Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I know it must be incredibly stressful with what's going on in the world right now and the coronavirus pandemic we're all facing. It is my hope that this action-packed chapter of Code Prime will help relieve some of the stress we're all feeling (writing my stories certainly helps me to relieve my stress).

Now before we begin, you guys wanna hear something funny? You know how Nina has been asking to see Princess Euphemia to thank her for saving her during the Hotel Jacking (even though it was Rai who stood up for Nina and Euphie who stood up for him; being the borderline stalker that she is)? She asked Milly, and even Suzaku (despite her obvious racism towards the 'Elevens'). Suzaku himself even asked Lloyd and Cecile if he could meet with her for that same reason; but despite that, Suzaku had actually met with Euphemia twice and it was never brought up! And, I don't mean that Suzaku purposely didn't ask that, the fault actually lies with me, the writer; I'm the one who forgot it! It has nothing to do with the plot or anything, just something that slipped my mind, and I didn't even realize it till after my chapters were posted. (And considering it's Nina, I'm not all that upset about it. LOL)

So, with that being said, let's get started.

United We Stand

Arcee pulled onto the bridge of the Ark in her vehicle mode, this time however having two passengers with her instead of one. The one up front was of course, her human partner, Kallen; the other was the newest addition to the Black Knights: Shirley Fenette; who was clad in her own Black Knight uniform, the standard version suit for the female members of the organization.

"You made it, we're glad." Lelouch, who was clad in his Zero outfit, only without the mask, said as he, Ohgi, and Fixit were waiting for them, the only other occupants on the bridge were Ratchet, who continued to work at his personal station, and C.C. who just sat on the floor of the catwalk.

"Well it's not like we were on an important mission or anything." Kallen said as Arcee transformed behind the girls. She looked towards Shirley. "How's the uniform?"

"A little tight… but more comfortable than my school uniform." Shirley said somewhat nervously.

"You must be Shirley, Kallen's told me about you." Ohgi said as he approached the young girl.

"Yeah… and you're Mr. Ohgi… right?" Shirley asked, still feeling a bit nervous.

"Yep, and hey there's no need to be so nervous around us." Ohgi assured her. "We're not racist or anything, heck we even got some support from Britannian citizens; we're not so closed-minded to think all Britannians are bad. Kallen trust you, and anyone who's a friend of Kallen's is a friend of mine." Ohgi offered his hand for her to shake.

Shirley shook his hand with a relaxed smile. "I'm glad, and I'm looking forward to working with you, Mr. Ohgi."

Ohgi chuckled. "Just Ohgi, please."

Lelouch had a bit of a smile, glad to see Shirley getting along with the group already; he glanced towards Kallen and Arcee with something of a concerning expression as he thought back to their conversation about Shirley joining.


Flashback – Yesterday

"You want to be a Black Knight?!" Lelouch exclaimed in shock as he and Rai looked towards Shirley in surprise, who stood along with Kallen and Arcee, the conversation taking place in the Ark's Groundbridge bay.

"Yes, I do." Shirley confirmed.

"I… Shirley…" Rai stuttered. "Look, I'm glad you want to help us it's just…"

"No! Absolutely not!" Lelouch protested immediately before turning to Kallen and Arcee. "Why'd you two even bring her here!? Why didn't you try talking her out of it?!"

"We tried." Arcee shrugged. "She's a lot more stubborn than she looks."

"She was practically begging us, Lelouch." Kallen confirmed. "We even told her about the Decepticons, and even… Airachnid… and what they can do, but she still insisted on it."

"Shirley… look this isn't like the Student Council at school." Rai told her. "This is war! Life and death! You're… you're not just my friend… you are one of the few people I have in my life and… when I thought you were going to be killed by… by Mao… I almost lost it. I don't want to lose you… none of us want to see you get hurt."

"Rai…" Shirley looked at him with an understanding expression. "That's so sweet you care about me so much but… you're my friend to and I care about you just as much. If anything happened to you I… I don't know what I would do either."

"It's not just Rai." Lelouch told her in a stern yet understanding tone. "Shirley, you have to understand, like Rai just said, this is war. If you do this, you'll be essentially a traitor to your own country, and if you get caught… you'll likely be executed for treason. You have no idea how low Britannia will stoop and it's not just them. The Decepticons, I don't know what Kallen and Arcee have already told you… but the Cons are pure evil. You have no idea what they're capable of."

Shirley had listened to everything Lelouch had said and took a deep breath to speak calmly before replying. "Lelouch, I already know what they can do. I know what happened to Cybertron, Arcee's old partner, and even Bumblebee's voice. I know I haven't seen any Decepticons and I… I wouldn't mind not being around them myself. I also know I'm no soldier and I can't fight, but… after hearing what you and Nunnally went through; what the Decepticons and Britannia have done and what they're capable of…. I… I can't sit by anymore while you and our friends risk your lives fighting monsters as evil as that. If there's any way I can help, even just a tiny bit, that's enough for me. Please." Shirley bowed her head to him, surprising Lelouch. "Please let me join you. I'm sure there's something I can do; even if you have to make me a janitor or a cook, that's enough. But I have to do something! Please!"

Lelouch had no idea what to say at first. Shirley was begging to join him, and even saying she was alright if she was put in a small position. Lelouch was certain that there was some way she could help and considering some of the new recruits the Black Knights have gained were Britannians, he knew that she wouldn't face any discrimination. He could even see that she'd get along with some of the Autobots, she's already getting along with Arcee a bit, up to the point where Arcee and Kallen even brought Shirley here just to speak with them. But he was also quite scared; he almost lost her at Mao's hands, and he wouldn't want to think what Cornelia or his father would do to her, or even V.V. after learning about him from C.C. Or worse, what would happen if she was captured by the Decepticons. He cared about her a great deal, and he didn't want to see her hurt. He glanced towards Kallen and Arcee as they nodded to him, they seemed to think she'd fit right into their alliance

"I think she'd fit right in, Lelouch." Rai said to him, causing Lelouch to look in surprise. "I mean, if she's not in danger, I don't see a reason why she can't help. I don't want to run the risk of losing her again either but… it would be nice to have her along."

Lelouch took a deep sigh as he seemed convinced. "I'll have to talk with Optimus about this."

Shirley looked up to Lelouch with a hopeful smile. "You mean…"

"Like I said, I have to talk with Optimus about this." Lelouch explained. "We lead this alliance together; his input is just as valuable to me. But, let me make some things perfectly clear Shirley. First off, if you are brought into our ranks, you'll be minimally involved: no combat operations! I'll have someone I trust help you to get acclimated; I know Kallen and Rai here want to help, but their soldiers and have their place on the battlefield. This person will help you in the field that you'll be assigned in, I might even have one of the Autobots help you."

"Alright, what else?" Shirley asked.

"Secondly; you can't tell anyone about my identity." Lelouch continued. "Only the Autobots; Kallen, Rai, C.C., and few others have seen my face and know my former status as royalty, and even fewer know about my Geass. I plan to tell them eventually, but not right away. So, whenever I have my mask on, you'll address me only as 'Zero.' Is that clear?"

"Yes, I understand." Shirley nodded. "Whatever it is you have me in, I promise I'll do my best."


End Flashback

Despite Lelouch's initial worry, he was glad to see Shirley getting along well with his allies in the Autobots and the rest of the Black Knights. He spoke with Optimus and even agreed she'd be safe with them, on the condition that she'd be placed in non-combative roll, which Lelouch was already set on. Maybe this would turn out just fine after all.

"Hello Shirley, it's good to see you again." Fixit rolled up towards her.

Shirley, in turn, smiled at him. "Nice to see you to, Fixit." She looked up towards the medic, still working. "Hey Ratchet!" He simply turned and gave a nod in her direction. "C.C.!" She waved toward her, as C.C. gave a slight wave in response. "So, where's Rai and everyone else?"

"Optimus and Ironhide are working with Kyoto at the moment." Fixit explained. "Cliffjumper and Bumblebee are on an Energon scouting mission."

"And Bulkhead, Rai, and Wheeljack are working with Katase to try and find the Four Holy Swords." Ohgi also said.

"The Four Holy Swords?" Shirley asked.

"The best pilots in the entire JLF." Kallen explained. "We hadn't seen them since Narita."

"And considering the reputation their leader Tohdoh has, not to mention they're good enough to hold their own against the Cons in Burais, they'd be valuable assets." Arcee added.

To say Shirley was impressed would be an understatement. "They sound amazing! I can't wait to meet them!"

Meanwhile; C.C. walked toward Ratchet while he was still working. "Looks like we got another lively new recruit." She teased the medic. "Are you sure you can handle that?"

"This place already has over a hundred humans in it rather periodically, and the numbers are only growing larger. One additional human won't be an issue." Ratchet said logically.

C.C. smirked slightly. "You might be careful, Lelouch might have her your new assistant."

Ratchet shuddered slightly, honestly; he preferred this immortal girl when she was stoic. "Changing the subject, you are certain there isn't some type of connection between you and V.V."

C.C.'s smile faded at the mention of that name. "We already talked about this. V.V. cannot track me; he might try to contact me and talk to me, but I just ignore him. He doesn't know the Ark's location, and neither does Charles for that matter"

"And you still have no idea what kind of Geass the Emperor has?" Ratchet asked.

"All I know is that Charles does indeed have a Geass." C.C. explained. "I don't know what type of Geass he has, but he has one. I also know he's been working on something he doesn't want Megatron to find out about."

"And that is also the reason you left their group?" Ratchet asked. "And Clovis' experimentations on you wasn't connected to the Emperor or the Decepticons?"

"Yes, to your first question; and no, to your second." C.C. responded.

Ratchet mused his thoughts for a moment. After she told him, Optimus, Lelouch, and Fixit; they relayed this information to Arcee, Kallen, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Rai, Wheeljack, and Ironhide. They all found it to be quite disturbing and agreed to keep this quiet from the other Black Knights for the time being; though Lelouch plans to tell the Black Knights' leadership later, now was not the time.

The Autobot medic's thoughts were interrupted by a small beep on his station. "Hmm, that's odd…"

"What's odd?" C.C. asked.

Ratchet brought up a screen from his station, allowing C.C. to see a three-dimensional landscape with a strange reading in the form of a vortex. "This is an extremely unusual magnetic flux, for any planet."


The Nemesis

Soundwave had picked up the exact same readings and showed it on his visor toward his lord and master.

"I recognize this magnetic signature, Soundwave." Megatron said. "And it would be unfortunate to have a Decepticon invention such as this used against us."

"I will secure the weapon, Lord Megatron." Breakdown volunteered.

"Breakdown? Hmph." Megatron scoffed. "Even with our forces to aid you, you've been repeatedly bested by the Autobots and their Black Knight allies. What chance do you have alone?"

"Allow me to redeem myself master." Breakdown pleaded. "What I have lost… is a constant reminder that I must never again fail you. And nobody wants to make the one who did this to me dead any more than I do!"

Megatron raised an eyebrow, mostly for mere amusement. He acknowledged Breakdown as one of the strongest of his soldiers but given how the Autobots and their Black Knight allies virtually never go anywhere alone, perhaps Breakdown should have some assistance of his own.

"Very well." Megatron nodded. "However, you will have a partner for this mission."

"I'll call Knock Out and…" Breakdown said but was interrupted by his leader.

"No. I'll have you joined by our… newest recruit. He needs to get his feet wet, and to have someone ruthless by his side in order to help flush out his naiveity."


Camelot Division

"Bad news Suzaku!" Lloyd said enthusiastically toward the Honorary Britannian as he worked on his homework. "You're lined up for a new mission!"

"A new mission? What is it? The Black Knights and the Autobots?" Suzaku stood up immediately.

"Nope. Apparently the Decepticons have found some strange magnetic flux going around near the base of Mt Fuji." Lloyd said. "You're to meet Breakdown and investigate it."

"Just Breakdown?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes; though we don't expect the BKs and the Bots to make an appearance, it's not totally unexpected." Lloyd said. "And since it's an order from your Lord Megatron, you can't really say 'no' can you?"

Suzaku was hesitant for a moment, the thoughts and doubts he experienced since his time with Euphemia a few days ago hadn't faded. However, he had a mission and he would see it through. "I'll do it."


The Ark

Bulkhead pulled onto the bridge, Heavy Metal music blaring through his speakers. Tamaki jumped out of Bulkhead's driver seat, imitating a guitarist. "Bam! Ba! Ba! Bam!"

"Did you have to turn it up so loud?" Rai complained as he felt his sore ears, along with Kaguya.

"What, you gotta problem with my taste in music, kid?" Tamaki questioned.

"You like Heavy Metal, that's fine. But don't blast our ears out!" Rai complained as he looked towards Bulkhead who transformed and turned off the music, causing Tamaki to pout.

"Sorry Rai." Bulkhead apologized to the amnesiac youth.

"Thanks… and my apologies to you Lady Kaguya." Rai told the youngest member of Kyoto. "Tamaki just… has some self-control issues." Rai's commented caused Tamaki to pout even further while looking away.

"My ears accept your apology." Kaguya smiled before the group turned; having finally noticed Lelouch, Kallen, Shirley, Ohgi, and Arcee.

"Remember when the Black Knights weren't a high school club?" Tamaki muttered, only to get elbowed in the side by Rai.

"Hey Shirley, how you doing? You know, that uniform looks great on you." Rai complemented on her new status as a Black Knight.

"Oh, thank you…" Shirley smiled with a small blush on her cheeks.

"So, you must be Shirley. Rai and Lelouch told me much about you." Kaguya approached.

"Um, I'm sorry but who are you?"

"Shirley, this is Kaguya Sumeragi." Lelouch introduced for her. "She's one of the heads in Kyoto, a personal friend of mine, and Suzaku's cousin."

"His cousin?!" Shirley voiced in surprise.

"Yes, Lelouch told me about how you and Suzaku are classmates. Thanks for keeping an eye on him." Kaguya smiled.

"Oh, you're welcome." Shirley smiled back. "Very nice to meet you Lady Kaguya."

"Bulkhead!" Ratchet called to the largest Autobot. "I need you back in the field!"

"What's going on?" Lelouch asked as everyone directed their attention toward Ratchet.

"An unusual magnetic disturbance at the base of Mt. Fuji." Ratchet answered.

"Britannia? Decepticons?" Arcee asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Rachet replied. "But this could become a serious problem if left unchecked."

"Alright; but take Arcee, Kallen, and Rai to." Lelouch said to Bulkhead; much to the surprise of the others. "If the Decepticons or Britannia become involved in this it wouldn't hurt to have back-up."

"Makes sense." Kallen shrugged. "We'll just grab our Knightmares real quick."

"Is… is there anything I can do to help?" Shirley asked.

"Sorry Shirley, not for a field mission." Rai said. "Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long."

"Let's get going kids." Bulkhead said as he and Arcee both transformed, while Kallen and Rai boarded their respective partners before driving from the bridge toward the Knightmare-bay.

"But they just got here." Shirley was a tad upset some of her friends were leaving before they even had a chance to talk.

"It's the price with being in this group. You never know when something's gonna come up." Ohgi assured.

"Shirley, during this time you'll be working with Lady Kaguya." Lelouch told her. "I've assigned you to the intelligence unit, Kaguya will help you get acclimated in that field."

"Really?" Shirley asked in surprise, though it was a good once since Lelouch had already figured out a way where she can help.

"Yep, you and I are going to be spending quite a lot of time together Shirley." Kaguya told has she held both the older girl's hands. "But right now, time for some girl-talk."

"Wha… wait hold on…!" Kaguya pulled the confused Shirley away, not sure what she meant by 'girl talk'.

Lelouch winced inwardly, though he knew Kaguya was a good person and would definitely help Shirley, as she was one of the few people he trusted around Nunnally during their stay at the Kururugi residence before the invasion, it didn't mean she can't she a bit… eccentric to say the least. God, Lelouch could only pray that Kaguya and Milly never meet.

"Looks like your girlfriends are getting along just fine?" Tamaki teased Lelouch.

"I don't have a harem, Tamaki." Lelouch's eyelids lowered in annoyance. He then got serious before addressing Tamaki again. "So, where's Wheeljack? I thought he was with you and Bulkhead."

"Met up with O.P. and the big guns in Kyoto looking for the Holy Swords." Tamaki answered.

"You still haven't found them?" Lelouch asked.

"I'm pretty sure we're not going to find the legendary Kyoshiro Tohdoh unless he wants us to find him." Ohgi replied.

Lelouch looked downward slightly. He had nothing but respect for the 'Miracle-Worker of Itsukushima', and he would be invaluable in their growing conflict with Britannia and the Decepticons.

"Tohdoh's proven strong enough to take care of himself, in addition he has the Holy Swords with him." Lelouch said. "In the meantime, we have another guest we need to look after."


Lelouch, still clad in his Zero-outfit, along with Tamaki and Ohgi met with Fixit and C.C. just outside the medical center.

"Well?" Lelouch asked the pair.

"Her injuries have fully healed, save for the scars on her back." Fixit answered.

"And you're sure she doesn't remember anything?" Lelouch asked once more.

"C.C. and our medics gave her a series of tests and it seems that's the face… base… case!" Fixit glitched. "She doesn't even know her own name."

"She even asked me about my parents, thinking I was a teenager in high school." C.C. commented.

"Well you do look really young." Tamaki pointed out. "How old are you anyway?"

"You tell me." C.C. replied.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" Ohgi asked.

"As she seen any of the Autobots?" Lelouch asked.

"No, all her medics have been human, and myself." C.C. answered. "She hasn't even seen Fixit yet."

Lelouch began to think, until Ohgi spoke. "Hey um, Zero. If it's alright, I can look after her."

That suggestion not only took Lelouch and Tamaki by surprise, but even Fixit and C.C. "Seriously? You wanna look after a damn Pureblood?" Tamaki questioned.

"It's like they've said, she doesn't remember anything." Ohgi responded.

"By why do you want to look after her?" Lelouch asked

"I don't know…" Ohgi rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I helped to find her…. So I guess I feel a little responsible."

"I found her to ya know." Tamaki pointed out.

"Yes, but Ohgi seems the least likely of the two of you to do something to her out of spite." C.C. said bluntly, causing Tamaki to scowl at the immortal.

"Alright." Lelouch nodded. "I trust you Ohgi. But she can't stay here." He turned to Fixit. "Can she be moved?"

"I need to conduct a few more tests before she's ready." Fixit answered. "Human biology is much more complicated to understand than Cybertronian."

"Okay, but Ohgi, she shows any signs of regaining her memories, let us know immediately." Lelouch made that last point rather clear. "She was able to see my face; I want to know how she connected the dots so that no one else can follow the same trail."

"I understand." Ohgi nodded. "I'll go in and introduce myself to her. Is that alright?" He asked Fixit.

"She's fully conscious, so that would be alright." Fixit responded before Ohgi walked into the medical center to get acquainted with the amnesiac pureblood named Villetta.


Breakdown held his own scanner as he walked along the rocky landscape at the base of Mt. Fuji, with the Lancelot slowly rolling by his side, piloted by none other than Suzaku. Breakdown's scanner seemed to pick up the source of the magnetic flux further down a small hill.

"Jackpot." Breakdown walked closer toward their target.

As Suzaku trailed behind, he noticed the screens on the Lancelot glitching a little bit. "Breakdown, something's wrong. My systems are slowing down."

"Probably the flux." Breakdown guessed. "That little white nutcracker still working alright?"

"The controls seem to work just fine." Suzaku answered. "So, what exactly are we looking for."

"Oh, just your typical Decepticon WMD." Breakdown answered.

"WMD?" Suzaku asked.

"Weapon of Mass Destruction, idiot." Breakdown told him. That took Suzaku by surprise, though Breakdown couldn't see the young Honorary Britannian's face in the Knightmare, he noticed it stopped briefly. "Oh, don't act so surprised. In case you've forgot kid, you're piloting a WMD right now."

Suzaku grunted. He couldn't deny that was true, the Lancelot was one of the most powerful Knightmares out there and it was capable of an enormous amount of destruction, even though Suzaku would want to avoid something like that. As he saw Breakdown move near a large pile of rocks, the large Decepticon's hand turned into a hammer as he began to smash and dig away at the boulders toward their intended target.

"Hey, Breakdown. This might be an odd question to ask but…. Why are you a Decepticon?"

Breakdown looked towards Lancelot questionably. "Why? Doing a report at school or something?"

"Just please tell me." Suzaku replied.

The large Decepticon rolled his only optic. "Because of Megatron, one of the few bots I ever lost to."

That caught Suzaku's attention. "What do you mean, 'lost to'?"

"Long story, short; during the War on Cybertron, he and a bunch of Cons took out this dam." Breakdown explained. "I challenged Megatron to a fight, to see if he was tougher than I was. I told him if he beats me, I would join him. I didn't even last a full minute before I was on the ground." He scoffed slightly. "But I don't expect anything less from the Gladiator of Kaon."

Suzaku's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed, almost accusingly. "You… you joined the Decepticons… just because you lost a fight? I thought you…"

"Kid, I ain't one of those philosophy-jargons or whatever." Breakdown dismissed. "But let me tell you something; you wanna get far in life, you gotta be strong! Cause at the end of the day…" Breakdown gave a yell as he smashed the pile of boulders with his hammer, to reveal the device he and Suzaku have been looking for. "It's the strongest that get all the perks."

Breakdown held an odd-looking hand-held device. Though Suzaku saw the device on the monitors of the Lancelot's cockpit, he was mostly thinking about what Breakdown just said. He pretty much openly admitted he doesn't care about anything else other than fighting and being the strongest. True, one would need strength to get far in life, but it wasn't the only real purpose to life, was it?

Suddenly, there was a small ding on the radar. "Breakdown, something's coming."

Suzaku's warning was right in tuned with an odd sound that the large Decepticon heard across the area. Breakdown was on high-alert as he produced his shoulder cannon. "Heads up, kid. We got company."

"The Autobots? Black Knights?" Suzaku wondered as he readied the Lancelot.

"Guess again!"

They both turned to see the rogue spider-con Airachnid perched in-between several large rocks, just as she chuckled and used her spider-legs to launch herself and land a kick in Breakdown's face to knock him down.

"Airachnid!" Suzaku exclaimed in shock, and that shock was the opening she needed to pounce onto the Lancelot with her spider-legs and kick it down with her own natural legs before scurrying to the downed gauntlet-device and picking it up.

"Hello Suzaku." Airachnid greeted in a casual, yet sadistic tone. "Led any massacres lately?"

In direct response to that, Suzaku shot the Lancelot straight at Airachnid, launching the Knightmare's slash harkens at her, but she used her spider-legs to jump high into the air and avoid the harkens that hit the ground. While airborne, she shot some of her webbing at the Lancelot's feet, trapping the tires underneath and halting it's advance.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" Airachnid teased as she landed behind the Lancelot. "After spending all that time together?"

"Mind if I cut in?" Breakdown grabbed Airachnid by the shoulder and knocked her back with the swing of his hammer, simultaneously knocking the gauntlet-device out of her grip.

Airachnid skidded for a moment but hissed at Breakdown. This also gave Suzaku an opening to draw one of the Lancelot's MVS blade to cut through and burn the webbing at the Lancelot's feet to free it. Suzaku drove behind Airachnid as Breakdown approached from the front, surrounding her.

"So, this is the rogue Con giving you trouble, kid?" Breakdown asked.

"Yes, that's her." Suzaku's eyes narrowed with a subtle hate at Airachnid.

"Tell you what. Help me hogtie her and haul her in, and I'm sure the big boss will give you a promotion." Breakdown suggested as he and the Lancelot charged forward straight at Airachnid, who curved around both the hammer-strike and sword-slice from Breakdown and the Lancelot respective. She leapt back to gain some distance.

"Two on one hardly seems fair. You boys sure know how to play dirty." Airachnid taunted.

"You're saying we fight dirty?!" Suzaku exclaimed in disbelief. "After what you did in the ghettos?!" He shot at Airachnid at high-speeds, who simply jumped over him with her spider-legs, landed from behind and stuck to the Lancelot's back before pushing it into a large pile of rocks face-first before climbing over it towards the top, literally looking down on both Suzaku and Breakdown.

"Still as emotional and naïve as ever I see." Airachnid said before looking at Breakdown. "And it seems like your partner isn't much for much for depth perception anymore, Suzaku." Airachnid taunted Breakdown and the fact he only had one eye left.

"Well… not much for looks anymore!" Breakdown retorted with a missile blast from his shoulder-cannon, but she simply leapt back to avoid the blast just as Suzaku pulled the Lancelot back up.

"Where'd she go?"

Suzaku's answer came in the form of a drilling noise from underneath him and his Decepticon partner. Before either of them could address what was happening, the entire ground collapsed under them before more dirt and rocks piled on top of them as the sunk even deeper. Within mere moments, both Breakdown and the Lancelot were completely buried.

Airachnid then tunneled her way back to the surface. This was one area in Mt. Fuji that had been already stripped of its Energon, or Sakuradite as Britannia liked to call it, so not only was it virtually abandoned, but all the mining in the area made it easier for her to tunnel underground and trap anyone who would venture out to find her here.

"It was a lovely burial." Airachnid mused as she picked up the gauntlet device. "Sorry we have to part ways Suzaku, but I never could stand the naïve type." She proceeded to walk away where she heard Breakdown's muffled struggles from underground. "Sorry, can't quite understand you."

Suddenly; a large explosion shook the entire area as a massive hole was blasted out from the ground. Airachnid looked up in surprise to see the Lancelot in the air, with the VARIS in hand, while also spinning to deliver an airborne kick to Airachnid and send her flying and skidding across the ground. By the time she stopped, the Lancelot was directly over her as it aimed the VARIS rifle at her face.

"You've seen what this weapon can do; remember, Airachnid?" Suzaku reminded her. "Surrender now. I am placing you under arrest."

Airachnid showed her hands, while also smirking. "Under arrest, am I? You still think you're the good guy?" She suddenly blasted a pair of Energon blasts from her palms to blast the VARIS out of the Lancelot's grip before Airachnid shot up her spider-legs to pierce and destroy the weapon, while also shooting herself up to kick the Lancelot in the face before shooting her extra appendages at it to knock it back to the ground.

However, before Airachnid could press further, Breakdown suddenly appeared over her to deliver an uppercut with his hammer and knock Airachnid back further. She looked up with a glare to see the Lancelot stand back up alongside Breakdown.

"Kid, first rule of war, never give your enemy an opening." Breakdown told Suzaku. "Either you kill or get killed yourself." He said before he charged at Airachnid, who charged back. Suzaku hesitated for a second as Breakdown's words played in his head, but he ended up droving the Lancelot into the conflict as well.


Arcee and Bulkhead walked along the rocky landscape of the base of Mt. Fuji, along with Kallen and Rai who rolled in their Knightmares, the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production respectively.

"You sure we should be out here in broad daylight?" Rai asked. "I know Kyoto's influence extends all the way to Mt. Fuji, but isn't Britannia also here?"

"This is an abandoned mining area." Arcee explained. "All the Energon in this spot was already extracted, there's nothing left here."

Kallen saw the screens in her cockpit began to glitch up. "Hey, something's up with the Guren, guys." She said as she tried to adjust the settings.

"Yeah, the Gekka's screens are glitching up to." Rai reported.

"It's probably the magnetic flux." Bulkhead guessed.

"How are the controls?" Arcee asked. "If you can't work the Knightmares, we might have to send you guys back."

"Controls work just fine." Kallen confirmed. "Don't worry, we can still fight."

"It's good to be prepared for a fight, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful, Kallen." Arcee told her. "This is a recon mission, and a scout should be silent but deadly."

That particular comment earned a snicker from Bulkhead; Arcee even heard a slight giggle from Kallen and Rai from their Knightmare's speakers, with Kallen holding a hand over mouth as she chuckled.

"What?" Arcee questioned in confusion.

"Arcee… 'silent but deadly' means something completely different here on Earth." Rai chuckled before everyone else got to the mission.

The group continued to proceed as Bulkhead carried the scanner. "Hmm, looks like Ratchet's magnetic flux is coming from…" The group looked in surprise as they quickly lowered themselves behind some cover to look down a cliffside to see Airachnid duking it out with both Breakdown and the Lancelot.

Airachnid knocked the Lancelot down with a kick and tried to make her way toward the gauntlet-device they were fighting over, only for Breakdown to grab her and pull her up by her spider-legs, but she was still able to deliver a kick to his face to knock him down as well.

"Airachnid." Arcee growled upon seeing her hated nemesis.

"Haven't seen her in a while." Kallen's eyes narrowed as well.

"Breakdown's here to, and Suzaku." Rai noted. "And they're mashing it up."

"Over that." Bulkhead and everyone else saw the gauntlet-device they were all fighting over.

"The source of the magnetic disturbance." Arcee deduced.

"So, what's the plan?" Rai asked. "I know we're going to be fighting those two Cons, but what about… Suzaku." Though he was on the enemy's side, Rai held some great reluctance in fighting his friend, even Kallen felt the same way.

"We'll just break the Lancelot, not blow it up." Bulkhead guessed.

"We also can't run the risk of Suzaku recognizing you two." Arcee said to Kallen and Rai.

"We'll just address each other by our Knightmare names." Kallen replied. "As far as Suzaku knows; we're not soldiers so I don't think he'll recognize us unless we step out of our Knightmares."

"Airachnid might." Arcee wasn't comfortable with Kallen facing Airachnid again.

"But she doesn't know me from school like how Suzaku does. Besides…" Kallen readied the Radiant Wave Surger claw. "I've been wanting a rematch with the spider-bitch for a long time."

"Alright, let's do this." Bulkhead said as he formed his mace-weapon in his right hand, Arcee armed her Energon blasters, while Rai readied his own Radiant Wave Surger claw as well, the Geass sigil forming in Rai's left eye.

The scuffle between Airachnid, Breakdown, and the Lancelot continued as the gauntlet-device slid towards Airachnid, but before she could reach for it, an Energon blast was able to knock it away from her. She looked in the direction of where the blast came from.

"Arcee." She greeted as Suzaku and Breakdown even stopped fighting to see who joined in on the battle. "And look, you brought me even more partners to snuff." She mocked, referring to Bulkhead and the two Black Knight Knightmares.

"That would be Bulkhead and two of their Black Knight buddies." Breakdown said.

"Who asked you?" Airachnid questioned.

'So, looks like they're here to.' Suzaku's eyes narrowed at the enemy, completely unaware that the two Knightmare pilots were his classmates.

"Launch me." Arcee said to Bulkhead. The largest Autobot held out his hand for Arcee to step in, and with a thrust of his hand, he had launched Arcee into the air where she opened fire with her Energon blasters at the three enemies, keeping them at a distance as she landed.

The Lancelot was about to shoot right at Arcee, but Airachnid stepped in Suzaku's way. "No! She's mine!"

"I can't let you…" Before Suzaku could even stop Airachnid however, Rai in his blue Gekka had leapt down from the ledge as Rai swung his Knightmare's Revolving Blade katana at the Lancelot, which it blocked with its Blaze Luminous shield before taking a step back to face the blue Knightmare.

Breakdown was more than ready to charge at the Gekka Pre-Production, but Bulkhead had suddenly appeared to slam his mace across Breakdown's face.

Arcee produced her arm-blades as she parried and blocked the strikes from the lunges of Airachnid's razor-sharp spider legs. Airachnid however soon found herself on the defensive as she just barely avoided the slice from the Guren's knife as Kallen tried to reach out with the Radiant Wave Surger claw, but Airachnid kept her distance with an extra jump from her spider-legs.

The Gekka's katana locked with the Lancelot's MVS as the two Knightmares pressed against each other. Though Suzaku narrowed his eyes, Rai had a conflicted look on his face. 'Suzaku… I'm sorry. I know you're a good person but… I have to bring you down.' He saw the Decepticon emblem etched onto the Lancelot's shoulder. 'So long as you're with them… I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again.'

The Gekka rolled back slightly to avoid a slice from the Lancelot's two MVS blades as the Gekka only had one sword of its own. As the Lancelot tried to slice at the Gekka, it leapt into the air to flip and deliver a vertical axe-kick, but the Lancelot rolled back to avoid the kick as it hit the ground.

'Even with Knock Out's modifications… that thing's as fast as the Lancelot?' Suzaku thought as he launched the slash harkens from its right hand at the charging Gekka Pre-Production, but Rai activated the Radiant Wave Surger as he raised its claw; the repulsing and heat-endued energy not only blocked but melted and destroyed the harkens. The Gekka was suddenly right in front of the Lancelot with a slash from its katana, forcing the Lancelot on the defensive as it used its Blaze Luminous shield once again to block the strike.

Bulkhead meanwhile blocked the hammer-strikes from Breakdown with his arms before Bulkhead tried to deliver a mallet to Breakdown's fade again, only for Breakdown to catch Bulkhead's arm just as Bulkhead himself caught Breakdown's other arm and they pressed their strength against one another. Breakdown growled in anger, but Bulkhead delivered a head-butt, disorienting his enemy long enough for the Wrecker to spin and slam both his arms into Breakdown's side and send him flying into a large pile of rocks.

Meanwhile, Airachnid shot some web out to pin Arcee to a pile of rocks and trap her. However, this left Airachnid open for the Guren MK II to zoom in and lash out its knife, forcing Airachnid to leap back where she tried to ensnare it as well with her webbing, but Kallen raised the Guren's claw and activated the Surger, using the energy as shield to completely burn away at the web before zooming forward and delivering a roundhouse kick, using the momentum, to land a solid kick on Airachnid's face and knock her back.

'I recognize that ferocity.' Airachnid thought as she picked herself back up. "Is that you in there, Kallen?"

"Your damn right, it's me!" Kallen confirmed. "Don't think that this is gonna be anything like last time, Airachnid! This time, I'm ready for you!"

"Is that so?" Airachnid mused. "I have to admit, that's a nice toy you got right there. Let's see if it cracks as easily as the last one." She propelled herself up onto a higher perch and shot a series of Energon blasts from her palms.

Kallen however was able to steer and maneuver the Guren so it wouldn't get hit. She was able to jump with the Guren and flip in the air to try and bring an axe-kick down on from where Airachnid was once perched, but the spider-Con leapt down back to the ground to avoid it, but the Guren leapt after her. Airachnid tried to lash out her upper two spider-legs on her, but the Guren produced it's Surger claw again and activated it, creating a make-shift shield that not only blocked Airachnid's strike but even forced her to pull back her spider-legs or else risk them getting blown up. But this left Airachnid open for Kallen to lash out with the Guren's knife and slash Airachnid in the face, creating a long cut underneath her eyes.

"Look who's cracked now, spider-bitch." Kallen taunted. This really seemed to irritate Airachnid as she hissed at Kallen and was ready to attack again, but this left her open for Arcee, who was free from the webbing to drive straight at her in her motorcycle form before transforming and delivering an uppercut that actually launched Airachnid into the air.

"Toss me!" Arcee said to Kallen as she leapt into the Guren's Surger claw where she, similar to Bulkhead's previous move, was able to toss Arcee into the air where she met Airachnid and delivered a powerful airborne kick, gaining momentum from Kallen's throw, and sending Airachnid crashing down into the Lancelot, which was still locked in a duel against the Gekka and sending them both crashing into Breakdown who was just barely recovering.

Arcee landed on the ground where she stood alongside Bulkhead, the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production, all four warriors looked ready for more; as opposed to the two Decepticons and the white Knightmare that seemed almost beaten. Even though Suzaku's eyes narrowed even further with a glare, refusing to give up.

However, this also happened to knock Breakdown particularly close to the gauntlet-device he and Suzaku were sent to retrieve. He picked it up in his hand. "Thank you." Breakdown pressed a button on the side as the device activated, where a 'gauntlet' of orange lines and energy formed around Breakdown's arm, much to Suzaku's surprise.

"Do you even know that does?! It isn't a toy!" Airachnid exclaimed as she saw a powerful surge of energy forming at the fist of the gauntlet. Seeing how bad this could be, she decided to make a run for it, using her spider-legs for an extra boost.

"Oh no you don't!" Suzaku pursued after Airachnid, not letting her get away. This also prompted Arcee and Kallen to chase after them as Arcee shot at Airachnid with her Energon blasts, and for the Guren to intercept the Lancelot and launch its Surger at the white Knightmare, forcing Suzaku to leap back. Airachnid however tunneled herself underground as Arcee tried to shoot down the hole in a vain attempt to stop Airachnid.

Bulkhead and Rai meanwhile were about to charge Breakdown when he aimed the gauntlet at the two of them, and an unknown force suddenly began to drag both the Wrecker and the Gekka slowly toward their enemy.

"Wha… what the…?!" Rai struggled with the controls as despite his best efforts, he almost lost complete control of the Gekka.

Arcee also felt herself being pulled in by the same force, and even the Guren was pulled in as well. "What the hell…?!" Kallen questioned as she too struggled against the gauntlet's magnetic pull.

Suzaku himself as in the similar boat; however, since he was further away, he maintained some control with the Lancelot as he put it in reverse at full-speed, but that only seemed to keep the white Knightmare exactly where it was, even though it felt like it was being pulled in two separate directions. Despite his current situation, Suzaku could only look in awe as he saw the two Autobots and the red and blue Knightmares get lifted into the air, almost telekinetically by the device Breakdown was using.

Breakdown chuckled amusingly. "What's this switch do?" He was practically playing with the gauntlet as he pressed a certain button, that sent all four enemies flying and crashing into a pile of rocks.

Now that the magnetic pull was gone, Suzaku was almost reeled back as he still had his Knightmare in reverse, but he quickly brought it to a halt as he could only look in surprise at the display of power he just witnessed and was almost rendered speechless.

"Megatron's gonna love this." Breakdown smirked. "Time to go, kid." He told Suzaku.

"But… what about the Autobots and the Black Knights? Or Airachnid? We have to arrest…?" Suzaku tried to protest.

"I said we're leaving! We got what we came for." Breakdown told him. "That's an order."

Suzaku was reluctant, but he knew Breakdown was his superior for this mission and he couldn't disobey an order. "Yes sir."

Breakdown then transformed into his vehicle mode and drove away with the Lancelot following him.

The cockpit in the downed Gekka opened as Rai rubbed his head, while Bulkhead groaned next to him. "Bulk, you okay buddy?"

"I'll live." Bulkhead grunted.

Rai turned to see the Guren right next to the Gekka. "What about you, Kallen? Still in one piece?"

Though the cockpit didn't open, Kallen shook the cobwebs from her head. "Yeah… I'm alright. What about Arcee?"

"I don't see her." Bulkhead looked around.

"I'm right behind you."

"Where?" Bulkhead still looked around but couldn't find her as he was already standing up. The moment he was back on his two legs however, Rai winced slightly as he where Arcee was.

"Let's just say… she's got your back."

Bulkhead turned around to reveal Arcee was completely stuck to the green Autobot's back. She wasn't tied or webbed to his back; but rather magnetized. Despite Arcee's struggles, she couldn't pull herself free as she simply hung from her current predicament.

Rai felt his Gekka shake up a bit, causing him to hold onto the open cockpit of the blue Knightmare as Kallen had pulled the Guren back up. But Rai's eyes widened once he saw their Knightmares were in a similar position.

"Uh Kallen… our Knightmares are holding hands."

"What?" Kallen voiced in surprise as she saw that the Radiant Wave Surger claw on her own Knightmare was stuck onto the Surger claw attached to the Gekka. She tried to pull away on it, but only ended up dragging the Gekka with her as Rai sat back into the cockpit to avoid being thrown off. He tried to pull in a separate direction, only for both Knightmares to remain where they were; stuck together by their silver claws.

"Scrap!" Kallen cursed.


Meanwhile; Breakdown drove in his vehicle mode, with the Lancelot beside him on an old road leading away from the mountain. The pair passed an old minion operation with several abandoned drills and stations.

"Breakdown, why did you just leave them?" Suzaku questioned. "Two Autobots and two Black Knights were right there! We could have captured them…"

"Our mission was to secure the weapon, and we did." Breakdown replied. "Don't worry, with this baby, pretty much all the Bots and their little Black Knight pets are as good as dead. So just shut up and…"

"Breakdown, look out!" Suzaku warned as a small rockslide rolled down the hillside toward them. Breakdown attempted to swerve out of the way, as the Lancelot jumped over to try and cut through some of the rocks with an MVS, only for a strand of webbing to catch it by the foot and pull the Lancelot down into Breakdown; sending them both crashing onto the ground where even more webbing was shot down to pin them down.

Even as Breakdown transformed back, it only tangled him and the Lancelot even more in the webbing as they looked up the hillside to see Airachnid smirking down at them.


"You've been magnetized?! Together?!" Ratchet questioned over the communications as Kallen stood on Bulkhead's right shoulder and tried to use a crowbar to give Arcee some leeway and pull herself out. Rai meanwhile used a crowbar of his own to try and pry the Surger claws of the Guren and Gekka off each other as well.

Despite Kallen's best efforts, the crowbar snapped, much to her frustration as she threw it away. "They're inseparable!"

"Even our Knightmares' Surger claws are stuck together. It's almost like the Gekka and Guren are holding hands." Rai said in exhaustion as he couldn't separate them either.

"And the device that did this is in on its way to Megatron." Bulkhead said.


The Ark

"A Polarity Gauntlet." Ratchet deduced; with Lelouch, Ohgi, Fixit, Tamaki, Shirley, C.C., and Kaguya present as well. "A deceptively simple yet diabolical creation."

"So, it's basically a weaponized magnet?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes, that is one way to describe it." Fixit confirmed. "We had originally thought they were all destroyed during the war."

"Obviously, one survived." Lelouch commented.

"Just tell me you can unhitch us, Ratchet." Arcee hoped.

"It may simply be a residual magnetic charge providing your current… attraction." Ratchet assumed.

Tamaki snickered. "Hey, did you guys here that? You're attracted to each other!" He laughed.

"Can someone please kick Tamaki in the shin for me!" Kallen exclaimed. C.C. shrugged before kicking Tamaki in the aforementioned shin.

"Ow!" The hothead held his shin in comic pain. "What the hell was that for?!"

"She asked me to." C.C. smirked, causing Tamaki to scowl.

Ratchet briefly rolled his optics at this display before getting back to the topic at-hand. "But I'm afraid retrieving the Gauntlet is our surest bet for reversing its effect. Once Megatron gets his hands on the Gauntlet."

"He'll use it for a lot more than attaching notes and family photos to the fridge." Ohgi said as he, Lelouch, Kaguya, and Fixit looked understandably worried.

"Um Lelouch… I'm not sure I follow." Shirley confessed embarrassingly.

"Shirley, think about it." Lelouch explained to her. "What do Autobots, Decepticons, and Knightmares all have in common? They're made of metal. And this Polarity Gauntlet is basically a weaponized magnet."

"Yes, if Megatron can repel us with the flick of a switch, we might never again have another shot at him." Ratchet agreed.

"A near impenetrable defense." Kaguya voiced with worry.

"Or worse yet… if Megatron and Britannia found a way to mass-produce the Gauntlet… not only could they meld our armies into a scrap-pile, they might even be able to twist entire cities like pretzels!" Lelouch stated.

Shirley seemed to get it as a look of terror formed on her face. "Yeah… that does sound bad."

"Well, the good news is that the Polarity Gauntlet is still nearby." Fixit reported as he looked at the readings on the Ark's screen. "In fact, it's no longer in transit. If you move now, you should be able to intercept it."

"You think we should call for help? Send back up?" Ohgi asked.

"No." Lelouch said. "With a weapon like this Polarity Gauntlet, both our Knightmares and any other Autobots we send will only be put in danger. Even with the condition they're in; Kallen, Arcee, Rai, and Bulkhead are our best if not our only option."

"Are you sure, Lelouch?" Shirley asked with concern.

"You don't have to worry, Shirley." Lelouch told her. "Kallen and Rai are the best Knightmare pilots in the entire organization, Bulkhead's a Wrecker, and Arcee is pretty much the equivalent of a kunoichi; a female ninja. If anyone can do it, they can."

"Not to mention the Guren MK II and the Gekka Pre-Production are some of the strongest Knightmares Kyoto have produced thus far." Kaguya added.

"Glad we have your vote of confidence." Arcee commented.

"Maybe if we used the Radiant Wave Surgers…" Rai suggested.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! And blow our Knightmares up?!" Kallen exclaimed.

"No! I mean, what if Kallen and I use both our Surgers at the same time." Rai explained. "Maybe the opposing charges could separate us? Or even affect the magnetic attraction?"

"There is a possibility that could work." Ratchet said. "Or a more likely outcome is that the combined energies from both Surgers could create an explosion that'll destroy both of you!"

"Okay… sorry." Rai apologized.

"We'll get the Gauntlet. Call you guys back when we get it." Bulkhead said before hanging up.


Meanwhile; Airachnid had just finished securing her prisoners. It took quite a bit of effort; but Breakdown and the Lancelot were both pinned underneath a series of large, Knightmare-sized, Sakuradite excavation drills, and even further secured by webbing that kept them all pinned together, and the drills stuck on them. Even the Lancelot's cockpit was webbed shut to prevent Suzaku from getting out.

Airachnid now admired the Polarity Gauntlet she held in her hand. "It fits! You know, a girl could never have too many accessories."

"You were a Decepticon, once. We could bring the prize to Megatron together." Breakdown tried to reason with her.

"You can't be serious!" Suzaku exclaimed. "After everything she's done?! Do you have any idea how many people she butchered in the ghettos?!"

"I think you mean 'Elevens', Suzaku." Airachnid taunted. "As in, people that Britannia would never even lift a finger to save?" He narrowed his eyes through his cockpit as Airachnid smirked. "Plus, I already told you that I was made a Decepticon because of what I could do. But I'm not remotely interested in going back to that boys club." She looked at the Gauntlet as an idea came to her. "You know, I've actually been getting a bit bored with hunting in the ghettos. Think I might move onto the Tokyo Settlement next."

"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Sure, the military might try to give me trouble." Airachnid continued before holding up the Gauntlet. "But this will provide the perfect repellent against Bots, Cons, and Knightmares alike."


Bulkhead led the group toward the abandoned excavation site, with Arcee still stuck to his back; with the Guren and Gekka, still 'holding hands', slowly rolling down alongside the green Autobot as he held his scanner.

"Still hanging in there, Arcee?" Kallen chuckled.

"Very funny." The blue fem-bot grunted in annoyance.

"Never had eyes in the back of my head before, or blasters to cover my rear. And you get a built-in shield!" Bulkhead pounded his own chest for emphasis.

Rai looked at how his and Kallen's Knightmares Surger claws were still locked together. "This does kinda feel like we're holding hands, doesn't it?"

Kallen sighed. "Rai, you're an awesome guy, and I trust you completely; but you're not my type."

"I know, and you're pretty cool to, but I just see you as a friend to." Rai replied. "So just friends?"

"Just friends." Kallen assured.

"Well kid's already got eyes on a certain exiled prince turned revolutionary, so I think Kallen's all set." Arcee smirked, causing Kallen to blush. Fortunately, she was still inside her Guren, so nobody saw it.

"Not funny, Arcee."

"Hey, now we're even." Arcee smirked.

Bulkhead and Rai both chuckled slightly, until Bulkhead's scanner picked up their target. "The Gauntlet's close." They stopped as they looked towards the area, they were heading in. "Doesn't seem like it's going anywhere."

"Could be a trap." Kallen voiced.

"Suzaku isn't the type to set up traps; and I doubt Breakdown is smart enough either." Rai pointed out.

"But it does sound like Airachnid." Arcee's optics narrowed.

"And if she has the Gauntlet, then we're in serious trouble." Kallen said.

Bulkhead began to think slightly. "I think I have an idea."

After a brief explanation; Bulkhead, seemingly alone, approached the abandoned mining area, blasters in both hands at the ready. It was quiet, too quiet, as Bulkhead moved past many of the excavation drills. He happened to spot a rather large stack of them and slowly, but surely, moved towards them, with his Energon blasters ready. However, he looked in minor surprise to see Breakdown and the Lancelot at the bottom of the pile, the Decepticon had web over his face to keep him silenced as he continued to struggle.

Airachnid revealed herself, crawling down from the top of the pile with the Polarity Gauntlet in her hand. "I assume Arcee and both your partners aren't far behind."

"You might say that." Bulkhead replied.

"Blaster hands in the air and turn around." Airachnid demanded.

"Whatever you say." Bulkhead's blasters turned back into normal hands as he raised them. However, he quickly smirked as he suddenly turned around to reveal Arcee, still stuck to his back, as she opened fire with her own Energon blasters, forcing Airachnid back.

"NOW!" Arcee shouted.

This was the signal for the Gekka, with the Guren right behind to suddenly appear. With a yell, Rai steered his Gekka so that as he swung his Surger claw, he swung the Guren as well as Kallen yelled in addition, using the momentum from the swing to land an extremely powerful roundhouse kick that sent Airachnid flying into an abandoned excavation rill, but it also sent the Polarity Gauntlet out of her hands.

The second the device hit the ground, it accidentally activated, generating a perpetual attractive force that slowly began to pull all metals in the area towards it; either function, non-functional, or living alike. Airachnid struggled against the pull herself, as did the Guren and Gekka, with Kallen and Rai putting their respective Knightmares in full-reverse to try and move against the pull. Bulkhead clung to the ground as Arcee tried to pull herself toward the Gauntlet in an effort to pull themselves apart.

This however, worked in favor for Breakdown and Suzaku, as the drills that had been piled on top of the Decepticon and the Lancelot began to fall off and loosen. This gave Suzaku an opening to launch all his remaining slash harkens, two from the Lancelot's left hand and two from its hips in a spiral fashion to tear off all the webbing and break apart all the debris piled on top of him and his comrade, also freeing Breakdown from the same predicament as he let himself get pulled toward the Gauntlet, which he grabbed and immediately deactivated.

The remaining momentum from the pull brought both Bulkhead and Arcee, still stuck together, in-between Breakdown and Airachnid. While the Guren and Gekka almost sailed backwards, but both pilots put the brakes on their Knightmares and tried to zoom in to help, only to find their path bared by the Lancelot.

"Still up for a truce, boys?" Airachnid offered Breakdown and Suzaku.

"Only because I hate Bulkhead more than I hate you." The large Decepticon agreed.

"You still have to answer for your crimes, Airachnid." Suzaku told her. "But for now, the Autobots and Black Knights take top priority."

'Is he seriously willing to work with that bitch?!' Kallen thought in disbelief, as any respect she had for Suzaku had just dropped immensely. However, both she and Rai were quickly put on the defensive as The Lancelot attacked.

Breakdown swung his hammer at Bulkhead, who retaliated with a couple of punches to his enemy's face. Arcee tried to block Airachnid's own attacks and retaliated with what limited room she had with punches and kicks. However, with Bulkhead reeling back and forth, duking it out with his nemesis, it was almost impossible for Arcee to land a solid hit on hers, allowing Airachnid to slug her across the face.

"Bulkhead, would you stay still?!" Arcee exclaimed as she used an arm-bladed to block a bladed-spider-leg strike from Airachnid.

"My bad." Bulkhead replied before delivering a powerful enough punch to Breakdown's face and knock him onto the ground. He then turned around to face Airachnid himself. "Need a hand?"

"No, she's mine!" Arcee protested.

At the same time, the Guren and Gekka had to roll backwards as the Lancelot gave pursuit, Suzaku launched the slash harkens from his Knightmare's left arm, but when Kallen tried to block it with her Guren's knife, Rai tried to do the same with his Gekka's katana, though it did block the harkens, it also caused both the red and blue Knightmares to slam into each other, allowing the white one to deliver a round house to knock both of them down.

Kallen grunted as they both hit the ground. "We can't fight like this!" She suddenly yelped as the Gekka shot back up and pulled away the Guren before Kallen got a chance to stand it up, right on time to avoid an executioner's type strike from the Lancelot's dual MVS blades.

Rai knew Kallen was right and tried to think of a solution, the Geass sigil in his left eye still burning. However, he looked in shock as he saw in the relative distance Breakdown had gotten back up.

"Two bots, one stone." He reactivated the Polarity Gauntlet in his hand and used it to magnetically lift an old, yet large, drill from the ground toward the stuck Autobot pair as Bulkhead punched Airachnid back.

"GUYS! LOOK OUT!" Rai called to them.

Unfortunately, the warning came too late as Breakdown had used the Gauntlet to slam the drill into Bulkhead's face, sending Bulkhead toward the ground, while also trapping Arcee under him. She struggled to pull herself up, but Bulkhead was too heavy.

"Bulkhead… get… up!" Arcee struggled, only for one of her hands to be stepped onto by Airachnid who was back on her feet.

"Pinned like a bug. Of course, I can think of one permanent way out of your predicament." She readied her razor-sharp spider-legs with deadly intent.

"I'll take top-side." Breakdown was ready to execute Bulkhead as well.

As the Guren and Gekka continued to back away from the Lancelot, not even giving Suzaku a chance to go onto the attack, a crazy idea came into Rai's head. Call it desperation, or something from his combative instincts drawn out by his Geass, but it might be their only option.

"Guren! We need to use our Surgers on the Gauntlet! Both at the same time!" Rai exclaimed, careful not to reveal Kallen's name or identity to Suzaku.

"We just talked about that!" Kallen shouted back as she used her knife to block one MVS blade from the Lancelot, but before Suzaku would strike with the other, the Gekka came in with its katana to block the second blade as both Knightmares locked weapons with the enemy unit.

"It's the only way!" Rai shouted. "Our friends and partners need us!"

That last statement actually took Suzaku by surprise. "…Friends…?" This however left him open for Rai to spin his Gekka a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, spinning the Guren around and allowing Kallen to body-slam her red Knightmare into the Lancelot and knock it back.

Kallen saw Airachnid ready to execute Arcee, and Breakdown with Bulkhead. It was an extremely risky move, but it was their only option. "On three?" She smirked.

Though Rai couldn't see hers from his Knightmare, he returned with a smirk of his own. "Let's do it!" Both the conjoined Guren and Gekka shot straight at the two Decepticons, specifically Breakdown who still had the Polarity Gauntlet.

"Breakdown! Incoming!" Suzaku warned as the Lancelot stood back up and rolled after them to try and stop the two Black Knights.

Airachnid looked in surprise to see the two incoming Knightmares at high speeds at first, but Breakdown wasn't the least bit intimidated as he readied the Gauntlet once more.

"One…" Kallen said.

"Two…" Rai continued.

"THREE!" They both shouted as they simultaneously pressed the buttons to activate their respective Radiant Wave Surgers. A red light shined from both their claws as they each shot an opposing charge of super-heated energy; ordinarily each one would fry a Knightmare or even a Cybertronian in an instant, but since both Surgers were giving off an equal-amount of energy, neither the Guren nor the Gekka were overloading. All the while, the magnetic attraction kept the Surgers together as the opposing surges began to grow to where the energy output was already more than double for the average Surger.

The intense energy surge shot bolts of energy all around the conjoined claws, surprising Breakdown and leaving him open for both Kallen and Gekka to yell as they shot their improvised attack right at the Gauntlet.

*BOOM!*

The result was a massive explosion that shot out a large circular wave mixed with red and orange energy that sent Breakdown, Airachnid, and even the Lancelot from behind, flying at least a hundred yards away, also sending the Polarity Gauntlet out of Breakdown's grip. Both the Guren and Gekka were finally separated from each other as they two were sent flying; though their landing was much more stable; and while their respective Surger claws were intact, a great deal of smoke coming from both of them. The shockwave had also managed to knock Bulkhead off Arcee, waking him up and allowing her to stand.

"I'm free!" Arcee stated as both the Guren and Gekka rolled up, still appearing functional. "How are you guys?"

"Everything still seems to be working just fine." Kallen said. "My Surger is really overheated though and needs to cool off, but it's still good."

"Yeah same here." Rai confirmed.

Bulkhead looked more than a little impressed. "Nice move kids. Real Wrecker material right there."

"Thanks partner. Now we're all free!" Rai commented.

"Good, now it's a fair fight." Kallen smirked as they saw Breakdown, Airachnid, and even the Lancelot standing back up.

"What do you say we, mix things up a little?" Bulkhead offered.

"I'm in." Kallen was on-board.

"Same here." Rai smirked to.

Even Arcee liked the idea. "You got me, but I get the final blow on Airachnid."

"Deal." All three of them said at the same time as they reengaged the enemy.

Arcee and The Guren shot straight for Breakdown who was running toward the downed Gauntlet. Arcee had leapt into the Guren's claw as Kallen launched her right at Breakdown. Arcee stuck her foot out to land a solid kick hard into Breakdown's face to knock him back onto the ground while Kallen used the Guren to kick the Polarity Gauntlet away before engaging Breakdown as well. Arcee backflipped to avoid a crushing strike from Breakdown's hammer, but Kallen zoomed in with the Guren faster than Breakdown could have seen and slashed at him with her Knightmare's knife. He tried to retaliate with a swing of his fist, but the Guren ducked underneath, allowing Arcee to leap off the red Knightmare's shoulder and deliver a roundhouse to Breakdown's face again.

The Lancelot leapt into the air to avoid an Energon blast from Bulkhead as the Wrecker ran towards the descending white Knightmare. Suzaku drew an MVS as he fell and slashed at Bulkhead's chest and landed before trying to spin and land a kick onto Bulkhead, only for the Autobot to grab the Knightmare by the foot.

"Good luck cutting through this with that butter knife." Bulkhead teased as he banged his own chest for emphasis as the only thing the MVS did was deliver a minor flesh wound on Bulkhead's mighty hide. He then spun his body, and the Lancelot before letting it go and sending it crashing into an old drill.

Airachnid looked for the Polarity Gauntlet, only to find her path blocked by Rai in the Gekka. "May I have this dance, milady." Rai teased as even the Gekka did a mocking bow.

"You're not my type." Airachnid replied before the Gekka shot at her. She leapt back and opened fire with her Energon palms, though the Gekka swerved around as Rai tried to slash his Knightmare's katana at her, but Airachnid caught it with her upper spider-legs before using her lower ones to snap and knock the blue Knightmare back, allowing her to go for the Gauntlet.

"Scrap!" Rai cursed. "She's got the Gauntlet!" He warned his friends, but it was too late.

Airachnid activated the Polarity Gauntlet and aimed it at the Guren. "Let's leave the boys to themselves."

Kallen grunted as she felt her Knightmare, specifically the Surger claw, that was still cooling down, being pulled toward Airachnid. The claw was then stuck to the Gauntlet, leaving Kallen alone to face Airachnid.

"Watch closely Arcee. I'm about to send your new partner to join your old one!" Airachnid called to Arcee, however, the Guren quickly rolled at high-speeds, surprising Airachnid as the red Knightmare drove her into a large old drill.

"Arcee, I got this!" Kallen exclaimed to her partner as she broke away from Breakdown to try and help her. "Just help the others!"

Arcee was surprised at first, before she nodded with a smile. "She's all yours." She then transformed and zoomed straight at the Lancelot, who was still against Bulkhead before she transformed again and landed a flying kick to the Lancelot's side to send it skidding back.

"Tag team!" Arcee said to Bulkhead as the Gekka joined Arcee.

"Mind if I cut in?" Rai smirked.

Bulkhead nodded. "Go for it." He then ran to engage Breakdown.

Arcee drew her arm-blades to parry the strikes from the Lancelot's MVS, but when Rai joined in with the Gekka's katana, it put Suzaku on the defensive as he tried to roll back before shooting his slash harkens from both the Lancelot's left arm and hips; forcing the two to split. Arcee opened fire with her Energon blasters, which Suzaku blocked with the Lancelot's blaze luminous shields. Rai then rolled around the side and sliced down with his Gekka's katana, which Suzaku blocked with the shield on the Lancelot's right arm, but this left him open for Arcee to slide in and sweep her feet to knock the Lancelot down onto the ground.

Bulkhead and Breakdown roared at each other before the later punched Bulkhead in the face and in his abs, but Bulkhead retaliated with a punch to his enemy's jaw and another to his face. Breakdown then slugged Bulkhead, who returned with his own slug before Breakdown landed a punch powerful enough to knock Bulkhead down. However, the Wrecker was able to get back up and charge a powerful enough Energon blast from his right cannon to blast and send Breakdown flying through multiple old drills.

Airachnid had leapt up and lunged all her spider-legs at the Guren to knock it onto the ground as she stood on the Knightmare itself in an attempt to keep Kallen pinned. "One hand tied, five more to play with!" Airachnid tried to slash with her claws on her open hand, but the Guren launched a slash harken from her Knightmare's left arm to knock Airachnid up.

While both their hands were stuck, Kallen pulled her Surger's claw in before using her Guren's other arm to wrap around Airachnid in the form of a bear-hug.

"Quality, not quantity, bitch!" Kallen replied before opening her cockpit, as the Polarity Gauntlet was so close. She was able to reach out with her own hand and press on the button to deactivate it. Before Airachnid could even respond, Kallen had already sat back down and swept the Guren's its feet to not only knock Airachnid down but also kick the Polarity Gauntlet while it was still airborne in one fluid motion toward her Autobot partner.

"Arcee!" Kallen called to her, Arcee turned around to see the Gauntlet flying in her direction, where she leapt into the air to catch the Gauntlet just as the Guren backed up and came to a stop right by where Arcee had landed as she activated the Gauntlet herself; with both Arcee and the Guren MK II back-to-back.

"Gekka, go help Bulkhead!" Arcee called to Rai, who had leapt his blue Knightmare back to avoid a slash from an MVS.

"Alright!" Rai turned his Knightmare around to assist Bulkhead in his fight against Breakdown.

Suzaku glared at Arcee, seeing no good she could do with the Gauntlet. He shot the Lancelot toward her, just as Airachnid quickly tried to rush Kallen. However, almost as if reading each other's minds, the Guren and Arcee turned around to switch opponents. Kallen used her Guren's knife to block Suzaku's MVS just as Arcee used the Gauntlet to project a magnetic field that repelled Airachnid and sent her flying quite a distance. As the Guren kept the Lancelot at bay, Kallen quickly ducked her Knightmare and allowed Arcee to get a surprise attack as she used the same repulsion from the Gauntlet to launch the Lancelot back as well.

"Opposites do not attract." Arcee smirked as Kallen smirked back in her partner's direction.

Bulkhead ran toward Breakdown as the Gekka shot alongside his partner at the enemy Decepticon. As they clashed their respective mace, hammer, and katana however, a magnetic force sent all three of them sliding back before they even made contact with each other. Breakdown tried to launch a missile from his shoulder cannon at the Gekka, but it bounced away from him by the same repulsing charge, while also accidentally sending it in the direction of the Lancelot.

"Suzaku!" Rai exclaimed, however, just like with him, the missile bounced away from him and shot into the air before it exploded.

"What…?" Suzaku voiced in surprise.

"We can't touch metal!" Breakdown stated.

"We're polarized! All of us!" Bulkhead deduced.

However, the Polarity Gauntlet was snatched away from Arcee's grip by a stand of webbing, that pulled it into Airachnid's hands. She deactivated the Gauntlet, simultaneously canceling out the polarity affects all five of them were experiencing.

"Always leave on a high note." Airachnid smirked as she transformed into her helicopter mode before trying to fly away.

"She's getting away!" Arcee exclaimed.

"Oh no, she's not!" Kallen glared. "Gekka, how's your Surger?"

"Cooled off, but I can't get a big enough charge to…" Rai's eyes widened before he smirked, getting the message Kallen was sending him. "On three again?"

"You need to ask?" Kallen replied before she and the Gekka shot in the direction of Airachnid's retreating vehicle mode.

The Guren came in from the left as the Gekka came in from the right. They both used their slash harkens on the ground to propel them into the air in the direction Airachnid was heading; though she tried to fly over them, it was already too late.

"One, two, three!" They both activated their Surgers simultaneously as the Guren and Gekka slammed them together in the form of an airborne high-five. The shockwave wasn't as powerful as before, but it was strong enough to disorient Airachnid's flight path.

"The Gauntlet's mine!" Suzaku rolled his Lancelot forward as he shot a Slash Harken in the direction of the helicopter, only for it to be caught by Bulkhead as he actually pulled and used his own strength to spin the Lancelot by a make-shift tether and using the gathered momentum to slam the Lancelot into the helicopter mode of Airachnid and send them both crashing into Breakdown.

Arcee picked up the downed Gauntlet as she, Bulkhead, the Guren, and Gekka all joined back up to see the pile of defeated enemies. Breakdown and Airachnid were both unconscious, but very much alive.

"Is… is Suzaku…?" Rai asked with worry, hoping he didn't just kill him. However, he soon got his response as the Lancelot's cockpit hissed open about half-way and Suzaku attempted to climb out; his right arm was broken, and he probably had a few broken ribs to, with some blood trickling down his face over his left eye.

"Nah, he's alive." Arcee said, causing Rai and Kallen to breathe a sigh of relief.

"We can finish these two Cons right here and now." Bulkhead suggested, referring to Airachnid and Breakdown.

"And risk becoming conjoined twins again? I think I'll pass." Kallen dismissed. "Let's just go home."

"Wait… You can't… you can't take that…" Suzaku was stuck in the half-open cockpit, but it wasn't big enough and he wasn't in any condition to give a pursuit.

"Kid, your Knightmare is toast and your only allies are down. You put up a good fight, but you still lost. Just accept it." Bulkhead told him.

"I can't looe… I can't…" Suzaku was sounding almost desperate but looked in surprise as Arcee kneeled down close to him.

"Do you want to know why you keep losing?" Arcee began. "Cause we're a team." She waved to herself and her present allies. "Autobots and Black Knights; we stand united and fight together. We trust each other. But the side you're on is divided in more ways than one; Britannia, the Decepticons, those guys never stick together. Take this murderous freak for example." She referred to the unconscious Airachnid. "And that is why we're going to win this war."

With that, Arcee turned around before transforming into her vehicle mode and driving off, followed by Bulkhead who also transformed. Kallen followed in the Guren, though Rai paid a concerning glance towards Suzaku from inside the Gekka before joining the others; leaving Suzaku to hang his head in defeat, realizing he had no choice but to accept his loss.


The Ark

Arcee handed Ratchet the Polarity Gauntlet. "Souvenir, but…" Bulkhead began.

"We don't advise, indoor use." Arcee finished.

"Well done, all of you." Lelouch walked up with a smile along with Shirley. "I heard you two even invented a new combo-move?" He asked Kallen and Shirley.

"Yep, the Surger-high-five!" Rai smirked.

"We are not calling it that." Kallen said, though she smirked as well.

"Pretty sure it's better than anything you can come up with." Rai joked as he and Kallen exchanged a fist-bump.

"Well it sounds amazing! I wish I could have seen it myself!" Shirley said with an excited smile.

"It was pretty cool, but Shirley the battlefield isn't as fun as you think it is." Rai told her.

"I know, I know. You and Lelouch already told me." Shirley assured. "But Kaguya is already getting me up-to-speed on what I need to do. The fact that I'm helping you guys at all is enough for me."

"We're glad to have you with us Shirley." Kallen offered her a hand to shake. "Welcome aboard."

However, rather than a handshake, the schoolgirl turned Black Knight pulled both Rai and Kallen into a hug, though surprised at first, they were quick to accept it. Lelouch had an honest smile on his face, it felt really nice that Shirley was now part of his 'social circle', while he had no romantic feelings toward her, he valued her company and saw her as a good friend, along with many other good friends he had in the Black Knights and the Autobots. However, his smile faded slightly as he remembered there was still one friend that he really wanted in his social circle as well, even if he was working as his enemy.


The red car that was known as Knock Out pulled into the Camelot Division as Suzaku stepped out to allow the Decepticon scientist to transform.

"We're back." Knock Out announced somewhat dramatically; while Suzaku's right arm was in a sling and cast, with a bandage on his forehead. He limped a bit into the room but was quickly helped by Cecile.

"Suzaku, are you alright?" She asked with concern.

"I failed in my mission; I apologize." Suzaku bowed his head.

"Well normally that would be quite the bummer." Lloyd walked up. "But I say that's a small price to pay considering our new clients who will be joining us as of today."

"New clients?" Suzaku asked in surprise.

"Yo! So you're Suzaku! Nice to meet ya!"

Suzaku couldn't contain his gasp as he saw Gino, Anya, Monica, and Nonette walk toward him. Though he didn't recognize any of their faces, he recognized their uniforms and knew exactly what group these people belonged to.

"And you must be one of those Decepticons we're gonna be working with." Gino waved to Knock Out. "Hi, I'm Gino, nice to meet ya!"

"And who might you be?" Knock Out questioned.

"Knock Out, allow me to introduce to you some of the best pilots the mighty Britannian Empire has to offer: The Knights of the Round!" Lloyd announced with feign dramatics. "Hip, hip, hooray!"

Cecile then gave a proper introduction to the red Decepticon "This is Sir Gino, the Knight of Weinberg, the Knight of Three; Lady Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six; Lady Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine; and Monica Krushevsky, the Knight of Twelve."

"Hello." Monica nodded her head.

"Greetings." Anya greeted robotically as she seemed more paid attention to her cellphone than anything else right now.

"A pleasure." Nonette nodded as well, though she was a bit uncomfortable about being around the Decepticons, this one seemed at least relatively friendly.

"The best pilots in Britannia huh? Well if you got the Knightmares for it…" Knock Out said.

"Oh, we do!" Gino stated. "Though they're only prototypes right now; we got our Knightmares all shipped here."

"The Emperor told us that you would be working to provide them with upgrades and modifications that will make them able to better keep up with the Autobots." Monica informed. "Seeing that's what you've been doing with the Lancelot."

That caught Knock Out's attention. "Lloyd my friend, we're gonna be very busy." He smirked to the man-child scientist.

"Ooooh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Lloyd rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I can't wait to get started!"

Suzaku still wasn't over his own surprise. Four Knights of the Round were joining them!? Well, one can't say this wasn't expected considering his reluctant losing streak against the Autobots and the Black Knights. However, the words Arcee told him have stuck with him, in regards to Britannia and the Decepticons being divided, even amongst each other; and he couldn't deny that for Britannia, after hearing how Euphemia feels toward being a Britannian princess.

"Oh, by the way Suzaku…" Cecile pulled him out of his thoughts. "Where is the Lancelot anyway?"

Suzaku winced before laughing nervously. "Yeah… about that…"


The Nemesis

Breakdown walked onto the bridge, dragging the Lancelot along the ground as it's back was magnetized to his right leg. Though Megatron was mildly surprised at seeing the Lancelot like this, he seemed more upset with what Breakdown had failed to retrieve.

"Breakdown, you dare to return empty handed?!"

"No master." Breakdown turned around, dragging the Lancelot further along the ground, to reveal Airachnid was magnetized to his back, much like how Arcee was for Bulkhead.

"Airachnid." Megatron greeted in minor surprise. "It has been sometime."

"Lord Megatron." Airachnid greeted back. "What can I say? It's good to be back."

Done.

Yeah, I had A LOT of fun writing this chapter. Seeing how this epic fight with Arcee, Kallen, Bulkhead, and Rai against Airachnid, Breakdown, and Suzaku almost flowed perfectly in my mind and I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter to.

*Good news: The Autobots and Black Knights have secured the Polarity Gauntlet.

*Bad news: Gino, Anya, Monica, and Nonette have arrived and Knock Out and Lloyd will be working to modify their respective Knightmares to better match the Autobots. Don't expect them to fly just yet; but you can expect the Knights of the Round to be quite a challenge for the Autobots. There's a reason they're the best pilots in Britannia, so they won't be redshirts like the Purebloods or Glaston Knights.

*Worse news: Airachnid has rejoined the Decepticons, you can take a guess as to how Suzaku might feel toward that.

The overall point to this chapter and the upcoming one is to illustrate the difference in relationships the Autobots share with the Black Knights to that between the Decepticons and Britannia. In this chapter, we see the Bots and BKs becoming closer with one another; working together almost fluently on the field, and even trusting each other. Ohgi and Tamaki know of Lelouch's face and first name, but they don't yet know about his Geass or his identity as a prince (but they will soon), and even Lelouch trusts Ohgi to look after the amnesiac Villetta, while also monitoring her to see if and when she regains her memories. Even Shirley seems to fit right in as Ohgi accepts her, and Lelouch has her work with Kaguya, you can expect those two to be pretty good friends; Shirley might even get her own Autobot guardian as well. You'll see who in later chapters.

While the next chapter will show how divided Britannia and the Decepticons are with one another, and even among those in their own ranks.

(Note: the next chapter is NOT Rock Bottom. I don't plan on doing Rock Bottom since there really is no need for it. One also thing to note: I'm NOT shipping Rai and Kallen, despite the tease. They just make a good team and are really good friends, nothing more)

Anyway, I'll see you soon with the next update. Until then, stay safe and roll out!