Chapter 7: Setting the Stage

August 22nd, The Nest, 7:17 P.M.

Zero

"How many?" Zero exclaimed to MacNamara. The were inside the Briefing room, discussing current events.

"I did a head count," Namara replied, "And the total came to about 42."

"We lost some of the soldiers," Celaeno remarked, "And some of the trucks, during the initial escape. Those that died in the surviving trucks we buried in the mine shaft we hid in. How none of the others died during the long trip back is a miracle to me."

"Agreed, sister. You got lucky. Now, all we have to recruit~"

"Are a group of undisciplined gangsters." Namara finished.

"And that's why we've got someone like you. Either they'll bend, or you'll break them." Namara smirked at that.

'I know how much he's been wanting to get his training back into practice. It was one of the main reasons he quit the E.U. military: they prioritized quantity over quality.'

"That's," Celaeno retorted, "Only if any of them join us. They are territorial, to say the least, prone to violence easily, and, as of a few days ago, paranoid. If the Britannians had any group they could point fingers at and say 'They're terrorists', it'd be the Yamato Alliance. If they...if they...if"

"What's wrong?" Zero said worriedly.

"Sorry," Celaeno solemnly replied, taking a seat at one of the desks, "Just...still recovering from Takao."

"Didn't think you'd react like this."

"It wasn't them dying that unnerved me. It was how fast they died. There were fifteen trucks that were gonna escape. We lost one not five seconds after exiting. After that, it was like a domino effect. Eight trucks over a period of thirty, maybe forty seconds. I haven't felt this bad since Hamamatsu."

A sharp pain hit his head as he remembered what occurred there, shortly after the Second Pacific War ended. They were hiding there on their way to Tokyo when the city, accused of hiding and supporting rebel forces, was put to the sword by one Luciano Bradley, the now Knight of Ten. They had to wade through streets of blood, as well as sewer channels with blood as high as the Lelouch's knees.

'Thank God Euphie had passed out at the sewer part. I can't even imagine how twisted her mind might've become. Same thing for Nunnally. The only time in my life that I was glad for her blindness.' One of the automatic doors opened, with a woman with an Operation uniform entering.

"Sir, we've decrypted the list you recovered from Clovis's G1. There's something you need to see." She handed him a datapad.

"Took longer than I expected. Clovis really didn't want people to know about Code R." Zero began scrolling through the names. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Hendrix Parker: Research.

Arthur Barrett: Data Collection.

Lochlan Price: Research.

Joseph Fenette: Finances.

Matteo Andre~

'Wait, WHAT?!'

Zero scrolled back up.

"Joseph Fenette?"

"Wait," Celaeno replied, "Shirley's father is a part of this? I'll go question him about~"

"Sit," Zero retorted, "Down, Celaeno. You've done enough in one day. I'll go confront him, and see how much he knows. The list labels him as 'Finances' which could mean he simply made sure they used their money wisely. Regardless, thank you for bringing this to me. Return to your station." With a bow, the woman left, but, as soon as she did, another door opened, and the Talio/Tolia walked in.

"Zero!" They both exclaimed, rushing towards him.

"What?" They handed him a datapad with three outfit designs on it.

"Which one do you like?" Talio inquired.

'Ooookay, based on the designs, these are for females. My guess, one from each of the siblings, while a third is from both.'

"I think I like the middle one most."

"HA," Talio exclaimed, "Told you he'd like mine."

'Wait, what did I sign for?'

"OH," Tolia retorted, "Put a sock in it before I sock you."

"Wait," Zero inquired as they began running out of the room, "What are they for!?" But they were long gone, and Kallen had entered from the same entrance.

Kallen

"You know, brother," Celaeno happily retorted, "You should probably ask what the project is for before giving the go ahead."

"Yeah," Zero replied, "Just, everything is happening so fast, I didn't have time to process it all. I just~"

"Went on autopilot," Kallen interjected, earning a look from the three in the room, "I sometimes have that when I'm piloting the sims."

"Agreed. But, back on topic: How do we get Yamato to agree to join us?"

"You don't," Namara retorted, "As I've stated, men like them won't change unless there is no other option."

"So you're saying that the only way we could hope for them to join is if we give them no other option? And how do we do that without straight up attacking them, cause I won't put innocent people deliberately in harm's way just to boost our own power." The room was engulfed in silence as the group debated.

'At least he's a big mark from the rest of the Britannian military types.'

"SIR!" A man wearing Operations gear rushed in, "Critical info just got intercepted."

"How big?"

"Bearing royal signature big." Celaeno went to the man, who proceeded to give her the datapad. For a minute, she was simply silent.

"Okay," Celaeno worriedly said, "Whatever we do, we have to do it by tomorrow."

"What?!" Kallen exclaimed as Zero grabbed the datapad.

"Apparently, Pollux has ordered his forces to move to Saitama tomorrow for a full on assault on the Yamato Alliance."

"Damn," Namara replied, "I was hoping we had, at least, a full day longer. Those twins really are going full force right outta the gate."

"So," Kallen inquired, "What are we going to do?"

"It's much worse than you think," Zero replied, handing the datapad back to Celaeno, "You can go now." With that, the man headed back to Operations. "Based on the pre-battle formations, as well as a few 'coincidences', they are gonna attempt to recreate the Shinjuku massacre."

'!?' "How'd you figure that out."

"The formations they'll be taking at the start of battle are almost identical to the ones Clovis used. This cannot be normal for the either Pollux or Castor, who wouldn't use these particular moves. But the real kicker is that they intend to send a train filled with Sutherlands through the Ghetto."

'? Are they idiots? Why make it exactly the same?'

"You're," Zero continued, "Most likely guessing why make the same conditions that resulted in Clovis's death."

'Am I THAT easy to read, or is he that good?'

"It's simple: I found it weird that we were able to get this info so easily. Since the Viceroy sent it, it should have equivalent encryption. But, no, it had the same, dare I say even less, encryption than the standard military. Combine that with the fact that the conditions for Shinjuku are nearly the same, and the conclusion is simple."

"They wanted us to find out." Celaeno finished, venom in her voice.

"Yes, sister. This entire operation isn't to just take out the Yamato Alliance. By recreating the conditions of Shinjuku, they intend to kill civilians as well. This, in turn, will prompt us to engage the Britannians, in an attempt to minimize casualties. Quite smart, in my opinion."

'Those BASTARDS! They intend to kill innocent people just to draw us out.'

"And," a voice from behind replied, "You intend to charge headfirst into the trap." Kallen turned and saw a woman with long, lime green hair and golden eyes, and wearing a prisoner straight jacket.

"Not headfirst," Zero retorted, "But a trap you know about isn't a trap, C.C. It's a challenge."

"Lelouch, y~"

"Could you be more DISCREET!?" Celaeno interrupted.

"Lelouch," C.C. continued, not even acknowledging Celaeno, "You and I formed a contract. I can't allow you to put yourself in such a situation."

"If you know me so much, C.C., then you'd know I could never allow myself such a one-sided massacre of the weak from the strong. If you didn't want me to fight, you should never have offered such a deal to me." Kallen noticed the irritation on C.C.'s face. She then saw Zero's shoulder's slump.

"I just had an idea," he said, remorseful, "But I need your consent, Celaeno."

"Ooooh boy," Namara exclaimed, slight fear in his eyes, "Alright, everyone OUT!" Namara then grabbed both Kallen and C.C. and semi-dragged them out of the room.

"What," Kallen said after they left the room, and after she tore herself away from Namara's grip, "Was that about? And who are you?!"

"Oh," C.C. slyly replied, "I thought you'd recognize me. You called me the poison gas."

'Poison gas, why would I ever cal~Wait.' "You're the girl that Clovis experimented on!?"

"Yes, now, if you'll excuse me, my delivery should be here shortly." The fury that was evident on Namara's face almost made Kallen laugh, and she had to cover her mouth so hid her smile.

"Just," Namara roared, even as C.C. walked away, "Because you're a special guest does NOT give you the right to order Pizza Hut willy nilly!"

"So," Kallen inquired, "My previous question."

"Right," Namara replied, having cooled down, "Well, you might not have noticed it, but...Zero's a little...unhinged. He's even admitted that he is a little insane. And that's where Celaeno comes in. It's in my opinion that, if Celaeno wasn't around, we would be dealing with a very different Zero."

"How do you mean?"

"Zero has had an obsession with finding out who killed his mother."

'Wait, she was murdered? I simply guessed it was childbirth, or some form of accident.'

"Pretty sure he doesn't want me telling you this, but she was a member of the Britannian noble society, and he has always suspected it was them that murdered her, possibly even his own father. That drive can turn a person's heart black. He would've gladly sacrificed anything if it furthered his search. Combine that with his cold outlook, and fascination with chess, and you've got a very dangerous man.

And that's where Celaeno becomes the most important part of it all. His other sister's helped, but, make no mistake, she's been Zero's anchor for all these years. When, and forgive my poetic tone, Zero began peering into the darkness of the human mind, she would be there to keep him just at the edge of the abyss, letting him near that darkness, but never letting him fall and become consumed by it. Whenever he starts to get a devious plan, he converses with his sister, to get her consent. He doesn't want to do his dark manipulations unless he knows his sister will allow him to do it. Even better, most times she changes the idea, making it less...evil, for lack of a better word. It's because of her that he's gone from a child wanting answers to a leader demanding justice." He stopped, smiling as he looked at a dumbstrucked Kallen.

'Such sadness. I can only imagine what a soul like that has gone through. And to not be a wreck at such a young age. Such a sad, determined, pretty bo~WAIT WHAT?!' Kallen immediately shut her eyes and started shaking her head.

'Nononono, get those thoughts out of your head, Kallen Kozuki.'

"And what may you be thinking, Miss Kozuki?"

"Just, shaking some dark thoughts away." Namara gave a chuckle at that.

"Yes, it's hard to imagine anything good coming from such a path." At that moment, the door slid open. "So, what's the plan?"

"MacNamara, I want you to gather all the former BotS members. Find out which of them have military training. Afterwards, bring them here. They'll be working all night for this one."

Camelot Engineering Corps Transport, 7:40 P.M.

Pollux

"So," Pollux exclaimed, having found the person that the Purebloods made a fuss about, "You the pilot Castor keeps talking about."

"OH," Suzaku said as he stepped out of the simulator, saluting, "Yes, your highness."

"At ease, private. I'm here to give you both good news and bad news. Which would you prefer?"

"Oooh," Pollux looked over and saw Lloyd Asplund, the head of the CEC, and another woman with Indigo hair and blue eyes walking over, "I'd say let's start with the bad news. Much more entertaining."

"Sir," the woman retorted, "The prince specifically asked private Kururugi, and you really shouldn't be so callous to the Viceroy."

"And," Pollux amusedly replied, "You are?"

"Oh," she said, bowing, "Cecile Croomy, at your service, your highness."

'Not that bad looking, and my brother is insisting I get a girlfriend. Unfortunately, she's under Schneizel's command. Not going anywhere near that man.' "A pleasure to meet you, and, yes, the question was for the private."

"I guess," Suzaku replied, "We'll start with the good news."

"Oh, so boring." Lloyd remarked before getting an elbow to the ribs. Both Pollux and Suzaku smiled at the man's discomfort.

"Alright then. As of this moment, you're being promoted to Warrant Officer, Suzaku Kururugi. Congratulations." The look on Suzaku's face was priceless.

'Normally it'd take a decade of loyalty for a number to get to that point, and he's done it in less than two years.' He noticed the look of wonder on Suzaku's face turned to one of shame.

"I thank you, prince Pollux. But, I don't think I'm deserving of~"

"You're thinking you only earned this due to Zero." Suzaku looked at him, shock apparent on his face. "Castor told me. You feel ashamed that your recent achievements were only possible due to the actions of the terrorists."

"Yes, your highness."

"Well, stop right now. No soldier was acknowledged for deeds during peaceful times, and you're no exception. You demonstrated your loyalty and skill three times: your rapid resolve of the Shinjuku battle, your return after Zero and Celaeno rescued you, and you defence of Margrave Jeremiah, the man responsible for your conviction in the first place. Despite those being the results of Zero's actions, you decided how you responded to those events. Such loyalty and skill should not go unrewarded."

"See, devicer," Lloyd said, slapping Suzaku on the back, "As I've said, your skills with my Lancelot are giving you praise." The man was then dragged back by Cecile.

"And," Suzaku replied, "The bad news."

'Yep, he'll hate this.' "The bad news is that I'm requesting your support in an upcoming mission. Castor just came up with an idea to wipe out a terrorist group and capture either Zero or Celaeno in the process."

"If it'll bring them to justice, then~"

"Wait. The plan is to target the Yamato Alliance in Saitama, and recreate the massacre my brother did several days ago." The look of horror on Suzaku and Cecile's faces was evident of their opinion. "The two's words back when they rescued you indicate they cannot abide with needless slaughter. He intends to draw them out with this battle."

"But...but...the people~"

"We'll be giving the Yamato Alliance a one hour warning. If they have not surrendered by that time, then the deaths of the civilians will be on their heads. This is why I'm only asking you. If you don't want any part of this, then I will not order you. This is your choice." After awhile, Suzaku gave his answer.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I do not wish to take part in this."

'Thank God. Don't know what why my brother is so interested in 'breaking him' so badly. It's because of his attitude that people keep comparing him to that vampire.' "Very well. In that case, I wish you luck with your research, Lloyd." With that, Pollux turned and left, needing to prepare his forces for tomorrow's battle.

Tokyo Settlement, 8:38 P.M.

Joseph Fenette

"You sure you can't come with us, dad?" Shirley pleaded with her him as he worked on his laptop. Joseph brushed a hand across his brown hair as he stood up.

'Man, without Clovis as our main supplier, my job has become insurmountably harder.'

In truth, he was wanting to leave after Zero's first appearance. However, due to the nature of Code R, leaving the project isn't something that would be tolerated.

'It's clear the girl is with him. Which means he'll be trying to find us.' "Sorry, Shirley, work has been building up recently."

"I guess." Shirley replied, though he could tell that she wasn't happy about it.

"Besides," he happily retorted as he walked her to the front door, "Those guys wouldn't know the difference between Net Income from an EPS." Shirley had to cover here mouth in a vain attempt to hide her laughter.

"Dad, that's horrible."

"The truth usually is. Don't worry, if all goes right, then I should be back to my old job in a week or two."

'Depending on how fast I can distance myself from them without arousing suspicions.' He then kissed her forehead.

"Now go on, before your mother throws a fit." With that, Shirley left the house smiling. Joseph's face soon became one of concern as he began walking back to his laptop in the kitchen.

'Okay, with the relocation, I'll have to divert some of our finances to get additional supp~...no.' Joseph saw as he rounded the corner from the living room to the kitchen. A man, draped in a black and golden cloak, holding a picture of his family.

"A lovely picture," Zero said, "I believe this is the Arashiyama, before it was paved over last year due to a sakuradite deposit being found."

'This is sooner than I expected. I'm gonna die here!' Joseph stepped back, entering the living room, and noticed a display case holding his personal Polo mallet from his youth. 'But not without a fight.' Zero put the picture down, and turned towards Joseph.

"You know why I'm here." Zero began walking towards him.

"Yes."

"You know what you've done."

"Yes."

"Do you regret your decision."

"Yes."

"Will you resist."

Zero was almost right in front of him.

Joseph quickly grabbed the mallet, and swung at him...only for Zero to push kick him backwards. Joseph backpedaled, falling over the living room coffee table. As he went for the mallet, Zero's foot slammed down on it.

"You're not afraid of death. An admirable quality...but, do you know where most people who boast that fail?"

Joseph stared up at the man, anger building up. 'Don't you dare say what I think you're going to.'

"It's when their friends and loved ones are involved." Joseph quickly got up, attempting to jab Zero, but he simply caught the fist, then punched him in the stomach before elbowing him to the ground.

"You," Joseph spat, "Stay away from my family!"

"I have no intention of hurting them, Mr. Fenette. I'm merely remarking about how selfish you're being."

"WHAT!"

"You're not afraid of your own death," Zero coldly replied as he knelt , "But, have you considered how your friends, your true friends, and family would react to your death?"

'? They'd...they'd be devastated.'

"The sorrow, the fear, the hatred that would be born from your death. I can only imagine that someone as sweet as Shirley might be driven to kill me due to your death."

'No, NO! Shirley wouldn't do that.'

"But, I'm not here to kill you. If I wanted to kill you," Zero gently moved his cloak, revealing a sword on one side, and a dagger in the other, "we wouldn't be having this talk. Now, why would two strangers be having a conversation."

'He's here for Code R. It may seem cowardly, but this might be my shot out of the group.' "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

August 23rd, Viceroy Administration Building, 9:13 A.M.

Jeremiah Gottwald

Jeremiah, after receiving orders from General Dalton, left his office, and met up with Villetta. The two began heading towards the Viceroy office, where Dalton was waiting.

"Jeremiah," Villetta said, "I've been meaning to tell you about something."

"Go ahead, Villetta. Given what's happened recently, you might be the only friend I have left here." He noticed the shameful look on her face.

"Remember what Clovis said, back at the bridge, about how the girl had unique powers?"

'How could I forget. To think he'd break the Accordance, which prohibits such things.'

"Yes?"

"Well, during Shinjuku, I encountered something strange: a man and a woman, surrounded by Clovis dead royal guards. When I try to remember them, my mind gets blurry. Not only that, but there's a gap in them as well. One minute I'm outside my Knightmare, moving towards them, then next, they, as well as my Knightmare, are gone."

'That is strange. She might've been the first person to actually see Zero and Celaeno. But this gap in her memories.' "Were you knocked out from behind?"

"If I was, why did I come to standing up?"

'A fair point. Given what Clovis said.' "Based on recent events, it's quite possible that either Zero or Celaeno have the powers that the girl possessed. Well done, Villetta. Once this business in Saitama is over with, I will report this to the Vic~" 'Oh, right, strict supervision.' "To General Dalton, and we can go from there."

"Just, doing my duty, sir."

"Don't we all." A voice from ahead of them retorted. They turned their heads to see Dalton next to the Viceroy's office. "And what would seem so important for me?"

"Possible information," Jeremiah replied as Villetta saluted Dalton, "Regarding the Code R girl."

Dalton raised an eyebrow at that, "Well, for now, focus on Saitama and the terrorist group there."

"Yes, sir." Villetta replied. At that moment, both Pollux and Castor exited the room, and began heading to the military section of the base, with the three following closely behind.

"You highnesses, I believe you'll be relieved to hear that the Fountain and Magma Guards arrived last night."

"OoohOOO," Castor joyously replied as he turned around, walking backwards, "Finally got the upgrades it seems."

"Fountain and Magma Guards?" Jeremiah inquired, not familiar with the terms.

"Each member of the Imperial Family must have a Royal Guard," Pollux replied, "Ten minimum, thirty maximum, twenty standard. Me and Castor have a joint Guard of thirty, ten standard, and twenty special Guards, ten for each of us. These Guards were specially trained to fight as we do."

"Each of their Guards are sent out whenever the opposite prince takes the field. If Castor enters the field, the Fountain Guard would fight alongside him, as an extension of Pollux, and vice versa. The Magma Guards' Knightmares are outfitted with staffs that are super conducted at both ends. One hit from them might not do too much damage, but they can disorient a Knightmare's systems long enough for another hit, then another, until the enemy is crushed. The Fountain Guards have high-powered railgun rifles that can tear through Knightmares in a few shots."

"Though," Pollux replied, "The upgrades have been most beneficial. The Magma Guards' staffs now have a drill at one end, making piercing attacks more viable."

"And the Fountain Guards' rifles," Castor continued, still walking backwards, "While they used to have a 3-second charge up time to fire, they should have the firing rate reduced to only a 1-second charge up time. OOOOh, this is gonna be fun!" He turned around, though the smile never left his face.

'The man clearly has an obsession with combat.'

"Um, sir," Villetta whispered to Dalton, "Prince Castor seems a little…~"

"Trigger happy," Dalton interrupted, "Not exactly. He just gets a thrill while in the heat of battle."

"Don't tell me he's like Lu~"

"Lord Bradley." Jeremiah noticed the annoyed look on Castor's face, though Pollux had an amused look that said 'it's your own fault', "Took great pleasure in ended the lives of those he could. If it wasn't for the military, he would most likely be a serial killer. Prince Castor simply enjoys the thrills of combat, and one other reason, though only Prince Pollux knows what it is."

At this point, the five had exited the building, and were approaching a G1 Command Base.

"Speaking of which, have you decided who's gonna go out there."

'Oh, this out to be interesting. To discover the elusive method that the Rui Britannians used to crush their enemies.'

"OH!" Castor said as he began searching his pockets, with the five stopping as he did so, "That's right, we've been so busy setting this all up that I've forgotten. Where is the darn thing?"

"You gave it to me yesterday," Pollux said, pulling out a coin, "Remember?" Castor gave his brother a scowl, and simply nodded at him. Pollux tossed the coin into the air, catching it, and placing it on his wrist. It had landed on tails.

"Looks like the Aquarius will be the first to face Zero." Pollux smugly exclaimed to Castor as he tossed the coin to him, his brother's scowl returning.

'...WHAT?!'

The Twin Demons' secret tactics, the same tactics responsible for the creation of Areas 15 to 18, the pacification of 15 to17, and countless other victories.

'It's all based around a COIN!?' Jeremiah could see that Villetta had the same dumbstruck look on her face as the two princes continued walking to the G1.

"I swear, brother," Castor exclaimed as he looked over the coin, "You did something to it. It seems to land on your side far more often." Dalton turned towards the two, clearly amused at the events that transpired.

"Not what you were expecting?" He inquired.

"That's an understatement."

"It's quite unusual, but it's worked for them. Any major decision they make they decide who does it with that coin. Projects they are working on, who leads in combat. Hell, even the appoint of Viceroy was decided like that."

"You're kidding?"

"Hmph, we're getting off track. Your assignment while at the Saitama Ghetto: The Purebloods will be in reserve, guarding our rear of the G1. We anticipate that Zero and whatever forces he has will already be in Saitama when we arrive, but, if he isn't, we want the Purebloods to prevent him from coming up behind us. You are to hold there unless specifically ordered, understood?"

"Yes, General!" Jeremiah and Villetta said as they saluted and ran to their Knightmares.

'Zero, we will capture you...And you WILL tell me where Lady Marianne's children are!'

Author's Notes: The Battle of Saitama is about to begin, and Kallen's learned a little more about the mind of Zero/Lelouch. This and Saitama were originally going to be one chapter, but the flow didn't feel right for me.

Once again, leave your review in. And I will see you next week.