Demons – Damn straight!

Rudds – Or was it a dream?

A Friend – Maybe this chapter will answer your question.

[*****]

TOKYO SETTLEMENT HARBORS

The Black Knights, Kallen thought as she and her comrades made their way through the darkness. We're The Black Knights. The newly-christened soldiers of Zero. At least we have a name, I suppose.

During the day, the harbor was full of activity; the Toyko Settlement was an excellent source of trade and exchange between seagoers and sailors. But it was eerily quiet by night; there was not one soul out. The only crowds Kallen found were some guards standing by a storage area. Ironically, getting past the guards was the easy part; they seemed to be strangely, unshakably out of it, like they were in another world. That didn't ease Kallen's stress – it only added to the creepiness factor surrounding the harbors. She was very thankful she wasn't doing this mission alone.

Naomi caught wind of Ohgi, who was flashing a laser pointer along a stone wall. Once Kallen's group met with Ohgi's team, they met at the predetermined rendezvous point: a large hangar area that served as a loading ground, leading into some kind of warehouse. To the left was an old police station, long since closed; Kallen could still make out the name of the place, "Tokyo-Wangan Police Station", in a ghost-like formation of missing letters over the door. Much to Kallen's interest, there were two helicopters atop a wide landing pad, rigged for full night reconnaissance. The harbors were supposed to be completely cleared by this hour.

"Who do you think it could be?" Ohgi asked, watching as Minami, Yoshida, and Sugiyama searched the exterior and interior of the helicopters, looking for anything suspicious.

"Haven't a clue," Kallen muttered. "Zero sent us here for a reason, though. I'm suspecting Britannian soldiers, maybe rogue Chinese Federation agents."

"And this is what he calls a training exercise?" Naomi asked. She took her revolver out of the leather sheath strapped to her leg, opening the cylinder. Zero had really wanted to whip the Black Knights into shape for on-ground fighting as much as Knightmare combat, but she certainly hadn't expected him to send them on a mission so early.

"We found a notebook of sorts," Yoshida called out, shifting through the contents. "The rest of the stuff in here is junk, save for a few pistols."

"Pistols? Clearly whomever came here was ready to kill," Kallen said. Minami passed the notebook to Kallen, and she read.

For Your Eyes Only We have only recently gotten rights to sell in this area. On behalf of the Saturn Corp, thank you for accepting this contract. Take the cargo to the southwestern hangars, near the broken-down police station. Absolute discretion – TUR. Once finished, go back to secondary meeting spot. You'll receive half of your payment inside the warehouse – the other half will be given once you report back to the secondary meeting spot. - Strn

"TUR," Ohgi muttered. "Travel under radar."

"Saturn Corp? Aren't they come kind of store in the Settlement?" Tamaki asked, trying to keep his normally loud-and-proud voice as quiet as possible.

"Yeah, I think so," Sugiyama said. "These buildings are empty. I don't see a soul. Why would there be helicopters?"

"Wrong," came Zero's voice from the communicator, which spooked the hell out of everyone. "You see the warehouse across from you? They specifically cut the power in order to make their transactions appear like they weren't happening at all. Soundproofed the doors as well."

"How many tricks do you have up your sleeve, dude?" Tamaki whispered into his walkie-talkie.

"I want you all to get into positions," Zero said. "The warehouse is about three stories; there are access doors dotting the eastern and western fronts of the building on the second and third floors; you can climb the boxes in order to get onto the railways. For the first floor, however, the only way in or out is through the main door in front of you. R-1, I want you to take the third floor with B-2. You're going to lay down suppressing fire to aid Q-1, K-1, and K-2, who are going to enter through the front. B-1, P-3, take the second floor. Don't engage with the enemy unless you absolutely have to or if your comrades are in danger – focus your fire on destroying the cargo. I want it taken off the face of the Earth. Get into positions and wait for my ready call."

Kallen hurried towards the front of the door, keeping her footsteps light. The door was unlocked; there had once been a heavy padlock there, but Kallen could see it was shot down, the chains spread across the floor haphazardly. Minami and Naomi joined her quickly.

"I'll get on the left side. You guys right," Kallen said, putting the small of her back against the stone wall.

"Wait, I think I can hear something," Minami whispered; he got into position and inched slightly towards the door, putting his ear against it. Kallen did the same.

"…funds will be transferred to your offshore account. Be sure to distribute it amongst the mercenary pilots, too…"

"…tanian-produced goods…"

Kallen and Minami looked at each-other, weary. This is a noted weapons bed. They could very well be smuggling weapons through the harbor…

Zero. "Q-1. Are you, K-1, and K-2 in position? Tell K-1 to give the signal if so."

Kallen nodded to Naomi, who flashed her handheld.

"Good. All teams check?"

"Check," Kallen whispered.

"Check," she heard Yoshida say, along with Ohgi.

"Check." Sugiyama.

"Q-1. On your cue," Zero muttered.

Kallen took a deep breath, clutching the butt of her weapon. She nodded to Naomi and Minami; they proceeded to force open the doors, quickly sweeping around them. Wasting no time in identifying their most immediate targets, Kallen and her team began to fire, the cascading bullets echoing throughout the building. Six bodies dropped; more figures began to emerge from the shadows, alarmed. Everyone began to reach for a weapon.

"R-1! B-2! Now!"

The panels and windows on the second floor flew open, a hail of concentrated gunfire following it. Kallen sprang to cover, knocking down a table full of money and gasping as bullets smacked the base of the metal table. She busied herself with a grenade and chucked it over the table, in what she hoped was a smooth arc. Naomi and Minami began moving quickly from cover position to cover position, laying down blinding fire as they went. Kallen sprang and made a mad dash for a supply box towards her right, taking out two armed suits before hitting her shoulder against a file cabinet.

Kallen ejected her magazine quickly as Zero continued barking orders. "B-1, P-3, change of plans! Take care of the guys in the southeastern position! Keep moving forward – don't let anyone leave by jumping out the windows!"

"I'll take the left column!" Kallen yelled, slamming another mag into her gun. Most of the guys weren't even actively engaging them – they were trying to run away with either the cargo or wads of money, half-heartedly firing back at Kallen whenever she got too close. Steadying her aim and taking cover behind a forklift, she strafed and struck two mercs who were trying to ascend the catwalk – one of them fell with a yell and landed on his back.

"Kallen!" Minami pushed her out of the way; when Kallen regained her balance, she saw that he'd dropped a rifleman, the barrel of his weapons slapping the ground.

"Thanks! Where're the others?" Kallen began circling around the immediate area, holding her gun out.

"They aren't lacking for security. I think they disappeared into the back!"

The "back" in question was a maze of metal containers, stacked high. Catching sight of some stairs that led onto a catwalk, Kallen sprinted towards them, skidding the last couple meters to avoid getting hit. The ground suddenly shook and an ear-splitting boom rattled the warehouse; Kallen nearly tripped and swiveled around the see a stack of metal containers fall onto four unsuspecting mercs, who screamed as they were crushed.

"A trap?!" Kallen moaned in shock.

"Any stragglers left?" Ohgi asked, his voice harried.

"Lookin' around!" Naomi replied.

"Doesn't look like!" Yoshida.

"Regroup in the center," Zero said, with his ever-present calm. Kallen wiped some of the sweat off her face and stuffed her pistol back in its sheath and ran to the center of the warehouse, her body flush with the thrill of the chase. Yoshida was grasping his side vaguely, Naomi her arm.

"Crap, are you hurt?" Kallen asked, fearful. "Minami! First aid!"

"On it!"

"Nah, it just nicked me," Yoshida said, looking at Naomi, who nodded in agreement.

"Any nick can become an infection," Ohgi said, sagely. "Don't be afraid to admit pain."

When everyone regrouped, Zero appeared, walking through the main door, with his usual powerful elegance and mysterious confidence.

"Were those exploding containers your work?" Kallen asked immediately.

Zero nodded. "The wood upon which the containers were placed was fragile; it was easy to figure out where and how to set the explosives."

"God-damn," Minami breathed, laughing and stretching his burly arms. He got out a bottle of antiseptic and set to cleaning the wounds on Naomi and Yoshida.

"What was… their cargo, exactly, Zero?" Ohgi asked. "Are there any boxes that aren't destroyed?"

After a quick look around the immediate area, Sugiyama found a singular container. It was labeled "Dangerous Material – Handle w/ Care." Taking a crowbar off a corpse, he pried the lid off and discarded it to the side. When he sorted through the wrapping, he had a dispirited, unhappy look on his face.

"What is it, Sugi?" Kallen asked, approaching the crate.

"The devil's brew," Sugiyama muttered.

One look at the pink-coated syringe was all Kallen needed.

"Refrain?!" Tamaki roared in disgust.

"They went through all of this trouble just to get some drugs?" Naomi asked, her nose scrunched up in disgust, as if the drug exuded an odor.

"There have been some recent anti-smuggling laws enacted in Area 11," Zero said, folding his arms. "As a result, dealers have been forced to get creative with how they handle Refrain."

"You think that was the Purists' doing?" Kallen asked, looking at Zero.

"Maybe," Zero pondered. "Perhaps Gottwald doesn't like drugs. But who enacted them and why is beyond the issue. I want to make these raids a common occurrence. You all did splendidly for the short amount of time and arms you were given. Are your wounds serious?"

"Not really. Stings like hell, though," Naomi muttered, wincing at the antiseptic.

"In that case, I declare we continue doing these. Next time, we ought to use Knightmares."

Kallen looked up, excited. "You mean your delivery came?"

"Yes. I have new Knightmares for most of you, and some new adjustments and gear for Kallen's Glasgow and Ohgi's Sutherland."

"You're either really rich, really lucky, really persuasive, or all three," Ohgi muttered. "What kind of new gear?"

"I'll have my lead engineer explain," Zero said, casually. "Once you're done with the first aid, I want you to destroy any and all remnants of Refrain left here. If the police aren't going to handle this problem, then we will – I want this godforsaken drug wiped off the face of the planet." He swiveled around and began to walk outside. "That will be all. Meet me outside at the hangar area once you're finished."

Kallen quickly followed Zero, stopping at the threshold of the door. "Um, Zero? Sir?"

"Yes, Q-1?" He responded, turning his shoulders slightly.

"Thanks," Kallen breathed. She hesitated, appearing surprised. "Most people don't really know about the Refrain problem, let alone try to do something about it. I mean, we've tried to do something about for… years, I think. A long time."

Zero scoffed. "Ironic, don't you think? A drug marketed towards the Japanese, and the majority of Japanese hate it."

"I mean, it's more than just a way to get high. I've heard a lot of Britannian enforcers use it as a truth serum."

Zero appeared perplexed. "I wasn't aware of this. This gives us all the more reason to remove it."

"Yeah… but, thank you. Sir. I really appreciate it."

"Mm. Get to work, Kozuki. Justice will have its day one way or another."

Zero walked out and Kallen set to doing her work. She didn't seem to notice the night-vision camera he was holding as he left.

[*****]

WHITE SPACE

Emperor-Revolutionary-Politician-Chef-Musician-Scientist-Doctor-Businessman-Aritst-Technician-Adventure-GodKiller Lelouch, the Immortal (or, Time Baron, as he'd taken to calling himself) looked at the screen in boredom and some disgust. He was on the Moon Kingdom, and Kaguya had been helpfully showing him footage from different timelines. It was interesting material. There was one Lelouch who'd started a mafia in the Chinese Federation; another Lelouch had joined Charles zi Britannia; one timeline even featured a Lelouch who decided to live a normal life and become the CEO of a large medical cybernetics business. One of Time Baron's personal favorites was the Lelouch who became a rock star, the frontman and keyboardist of "Eight Inches of Love".

Unfortunately for Time Baron, the current timeline movie he was watching was quite uninteresting.

"This is me?" Time Baron asked, drawling out his words to signify his boredom. "God, what a goody-two-shoes."

"Yes," Princess Kaguya said. She still seemed peeved over getting shot, but this was a moot point; they both knew she was as immortal as he was. "This particular Lelouch kept Prince Clovis alive, which happened to change quite a bit. Out of all the timelines, this one is closest to how yours – the Prime Timeline – went."

"But he hasn't met Kururugi in school yet?"

"No, nor Kallen Kozuki. Why would they all go to the same school? There's dozens in Japan."

"I wonder if he's going to become Emperor and die."

"Dunno."

"Why are you showing me footage of this particular timeline? This one is boring as all hell."

Kaguya hesitated and played with her pink skirt, rubbing it between her fingertips. "How would you change this to make it more exciting?"

"My recommendation – more explosions. More God-killing. That was indescribably awesome the first time I did, and it didn't get old after the twentieth. Don't evade my question."

Dejectedly, Kaguya sighed and squared her shoulders, as if lifting an enormous weight off of them. "Something happens in this timeline that winds up affecting all the others."

That got Time Baron's attention. He'd observed and even participated in many of the events of the alternative "Timelines" – which were really just alternative universes, different takes on a tale told far too often – but most of them were full of inoffensive, harmless changes, like Lelouch forming a rock band with Shirley Fenette, or immigrating over to the European Union. A great deal of the alternate timelines played out key events in almost the same way – Marianne dies, Prince Lelouch is exiled, becomes Zero, Zero liberates Japan, deals with Charles and V.V. in some fashion and form, et cetera ad nauseum. That story was one Time Baron had come to know well. It was easy to just watch from the sidelines, because the White Space was like a blank zone; a place where reality and the definitions of action and consequence were blurred. Time Baron could watch all the other timelines' events play out in front of him like a scene from an over-the-top play.

But this was new. Something that would have drastic consequences and repercussions was new.

"Could you be more specific?"

"I don't know what the technical term for it is, but that particular Lelouch fucks something up," Kaguya explained, her eyes distant and dreamy. "It may have to do with the World of C, or the Geass Directorate, or Kamine Island, I'm not sure."

"Then I'll go kick his ass and intervene," Time Baron boasted, taking his pristine, white cape and swooshing it around.

"I assure you, you look extremely manly, but don't you have a plan?"

"Kaguya, you know, I think I've seen everything I need to see at this point. There's very little that can surprise me. But what you've just said? That surprised me. So, naturally, I have to check out what's going on."

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, with a girlish innocence inflected in her tone.

"Of course, I have no reason not to bring you," Time Baron proclaimed. "After all, you're always rescuing me."

"That's because I always need you to intervene in case one of the Lelouches dies before he should."

"Yeah, sure, that's why. We should bring along some backup."

"How about Waka Flocka? Or Sonic?" Kaguya posed, turning to see Sonic running in place in a crater and Waka Flocka beatboxing.

"How? Waka Flocka's never actively helped me out."

"Just hire him. He'll do anything for money."

Time Baron looked at her, disapprovingly. "Are you sure about that?"

"Hey, Waka Flocka! If you come to Dimension X with us, I'll give you thirty bucks if you sprain Kururugi's ankle."

"Yo, you're speakin' my language," Waka Flocka said, all of his attention focused on Kaguya and Time Baron.

"And, sure, I can come along for reconnaissance. I'm the fastest thing alive, after all," Sonic boasted, hopping onto his oversized feet.

Time Baron sighed. "Alright, Kaguya, let's go on a field trip. Open up one of the portals, please."

Kaguya obliged and quickly a blue portal, full of light matter, appeared before Time Baron's eyes. "You'll be sent to the Matter of Time Lobby for now. I have to go and inform the Moon Kingdom people about where I'm going and why."

"K."

Time Baron stepped through, prepared to change his destiny.