Akuma: Realistically? Code Geass? PFFTTT HAHAHAHAHA. My friend, this is the same series where:

Ohgi got turboshanked by Sayoko, fell off a cliff to the rocks below, and survived. Villetta jumped right after him. Literally neither of them are no worse for wear;

Mao got shot to pieces in Season One, then shows up the next episode just fine and dandy;

Nunnally got blown up by a FLEIJA;

Suzaku was blown up in the Lancelot and never ejected;

Marika Soresi was killed by Kallen, only to be teleported out of her Knightmare by her boyfriend (yes, that happened, it's canon, stupid Oz the Reflection manga);

Jeremiah Gottwald got dragged to the bottom of the Pacific.

My point being, that if all of these people could die in much more spectacular and convincing fashion, then suddenly show up alive and well, then Shirley can certainly survive a simple gunshot wound.

I have one, maybe two full chapters left to write, then some segments in existing chapters, and a good bit of editing. We're close to being finished, thank Holy Christ, and I am working overtime to get this out to you.

I always feel nervous whenever I post a new chapter, but this one takes the cake. Hopefully, I got this chapter right. If I didn't, light me up in the reviews!

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

I do not own Code Geass.

...

Beneath the Wailing Prison, Kingdom of Zilkhstan, March 20, 2020, Kowa Period

"This is bull-"

C-Two whirled around, grabbed Kallen by the shoulder-

The priests revealed daggers from their sleeves, came in behind the half naked girls, and began slashing their throats. Horrified screams broke out in the chamber, C-Two struggled to break free, and she watched in horror as Kallen was stabbed from three different directions as she tore out Shamna's throat with her teeth-

-and slugged her hard in the solar plexus. The air whooshed out of Kallen's mouth, her voice rattling, eyes bulging. She had just long enough to gape at C-Two before her eyes slid shut and she sank onto C-Two's fist. C-Two caught the unconscious girl in her arms, cushioned Kallen's cheek against her breast, and glanced up at the warden, who was already approaching them.

The girls around them screamed at the sudden attack, but were quickly calmed by the menacing presence of the soldiers around them. Bitool grinned down at her.

"Your Queen and I have something to discuss," she said. "I'll ask that you provide Kallen a comfy bed while we speak."

Bitool laughed. "Oh yes, we'll make her real com-"

"Your Mistress' ritual keeps failing," C-Two shut him up. "I think I may know why, and what she intends to do. I can help her. But if so much as one hair on Kallen's head is hurt, your Mistress will never achieve her dream."

Bitool looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. His lips wriggled like worms. "Fine," he spat. He waved a baton at her face. "No tricks! Or we'll make this girl beg for death."

"That's fair."

Bitool gestured to a soldier, and the man took Kallen from, lifting her up in a bridal carry and walking off with a pair of armed escorts.

A pair of manacles were locked onto C-Two's wrists, a pair of guns pointed at her the whole time. When she reached the dais this time, Queen Shamna had her cheek cupped in her hand, her cruel lips twisted into an intrigued smirk.

"Kozuki has a great friend in you," she said. "She won't know it, but you have now saved her life." She tittered. "For the moment." She tipped C-Two's chin up to her. "You said you had a solution to my problem?"

"I may."

"Explain."

C-Two shook her head. "Not until Nunnally is freed," she said. Ideally, she'd like to get Kallen out, too, but Shamna needed a hostage.

Shamna chuckled. "I will not give up so valuable a hostage."

"If my hunch is accurate," C-Two retorted, "you can get her back anytime you wish. You're giving up nothing."

The Queen laughed. "My dear Immortal," she said, "the future fluctuates. It is not so simple to change time, even if one knows it as I do."

"How many times have you slaughtered Nunnally?" C-Two asked.

The Queen was clearly surprised by the question. "In the future I have seen, she has been slain many-"

"Cut the crap, Shamna, I'm not one of your thralls," C-Two interjected.

Shesthaal barked, "You dare!" He raised his fist.

"Tell your dog to back down, or I won't help you," C-Two said calmly.

"You will not-"

"Shesthaal, that is quite enough," Shamna ordered.

The man gaped at her. "But, Your Majesty-"

"She intrigues me," the Queen admitted. Her eyes searched C-Two's face, looking for any hint of weakness. "Bring her to my chambers. We can discuss this more in private."

…..

Colonel Spacer's Private Quarters, Black Knight Mobile Headquarters, Aau, Republic of India, February 2018

Ohgi fought to control himself. The man was in a near panic, and constant pain pulsed from the wound on his belly. He shouldn't have been standing; Hell, he shouldn't have even been there. Sugiyama should have been sent, or Yoshida.

No. It needs to be me.

Kallen was as close to a little sister as any he had. Naoto had entrusted her to him, made him promise to protect her should anything happen to him.

I failed.

"Well?" Ohgi demanded, waving the gun at Lelouch. "Why'd you do it? Why did you geass her? Answer me, Lelouch!"

Lelouch was a genius. Ohgi expected that a million tactics were flitting through his head; some way to lie, to obfuscate, or to escape the situation. Maybe he would raise his voice, draw outside attention. Perhaps he would call for a guard. If he did, they would both die in this room, so very far from home. He would never let Lelouch get near Kallen again.

Lelouch reached for his glasses.

"Don't!" Ohgi snapped. "Don't even try it!"

Lelouch ignored him but, to Ohgi's surprise, the teen simply pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled just loud enough for Ohgi to hear. His shoulders slackened, exhaustion pervading his posture. "This can not be real."

Ohgi clenched his teeth. "Don't play games with me, Lelouch," he ordered. "You geassed Kallen, and I want to know why!"

Lelouch shook his head. He crossed his arms and looked Ohgi square in the eye. "Ohgi, why in the Hell would I geass Kallen?" he asked, his tone dripping with annoyance.

"That's what I'm asking you!"

"She is my closest, most zealous, and most loyal supporter," Lelouch said. "I have no reason whatsoever to geass her."

"You made her forget that night!" Ohgi barked. He winced; his stomach was killing him. He leaned against Lelouch's desk. Sweat dripped to the floor. "You did something to her on that date night, and then you made her forget!" He grimaced painfully. "Why? What did you do? And why?"

"Nothing," Lelouch responded. "I did nothing to Kallen that she, and I, didn't want."

"Bull-" Ohgi clenched his belly. "Bullshit! She has headaches! And she spaces out every so often, and can't remember what she just did. And her eyes have that red haze around them, that haze you find on every slave at Mount Fuji!"

"If Kallen's been having headaches, then she needs to see a doctor," Lelouch said, doing a very good imitation of sounding concerned. "She hasn't mentioned it to me, not once. And if she's been spacing out, well…" Lelouch did something Ohgi never thought he'd see: he blushed. "Well, that might be because she's thinking about me."

"You conceited little-" Ohgi clamped a hand against his side. Lelouch moved towards him, but Ohgi jabbed the barrel at him. "What about her eyes? Heh? Her eyes? The red haze around them?"

"Ohgi, she has red hair, you idiot!" Lelouch retorted. "Did you never think that maybe the light reflected off it?" He snorted. "Hell, I could take a picture of you right now, and there's a good chance you'd have red eyes just because of the color filter."

That...actually makes some sense. Ohgi slid to the floor, exhausted, his chest heaving.

He didn't have the strength to lift the gun when Lelouch crouched next to him and took it from him. The youth pulled out his radio.

Here it comes, Ohgi thought. The arrest, the trial, the execution.

Ohgi had known this was a roll of the dice; that Lelouch would likely kill him if he failed, or if his fears were unfounded. He was alright with that. Kallen was worth it.

I have to make sure that Villetta is taken care of.

"This is Spacer," Lelouch said, setting the gun to the side and wiping Ohgi's brow. "Send a medical team to my quarters. The Second Consul's wound has immobilized him, and he needs treatment."

"Copy, Colonel. Sending a medical team ASAP."

Ohgi looked up at Lelouch, shocked. "You...You're not going to…"

"I love Kallen, Ohgi," Lelouch admitted quietly. He clamped a hand to Ohgi's side. It hurt. "Looks like you ripped open the stitches. Idiot." He looked back up at him. "In your position, I would have done the same thing."

"Ohgi!"

Kallen was suddenly in Ohgi's vision, worry creasing her brow. She looked over at Lelouch. "He'll be alright, won't he?"

Please let him be telling the truth, Ohgi thought as he watched Kallen's every move. He wasn't mistaking it; there was no sign of the geass command, the red haze, nothing.

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, I'm certain." He looked back at Ohgi. "Ohgi, I have gone out of my way to ensure that none of you are mistakenly exposed to my geass," he said. "I wear my helmet in every meeting to ensure there is no accidental eye contact. I wore an eyepatch back when it was only in one eye, and now I wear sunglasses now that it's in both. If I wanted to geass any of you, I could have done it a long time ago."

…

Kallen watched the EMT's carry out Ohgi on the stretcher. His face was swathed in cold sweat, and his shirt was drenched in his own blood. The can of sweet biscuits she'd intended to share with Lelouch lay forgotten on the floor. She slid her pistol back into her holster.

She'd been there for the entire confrontation. She'd pulled her pistol as soon as she'd seen Ohgi's gun, but instinct was overwritten with mounting horror as she was forced to contemplate the fact that her best friend was holding her lover at gunpoint. When Ohgi had sagged to the floor, and Lelouch went to help him, she rushed in, the gun still trained on Ohgi's prone floor.

Lelouch's hand clasped her shoulder. "He'll be alright," he repeated. "Just a stitch up and he'll be good as new."

Kallen shook her head. "You geassing me," she said. "Why would he even think that?"

"Because I did."

Kallen's head whipped around. She stared at him, shocked. "What?"

Lelouch seemed just as surprised hed said it. "I-" He shook his head. He pushed the door shut, but it bounced off the clasp and stayed open a crack. He didn't seem to notice.

He took off his sunglasses. His eyes burned with the permanent red glare of his geass. "Do a handstand," he ordered.

Kallen blinked. "Um, what?" she asked.

"Perform a cartwheel," he ordered.

Kallen looked at him like he'd gone insane. "Huh?"

"Shout 'All Hail Britannia,'" he ordered.

"Lelouch, what are you doing?" she asked, growing increasingly perturbed.

"Kallen," he said, subdued, "I just gave you three geass commands, and you ignored every one."

Her eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped. "When?" she demanded, her tone hard.

"The night we went out," he confessed, still meeting her gaze.

Her eyes grew wet. "Why?"

"To make you stop loving me."

She stormed over to him and kissed him hard on the mouth. "You mean this?" she demanded. She kissed him again. "Or this?" She pulled his hair, rage running through every nerve of her body. "You geassed me to stop me from doing this? Then how come I can do it, huh?" Her cheeks grew wet. "Tell me how, Lulu!"

"Someone undid the command," he answered, unable to meet her eyes. "I don't know how, and I don't know who, but someone overwrote my command. It can be done, I've seen it. The command is still active somewhere in your head, that's why subsequent commands won't work."

"Why would you make me stop loving you?" She snarled at him.

"Everyone who loves me ends up dead, Kallen," he said, his tone dead. "If you didn't, maybe you wouldn't try so hard to keep me alive."

"I'm your bodyguard, you clod!" she retorted. "It doesn't matter if I love you or not! If I have to give my life protecting you, I will!"

"You shouldn't!" he bit back. "You have a mother, Kallen! You're beautiful, intelligent, passionate! Your life is much more valuable than mine!"

"Why would you say that?" Kallen asked him, glaring. "Why would you even think that? You're a good man! That's why I love you! Not the pomp, or the mask, or even the fact that you're leading our revolution! I love you because you're a good man!"

"But I'm not!" he retorted. "You don't know what I've done! What I'm planning to do! What I couldn't have you interfering with!"

"What would I have interfered with, Lelouch?" she asked. His expression closed off. She pressed herself against him, watched his resistance flag. "What, Lelouch? What are you planning to do?"

His gaze fell. "Case Plan Arnold," he said. "My plan for the future of Asia. Named for Grand Duke Benedict Arnold, the man who sold West Point to the Britannian Empire and sealed the fate of Washington's Rebellion. Without his betrayal, Benjamin Franklin would have never turned his back on the Americans."

"I know my history, Lelouch, get to the point."

He shook his head. "Case Plan Arnold. Step One: infiltrate and geass the entire Indian government and High Command. Step Two: using Indian databases, analyze those in the military most loyal to an independent India and have them sent to the front lines for immediate extermination. Step Three: use police databases to track down community organizers, rabble rousers, and political prisoners for the same. Step Four: use propaganda to incite civil unrest among the disparate ethnic and class groups within the Indian Republic, thereby precipitating a civil war.

"Step Five: once the war with Britannia is concluded, provide all aforementioned data to the Federation government. Using geassed agents within India, perform planned massacres on different ethnic groups, particularly those who seek independence. Undermine the central government by attacking its own political base. Run armaments to any dissatisfied actors within the population. Step Six: the Tianzi declares her support for the government. Moblize Federation troops on the borders with India." He sighed. "The rest is academic."

Kallen's jaw dropped and kept dropping. "That's...That's insane! That's evil! That's-"

"The only way to ensure that there isn't another World War in the near future," he said. "The Tianzi is hellbent on reclaiming her lost lands. Once China is reunified, I'll be using them to spearhead my assault into Europe." He stared at her pointedly. "How many of them will be willing to just return to China afterward? After all the blood and sacrifices that will have to be made to rout the Britannians, how many will just give up their gains?"

Lelouch snorted. "That's not even counting the fact that Russia and China are historic and ancient enemies. Will the Russian state even allow Chinese forces to move through their lands? Will we have to fight the Bear, too, just so we can reach the Britannians? And will the Chinese give up any and all Russian lands they have to occupy?" He shook his head. "It must not be allowed to happen."

"What can't happen is this plan!" Kallen retorted. "You-You have to stop this, Lelouch!" She narrowed here eyes. "Was that the other reason you geassed me?" He stiffened. "It is, isn't it?"

His eyes were filled with regret. "Yes. Because you would have been against it."

"Of course I'm against it!" She pressed her hand to his chest. "Lelouch, call it off!"

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Yes, I did, and whose to say that you're right?" Kallen demanded. "Our own people are exhausted from all the fighting. Do you think that the Chinese will be any better off? After coming off a civil war and a world war, do you believe they'll be in any condition to occupy European territory?"

"With Europe burned to cinders? Yes. With all the resources of the Eurasian landmass? Yes. With Europe divided internally between those who bowed to the Empire and those who fought to the end? Yes. Yes. Yes."

Kallen put a hand to her brow. "Goddammit, just tell the Tianzi not to do it! Hell, have Kaguya do it, they're friends after all!"

"And then an Emperor comes along who doesn't honor the old friendships or alliances," Lelouch retorted. "And we're right back to square one."

"Or," Kallen interrupted hotly, "and I'm just spitballing here, maybe a Japanese Prime Minister decides to piss off the most powerful government in the world by embargoing their fuel supplies."

Lelouch's mouth clamped shut.

Kallen pressed flush against him. "Please, Lelouch, call this off."

Lelouch sighed. "It's already in motion, Kallen," he said. "Propaganda is already soaring across the Indian airwaves, splitting the people. Indian Republicans are already being deployed to the most dangerous areas of the battlefield. The entire government and High Command has been geassed and will soon be replaced with Royalists. I can't stop it now."

"The Hell you can't! People are still alive! And you can make sure they stay alive!" She grasped his hands in both of hers. "Don't do this. Call it off now, while there's still time!"

"The Tianzi will launch a war to regain India," he retorted stubbornly. "At least this way, I can control the outcome."

"Control? Control?" Kallen wrung his hands. "Goddammit Lelouch, these are people, you can't control them! People are always going to make decisions you don't want! You can't make them do as you wish!"

"Can't I?" he asked, and she saw his eyes glow.

"Not without making them slaves," she whispered. "Is that what you want, Lelouch? A world of slaves?"

He recoiled from her. "No! I-"

"Did you want me to be your slave? Just like those poor bastards on Mount Fuji?"

He jerked her to him, surprising her. "Never!"

She pressed on. "A world where you know every decision that everyone will make because you made it for them?"

"Kallen-"

"That isn't life, Lelouch!" Kallen pleaded. "It's meaningless, empty! You may as well sit in place all day, never moving, never changing.

"We can make a better world than that, Lelouch. A world that's free and beautiful." She bowed her head. "Please, Lelouch, let people live."

Wet tears fell on his hands, but she didn't wipe them away. She just held him, trembling.

"So stagnant," she heard him whisper, "you can't even call it life."

"What?" she whispered back.

"Nothing, just…Another time. Another life," he murmured. "Alright. Alright."

She looked up at him, hardly daring to hope.

"You win," he whispered. "You...you win."

She surged forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him close. "Thank you," she whispered wetly. "Thank you!"

…

Café Raoul, Paris, Sovereign Republic of France

"Okay, that's him right there," Leila told Warwick. Her friend had been convinced to give up the whiskey bottle for the day, on account of the fact that Anne was out with Yukiya and so could not provide support.

"Good, good, let's get this over with," Warwick said, nursing his hangover in his hand. "I need a drink of something fierce."

Leila rolled her eyes. "Come on."

Minister Laurent was sitting at a table in the cafe, a quaint little mom and pop shop that the Minister was known to frequent. He was a portly man with a balding head and cheeks as smooth as a baby's skin. A little cup of tea sat on a flower embroidered saucer as he read the paper.

"Minister Laurent," Leila said with a bow, "it's a pleasure to see you today. I'm Major Leila Malcal of the Euro Knightmare Corps, and this is Lieutenant Colonel Claus Warwick of the same. I have been trying to get into contact with you for several weeks."

"Yes, I do seem to recall my secretary informing me that a military officer was trying to get in touch," Minister Laurent said without looking up. "Something about members of her unit being in the internment camps?"

"Yes, that's correct," Leila confirmed. "They were members of my unit, and officers besides. They resigned to take advantage of Japanese repatriation, but the country descended into civil war. Since then, they've been stuck in administrative limbo, unable to leave the camps." She held out her petition. "With your signature, you could release all of them into my custody, with their families, and I can get them reassigned to my unit."

The minister took a sip of his tea. "And why should I do that?"

Leila blinked. "I-Because-Because they're good soldiers," she spluttered. "Because they risked their life for a nation not their own! Because they are good and loyal men!"

The minister shuffled his paper. "Good soldiers would not have resigned in the face of the enemy," he retorted. "Loyal men wouldn't have tried to abandon the fight at the first available opportunity. And don't act as if they were fighting out of the goodness of their hearts." He ate a truffle. "They were promised citizenship in exchange for their service. Well, they forfeited their service, and so they have forfeited their citizenship."

"It is hardly that simple," Warwick said.

"I-"Leila shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "Minister, they wanted to go home! Surely you can understand that!"

"Their home was Europe," Laurent replied, deigning Leila with a condescending sneer, "and they deserted her to the wolves." He folded up his paper, tossed some money on the table. "Now then, I must get going. Too much to do, not enough hours in the day. Good day, Major."

A cold weight built in Leila's chest as she watched him leave.

Warwick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Leila," he said. "Leila, we'll figure something out, won't we?"

Leila gave him a jerky nod. "Yes. Something."

…

IBC Broadcasting Center, Madrid, Unincorporated Area 24

Whatever wasting sickness had possessed Milly and Rivalz was gone just a day and half later. What was also gone was about a third of the staff in the newsroom.

"Everyone's upchucking into their toilets," Patrick O'Flannery, the executive producer and Gerry's right hand man, told them. "Some damn puking sickness all over the place. We've got scripts prepared for you for the broadcast." He handed her a stack of papers.

Milly blinked. "I'm sorry?" she said. "Why are you giving these to me?"

O'Flannery rolled his eyes. "Pruitt's out too, Ashford," he explained. "Goddamn, half the anchors across the networks are out sick."

"That's-incredible," Milly said, eyes wide.

"It's a pain in the ass is what it is," O'Flannery said. "You're all we got, so you're about to get a crash course in anchoring."

"I-Right!" Milly said. She raised a fist. "I won't let you down!"

"Uh huh. Follow me."

She trailed after him onto the sound stage with the huge, crescent shaped anchor desk. There were three big 'X's behind the desk.

"You stand right here," O'Flannery said, grabbing her by the hips and planting her on the middle X. "You don't have a co-anchor, Jeffrey's out, too, but," he pointed to the X to her left, "that's where he'd be. The other one," he gestured to the final X at the far end, "is for guests. Which, again, we have none today."

He glanced over at Rivalz. "Cardemonde!" he called out. "You're on camera today. Cue up Ashford, and change camera positions as the script dictates."

"C-Camera positions?" Rivalz asked, nervous.

O'Flannery scowled. "Just walk from one to the other, dumbass."

Milly raised a hand in protest. "Hey, don't-"

"Every time he moves to a new camera," O'Flannery interrupted, "he'll raise his hand when it's ready. Then you turn to that camera. Read off the teleprompter, but check your copy every so often. Always make sure that you're up to date on where you are in the script just in case the computer fails. It also helps to ground the audience to see you checking back and forth every so often. You got me?"

"Y-Yes!"

"You make a mistake saying something, you power through it. Don't call attention to it, don't worry about it, the audience won't either."

"Patty, we're live in two minutes," Milly heard over the mic in her ear.

"Gotcha," O'Flannery said. He patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck, kid."

"Thanks," Milly said.

She restacked the papers in her hand, wiped a bit of nervous sweat from her brow, and gave herself a couple of calming breaths.

"Sixty seconds.''

Milly looked up at Rivalz. He mouthed the words, 'You got this, babe!'

She smiled gratefully at him.

He held up a hand. Five, it counted down. Four, Three, Two, One…

He pointed to her.

The light went on.

She began.

…

Glinda Knights Headquarters', Sfax, Area 18

Claudio placed a framed photo reverently into his bag. It was a family photo, so to speak; he and his brothers were bowed on one knee, happy smiles on their faces; Princess Cornelia and Sir Guilford stood off to the side, stately and serene, but with that slight tilt to the lips that both of them reserved for friends and family; and his father, Andreas Darlton, towered above them all in the middle, a fierce grin on his face as he ruffled Bart and David's hair.

The photo had been taken just before their deployment to Africa; two months before his father's death in Saitama, before Guilford's fall at Narita; before the Princess' doomed stand at Mount Fuji; before he lost two brothers in the defense of Tokyo.

All Claudio had left in the world were Edgar and Alfred, and Princess Euphemia as well. He had not seen any of them in months. A painful longing filled him.

"All packed, Sir Claudio?"

He turned. Dame Oldrin filled the door, a vision of loveliness that brightened his day considerably.

"Just finishing up, My Lady," he confirmed, zipping his bag shut. "Are the others prepped?"

"The Princess is dragging her feet," Oldrin replied. "You know how she is."

Claudio chuckled. "Yes, I've had some experience," he agreed. "Still hunting for clues?"

"Or course. We're not due to leave for another hour." Dame Oldrin sighed. "I'm not sure what she's hoping to find. Peace Mark covered their tracks too well."

Claudio frowned. "If we could just find something, some lead that would tell us what they were doing in Egypt." He shook his head, shucked his pack. "I'll go ahead and load my things. You may want to keep the Princess company. You're the only one who can drag her away when she gets like this."

Oldrin blushed. "Will do," she said. She gave him a brief salute, which he returned, and left.

Claudio stalked the hall leisurely, his bag over his shoulder. When he reached the common room, he found the others playing cards at the big table in front of the TV on the wall.

"Claudio!" Steiner called out. "Pull up a seat and join us!"

Claudio smiled. "I know better than to play cards with you, Leo!" he laughed. "I clean you out, your fiance will have my head!"

"It was just the one time!" Dame Marika protested. They all laughed at her response.

Claudio considered her. Dame Marika Soresi had originally been a member of Bradley's Valkyrie Squadron, a prestigious position that still gave her nightmares. She had been stripped of her position, and almost her Knighthood, when her brother Kewel Soresi killed a Knight while helping Zero escape justice in Area Eleven in the opening days of the Black Rebellion. The Princess had inducted her into the Glinda's, and spoke on her behalf at her hearing, which was the only reason she still had her title. The last act had been a favor to Steiner, which the couple was fully aware of. The Princess seemed to have come off better, however; Marika was a talented pilot, no matter her family's disgrace.

Claudio set his pack down, settled into an armchair, and had the volume turned up on the TV. There was a pretty blonde reporter on, different from that Pruitt lady.

"Damn, she's a hottie!" Steiner said.

"Better watch him, Soresi!" Someone called out. "You're about to lose him to a TV!"

"You can all shut the Hell up!" Marika called back to general laughter.

Claudio shook his head, focused on the TV.

"Hospitals are reporting that this vomiting sickness is spreading," the reporter was saying. "Emergency rooms in Madrid, Zaragoza, and Barcelona are all reporting higher admittance, as are hospitals in Salerno and Rome. Tradcon and Tevinter Food Products have both issued emergency recalls as a result of large numbers of spoiled food shipped out to supermarkets that might be linked."

Claudio narrowed his eyes. Tradcon and Tevinter were Nile based food companies. Something was whispering to him, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Glad we get our food from the homeland," Soresi commented. "Hate to have to buy the local stuff."

An alarm bell went off in Claudio's head. He shot a look at her. "What did you say?" he demanded.

Marika blinked. "Uh, nothing, I just said it's a good thing our stock isn't local-"

Claudio shot out of the room before she finished. He dashed down the hall towards the Princess' quarters. The door was shut when he reached it, so he beat on it loudly.

"Princess! Princess Marrybel!" he shouted.

"Cl-Claudio!" he heard her voice, half flustered, call back. "What-What's the meaning of-"

"Princess!" he shouted again. "I know what Peace Mark is up to!"

There was a violent clatter inside, then the door swung open.

"Princess, they-" he began, then abruptly spun around, face beet red.

Princess Marrybel was naked, her skin flushed, red marks on her breasts and hair askew. He had glimpsed Dame Oldrin over her shoulder, in a similar state of undress, bed sheet clutched to her chest to preserve her honor.

"Speak, Claudio, we don't have time for this!" the Princess commanded his back.

"Yes, My Lady," he said, still mortified. "They're using the Nile Crescent and its distribution system to poison our food supplies throughout the Mediterranean."

"I-How- Oldrin!" the Princess barked.

"Mar-Prin-M-My Lady?" the poor girl finally decided.

"How much of our supply and provision is reliant on foodstuffs from the Nile region?"

"I-What-That-It-"

"NOW OLDRIN!"

"Th-Thirty-Five percent, I think!"

"A full third? Goddammit! I need to get in touch with Lord Oiagros! Oldrin, set up a video call, now!"

"But-My Lady-You-"

"Oldrin, what the Hell are you waiting on?"

"My Lady," Claudio said. "Perhaps you should avail yourself of some clothes before your call?"

"Huh? What are-" her voice ascended into a high pitched shriek, and the door slammed against his back.

Claudio pinched the bridge of his nose

I need a new job.

….

Jeanne d'Arc Parque, Paris, Sovereign Republic of France

"Conceited, pompous bastard," Leila declared. She and Akito wandered aimlessly down the park trail, her arm curled around his. Dress blues had been exchanged for blue jeans, knee-high black leather boots, and a light coat to ward off the cold chill hanging over the area. "When they forfeited their service, they forfeited their citizenship!'" She scoffed in a mocking voice. "'I'm so busy that I'm drinking tea and eating truffles at some posh cafe! Have to watch my figure, you know!'"

"Did he say that?" Akito asked.

"What? No. He-" She noticed the barely there amused tilt to his lips. "Ha ha, very funny." She pinched him on the cheek. "You're a regular laugh riot."

"I hope not. I've worked riot control. Wasn't fun."

She tilted an amused eyebrow. "Akito," she said, "I do believe you've developed a sense of humor."

He shrugged. "Dating you, I'm bound for a laugh or two."

Leila giggled. Some of the cold started to leave her, replaced by a warm feeling in her belly.

"What happens next?" Akito asked.

Leila sighed. "I don't know," she confessed. "I put in a request through Gene's office months ago, but the bureaucracy is a mess. It was Gene who recommended going to the Minister in the first place to speed up the process." She nuzzled her cheek against his arm. "He wants them back almost as badly as I do. We need every man we can get for the coming storm."

More and more Imperial recon flights were being intercepted as they neared EU territory. Satellites were picking up increased troop buildup at the border. To top it all off, the Brits were deploying new aircraft that showed greater maneuverability than anything the EU had.

Things were about to get bad.

The couple came to a large tree on one of the branches of the trail. Bald, spidery branches formed a net over Leila's head as she sat down on the cool ground, knees up to her chest, elbows atop the caps.

Akito brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. She leaned into it, kissed his fingers gently.

"You'd never think we were at war," Akito commented idly.

Leila looked around and agreed. In the park proper, there were families laughing and playing, couples strolling and kissing, old men and women whiling away their hours on the benches. The world had slowed to a crawl here in Paris, this City of Lights, where every dream came true.

"But we're all about to wake up, I think," Leila whispered, low enough that Akito didn't hear it. "We're about to wake up and face the nightmare."

…...

Colonel Spacer's Private Quarters, Black Knight Mobile Headquarters, Aau, Republic of India, February 2018

Kallen bit her lip. "Are you going to remove him as Second Consul?" she asked.

They lay together on Lelouch's bed, the tin of sweet biscuits between them. Kallen was nuzzled up to him, his arm curled around her shoulders like it should have always been there. Exhaustion pervaded her.

She was still angry at Lelouch's confession, and the fact of his master plan sent chills down her spine, but his surrender on it had calmed her. Besides which, she was exhausted. She had run the full gamut of an emotional roller coaster, and all she wanted to do was lay down and rest.

Lelouch nodded. "For the time being. His wound is clearly affecting his judgment. Once I'm sure he won't pull a gun on me in the future, he can return to his post."

She shuddered. Lelouch rubbed her back. "It's alright, Kallen. I don't hold it against him. Like I said, I would have done the same thing in his shoes. Besides," he chuckled humorlessly. "I was never in any danger. He forgot to turn the safety off."

Kallen snorted. "All that, and he couldn't even handle the gun properly." She laughed. "It's a crazy world, Lulu."

He nodded. They ate in silence, Lelouch's head pillowed against the headboard. He seemed just as tired as she. A scent that was uniquely him, some heady mix of grease and gunsmoke, wafted around her. She stared up at his profile, the easy elegance of even the littlest motion. Every inch of him was the royalty he so despised.

"What is it?" he asked, startling her. "Is there something on my face?"

His eyes glowed, but it was a warm glow, a comforting glow, one that could never hurt her again.

She asked him, nervous, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" Lelouch asked, washing down a biscuit with a water bottle he produced from under the bed.

Kallen blushed deeply. "That you love me?"

"Every damn word."

Her heart thundered in her chest. She leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

After the barest hesitation, he returned it. It deepened, grew more heated, and Kallen's hand found its way to the buttons on his jacket. She had the first two undone before he stopped her and pulled back.

"Kallen, don't," he whispered, his voice strained.

"I'm not," she murmured back. "We're not going any further than this."

"But…"

She pulled away from him, her pupils dilated. His eyes, glowing red in the gloom, made her heart skip a beat. "What is it?" she asked gently.

"I…" He looked away from her. "I've done terrible things, Kallen." He took a deep breath.

She kissed him on his cheek. "We both have," she reminded him. She thought of all those people at Narita, and the civilians killed in the final battle against Tohdoh.

"This is different," he retorted, his voice growing weaker as she kissed down his jaw and to his throat.

"Will it change my opinion of you?" she asked.

"Yes."

She grabbed his wrist and brought it to her chest. His hand clamped down on it.

"Then tell me in the morning," she said, and leaned in to kiss him.

"But I geassed-"

"I'm pissed," she told him. "Supremely pissed. I'm angry, I feel betrayed, and..." She unbuckled his belt. "And I love you. A huge battle is about to start, and we could both be killed. I don't want the last thing to pass between us to be anger and regret."

She leaned forward again, and this time he didn't resist. Her mouth closed on his.

…

Nina was trembling. Her heart was beating faster than she would have thought possible. Her chest was so tight it hurt.

After Kallen got done with her squadron mates, Nina had followed her, intent on finally confessing her feelings. She wanted to be alone with her, but the love of her life hadn't gone back to her quarters. Instead, she'd headed two hallways down. Nina watched as her beloved pulled a gun outside Spacer's quarters, petrified, then moved out of the way when a team of EMT's hurried down the hall and carted the Second Consul out on a stretcher.

She waited for Kallen to leave, but she never did. After what felt like an eternity, she mustered the courage to leave her hiding place, and stalked awkwardly to the room.

The door was slightly cracked. She pushed on it and peered through the seam.

Kallen was on the bed with Spacer. Her Black Knight jacket was shucked open, and his hand was on her breasts, squeezing and pinching, while Kallen gasped into his mouth as they kissed. Her shorts were undone and partially down her waist, giving Nina a delicious view of the soft curve of her buttocks that was obstructed by the other hand that clenched the cheek in its dirty palm. As his hand worked into the crevice of her bottom, Nina heard Kallen groan.

SHE'S MINE!

Nina's hand disappeared into her coat, searching for the gun that all Black Knight officers were required to carry.

"No you don't, missy."

A strong arm clamped around her body, lifting her from the floor with ease. Her yelp was silenced with a hand over her mouth. Her legs kicked beneath her as she was forced to watch Kallen's hand disappear into Spacer's trousers. A muffled male groan was nails on a chalkboard to Nina's ears.

SHE'S MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!

"Man, some guys have all the luck," Sumeragi said in that grating tone of his. "Talk about a silver spoon. You'd think he'd leave something for the rest of us." He chuckled quietly as Kallen dragged the yellow top she wore over her head, Spacer's hands tugging her shorts the rest of the way down. "It just isn't fair, you know? I can't let you kill the competition this time."

MINE MINE MINE MINE HE'LL DIE DIE DIE DIE DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE

"After all," Sumeragi whispered to the blasphemous sound of smacking flesh, "that's the heir to the Imperial Throne."

…

Tokyo General Hospital, Tokyo, United States of Japan

Urabe received his deployment orders the morning after his return. He would land in Shanghai with twenty thousand Black Knights, and make for the defensive fortifications at Nanjing. His orders were to accommodate whatever desires the Tianzi, through Commander Xingke, relayed to him, but at no point was he to place himself under their direct command. His ultimate master in China would be Colonel Spacer, an arrangement Urabe scoffed at.

"In what world does a General answer to a Colonel?" He asked Chiba.

All of the departure preparations had already been made, it wasn't necessary to micromanage the whole affair. Instead he lay in bed with Chiba, hand on her swollen belly, delighting in every little movement he could feel from Tohdoh's son.

Chiba snorted. "The same world where Britannian officers can have command over Japanese soldiers," she disparaged. "Damn, the same world where a Brit is practically the king of the island!"

"It's completely irregular," Urabe said. "And damn frustrating. I'm going to have that political officer up my ass the whole time. I can't even crap without him telling me how to wipe."

"Well, brown nosing for Zero is really good experience."

They both chuckled. One thing they had discovered was that Zero didn't much care about their criticisms.

Then again, why would he? He holds our lives in the palm of his hand.

The thought wiped the smile from Urabe's face. "I've asked the Cabinet to take extra care looking after the two of you," he said. "In the event that I don't make it back, maybe spending time with an expecting mother will soften their hearts."

"I appreciate it, Kousetsu," Chiba said. "But I doubt Zero will have much use for a pregnant woman." She placed a callused hand on his. "Take care of yourself, alright Kousetsu? My-Our son shouldn't have to grow up without his father."

Urabe nodded. "Believe me, I'm not trying to get myself killed. I'll do what I can to return to you and little 'Shiro."

Chiba's hand clenched his. "Urabe?" she said. "What did you call him?"

Urabe looked up at her. "Shiro," he corrected himself. "I think it's a good name, don't you?"

Chiba's eyes shimmered wetly. She nodded, her lips trembling. "It's a wonderful name," she whispered.

He sat up, leaned forward, and hesitantly, awkwardly, kissed her lips. It was cold, mechanical, but that was to be expected. They had an audience, and it would be strange if two expecting parents didn't lock lips every so often. They parted from one another, both blushing from embarrassment.

"How do actors do this all the time?" Chiba whispered to him.

"I don't know," Urabe replied. "But I think we're going to find out."

….

Colonel Spacer's Private Quarters, Black Knight Mobile Headquarters, Aau, Republic of India, February 2018

"That was...something," Kallen mumbled.

She lay curled to Lelouch's chest, cupped to his body in the crook of his arm, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his belly, legs intertwined with his. The bed sheets were twisted around their thighs and stank of sweat and some other undefinable scent that Kallen could only describe as sex.

Maybe it was inevitable, but they'd gone a Hell of a lot further than she intended.

"Yeah," he replied, just as quiet.

Kallen bit her lip. What am I supposed to say? 'Wow, you did a great job!'?

"Is this…Is this just a one time thing?" she asked, worried.

"Do you want it to be?" he returned after a moment.

"No," she whispered. "I want you. But I know I shouldn't. Not when you two didn't have a chance."

"There's nothing we can do to change that," he said. "She's gone."

Kallen chewed on her tongue. "She loves you, you know. The girl she is now, I mean," she clarified.

Lelouch snorted derisively. "She doesn't. All she wants is for me to fulfill our contract. Besides which, I feel nothing for her. She isn't C-Two."

Kallen placed a kiss on his chest. "You don't have to lie to me," she said. "I know you feel something for her."

He sighed. "It hardly matters now."

She didn't press him further; he didn't want to talk about it, and she wasn't going to force the issue.

She kissed him on the cheek, then his neck. Her hand trailed down his waist towards his groin.

Lelouch pushed her hand away.

"Lulu?" she asked, puzzled.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead. There was guilt and shame evident in his expression. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For not controlling myself," he answered. "For not being a better man."

"I wanted this, Lelouch," she reminded him. "I want you. What is there for you to apologize for?"

"Everything."

She kissed him again, went to pull the sheets away. "If that's how you feel," she said, "there are better ways to do it."

Her hand found her target. There was no more arguing after that.

…...

Supply Closet

"Why am I here?" Nina demanded. She sat on a metal chair against the closet's back wall. Her hair was askew, her eyes manic. Blood dripped to the floor from her clenched fists.

SHE'SMINEMINEMINEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE

"We're just waiting on someone," Sumeragi said. "Buddy of mine, has a real important function." The youth stood before her, arms crossed over his chest.

I'm going to wipe that cheeky grin off your face! "You're one of the Zero Squad, right?" she asked. "Why aren't you reporting me to your superiors?"

Sumeragi laughed. "I've got a lot of superiors," he replied. "Prince Lelouch isn't one of them."

PRINCEPRINCEPRINCEPRINCELIARLIARLIARLIARMINEMINEMINEMINE

"Then what are you?" she demanded. "Britannian Intelligence? Investigative Bureau?"

"Neither. I'm part of an organization with a very particular set of abilities that's been keeping a close eye on His Highness since he debuted as Zero."

"Then the Emperor knows his identity?"

Sumeragi nodded. "From the very start. His Highness isn't quite as clever as he thinks he is."

"Then why hasn't the Emperor exposed him?"

Sumeragi shrugged. "It wouldn't do much good," he said. "Whose going to believe it? Most people would assume we were lying. Zero can be anyone behind that mask, it's what makes it so dangerous. But knowing Zero's identity for ourselves, for intelligence purposes, has paid dividends. It's why I'm here: to keep an eye on him. And to protect him, so he doesn't do something painfully stupid."

"Then why are we here?"

Sumeragi visibly swallowed. "The situation has changed. His Highness cannot be allowed to have that weapon, no matter the cost."

There was a knock on the door, a rhythmic tattoo that caused the spy to open the door and admit their guest. A Black Knight with dark hair and brown eyes gave her a once over.

He turned to Sumeragi. "Is this about the weapon?"

"Pretty much," Sumeragi confirmed. "It changes things."

The Black Knight nodded. He glanced at Nina. "Have you used it yet?"

Sumeragi shook his head. "You know I prefer to persuade," he said. "It's better to have her on our side because she wants to be, not because she's been compelled."

"Very well." The Black Knight gave her his full attention. "We could kill you, Einstein, but the cat's out of the bag. All your research notes are extant. It would be immeasurably difficult to steal them or, failing that, dispose of them. What do you want?"

"Her," Nina said. "I want her, and I want her now. She's mine. I paid the blood price. I knelt on the altar, she's mine mine mine MINE MINE-"

"Okay, we get the point," Sumeragi interrupted. "Twisted bitch," he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear.

"You could turn Kozuki right now," the Black Knight said, not taking his eyes off Nina.

Sumeragi shook his head. "I already used it once, that's a no go."

"A means to undo it is in place."

"Oh? Intriguing."

What the Hell are these two talking about?

"Well," Sumeragi said, turning to her, a confident grin on his face. "That certainly changes things."

The Black Knight nodded. "I'll make the call. Be ready to move when Lord V-Two launches the attack."

"Will do. What about her? She on board?"

The Black Knight grunted. "If you'd asked me two weeks ago, I'd have said yes. But now? I don't know. Something's changed."

Sumeragi grunted. "Everything's changed."

...

The Throne Room, Royal Palace, Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia

"Your Majesty," Schneizel said from his kneeling position, "if Princess Marrybel and Prince Oiagros are correct, at least a third of our supplies in Europe have been contaminated. We will have to import even more foodstuffs from the Homeland in order to make up the shortfall."

"Then we will have to move sooner than we anticipated," Charles said. "Initiate Operation Camlann."

"It will be done, Your Majesty."

Charles relaxed back into his chair. "The moment has arrived," he murmured to himself. "Let us see if you can stomach it, accomplice."

…

Communications Room

"Why the Hell would I have geassed Kallen, of all people?" Lelouch demanded over the comm. The faces of the Cabinet were before him on the screen. "Did a single one of you knuckledraggers even consider that?"

Lelouch would have preferred to enact one of his contingency plans against the group, but Kallen was standing in the room with him, and she'd talked him out of it.

"We had every reason to suspect you, Colonel," Yoshida retorted. "I've been to Mount Fuji, I know what's going on up there, I know the signs goddammit!"

"And where is Ohgi, anyway?" Sugiyama asked suspiciously.

"In the infirmary, the idiot ripped out his stitches," Lelouch replied. "Apparently, a bunch of his friends egged him on into doing something incredibly stupid."

Inoue leaned forward. "He said it had to be hi-"

"I just wanna say that I didn't doubt ya for a second, best bud!" Tamaki butted in. "Not even for a moment, man!"

"Thank you, Tamaki," Lelouch drawled. "Glad to see someone knows the meaning of loyalty."

"Hells yeah, man!"

"Tamaki!" Minami shouted. "This is serious!"

"Incidentally, I want Ichijuka Hinata and Mitsuki Minase arrested," Lelouch said. "They were supposed to be keeping an eye on you, but I got blindsided by this stupidity. Something's going on with them, and I want to know what."

"You-You were spying on us?" Inoue spluttered.

"Given the shit you tried to pull, it seems I was right to do so!" Lelouch barked back. She backed down.

He considered, briefly, informing them of the geass user in Japan, but decided against it. Without an accurate description of the agent, all he would be doing is heightening their suspicions of his actions in the last month, and he needed to avoid that. "Place them in confinement, and hurry up Urabe's deployment! Zero out!" He smacked the end call button and ran a hand through his hair, irritation pouring off him in waves.

"That could have gone better," Kallen noted.

"They backed down, that's all that matters," he replied.

He walked over to his desk and picked up a stack of files. "This is all the contacts and information I had for Case Arnold," he told her. "I'm holding on to it, but it's going into storage."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"So, you truly are backing out," C-Two observed.

She stood behind Lelouch as he sifted through the names and contacts of all those he had been planning to hand over to the Tianzi. She had chosen a blue bodice and white, frilly skirt, her breasts squeezed together by the bustier. Her hair fell in waves down her back, and a diamond net meshed across it.

"Yes," he said. He downloaded the last few files from his computer onto a thumb drive, ejected it, slid it into his pocket.

"This will make expansion much easier for the Federation," she reminded him. "You understand that, yes?"

"Yes, I'm aware," Lelouch said. He stood up from behind his desk, fixed the lapel on his coat.

"We're going to address that without killing millions of people," Kallen added, her tone hard.

C-Two hummed. "I must say," she said to Lelouch, "I did not expect you to be the kind of man who would follow his-" she hummed, "heart."

"What-What's that supposed to mean?" Kallen demanded, flushing.

"If you're asking for a logical explanation, I can't give you one," Lelouch said. "The logic I gave for the plan stands."

"A lunatic's logic," Kallen muttered.

"And yet you are abandoning it," C-Two said. "This is a foolish decision, boy. You are only going to create more problems for yourself."

"I know," Lelouch growled, tone hard.

"Lelouch!" Kallen cried out. "We-"

Lelouch mollified her with a touch on the arm.

C-Two crossed her arms. "You cannot back out simply because Kozuki does not like it," she said, gesturing to Kallen with a nod. "If you do, you open the door to-"

"I KNOW!" Lelouch shouted. Kallen jumped, startled. He turned around to C-Two, grabbing her by the upper collar of her gown. "I know! I know this is a bad idea, I know I shouldn't be abandoning Case Arnold, I KNOW!"

Kallen went to speak but held her peace.

"This is not about abandoning your killing spree," C-Two retorted coldly. "This is about the implications of letting your feelings get in the way of your better judgment."

"What would you know about feelings?" he demanded. "You cold, unfeeling automaton? You for whom warmth is a distant memory, devoid of color or life? Walking about like a windup toy without any regard for anyone around you?"

Her eyes grew more and more steely as his rant continued. "You are being irrational," she told him.

He let go of her, took a deep breath to calm himself. "I know. Goddammit, I know." He rubbed a hand across his brow, frustration rolling off of him in waves.

Kallen placed a comforting hand on his arm.

He nodded at her, turned to C-Two. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

He was surprised when her fingers wrapped gently around his wrist. "I am not so unfeeling as you might think," she said softly, pulling herself to him. Kallen backed away, looking exceedingly unhappy, one hand clasping her upper arm.

He put a restraining hand on C-Two's shoulder. "Stop," he said firmly. "Kallen and I-"

The ground beneath Lelouch's feet suddenly shook. The walls shuddered violently with the reverberation.

"Was that an earthquake?" Kallen said.

A Black Knight appeared in his doorway a moment later. "Colonel!" he said. "There's been an explosion in the hangar!"

"What?"

"It's been blown up!" the Black Knight repeated.

"Dammit!"

Lelouch went to leave, but C-Two held onto him. He scowled down at her. "C-Two, we don't have time for-"

She unholstered her pistol, turned, and fired. The bullet struck low, right on the Adam's apple, and the Black Knight tumbled gurgling to the floor.

Kallen drew her gun on C-Two. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"You've been betrayed," she said to Lelouch.

Lelouch gaped at her. Then he sighed heavily. He massaged his temples. "What else is new?"

…

Hangar Bay

Diethard ran his camera over every piece of the hangar, making sure to focus on each individual act of heroism. He avoided as much as he could framing the body parts, the bloody entrails, the mutilated corpses. It was standard operating procedure for combat reporters, and Diethard had gotten plenty of practice during his time in the deserts of North Africa in the Battle of Tunisia.

This should drive recruitment numbers way up, Diethard thought. Dead Black Knights, heroically sacrificed, would sell well on the film reels in the theaters.

"Say, do you hear that?" a Black Knight asked him.

Diethard didn't take his eyes off the camera port. "Hear what?" he asked.

"That droning sound," the man said. "It sounds like...engines?"

Diethard allowed the world to bleed out around him, focused. Suddenly, he could hear them. He turned around to the exit of the hangar. His jaw fell open.

Tiny black specks dotted the sky, some larger than others.

A siren went off throughout the base.

"AIR RAID!" the intercom shouted. "AIR RAID! ALL CREWS TO LEVEL ONE BATTLE STATIONS! ALL CREWS TO LEVEL ONE BATTLE STATIONS!"

"That's not an air raid," Diethard said as he shouldered his camera. He hurriedly replaced the SD cartridge with a fresh one. "That's an invasion fleet."

His lips split in a feral grin.

"And I've got front row seats!"

...

GENERAL BROADCAST

AUTHORIZATION CODE 04101780-PROTOCOL RED OCTOBER

STANDBY

STANDBY

STANDBY

AUTHORIZATION REQUEST RECEIVED

TRANSMIT AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMATION

AUTHORIZATION: PEGGY

STANDBY

STANDBY

STANDBY

AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED

EXECUTING CASE FILE CODENAME: ARNOLD