The Black Emperor

by Primordial Vortex

Being forced to carry his innocent sister through a sea of bodies would have broken much older men. For Lelouch, it merely strengthened his resolve. But he was only human, and let his mission slip to one other. Confronted with the possibility of failure and staunch allies in his corner, he swallows his pride and actually prepares himself for his rebellion. AU, harem

8. Turn 08 - Vengeful Ghosts

Didja miss me?

My word, does it feel good to finally get this chapter out. Almost a year to the day since the last update. I really am sorry for leaving this for so long. I got caught up in other projects and interests and when the inspiration came back, guess what? I had no fucking computer to write with because my laptop gave up the ghost! You can read ALL about that fucking saga on my profile if you like.

Which brings me to the next point which I will now be including as standard in all chapters; ALL INFO ON MY STORY PROGRESS CAN BE FOUND ON MY PROFILE. I KEEP IT UPDATED. If you want to know priorities and progress for updates, just head on over. My profile won't bite. I promise.

My thanks to Seerking for pointing out that I've been misspelling Ohgi's name for tHE ENTIRE FUCKING STORY ARRGRGHGHGGHGHUHGJISCXBFKJHVSGDOIPU. And big thanks to him for helping out in some areas that just didn't want to move.

A large part of this chapter has actually been written… since the last update actually. But it just never felt finished. I touched up what I could when the CG urge struck but there was just something missing and I couldn't figure out what exactly. Then the computer bullshit and… yeah. Here's to the next one not being a piece of shit and stalling for a year.

Thanathos has also been a big help on multiple fronts.

And a BIG thank you to all those who submitted Knightmare designs… Even if my dumb ass forgot to save them in a word doc so now I'm going to have to go BACK through dozens of PM chains to find them again. ;-; Either way, keep em coming! I loved some of the designs you guys came up with and was able to cannibalize a couple different ones for the Onryō. Big thanks to X009 in particular for that one!

-]|[-

Turn 08 – Vengeful Ghosts

-]|[-

Villetta felt the horror surge through her. 'J…Jeremiah…' She was struck dumb by the site of her leader's former Knightmare burning like a pyre. Jeremiah had been their best pilot by a country mile. He had not only overcome Kewell's betrayal but had fought well enough to not only survive long enough for help to arrive, but had even managed to do damage and partially disable two of the enemy frames.

And this Eleven had just treated him like yesterday's garbage.

There was a lump in her throat that seemed to be preventing her from swallowing. Her fists made creaking sounds on the controls as she squeezed. 'We have to do something!' Her voice sounded weak even in her own head, and she forced the traitorous thoughts of defeat down with nothing but sheer force of will. She grit her teeth almost to the point where she was risking fractures, "FIGHT!" She roared across her allied channels despite the honest terror she was feeling, "FIGHT TO THE END! DEFEND THE VICEROY AT ALL COSTS!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Two of the remaining Purebloods yelled as they charged forward.

Lelouch let out a sigh, "You're all too hasty. Didn't I say we didn't have time to play today?" His Raijin whirred to life, the black weapons at his hip swinging up and pointing forward.

Villetta's jaw dropped in dread as she was the only one a high enough rank to recognize the weapons for what they were, "NO WAIT!" She screamed at her men in panic. It was far too late. The twin barrels at the Raijin's hip shot two golden beams forward at such a high speed that neither Sutherland even had a chance to recognize that they were in danger. The beams impacted and smashed straight through the armor, punching almost perfect holes through the cockpits. The beams continued forward and smashed into the ground, digging twin trenches for a couple meters. The Sutherlands lumbered forward for a moment through their momentum before both fell over, the holes crackling with lightning. They both exploded into pyres of flames themselves. "The VARIS too…" Villetta trembled in her seat, "They even stole the VARIS too?!"

"That's right!" Her attention was grabbed by Kallen, "We can finally fight you sons of bitches head on!" Before she could move, the MVS knife the Guren had thrown cut off her right leg at the knee, digging itself into the ground. Her Sutherland tipped over and the Raijin landed right before it and its foot crushed its head with a stomp. It had an evil glint in its golden eyes as the VARIS rifles at its waist aimed at the downed machine.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Villetta screamed in complete terror as she yanked her emergency eject handles and the cockpit soared away, unharmed. The shaken woman inside was another matter, her pride and composure as shredded as her Knightmare.

"We've wasted enough time here." Lelouch radioed Kallen, "Let's move out. We have a date and I'd hate to miss it."

They took off, casually taking care of any other Purebloods along the way.

-]|[-

On the Britannian side of things, the leadership was quite close to pulling their hair out. Only Euphemia, Cornelia, Darlton and Guilford managed to keep even a semblance of cool, "What are our losses?" Cornelia's oldest Knight and general grit his teeth.

"We're only reading signals from twenty percent of our forces." The man who gave him the answer sounded as shaken as Darlton had ever heard anyone sound, "That landslide almost wiped us out!"

"Twenty?!" He snarled, "We can't keep this up! We need to regroup with the Princess!" Several explosions erupted near their formation as the JLF renewed their fire with gusto. No doubt they were elated over the devastation of Britannian units. "We're going to get pinned down if we don't move now! Edgar, David… Go forward and take out any artillery! Claudio, you're with me! Bart, Alfred and the rest of the survivors… Make sure our backs are clear! If you see any Sutherland still functional help them out!" The six leading Gloucesters all split into three groups, while the 'trainee' pilots started trying to dig out the few Sutherlands that hadn't just been annihilated.

Edgar and David immediately started racing up the mountain, where machine gun fire was protecting all of the large howitzers that had once again started raining fire down the mountainside. They were quite fortunate that the ground up here was sturdier than down lower, where more material had collected. If that hadn't been the case, today might have ended up even worse than it already had. Edgar threw his lance and destroyed one encampment while his Slash Harkens cut the barrel of the howitzer in half. He and David leapt apart just in time, as a shell hit where they had stood moments before. The land erupted in a plume of dirt and rocks that peppered the ground.

David rolled to avoid an RPG round and his anti-personnel cannon made quick work of the JLF soldiers on foot. His machine gun started spitting out bullets that shredded some of the howitzers. He used his lance to stab through the platform, creating a hole. "This looks important!" He chuckled as he dropped a Chaos Mine into the hole. Off to the side, Edgar had picked up his lance and the duo continued rampaging.

Darlton senior growled as he saw a Burai with a sniper rifle aiming at one of his sons, "Not on my watch!" His right Slash Harken fired forward and pierced right through the Burai's cockpit, which had whirled towards him in panic. The tether started reeling back while the anchor expanded, dragging the Knightmare with it. He stopped reeling and grabbed the tether with one of his hands, yanking the doomed machine into the air as a makeshift flail. With a roar, he smashed one Burai into a firing squad of Burai that had just managed to get out of the ground after the elevator had been cleared of earth. All four machines practically exploded, metal scrap raining onto the somewhat loose ground.

"Father is showing off again." Alfred chuckled as he watched their father dismantle the enemy forces.

"That's dad for you…" Claudio smiled pleasantly.

…

Euphie stared in not a small amount of horror at the utter devastation, 'Dear lord… if we hadn't evacuated that town…' She let out a breath and hardened herself. She knew that they – she, Lelouch and everyone else involved – had done everything in their power to make sure no innocent civilians would get caught up in this. She knew from her commanders that they hadn't found anyone else in the city, despite blaring air raid horns and extremely loud megaphones for over half an hour. There was no way anyone could just sleep through that or ignore it. They had done all they could, "Status report!" She said firmly.

"Our forces have been devastated." The man was sweating heavily, "Sub-Viceroy! We must act! We have to move the G1!"

"Absolutely not!" She snapped at him, and he shrank back, seeing a shadow of Cornelia above her sister's shoulder. Euphie would be quite pleased that the subtle illusion had worked, "Our medical field is behind us, as are the evacuees! This is our final line of defense!" The light bulb went off in her head and she smiled. She took a step forward and made a very specific call.

…

In the Camelot trailer, Lloyd had continued to monitor the situation, "Lloyd, what's going on?" His Lancelot's pilot asked, a hard note in his voice.

Lloyd still had his perpetual half-grin on his face, "Something very unnatural." Suzaku parroted the word in confusion, "There was an absolutely gigantic landslide that crushed the main forces. We have unconfirmed reports that the Black Knights were sighted."

"Zero!" Suzaku ground his teeth together.

"Congratulations, Warrant Officer. This may be our chance!" he said cheerfully.

"LLOYD!" Cécile bit out, "You're too rash!"

"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" Lloyd questioned, obviously confused.

Cécile put on an extremely pleasant and saccharine look on her face, "Would you like the list alphabetically or chronologically?" It was so obviously fake that everyone but Lloyd himself would have realized it.

"Ehh, I think I'll pass." The eccentric genius told her, "Anyway, while the high command's still gathering data, all we can d-"

They were cut off by Princess Euphemia's authoritative voice, "A.S.E.E.C.!" They all stood to attention. Suzaku especially couldn't take his eyes off her, "You hereby have my permission to deploy. Suzaku…" She looked at him, and he almost puffed out his chest, "Make sure my sister is okay."

"Yes, your Highness!" He steeled himself, "I won't fail you!"

-]|[-

"Suzaku, are you sure you want to do this?" Cécile asked him in concern, "These Sand Panels are not easy to use!"

Lloyd chuckled happily on his end of the call, "I suppose that's one way to describe it. The last Knight to try to use one immediately crashed and shredded his test Knightmare. And several concrete walls when the Panels kept going with one of his legs still attached. I believe he was quoted saying he'd prefer strapping rockets to his feet rather than trying them again."

"Lloyd! You're not helping!" A commotion was heard momentarily, before she started speaking again, "You could really hurt yourself Suzaku!"

"I'll be fine." The brown-haired boy said with finality, "I promised Princess Euphemia I would help Princess Cornelia."

Cécile let out a worried huff, "Very well then. Advanced weapon system Z01 Lancelot.
Utilize the Sand Panels to climb the liquefied slope at max combat speed and rescue the Viceroy!"

"Yes, my Lord!" He readied himself.

"Suzaku, there's one thing I want to ask you." Suzaku turned a questioning look to the screen displaying Lloyd on his console, "More than anything, you hate when people die. Yet, you are in the military. Why is that?"

Suzaku's hands clenched on his control, "It's because I want to stop people from getting killed that I'm in the military."

Lloyd's amused expression didn't change, "My, my, that's a contradiction that might get you killed some day."

Suzaku watched in bemusement as Cécile's hand came into the camera view and yanked Lloyd away. He heard what sounded like a slap and a punch amidst Lloyd's cries for mercy. He smirked a little momentarily before his expression hardened, "Lancelot… LAUNCHING!" The great White Knight shot forward at a far greater speed than Suzaku rightly had been prepared for. He had to adjust his stance almost immediately or else his Knightmare would have gone ass-over-teakettle, possibly with one of the sand panels ripping themselves off his feet and launching into the air. Possibly with his feet still attached. But he regained control and barreled his way up the ruined mountain, taking a moment to frown at its destroyed beauty. Why the hell did these people have to continue fighting?! Couldn't they see what they were doing to the country?!

-]|[-

"So, we meet again, Princess." Lelouch smirked as he and Kallen skid to a stop, throwing up some dirt in the process. "Looking as lovely as ever." Indeed, her Gloucester was still immaculate despite all the fighting. Even her white cape hadn't been stained. Anyone who didn't know what it was made of would probably just stop and goggle over that fact.

"Zero." Cornelia's eyebrow twitched but she was still smirking. It was two against her and a good portion of her Royal Guard, including her Knight, "So, you did cause this mess. If I had known you were coming I would have prepared for our dance."

"I'm afraid I could hardly wait to see you again." Lelouch lost his amusement and became serious, knowing this was a whole other kind of opponent. He couldn't afford to take her lightly.

"Princess! We have five unknowns coming from the rear!" Guilford's voice interrupted them. "We just received word that they punched through the blockade prior to the earthquake!"

Lelouch furrowed his eyebrows, "The JLF?" he mumbled out loud, "Ha, I guess Tōdō was indeed gone. They were losing a bit too easily." He signaled to Kallen, "My Red Queen… entertain her Knights, will you?"

"With pleasure!" The redhead yelled, charging forward.

"Tch!" Cornelia spat, "Zero is mine! Take care of her!"

"Yes, your Highness!" Her Royal Guard yelled as their Landspinners screeched.

'Big mistake!' Lelouch smirked as he watched Kallen destroy both Gloucesters with nary an effort. She jumped into the air to avoid the lance thrust, landing on top of the weapon and kicking its head clean off. She spun through the air in a backflip and landed, immediately crouching and avoiding another thrust from the second knight. Her MVS knife turned red as she cleaved the machine in half at the waist. The cockpit landed harshly and its emergency escape triggered immediately. The entire block raced back and clipped another Gloucester in its flight path, who had been trying desperately to dodge. The two went spinning and careening to the floor.

Cornelia was stunned, 'Ten seconds?' She clenched her controls, 'She took out three Gloucesters in ten seconds?! It's just like that damn Lancelot Asplund won't stop bragging about.' She clenched her jaw, "That's a seventh-generation frame… isn't it?"

She hadn't truly been expecting a response, so she was surprised when she got one, "That's right." Zero confirmed for her, "But I'm afraid that's the least of your worries."Her eyes widened as he lifted his machine's arms up and then snapped them down. What she initially thought to be Slash Harkens shot from his wrists. She was wrong. The whips – for that was what they had to be – ignited with lightning. They crackled and screeched ominously, forks of electricity snapping off and hitting random things and leaving scorch marks on the ground. "It's not the only one." He charged forward towards the speechless Cornelia.

-]|[-

Nearby, Tōdō was finally close to arriving onto the battlefield. The trailers had been equipped with remote-controlled drivers as they all prepared. "All units, are you ready?" The man himself asked the rest of his Four Holy Swords.

"Yes sir!" Three male voices and one female voice confirmed.

"All right. Deploy the custom Burai!" he ordered, "Listen carefully. If this landslide was manmade, it should allow us to hit Cornelia from behind. We will capture Cornelia now, and take revenge for what happened seven years ago!"

…

"Suzaku!" He heard Cécile yell as he was starting to close in on Viceroy Cornelia, "We have new orders!"

"WHAT?!" He yelled in shock. What could be more important than securing the Viceroy?!

"We have confirmation of two trailer trucks that have broken our blockade! They're racing towards Princess Cornelia's rear flank! We believe them to be reinforcements for the Japan Liberation Front!"

Suzaku grit his teeth furiously, 'Tōdō-sensei!' It had to be him. There was no way the JLF would have been getting destroyed as easily as they were if Tōdō was present.

"The Viceroy is already engaged with the Black Knights! If these are in fact Tōdō and his Four Holy Swords with improved units as we suspect, then there is a chance one of them could take out the Viceroy while she's occupied! You need to intercept them! Princess Cornelia is only engaged against two enemy units. We'll have to trust that she can handle herself."

'Damn it all!' He snarled mentally, "Confirmed! Changing to intercept path!" He veered left and pushed even more speed out of his sand panels. There was a forest in between him and his target, so he pulled out his VARIS and changed it to the fourth impact rail. The barrel elongated just as it had at Lake Kawaguchi. He pulled the trigger once, and like that night, it annihilated all in its path. Entire trees were uprooted and dirt was flung out of his path, crashing to the floor dozens and even hundreds of meters away. The VARIS shrunk down again and he put it back under his cockpit. The trucks were right in front of him, and he saw Knightmares start to lift out from the trailers. He scowled and put his shield up, the Blaze Luminous igniting in front of him.

With a roar, he charged forward and rammed straight into the lead trailer. The Knightmares managed to jump free, but the truck got bowled over and flung right off the dirt road. It tipped onto its side and screeched forward – knocking smaller trees over – until it impacted a large enough tree trunk to stop its momentum. The trailer almost sandwiched like an accordion, before igniting into flames. A hellish explosion range through the air.

The five Knightmares looked comparable to the Burai he had been seeing images of, except they had long, trailing antennae. One of the five machines had a lighter color scheme, which made him assume it was his sensei's machine. They still didn't have any pictures of the Black Knight Knightmares though, since no one had survived long enough to transmit them.

"Damn it!" Asahina yelled, "What is this thing?! It doesn't look like any Gloucester!"

"Don't lose your focus!" Tōdō yelled out, "We will defeat it like any other!" The five pilots took out their brand-new weapons – the signature of the Burai-Kai – the Katen Yaibatou. These Revolving Blade Swords amounted to superheated chainsaws, and were developed by Rakshata Chawla's team. Lelouch had come to prefer the MVS, and had decided to go forward with its development instead, feeling that the RBS would be too dangerous in case of a mechanical failure. Rakshata had pouted over it for a while, but had understood his reasoning.

"You won't get past me!" He unsheathed his MVS from their slots on his cockpit block, "I can't waste time here!" He shot forward and clashed with the lead, lighter-colored Burai-Kai, "What?!" he gasped, "The MVS!" He growled as the RBS screeched against his MVS and was forced to back off as the other four tried to surround him, "It didn't cut through! Damn!"

"Rotating Absolute Power formation!" Tōdō roared and the machines started circling Suzaku. They all began to fire and Suzaku was forced to crouch and reactivate the Blaze Luminous. The gunfire pinged off of him and the Holy Swords cursed, stopping their fire, "Damn it! Cornelia will escape at this rate!" he took out one of his Chaos Mines and threw it. Suzaku threw one arm behind him and leapt up, firing his Harken Booster at the ground for some extra oomph. He shot towards the mine and sliced it in half before it could activate, "WHAT!" Tōdō's eyes widened in shock. Just who were they facing that could cut a Chaos Mine in half before it could deploy?

Suzaku roared, "That won't work against me again!" he fired his Slash Harken at the lead unit, but at the last minute the booster activated and it changed course in midair, slashing through one of the other Burai-Kai unit's midsection. "One down!" He yelled in victory as Senba cursed as he flew through the air in his ejected cockpit.

"Damn you!" Urabe roared, and he was the next to fall. Suzaku landed and rolled forward, dodging a slash from Chiba. His Knightmare's foot crashed into the head of Urabe's unit and knocked it off its feet. The MVS made quick work of it as its own RBS flew from the unit's now-limp grip. Suzaku cut the unit's legs off and sent the cockpit rocketing away.

Then he whipped around like a tornado and launched all four of his Slash Harkens. Two of them caught two of the Burai-Kai in the hands and ripped them off, knocking their blades free. He landed and raced forward, clotheslining one and slashing the arms off the other.

Tōdō grit his teeth, "Retreat! We've lost this one!" he yelled at the remaining members. The Four Holy Swords and their mythic leader raced away, licking their wounds and furious at the injuries to their pride. How in the world had they lost to a single unit?

Suzaku whirled around and sped towards Cornelia. "I'm coming, Princess!" he said, 'I won't let you down, Princess Euphemia!'

-]|[-

Ohgi, Tamaki, Inoue, Sugiyama, Yoshida and Minami had all been put into one squadron, with four rookies as support. Normally Lelouch wouldn't have grouped together his commanders, but this was a special occasion. Lelouch knew that the Glaston Knights would definitely survive the fight against the JLF and the Landslide, so anything less than the entire group was doomed to end in failure. He needed the Glaston Knight delayed for his plan to work out. "Alright guys, target the Glaston Knights!" Ohgi commanded, as serious as they had ever seen him. Zero had put him in charge of this operation and he could not fail, "We're in Knightmares that are just as good as theirs! Let's give them hell!"

"HAI!" They all roared, and cleared the mountain.

"What!" David yelled, and threw his lance forward to block the falling Onryō, "What the hell are these?!"

"These aren't Burai you Britannian pig!" Tamaki roared as his reinforced fist dug straight into the Gloucester's lance and tore it apart.

David let go of the lance and had his Landspinners smoke up as he backpedaled. "Damn you!" His Slash Harkens fired forward, but rather than blowing the Onryō's arms off, the glancing blows deflected with loud screeches. The armor on Tamaki's unit was pretty banged up and gouged up, but it was still functional, "These aren't Glasgow knockoffs!" he growled to the rest of his squad, "Group up!"

"Oh no you don't!" Tamaki drove forward, intending on taking his first kill, but was interrupted by Edgar's lance, "Tch!" He groaned as the lance clipped him and sent him into a spin.

"Tamaki!" Sugiyama yelled as he pointed one arm forward. The first two plates on his arm nearest to the wrist lifted up and revealed two mini-rockets, which fired forward leaving behind smoke trails. The first one impacted Edgar's hastily lifted lance and completely blew it apart. Edgar dodged the second one by leaping into the air and firing his Slash Harken's at the downed Tamaki. Both of his legs were cut off just as he was standing, and the cursing redhead ejected. The five on two didn't last long, as Inoue fired her first two missiles and blew Edgar's machine apart at the hips. The auto eject fired immediately and set him to safety.

"Edgar!" Andreas roared furiously as the rest of the Glaston Knights finally caught up to the two who had been acting as the vanguard.

"You'll pay for that!" Alfred roared as his machine gun started spitting out fire. Inoue's Onryō was peppered but her armor held, especially when she crossed her arms to take some of the bullets.

"Get away from her!" Sugiyama snarled furiously as his Slash Harkens fired, interrupting Alfred. The blonde dodged the anchors and charged forward, his lance primed to impale Sugiyama. Andreas fired his Slash Harkens at Alfred's back, the two anchors passing right by his son who didn't even flinch. Sugiyama whipped out a sword with his right hand and his Tonfa on the left. Ohgi's Slash Harkens flew past his head and the four anchors smashed together and deflected, "DIE!" Sugiyama and Alfred both roared as the sparks from the two impacts cleared. Alfred thrust his lance forward which was knocked away by the Tonfa. The sword cleaved into the Gloucester's neck and cut its head off, before continuing and cut off the right arm. The Gloucester barreled into the Onryō, knocking both the ground. The impact was so great that the Onryō's cockpit deformed and the hips started crackling. Both machine were forced to eject, with the Gloucester exploding seconds later.

The four eager rookies had managed to take out all of the surviving Sutherlands and most of the non-Glaston Gloucesters, though when Claudio had stepped in, all four of them had wiped out in seconds. Claudio's Gloucester looked slightly banged up, but otherwise was battle ready. "Sugiyama! Damn you!" Inoue yelled as the shoulder plates on her Onryō retracted, revealing three rockets on each. The ones closest to the head were the biggest and the ones farthest were the smallest. They fired into the air and then started chasing Bart around.

"Heat seeking!" The blue-haired man groaned as he tried dodging them. The first four he managed to dance around and destroyed with some gunfire, but the fifth blew his leg off at the knee. "NO!" He yelled in sheer panic as his machine skid on the dirt while the last missile closed in. Claudio fired his Slash Harkens at Yoshida and took him out of the fight while he was distracted. The redheaded David dove in front of the missile with his lance held protectively in front of him. When it impacted, the resulting explosion almost blew the rest of them off their feet. Inoue let out a cry and ejected when a boulder smashed right into her chestplate. When the smoke cleared, the two Gloucesters were in pieces, though to Andreas' relief the cockpits were intact.

"Bart! David!" Claudio yelled in worry into his radio. A slight groan was all that let him know at least one of them was still alive.

Andreas let out a roar of utter fury as he charged forward. His lance was pointed straight at Minami's cockpit. The man in question pulled out his swords and readied for the fight, planning on deflecting with his Tonfa the way Sugiyama had. Only Andreas was one of the best pilots in the army. He stopped short and the Tonfa swept through the air, hitting nothing and unbalancing the Onryō. "Foolish child!" He rumbled as his Slash Harkens fired forward, slicing off one of the arms. He growled as he was forced to sacrifice his gun-holding arm for the maneuver. Ohgi's Slash Harken crashed right into the joint and the limb started malfunctioning. He ejected it and kicked it towards Ohgi, and the resulting explosion blew the Onryō's backwards. The tether – which hadn't wound up yet – was severed and Ohgi lost one of his Slash Harkens.

Andreas blocked Minami's sword swipe with his lance, which deformed from the impact. The two kicked out, and the Onryō's leg crumpled entirely, making it unstable. The machine wobbled lightly as it raced back mostly on one leg. Andreas' Landspinner malfunctioned so he chased with his Slash Harkens. Minami sliced them apart with his sword. The plates on his upper arm slid open and out popped a Chaos Mine.

Claudio had been racing forward, but was forced to skid to a stop and backpedal in a hurry. The molten shards tore up his arms and his armor, while also destroying one of his landspinners. He fell to one knee as the explosion destroyed his leg and just did his best to protect his cockpit. Andreas threw his lance at the machine which ripped off one of its legs, forcing Minami's ejection. Just before he did, he fired off his Slash Harkens in a last hurrah. Andreas dodged both of them and grabbed one as it slowed down. He jerked his wrist and turned the anchor into a whip, which dented the armor on Ohgi's arm just as he managed to get back to his feet. He finally fired his last Slash Harken, which managed to give Ohgi's chestplate a very good dent and knocked him around something fierce. The final Black Knight had enough. He turned tail and retreated.

Darlton's machine was the only one left standing, though it was a far cry from its usually-pristine shine. The bear of a man let out a sigh and went to make sure his sons who hadn't ejected were alright. "What a disaster of a day." He growled out.

-]|[-

"Your Highness!" Her last Royal Guard except for Guilford roared raced forward. He intercepted Zero, raising his lance to punch straight through it.

"Nuisance!" Lelouch yelled as he whipped his right arm forward. The whip made an audible crack as it cleaved straight through the golden lance and through the Gloucester's arm. The arm was cut off at the elbow and fell downward, still clutching the lance. They both smashed into the dirt, the severed piece of the lance rolling away. Both cuts were still glowing red hot and leaking molten metal. His other whip wrapped around the Gloucester's head and yanked it clean off. A kick had the Knightmare falling on broken knees. The machine had bared all it could, and the auto eject activated.

All that were left were Cornelia and Guilford, "Guildford." Cornelia said, her voice steady despite the fury on her face.

"Your Highness?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of either unit.

"Remind me to triple Camelot's budget." She said steadily, "I do believe they may have a point about these damn Seventh-Generation Machines."

"Of course, my lady." He held back a chagrined grin. He wasn't entirely sure they'd be getting out of this at this point, but he appreciated the Princess' attempt at levity. So, he returned it to his Princess, "Well, you were hoping for a challenge, weren't you?"

"Me and my big mouth." She actually chuckled a little.

He charged forward, "Have at you!" He charged Kallen and her Guren, with Cornelia following a second behind towards Lelouch and his Raijin.

"Poor choice." Lelouch commented, a little disappointed. These two may have been on a whole other level from the other Gloucesters that made up her Royal Guard, but they were still Gloucesters. Cornelia fought with an acrobatic style, full of leaps and Harken-assisted changes in direction. She swung her lance at the Raijin's head, aiming to knock his block off, but the machine was just too fast. Lelouch moved back a slight bit and kicked out. Cornelia caught his foot but the impact was so powerful that it knocked her hand away and her machine off balance. She almost fell to her knees but her Landspinners managed to keep up with her and she righted herself. She extended her lance forward – a feature only she, Darlton and Guilford had available to them – and prongs snapped open. She looked to catch Zero unawares and pull him in, but a quick movement to the left and a swipe of his right arm upwards had her precious weapon cleaved in half, the impact zones molten. She let go of it with a curse and raced backwards.

Kallen caught Guilford's straightforward charge with her silver hand. That hellish red light erupted from her palm and started making the lance warp, crush and bulge. Guildford sweated as he pressed a button and ejected his arm entirely, as even it had started to deform. He backed away in the smoke, firing blindly at where Kallen was. She emerged and dodged them with an ease that seemed mocking to the experienced knight. She closed in and slashed his gun to ribbons with what he realized had to be an MVS.

Cornelia was backpedaling and shooting, but the Raijin was just too fast. It caught up to her in an instant and dodged her hastily-thrown kick, slapping her leg so she spun. And spin she did, losing balance momentarily and ending up on her knees. Before she could do another thing, the two plasma whips crashed down on her Gloucester and cleaved her arms off at the shoulders. 'Euphie…' She thought as the Raijin drew its arm back once more, a single tear slipping down her cheeks, 'I'm so sorry…'

"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford yelled madly, trying desperately to get past the Guren. She followed easily and sliced his legs off. "NOOOOOO!" He crashed to the ground and slid forward.

"Goodnight!" Kallen yelled cheerfully as she grabbed both arms and bent them behind the machine. With a metallic groan, the unit's arms were ripped off. She really had to do something nice for Lelouch and Milly. Not only was this Guren amazing but the weeks of experience she had fighting against a skilled pilot in his own right had done her a world of good.

Inside of her cockpit, Cornelia's eyes widened as – instead of killing her as they had expected – the whips dimmed in brightness and intensity. Instead of cleaving her unit in half, it wrapped around her torso. Immediately, electricity started to get pumped straight into her unit. She let out a cry and shielded herself as her instrumentation started to crackle, fearing that they were about to explode in her face. Thankfully, they just dimmed entirely as her unit lost all power. The whips disengaged and stopped drawing power entirely, whizzing back into his wrists. Cornelia's unit slumped over, starting to fall forward onto its face before the Raijin caught it under arm and lifted it. It was being lifted by the waist and its legs were dangling, dragging on the dirt.

"Excellent work, Q1." Lelouch was smirking as he put his mask back onto his face.

"You too, Zero!" Kallen felt exhilaration rush through her veins. They had done it! They had defeated the Britannian Goddess of Victory herself!

"ZERO!" A new voice drew their attention as the Lancelot barreled into the field of battle, both swords blazing red. Lelouch frowned momentarily, wondering where he had heard that voice before. "Unhand the Viceroy!" Lelouch chuckled lightly as Kallen intercepted the white Knightmare, forcing it to dodge out of the way of a swipe of her knife. The two danced for a moment, before Suzaku growled as he realized who wouldn't be able to out speed the other machine. "How is it as fast as the Lancelot?!" He demanded in worry.

"Looks like your dance partner has arrived, my Red Queen!" He smirked maliciously, "Why don't you show him what a real Knightmare handles like?"

"My pleasure!" She yelled as she parried a swipe from the machine's other MVS, catching it with her Radiant Wave Surger. The blade looked almost purple under the light of the radiation wave before it started bulging and deforming. Suzaku let it go as it exploded.

"No! Get back here!" The voice was hoarse as Zero raced away, Cornelia's Gloucester under his arm, "ZEROOOOOOOO!"

-]|[-

Captured.

That was not a word Cornelia had ever considered applying to herself. Not even in her very first battle – when nerves and jitters had caused her to make so many mistakes that Darlton had torn strips from her hide – had she been pressed enough to fear even defeat. Today had been an unmitigated disaster. She truly had not been expecting Zero this day, and with the sheer superiority those machines had shown, she wasn't entirely certain that she could have won the day even if she had been prepared. She had never seen a Gloucester taken out in anything under a minute, even when the enemy used swarm tactics. She had barely seen Gloucesters taken out at all! Most of her losses prior to the landslide had been Sutherlands. To see a single unit destroyed in ten seconds was such a ludicrous thought with their technological superiority that she would have laughed in the face of anyone who suggested it.

That red machine had taken three.

She had most certainly been wrong in writing off Earl Asplund's research initially. Kururugi – the Eleven pilot – had certainly proved his worth during Lake Kawaguchi. Yet still, she had almost ignored the lot of them. Had she been better equipped, perhaps this fight wouldn't have been so one-sided.

She eyed the gunblade she always carried. It was lying securely by her feet. She grabbed it and strapped it to her leg. She wasn't about to go out without a fight, and she'd be damned before she suffered the indignity of being a prisoner without making them damn well work for it. She snorted to herself rather melancholically, 'I do rather hope this Zero is actually as noble as he makes himself out to be.' She'd bite her own tongue off before she was subjected to that.

She was jarred from her thoughts when the sounds outside her darkened cockpit indicated that her Gloucester was being sat down. She had been suspended in her seat only by her safety harnesses. She was rather glad she had put them on otherwise she would have been splattered against her screens. Slowly, the cockpit righted themselves and she let out a sigh as the pressure on her chest released. She held her head high as she unclipped the harnesses. She may be a captive, but she was a damn Imperial Princess. She would not allow them to see any weakness from her.

With a slight jerk, she was slid out of her cockpit mechanically. "A pleasure to see you again, your Highness." She resisted the urge to cover her face as some light sun hit her eyes. Even she wasn't able to keep from wincing at the difference in lighting, but after a few blinks, she eyed the machine that had defeated her, "As entrancing as ever."

"Zero." She greeted calmly, realizing that they were entirely alone. There wasn't another Knightmare in sight, which confused her more than a little bit. Where were the armed guards? The celebrating Black Knights? She raised an eyebrow, "So, is this where you mock me before putting a bullet in my skull?"

The man huffed, "Please Cornelia. I would never do anything so pedestrian." She then allowed her jaw to lower slightly as the man's Knightmare kneeled and the cockpit opened. She eyed the man curiously – and a bit dumbly – as he stepped out of his machine seemingly without a concern for the weapon whose handle she was blatantly gripping. "You are a hard woman to reach."

She raised her eyebrow again before levelling her gunblade at him, "You have me at a loss." She confessed, "You don't seem the type to make a mistake as grievous as not checking me for a weapon."

"Or my entire ensemble is bulletproof." Zero shot back dryly.

She deadpanned, contemplating shooting the man to give his boast a try. Finally, her curiosity got the best of her, "What do you want, Zero?" She asked, strapping her weapon to her leg once more.

She got the feeling that the man was smiling, "My lady," He waved his hand and turned his head slightly to his right. She held back a curse as she realized he was directing her attention to a cave. What was wrong with her right now? How in the world had she missed something so obvious? "My only desire today… is to talk."

"Talk?" She asked coolly, "All of this… just to have a private conversation with me?"

"Why of course." Zero answered her, "You have answers to questions I seek and I have the same for the ones you seek." She got the feeling that he was smirking, "I could hardly just waltz into the Palace and request an audience, now could I?"

She bit back a snort at the thought of the chaos such a deed would have caused. She imagined Euphie would have been laughing her lungs out at the sight of those tepid bureaucrats running around like chicken with their heads cut off. "And if I refuse?"

"Oh, you are far too curious to do so." He said without skipping a beat, "I don't imagine you've discovered the answers to your questions."

"Hmph." She glared coolly at him, "So, you did send me on a wild goose chase. You knew I wouldn't find a thing."

"You wound me, my lady." Said the man looking very much unwounded, "The information I gave you was valid. If you found nothing then perhaps you were looking in the wrong places." His appearance did not change, though she got the feeling that he started sounding a bit smug, "Though I suppose you have a point. It isn't information one simply leaves lying around. Au contraire, I do suspect it is actively being hidden from you."

"Then how did you come across it?" She decided to test him, to see just what he would be willing to give up. She was well aware that he held all the cards right now. Even with them both outside of their machines currently, his still functioned. If this turned violent she was sure to be the loser. Especially if his attire were in fact bulletproof. Her outfit was made of such material so that wasn't out of the question. Unfortunately, he wore a helmet while she did not. In combat terms, that made her practically naked in comparison to him, should this dissolve into a firefight. "For that matter, why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth? I'd also like to know just how did you end up with so many of the Lancelot's technologies. Not even I have access to those upgrades yet." Obvious information from her. How would he respond?

"Oh, my fair lady…" He chuckled in what seemed to be actual amusement. "Why would I ever lie when the truth would hurt so much more." Her fist clenched at her side, "As for your questions… The same way I came across the information on Code R, of course." His tone turned a little dark, "I took it from Shinjuku."

Her eyes narrowed, "You had my brother Clovis download it for you. Before you killed him, that is."

"Indeed." He said airily, "Though the files he had on the Lancelot's schematics were outdated at best. I'm afraid Prince Clovis was more interested in his parties than he was in securing the Area. If he hadn't been such a lousy commander that he lost his entire force in an obvious trap, the Lancelot may never have seen the light of day." She was very thankful for her royal cool. Inwardly, she was burning in embarrassment for her deceased brother. Zero had been nothing but polite to her and her forces thus far. The outright mocking coming from him right now actually meant something, as strange as that sounded. "We captured an arm and a leg that day. More than enough to work off of for reverse engineering purposes."

She very carefully kept her expression blank. Why was he being so free with that information? Was it his way of telling her that it didn't matter if she knew or not? That he had not only taken the technology but improved it? Created countermeasures? Created better weaponry? Or was this a much darker message? Was he telling her that she would not survive long enough to get the word out? She bit the inside of her cheek lightly. She was completely at the disadvantage right now. Maybe if she stalled for time, someone would find their Knightmares, "I'm keeping my weapon." She said finally.

"By all means." Zero waved to the cave once more. At the very least, she would get the information she sought, wouldn't she? She walked side by side into the cave with him, not about to give him her back

-]|[-

Suzaku snarled inside the Lancelot's cockpit as he watched Zero drive away with the Viceroy. He had promised Euphemia that her sister would return unharmed! He whipped out his VARIS and took aim, unleashing a powerful green beam at Zero's shoulder. If he could rip that arm off, then perhaps the Viceroy would be okay. He rather hoped she wouldn't be overly displeased about being rocked around inside her cockpit from the fall.

Only his plan never came to fruition. The red machine materialized in front of the shot and her claw reached out. A massive burst of energy shone dark red from her palm, and the VARIS' shot stopped dead in its tracks, "What!" he gasped, "She stopped my VARIS!"

"That won't work!" Kallen grinned victoriously, "If this had been the original Radiant Wave Surger Mark II, then you might have won today!" The green beam dissolved into nothingness and the red light stopped shining. Another cartridge ejected from her arm, "You'll need to hit harder than that if you want to beat my Mark III." She stuck her tongue out slyly.

"Damn it!" Suzaku cursed, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he roared at the red machine, charging forward and snapping out a spinning jump kick – what would come to be known as his signature move. Kallen dodged underneath it and when he landed he spun again, looking to sweep her off her feet.

Kallen lifted her foot up and smashed it down, crushing his first Sand Panel. He spun his remaining Sand Panel backwards and got out of her range, flinging the ruined machine at her. She dodged it and eyed him seriously. His machine was definitely as fast as hers. She charged forward and he stuck his leg out, looking to hammer his remaining heavy Sand Panel into her machine. She grabbed it with her claw and activated the Surger. Suzaku immediately detached the panel before that weird effect could start gripping his leg too, backing away in a hurry.

He grit his teeth, "The Lancelot is outmatched up close?!" He shook his head, "No, I refuse to lose!" He took his remaining MVS out again shot the VARIS. Kallen dodged around agilely, "She can't be as fast as the Lancelot! What the hell is that machine?!" He fired his hip Slash Harkens and watched as they were annihilated by that red light for his trouble. "Tch!"

The two then engaged in a dance, kicking and slicing at each other with their weapons. Kallen was the one to score first blood, firing a Slash Harken he didn't even know she had at him. His chest armor was scratched up and dented rather badly. He tried to slash the wire with his MVS but it just barely missed, the weapon retracting. He jumped over a kick and shot his wrist Harkens out, whipping them in a scissor-like motion in an attempt to cut off her unit's head.

He gaped as her knife started glowing red and she sliced the anchors apart, "What! The MVS?!"

His surprise was so great that he missed a block, taking a kick to the midsection. His armor groaned and he retaliated by activating his Blaze Luminous and forcing his Landspinners to scream as he drove forward, slamming her with it in a shield bash. "Damn!" Kallen cursed as she was forced to backpedal. "This asshole is good." She lifted her left arm up and started firing with the only long-range weapon she had. "Take this!" The first shot exploded off of Suzaku's Blaze Luminous, so she shot at the ground near its feet next. The Lancelot jumped up to avoid it and started trying to hammer her with VARIS beams.

Kallen's Landspinners were getting a heavy workout, so when a stray shot from the VARIS damaged her left one, her mobility was almost halved. It still worked, but nowhere near as well as it used to. "I'll win this and then go find Zero!" Suzaku yelled and charged forward, looking to slice into her with his MVS. If he could just keep the damn thing from moving, they'd be free and clear to go hunt for the Princess! Kallen's knife activated again, and the two blades clashed. "Oh no!" Suzaku gasped as he realized he had made a bad mistake. He had noticed that the enemy had kept deactivating her knife when it wasn't being used but had thought nothing of it. Now with them side-by-side he realized why. His MVS was a light red. Kallen's was a much deeper color, closer to blood red. Her MVS must have been a much bigger power hog than his because it was more powerful! That was why she kept turning it off! His fear proved correct. The knife sliced right through his sword and continued forward to gouge a deep cut into his arm.

"I have you now!" She yelled as that arm went completely unresponsive and fell limp by his side. She fired her Slash Harken again and had it deflected by a hastily activated Blaze Luminous. "I can do this all-day buddy!" She fired it again and started mixing shots in with her left arm. Suzaku was forced to keep the shield up which meant that he couldn't actually fire back. She had disabled all of his weapons except for his VARIS. And his shield was draining his power fast, and she damn well knew it too! He had to do something!

Gritting his teeth, Suzaku activated his shield to its max radius and charged forward, switching his VARIS to impact rail four for the last time that day. He would gamble it all on this last play!

"Fool!" Kallen yelled victoriously and charged head on, continuing to fire her arm cannon while prepping her Radiant Wave Surger. Just as they were about to meet, Suzaku turned off the Blaze Luminous and whipped the max-power VARIS forward. Kallen thrust her Surger at the weapon while firing her Slash Harken one last time. It cleaved through the Lancelot's right knee and effectively gave her the victory if she survived this shot. The VARIS fired and the shot impacted her Radiant Wave, which was blasting at max output. The shot trembled against the radiation which started spreading to the VARIS. The weapon started to crumple. But this time, the shot didn't get disintegrated. This time, the shot managed to match her best weapon.

A massive explosion erupted between them. Both machines were tossed backwards as a deep crater blasted itself into the earth from the deflected VARIS shot. Kallen screamed in pain as she was lifted up in her seat and slammed back down. They had moved a fair way away from their original spot and the Guren ended up tumbling over a cliff as it rolled. She was caught by a worried Ohgi, one of her Guren's legs continuing downward, "Kallen!" He screamed as he lowered them down gently. His Onryō looked pretty banged up from the fighting.

She groaned in pain as lights flashed all around her. The Radiant Wave Surger was disabled and if she could see it, she would have realized that the claw had been mangled. Green electricity crackled around it. She shakily hit the radio button, "Sound the retreat!" She said weakly, "We got what we came for. Zero will catch up." She answered before he could question her, "I'm…" her voice wavered, "going to pass out now."

"Kallen!" She didn't respond, "KALLEN!"

Up on the cliff, Suzaku didn't fare any better, smashing his face on the console. He blacked out immediately. The Lancelot smashed into the grit as already-damaged limbs flew from the main body. Its lights dimmed and it lay unmoving next to the smoking new hole in the mountainside. "Suzaku!" Cécile yelled in panic, having been monitoring the boy in increasing worry during his battle, "SUZAKU!" The once proud and shining machine lay practically in tatters.

Neither side could really claim victory, because neither could finish the other. Their first battle ended in a draw.

-]|[-

"This isn't quite how I imagined being captured would be like." Cornelia said cautiously, staring at the masked man who was sitting quite regally on a rock in front of her. The sight gave her a small amount of amusement. She remembered several of her siblings back home who could have used half of this man's poise. They were inside a fairly dark cave, with the only light coming from the mouth of the rock formation.

She couldn't see it, but she was quite sure Zero had popped a smile from the tone of his voice, "Captured?" He inclined his head to one side quizzically. She wasn't quite sure that he wasn't just mocking her. He chuckled lightly after a moment, "You misunderstand entirely Princess. This is just as I have stated; a conversation." His next words definitely had the lilt of someone smirking smugly, "Though if you would prefer the authentic experience, I'm sure we could get you trussed up in Shibari in a hurry."

Cornelia flushed angrily. She could almost envision him wagging his eyebrows, 'What the hell is Shibari?' She bit out in her head. Oh, she could get the gist of rope being involved, but that was a foreign word.

"Please sit." He waved his hand to one of the rocks and interrupted her angry woolgathering, "We can hardly talk if you're standing."

"What game are you playing?" She hissed, but did so anyway. She sat with the dignity taught to her as an Imperial Princess.

"Game? This isn't a game, Princess. I have questions for you, and I'm sure you have questions for me." Zero said lightly, "Once we're finished here, you will be free to go."

"…" She stared at his mask blankly, "I'm sorry?"

"Your ears work perfectly well." He sounded entirely too amused, "I have no intention of killing you. An actual reasonable Britannian Royal is such a rarity that I can hardly afford to just get rid of you. Your work with the Refrain trade has been inspiring." She floundered, completely out of her element. Was this man utterly mad?

"Wh-" Cornelia's eyes widened, "You would let such a valuable hostage go? I'm not a woman in the business of buying bridges."

"Valuable hostage?" The masked man snorted, "To whom exactly? We both know the Emperor won't lift a finger to help you. You're of no more worth or interest to him than any of his children. If I sent your broken body to him I doubt you'd even get a minute of attention past his grandstanding at your funeral." She stiffened, her eyes narrowing. That… that knowledge of her family was far beyond what she would have expected any high ranking Britannian to have, much less a Japanese terrorist. "But that is neither here nor there. As I said, I have never had any intention of harming you, Princess."

"Then why go to all this trouble?" She didn't look it, but she was honestly just bloody confused. Who the hell was this man and what was he planning?

"As I said…" She knew he was smirking, "To talk." He uncrossed and recrossed his legs, "I'll even sweeten the pot. I'll allow you to ask first."

"Who are you?" She popped off immediately, "You know far too much about things you have no business knowing." She was quite aware that she was wasting her first question, but perhaps she could derive something from his response. She wanted to get the man's measure. To see if he would let anything slip without meaning to.

"That…" Zero said silkily, "Is a wasted question I'm afraid. The time is not right for this face to be revealed." That statement in itself was telling. He intended for her to know at some point? And why tell her that? "As for how I know the many things I know… suffice it to say that Britannia's security is lacking." Well, that and he had an obvious backdoor in Euphie now.

'You can say that all you like…' She thought with narrowed eyes, 'But your knowledge of me speaks of some sort of familiarity. You knew I wouldn't shoot you at Lake Kawaguchi, just as you knew that telling me you'd save Euphie would allow you to pass. That's not data you can just find on the net.'

"But I suppose I can confirm something for you. An olive branch if you will." His tone sounded amused, "You have probably started wondering how I have such – let's say – insider information. Perhaps you're even wondering if I'm truly Japanese. That is indeed the correct line of thought. I am not."

'What!' She bit back a sharp inhale, 'Why is he telling me that as if it is a fact that does not even matter to him? What's his angle? What does he want!?'

"Now, I suppose it is my turn." She focused back on him and gave him an indulgent nod, "I've taken the liberty of looking at your history. It's quite full of your many accomplishments, not the least of which being the formation of Areas Eight through Ten. You also managed to hold out in Brazil against overwhelming numbers and only lost a few of your battalion. You more than earned your title of Goddess of Victory."

She didn't know whether to be flattered or not, "Any particular reason you're trying to butter me up?" She muttered dryly, not sure how to handle the compliments.

Zero continued as if he hadn't heard her, "However, it was your one failure that interested me more than anything." Her eyes hardened and her fists clenched, "You were the head of Her Highness, Empress Marianne's guard at the time of her assassination."

'Lady Marianne…' Even now, the fury and anguish of that day still burned within her, "What does it matter to you?" She barely held back from snarling.

"It matters to me, Princess, because it does not fit your record." Zero said calmly, knowing the question had burned the magenta-haired woman, "You were the head of Empress Marianne's guard. You. The Britannian Goddess of Victory. Even back then, your name was starting to draw fear amongst the other countries. How is it that an assassination team managed to get past you and your guard? If there is a group for hire out there that can casually subvert the best Britannia has to offer and assassinate an Empress, then it is in my interest to prepare should they take interest in my own affairs."

She breathed out through her nose, glaring at his mask for a moment, "They didn't avoid my guard."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed behind his mask, "Pardon?"

She clenched her fists, "They didn't avoid me and my guard… because there was no guard to avoid. Lady Marianne ordered me to pull back the night of her assassination."

Lelouch stilled. That… that was new information. His mother had ordered her guard away? What in the world was she thinking? 'Did she know she would be killed that day? No, no, that's all wrong. She would have sent Nunnally and I away with Nelia if that were the case. Then…' He barely held back from clenching his fist, 'Then it was someone she knew… someone she trusted. Someone who she didn't want anyone else to see. She was betrayed.' That put less suspicion on Charles unfortunately. There would have been no reason for her to send Cornelia away if that were the case, "How interesting… A betrayal then."

"What?!" Cornelia stilled as she contemplated that theory, 'Betrayal? But…' She didn't have more time to go down that rabbit hole, as Zero again spoke.

"You never considered the possibility?" He sounded surprised, "It actually seems quite clear now that I know that fact. Why else would she have sent you away? Clearly she was meeting someone she trusted but did not want anyone to see."

"Lady Marianne…" The old rage and hatred started to burn in her once more. Her beloved mentor and idol… the one she always had aspired to surpass or even fight side-by-side with… stabbed in the back. The desire to find those responsible and crush them ignited once more into a raging inferno. It must have shown on her face, because Zero once again got her attention.

"Yes, it is certainly food for thought, isn't it Princess? But I digress. I thank you, your Highness. I do believe it is your turn."

Cornelia regained her composure and stared at his mask for a moment, "If you are not Japanese, then why fight for them?"

Lelouch smiled behind his mask, "Hoh, perhaps there is hope for you after all?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She snapped back in confusion.

"You called them Japanese." Zero said simply, and Cornelia floundered. H-had she really? What? But she had no time to correct the statement, because Zero answered, "The problem with Britannia, your Highness, is not necessarily the overly Darwinist approach to the world. Not entirely at any rate. Maps are redrawn all the time, have been redrawn endlessly since the dawn of our time, and will continue to be redrawn until the twilight of civilization, so why should Britannia be vilified for it? No, the problem is what you do to the people. You strip away their homes, their land, and even their souls. You take everything from them and leave them with paltry scraps. You take proud people and render them as low as they can get, until they feel like less than dirt. Even then you taunt them with false promises of better futures." He leaned forward and his voice turned menacing, "An utterly idiotic state of affairs. Rather than giving them a reason to be loyal you give them every reason to utterly despise you. Every reason to rebel."

She snorted with bravado she didn't feel, "Loyal? You must be mad." But unease was bubbling within her. She had seen the people eager to kill themselves if it meant one Britannian died in the Middle East. Eager, not resigned! How many lost their lives even in areas that had already been pacified? Riots and rebellion had sprung up in practically every corner of their empire bar the homeland since Zero's introduction.

"Ah, but madness and brilliance are often a blurred line." Zero chuckled, "How many inventions of the past exist that were decried as mad and yet are in common use today? But I digress. The Japanese had every reason to throw me away, and yet they welcomed me with open arms. They began my healing with nothing wanted in return. As time went by and I witnessed the atrocities committed, I knew I had to act. And yet, not every Britannian was a power-mad monster. Not every Britannian treated the Japanese as if they were garbage. Not like your brother." She visibly snarled at the insult, but he continued unheeded, "And it made me realize who the true enemy was." He clenched his fist audibly and she twitched, I'm afraid you're incorrect, Princess. I don't fight for the Japanese. Not exactly. No, just as you fight for your precious sister and those you love, so too do I fight for my family. This world is my home and there is a parasite biting at its throat. And when dusk comes I'll show them that they bleed red just like the rest of us."

"You are mad." The royal looked slightly shaken and had even scooched backwards on her rock a tiny amount.

Zero leaned back, "Perhaps. I suppose time will tell who writes the history books then." She swallowed and he let out a little chuckle, "But I do believe it is my turn again, no? So, Princess, just how satisfied are you with the state of your nation?"

Even Cornelia's iron self-control couldn't stop the laugh that started to bubble from her, "Is-Is that your game?" She started to laugh harder, even clutching her stomach, "You want me to join you."

"I fail to see what's so amusing." Lelouch was smiling behind his mask. It had been so long since he had heard his beautiful sister laugh, "And I can't help but notice you haven't answered the question."

"Very well then." She was still smiling, but had gotten her amusement under control. She answered professionally, "Britannia is the strongest empire in the history of the world, and I have done my part in building it to what it is today. My family rules over a third of the world, and we have brought advancements in every field at a staggering pace." She crossed her arms, "You're wasting your time if you think I would ever betray what I have helped create. I'll never join you."

"Never is such a strong word." Zero said in sibilant tones, "Especially for people who know what we know."

She snorted, "Please, you overestimate yourself Zero."

"Or perhaps you underestimate me." He said simply, "So you would say you are satisfied then? There is nothing of your empire that you doubt? Of your nobility's policy to consume the weak because they are strong?"

"Those who fight have the right to rule." She answered calmly. She was parroting, she knew, but it sufficed as an answer.

Zero nodded multiple times, and Cornelia immediately knew that she was being mocked. She wouldn't have been surprised if his lips were pursed condescendingly, "How interesting." His voice turned practically arctic, "Then if your father – the emperor – were to call you tomorrow to tell you that he had sold your precious sister's hand off to the Duke of Wellington, you would accept it without complaint?"

Two things happened to Cornelia at that point. First, she gagged and threw up a little in her throat. The Duke of Wellington was a disgusting, slovenly swine of a man as sweaty and smelly as he was corpulent. The last time she had seen him had been when she was seventeen. She had been propositioned by him. The pig knew not to touch her without permission, and yet she had still felt the need to scrub a layer of skin off in the bath. Which led to her next reaction; the wave of ice cascading down her spine. "You…" How could he possibly know that such a thing was one of her biggest fears? She was one of their greatest Generals. Even her father couldn't touch her like that. But Euphie? Even with the training Cornelia had made sure she received, Euphie didn't exactly have the loyalty of entire battalions. How the fuck did he know? Was there a traitor in her ranks, feeding him information?

"My, my, where has all of that surety vanished to?" His voice was silky and it made her grind her teeth, "A single question and all that self-assured composure is gone." He crossed his fingers on his lap, "But that was a rather directed attack towards your precious sister. Let's try something a little different, shall we? How about the exile of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia?" She choked on her saliva, an instant black rage engulfing her, "Are you also in line with your father's policy of throwing out his children like yesterday's refuse? Or perhaps you enjoy the thought of sending two children as hostages to a nation you fully intend to invade?"

"You son of a bitch!" With that, all of her cool was shattered. She snapped up to her feet and whipped out her gunblade and pointed it at the center of his mask, her face a mask of fury. So great was her ferocity that the weapon shook in her grasp.

Zero did not move a muscle, the very picture of calm. "You look the very picture of someone sure in her empire, my dear." The sight of him sitting so calmly – as if she wasn't even a threat – was almost too much. She was honestly tempted to take the shot and damn the consequences. But the thought of her wailing, heartbroken sister flashed in her mind. What kind of contingency plans did he have in place for him to be so fucking calm?

With a roar of fury, she turned her hand away and shot at the walls of the cave. The sounds echoed in their ears as she panted lightly. Zero stared at her until she sat back down, glaring furiously at him. "I derive no pleasure from this, Princess." Zero said solemnly, "As I said, you're one of the good royals out there. The kind who wouldn't throw away their own family. The kind who wouldn't take money from a corrupt official and look the other way. The kind who wouldn't sit a thousand miles from a battlefield and order their men to their deaths." Her poise had returned, though it was marred by her angry sweat. Her hair had slipped from their perfect coils, "So I'll ask again; Are you satisfied with your nation as it is run by that man?"

Her eye twitched minutely. He sure was good at getting under her skin. She hated that damn expressionless mask. She couldn't read his face at all and she was utterly bare to him, "Very well then." She clenched her fists tightly, hidden by her crossed arms, "There are several of our policies I disagree with." She said tightly.

"Indeed." He nodded, this time respectfully. "And that is what I fight, Princess. Britannia has done as much good for the world as it has done bad. I would not destroy the progress or the people. What I seek to destroy is the cancer right at the throat." He smiled, "And one day you will join me in that endeavor." He said it with such surety that Cornelia was momentarily dumbfounded. As if it were a fact that simply had not come to pass yet. "But that's a topic for another day. I believe it is your turn now."

Still unnerved and more than slightly miffed, Cornelia licked her lips, "Code R." She said finally, "You said that word to me back at Lake Kawaguchi. Since then, I have practically turned the Viceroy's palace upside down in my search for answers. The biggest lead I have found was a document so heavily doctored that I couldn't read more than twenty words on a single page. What was Code R and how did you discover it?"

He chuckled, "Discovered is a bit of a strong word too. Fell face-first into it would be a more apt description." She raised an eyebrow, obviously missing what was so amusing. "You see, everything has to do with that poison gas container I used during Kururugi's Court Martial Parade. It is the key."

"I see…" She didn't, "You already told me that the poison gas was a cover story. What did you mean by that?"

"There was never any poison gas." Zero said gravely, making her twitch and uncross her arms, "That container held something, but it was not a neurotoxin as the military was lead to believe. No, that container was a prison." The silence was so thick that they could hear individual droplets of water falling from the stalactites above them. "What your brother was doing was far more heinous than simply breaking the international ban on chemical weapons. That container was a prison for a young woman. Code R was his pet project, where he performed inhumane experiments on her as well as other… disposables." The way he stressed that last word made his meaning perfectly clear.

"No…" She shook her head, "You're lying!" Desperation was starting to fill her. She had come to terms with the fact that Clovis had changed quite a bit. She had found the written orders in some of the few Knightmares that had survived Shinjuku. But this… this was beyond the pale. This was just utterly horrifying and disgusting, "Clovis would never-"

"Order a slaughter of innocent people to hide his mistakes?" Zero cut her off sharply, "I believe a few months ago, you would never have suspected him of that either." She flinched back as if she had been struck, "But you don't have to take my word for it, your Highness." He reached into his suit and pulled out a small, black flash drive. He tossed it over to her, and even as shaken as she was, it was still an easy catch. She looked down at the tiny drive in her hand, before redirecting her attention to him, "Before I killed him, I took information on the project. I pass that on to you now. Do with it as you will." He paused, "Though I do believe you will bury it, never to see the light of day again after you have gone over it. There are secrets in there not meant for public eyes."

She stared at it again for a moment, before pocketing it, "And the girl? What became of her? Why her in particular?"

Zero regarded her for a moment, and for some reason she felt as if she was being judged. Then he turned away, and stared at a pitch-black part of the cave. She turned as well, wondering what exactly he was staring at. Slowly, a green-haired woman came into view from the darkness. She had golden eyes and a lithe figure, and was holding her arms behind her back. She was wearing that same prisoner's outfit that he had first seen her in. She sashayed forward not unlike a predator, a sly smile gracing her lips. She had even put a slight roll to her hips as she strode forward, "Good day, your Highness." She curtsied mockingly, "I do hope our relationship will be better than the one I shared with your brother."

Cornelia's heckles raised slightly, and she glared, "So, you're the one." She looked the girl up and down, "You certainly don't look the part of a victim of human experimentation." She said flatly.

C.C. smiled in morbid amusement, "I never do."

Zero interrupted the two women, "This is C.C." He introduced the verdette, "She was the main subject for Code R."

Cornelia didn't take her eyes off of C.C., "Other than her eyes… she doesn't look like anything special. Why her?"

C.C.'s smile turned into a predatory smirk, "Because of this." She hissed, and removed her hands from behind her back. In her right hand was a knife and it made Cornelia jerk to attention and watch her cautiously. Her hand rested on her gunblade, ready to draw it with the slightest hint of violence coming her way. She needn't have bothered. C.C. slashed the blade up to her own throat and Cornelia's eyes shot open in shock.

"What the hell are you do-!" The words died in Cornelia's throat and she jerked her feet back as C.C. sliced herself open as easily as she would cut open a letter. A small spurt of blood flew forward and landed where her feet had been a second before. Cornelia clapped a hand to her mouth and watched in first disgusted horror as blood trickled down her gaping neck and then in sheer disbelief as the wound rapidly closed before her very eyes.

C.C. wiped her now perfectly smooth throat of blood with a look of distaste. She accepted the proffered towel from Zero without a word, and cleaned herself off. She made a face again and turned, hacking and spitting up a wad of blood to the side, "Nasty." She turned back to Zero and told him imperiously, "You owe me a hundred pizzas."

Zero snorted fondly, "Oh please, I'd get you your pizzas even if you hadn't done that. Why not try picking an actual boon."

"One giant pizza then!"

"What the hell are you?!" Cornelia interrupted shrilly, "And why aren't you as shocked as I am!" She demanded of Zero, all her royal cool taken from her.

"I've seen it before, obviously. The very first time we met, she jumped in front of a bullet meant for me." Zero said as C.C. took a seat on the third stone which Cornelia had wondered about earlier. Cornelia jerked as she realized they had planned this from the start. After what he had claimed earlier, she really should have expected it. "You see, C.C. here is immortal. In those files I gave you, you will find photographs of her dating back a hundred years. There is a painting of her that is even older than that."

Cornelia took a deep breath and contemplated the consequences of that statement. Her normal reaction would be to decry it as utterly ridiculous. But seeing was believing, and that gaping throat was something that would probably haunt her in her dreams for some time. She came to a conclusion she didn't like, and her robotic tone more than showed it, "Clovis was trying to steal her gift. He wanted her immortality for himself."

"HA!" C.C. scoffed bitterly, "Gift. Oh to be an outsider looking in." She snarled. It immediately caught Lelouch's attention, "What a gift it is Princess. Just imagine it; your beautiful little sister old and gray and then turning to ash and leaving you forever behind. Your gallant knights dropping like flies… one by one. And no matter how much you wish to follow… you can't." Lelouch had heard her speak of it before, but never with such vehemence. Was she opening up or did reviving frazzle her more than she let on? "No Princess, this isn't a gift. It's a curse." Cornelia was cringing back slightly, since she was well aware that if this woman wanted to bite her throat out there probably wasn't much she could do to stop it. And more than that, the thought of outliving her sister by possibly centuries sent a chill down her spine.

"Curse or not, Clovis didn't want to just steal it. He wanted to learn how to fabricate it. Picture it Princess, an immortal legion loyal only to him." Zero moved the conversation back on track and Cornelia recoiled. With how much of a failure he had been as a general and how incompetent his men had been before her arrival… That did not paint a pretty picture. She wouldn't be at all surprised if he ended up destroying the world just out of sheer incompetence. No one would have been able to stop him.

"Yes, he was quite a fool." C.C. smiled viciously, back to her witching ways, "I quite enjoyed taking my revenge on him."

Cornelia started and glared lightly at the woman, "Then you!"

"That's right. I did not take Clovis' life myself." Zero interjected, "After all, the wronged should be the one to issue the punishment. Isn't that right, Princess?"

They were silent for a moment as Cornelia took in all of the information she had been given, "How did you become immortal?"

"That…" C.C. scowled, which Lelouch took note of, "Is a long story I do not feel like telling. We are short on time anyway."

"I'm afraid C.C. is right, your Highness." He said apologetically before he stood, "It looks like we'll have to save some things for our next discussion."

"Next discussion?" Cornelia said in a forced-scornful tone, "What makes you think there will be a next discussion?"

"Oh please. Your bravado is wasted, Princess." C.C. snorted, "You're far too curious now to just let this go."

Zero sounded amused, "Indeed. I'm afraid you haven't even entered the rabbit hole quite yet, your Highness." Cornelia's jaw clenched. There was more to this insanity? "But that's for another day. We both have a retreat to sound, after all."

Cornelia jerked as she realized that he was right. Her men had been leaderless for at least twenty minutes or so at this point. She could only hope Darlton had been able to rally them. And if Guilford was hurt there would be hell to pay. "Very well." She hissed out a sigh as she stood.

Zero then shocked her by lightly grasping her hand. He brought it up to his mask and Cornelia idly realized that that was going to be the best approximation of a kiss to her knuckles that Zero could give. "Until our next meeting." With a flourish of his cloak, the two of them were gone, as if they had never been there.

Cornelia had the most dumbfounded look on her face, her hand still hanging limply in the air where it had touched his mask. Then her fist clenched and she ground her teeth together, "ZERO!"

-]|[-

"Why am I riding bitch?" He asked playfully, hugging her from behind.

"Oh?" She rolled her hips while pressing back into him, "Are you saying you don't enjoy it?"

"Never." He chuckled and removed his mask. "C.C."

"Hmm?" She answered back noncommittally.

"I never thanked you before." Her eyes widened as he gently grasped her chin and turned her to face him, "You've made so much possible that would have taken me decades on my own. And more than that… you've become a trusted confident… and a trusted friend. So here is my contract with you. I will end your curse. That's a promise."

She swallowed heavily and turned back, a blush marring her features. Her heart thudded in her chest, but her reply was emotionless, "You wouldn't say that if you knew what was involved."

He smiled and brought his hand up to her breast, and then moved a little above it. He could feel her heart beating a tattoo onto her chest, "I take it for myself, perhaps?" She stiffened to the point he had to check if she had turned to stone. He chuckled lightly, "You're awfully easy to read when you let your guard down, love. Not hard to guess once I had more information. Information you gave Cornelia free of charge. A curse needs a caster… doesn't it? Where is yours, I wonder?"

"Dead." She trembled, feeling laid bare and completely in shock at having been read so effortlessly, "And you would still promise it so easily? When you know it would mean Milly… Kallen… Nunnally!"

"Not the pain or the torture? You never speak of that when you speak of your curse. Your greatest fear is being left behind again… isn't it? Of being alone." Her heart stopped. She tried to speak but nothing came out. She wasn't ready for this! He smiled and she twitched when he nibbled a little on her ear. His voice sent a shiver down her spine, "In your long centuries of life, it appears you've forgotten a very basic fact…"

"T-that being?" She bit out as he pecked her lightly on the neck.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat." He surprised her by turning her head again and claiming her lips. For a moment, she did nothing, before her hand found purchase in his hair and she deepened the kiss. For a few moments more, they did nothing but enjoy the other, before they backed off. C.C. was again blushing and she looked away quickly. He smirked, "So how does it work?" She opened her mouth to answer but he continued, "Do I rip out V.V.'s beating heart and eat it?"

"Pffff!" She sputtered and started to laugh-cough.

"Or do we just find one of his contractors, transfer your curse away and fit them for a nice pair of concrete shoes for their dip in the Challenger Deep?"

"My, my, how vicious of you. You certainly have an imagination."

"One way or another, C.C." He said seriously, "One way or another, your curse will end."

"Cocky boya!" She snorted, forcing her composure to return, "I've been made promises before."

"None were me."

She sniffed in amusement once more, "Oh boya…" She said tenderly, "Don't lose that charm and that wit. You may actually steal my heart."

"Then may I know my fair lady's name?"

She smiled, but even now she hesitated. For a few moments, there was no sound other than the Raijin powering up, "Maybe someday." She said finally, "You're certainly the only one who has ever come close. Well… in the last couple hundred years, or so." She hesitated another second, "Before I became so bitter." She finished with a whisper.

"Then I'll just have to try harder, won't I?" He shot back before he clicked on his radio, "This is Zero. Report!"

"Zero!" Ohgi sounded quite relieved to hear from him, "Sir, I was told by Kallen to sound the retreat. She got knocked around quite badly. She was in a lot of pain, and the Guren is pretty badly damaged too!"

"What! Kallen lost?!" Lelouch held back a gasp and C.C.'s eyes widened in front of him. She set their Landspinners to max speed and made their way towards his compatriots.

"No, it was a tie I think." Ohgi responded, "But whatever they did to end the fight caused a massive explosion. There's a giant crater there now, and the Guren tumbled off a cliff."

"You did well Ohgi. We got everything we came for today." Lelouch told him as they broke through the trees and onto the main road. Ohgi activated their beacon as requested and C.C. followed it. Their surviving Onryō had already been packed up into their hidden trailer trucks which were already speeding away. C.C. put on a burst of speed to catch up to them and after a few minutes of travel, they saw the speeding trucks. A minute later, his Raijin was secured and he was stepping out of his cockpit.

"You have Cornelia then?" Ohgi's voice started brimming with excitement.

"I do not." Lelouch responded, preparing himself for the disappointment.

"She escaped?" Sure enough, Tamaki groaned, "We did all this for nothing then?!"

"Not quite." Lelouch rolled his eyes, "My goal was never to keep Cornelia as a prisoner." The room was deathly quiet as the Japanese stared at him wide-eyed with some – guess who – looking to be about to blow a gasket, "You can't treat Britannian royalty the way you would treat other high-profile targets. The emperor cares nothing for his children. As a hostage she would be worthless."

"Even so!" Ohgi's voice got louder, "There are others who would! Equally high-profile people!"

"Like the Crown Prince perhaps?" Zero shot back, "You think he could overrule his father? You think even the real Crown Prince Schneizel could do such? You know nothing of what goes on in that family, Ohgi. Almost every single one of those harridans would gladly sink a blade into Cornelia's ribs if it meant they could take her place as second Princess and Charles Zi Britannia would merely call her weak for it." The Japanese stared at him in stunned horror, "No, keeping Cornelia as a hostage would gain us nothing we can't win for ourselves. In fact, keeping her as the head of the opposition only benefits us. We've only had one victory at the moment. If we captured her or killed her, then Britannia would be forced to issue a retaliation I am unsure we could weather at the moment. Or do you think a group barely at Platoon strength in terms of skilled pilots and combatants could handle an entire Field Army with Schneizel El Britannia at the helm?"

Ohgi clenched his fists, "That's…"

"Do NOT be discouraged here, my friends!" Zero raised one hand and clenched his fist, "The goal here was met, and surpassed! We have dealt a heavy blow to the Britannian forces! Even if their pilots manage to survive being buried in the rocks, their Knightmares will not!" His voice echoed, and the men around him started to cheer, "Yes, we suffered losses today. However, with this thunderous cry you have let Britannia know that even if they take away your names, your lives and your pride, they can never have your souls!" And this time the cheer was deafening. He held up his hand, signaling for silence, "But for now, we must focus on getting out of here. Where is Kallen?"

Ohgi responded, "Over here."

He motioned for Zero to follow, but the masked man turned around, "Aren't you going to come out, C.C.?"

The girl in question jumped from the cockpit too, making the Black Knights tense in shock, "Who the hell is she?!" Tamaki got in her face.

C.C. wrinkled her nose. Clearly this one had already started the celebration, if the smell of cheap booze was any indication, "I'm his mistress." She deadpanned, "Now out of my way, cretin. You smell like a cheap bar."

Zero let out a long-suffering sigh as Tamaki's jaw dropped. Even his eye was twitching as C.C. stepped around him, "This is C.C. and no, she is not my mistress. You all may consider her my third in command." Now all of their jaws dropped, "Now, how is Kallen?"

"We're monitoring her closely. She wasn't badly concussed, thankfully." Ohgi shook himself and led the two away. "Zero…" Ohgi spoke hesitantly once more, "I understand your reasons for letting her go, but if that was always the intention why did we even focus on capturing her at all? We could have had other objectives!"

"I wished to speak to her." Zero responded easily, "She had answers to questions I sought. And more importantly, I wished to probe her. Test her resolve. Seeds for the future have been planted." He smiled, "Tell me Ohgi… how do you make an empire fall?"

The man blinked and then stammered at the non-sequitur. "Uhh… destroy their armies and their people? Take their lands for your own?"

"Incorrect." Zero snorted harshly, "Or are you saying the Japanese are as dead as Japan is?" Ohgi flinched, "Ohgi, buildings can be burned. Crops destroyed. Armies routed. And none of that will destroy a people's belief in their nation. In the hearts of every Japanese flows the proud culture and belief in what Japan stood for. Simply killing the parasite that is Charles Zi Britannia will not end the problem. He has an endless hoard of smaller parasites eager to take his place. No… to truly defeat Britannia, a different approach must be taken. An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again." His voice turned sinister, "But one that crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."

Ohgi choked on his saliva, "You-you can't mean what I think you mean, can you?! Zero that's crazy talk! It's impossible! She's one of their most loyal Generals!"

"It is merely one plan amongst many, and not a truly vital one." C.C. spoke up and replied for him, "A major victory and a damning morale destroyer for our enemies all in one. Imagine it! Their former Goddess's wings turning black." Now that put a small little smile on the man's face "But only time will tell if it bears fruit. We have knowledge of her that cannot be found on the net and unbeknownst to her, we also have some leverage." Ohgi's eyes widened in surprise, "Besides, you weren't in that cave. Lord Zero left her shaken and in doubt. Even got her to admit that there were things she was unhappy with. She's more vulnerable than anyone knows. Maybe even herself." She smiled like the cat that had gotten the canary as he turned to her, "With some of the things we know… you'd be surprised at just what impossible things aren't so impossible. Trust in Lord Zero. Is he not the man who has made the impossible possible many times before? Is he not the man of miracles?"

Ohgi took a hard breath before he nodded, "He is. I'm sorry for doubting you, Zero."

"Never be afraid to question me." Zero replied, "I am not omniscient. But remember Ohgi. I have plans within plans within plans and you won't always be privy to them." He stopped walking and turned to the man, "I trust I don't have to tell you to keep that extra bit of information closely hidden… do I?" Ohgi shook his head rapidly, "Good. I have been trying to ease you all in to the thought that not all Britannians are evil in anticipation of our order's possible expansion, but I doubt… let's say… Tamaki would take it well." Ohgi snorted in amusement. That was an understatement if he ever heard one, "Now… where is Kallen?"

"Here!" He hurried to take them to the redhead. They both winced as they saw some of the bruises. She was unconscious and that frail look really did not belong on her face. "She should make a full recovery. Nothing broken, thankfully."

"Excellent." He breathed a sigh of relief, "Make sure she's comfortable. Above all else, making sure she's safe and there aren't any complications is our top priority. I'll be taking her once we're back near the settlement. I have more advanced medical facilities open to me. Now let's move, people!"

"Yes sir!"

-]|[-

Cornelia walked out of the cave, a scowl still on her face as she shielded her eyes, "Damn it. I have more questions than answers now." She climbed up to her Gloucester and tried to start its systems. To her surprise, she actually got the screens to load. Had Zero replaced her energy filler? "This is Cornelia! Report!"

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" That was Darlton's voice. She sighed in relief, knowing he was safe.

"SISTER!" And there was Euphie, looking beyond relieved. Guilford was already with her, though he looked a little banged up.

"Yes, I'm alright." Cornelia said, as the screens flipped to show all three of them; Euphie and Guilford together and Darlton still in his Gloucester. She had never seen her general look this frazzled. "What happened after I got knocked out?" She asked, and made sure to stare at Guilford hard and give a tiny shake of her head when he opened his mouth to say something.

His lips snapped shut and he stared at her imagine in surprise. Euphie was the one who spoke up, "After we couldn't raise you, I was forced to take command, sister. I ordered a retreat. There was no sense wasting the lives of more of our men." Euphie trembled lightly.

"You did the right thing." Cornelia reassured her sister, "Had I been awake I would have done the same as well. My Gloucester is in no shape to move, much less fight. I'll need a pickup ASAP." She bowed her head slightly, "We lost this one… as much as I hate to say it."

"We've already launched a VTOL." Euphie told her, "ETA is two minutes to your beacon. As for our enemies… the JLF apparently agreed that this fight was over. They've fled the scene as well. Evidently, they decided getting their leadership out of here was more important than trying to pick the rest of us off. They hammered our defense line and managed to break through. As for the Black Knights… we decided discretion was the better part of valor."

Darlton growled, "Our forces are not in good shape, your Highness. Those new machines the Black Knights used were comparable with standard issue Gloucesters. We were forced to let them go. Further fighting would have just cost us more men."

Cornelia released a sigh, "Casualties?" She always dreaded this part of every battle.

Guilford did not look happy, "The landslide wiped out over seventy percent of our forces. We confirmed that a few of our men were able to eject prior to being hit, but a good majority were not. It is our hope that we might be able to dig some of them out. The Knightmares will definitely be out of commission but some of the men might still be alive if they managed to get to their emergency oxygen." He hesitated for a moment, "My Gloucester was destroyed and the Purebloods were annihilated. Jeremiah is MIA and Villetta managed to get out, though she is quite shaken. Our worst casualty… was the Lancelot."

"And our eardrums." Euphie mumbled, "I swear, I heard Lloyd's scream from here."

"Damn." Cornelia mumbled, "Then that red machine defeated him?"

"From what we learned from Major Cécile Croomy, he defeated the ones who we suspect were the Four Holy Swords and Tōdō with frightening ease, but he met his match against that red machine." Darlton confirmed, "It had a more powerful MVS and was able to destroy both of Kururugi's swords as well as his four Slash Harkens. The battle ended with it somehow deflecting a max-power shot from the VARIS. The resulting explosion almost ripped the Lancelot apart, so we don't imagine the red one fared any better."

"A draw then." Cornelia rubbed her chin, "That's a better result than I had hoped, from your tones. Have the Lancelot and Kururugi been recovered?"

"Yes, they have." Euphie said, "The Black Knights all started retreating after we confirmed Warrant Officer Kururugi's unconsciousness. Either they got what they came for or they wanted to ensure the pilot of the red machine was alright."

"I suspect it might be the latter." Cornelia said, her ears perking up at the sound of the VTOL closing in on her location, "They both had better machines than we did, but she was definitely the more-skilled pilot of the two." She shook her head, "Enough. We all have work to do. We need to get as many of our men out of the mud as we can, and we need to make sure there were no civilian casualties." She closed her eyes in exhaustion for a moment, before wearily looking back, "My EVAC is here. I'll see you all soon. Cornelia out."

-]|[-

A banged-up looking trailer was speeding down the road. Packing up the Code R experiments had been time consuming and they almost hadn't made it out. They weren't entirely sure those who decided to stay behind and get the rest of it out had actually made it out. "Damn it all. I can't believe Cornelia came after the JLF this soon. It'll take weeks to get everything set up properly again." The person in the passenger's seat ground out.

Suddenly, the driver slammed on the breaks and the entire trailer jerked is it screeched to a stop. "Another fucking soldier?" He snarled as he slammed on the horn, "We must have been wiped out. This is the fifth one we've seen."

The blue haired man was leaning on a sturdy looking stick, and was struggling to walk at all. He was clutching his left eye and groaning, "I swear… I'm not orange!" He moaned, his one visible eye trembling in its socket. "ZEROOOOOOO!"

He collapsed in front of the truck. One of the scientists groaned, "Just get out and grab him. He looks relatively intact. He'd make a fine specimen."

"Yes sir."

-]|[-

Hoo boy, did you guys enjoy?

The Raijin's plasma/lightning whips are directly based off of Crimson Dynamo/Ivan Vanko from Iron Man 2. I LOVED those things. I'm unsure at the moment if they'll follow through every Ace Knightmare Lelouch uses, but I HAD to use them at least once.

Can anyone think of a better chapter title? A lot of the ones I thought would fit were quotes and way too long, lol