Author's Note: Frankly I'm surprised that no one seemed worried about Shirley after the events of the last chapter. Oh well. Perhaps, knowing Lelouch, he'd come up with a way to deal with it. *Shrugs*

I fervently hope that the review issue (can't see recent reviews of any story) would be solved soon. It was fixed for a day before it came back... and I'm always dying to read my reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters.

Chapter 13
Antics of a Sadist

"Would you care to explain yourself now, Lelouch?" Cornelia inquired. The princess known as the Goddess of Victory fixed her gaze on her younger half-brother intently. They had just managed to convince the Britannian emperor to revoke the order for Cornelia to depart to the European front. She was quite surprised, for their father usually did not change his mind so easily, or at least in public. Lelouch simply mentioned Nunnally, and then it did not take long for Charles to remove Cornelia from her posting. However, the emperor instructed her to appoint someone else in her stead to lead the war against Europia before the day was over. She had no issue with her father's instructions, however, she was baffled when Lelouch brought up his little sister since he told her that he had no idea where she was.

"Yes. I assume this room is safe?" Lelouch asked, looking around the massive chamber they were currently in. With them was three other men, Sir Gilbert G.P. Guilford, a slim dark-haired bespectacled man who was Cornelia's personal knight, General Andreas Darlton, a towering, light brown-haired brutish looking man with a scar across his face, and the ever faithful Jeremiah Gottwald.

"I've used this place dozens of times to discuss military matters of high importance. I'd say this place isn't bugged, since we've always made sure of it before talking about such subjects," Cornelia assured Lelouch. Privately, she was wondering why he was being so paranoid and concluded that whatever Lelouch wanted to talk about was extremely important to him.

"Let's make sure of that," Lelouch insisted. He started searching the room thoroughly and Cornelia joined him, albeit reluctantly. "It is imperative that no one else other than us are able to hear what I have to say."

"If you say so," Cornelia grew more perplexed, but she patiently aided her half-brother in his endeavor to double-check the chamber for any bugs. The other three men assisted them as well, and after nearly twenty minutes, they were finally finished. "It's done."

"Before we start, I need to confess something to you, Cornelia," Lelouch began. Everyone's eyes settled on the eleventh prince, who showed no signs of being uncomfortable under such tight scrutiny. His amethyst eyes flickered among his audience warily, and Cornelia understood.

"Don't worry, Lelouch, all of us here are trustworthy," the purple-haired princess promised her younger half-brother. "Guilford is my personal knight, whom I trust with my life. Darlton is an honest and loyal man, and I have served in the military with him for nearly a decade."

"Very well," Lelouch said in a low voice. He paused momentarily. "Nunnally is still alive and in Area 11. I know where exactly she is."

"You lied to us?" Lelouch could feel a hint of anger and surprise creeping into his half-sister's voice. He supposed he couldn't blame her. He was dishonest to her after all. Lelouch did tell her that he and Nunnally were separated during the war.

"It was necessary, Cornelia," Lelouch muttered, not flinching from her displeased gaze.

"Very well," Cornelia sighed, still disgruntled but not unwilling to listen to Lelouch's reasons. "So why isn't she with you, then?" The vi Britannian siblings were extraordinary close, which reminded Cornelia of her own relationship with Euphemia. She could not imagine Lelouch would be willing to be apart from his dear sister, crippled as she was.

"I made a deal with the Emperor. The details are not important, but I can say it is to ensure that Nunnally would be treated well," Lelouch grimaced. "I planned to retrieve her after I confirmed that the Emperor did not turn back on his word, but now… the Sword of Akasha has returned. Additionally, I'd imagine that since news of my return has gotten out, people may identify her as a princess now."

"Where is she right now?"

"Ashford Academy. In Tokyo, Area 11."

"Why don't you recover Nunnally? So you'll be reunited with her and we can form a bodyguard unit around you two."

"The amount of influence and power the Sword of Akasha wields in Area 11 is relatively minor as compared to here, in the heart of Britannia. While I do not question the competence of you or your soldiers, it is safer for her to remain there… but I cannot be at ease since she will be in a school full of people who should be aware that she's a member of the royalty soon."

"You want us to protect her, then?" Cornelia asked simply. She could see Lelouch's desire for Nunnally to be shielded from harm plainly in his violet orbs.

"Yes," Lelouch affirmed. "There's no one else I can trust to defend Nunnally than you, Cornelia."

"Consider it done."

"Hold on a moment. It may be too much for me to wish for, but could you spare any more forces to help defend Aries Villa?" Lelouch asked hopefully. "Just an added safety measure against the Sword of Akasha."

"If I were to do so, that means I have to segregate my forces into three groups," Cornelia murmured thoughtfully. "The Emperor decreed that I have to appoint someone to go in my stead. The majority of my troops will venture to Europia, leaving my most trusted soldiers behind, which will then be halved. One unit will defend you in Pendragon while the other accompanies me to Area 11."

"Will you able to accommodate my request?"

"Certainly," Cornelia's eyes flickered over to Darlton, who was listening with a patience which belied his brutish frame, and Guilford, who emulated the general. "Guilford, I hereby appoint you as commander of my forces in Europia."

"I hear and obey, Your Highness," Guilford immediately said, leaping to his feet and bowing to Cornelia. The second princess turned towards Lelouch.

"That means that I'll be leaving Miss Fenette's and your safety in the hands of General Darlton," Cornelia paused slightly as Darlton nodded mutely. "Speaking of her, why isn't she with you?"

"I didn't want to expose Shirley to the other nobles anymore, and the imperial palace is crawling with them," Lelouch said dourly. "And she will be fine, as long as she stay in the villa. We have a number of imperial guards there. There isn't many of them, but they're well-trained and on the highest alert level."

"I see," Cornelia shrugged. "A hundred men will accompany me to secure Ashford Academy and Nunnally, then. General Darlton will take another hundred to fortify Aries Villa and the surrounding areas and roads, together with the Glaston Knights. Sir Guilford will take the remainder and head towards Europia."

"One more thing, Cornelia… how would we deal with Clovis?" Lelouch spoke up. He had forgotten that Area 11 was under the rule of the third prince, Clovis la Britannia, and it would seem odd that Cornelia would venture there without a reason.

"You don't intend to tell him the truth?" Cornelia furrowed her eyebrows at Lelouch.

"It's best not to," Lelouch instantly said. He noticed Cornelia's frown deepening. "Please understand Cornelia. I can't afford to trust anyone. Among the royal family, only you and Euphemia are exceptions."

"Right," Cornelia muttered. "I suppose we can use the excuse that Area 11 is crawling with terrorists, which is actually true, and that my forces are to lend him aid in weeding them out. Of course, he'll be suspicious if he noticed that my troops spend their time being stationed at Ashford Academy instead, so we have to send a team or two occasionally in anti-terrorist missions. Don't worry, Nunnally's safety is still our first and foremost priority," the princess added after Lelouch's face soured a little at the thought of the guards being reduced in strength.

"I hope you'll bear that in mind, Cornelia," Lelouch said. "Thank you for this." His features softened as he regarded his half-sister. "Nunnally's safety is now assured." Even if some of the guards have to embark on anti-terrorist missions, the number of men was higher than he expected, and that was an added bonus for him. The more the merrier, after all.

"Don't mention it," Cornelia replied quickly. "You have my promise that we will not fail this time." Steel resolve was burned in her blue orbs. The princess felt guilty about the death of Marianne, for she was in charge of her royal guard. Although Marianne did order her to withdraw the guard, much to her protests, she was reproachful of herself after witnessing Marianne's bullet-riddled body the next morning. Thus, she was more than willing to protect Lelouch and Nunnally as a form of repentance.

"I must leave now," Lelouch's face darkened for a moment. "I do not wish to leave Shirley alone any longer than necessary." Without another word, the prince turned on his heel and left the palace, Jeremiah closely following him.

Shirley peered out of the car's windows anxiously as it sped through the highways of Pendragon. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she tried not to imagine the condition Lelouch was in. She could only pray that it was not too serious, for she could not imagine her life without him. Fate would be playing a cruel trick on her if he passed away not long after she got together with him. Shaking such morbid thoughts out of her mind, she leaned forward in the passenger's seat while the white-haired knight silently drove the automobile, which had a blaring siren attached to the roof. Shirley was thankful for it since it made many slower vehicles in front of them swerve out of her way. She wanted nothing more but to see Lelouch safe and sound, as soon as possible. Her mind tried to conjure images of him being severely injured or even dead, causing her to shiver violently as she tried to shut them out.

Shirley was about to open her mouth to ask the knight how much longer do they need to reach the hospital when she realized that she did not even know his name. Now that she thought of it, she was beginning to have misgivings about entering the car without even knowing the driver at all. Perhaps she should have brought someone with her as well, such as Rolo or one of the imperial guards. Her green eyes flickered around the interior of the car cautiously, keeping an eye out for any sign that the knight was a potential trickster or foe, and she found nothing suspicious. Nonetheless, she was growing apprehensive of her situation, and she moved slowly to the edge of her leather seat.

Mao noticed his target's nervous fidgeting and wondered whether she was starting to have qualms about recklessly following him. He fought the urge to smirk maliciously. It was already too late for her. "Don't worry, Miss Fenette, we'll be reaching soon," Mao called over his shoulder.

"That's great," Shirley replied uneasily, looking at the scenery again. They were still on an expressway, and she reasoned that if this was a trap, they wouldn't be on such a busy road. Mao nodded wordlessly and kept his eyes on the road.

Just when Shirley wondered whether she was overthinking, there was a loud hissing sound behind her. She spun around as much as her seatbelt allowed her to do so in alarm as a colorless gas starting seeping from the back of the car. Immediately, her eyes began to sting painfully when it came into contact with the unpleasant-smelling gas. Unbeknownst to her, the car was veering off the highway to a side road and the driver watching her reaction to the gas expectantly.

Shirley tried her best to remain conscious and her hands scrambled to open the car door in an attempt to exit. While bolting out of a vehicle traveling at a high speed was usually a bad idea, she much preferred it to being knocked out and at the mercy of a potentially malicious individual. However, the car doors were firmly locked, much to her dismay. The dark-eyed 'knight' turned around in his seat, grinning at her malevolently as he strapped on a pair of goggles and a gas mask to protect himself from the rising levels of the sleeping gas in the car's interior. He watched with glee and anticipation at Shirley's fading struggles to stay awake. As her head swam into unconsciousness, her last thought was directed towards Lelouch. "Forgive me, Lulu… I should have known…" Then everything went black for her.

Rolo frowned to himself as he stalked through the corridors of the Aries Villa. He was searching for any trace of the Key, which his master required so badly for his plans. The young man, dressed in the servant's garb, used his position as a servant to enter as many rooms as possible to look for the object while pretending to clean the room. He was careful not to appear too suspicious, although he used his status as a newcomer as an excuse to appear curious and somewhat air-headed.

Another pressing issue on Rolo's mind was the fact that Shirley had left the villa with an unknown knight. The combination of the man's excuse to enter the villa, his non-Britannian features and his odd action of clapping before they left led Rolo to be exceedingly dubious of the so-called 'knight'. He wondered whether the white-haired individual was an actual assassin, and he grimaced. Infinity warned him that if Lelouch or Shirley were killed, it may cause the Emperor or another figure to deem the villa to be unsafe and hence move the location of the key from the Aries Villa to a different, unknown place, one that he may have lower chances of infiltrating. While it was not confirmed that it was in the villa, he should search for it thoroughly first before reporting it to his master.

Rolo entered what seemed to be an abandoned music room, which appeared to be seldom cleaned. A thin layer of dust covered the grand piano, the drum set and the cases of violins and trumpets. He wrinkled his nose and resisted the urge to sneeze before proceeding to work, grabbing a feather duster, which was placed on the wall and started dusting the aged instruments. He dismissed the thoughts of the knight and Shirley out of his mind. There was an off-chance that the knight was speaking the truth and Lelouch was injured.

The sound of the front door creaking slightly reached Rolo's ears, announcing Lelouch's likely return. He could hear Lelouch's muffled voice calling out as he ascended the stairs, "Shirley? Where are you?" That statement alone destroyed any possibilities of the 'knight' being truthful. Rolo straightened his back and made a face at himself. It seemed that Shirley was tricked after all. While he wasn't particularly concerned about her, this may jeopardize Infinity's plan, and he would be most displeased. With that thought in mind, he tossed the feather duster aside and raced out of the room. "Furthermore, it would be a good opportunity to gain the trust of the eleventh prince as well," he thought as he sprinted away.

Rolo nearly ran into Lelouch and his bodyguard, Jeremiah, as the former turned around the corner. The younger male managed to stop himself just in time before he collided with the prince, who had an expression of startlement on his face. Jeremiah nearly unsheathed his wrist blades until the Margrave saw that it was only Rolo. "Sorry, Your Highness!" Rolo gasped.

"Ah, Mister Haliburton. Did you happen to see Shir-?" Lelouch asked politely, having gotten over his scare of almost crashing into Rolo.

"Your Highness, I have grave news to share!" Rolo stepped forward; disregarding Jeremiah's affronted look. The spy's pinkish eyes gleamed with urgency. "Miss Fenette has been taken away!" Lelouch's eyes widened in shock.

"Taken away…? What do you mean?!" Lelouch demanded, a sense of trepidation growing within him. He could feel his panic-stricken heart plummeting. "Explain!"

"A knight came in earlier and-" Rolo started, but the sound of Lelouch's cell phone ringing cut him off. Both teenagers relapsed into silence as Lelouch dug the electronic device out of his pocket. "Caller ID: Shirley" flashed insistently on the screen. Lelouch stared at it in consternation for a couple of seconds, and he shot Rolo a look of distrust before accepting the phone call.

"It's me. Where are you right now?" Lelouch asked, strained with worry. The reply to his words only made it worse.

"Hellooo, Lulu," an unfamiliar voice answered scornfully. The speaker was definitely not Shirley – it sounded like a young male with a slight accent.

"Who are you?" Lelouch questioned. He had a sinking feeling in his chest that the answer would not be to his liking at all.

"Someone who would like to play a little game with you," the man giggled fiendishly. "I have the ever-so-delicate Miss Fenette here with me. So I suggest you take up my invitation if you'd like to see her again."

"What do you mean? What exactly do you want?!" Lelouch could feel his anger and fear rising sharply. He clutched his phone so tight that he thought it would crack under the immense pressure. "What have you done to Shirley?!"

"So many questions, Lulu," the unknown man mocked. "Meet me at the old Clifford Harbor, warehouse number three. Oh, and come alone. Or else I'll be sending you her head. Ciao," the speaker cackled diabolically before ending the call. Lelouch swallowed heavily as he lowered the phone from his ear, the device nearly dropping from his nerveless fingers.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked uncertainly. "What happened?"

Lelouch snapped out of his daze. "Follow me, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied curtly, turning around and marching towards the front door of the villa. Jeremiah unquestioningly obeyed despite his obvious confusion. "Drive to a kilometer and a half away from the abandoned Clifford Harbor. I'll fill you in from there. We need to devise a plan as quickly as possible."

Rolo watched the pair leave and he breathed a sigh of relief. Although his affiliation was not with Lelouch, he hoped that the prince would be able to recover Shirley safe and sound, for Infinity requires the pair to be alive before the Key was found.

Lelouch slid the dilapidated wooden door of the warehouse aside warily, his back pressed firmly against the wall as he attempted to peek into the building over his shoulder. His right hand clutched a pistol, his finger resting on its trigger. He spotted a lanky male, his complexion almost unnaturally pale and with a mop of messy white hair, standing on a flight of metal stairs with rusty banisters. He had a shotgun slung over the shoulders and started clapping lazily the moment the door opened.

"Come on in, Lulu, don't be shy," the man jeered, as he continued applauding. Lelouch saw no more reason to hide and he spun around, his arm jerking upwards as he pointed the barrel of his weapon right at the man. "Nuh-uh!" the subject of his ire called out. "If you shoot me right now, she dies. Horribly." He gave Lelouch a lopsided, twisted grin full of malice.

Lelouch's finger trembled as it tightened around the trigger, then he reluctantly lowered his gun, despite how much he desired to fire it. "Who are you? Where is she?" Lelouch demanded, his face contorting into a look of fury.

"Oh, forgive my manners! You may call me Mao," the lean individual gave a mocking bow. "Not to worry, Lulu, you shall soon find out. Drop your weapon and get in front of me. I don't trust you to not pull any stunts." Mao unslung a double-barreled shotgun and trained it squarely on the prince's face. Lelouch grimaced. He did not like the idea of being herded around by Mao, but he had little choice. He threw his pistol aside, which looked ridiculously puny compared to the shotgun, and ascended the stairs towards Mao.

"Very good, Lulu," Mao laughed. Lelouch resisted the urge to punch him in the face – the man's usage of Shirley's nickname for the prince was grating on his nerves. Mao pressed the shotgun to his back. "Start walking," Mao commanded and Lelouch was forced to obey.

Mao guided him through a series of staircases as they ventured deeper into the warehouse. Lelouch trudged along without a protest, the metal barrels of the shotgun uncomfortably cold against his back. He kept an eye out for Shirley and any other accomplices, but he could not spot either. Perhaps Mao was truly working alone. He briefly wondered if this was actually a trap and Shirley was somewhere else. However, the surveillance camera footage in the villa was undeniable – Shirley left with Mao and the fact that her cell phone was being used ruled out that possibility.

Eventually, Lelouch found himself facing another wooden sliding door, which he assumed was blocking Mao's intended path. "Open it," Mao ordered. Lelouch wordlessly tugged open the door, revealing a wide, spacious chamber. An elevated table was placed squarely in the room, with a white cloth obscuring an unknown object which rested on the table's surface. To the right was a series of televisions, their screens displaying real-time footage of the surrounding area around the warehouse. However, Lelouch disregarded all of that when he looked to the left and froze. An instantly recognizable orange-haired female, bound and gagged, was suspended by a rope tied around her feet. The rope was connected to a pulley, which was attached to the ceiling, and she dangled precariously over a pool of greenish liquid. She was conscious, and her eyes widened the moment she spotted Lelouch.

"Shirley!" Lelouch cried out, momentarily forgetting about Mao as he sprinted towards her. Mao lazily pointed his weapon along Lelouch's path and fired, the shell striking a few inches away from the prince's foot. Lelouch stopped cold as the sound of the shotgun being pumped filled the air, and Mao trained it on Shirley, the unsaid threat quite clear.

"What do you want?" Lelouch spun around. He glared at Mao furiously, his amethyst eyes burning with intense loathing.

"Oh yes, I love that look. The look of someone's woman being taken away from him," Mao commented, clapping again, obviously enjoying every moment.

"Quit beating around the bush! What do you want from us?!" Lelouch snarled ferociously, his knuckles white as his hands curled into fists.

"Weren't you paying attention to the call earlier?" Mao replied, a smug smile widening on his face. "I want to play a game with you."

"A game?" A hint of suspicion and surprise crossed the prince's features. "What do you mean?"

Mao cackled and he strode to the table, tugging the cloth off with a grand flourish. Lelouch's eyes narrowed as it unveiled a set of items he was more than familiar with. A chess set, to be exact. "We're going to play a game of chess," Mao declared. The pale-skinned male dug into his pockets, producing a medium-sized device. It was rather plain – it did not have a screen and the only thing it had was a knob. "With some extra rules, of course. I assume you're familiar with the game?"

"Familiar enough," Lelouch muttered. Better for Mao not to know that the prince was a highly accomplished player. "So what are your rules? I'm listening."

"First, you have to understand that setup," Mao gave Lelouch a wicked grin, jerking his thumb to his left at Shirley. "What your little dove is dangling over is a pool of concentrated super acid. Fluoroantimonic acid, if I have to be precise. It's perhaps the strongest acid known to mankind." Mao retrieved a metal spoon from his pocket and he tossed it nonchalantly into the substance. The acid around the spoon bubbled furiously, and within seconds, it was dissolved. "It's contained by a later polytetrafluoroethylene, which is the only compound that could hold the acid without corroding." Mao stopped for a moment before continuing.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the rules are simple. Whenever you lose a piece, she goes down towards the acid a little," Mao flicked the knob downwards once, and the pulley turned slightly, making Shirley descend with a muffled scream. "And if I lose a piece, she goes up again," Mao casually played with the controller again, and to his words, she rose a little. "Of course, if all of it doesn't matter if one of us wins. If I'm victorious, she goes all the way down. If I'm the loser, then you get to walk away with her. What do you think, Lulu?"

"Your taste is repugnant, you bastar-"

"Please. I've been called so many names over the past, I've heard them all," Mao laughed. "So, shall we begin? You'll be taking the black pieces, I assume."

"This is just like gambling, but instead of money, Shirley's life is at stake instead," Lelouch thought grimly to himself. "If he's challenging me to a game of chess, he must be somewhat skilled at the game. It's unthinkable that he would want to lose on purpose. While I doubt he will actually keep his word, I have no choice but to go along with it as of now." Lelouch turned to look at Shirley. He could see the realization in her eyes that both of them knew that there was no way Mao would let them go even if they won. However, Shirley made an effort to give him a confident nod, expressing her trust in him. Lelouch cleared his throat and straightened his back, his eyes shining with determination. "I accept your rules. I'm taking the black pieces. Let's begin."

"Well done, Lulu," Mao sneered as the two of them walked to their respective spots. He slung his shotgun over his shoulders again. "White makes the first move," Mao moved his knight across the board. Lelouch wordlessly answered by moving one of his central pawns forward.

The game quickly progressed from there, despite the fact that there was no time limit for each turn; it was a rapid exchange between the two players. "Tut tut, you're really not good at this game, aren't you, Lulu?" Mao taunted as he used one of his bishops to capture another black pawn. Lelouch gritted his teeth and glanced at the pile of captured pieces. Mao nearly had captured twice as many pieces as he, and now Shirley was dangling closer to the pool, her flowing orange hair mere inches away from the surface, which bubbled in a sinister fashion. The prince looked over at her again, and in spite of the fact that Lelouch was losing, the conviction emanating from her peridot green eyes never faded. Lelouch could not help but feel moved by her unshakable faith in him, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oy, pay more attention to the game than your girlfriend, you twerp," Mao spoke up, annoyed with the couple's mawkish behavior. The television screens besides Mao flickered for a moment and if he gave them a closer look, he would have noticed that the timers on them were going haywire. However, Mao did not, for he was busy tapping his feet impatiently against the floor as he waited for Lelouch to make his move. "This setup should be cruel enough for my client. Forcing him to take part in her death! So close to victory now... soon I'll kill them both and claim my reward!"

A couple of minutes ago…

Jeremiah chortled to himself as his fingers flew across the laptop's keyboard, hacking the surveillance cameras surrounding the warehouse. He wasn't the most competent of hackers, but he was moderately schooled in such an activity and with the assistance of top-tier computing hardware and software, gaining access to the system was mere child's play. Now all of the devices were simply playing footage of the last ten seconds in an unending loop, giving the impression that there was no one in the vicinity. The Margrave could call in multiple SWAT teams if he wanted to, and his unknown opponent wouldn't be aware of it. There was only one gaping flaw in the plan Lelouch had concocted, and it was that the enemy might notice the erratic timing of the cameras. However, he was counting on his liege to distract their adversary while Jeremiah would sneak into the warehouse.

Unfortunately for Jeremiah, he could not enter the building through its front entrance, for there was the chance of their foe placing tripwires or other devices. Perhaps he was being exceedingly careful, but with Shirley's life at stake, it was not a risk he was willing to take. He had failed Empress Marianne nine years ago, and he would not let her son down. Thus, the Margrave had to find another way to infiltrate the warehouse. Thankfully, unbeknownst to Mao, Lelouch had a tiny camera attached to the front of his jacket, which allowed Jeremiah to examine the interior of the chamber. He particularly paid the air ventilation much interest, for it seemed to lead to one of the metal walkways surrounding the walls. "Sneaking in through the air vent. How typical," Jeremiah mused as he retrieved his grappling hook from the car's boot and stealthily made his way towards the warehouse.

The Margrave threw the hook on the roof of the warehouse, careful to avoid any of the windows. He was silently grateful for the fact that it made solid purchase on the roof's surface despite the run-down condition of the building. Without further ado, Jeremiah pulled himself swiftly to the top of the warehouse, his cybernetic-enhanced strength and dexterity easily allowing him to accomplish it in less than three seconds. It did not take the nobleman long to locate the entrance of the air ventilation, and with a slight grunt, he tugged open the grid cautiously. He studied the vent and made a face to himself, for it would be quite a tight fit for a man of his size. "Whatever my prince requires," he reminded himself as he lowered himself, his booted feet barely making a noise as they made contact with the air vent. Jeremiah got down on all fours and started to crawl onwards; ignoring the discomfort of the restricted space gave him. Lelouch and Shirley weren't all too far away…

Shirley watched the chess match gradually unfold before her. While she has close to zero knowledge of the board game, she was able to guess who was winning. Much to her relief, Lelouch apparently turned the tables on Mao, the latter being on the losing side now. The mercenary's cocky attitude vanished a few minutes ago, and sweat started forming on his forehead. Shirley reminded herself that even if Lelouch won, it is awfully unlikely that Mao would actually let them go if the prince won. She was positive that her boyfriend knew about it as well, and could only trust that he has a plan up his sleeve.

"Another one," Lelouch said in a bored tone, moving one of the black rooks to capture another white bishop, tossing the ivory piece nonchalantly aside. "Let her rise up a little, would you?" Mao's facial muscles twitched and with great unwillingness, he pushed the knob upwards. Shirley heard the pulley creak a little as she ascended slightly. Despite the fact that Lelouch was winning, her sense of foreboding only grew. Mao only had two pieces left – a king and a rook, and whatever Lelouch was concocting, it needed to happen when he won. So far she has yet to sense any indication that he was ready when victory happened. Perhaps it was the blood rushing to her head from her upside-down suspension that made it hard for her to do so. All of a sudden, she became aware of a faint grating noise from her left. The svelte girl tried her best to look to the left from the corner of her eyes, and only spotted an air vent. Whether there was someone inside or not, she could not tell, and the entrance of the vent was not at her eye level. Could it be Jeremiah? Nonetheless, her hopes rose greatly at the thought of the loyal cyborg coming to the scene.

"Checkmate," Lelouch could not resist the urge to smirk widely at Mao. His opponent's dark eyes were enlarged to the size of saucers and they bulged madly in disbelief. Mao alternated his stares between the chessboard and Lelouch, and the prince gave his adversary half a minute to fully comprehend the fact that he had lost, despite a good start.

"I-Impossible," Mao spluttered, taking a step back. He glanced at Shirley, who was now far from the surface of the acidic liquid. He was never beaten at chess before until he met Lelouch. Mao took another step back, his face morphing into an expression of fury and humiliation. "It doesn't matter! They told me I'll get the reward as long as I kill both of you. I just won't get the bonus recompense for breaking you beforehand!" Mao screamed, all hint of sanity lost as he instantly whipped out the pulley's controller and pressed the knob downwards. He was bewildered when Lelouch merely stared at him calmly, still with that condescending smile on his face as he made no move to stop Mao from sending Shirley to a grisly death. She shut her eyes, praying that whatever Lelouch was counting on would be able to save her.

That was when Jeremiah chose to act, bursting out from the air vent and leaping towards the rapidly descending form of Shirley. He smoothly unsheathed his wrist blade on his right arm, severed the rope in one neat motion, and caught Shirley on his left. The Margrave landed ungainly on the edge of the acid, causing a fair portion of Shirley's hair to dip momentarily in the liquid. For a brief moment, Lelouch's heart nearly leapt out of his mouth as Jeremiah wobbled dangerously, almost teetering backwards to the pool, but the bodyguard managed to balance at the last moment, and sliced off the strands of hair which were affected by the corrosive substance, which fell into the depths of the pool. The prince heaved a sigh of relief.

"Wha-?!" Mao choked visibly on his growing rage. Not only he made a fool out of himself in front of Lelouch, but he couldn't even finish off one of his targets. Additionally, he had no idea where Jeremiah came from, and he realized that he, the trickster, has been tricked by the prince. "Damn you to hell!" Mao howled, unslinging the shotgun and aimed it at the noble and Shirley.

Before Mao could pull the trigger, the booming sound of gunshots echoed around the room and the shotgun tumbled from Mao's suddenly nerveless fingers. Both Lelouch and Jeremiah leveled their handguns at Mao, the former having brought a second gun to trick Mao that he would be weapon-less once he was forced to discard the first one. Jeremiah was quick on the draw, pulling out his pistol the moment he noticed Mao targeting him. Both the prince and his bodyguard had the same line of thought – shoot Mao's hands to disable any attempt by him to retaliate. They did not shoot to kill as the pair wanted him for questioning. Mao shrieked in anguish and while Shirley flinched from the sound – she could not find it in herself to feel pity for him.

"You lose, Mao," Lelouch declared triumphantly. Mao made to rise to his feet, blood trickling in rivers from his hands. "Stay down." Mao ignored him, frantically jumping on his feet as he scrambled for the exit. He did not make it far, for Jeremiah fired a precise, single bullet at Mao's right thigh, ripping through the latter's hamstring tendons as though they were cotton, sending him sprawling to the floor with a scream of agony in an undignified manner. "Secure him, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch instructed. "And put Shirley down, would you?" he added. Jeremiah obeyed, gently placing her on the ground while he crossed the chamber, producing a pair of handcuffs from his coat's pockets as he apprehended Mao. While the noble was doubtful that the cuffs were necessary, given the fact that Mao's hands were shot and bleeding profusely, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"You," Mao gurgled incoherently, glaring at Jeremiah. "How did you get in here? I had cameras all over the area."

"Easily hacked and modified with the aid of the best programs and devices Britannia can offer," Jeremiah snorted dismissively, pinning the slight man against the floor with his foot. He bent forward to fasten Mao's bloodied hands together with the handcuffs. "I managed to view the warehouse's interior, through a minuscule camera on his Highness."

"You mean all this was planned all along?" Mao questioned angrily, spittle flying from his mouth as he stared at Lelouch in a mixture of outrage and incredulity.

"Yes," Lelouch replied, not deigning to even look at Mao. "Judging from the fact that you used a game of chess to challenge me without knowing my capabilities, I guessed that you would quickly get overconfident if I gave you a good start. Besides, you were operating alone against such a high-value target like myself, and that already tells me that there's a high chance that you would be quite arrogant. Thus, I decided to lull you into a false sense of security by throwing the game in the early stages, so that you would not notice the security cameras being hacked. All I needed to do after that is to ensure that you do not win the chess game." Lelouch knelt down in front of Shirley, untying the ropes binding her legs and arms before gently tugging the roll of cloth out of her mouth. The moment she was ungagged, she gasped loudly, taking in deep gulps of air. The prince held her steadily by her shoulders as she coughed and regained the feeling of her limbs. "You're safe now," Lelouch promised tenderly, his voice cracking on his last word, for self-approach welled up within, overwhelming him in an instant. "I'm sorry, Shirley."

"Lulu…" Shirley felt a surge of emotion as the tremendously stressful ordeal was over. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She leaned into his chest and the prince embraced her tightly. He could feel her grip tightening on his jacket as her body shook uncontrollably with sobs. "I was so terrified! I s-should have listened to you. You told me to stay inside. I'm sorry!"

"It's alright. It's all over now," Lelouch whispered reassuringly, caressing her hair. "I'll keep you safe from now on." With that, Lelouch and Shirley rose to their feet, the former placing the latter's arm around his shoulders to provide support. Jeremiah glared at the captive Mao and dragged him unceremoniously behind them as the trio left the long-abandoned warehouse.

The sound of the double metal doors being slammed open startled the group of people seated around an oval table in the darkened conference room. They were all members of the Sword of Akasha, some were leaders appointed by Infinity while others simply held key positions in the organization. They traded uneasy looks as Infinity strode into the room. Gone was his usual aura of suaveness and authority. Now he radiated pure displeasure.

"Someone abducted Shirley Fenette and attempted to assassinate Lelouch vi Britannia," Infinity declared. "And this goes against the plan of having agent Haliburton to retrieve the Key before killing them both. Fortunately for us, the plan failed miserably and both of them are now safe and sound. The assailant has been captured." He paused for a moment, before sardonically asking. "We all know that we're the only large and active organization that has a grudge against the two. So which brilliant mind is behind this horrendous fiasco?"

Apprehensive silence filled the air. None of his audience dared to speak a word. That is, until a tall, pale brown-haired woman rose gracefully to her feet, and glared daggers at the masked man.

"Guinevere," Infinity acknowledged. He was not surprised that the first princess of Britannia, who was part of the Sword of Akasha, was the one who stood up. She was known for her pride and prejudice against the lesser folks.

"First Princess Guinevere de Britannia," Guinevere retorted haughtily. "I was the one who made such arrangements."

"I'll not bother to ask why you did that, for it is obvious," Infinity snarled. "Perhaps you could elaborate on the assassin instead?"

"His name is Mao. He is a well-known mercenary, hailing from the Chinese Federation," Guinevere replied, not backing down. "I instructed him to use whatever tools and resources he had at his disposal to slay Shirley Fenette, while emotionally tormenting Lelouch vi Britannia before killing him as well."

"How nefarious. I assume that you are smart enough not to show your face or reveal your identity when you hired him? It'd be quite sad if you did since he's now captured by his own targets."

"I'm not an idiot, Infinity. I take safeguards too. And the plan would have succeeded if that Margrave did not meddle with it!"

"Regardless, it's too bad, or should I say thankfully, that your little plan fell on its face?" Infinity fought to keep his temper from rising. It was quite uncharacteristic of him, but he was planning this for years, which nearly toppled due to a hasty subordinate. "Have I not made it abundantly clear that we would be counting on agent Haliburton to recover the Key before making a move on those two?"

"Honestly, Infinity, do you think that that object is more important than killing those two?" Guinevere snapped. "Their relationship defies everything that we, the Sword of Akasha, stand for! And you're throwing it all aside for your key to the Damo-"

"Don't be a fool, Guinevere!" Infinity snapped, cutting the princess in mid-sentence. Most of the other members started. Infinity seldom displayed any emotion, let alone anger. He was usually inexpressive. "It doesn't matter if we kill millions of commoners associated with the nobility and royalty if another would take its place." Guinevere quietened down as Infinity took a deep breath, returning to his dispassionate tone. "With access to my superweapon, we can dominate the world and actually enforce our ideals instead having to resort to such shady activities. Just think about it. We would be the future of the entire world."

Guinevere opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. "I suppose it makes some sense," she muttered to herself.

"Do not fail me again, First princess Guinevere," Infinity narrowed his eyes at her, although she could not see it. "I will not tolerate any more mistakes from anyone else in this room. Is that clear?" Murmuring broke out among the table, all of them expressing assent. Infinity nodded his head in satisfaction. "Regardless of the fact that my imprudent subordinates have been tamed, I need to speed up my plans. Although I have the leadership of the Sword of Akasha, inevitably they would overthrow me if I appear to be passive for too long. Rolo has to hurry up; otherwise, I might be forced to do something drastic…"

Author's Note: I pretty much dropped a giant hint on Infinity's true identity. For the next chapter, I'm going to set off the chain of events for Rolo.

If anyone expected a more straightforward battle between the SoA and Lelouch in this fic... well, I have to say I did consider such a thing, but I decided to go with this instead for the sake of a character. Not saying that the SoA will spend their time twiddling their thumbs of course. Eventually, they will have to act.