A/N: This chapter is gonna be more of a calm before the storm before we enter the climax.

Now many of you were asking who Schneizel's spy was in the Black Knights. The answer is simple, it was Diethard, I thought you all would know that, though that's on me for not making it clear.

I do not own Code Geass or Gundam Seed, both are works of Sunrise.

Schneizel was somewhat of an impasse. While he now had the support of the Black Knights with him, thanks to informing them that Lelouch had 'captured' their ace pilot, the said ace was now apart of his organization against him, making his brother all the more equipped to take the fight to Schneizel. And he still had no clue as to where Lelouch was located, so he couldn't use Damocles to destroy him. He wasn't willing to just blindly destroy cities and hopes he gets lucky, at least, not yet anyway.

That and the Legend was still incomplete, it was close, but the designers were still trying to find a safe way to stabilize the F.L.E.I.J.A. Reactor but without Ms. Einstein, it was proving difficult. However, he was able to get some simulation practice in with the data they had so when he first piloted the machine, it wouldn't end up overwhelming him.

Still, he was at somewhat of a disadvantage, at least in terms of time. He needed something to draw Lelouch out in the open, but what could he do? Using Nunnally had backfired on him in ways he never expected. And the Eleven woman was rescued and his prototype Gundams easily destroyed. Lelouch had no reason to make a move against him in any hurry, so it was Schneizel who had to act fast, or else he would be caught in checkmate.

"Prince Schneizel!" The Second Prince turned to see an aid come up to him. "I have news from our operative in Pendragon."

Ah, yes. The spy that he put in Pendragon to monitor the activities of his brothers and sisters while he was away from the Empire dealing with the threat of the Gundams. He had been usually silent and had nothing major to report. So to see the look in his aids eyes meant that the spy had encountered something grand.

The aid leaned in and whispered into the Second Prince's ear. Schneizel's eyes widened and then narrowed in contempt. 'How dare they?' Schneizel thought to himself as he looked away to hide his scowl from the aid. Those ungrateful spoiled children! They would regret this!

Then, an idea came to him. Yes. that would work. That would work quite nicely. He now had a move to get himself out of check.

He turned to the aid with a wicked smile on his face. "Contact the Damocles. Tell them to prepare to fire a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead on my command."

In Pendragon, the capital of the Holy Britannia Empire, the large and vast group of Prince and Princess, most of them anyway with a few exceptions, gathered together to discuss the biggest concern among them: Schneizel el Britannia.

"He's lost his mind!" Carine ne Britannia, the Fifth Princess, voiced, loudly one might add. "He's been obsessed with Lelouch and this Gundam business for months now, so much that's he's not concerned that we lost a majority of soldiers, resources, Areas under our control, and a majority of the Knights of the Round to his stupid obsession!"

"I agree with Carine." Guinevere de Britannia, the First Princess, voiced out, shocking those present. "Schneizel is completely ignoring his duties to the Empire. Both as it's Prime Minister and as the Second Prince in favor of some stupid game with Lelouch. While I agree that Lelouch should be stopped, Schneizel's constant provoking and campaign against him has cost us trillions in both resources and manpower. Not only that, his constant failure and the practices he's using to try and quell the situation is starting to hurt our people, their losing their trust in us. And even more insulting, he's working with those Black Knights to try and quell the threat. He's going against our Empire's principles to quell a threat, and he's still failing!"

Murmurs of the agreement were spread across the other Prince and Princess of the Empire. They all agreed that Schneizel was taking this too far, no matter how much of a threat Lelouch was, Schneizel was increasingly becoming more and more unstable, which was something no one ever thought was possible.

After a few more murmurs, the First Prince, Odysseus eu Britannia, rose from his seat at the head of the table and spoke out in a loud voice. "So we are all in agreement?" He asked. In response, he received downward head nods as signs of confirmation. He then took a deep breath to compose himself. "Then, as of now, we, as Princes and Princesses of the Holy Britannian Empire, are in agreement remove our brother, the Second Prince Schneizel from his position as Prime Minister and detain him to Pendragon till the conflict with the Gundams calms down. Agreed." Again, another full circle of nods.

"You know he won't take this likely." An unnamed Prince voiced out. "Schneizel may not be as… expressive as most of us are, but he certainly won't take this in stride and just accept this."

"Then we'll do what we have to contain him." Odysseus voiced. "He can't be foolish to dare make a move against all of us together, especially if we have the support of the people on our side."

Murmurs of agreement came from the collection of Prince and Princesses. Odysseus was about to say something else when the door to the room burst open by a panting servent. "What is it now?!" Carine whined.

"Your Highnesses!" The servant yelled, his tone frantic and hysterical, as he took large gasps of breath in and out. "There's a fast-moving object approaching the Imperial Palace! It's on a direct course for us!"

That caused the entirety of the gathered Prince and Princesses to stand up in sudden shock. "What is it?! Is it one of the Gundams?!" Guinevere asked.

The servant shook his head in denial as he moved to turn on the large television screen in the room. "No, it's too small to be one of them! It's shaped like a missile! Here it is!" He said as he pulled up the pictured.

When the Highnesses say it, they all gasped and shook with fear. They knew what that weapon was, and what it could do. And as the warhead neared the palace, Odysseus knew he had to correct himself.

It wasn't foolish for Schneizel to stand against all of them, it was foolish for them to believe they had any sort of chance against him.

As he continued to watch over her sleeping face, Lelouch couldn't help but be anxious as he looked at Kallen. What would he do should she wake up right now? What would she do? He had no idea, and that terrified him. While he certainly knew how to read people enough to know what move they would make, when it came to the likes of women and their feelings, he was hopeless. Oh so hopeless!

But more than anything, he was worried he was gonna hurt her again. She was someone who he cared about, so much that he did almost everything he could to make sure she stayed as far away from him as possible, for her safety. And now here she was, right next to him, the last place Lelouch would have wanted her to be, and he wouldn't want it any other way.

As he moved a few strands of hair out of the way of her face, Lelouch couldn't help but be in awe of her beauty. Not just that though, but her spirit, her passion, her skill, her kindness, and even her temper (yes, even her temper) was something that he couldn't help but be in awe of every time he witnessed them.

Maybe C.C. was right, maybe he had fallen for her. As he continued to move several more locks of her fiery red hair around, the door inside the medical center opened.

"Lelouch!" Lelouch turned around to the familiar voice to see Suzaku standing in the doorway. Lelouch took note that the Japanese boy seemed to be out of breath as if he was running from one side of the base to another, but there was also a look in his, something that conveyed great concern. "Come quick! You need to see this!"

Lelocuh gave Kallen's hand one last squeeze and gave her beautiful face one last look before rising out of his chair and following Suzaku out of the medical ward. Missing the faint movement of eyelids opening, gazing after the retreating duo.

"Talk to me. What's going on?" Lelouch asked as he came up to the mission control room with Suzaku. He took note of the grave faces of all those present in the room, which meant something big happened.

Ruben turned to face the exiled Prince, a somber look donned on his face, before speaking in a grave tone. "This is happening live." He said as he gestured to the television screen, turning up the volume.

"-peat, Pendragon, the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire has been destroyed." The newscaster said, causing Lelouch to gasp.

"The great city of Pendragon, which has been the capital of our great empire for centuries, has now been destroyed by an unknown explosion. However, the culprit behind the attack is so far unknown. We have received no news or announcement as to who the perpetrator behind this attack is. Whether it is an attack from the E.U. or even the Gundams we have yet to confirm. But-" She stopped talking as she went to her headphones and listened carefully for a few moments.

"Right, understood!" She said as she looked back at the camera. "We have just received a statement from those who claim to be the cause of this destruction, I've been asked to deliver their demands." Someone then came up to her and gave her a piece of paper sand she cleared her throat before beginning to read.

"'This is just the first act. We will continue to destroy any major cities that unless the pilots of the Gundams, Lelouch Lamperrouge, and Suzaku Kururugi, surrender, both themselves and their Gundams unconditionally.'" Said two pilots' eyes narrowed at that comment, as now they had a clear idea as to who was responsible for all this.

"'If you refuse to comply with these demands by high noon tomorrow, then we will destroy another major city. This time, it will be the Tokyo Settlement and the surrounding area. Then if you continue to resist, we will move on to the E.U.'s temporary capital in Berlin. Then another, and another, and another, and we will keep on destroying cities so long as you refuse to bow down before us. You will submit to us at the Mt. Fuji area, you are free to choose your time, so long as it is before noon. This is your only warning. It's time to see what you're really about. Whether you truly care about protecting the people of this world or protecting yourselves?'"

A loud 'thud' was made and the screen turned to black. Everyone looked back to see Lelouch with his fist on the off button. His hands were clenched and shaking uncontrollably with rage.

"Schneizel." Lelouch hissed out the name with such venom. The name of the man who he could never beat. The name of the one who caused his army to betray him and separate him from the woman he loved. The man who tried to use his sister as a tool to stop him. And now the man who held the world hostage in an attempt to get his greedy filthy hands on the Gundams, the two weapons that stood a chance of tearing his twisted desires down. And he showed no hesitation in doing so.

"How do you know?" An officer said.

"Who else would it be?!" Ruben asked rhetorically. "He practically screamed his identity to us when he demanded that we turn over the Gundams."

"And that explosion may have been unknown to most people, but not us," Suzaku spoke up. "That was a crater caused by a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead. And there's only one person in the world who has his hands on a F.L.E.I.J.A. beside us."

"Schneizel," Nina muttered quietly as she looked down in shame. Again, her weapon has caused the death of millions of people, and now it was being used to take the world hostage.

"Not only that, but he's managed to turn th4e whole world against us." Suzaku continued.

"By announcing that he'll continue to keep destroying cities if we refuse to surrender, he's painted a large target on our backs," Lelouch explained. "If we refuse to cooperate, the whole world will be out for blood. Our blood."

"So what do we do then?" Nina asked.

"We can't just hand the Gundams over to Schneizel," Suzaku said. "Even if he did stop the bombings, which he probably won't, he'd still have the most dangerous weapons in the world to mass-produce."

"No nation would be able to stand against him with his weapons. The whole world would fall in less than a month." Lelouch said in a grim tone. "But we just can't take him head-on either. Even with our Gundams, it's just me and Suzaku versus two of the strongest armies in the world and a superweapon capable of destroying cities. We can't do this with just two Gundams."

"Then how about three!"

All occupants in the room looked at the entrance to see the source behind the statement. One Kallen Kozuki, still in hospital robes stood before them. And in her eyes, there was a fiery passion and a fierce determination.

"Wah, Kallen!" Lelouch said as he moved toward her to look her over. "What are you doing out of bed? And when did you get up?! Come on, you're going back to bed!" He said as he reached out to take her hand.

However, Kallen merely evaded Lelouch's grip and took a step back. "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore. After all, you're not Zero anymore right." She said with a victorious smirk on her lips. Lelouch could do nothing but growl in frustration at this new attitude of Kallen's. But also, he couldn't help but find it very attractive.

Kallen looked away from him and back to the group. "I overheard the announcement. You need all the help you can get. And I know there's a third Gundam on this base, I overheard that as well. Let me pilot it! That way we could catch Schneizel off guard. He won't be expecting a third."

There was silence in the room for a long moment before Suzaku spoke up. "She has a point, Lelouch." Lelouch gave Suzaku a bewildered look before he continued. "You said it yourself, this is too much for the two of us. We need all the help we can get. Plus, with the Destiny's F.L.E.I.J.A. Erasers, we'll have a major advantage over Schneizel's supply of F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads. Plus, she's an amazing pilot." Kallen smirked slightly, it felt good to hear that come from Suzaku's mouth. "It would be a waste to leave her there while she can be amazing help on the battlefield. You know I'm right Lelouch. Plus, she'll probably do it anyway even if you had to lock her in a room."

Everyone turned back to Lelouch to wait for his response. He hated this. He completely hated it when Suzaku completely and utterly had him beat in an argument that involved critical thinking. That was supposed to be his turf! But Suzaku was right. It would be a waste of talent to leave Kallen here when they needed all the help they could get, especially against the F.L.E.I.J.A. But that doesn't mean he was happy about it. He had just got Kallen back, but now he was about to possibly lose her all over again.

He was about to argue when he caught a look in Kallen's eyes. The determination and passion were still there of course, but there was something new as well. Coupled with the fire and will in those blue eyes was… fear? Kallen Kozuki, one of, if not the, most feared Knightmare pilots in the world, who charged head-on into certain death on a daily basis, was afraid?

But a deeper look in those eyes reveals the truth. Kallen was afraid for her own sake, she was afraid for him. While it would be true if she stayed here and would be safe, but he would charge into certain death, without her by his side, and that scared Kallen greatly. She didn't want to leave him alone, not again.

So, while he pained him to do so, he admitted defeat. "Very well." He said, almost struggling to get the words out. Kallen could only smile brightly at Lelouch's acceptance of her help. "However, even though we now have three Gundams, there is no certainty that we'll be able to make it out of this fight alive. Not with just the three of us."

"I think I can help with that," Ruben spoke up with a smirk on his face. At the confused looks on the three tennis faces, he walked toward the exit and gestured for them to follow him.

They took the elevator down to a lower hanger, the anticipation was torture on them as they waited for what Ruben Ashford had to show them. When the elevator stopped, the doors slide open to reveal an amazing site before the three of them.

Underneath the catwalk, were two large grey machines. Not as big as the Gundams or a Knightmare, but they looked as if it pack some serious firepower.

"Gundam pilots, I give you, the Mobile suit Embedded Tactical Enforcers or the METEOR units!" Ruben announced.

"Whoah!"

"Outstanding!"

"Amazing!"

"These two bad boys meant to join with the Gundams, essential turning your suit, into a heavily armed and dangerous fortress," Ruben explains with a proud smirk. "They're powered by an ultra-compact energy battery and the F.L.E.I.J.A. reactor in the Gundams. And are armed to the teeth with advanced beam weaponry and a ton of missiles. This should help even out the odds with those numbers."

"Ruben…" Lelouch began, losing the ability to speak as he gazed at the METEORs in astonishment. "This is… this… I can't even…" He turned to the older mand and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. To us!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Suzaku said, feeling the same emotions bubbling inside of him. "We these, and the Destiny, we have a fighting chance against Schneizel and the Black Knights now!"

"Umm, I'm sorry to interrupt this touching moment. "Kallen spoke out with a raised hand as Lelouch separated himself from Ruben. "But why are there only two of them? Shouldn't you have made three?"

Both Lelouch and Suzaku looked at each other, nodding in agreement before they turned to the older man. Ruben had a sheepish and embarrassed smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well you see, the truth is that the METEORs are only compatible with the Freedom and Justice, considering that's why I built the formers in the first place. To build a unit that would act as support for the Destiny would take too long, and we don't have much time left." Ruben explained.

Kallen merely signed. She wasn't angry or disappointed, but it certainly would help a lot if they had one of these attached to all the Gundams. Well, two outta three were better than one and certainly better than zero.

"Still, this is an enormous help, Ruben. Thank you!" Lelouch said as he put a hand on the older man's shoulder and smiled. He then looked back at the group as a whole.

"Alright, we have less than 24 hours till we have to confront Schneizel before he destroys the Tokyo Settlement, again." He turned to Ruben. "Ruben, make sure that you get the finishing touches and final adjustments finished on the Gundams." Ruben nodded as Lelouch turned to Kallen. "Make sure that you get everything checked out before we head out tomorrow. And do a few simulations so that you can be ready to pilot the Destiny tomorrow, it's a lot different than a Knightmare. But I know you can do it." The warm smiled they shared said it all. He then turned to Suzaku. "Make sure that you get some practice as well. We all need to be in top shape for tomorrow. This is gonna be the fight of our lives. So let's make sure we stay alive and win it."

"I'm only saying that we may be taking this too far." Tohdoh clarified

"And what makes you think that?" Ohgi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you seen the news just now Ohgi?!" Tohdoh asked rhetorically, his face exasperated. "Did you just not see that Schneizel destroyed his own country's capital just to make a point!?"

"Yeah, I saw it," Ohgi answered in a surprisingly calm tone. "What of it?"

The stoic Tohdoh could only drop his jaw. "What of it? WHAT OF IT?! We've been associated with this man for so long, thinking he was willing to act in our best interest if it helped him. And now he just destroyed a city full of people and killed his family. And all you can say is 'what of it'?!"

"What should I do then Tohdoh?!" Ohgi asked. "Should I be whining?! Should I be crying like a baby?! Would they have done the same for us if the situation was reversed? No! They wouldn't! They would be laughing and cheering and dancing on our graves if it was us! So tell me why?! Why should I mourn for those kinds of people?!"

Tohdoh took a step back in shock as he observed Ohgi's reaction. It was so bizarre, so out of character for him to get this way. And to not worry about lives being lost, that almost sounded like he was taking after the Second Prince. Perhaps Kallen leaving and what she said to him hit him harder than any bullet ever could.

"I know what Schneizel's capable of, and I know what he did was taking things too far," Ohgi admitted as he straightened himself. "But I also know that we can't afford to be picky about morals right now. Were dealing with Lelouch and Suzaku in the two most dangerous machines ever invented. We need to do what it takes to win and get Kallen back. And when I see that devil, I'll beat the information out of him on where Kallen is, and then I'll put a bullet in his head."

So that's what was grating at Ohgi. Though he was shocked to hear the Second Prince report that Kallen had been captured by Lelouch and Suzaku, he was slightly skeptical of it. Mainly because Kallen left for the reason of joining Lelouch, so it wouldn't make sense for him to capture and hold prisoner someone who could be of great help to him. He had a feeling there was more to this than the Second Prince was letting on.

"What about Schneizel's threat to bomb the Tokyo Settlement, again, if those two don't show up? You surely can't be behind that?!" Tohdoh argued.

"I have little doubt that Schneizle will destroy the Tokyo Settlement," Ohgi replied with confidence. "After all, he'll need to have it standing for us to cooperate. But if he ends up destroying the settlement." Ohgi looked down for a moment before he looked back up to the old soldier. "Then that's on the blame of Lelouch Lamperouge and Suzaku Kururugi."

Tohdoh could only stand shell shocked at that statement.

"I want all out forces ready to move out as soon as possible," Ohgi ordered, completely uninterested in continuing this conversation. "I received orders from the Prince Schneizel to join him at Mt. Fuji and aid him in capturing the Gundams when they arrive. Have Rakshata finish her upgrades on the Knightmares as soon as possible." He finished as he turned around and left the room the two of them occupied.

Tohdoh could only continue looking at the direction Ohgi left in shock. Ohgi was on a warpath, not caring what decisions he had to make or who suffered as a result. Just like Zero.

"Prince Schneizel, the Damocles is fully fueled and recharged for launch. And we've received confirmation of the Black Knight alliance." An aid reported as he stood in front of Schneizel's throne on the Damocles

"Very good. Have all the remaining Britannian military regroup around the Damocles. I want all possible areas of attack covered." Schneizel ordered.

"Your Highness, if I may ask: why to seek an alliance with the Black Knights and UFN?" The aid asked.

Sxchenizel could only smirk. "With the 'capture' of their most talented pilot, their commander will have no choice but to follow my orders if he ever hopes to get her back. Making him and by extension the Black Knights, the perfect pawns. And to defeat my brother and his allies, I will need all the 'help' I can acquire. Tomorrow, If my brother decides to show himself, he will face the full might of the Britannia and the Black Knights."

"Commander Leila, are you certain of this?" An officer asked as they had just received the orders which came from the new Supreme Commander of the E.U.'s military.

"Do you doubt me, lieutenant?" Leila said as she looked with a glare towards the officer.

He squirmed as he tried to come up for a defense when another officer spoke up. "I must agree with the lieutenant's question ma'am. Why should we bother with this, it's not our battle. The outcome of this does not affect us."

"Of course it does!" Leila shouted, silencing the room of doubters. "The outcome of this battle will decide the fate of the world. Should the Gundams lose, what will stop Britannia from coming to destroy us next? And if the Gundams decide not to show, you heard that were next on the list of targets. If we don't take a stand now, then we will be leaving the fate of the world in the hands of two teenagers. And I can't think of a worse idea than that! It's time we make a stand! So whose with me?!"

No one spoke up or moved for a few long tense seconds. Then, in the back, someone raised their hand. She looked over and smiled as she saw the one was none other than Akito himself. While she knew that he would always support her, it was always noise to see that he would continue to help her. Even when the odds seemed impossible.

The rest of Wyvern Squadron soon followed with raising their own hands.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another until the whole room was full of raised hands. No one was left out. Leila could only smile with determination. "Excellent! Then prepare the float ships! As soon as they are prepped and ready, we leave for Japan!"

The Next Day

This was the day!

The day the fate of the world was to be decided by the actions of three: an exiled prince, a traitorous knight, and a half-breed. A bunch of screw-ups. But they were determined to see the future come to pass no matter what it took.

As Kallen leaned over the railing looking at the Destiny, she couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension. While she was confident that she would be able to pilot a machine like this, judging from her scores and how well she performed in the simulator, she worried that she wouldn't be able to use it to its best potential. The potential that Lelouch needed it to be.

"Something on your mind?"

She whipped her head to see Lelouch himself appear on the catwalk. He carried a worried expression, something he didn't hold often, at least not when he wasn't with Nunnally or if it concerned her.

She just sighed as she looked back toward the Gundam. "Nothing gets past you doesn't it?" she muttered as she continued to lean over as Lelouch walked up beside her.

"Want to talk about it?" He offered. Kallen raised an eyebrow. Was this the same Lelouch she knew?

Still, she decided to share her concerns with him. "I'm just worried that I can't live up to your expectations," Kallen admitted as he slumped down on the rail, trying to avoid looking at him in the eyes. "I guess I'm just not sure I can pilot this machine as good as you and Suzaku. If I can't, then I can't live up to what you need me to be for us to win this fight."

She gasped as she felt Lelouch put his hand over hers. She looked at the hand, then back up to Lelouch, who held a determined look in his eyes aimed straight at her. The fierceness of his gaze caused Kallen to blush.

"What I need you to do out there is stay alive," He told her. "I don't care if you pilot it like a newbie or if your the greatest Gundam pilot ever. What I care about is that you live through this when it's all over. That's all I need from you, that's all I'll ever need from you."

Kallen looked as if she was about to say something when Lelouch looked away and towards the Gundam. "I know what you mean when you say your not sure you can live up to expectation though," Lelouch admitted as he continued to gaze at the Gundam. "When Ruben first showed me the Freedom and wanted me to pilot it, I was skeptical and worried that I couldn't live up to his expectations, no matter how confident he seemed to be in me."

Kallen was slightly surprised to hear Lelouch be nervous and unsure about something when he already had someone vouch for him so strongly.

"But the second I took hold of the controls and blasted off into the sky… I knew." Lelouch continued as he relived that moment when he started this all again. "I knew I could change the world without having to be Zero or Lelouch vi Britannia. I knew I could bring about the gentle world Nunnally wanted without so much bloodshed. I knew that with the Freedom, and me piloting it, that I could change and make this world better."

He then turned to face her and smiled. "And I know that you and the Destiny can change this world too. Along with Suzaku and the Justice." He said with a smile. "I know the three of us will change this world. No matter what stands in our way."

Kallen was in awe. So much confidence. Not only in himself, but in his friends and allies. This is the true Lelouch, the Lelouch that she couldn't help but fall in love with. But even with that knowledge, she had to know one more thing.

"Lelouch… why did you tell me to live?" Kallen asked, more like begged in a soft voice, but it was loud enough for Lelouch to hear. "What do I mean to you?"

Lelouch studied Kallen's face for a moment. He knew the answer to that question, but he was afraid to say it. Afraid that once he said those words, then he couldn't take it back and Kallen would meet the fate of every other woman who mattered to Lelouch. But he knew he couldn't lie to her anymore, because he would forever break her if he did. And he couldn't let that happen anymore.

"I told you to live because I didn't want to lose you too." Lelouch began, having Kallen's full attention. "I lost everyone important to me. Shirley was dead. Suzaku wasn't my friend anymore. C.C. had lost her memories. I thought Nunnally had perished. And when I was about to meet my end with you standing in front of me I couldn't let you die too. I couldn't lose the woman who mattered most to me, even if you did hate me forever, I would have been happy if you lived."

Kallen was mesmerized as she continued looking in his violet eyes. She could tell every word he said was completely honest with no hint of deceit or malice in them.

"I… I…" He struggled to get the words out. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke the five words Kallen wanted to hear.

"I love you, Kallen Kozuki."

And then the dam broke. All her feelings of doubt and fear were washed away by happiness and clarity as he said those words. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn't stop the tears.

"I… I love you too, Lelouch Lamperouge." She cried.

Lelocuh could only smile a smile she'd never seen him use before. A smile that not even he ever used around Nunnally. It was quite possibly the happiest smile he ever could give anyone, and it made her heart melt.

He then leaned forward, closing his eyes and she did as well. And their lips came together in a kiss. It seemed to last for a long time before the two separated. Lelouch smiled happily as he held Kallen in his arms. Kallen herself couldn't help but have the tears continue to trail down her cheeks as she continued to hug him, refusing to let go.

"Ahem!" a throat cleared and they looked to see Suzaku standing there. "As heartwarming and touching as that was, remember that we have a world to save and a psychopath to stop." He said as he turned around and made his way for the Infinite Justice.

Kallen was blushing madly in embarrassment as she glared daggers at Suzaku's back. "I'm going to kill him!" She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, but do it after we save the world okay?" Lelouch asked as he smiled humorously in a way that Kallen couldn't help but replicate.

They stayed holding each other for a little longer before Lelouch began to break off the hug, holding on to Kallen's hand as he walked back from her. As they were only holding each other by the fingertips now, he lingered briefly on them before he finally let go and walked over to the Strike Freedom.

Kallen watched his retreating form with a smile on her face. This wouldn't be the last they saw of each other, she knew. After this, they would spend the rest of their lives together, she was certain of that. But first, they had to stop Schneizel.

So she took a deep breath, turned toward the Destiny, then made her way to get changed into her new pilot suit.

"ZGMF-X42S Destiny, prepare for launch!" A voice over the intercom ordered as the /Destiny Gundam made its way over to the catapult with its pilot inside. Inside the cockpit, Kallen wore a red pilot suit identical to the ones Lelouch and Suzaku had. They said they help with handling the gravity that the Gundams put on the pilot, and she believed them.

She looked to the side of the cockpit where she hung the headband that belonged to her older brother Naoto. When she first started this fight against Britannia, it was to avenge her brother Naoto, but after Zero showed up, she wore it to honor him and his dream. But now she was fighting for something bigger than his dream. She was fighting for her own dream now.

"Destiny you're clear for launch!"

'No turning back now.' Kallen thought to herself as she took a deep breath as she saw the glowing green 'launch' sign.

"Kallen Kozuki. Destiny. Taking off!" Kallen declared as she blasted out of the hanger and into the sky.

The Infinite Justice followed up as it took its place on the catapult. Inside, the pilot was starting at the knight pin he gained from his princess. Suzaku truly believed in the case Euphie wanted to make. But with her death, he became blinded by rage and hatred for the man who took her. But now his mind was clear of those factors, he knew what he had to do and why. His mission was to create a world that Euphie would have wanted him to live in. And he would gladly give his all for that world.

'I promise I'm going to make this world better Euphie, for everyone and you.' Suzaku thought as the 'launch' sign glowed green.

"Suzaku Kururugi. Justice. Launching!" He declared as he shot down the hanger and blasted off following the Destiny.

Finally, the first Gundam ever made, the Strike Freedom made its way on the platform. Lelouch looked at the locket that hanged on the side of the cockpit. When he started this again, he was trying to build the world Nunnally would have wished for. But now she was against him and his mission. But he couldn't let her stop him, even if he was against her, he was still gonna make a gentle world for her, even if she didn't know what that world was yet. He had to do it. For Rolo, Shirley, Euphie, and C.C.

'I can't stop now, not for anyone or anything.' Lelouch thought as the Gundam was given the all-clear for launch.

"Lelouch Lamperouge. Freedom. Let's do it!" He declared as the Freedom blasted off and spread its wing out wide as he flew into the sky.

Mobile suit Embedded Tactical Enforcer (METEOR)

A support unit developed by the Asford Foundation for the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice Gundams. By combining the support units, the Gundams would essentially turn into a flying and highly maneuverable fortress, with firepower equivalent to that of a warship. Being well-armed with missile launchers and high powered weaponry and combined with the Strike Freedom's and Infinite Justice's "Multi-Lock-On System", they can target and destroy multiple enemy ships and Knightmares. They have their internal batteries but they draw their power from the Gundams' F.L.E.I.J.A. reactors. The two large engines provide high-speed movement.

Design

Classification: Unmanned Support Mobile Weapon

Module Number: METEOR (Mobile suit Embedded Tactical EnfORcer)

Overall Length: 25.61 meters

Overall Width: 15.2 meters

Weight: 56.2 tons

Power Source: Ultracompact Energy Battery

Armaments

120 cm High-energy Beam Cannon (Long Beam Cannon): A powerful beam cannon that is mounted in the tip of each movable arm unit. The beam cannon's caliber is a warship class and this makes it one of the most destructive weapons to be usable by a Gundam.

93.7 cm High-energy Beam Cannon (Short Beam Cannon): A pair of these smaller caliber beam cannons are mounted on the sides of the unit. They are weaker than the 120cm high-energy beam cannons but have a higher rate of fire.

MA-X200 Beam Sword (Beam Sword): A pair of large beam swords that are emitted from the movable arm units, they provide the METEOR with close combat capabilities and can easily cut through float ships and Knightmares. Each beam sword is generated jointly by the emitters above and below the 120cm high-energy beam cannon.

60 cm "Erinaceus" Anti-Ship Missile Launchers (Missile Launchers): The METEOR has a total of 77 missiles, 22 are mounted in each pod at the side of the unit, another 12 are mounted at the back of each arm unit, and lastly 9 are mounted on the tail fin. These missiles can be fired all at once for a devastating missile barrage and to destroy multiple enemy units.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. And the short chapter. I've been busy with college and I just haven't been feeling writing all that much recently. But I haven't abandoned this story, not in the slightest.

This was meant to be a filler chapter before we get to the final battle in the next chapter. Which is what I've been looking forward to for a long time. I'll try to update as soon as I can.

Next Chapter: The battle for the world begins as three young heroes go up against two of the strongest militaries in the world.

Stay healthy and stay safe out there.

Final note: What would you like me to work on next after I finish this story. Code Gundam: Meister of the Rebellion, Code Gundam: Unicorn of the Rebellion, my Rise of the Bat sequel which I'm deciding to call Trials of the Bat, or another story? I'll put a poll in my profile to vote on and I'll show the report as I post the last chapter to this story. Below I'll give you a summary of the plot of the three options.

Code Gundam: Meister of the Rebellion: Prince. Student. Terrorist. Hero. Villain. Zero. Lelouch has held these titles and many more. But in order to eradicate war from the face of the Earth, Lelouch must evolve into something greater than what he once was and become the embodiment of the eradication of war. He is... Gundam!

Code Gundam: Unicorn of the Rebellion: Having been gifted with a machine of endless possibilities, Lelouch must work to light the way to the future no matter who or what stands in his way. (Just a working summary for the moment, it will be better later on)

Trials of the Bat: 2 years after he'd taken on the persona of the bat, Lelouch has been working tirelessly to make his new home in Gotham safe. But when a price is put on his head for $50 million, Batman is pushed to his physical and mental limits as he fights to survive being hunted by eight of the deadliest assassins in the world, while trying to uncover the one who put the price on his head. The only clue is an aspect of his life he thought he abandoned forever: Geass.