rather chew off their own arms than take it. She didn't say that aloud since that part rather undermined the point she was trying to make. "It kind of makes me wonder why you're doing things this way, if you're really trying to change things."

The girl in front of her closed her eyes, and a sense of something filled the room. At first glance it felt like a menacing aura, but - No, something else. Regarding this girl in front of her: Did she have an answer of her own? Was she that Prince's puppet all this time? Blinded by admiration, a feeling of romance and intrigue that she had cast aside her own will, her own personality and fit herself into a new role? Was he merely using her for her powerful Stand?

Had he promoted a Pawn into a Queen?

"Ah, what a pain," Shirley sighed and shrugged. Her right hand swept up and she tapped that index finger on her forehead, while her left arm pressed into her stomach. "Did you forget what we saw in that bizarre place? The death of Lulu's mother? Do you think he would step back into that world so eagerly if he could avoid it?"

"If it meant finding out who did it?" Kallen said. Subconsciously, she acknowledged the pose off by rubbing her chin with her right hand and making a shrugging gesture with her left. "I believe it's possible. Don't you?"

"I don't suppose you're the sort of person that would accept something like 'I know him too well. He would not do that sort of thing.' Very well. Then I will show you decisive proof!"

"P-proof?" Kallen staggered back as if struck. "Your were able to find something like that?"

"I was," Shirley said. She produced a flash drive, and held it between her index and middle finger. "But sad to say," Kallen tensed up when Schizoid Man appeared behind her, pounding its fist into an open hand, its lips twisted up into a vicious snarl. It was ready for a fight, all of a sudden. Why? "The very existence of this proof… It really pisses me off!"

====C.C====

"Are you sure this is the best time?" C.C. asked. "If voices are raised, your friends might come to investigate - Oh, that shadow words technique? Yes, I am an insufferable witch. What of it?"

Lelouch glowered at her some more, and then a little extra for good measure. Go ahead, little boy. What question will you demand first? Stupid question. There was only one question he would start with. Unfortunately.

"What is the nature of your contract with my sister?"

"How tedious of you," C.C. said. "You've asked that question several times. Is it not enough to know that I will allow no harm to come to her until its completion? Or that our contract restored her vision and saved her life?"

No, it wasn't. But Lelouch was hardly a fool. He knew well enough to not beat his head against a brick wall. His next move would be obvious: He would ask other questions instead and then infer the rest thanks to his rather impressive observational skills.

"Hmph! Earlier, Suzaku wanted to bring you in for questioning," Lelouch said. "I refused. Do you want to know why?"

"Because if you betrayed me like that then I might tell them everything about you."

"No, you wouldn't," Lelouch said. "You need my sister safe, and you recognise that the military might not have her best interests at heart. Not only that, but you're trying to keep me safe as well. The psychological trauma it would cause if something were to happen to me? Why, if you were to betray me like that it might even make her break her end of the contract entirely and that's the one thing you absolutely don't want."

"On the other hand, if I'm in the protection of the military I might not be able to fulfill my end of the contract," C.C. pointed out. "Any more questions?"

"Yes," Lelouch said. Strange. His mood seemed to be improved all of a sudden. "Are you connected to the strange device on Kamine? You seemed able to move into that world, and knew a good deal about it already."

Well, this much she could at least answer without feeling too uncomfortable. After all, it was not a question about her own past. Not directly at any rate. If answering questions honestly would make him trust her a little more easier, this would be a simple 'gimme', and also one that would keep him from doing anything particularly foolish in trying to discover the answer.

"It was created by the Pillar Men Joseph mentioned," C.C. said. "I do not have a connection to that one personally, however…"

"That one? There are places similar to that one? What was the purpose behind their construction?"

"They were built before my time. Even I can only speculate," C.C. said. "The Pillar Man that attempted to use it was defeated before he had the opportunity. The only clue he left was his intention to 'transcend perfection'. You should ask Joseph for more details. He was present for that encounter, I'm sure he'll take great delight in boring you with hype and exaggeration."

Of course, the Thought Elevators and the Sword of Akasha could perform another interesting effect. In theory. There was no reason that C.C. could see that Lelouch should know anything about it. Especially since this answer seemed to satisfy him. Perhaps he felt that Joseph would be more open and honest about the experience than she would.

"The important point," C.C. said. "Is that Britannia is fully capable of creating monsters. Stable, 'Requiem' level Abominations that blend the power of Kings with the corruption of Stands. I advise you not to lose sight of this."

C.C. flopped back onto the bed and pulled her favourite Cheese-Kun plush close to her chest. How much more was he intending to subject her to? If any of her goals were to be met, she had to first climb the hurdle of the suspicious and devious elder brother, it seemed. Now Lelouch was pacing the floor at the foot of the bed. She could hear his footsteps. It wasn't hard to imagine him doing so, digesting that new piece of distracting information with that pensive expression on his face -

Or he might start to laugh.

"What's so funny?" C.C. asked.

"You revealed a little more information than you think you did," Lelouch said. "Even though you phrased it in a way that seemed intended to throw me off, you were the one that brought up the possibility that you had to be here to fulfill the terms of the contract,"

"So?"

"So? You need to be by my sister's side in order to see this through, don't you? But not all the time, otherwise you would never be assisting us. You would stay by her side all the time, which means the contract needs something else." Now he leaned on the bed, glaring right at her. "Time. That's the factor, is it not? When we combine that with what you said before about Mao, that he could not turn off his Geass because it had become too powerful, it creates an interesting little picture. Will my sister survive your contract with her?"

"She will not be harmed by the completion of the contract," C.C. said with full and open honesty. Nor would anything meaningfully harm her again for a very long time. But before the conversation could progress a single sentence further, Lelouch's phone began to ring.

With tremendous reluctance, he answered. So much for that. A busy boy must attend to busy needs. One must not stay idle when one's enemy is an entire Empire, no matter what one may -

"You're that - " Lelouch said. "Hold on. I'm putting you on speaker so that we can both hear you."

She tilted her head in mild interest. There were a few things that could have gotten him to react that way, but - No, don't say it was that it was -

"C.C.! It's been so long!" Mao said over the phone. The sound of his enthusiastic voice made her sit up and slightly clutch Cheese-Kun a little bit tighter. "It's me! It's me! I'm here to rescue you from that awful, awful liar once and for all!"

====Kallen====

It took maybe a minute to retrieve her laptop and set it up in the drawing room. Evidence that Lelouch couldn't betray them? What sort of evidence could that be? A file was opened. A complex three dimensional diagram filled the screen.

A recreation of the assassination of an Empress.

"My uncle and I used the recordings and Schizoid Man's precision to recreate the scene," Shirley explained. The Stand itself appeared and carefully tapped the touch pad, bringing the scene into a bird's eye view and then travelling around as if giving a gruesome guided tour. "According to old news reports, it was a terrorist attack."

"I don't buy that for a second," Kallen said. "But that's not quite enough to convince me. You'll need to try a little harder."

"Very well," Shirley said. "The truth is that when I looked at this scene, I could feel the skin on the back of my hand crawling. So we modelled this."

The view suddenly zoomed in to the injuries on the dead Empress's back. A bit gruesome and bloody for Kallen's taste, and honestly she was getting a little impatient at getting to the actual point of all this. Was Shirley's evidence merely showing her things she already knew? How disappointing.

"Thanks to Schizoid Man, I was able to carefully analyse the trajectory of her injuries." A series of lines appeared on the screen. "These lines track the pattern the bullets must have taken, and from them we can see a blatant contradiction."

A contradiction? Yes, Kallen could see it as well. Most of the lines went out through the broken window, but a smaller set converged towards a single point at the foot of the stairs.

"There was a killer inside the house," Kallen observed. "That's your proof? That they definitely had a man on the inside? It must have been someone that they trusted… But if Lelouch could identify that person, then he could -"

"No, you're missing the point," Shirley interrupted. "I don't mean contradicting the official story. Take another look at the lines. The contradiction is obvious if you're paying attention to them."

There was something else about the lines? Now Kallen was really paying attention. Look at the room. Look at the layout. A staircase leading down into a hall that served almost like a T-junction, with entrances to the left and right of the bottom of the stairs. There were dead guards lying towards the top that appeared to have been shot by someone standing at the bottom, and halfway down from them was a dead mother protecting her daughter with her very life. Kallen reflexively clenched her fist at that thought, and tried to move on.

And down at the very bottom of the stairs was someone operating on the inside, standing in front of a window that was… Broken by a hail of bullets firing into the room. Well, of course. It was obvious when you put it that way. Too obvious to really think about at first.

"It was a setup," Kallen said. "The first one shot the guards and the Empress, then after they left more shots came in from outside."

"Otherwise there would have been an additional body by the windows," Shirley agreed. "That was my uncle's conclusion as well. But then he noticed something that really pissed me off." Schizoid Man snarled over the laptop, and now more of the lines disappeared. "These are the bullets that struck Nunnally and left her crippled," Shirley said. "I had Schizoid Man discretely check her injuries earlier on to verify. Notice anything strange?"

"I do," Kallen said. "They're all coming through the window, which means they must have - "

She thumped the ground. That girl! One of the most genuinely pleasant Britannians she'd ever met. One that treated everyone she met with kindness and a smile! Someone that gentle - More than that, a child that could only be six years old! The irony of these feelings was not lost on her. Kallen Kozuki. A proud Japanese that rejected the Britannian half of her heritage, former terrorist and current soldier for justice. Feeling rage, letting her blood boil and her heart scream for justice over the plight of a Britannian Princess.

"They put her there deliberately," Kallen said. "They set that up as part of some twisted elaborate alibi plan." She thumped the ground. "They put a six year old girl under her mother's still warm corpse and shot up the room, leaving her crippled and traumatised for next to no reason at all!"

Evidence? Yes, this evidence was entirely sufficient. A flash of an image appeared across her mind, encountering her own mother in that bed. Seeing her reach out to her, call her name and then keel over from the combined effects of - The combined effects of what they did to her!

"Do you understand now?" Shirley asked. "This is why his heart burns with a desire for justice. He does not want power. He does not want petty revenge. Lelouch already accepts that he cannot return to Britannia to find these things! Because he is already aware that there is a coverup, he cannot risk returning to Britannia, because he does not know who inside Britannia he can trust! That is why he needs us. Logic and emotion, united towards the same goal."

"Does Lelouch know about this yet?"

"Not yet," Shirley said. "He will almost certainly discover the same facts that we have. If it makes you tremble with rage, can you imagine what it might do to him? It would be better if he learned the facts of this tragedy in more easily controlled conditions."

"In other words, we use it to keep him in line if he starts forgetting what he's trying to do."

Shirley didn't answer that, at least not verbally. Didn't really need to either. Had Kallen gotten it wrong? Maybe Shirley started off being manipulated by Lelouch by using her blatant crush on him, but now… It really did feel as though this was so much more to her than that now.

"Very well Zero," Kallen said. "T-hen what is our next move?"

====C.C.====

"C.C. you're an oasis of silence in a noisy world full of liars," Mao said. "That's what makes you wonderful! Don't worry, it won't be long now, I'll save you from them like a prince riding in on a white horse to rescue the princess from the dragon!"

Lelouch had closed his eyes. What was he thinking just now? Was he trying to figure out a way to defeat Mao? No, that wouldn't be possible. Someone like him could never defeat Mao.

"I'm sure you called us for some other reason," C.C. said.

"Of course, of course!" Mao said, and on the other end of the phone she could hear him applauding. Still hadn't kicked that childish habit. "As much as I would love to catch up, there will be plenty of time for that later. Stay strong, princess! Your prince has come to deliver the killing blow to the devious, wicked dragon using nothing more than a carrot and a stick."

"Oh? That got your attention, didn't it Lelouch? It was just like your dear little girlfriend said on Kamine to Lady Nu: I can see right through you. Ah, my mistake, my mistake! Is she really your girlfriend, or just another weapon to use against Britannia?"

"Mao…" Lelouch growled. "I suggest you stick to the point."

"Ahahaha! So scary, so scary! You see, this is the difference between us. It's why I'm going to beat you in the end. You are motivated by hate. I am motivated by love. In fact, I'd go a little further still: I understand what love is in the first place."

Lelouch reached for the phone, but just before he could grab it Mao interrupted him:

"The stick is that I will continue doing what I've been doing. I will torment everyone around you. I will interfere with your plans at every turn. I will break your sister's heart. I will turn your dreams of vengeance into your own worst nightmare. And then I will send a letter to the police detailing who you are, what you've done, and even tell them where to find the bodies. So to speak."

And this is why Mao is such a dangerous threat to you, Lelouch. He picked all of that out of your mind just now. The wording. The intonation. The implication. His weapon of choice was "words", much like it was for you, but his Geass let him be more precise and tailor his attacks to the person and the very moment of their current thinking.

"And the carrot?" C.C. asked. Lelouch's hand hovered over the top of the phone. Hesitating. Trembling a little. C.C. shifted off the bed slightly. "The carrot, Mao! What are you offering him?"

"Oh, I've been in such an interesting position," Mao said. "I can tell you what Cornelia knows about your dear mother's death. I can tell you what she wants from you and whether or not it's safe to meet her. Various other tidbits of data you could use to really make headway in your little quest for revenge. All I want is C.C. Oh? Is that not enough? Then how about this?

"Knowledge about my personal experience with Geass. You want to know what the contract entails, don't you? What C.C. wants from your formerly innocent and pure little sister. Why I couldn't do it. Hehehe… Even that's not enough? You really are a hateful man, aren't you? You hate me so much for what I did for your sister and your friends that even that generous offer isn't good enough. You want revenge. You want blood."

"Ignore him," C.C. warned. "Remember that he can read your mind. He can easily use that to construct convincing lies. You have no guarantee that anything he tells you is true."

"Oh dear! That smooth talker has you so wound up about JOJO that you're trying to keep your distance from me, when it's really me that you love. I know because you keep telling me over and over again how brilliant and special I am. Otherwise you wouldn't be defending this liar!"

"A liar that thinks they can use this opportunity to test out my ability, so he can confront me later on. Tell him that hiding his true thoughts beneath other thoughts, like he hides in the shadows, won't work against the likes of me. His intelligence lets me see through his trickery. His Stand relies on treachery. Against my Geass, his two greatest assets are - "

"Useless. Hehehe… Useless! Useless! Useless! Hahahahaha!"

That was quite enough of that. C.C. pushed past Lelouch and grabbed the phone, hanging it up before Mao could say another word more. He had said quite enough already. Enough to convince her that even though she did dearly love him once, and still cared for him in the here and now she would have no choice… No choice but to kill him if they ever met again.

"You should have killed him when you had the chance," Lelouch said, as if he were the mind reader. "Instead of letting this fester like an open wound!"

"Then allow me to make it up to you. I swear that I shall allow no further harm to come to Nunnally or your friends because of Mao."

"Hmph! What a worthless promise," Lelouch dismissively said. "I already knew that would be the case, because you need my sister to fulfill her end of her contract with you. If you want me to trust you, then I need you to also trust me."

And with that he left the room to return to his grieving friends. C.C. fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"But I suppose that is part of the trouble," she said. "I do trust you. More than you realise."

====Milly====

The smell of oil and grease hit her hard enough to send her reeling. Milly never did tend to come down to this particular storage room deep, deep in the basement of the academy. Come to think of it very few students ever did. It was a big room. Hardly the biggest on the campus, but certainly rather large.

There were two reasons this was the most secure part of the entire academy. The first was obvious safety. Someone down here that didn't know what they were doing could hurt themselves or a lot of other people without meaning to. As for the other reason? Because it housed the one and only treasure the Ashford family (publically) retained after their fall from grace.

Because of that, it was secure. Because it was secure, only a few students had access to it. Which meant their presence was automatically logged. Which had all led Milly to "cleverly" figure out that this was the place that she would find -

"Nina, knock knock!" Milly called, drawing upon a well of normally never ending cheerfulness that felt like it was running on empty these days. There she was! The quiet, reserved, cuter than she thinks she is glasses-wearing science expert member of the student council. "Sitting in the dark, staring at your laptop, hrm? No wonder you need such a strong prescription…" Milly quipped.

"Madam President," Nina quietly said. There we go, aha! This was a little more like it. Just as Milly thought. That whole ridiculous outburst before was all shock from what had happened. As much as she loved spending time with every member of the council, sometimes they just needed a little touch of breathing space. "How long ago was it?"

"The funeral was about an hour ago -"

"Not the funeral," Nina interrupted. "I mean, when did the Ashford family stop working on that?"

Well that wasn't remotely the question Milly had been expecting. Her gaze went in the direction Nina's finger pointed towards. You could hardly point to a better avatar for the state of the Ashford family. It looks good on the surface and was once the talk of the town, but now all that remained beneath the polished exterior were the bare minimum to keep it working.

"You want a history lesson?" Milly asked, settling down beside her. "Mind if I ask why?"

Oh? Now Nina had actually turned to look at her. Briefly. Then back to the screen, and now she was tap tap tapping away at the keyboard. "I doubt you're especially interested in my family's personal history at a time like this. So? Come on. Spill. What has your pretty little mind noticed to get you so worked up?"

"That's!" Nina yelled, suddenly slamming the laptop shut. "I mean… It's complicated and I don't know what it means, not really. Maybe - Maybe it's nothing and I'm just looking for patterns where they don't exist, but - But If I'm right then the implications are -"

Milly took the laptop right out of her unresisting grip and flipped it open. A video? Of a news feed? Showing Suzaku - or rather the Knightmare he was piloting - rescuing Euphie outside that hospital. Milly barely had time to ponder its meaning before Nina quickly grabbed it back, snapped it shut and put it behind herself.

"It's nothing!" she insisted. "Please, just leave me alone. I need to work on this calculation, otherwise - Otherwise all my hard work might be for nothing when the next freak shows up!"

Freak, huh? Like Nunnally apparently. Those words were wrapped up tight, pushed into a bottle, then the bottle was tied to an anchor and tossed out into the middle of a stormy ocean. Being snippy had no place in this conversation.

"You came down here to work on this thing, right?" Milly asked. "That's what the questions were about. You were already trying to take your mind off of stressful things, so let me help you with that -"

"Will you stop spouting pity for me! I'm not some child you need to coddle! I'm not made of glass, I won't break if I'm touched wrong! Stop looking down on me and leave me alone!"

It was a funny thing. While Nina was screaming that at the top of her lungs, the lights overhead creaked in a manner Milly had never heard them do before. Threatening. Adding to the anxious atmosphere. And then it stopped just as suddenly. Never mind that then. Time to change tactics.

"Alright then I won't," Milly said, rising to her feet and folding her arms while making damn sure she towered over Nina. "Instead this is going to happen. First thing's first, you're going to apologise to Nunnally. After whatever she did to save our lives, yelling at her like that was unacceptable. Just be glad it's me telling you this instead of Lelouch because I know for a fact he'd have a few more inventive words to use regarding that."

Tough love. Oh, how she hated tough love! The regular kind was way more fun. Had she gone too far too quickly? Not far enough? Those were definitely tears in the corner of Nina's eyes. Hell! That wasn't fair! Making your eyes go all big like that, how was she supposed to resist?

"Or I suppose you could show me what you've been working on," Milly relented. "We could talk about it like two reasonable, intelligent adults. That is what you want, isn't it?"

A nod of the head was a good sign. Opening the laptop an even better one. Milly settled down on the floor next to Nina and peered over her shoulder. Here was to her understanding half of what she was about to hear and be told, but she doubted it would be even that much.

====Nina====

All members of the student council gain access to certain privileges not available to other students, because the staff have deemed them trustworthy and reliable. This is fair and reasonable when considering the various responsibilities passed on to them. Establishing the budget for clubs is tricky without some level of access to school financial data. Maintaining trust and respect from the other students is extremely trying unless you can do things they cannot.

And of course, planning and organising festivals and events is difficult (if not outright impossible) without access to the equipment that will be used during those events. The haunted house equipment needed to be maintained. Fireworks had to be handled and stored carefully. Props for games, costumes, mascots, ingredients for food and the most carefully maintained, securely stored item of them all.

It was perhaps the most secure room in the school. For good reason. Under normal circumstances Nina would only be here assisting with maintenance on that thing, but right now - sitting underneath its shadow with her laptop perched upon, well, her lap - she felt as though she was in the safest possible place in the entire school. Sitting at the feet of the brightest moment of the Ashford family's existence.

"I should have gone to the funeral…" she whispered, then took off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. "No, no. Distract yourself. Keep yourself busy. Work, work, work. That should make you forget all about -"

All about how you yelled at Nunnally. Because she was secretly a freak. Because she had done something to Nina - to the rest of them as well. Because she was probably the reason all those freaks were interested in the school in the first place. Her. Shirley too. They were both the same. Smiling all the time. Trying to make people feel better when they had no idea what was really bothering them deep, deep down. It bothered her. She knew it shouldn't. Yet it did. All the same.

"Why can't I be more like Princess Euphemia…" she asked aloud. "She was so brave. Taking charge of the situation. Ordering everyone inside the hospital, and then going out herself even when it was so dangerous. She really is perfect…"

An alert popped up on her computer. Nina hesitated for a moment: The last time she had responded to a message hadn't ended well. However, this time around she already recognised the username, so that fear vanished immediately into a well of relief.

Damocles: Hello. I am sorry for being unresponsive recently, but work has demanded my full attention. How have you been?

vanadis: That's alright, I understand. I'm okay! Not much to say.

Damocles: Really? In light of recent events in Area Eleven… My heart goes out to those that lost their lives in service to the Empire. If only something had been done sooner.

vanadis: Thanks to Princess Euphemia everything's turned out alright.

Damocles: Princess Euphemia? It sounds like you admire her quite a lot.

Admire. Yes. That was the correct word. Admire.

vanadis: Never mind that for now, I'd really rather not talk about it.

Damocles: If you say so. Should you change your mind, merely ask. How has your work been going?

vanadis: I've taken up a side project. I'm working on something that belongs to a friend of mine.

Damocles: A machine.

vanadis: Yes, that's right. It has a few strange design quirks that have been puzzling me for years, and I'm trying to figure them out.

Damocles: Design quirks? How interesting. Please, feel free to use me as a sounding board.

vanadis: To start with, its manipulator arms have a strange metallic/fabric wire that extends from the tips of its fingers directly into the operator's levers. They begin right at the point the operator would naturally rest their fingers, but the wire serves no obvious function.

Damocles: Please, wait a moment. It might make this conversation go a little bit smoother for both of us if I cleared something up first.

vanadis: Cleared something up?

Damocles: Yes. Namely the topic of our conversation. I do not wish to startle you, but I believe I know what you are talking about based on what you've already said and things that you have not.

Damocles: Based on previous comments you've made, contrasted with news articles and simple geography, it seems likely that you attend Ashford academy. Either as a student or faculty member, though my thinking leans towards the former.

Damocles: Furthermore, your deliberate avoidance of what kind of machine tells me this is an important point. You've indicated that it has a single operator, and that it has a manipulator arm. My initial thinking was something to do with construction, but when combined with the other factors and publically available information there is only one possible conclusion.

Damocles: You are talking about the Knightmare model produced for former Empress Marianne by the Ashford family. The Ganymede.

Indeed she was. For a moment Nina stared in mute silence at the screen. She should be freaking out about that. She was aware of that much about herself just now and her state of mind. Except that somehow, the way he had presented it all so logically it had seemed inevitable that he would reach that point. Even though they were communicating in purely text form, it felt to Nina as if she was told everything was alright, you can trust this person.

vanadis: Yes, that's right. I'm sorry, I didn't want to mention anything about it.

Damocles: That's quite understandable. I will not tell anyone about this conversation. You have my word, it shall remain between the two of us and anyone you elect to tell. What other design quirks have you noticed?

vanadis: Well, there's a strange circular hole in each palm. I always thought it was supposed to be used for additional weapons grip. That would also explain the motors lining the inside, but nothing being used at that time seems to fit the pattern.

Damocles: They might have abandoned design for the related weapon. They say that any project must sacrifice at least one of time, money or quality.

vanadis: Doesn't that seem strange, though? Why put this much effort into something they didn't already have available? It doesn't add up.

Damocles: I'm sure there was a reason for it. Perhaps there are further clues elsewhere in the design?

vanadis: There is one thing. This was before factspheres were invented, so mounted into the shoulders are a pair of cameras connected to where the monitors should have been if the cockpit wasn't partially dismantled.

Damocles: Naturally. The Empire could hardly allow a fully functional Knightmare to remain in civilian hands. There are regulations for this matter and harsh penalties for those that break them. Rightfully so.

vanadis: Right! The cameras have three modes of use. Infrared, normal and a hidden mode that I discovered recently. The controls were concealed for it, I thought it was broken.

Damocles: And what does this third mode do?

vanadis: Nothing that I could tell. It seems to scan outside the visual spectrum even further than infrared, but I have no idea what it's looking for. It doesn't show anything meaningful when I look around the storage room. It doesn't make sense why this mode would exist at all.

Damocles: Indeed, that does seem like quite the puzzle. Have you considered that maybe what it was intending to scan for wasn't in the room at all? That possibility certainly seems likely.

Wasn't in the room? Yes, he was right of course. If it was meant to be scanning for some kind of energy that was normally invisible and that energy wasn't present, then of course Nina wouldn't be able to see it regardless of -

A gear turned in her brain. A form of energy that wasn't normally visible? Not present in the room? There was only one kind of energy Nina could think of that fit the bill.

vanadis: A Stand! It's scanning for a Stand!

Damocles: An interesting theory, but have you considered the implications?

vanadis: It would mean there are people in the Empire that have known about Stands for at least a decade!

Damocles: In which case, isn't it strange that we were caught flat-footed when Stand Out appeared? Then again, they did develop Knightmares intended to counter Stands far quicker than they should have. We should consider alternative explanations.

But by now Nina was already working furiously. She sent him a link to a video of the recent attack: There it was, right there. That was the weapon intended for Ganymede's palms! Steel spinning balls, just like the ones attached to Lancelot!

Damocles: The best thing to do would be to continue your investigations with a rational, scientific perspective. Safely test your hypothesis.

But that didn't explain the wires. The only thing that made sense was some kind of energy transference from the pilot to the fingertips… Or maybe the other way around? Damocles was right. She needed more data to support or refute her hypothesis, but for the time being it looked like - It really looked like Ganymede was a prototype Knightmare in more ways than one!

====Milly====

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Nina asked, staring up at the Ganymede in awe. "I came here because I felt safe underneath the Ganymede. Now I know why."

"The Empire commissioned anti-Stand weapons over a decade ago," Milly half asked, half stated. "Not only that, they hired my own family to do it…" Which spoke volumes of implications even Milly dared not think. Why hadn't her grandfather used this technology as soon as Stands began to appear in Area Eleven? Why hadn't they turned it over to the Viceroy instead of arranging marriage meeting after marriage meeting? Why didn't they tell her? What else didn't she know lurking in her family history?

She looked over at it again. Earlier on she had called it the avatar of her family's state of being. How terribly correct she might wind up being.

"It's wonderful!" Nina said in peculiar reverence. "Milly, with your permission, I would like to perfect the Ganymede!"

====Villetta====

Ever felt lonely in a crowd of people? Oblivious. Going about their everyday business. Blissful unawareness of the monster lurking among them. Up ahead, a flash of that distinctive green hair. Damn this ludicrous situation! Who could have guessed she'd wind up tailing a former colleague like this without backup or a plan of any kind?

Before they had left the building Kewell had stolen clothing, destroyed Villetta's phone and her identification as a military officer. She had protested. Tried to physically stop him. But it was pointless. In order to stop him you needed a Knightmare. That was the conclusion she'd come to. With the way his body was right now that was all that could stop him.

They had to stop him: Or rather, she had to. To redeem the lives of those fallen soldiers. To prevent the deaths of anyone else, like the people passing by in the street. For the sake of honour and restoration of her own sense of self worth Kewell had to be stopped!

The green haired figure strode around a corner, and Villetta internally cursed. There was a small chance someone with his training had failed to notice her following him but with the way he was now there was absolutely no guarantee of that. On reaching the corner she pretended to bend down to tie her shoelaces, while actually using that as an excuse to get close to the wall and look around the corner to scout out her target. There was no sign of him. Where did he -

No. She already knew exactly where he was going. The best thing for her to do now was find a way to call for backup before she got herself killed.

"Just so you know," a rather loud and stocky man said into his cellphone. "I completely disagree with this ridiculous appointment. I don't care what sort of freaky events are going on, selecting a - Hey! Give me my phone back!"

"This is a military matter," Villetta said. "An emergency. You should forget about your phone."

"Military matter?!" the man blustered. "What sort of nonsense is -" And then Villetta stuck the phone into her pocket. The civilian blinked a few times in total confusion. "Huh… What was I doing just now again?"

"Why are you asking me?" Villetta asked. He scratched his head, turned around and then Villetta noticed a couple of interested people curious about that little event. "You as well," she said, looking at them all in turn. "Forget about his phone!" And off they stumbled like nothing had even happened.

What a useful power this was already. She'd have his phone and his memory of it returned to him after this situation was resolved, but first of all she had to call this in. A simple quick call to the emergency services. Tell them that a rogue Stand user was likely to attack Ashford Academy. By now they'd be on high alert in any event, and she could easily join in the attempt to bring him in.

"Enjoying the power that I gave you?" asked an unfamiliar voice. She froze midstep, and felt her wrist being grabbed by cold clammy hands that felt sort of like skin. Behind her? How did he -

"Villetta, you seem so surprised," Kewell shrugged and released her. "You succumbed to simple attentional bias. You were so preoccupied looking for green hair because it seemed absurd that I would change." He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "And the people around us are too preoccupied with their own lives to pay much attention to people passing by. What does that tell you about humanity?"

"That we still need to overcome weakness," Villetta said, rubbing her wrist.

"Even when that weakness is a perceived strength?"

"Especially then. To do less is to betray the Britannian ideal."

She had to be careful about this. Even if he was not in that strange immortal body anymore, Kewell was still an exceptionally dangerous man. Then again, if he wasn't in that immortal body then she could use -

"Tsk, tsk!" Kewell responded, slipping behind her when she tried to turn around. "I saw your little trick in action. Eye contact, correct? While mine is based on touch. I wonder which is better, in the end?"

"Does it matter?" she asked. "I would have thought you would have been on your way to Ashford Academy by now."

"To think that corruptive influence would be allowed to attend such a prestigious school," Kewell sneered. "Repulsive to its core. Even if the Academy is already more liberal minded than I care for, I could at least respect the purity of their standards. Now even that... "

"Don't you think you're going too far?"

"Not nearly far enough. Kururugi is a cancer. To prevent the spread of cancer, one must sometimes take desperately drastic measures. All for the survival and the purity of the body."

He was this much of a fanatic? Strange how easy it was to overlook the fanatics on your own side. Strange how easy it was to think that you could use them to get what you wanted without considering that they might be doing the same to you. The Pureblood faction wasn't just some political tool to rally like-minded people around him. She could see the sort of man he was now even if she might never see his real face or hear his real voice again.

Genuine. Absolutely genuine in his belief in purity. Purity of vision, purity of spirit, purity of mind and purity of blood. Yet his worldview had been shaken by a potentially greater power than purity. Couple that with the experiments Bartley had apparently subjected him to, and his mind had gone right off the cliff while threatening to drag anyone else he could grab along with it.

"It sickens me," Kewell continued. "That an Honorary might become Princess Euphemia's Knight of Honour. That he spends his days spreading his corruptive ideals among impressionable students. That he dares step forward with pretense at being a hero to the masses. If I am not careful I may throw up my own intestines by the merest lapse in concentration."

"Whatever you are planning, you won't get away with -"

"And since you're so predisposed to trying to stop me," Kewell warned. "Then I will have you enact your half of our bargain right now!" He suddenly whirled her around to face him, grabbing her wrist and her forearm while keeping his own eyes closed. Starting his attack now? She moved to attack him, but suddenly found herself unable to land the blow. But that meant… Didn't that mean he was -

"Tag. You're it."

====Ohgi====

"Are you sure you want to be out like this?" Inoue asked. "Based on what you said happened on the island, they probably got a good look at your face."

"If they were going to make a move, they would have done so already," Ohgi said. Though honestly that seemed pretty flimsy reasoning. He was jumping at shadows. Hadn't slept at his own place and even when he did sleep he still slept uneasy thinking about that thing they met on Kamine. "Focus on what we're doing out here."

"If you say so…" Kento said. "First sign of trouble, you'd better be ducking out of here."

"Remind me who's in charge again?" Ohgi asked with a smile. "You don't need to worry about it, alright?" Let him do that. Wasn't that supposed to be what a leader did in the end?

It was a bright day. Not a cloud in the sky. Ideal weather for a stroll. However, the three of them weren't doing this for their health or to get a tan. With Inoue standing just in front of him and to the right, while Kento was positioned to the left Ohgi was in the best position to discretely examine his phone without drawing attention.

"No change," was the simple message Diethard, operational leader for this mission, had sent them. The two glanced back. Ohgi very slightly shook his head. No sign of her.

The mission they were on was a pretty straightforward one for a nice change of pace: One of their agents in the city had noticed C.C. walking the streets while being pursued by a known Britannian officer, the knight identified as Lamorak's pilot. Naturally that's the kind of matter that draws attention. Had they captured C.C.? Where was she going? All the agent could do was list the time location and direction. They dare not pursue by themselves without risking blowing their cover.

The result: Four teams of three scouring the surrounding streets while being coordinated by Diethard. Sure, being directed by a Britannian wasn't exactly going down with any kind of comfort but the man was reliable so far and he sure as hell knew his job. That job being simple organisation capacity. The four teams were acting on a far tighter search pattern than the group would have ever used before and it felt like a certainty that one of them would definitely uncover something.

The question was what that something might be. When it came to that mysterious green haired witch it was all up for -

"Get off me, you freak of nature!"

The three of them reacted immediately, in much the same way that everyone around them did. They stopped, they turned, they stared and then after a brief moment their brains caught up with what their eyes were beholding and everything else around them turned slightly more grey and unfocused.

There she was. Villetta Nu, standing in front of a slightly overweight man, who had one hand on her wrist and the other on her elbow. There was a clear struggle between the two of them, and it seemed very much as though Nu was reaching out to grab the man's mouth, while he was squeezing his eyes tightly closed while yelling at her and desperately trying to pull away.

Except there was something wrong with this picture, somehow. But what?

"St-stop it!" Villetta yelled. "Let go of my arm!"

"Not a chance!" the man yelled. Was it just Ohgi's imagination, or had he suddenly lost a lot of weight? Not just that, but it was almost as though his skin was draining the darker tones right out of his hair. It couldn't be - "I'm not letting you attack me, I won't let you - Mmmf!"

Her hand grabbed at the mouth, and then the transformation completed. An exact replica of Nu, who sharply pulled back and stared at his… Her hands in a display of utter fear. Funny thing. Ever since he'd acquired his Geass power Ohgi had subjected people to a lot of different emotions. If he didn't know any better, the emotion the new Nu was expressing wasn't "fear", but "victory."

"What did you do to me?" the fake Nu yelled while staring in disbelief at her hands. "You transformed me into you!" Those hands flew up to her face, and the head distorted in a way that a skull absolutely should not normally permit. Kento, and a couple of other people in the "audience" all retched a little. "You're a freak! A Stand user! You've done something terrible to my body for no reason at all!"

The crowd piped up around them with a variety of comments that Ohgi really didn't like the sound of.

"A Stand user?"

"No way… No way, that's not -"

"She looks so normal."

"That's what makes them dangerous. You can never tell until they - "

"That's enough of that," Villetta yelled. "All of you! I want you to forget -" She was cut off by the second Villetta suddenly leaping directly in front to enthusiastically address the swelling crowd all around them.

"You monster! Now you're targetting the rest of them because they know your secret!" the second Villetta yelled. "But you forget about me! Everyone, please! If we cooperate we can show this wretched vermin her place! If we can keep her pinned down, if we can keep her from using her power… Then she can be arrested and treated as the lab rat she really is!"

So this was what it was like to be the sane one inside an angry mob? How terrifying. There were Britannians and Japanese here, baying for blood. The opportunity to let out a little taste of the fear they were feeling for a common enemy. Ohgi didn't doubt for a second that she could defend herself, but against these kind of odds? The other one was right: Against this many people you'd need a more powerful Stand than what she appeared to have to fight back effectively.

The second Villetta stumbled out of the crowd while still others converged. Ohgi nodded towards her, and Inoue slunk off. Someone threw something. Nu reached for a gun she didn't appear to have on her, for whatever reason.

"Kewell, get back here!" Villetta yelled, and then to the crowd "I am not a Stand user! Let me past! I want you all to forget about - " She trailed off as the other her faded into the crowd and then looked around in total confusion at all the angry faces directed towards her.

"Miss," Inoue said to the second Villetta. "I've been trained in first aid. Would it help if I -"

"It would help if you could forget all about me," was the rude response. "Stupid, filthy Eleven. Remember your place! What sort of help could you possibly give me?"

"Hey, if that's really the Britannian officer, shouldn't we let her get beat up a little?" Kento asked. "It would serve her right. Maybe teach her a little humility?"

"Kento, that's the same kind of logic they use to beat us up," Ohgi replied. He couldn't believe this. Why couldn't things be as simple as they used to be? The Britannian military were the bad guys and they were the ones fighting for freedom. "That's why, even if it might seem a little cathartic I'm going to have to ask everyone to calm down, right now!"

The chaotic chatter died down as Ohgi's Geass spread over the angry crowd. Answers. That's what they needed right now. Thinking about it rationally made it clear that this wasn't only the right thing to do, but inherently the smart thing to do as well. If a mob were to attack a military officer out in the street like this, no matter the reason it would be like sending a cordial invitation to a bloodbath, with the Japanese taking the rough end of it and possibly the blame as a root cause.

"Inoue," Ohgi asked. "What happened to that other person? The copy."

"What other person?" she answered. "What on earth are you talking about. What copy?"

"What copy?" Kento repeated in disbelief. "The guy claiming that she transformed him? Come on, you had to have seen that. Right?"

"Hey, come on guys this is no time to joke around," Inoue said, nodding slightly towards Nu. "This might be our chance to figure something out. Right?"

That blank look said otherwise. She was thinking clearly and rationally about the reason they were here, remembered that they had seen one half of their target but at the same time didn't remember the utterly bizarre sight of a man transforming into a woman, then inciting a mob? This wasn't right. It wasn't natural. It must be either a Stand, or possibly a Geass! Suddenly this mission had taken on a far more dangerous element. Not to mention the implications for strategy and - Never mind that! They had to get out of here and contact Diethard before they were -

"Going somewhere, Eleven?"

Noticed. Damn! He grabbed his friends mid-stride and then ran for it like the hounds of hell were after him. He got exactly three steps before his legs were kicked out from under him. While he was sprawled out on the ground Kento and Inoue stepped in between them and lowered their heads. A direct physical confrontation would draw more of the wrong kind of attention meaning that their only approach was to -

"Profuse apologies for our friend," Kento said.

"His clumsy manner did not mean offense. Please forgive his transgress-"

"Forget about your friend. And while I have your attention forget about me as well."

Just as he thought! That was a Geass she was using. Both Inoue and Kento had their backs to him, but he could see the subtle, yet rapid alteration to their body language. Shoulders slackening, shuffling feet, pretending not to look directly at one of the women they'd been sent out here to investigate while she pushed just past them.

"That was close - Oof!" Kento whispered to Inoue, who had just elbowed him in the gut.

"Idiot, not while she's right -" Inoue stopped and seemed to change thought mid-sentence for no apparent reason. "Come on, we need to find that weird girl right away!"

"Got it!" Kento said while Villetta triumphantly watched them wandering off while they left him alone. Leaving him vulnerable to capture without even realising it. Leaving him with only one option, and it sure as hell wasn't one he'd been wanting to take right now.

"Best to stay calm, this is no time to panic."

He was already feeling a mite tense about his current situation, but the feeling suddenly spiked through this veins like a bolt of lightning. The feeling seemed to be shared by everyone else as well: And being in the middle of a bunch of extremely jumpy people didn't exactly calm the nerves any!

People started running, screaming or both and the funny thing about a large group of people starting to run is that it becomes rather endemic. If that many people are running all of a sudden, then there has to be a reason for it. With his newfound adrenaline and the benefit of the confusion surrounding them Ohgi was fully able to slip right on by Villetta and rush up to his friends. This would probably not last long and he wouldn't be able to use it to escape the same way for the next day, but at the very least it would give them some much needed breathing space!

"Ohgi, what -" Inoue started to ask, but they didn't have time for that right now. For the time being they had to go with the flow of the crowd while looking for the first opportunity to turn off out of the panicked crowds.

"Happy!" he yelled. No need to leave them panicking like that, and besides which his heart rate definitely needed calming down after all that. Down these stairs, behind this tree and maybe they could catch their breath, maybe call in to report… Honestly he was feeling really pleased with himself after cleverly escaping that woman, ah how good this feeling was.

"Ohgi, what's happening buddy?" Inoue asked with a great big smile on her face.

"You remember me?" What a relief! Maybe the effect was temporary, like his own? "That woman spotted us. We had to get away before she -"

"What woman?" Kento asked in a hushed (but happy) tone. "You mean C.C.? I thought we were supposed to try to contact her, not run away."

"No, not C.C.! Tall thin Britannian, dark skin, silver hair?" Blank stares came back at him. They couldn't remember her, but they could remember him? That didn't remotely fit!

"Never mind that for now," Inoue said. She began to turn away to look outside. "For now we should focus on - What are we doing in a shop? C.C. didn't come in here."

"Ohgi dragged us in here."

"Ohgi? Name doesn't ring a - What? Why are the two of you staring at me like that all of a sudden?"

So this was the effect of that Geass, was it? Some sort of topic specific memory manipulation, but he still didn't understand… What was the function? Why did they keep remembering and forgetting? There was no point in putting this off any longer. He couldn't handle this by himself! The best thing for him to do was to call in and report to Diethard so at least the others would know what they were dealing with.

====Villetta====

Well didn't she feel like an idiot all of a sudden? No. She wasn't the idiot. The idiot in this situation was the man that incited a panic in a public goddamn place using supernatural means! Villetta's fist clenched in frustration. That idiot! Just to escape they did something so thoughtless and careless? He was probably the one that made the crowd upset at her in the first place in a clumsy attempt to capture her. Well then! She'd turn that around in a hurry!

She grabbed the first person she could, not particularly willing to take any more nonsense. A stern seeming businesswoman. "An Eleven man wearing a red bandana and a brown jacket with a yellow star on it" she insisted, then after a moment's thought added. "I think he picked my pocket during the confusion. Did you see him? I would like to extract a taste of revenge."

"Would that I could help," the woman replied. "But you can hardly expect a person to remember some random Eleven you pass on the street in that much detail. Satisfying though it may be to have your pound of flesh, it may be better if you went to the authorities -"

Memory, huh? Well let's see if her Geass only worked in one direction. "I think you do remember that man," she said. "And I would like you to help me out."

"... Now that you mention it," the woman slowly said. "I do think there was a group of three Elevens, and one of them did fit that description. They ducked inside a fashion shop exactly ten buildings down."

"Thank you for your assistance," Villetta said. Good, that was useful to know. This power to influence the memories of others was proving more and more useful. If she used this secondary ability to refresh the memories of potential witnesses, then she would be able to track them down in no time.

That is, until they returned to the ghettos and witnesses became much less cooperative. Sometimes Elevens were especially stupid, stubborn and proud even if they didn't have any direct connections to so called resistance movements. By the time she broke any of them for further information the trail might go cold. Which meant she needed another approach to catch their tail, and another one was coming to mind that seemed especially delightful. All she had to do was -

Spot her man across the street, walking in the other direction with his jacket slung over his opposite shoulder, a stupid looking hat covering the top of his head, and a pair of ridiculous cheap glasses to complete one of the worst disguises Villetta had ever seen. Look at that idiot. He wouldn't know how to be nonchalant or cool if it smacked him in the face and bit his nose off.

That said: He was paying enough attention to his surroundings to realise his cover had been blown. The Eleven broke into a run as if he stood the remotest chance of out-sprinting a Britannian soldier. Time to teach him his place in the world.

"Fear!"

Her soul was suddenly gripped by mortal terror, the kind that chills the blood and drives your senses into heightened awareness. Afraid. She was deathly afraid… Of being made to look like a fool! Adrenaline levels rose significantly throughout her body, compelling her to run just a little bit faster and react in much the same way. Sadly it seemed as though the Eleven had much the same reaction, dashing off like a frightened rabbit.

"Anger!" The Eleven yelled, as if she was not already feeling it. The nerve of him! Using this dangerous power in public, turning their emotions and hers to his will? A mere Eleven manipulating their thoughts and feelings with reckless abandon?! How dare he-

"Watch it lady!" A man yelled just as she was about to grab her target. This was his real goal? Cause civilians to get in her way? "You spilled my drink!"

Without a second's thought she ducked back out of his clumsy reach, grabbed his shoulder and kicked him square in the chest. He dropped like a bag of bricks. How irritating! Now the Eleven had gained a few extra seconds to continue running! Did he think such a minor distraction could give him the chance to escape from her? That made her so - So angry that when she resumed pursuit she deliberately trod on the civilian's leg with her very next step.

So that was his ability, was it? He was a walking emotion bomb capable of hitting everyone around himself without needing eye contact. On the one hand it seemed rather powerful. On the other, it seemed as though he couldn't control exactly how the emotion was expressed. Not that it would matter in a second because he'd just ducked into an alley and the precious seconds of changing the direction of his own momentum had cost him dearly.

"Got you!" she yelled, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and hurling him into a nearby wall.

"I won't tell you anything, you damned arrogant Britannian," the Eleven hushed in a quite thoroughly futile manner. She chopped him in the throat before he tried anything else. Was her win ever in any doubt?

"Ah, what was that?" Villetta smirked, making quite certain to pin him there by his throat. He looked like a complete idiot, standing there in a stupid looking hat and wearing glasses that obviously were not prescription. The fool! "Trying to make me overconfident, were we? Don't think I didn't catch that, Eleven! I won't give you the remotest chance to escape until you forget all about me!"

And then she let him go, still brimming with the compelled arrogance the Eleven was making her feel right now. She wanted to gloat. She really did. Her plan was pretty great, after all: Make the Eleven forget all about her, so that he wouldn't even try to cover his tracks when heading back to meet with his friends. It would be the perfect opportunity. Discover their base. Uncover their contacts. Bring down the entire organisation in one fell swoop. Why bother with small fry when you could have a feast? The best part of all was that she could tell him, and he wouldn't even remember any of it.

"Just like he said you would," the Eleven suddenly said, clutching at his throat with an odd mark of triumph in his voice. "Thanks to my Geass, you didn't even notice that you'd lost."

"Don't bother trying to bluff me," Villetta said while backing out of the alley. "I'm not that… Not that…" Strange. She felt dizzy all of a sudden. She looked at her hands and blinked in confusion for a few brief seconds, then turned back to face the Eleven in the alley, while he took off his glasses, and then at last she asked a crucial, single question that, in a manner, had plagued philosophers for millennia.

===Ohgi====

A scant three minutes previously, Ohgi was in rather less of a triumphant mood. It seemed as though somehow these two would completely forget all about him whenever they couldn't see him, which meant that he had to keep them both within his line of sight while talking with Diethard, which made doing this discretely a lot more difficult than he wanted it to be.

"It sounds like you're in quite the bind," the Britannian pointlessly said. "Even so. It seems as though her power works differently than yours. Perhaps we should conduct some tests with the help of those two with you."

"I don't want to treat my friends as lab rats."

"No, of course not. However, your lives and the very existence of the rest of the organisation may well depend on what you do next. Can you really take the chance knowing what is on the line? Would you so eagerly betray the trust they placed in you, Kaname Ohgi?"

Trust, huh? In a guy like him? He still didn't get it. Why him? Why did he have to take the special power when there were others that had to be more deserving. Better fighters or tacticians, why did he always wind up having to try and lead and inspire when he was just no good at it?

"I'll put you through to Painted Black," Diethard said. "He should be able to offer tactical assistance."

"This had better be important," Painted Black's voice suddenly came from the phone. It had only rang once. For some reason he sounded more tense than normal.

"It is," Ohgi whispered into the phone. "We've encountered a Geass user. Military officer. It seems to work through eye contact. She used it on Inoue and Kento."

"I see. What else do you know?"

"From what I can tell they can't remember me when they're not looking directly at me," Ohgi said, thinking quickly so he wouldn't have to embarrass the two of them. "Even if I'm in their peripheral vision, it's like they don't register any memory connected to me."

"That's troubling. In her position, I would probably..."

Painted Black trailed off into silence for a moment, and Ohgi briefly thought the line might have disconnected. Then, just as he was about to ask if the shadow was still there, he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

"Are you familiar with a one way mirror?"

"... You mean those special windows they set up in interrogation rooms? I don't see why that's - "

"Yes, that's right. They're also rather useful in other areas, such as teleprompters, stage effects, or if you need to hide cameras on a set filming from a certain perspective, so that other cameras can't pick them up."

"Ohgi we can't hang around here much longer," Kento observed. "Someone will notice us soon."

"He's right, we need a plan of…" Inoue started, then saw the expression on his face and shifted to asking "What's wrong? What did he say?"

"A hat," Ohgi suddenly said. "I need a hat. And glasses. It won't be much, but it'll be enough… It has to be a deliberately lousy disguise in order for this to work."

"In order for what to work?"

"No point explaining, you'll just forget" Ohgi said, looking around for the right kind of store. Yes, with the money he had at his disposal, this might be good enough… "He'll be calling you in a moment for your instructions." For a moment the thought that he should tell them it was a pleasure knowing them crossed his mind, but then he realised the terrible truth: If he died today, or was captured, neither of them would remember anything about him anyway.

So he set about his task with grim determination. He went out. He acted as a lure. He kept her at bay just long enough to get into the alley but not one second longer. He made her - and himself - arrogant. And then he leaned back in the shadows, deliberately keeping his face covered in as much darkness as he could manage, and hoped against hope that Painted Black's extremely risky and flashy plan payed off.

The trick was the way that glass reacts to darkness, a topic Painted Black understood all too well. There's no such thing as a true one way mirror: It's just a trick of the light. Have you ever looked out of a window into the pitch black night? Under those conditions even ordinary glass reflects, just like a mirror. Combine that with her enforced arrogance, and the likeliest action she'd take from a tactical standpoint…

"Excuse me," she said. No trace of the furious and powerful woman she'd been a few seconds ago. "Who exactly am I? Do you know? For some reason I can't seem to remember."

A car pulled up outside the alley. "You guys sure didn't waste time!"

"We were going to use this to extract C.C. but since that no longer seems necessary…"

Point taken. He turned to the frightened, amnesiac woman staring at her own hands in absolute confusion and concentration, then dumped the hat on her head and pulled it over her eyes. No point in giving her the opportunity to catch herself in a reflection. How terrifying. Losing herself in a second. Her training, her identity, her ability to defend herself… And her ability to hurt them. Taken from her. Taken by him. Well, didn't he feel like garbage all of a sudden? This almost seemed crueller than killing a person. But it still had to be done.

"In you go," he gently helped her into the back seat of the car. "Don't worry, relax! These people will…" He winced. "Help you out soon enough."

"Oh, thank you so much! That's very helpful." D-Damn her, twisting the knife into his conscience like that! "It's so rare to see someone so thoughtful these days… I think? Is that right?"

"If you're quite done flirting with the enemy for a moment," Chiba interrupted with a polite cough. Ah! He hadn't intended to embarrass himself in front of one of the Four Holy Swords like that! "Please miss, keep your hat over your eyes. It's for your own benefit."

"Huh?" Ohgi asked. "Who are you talking about? Hat?" He turned to his right. "Oh! This could be a problem."

"Not half as much a problem as that other person you mentioned," Chiba said. "If it's the same person Tohdoh and you met on Kamine, then they could copy absolutely anyone and any special power they have."

Right. Ohgi had no trouble at all remembering that person. Something about that enemy chilled his blood. The way he wore Ohgi's own face, but twisted the expressions around in unnatural ways. While keeping his eye on their new prisoner - who had tugged the hat around her own eyes and was now twiddling her thumbs as if she didn't know what else to do with herself - it made Ohgi think. She must have been pursuing him, right? That's what was going on when they stumbled onto the two of them. It might not be his place to say, but it seemed to him as though -

"We need more information," Ohgi said. "Which means we need to get her memory back so we can question her."

"Agreed," Chiba said. "But only once we've run it past our superiors. If we need to take down this rogue shapeshifter we're going to need to handle this carefully. Who knows where they could be right now?"

Nobody in the car knew the answer to that question, yet it weighed heavily on their mind. Yet the answer would give them little relief: It is rarely of any comfort to learn that monsters exist, but even less comfort to learn that at that very moment they were directly underneath you, licking their lips and smiling a hungry, ravenous smile.

[To Be Continued |\|]

Geass Stats

Recollection Lever

User: Villetta Nu

Stats

Range C

Control C

Duration A

Stability B

Forget: By making eye contact and commanding victim(s) to "forget" about a particular object or person, the victim will completely forget about existence of object or person so long as they are not looking directly at it. May also be used to undo effects of "Remember". In which case their memory of the object will return to a neutral state.

Remember: By making eye contact and commanding victim(s) to "remember" a particular object or person, the victim will retain perfect recall of object, so long as they are not currently looking at it. May also be used to undo the effects of "Forget", in which case their memory of the object will return to a neutral state.