"What kind of bad news?" Lelouch asks Cyrus.
"I'm not in a great position to explain the details, but you need to know." Cyrus says over the phone.
"Meet me at the academy, and then you can go into more detail." Lelouch says.
"Got it. Thank you." Cyrus says and hangs up. Lelouch then give the phone back to Kallen.
"That did not sound good." Suzaku says.
"You're right, it was not good. How long do you plan to hide your face?" Lelouch says. Suzaku then deactivates his geass.
"I forgot that you were the only one that could see me." Suzaku says, becoming visible.
"I've never seen you reappear, Suzaku. Now, let's return to the museum." Kallen says turning around and leaving. Lelouch and Suzaku grab their masks and put them on as they follow Kallen out of the tunnels. As they return to the museum they see the guests leaving, and Gino is waiting for them by the knightmares. Gino then approaches them and grabs Lelouch.
"You have a lot of explaining to do. Why did those students ask for you, and what was it that they wanted to tell you?" Gino says.
"Gino, please. They are part of the Geass Order sent here to gather information on Zero. I will be finding out what they want to tell me soon, but I recommend that you not do anything to reveal my identity." Lelouch responds. Gino lets go of Lelouch and heads for the Tristan. Kallen and the two Zeros head for their knightmares, and depart for the academy hangars.
Cyrus, Morgan, and Allison reach the academy, and see the knightmares returning from the museum. "That new one is rather cool." Cyrus says.
"A cooperative knightmare, the first of it's kind." Morgan says.
"Since they are both Zero, maybe Zero hasn't come to terms with himself." Allison says.
"What do you mean, Allison?" Cyrus asks.
"Zero is a knight for justice, so the white Zero has to be a knight for chaos. Zero must not have embraced his chaotic side." She answers.
"You think they are the same person?" Morgan asks.
"We may have figured out Zero's geass. He might be a duplicator, like Connor." Cyrus says.
"Only much more stable." Morgan adds. They then see Kallen, Gino, and both Zeros exit from the lab. "I'm going to find out who Zero really is." Morgan says as he heads over to the lab.
"Morgan, no!" Cyrus and Allison shout.
The four hear the shout and look in the direction of where it came from, and see a student approaching them. Zero and Lelouch jump back as Morgan activates his geass, and run in seperate directions. Morgan chases after Zero as he deactivates his geass. "Where did he go?" Gino asks Kallen.
"It's like Babel Tower with the Vincent." Kallen says. They then see Morgan chasing after Zero.
Lelouch stops, and turns around. "No." He says, as he sees Morgan going after Zero. He then runs towards Zero. 'Come on Lelouch, you can do this.' He thinks to himself, as he pushes himself to get to Zero.
"We have to stop Morgan." Allison says.
"What can we do? We can't get close to him, without being frozen in time." Cyrus replies. He then sees the white Zero sprinting towards Morgan, and points in his general direction. "Allison, look." He says.
Allison looks in the direction Cyrus is pointing. "What does he think he is doing?" She says.
"Gino, we need to do something." Kallen says to Gino.
"I know." He says. He then pulls out his pistol, but Kallen stops him. "Why'd you do that?" He says.
"Look over there." Kallen says, indicating Cyrus and Allison. They see Cyrus pointing, and they look to where he is pointing and see Lelouch charging towards Zero. "That is the fastest I have seen him run." Kallen says.
Suzaku's order to live tells him to stop running. As he stops, he turns around and sees Morgan advancing, as well as catching a glimpse of Lelouch in the distance. Morgan activates his geass, immobilizing Zero. But as he begins to advance, Lelouch jumps up into the air and does a spin kick to Morgan, deactivating his geass. When Suzaku regains his sense of time, he sees Lelouch knelt on the ground and Morgan, roughed up, on his side. He then moves towards Lelouch, as Cyrus and Allison head to Morgan.
"Lelouch, are you alright?" Zero asks.
"I… may have… overexerted… myself." Lelouch replies, trying to catch his breath.
"Morgan, are you alright?" Allison says, helping Morgan up.
"What happened?" He asks.
"The white Zero stopped you." Cyrus replies.
"That's impossible. He'd have to be coded." Morgan says. "Oh… I really hurt." He says, clutching at his right shoulder.
They see Zero helping the other up onto his feet. "Coded?" Cyrus says to himself. "Professor?" He asks.
The white Zero looks at Cyrus, and starts coughing. "Figured it out now, have you?" Lelouch says, between coughs.
"I just wanted to protect Connor." Morgan says, as he starts to tear up.
"It's alright, Morgan. I know he means a lot to you, but trust me, we'll save him." Allison says.
Lelouch removes his mask after he has recovered. "Now, tell me the bad news." He says.
"You haven't sensed it, Lelouch?" C.C. asks, as she exits the academy.
"Sensed what, C.C.?" He asks her.
"You sensed the Director's plan?" Cyrus asks.
"I know the enemy, so I tuned in on him. You wish to save a friend from a mission that could cost him more than just his life." C.C. replies.
"He's more than just a friend, he's…" Morgan says, blushing.
"Morgan, we never knew." Allison says, helping Morgan up.
"So what is your director's plan?" Lelouch asks.
"He plans to attack the embassy, where Zero will be vulnerable. He is only sending two members of the order, but Connor is a duplicator, so there will lots of hostiles." Cyrus answers. Kallen and Gino approach as they hear Cyrus mention Connor.
"And what of the other?" Zero asks.
"Stephanie? She is a manipulator. When she looks into your eyes, she takes control, like a puppetmaster." Allison says.
"This is geass you're talking about, right?" Gino asks.
"Yes, sir. How do you know of geass?" Cyrus asks.
"Kallen mentioned that Lelouch had geass." Gino replies.
"Well, I have a plan to stop them and save your friend." Lelouch says. "I'm sorry Kallen and Gino, but I don't have any use for you, at the moment." He adds.
"Don't you treat us like pawns, Lelouch!" Kallen shouts.
"Have I ever treated you like a pawn?" Lelouch asks.
"Fine then. Come on, Gino, we're leaving." Kallen says as she leaves the academy.
"Kallen, wait up." Gino says, running after Kallen.
"Alright, this is the plan." Lelouch says, after Gino leaves. "Zero and I will be inside the embassy before the Order arrives. Since they are looking for you, Zero, you'll know what to do. C.C., the four of you will enter the embassy well after the Order has entered, and you all will be dressed as Zero." He says.
"Why as Zero?" Morgan asks.
"Because, since no one knows who I am, they won't know if the Zero being unmasked is the real one. Besides, Zero is an idea. Even if you know who Zero is, he will always remain an idea." Zero explains.
"Well said. As the man of miracles, I want everyone to play their part. If we can save both of them, then we can reduce the Order's strength even more." Lelouch says.
"Getting them away from the Order won't reduce their strength at all. M.M. has many of us ready to fulfill his plan. We're all expendable at this point." Allison says.
"M.M., eh? I'll have to keep that in mind. You three are in luck, for tomorrow's class is canceled. I just have to inform Villetta about it." Lelouch says. He then goes into the academy, and heads for his quarters to prepare for tomorrow. When he returns, Lelouch is carrying a suitcase. "Come on, Zero. We have a task to do." He says to Zero.
"Then let's get into position." Zero replies. They then both leave for the embassy.
"How do we get into the embassy?" Morgan asks C.C..
"As much as the ambassadors will hate this, we will bust our way in. We'll all take knightmares, and eject towards the embassy." She replies.
"That sounds dangerous. Is there any other way?" Allison asks
"Not without being detected from a mile away." Cyrus replies.
"We have spare suits from the second Special Zone. Now, let's wait until morning, we can make our move then." C.C. says.
The next day at the airport, Connor and Stephanie arrive. "So this is Japan? This country has mixed feelings. It's peaceful, yet chaotic." Stephanie says.
"At least it's better than the sanctum. And did I have to wear this armor the whole time?" Connor says.
"For the plan to work, yes you had to wear that infantry armor the whole time." Stephanie replies.
"I'd have been better in civilian clothes, or even our robes. Why aren't you in some protective armor?" Connor says.
"Because, someone has to look like they're in charge. Come on." She says as she leads the way to the embassy.
Meanwhile at the embassy, Suzaku is in his quarters, while Lelouch is in the main lobby. "My quarters will be searched, I know this." Suzaku says, removing his mask. He activates his geass as he undresses, as to hide in plain sight. When he is finally out of the suit, he folds it up and places it on the center table.
In the lobby, Lelouch is on his phone. "Villetta, sorry to inform you so suddenly, but I have to cancel my class for the day." Lelouch says.
"And what of the students in your class? What will they do?" Villetta asks.
"Some of them were at the museum last night, so I expect some of them to get some rest. My classroom door is open, so they can use the chess board to practice." Lelouch replies.
"Practice what, exactly?" She asks.
"I want them to beat me in a game of chess. Then, and only then, can they call themselves Black Knights." He replies.
Stephanie and Connor arrive at the embassy. They then rush towards the back of the building, and one of the guards sees them, and follows to investigate. "Connor, I want an army. Can you do that?" Stephanie asks, with poison in her voice.
"I can, but I'd be in so much pain that I might cancel my geass." Connor replies.
"That's where I come in." She says.
"You there, you're not supposed to be here!" The guard shouts, as he catches the two. Stephanie sees that the guard does not have a visor or anything blocking her line of sight of his eyes. Stephanie lowers her visor band, and motions for the guard to come closer. "What are you doing, I can't control myself." The guard says, shocked as he moves closer to them, against his own will.
"It is you who should not be here." She says, pulling out a silenced pistol, and shoots the guard. Connor freaks out, but Stephanie locks eyes with him before he can run. "Now, I want that army." She says.
Connor whimpers as he activates his geass. "How many?" He asks, nervously.
"Thirty should do." She replies, after thinking for a bit. Connor then produces the thirty duplicates, but is highly distressed. "Bind him and gag him. If anyone should arrive, we don't want them to find him." She says to the duplicates.
"Yes, ma'am." They say. After the original has been bound, Stephanie leads them towards the entrance of the embassy, with Connor being dragged behind them. The duplicates shoot the guards stationed out front and enter the embassy.
"I'll talk to you later. Something big is about to happen here." Lelouch says, as he ends his call and turns his phone off, just as the Order enters the embassy.
"Everyone remain calm. We are here only for Zero. Now where is the miracle maker, it's his time to shine." Stephanie says. Everyone in the lobby is surprised when they enter. Cornelia draws out her dagger pistol, and takes aim. Connor's duplicates take aim at Cornelia, who then drops her pistol. "Good. Now that you are cooperating with us, can you tell us where Zero is at this very moment?" She asks Cornelia.
"I don't know the exact whereabouts of Zero, although he may be in Fuji." Cornelia replies.
"Then we'll surprise him when he returns. Take them to a safe room, Zero is our priority." Stephanie says. Some of the duplicates round up the embassy staff and usher them to a safe room. "Shoot them if they do anything stupid." She says, as some of the duplicates leave the room. "You there, get him hidden. We don't want anyone to find him. And some of you search the living quarters." She orders, as four of them head in the direction of the living quarters.
"And with that, they're in the embassy." C.C. says, as she puts her phone away.
"How are we going to get in there, they'll have Connor's echos guarding the entrance?" Cyrus asks. Allison and Morgan both agree, while C.C. looks out the window, towards the lab.
"Do any of you know how to pilot a knightmare?" She asks.
"We have had some training with the simulations. I can't speak for the others, but I am not the best." Cyrus says.
"Those gen six models are easy to pilot." Morgan replies.
"I'm newer here, and I think knightmares are, while not easy, not that hard to control, either." Allison replies.
"The knightmares we will be using are Sutherlands. Now get ready, Zero will be waiting for us." C.C. says, as she puts on her Zero suit and grabs her mask and cape.
"This is for Connor." Morgan says, as he grabs his gear and follows C.C.. The others do the same and follow C.C. to the lab.
Once at the lab, they enter and see Nina hard at work running simulations. Allison is about to ask what Nina is doing, when Cyrus pulls her along with the rest of the group. "Before you ask, I want to know how she knows?" He says to her.
"Knows what, exactly?" C.C. asks. "She is trying to stop the return of the FLEIJA's. What is M.M. up to?" She says.
"He sent teams of duplicators to hunt down the other coded." Cyrus replies, as they enter the hangar. "He didn't send teams after you, or the professor, though." He says.
"Yeah. Your trail went cold after the Black Rebellion, and the professor is recently coded." Morgan replies.
"He could have still sensed me, unless he had someone watching me. He may have known that I would have felt his presence, therefore left me alone." C.C. says.
"You seem so calm, knowing that you were targeted by, most likely, the oldest coded alive." Allison says.
"My geass has dulled any emotion that I may feel. I surprise myself when an emotion resurfaces." C.C. replies. "Wait. Coded… He's killed all of them!" She says, panicked. "I do not know what his end goal is, but he may have single handedly destroyed geass."
"If he got you and the professor, he'd be the only one left. There needs to be more coded ones, or else…" Allison says.
"He'd be unrivaled in his power." Morgan says.
"Now that we know this, Zero needs to know. Get ready and prepare to head for the embassy." C.C. says, putting her mask and cape on, and entering a knightmare. The others do the same and prepare to head for the embassy. Nina stops her simulations as she hears the hangar doors open, followed by the sound of knightmare landrollers squealing. She enters the hangar just to see four Sutherland frames leave.
At the embassy, some of Connor's duplicates, stationed outside, detect the knightmares, and inform Stephanie. "What do you mean knightmares! Who could know that we're here?" She says.
"It could be Cyrus and Morgan." A duplicate says.
"If so, then Allison should be here." She says. "You said four knightmares. Then who are in the other two?"
"Should we shoot the knightmares?" Another duplicate asks.
"We do not have the firepower to take on a knightmare. If they are here to help, we don't want to shoot allies. But if they are enemies, we are in serious trouble." Stephanie replies.
"They're not shooting at us." Cyrus says.
"They think we're here to help them." Morgan says.
"We are close enough, everyone prepare to eject towards the embassy." C.C. says. They turn around and launch the ejection seats towards the embassy, and crash through the front of the building, landing in the lobby.
In the safe room, most of the staff are panicking when they hear the crash from the lobby. "What was that?" One of the duplicates guarding the hostages says.
"It wasn't us. Is it possible that Zero knew we would be here?" The other says.
"It's all going according to plan" Lelouch whispers, while the guards are discussing amongst themselves.
"What are you talking about?" Cornelia asks. "You knew this would happen?"
"I have my ways." Lelouch replies.
"I say we kill them! We'll start with the ambassadors." The guard says.
"We are here for Zero! We are not to harm anyone here." The other says.
"And how do you know that Zero isn't in this very room, at this very moment?" Lelouch asks.
"We would know." The guard says to Lelouch. "Wouldn't we?" He asks the other guard.
Lelouch stands up and chuckles. As he stands up the guards take aim at Lelouch. "I see that you would never realize Zero without his mask on." Lelouch says.
"Lelouch, what are you doing?" Cornelia whispers.
"What are you saying, that you are Zero?" The other guard asks.
"He looks like Zero." The first guard points out.
"That doesn't make him Zero? Now who are you, imposter?" The second guard says.
"Who am I indeed." Lelouch says. "I am the demon everyone fears, for my power is unrivaled. I am the legend behind the mask. I destroyed the old world, and created it anew. For I am Lelouch vi Britannia, and I will not have you destroy the world I worked so hard to create!" He says, as he pulls out his pistol and shoots the guards, which vanish after being shot. Three more enter the safe room as they hear the gunshots. The embassy staff are backing up, away from Lelouch.
"Lower your weapon!" The new arrivals order, as they aim at Lelouch.
"Very well." Lelouch says, as he places his gun on the floor. He looks over his shoulder and sees where Cornelia is, and kicks the pistol in her direction. Lelouch raises his hands, showing that he has nothing to hide. "Go on then, shoot me." Lelouch says. He sees the guards hesitate, and he smiles a wicked smile, his eyes glowing red. "I see, have you realized that those how should kill are those prepared to be killed. Now then, die." He says, gesturing towards the guards, who unwillingly raise their rifles to their heads and shoot. Most of the people in the room scream as the guards shoot themselves, and Lelouch is surprised that he still has use of his former power.
Lelouch then leaves the safe room. "Is everyone alright?" Cornella asks everyone present. She gets mixed replies, but most are terrified that Lelouch is alive. "Schneizel take care of everyone here, I have something that needs done." She says.
"As you wish, sister." Schneizel replies.
Cornelia exits the safe room, and sees Lelouch opening a suitcase. As she gets closer, she sees the white and gold mask. "So, you're the other Zero?" She says.
"It took you that long to figure it out?" Lelouch replies.
"Why are you doing this, Lelouch?" She asks.
"Zero needs to embrace his inner chaos, and be more like me, when I was Zero." He says.
"But Suz… Zero is not you. He is different than you, Lelouch." Cornelia says.
"That may be true, but Zero needs to be more like me, and not Kururugi." Lelouch says as he puts the mask on. "Now I must be off. This is a rescue mission, after all." He says as he puts the cape on and leaves.
Back in the lobby, C.C. and the others get out of the capsules, and as the dust clears, Stephanie and Connor's duplicates are surprised at the sight of four Zeros. "Four Zeros! Three of you are imposters and you will be dealt with." Stephanie says, as she draws Cornelia's pistol and points it at one of the three Zeros in front of her. She is that shocked when she feels a knife being pressed to her neck.
"I'll spare your life if you tell me where he is." Morgan says to Stephanie.
"I don't know what you are talking about." She replies.
"He's behind the desk!" Cyrus shouts to Morgan, as he hears Stephanie's thoughts.
"Shoot him!" Stephanie says as she feels the knife being removed from her neck. She turns around, trying to shoot Zero in the back, but is surprised to see that he is already at the desk.
"Connor! Oh Connor, what have they done to you." Morgan says as he sees the state that Connor is in. "Easy there Connor we'll get you out of this mess." He says, getting up. As he gets up he sees that Connor's duplicates are aiming at him.
"I never thought that you and Cyrus would do something like this, Morgan." Stephanie says, as she figured out who two of the Zeros are. "I presume that Allison is with you? She would have helped us if she were here." She adds, turning around, facing the three Zeros. "Why not unmask yourselves, so as to make it easier for us all." She adds. They then hear Connor cry out in pain.
Meanwhile in Zero's quarters, Suzaku hears the door open and looks to see two people enter his quarters. "This has to Zero's quarters." One of the duplicates says.
"What makes you say that? This could be anyone's room." The other says. "Wait, Zero's here, in the embassy?" He says, as he sees Zero's outfit set out on the center table.
"If he's out of his suit, then he could be with the rest of them, in the safe room." The first one says. "Let's try to gather as much information on Zero as we can." He adds as he heads for the communication terminal.
"This is so cool." The other says, as he picks up Zero's mask and puts it on.
"Stop fooling around." The first one says, as he looks over his shoulder and sees the other wearing Zero's mask. "We have a job to do."
"With the state of this room, it seems that only one person is needed to search it. No way! It's Zero's sword!" The other says, as he removes the mask and heads over to the Requiem Blade. He then heads over to where the sword is mounted, places the mask down and takes the sword off of the wall. "This is awesome, don't you think?" He asks the other, who is searching around the terminal.
"Put it back, before you break something." The first guard says. "What have we here?" He says, as he spots a book tucked away in a corner. "Could this be what we need, in order to know who Zero might be?" He says as he brings the book out to the center table. The other guard places the sword back on the wall mount, and heads over to look at the book.
Suzaku heads over to his sword and takes it off of the wall. With the sword in hand he heads over to the center table and impales one of the guards, which disappears after being killed. The remaining guard hears the other die, and draws his rifle. "Where are you?" He says as he sees the sword floating in mid air. He backs up and sees the sword move. "This isn't a levitating geass. So that puts you there." He says as he takes aim at where Suzaku is most likely standing.
Suzaku dodges as the guard fires the rifle, but gets hit in the shoulder. Before the guard can get a second shot off, Suzaku kills the guard, which vanishes. He lays the sword down and grasps at his left shoulder. "Damn. There goes my cover." He says, wincing in pain and seeing blood run down his invisible body. 'I've made my move, time to proceed with the rest of the plan.' He thinks to himself as he wraps the scarf around his shoulder, and gets dressed. Before he can fully redress, he hears voices approaching his quarters. He rushes over to his private quarters, just as the main door opens.
"I swear I heard…" One of the new arrivals starts, but stops as he catches a glimpse of the tails of Zero's suit pass the threshold. "I think I just saw Zero." He says.
"Really? Didn't they say he was in Fuji?" The other asks.
"They must have lied, besides Zero doesn't have his mask on right now." The first guard says. "I'll enter that room and find Zero. You shoot him if he sneaks out." He adds as he prepares his rifle. When Suzaku sees the soldier enter the room, his order to live activates and he draws his pistol and takes aim. The soldier hears the pistol and looks in the direction of the sound, just to get shot and vanish. The other soldier hears the gunshot and prepares to advance to the room, but stops when he sees Zero exit the room.
"So that's your geass." The soldier says as he sees Zero without his mask, gloves, and cape on. Suzaku then raises his pistol and aims at the soldier and shoots before the soldier has a chance to react.
"Time to see how things are going in the lobby." He says as he finishes dressing and heads for the lobby.
Back in the lobby, after hearing Connor cry out in pain, Morgan sees him thrashing around and tears streaming across his face. "What have they done?" He says to himself.
"You there, how many are left?" She asks one of the duplicates.
"Twenty-one, Stephanie?" The soldier replies, after sensing the other duplicates.
"Who else knew about this?" She says to the three Zeros. "Who else is in here!" She shouts, taking off her shades. Allison seeing this takes action and opens the mask's eye port, and tries to take on the form of Stephanie, but stops as Stephanie locks eyes with her. "I never knew that the mask could do that, but I thank you for giving me control of your body. Now time to see who all of you really are." She says as she forces Allison to remove her mask.
"You'll never know who Zero really is." Allison says as her mask is removed.
"I beg to differ, Allison. There is only one more Zero here to unmask, because Morgan is over there with Connor, and Cyrus is right there." Stephanie says, indicating both of them. "Now, remove Zero's mask." She says as she controls Allison.
"I'm sorry Zero." Allison says as she removes C.C.'s mask.
"This can't be. We were told that you weren't Zero." Stephanie says as she sees C.C.
"And you're right. I am not Zero. He is." C.C. says indicating Lelouch as he returns to the lobby. Stephanie and the remaining soldiers turn to face Lelouch as he enters the lobby.
"You aren't Zero! What are you playing at." Stephanie says, starting to get flustered.
"I thought I made it clear on the day of my exile, that Zero is more than just one person. That he is an idea, a symbol." Lelouch says.
"I've had enough of this. Shoot him and take his mask off." Stephanie orders the duplicates.
"Yes, ma'am!" They respond as they take aim. As they shoot Lelouch, Stephanie doesn't hear any of the others scream.
"Someone take his mask off, quick. I want to know who Zero was." She orders, as Lelouch falls to the ground. As one of the soldiers approaches Lelouch, he starts to laugh.
"Do you not know what an idea is? An idea is unkillable." Lelouch says, getting up. The soldiers take aim once again. "I may not be Zero, but you messed with the wrong demon." He says as he extends his right arm into the air and snaps his fingers. A red light encompasses Lelouch, and where stood the white Zero, now stands Lelouch in his full emperors robes.
"It can't be, you died." Stephanie says.
"Died, hardly. I… You!" Lelouch says as he spots Zero enter the lobby. Stephanie and the soldiers turn to face Zero.
"Now we have the man of the hour. Kill him." Stephanie orders.
Morgan hears the order and tries to get Connor to deactivate his geass. "Connor, snap out of it! Look at me!" He says as he takes his mask off. With Connor not responding, and little time left to spare, Morgan slaps Connor across the face. Connor open his eyes and catches a brief glimpse of Morgan. "That's it, look at me, hear my voice. Connor snap out of it." Morgan says trying to calm Connor down. Connor takes in the sight he is seeing and deactivates his geass, causing the soldiers to vanish. "Let me get you out of those bonds." He says to his heterochromatic friend.
"Th-Th-Thank you, Morgan." Connor says as his binds are removed.
"It's good to see you're safe" Morgan says hugging Connor.
"Looks like I have to do everything myself!" Stephanie says as she aims the pistol at Zero. Morgan sees this and activates his geass, preparing to save Zero, but sees Lelouch rushing towards Stephanie and deactivates his geass, when Lelouch is close enough to her. Before She can fire, Stephanie is sent flying to the ground as Lelouch spin kicks her. Zero heads over to Stephanie and offers to help her up. "Why are you helping me?" She asks.
"We wish to see the end of the misuse of geass. Your leader has corrupted you, and you let it take control of you. The others have left it behind them, you should too." Zero replies.
"Our director promises a better world for all of us!" She says refusing Zero's help, and getting up by herself. It's at this moment that she sees a bloodstain on Zero's left shoulder, and punches him. Zero then gasps in pain, falling to his knees grasping his shoulder. Stephanie then removes Zero's mask. "I've done it! I've revealed who Zero really is!" She says. She then hears Cyrus and Allison gasp in surprise, and she looks at Zero and doesn't see his face.
Lelouch sees Suzaku trying really hard not to pass out from the sheer amount of pain he's in, then he hears someone approaching from the direction of the saferoom. When he sees Cornelia, he moves out of the way of her line of sight of Stephanie. "There is no saving you. You have proven that you cannot see past your own blindness." Lelouch says to Stephanie. She turns to face Lelouch just as Cornelia shoots her. She falls to her knees, dropping the mask, and then falls over dead.
"Stephanie!" Connor cries out, as he sees her get shot. He tries to head over to her side, but Morgan is preventing him. "Let me go, Morgan." He says.
"Connor, she brought this upon herself. Help us, Connor. Help us stop M.M." Morgan says restraining Connor.
Connor then looks at Morgan and understands, but changes when he realizes what has happened. "Alistair needs to know what happened here."
"He doesn't need to know everything." Morgan replies.
Lelouch heads over to Suzaku, grabbing his mask and putting it back on him, before he passes out."Reckless as ever." He says as he catches Zero. He then snaps his fingers and returns to his Zero outfit, without any damage on it. He then hoists Zero over his shoulder and slowly makes his way to Zero's quarters.
"Is he really the emperor? I mean, he died but… Things are starting to make sense." Cyrus says.
"What do you mean Cyrus?" Allison asks.
"It explains why C.C. is with the professor, and the professor may not really be a Black Knight." Cyrus says. Morgan and Connor approach the others, while Cornelia heads for Zero's quarters.
"You are quick to realize my role." C.C. says. "Lelouch was Zero, but the Black Knights turned on him. After he killed his father, he was nearing completion of the goal he set out to accomplish. He tasked Zero to kill him and save the world." She explains.
"But does that mean that Zero is…" Allison starts, but C.C. interrupts.
"If you know Zero's identity, you must keep it secret." C.C. says interrupting Allison. "As you saw, Zero is an idea, he has always existed, but became personified during the First Rebellion." She adds.
In Zero's quarters, Lelouch sets Zero on one of the couches and catches his breath. "I need to get better at this." He says. He then sees Zero stirring back to consciousness.
"Damn, that hurt." Zero swears as he feels the pain in his shoulder. "How did I get in my quarters?" He asks after seeing the change of scenery.
"You can thank me later. What's this?" Lelouch says as he spots the book on the center table.
"What? Oh, that. It's memories back before we became Zero." Suzaku replies as he sees Lelouch look through the book. Lelouch removes his mask and smiles.
"Those were innocent times. Some of these are rather recent. Nunnally looks so happy." Lelouch says as he looks through the book and finds pictures of Nunnally on Jeremiah's orange farm.
"Those were taken the day Guilford got his sight back. Nunnally had fun there, being away from the embassy, and feeling free from the pressures of the embassy." Suzaku replies.
"Now back to you. Let's get you healed up." Lelouch says, removing the glove on his right hand. He then removes Suzaku's suit and inspects the injury. "This may hurt you as much as it will hurt me." He says.
"What do you…" Suzaku starts, but yells in pain as Lelouch grabs his shoulder. After a while the pain in Suzaku's shoulder subsides, and Lelouch lets go of Suzaku's shoulder and grabs his own shoulder and groans in pain. "Lelouch, are you alright?" He asks concerned.
"I'm fine, I just transfered the injury from you to me." He replies as the pain subsides. "Now let's meet up with the others." He adds, putting his glove back on.
"Lelouch, is my geass still active?" Suzaku asks as he removes his mask.
"I thought it would have deactivated when you passed out." Lelouch responds as he sees Suzaku's geass encompassed left eye. "It's still active, why do you want to know?" He asks.
Suzaku deactivates his geass and heads over to his private quarter. Lelouch follows and sees Suzaku grab a journal. "Now, what is that for?" Lelouch asks.
"This is a journal that I've written in after all of my uses of geass. I don't know how many uses, nor how long each use has to be before I can't deactivate my power." He says.
They then hear the door open. "Zero, Lelouch." Cornelia calls as she enters the room and sees the open door of Zero's private quarter and heads towards it. "Zero, you are on your feet." Cornelia says as she sees Suzaku standing up.
"Thanks to Lelouch. What brings you here, Cornelia." Suzaku asks.
"I came here for Lelouch." She answers. "Lelouch, you told everyone here that you are alive. Why did you do that?" She asks Lelouch.
"The hatred I cast upon myself has dissipated, and I was called the Demon Emperor after all. I do have a plan that will remove the threat I pose to the world, but it will only work if the situations leading up to that point in time work out." Lelouch responds.
"What is it that you have planned?" She asks. "How is it that you are going to die, again?" She says, after realizing what Lelouch meant.
"Zero and I will die. But it will only happen if we stop the Geass Order from destroying my world." He replies. "Now Zero, get dressed, we have a message to send." He says to Suzaku. Suzaku then gets into the full outfit, replacing the bloodstained scarf with a clean one, and Lelouch places his mask back on. When fully attired, both Zeros head back to the lobby and meet up with C.C. and the others.
"I just can't believe she's dead. No one really got along with her, but still." Connor says as he starts to cry.
"There, there Connor. You were the more important one to save. I couldn't imagine living without you." Morgan says hugging Connor.
"Alright you four, I have a message to send to M.M." Lelouch says. Suddenly a phone starts to ring. "Who's phone is that?" Lelouch asks.
"That's Stephanie's!" Connor says. He then separates himself from Morgan, and searches for Stephanie's phone. When he finally gets it, he sees Alistair's name on the caller ID. "It's Alistair! What do I tell him?" He asks.
"Tell him that your mission failed, and that Stephanie died. Also mention that Morgan, Cyrus, and Allison helped you escape." Lelouch says.
"Got it." Connor replies. "Alistair." He says, answering the phone.
"Connor, where's Stephanie?" Alistair asks.
"Bad news, Alistair. The attack failed and Stephanie lost her life. Morgan and the others helped me escape, and I grabbed Stephanie's phone before we left." Connor replies.
"Somewhat believable. No matter, I am tired of these failures! Was the white Zero, or the new knightmare there?" Alistair asks.
"New knightmare?" Connor asks.
"Nevermind. I'll take this matter into my own hands. Rendezvous with the Order on Kamine Island when you get the chance. We will strike Zero and remove him from interfering with the director." Alistair says.
"When will you be arriving?" Connor asks.
"Tomorrow." Alistair replies and hangs up.
"What now? We have Alistair to deal with, as well as the Order." Connor says.
"What is Alistair's geass?" Zero asks.
"He can tell the truth apart from lies." Allison replies.
"He really hates it when anyone lies to him. And if you're…" Cyrus says indicating Lelouch.
"I thought my death was well planned out. After all, I did vanish off of the face of the earth for two years." Lelouch replies. "We'll need a way to make him see the light, and as to why we lie." He adds.
