Well then, time to continue where we left off. Be warned that this chapter is pure plot and characters talking and interacting, almost no robot action at all except a small summary.

Thanks to everyone that read, followed, favorited and/or reviewed.

To the Reviewers:

cj1of4: Strayed is not as secretive as Lelouch. In his opinion, there's no harm in his identity being known by the people he considers his allies, his personal history is another thing entirely though. That said, he's going to use his pilot suit and helmet in all the operations to avoid being recognized while on the job, just in case. Also, I don't see a NEXT pilot getting into his unit with a cape like the one Zero uses, so no flamboyantly awesome suit for him.

Lloyd won't get to know about the Answerer until they've already made a couple things with it but yes, he's going to get into one of his scientist moods and drool all over the place when he learns about it and what it holds.

RoyalTwinFangs: As a matter of fact, his pilot suit and mirrored helmet are based on those. I plan for the Sky Ruler and its R2 version, the Sky Ruler II to be loyal to Armored Core for Answer in terms of weapons, with a couple exceptions but they don't include a Hadron for him, he's keeping the back-mounted Hi-Laser Cannons. That being said, the Blaze Luminous, like the Float System, will be something appealing to Strayed, and much less destructive for allied forces than the Primal Armor. The question is whether or not it can be produced using Kojima Energy and that's something he's going to have to solve if he wants to acces the tech.

brave kid: Glad you like it and good to see you here as well. Enjoy the chapter.

Criticanon: The problem I have with changing lines is that I like the originals a lot and I just can't think of better phrasing most of the time. Still, I¡ll do my best to make it original. Thanks for the advice.

I like to make the fighting detailed because I think it makes it easier for the readers to picture what's going on, and it also helps me visualize it better as I write. Enjoy the chapter and let's see what you think of it.

MM Browsing: Thanks. My idea is to pair Strayed with Kallen, I believe the two most prominent Aces of the Black Knights (The Black Titan and the Red Lotus, as they're going to be known as by the poor Britannians in a few chapters) would make a good couple. Lelouch's pairing idea is C.C., I have a surprise planned for Euphy as well, but it has nothing to do with Suzaku.

Guest: You raise a pretty good point. The best thing the infantry can do is not get too close to the Sky Ruler and hope someone can take it down, Strayed will also have to be careful not to land too close to his allies as well. That being said, the particles are compressed to form the Primal Armor so they won't harm anyone outside of its range. As for the consequences on unprotected machinery, the moment Rakshata and Strayed meet they'll get that part solved for the Black Knights, Britannia won't be far behind after a couple traumatizing experiences. They have Lloyd on their side after all and the guy adapts fast.

Lelouch is indeed quite curious about where the hell Strayed came from and how in the world he came across the Sky Ruler, and with good reason. So expect him to start asking questions and getting more than he expected in reply. Thanks for the praise, here's hoping this will be as good. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its spin-offs, nor do I own anything related to the Armored Core franchise, unless you count my copy of the Armored Core For Answer game, that I do own. All I own that is shown in this story are Hawk Magnus, the design of his NEXT/s, the K-Filter and the SKAI computer installed in it.

Chapter 03: Transfer Student in Ashford

"Can someone please explain what's going on?!" Jeremiah Gottwald glared at the soldiers in front of him with his orange eyes as he ran a hand through his blue hair nervously. "Why are we letting the Elevens go? What about the poison gas? And what are we going to do about that black and white machine that took out so many of our forces? Where exactly did it go to?"

"I don't know, Sir. We're just following His Highness' orders." One of the soldiers replied, slightly afraid of his superior officer. "The moment we stopped fighting, that thing did too and left a minute later, we have no idea where it is."

"Get me Bartley and the people in the Command Center, I want to speak with them." The Margrave commanded over his communicator, ignoring the soldiers, only to be enraged at the reply he received. "What do you mean they're not answering? Did they cut communications off or what?!"

Kallen eyed the discussion out of the corner of her eye as she and the other people that Strayed had protected in the shelter walked past the blue haired man and the soldiers. She had to admit that they had been lucky to count with both him and his boss, and even luckier that Clovis had ordered a cease fire for whatever reason. Right now she could only hope those two had gotten away safely, despite the fact that they had been defeated in the end, the show of force they had put on thanks to them was not something easy to ignore, no matter how much the Britannians would like to do just that.

"I wonder what's going on in there." Kallen muttered as she eyed the Britannian Command Center in the distance.

"Lelouch, I'm so glad to see you." Clovis was not sure about whether he should be happy or scared anymore. "I had thought you dead when Japan was invaded, what a blessing to have you back. I have no idea why you didn't come sooner but no matter, I'm sure you'll be well received when we get back to the Homeland…"

"So you can use me and Nunnally as political tools? Thanks, but no thanks." Lelouch's glare bore right into the third Prince. "It seems you have forgotten the whole reason we were sent to Japan in the first place. My mother's murder." The gun got closer to Clovis' forehead and the Viceroy was frozen in fear. "Mother was one of the Knights of the Round and a Knight of honor. However, due to her commoner origins, she was looked down upon by the other Imperial Consorts." Lelouch's voice got edgier with every word. "Even if you people made it look like the work of terrorists, I know full well that one of you bastards was the one behind it all."

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Clovis was about to piss himself in fear of the hatred engraved in Lelouch purple eyes.

"Then who was it?" The Exiled Prince asked impatiently. "Tell me what you know, the truth cannot be hidden from me any longer. Answer my questions!" He commanded using his power of absolute obedience.

"Very well." Clovis' mind went blank right then and there as his pupils became surrounded by a light orange hue, almost undetectable if you didn't know what you were looking for. The Viceroy was under Lelouch's control.

"Who killed my mother?" Lelouch asked a second later, punctuating every word.

"I do not know. But Brother Schneizel, the second Prince, and Sister Cornelia, the second Princess, may know." Clovis' voice was as entranced as his features as he spoke.

"They were at the heart of this?" Lelouch inquired by reflex and Clovis remained silent. "I see, you don't know." The exiled Prince concluded, releasing his order and making Clovis go back to reality.

"It wasn't me, I swear it, it wasn't me!" The Viceroy was terrified at this point. "I had nothing to do with it!"

"I believe you." Lelouch stated, taking the gun away to Clovis' relief, but the raven haired teen soon smirked evilly and took two steps forward. "However…" He began, pointing the gun at his older brother's forehead. "The world can't be changed without getting one's hands dirty." And he pressed the trigger.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Two days after the Shinjuku incident, Hawk walked down the corridors of Ashford Academy, having finished the necessary processes to get the house Lord Ashford had on sale and moved the Sky Ruler there. The NEXT was hidden in the basement of said house, and all traces of the basement's existence had been erased from the Britannian mainframe by Hawk to ensure no one would know he had such a place at his disposal except the previous owner.

The basement had been constructed to house an experimental Frame and the couple of scientists working on it, but then the Ashfords had lost whatever influence and money they had left since Empress Marianne's death and the scientists had left. Hawk's payment had been like a blessing for them, especially when he agreed to pay double in exchange of their silence on the matter, and the house was relatively close to the school, which was a bonus considering he was going attend after all.

The only thing he wasn't really glad about was that Lelouch had instantly suggested drafting him into the Student Council for some obscure reason, and although he wouldn't be working with them until he had been introduced to the rest of his classmates, the way the exiled Prince spoke of the council gave him shivers, especially that Milly girl that was the ruler of the council, as he had called her.

"Oh well, I'll just make the most of it." Hawk muttered to himself as he reached the faculty room and looked around, finding the man he was looking for. "Excuse me, Professor Lloyd?"

"Hmmm…" The white haired man turned around with a feline smile on his face. "Oh, you must be the new student that's starting today. Come now, sit down." Hawk did as told and sat in front of the teacher's desk. "Now then, I've read through your history and I'm glad to have the last member of the Magnus family alive and in my class, your records are astounding to say the least so I hope you'll keep it up here as well."

"I will, sir." Hawk replied with a small bow. "Thank you for the praise."

"Also, do not worry about the media coming here to interrogate you about all that happened, the staff here know how to keep their mouths shut, and the students are learning to do that fairly quickly too." The white haired man smirked gently as he put his glasses in place and Hawk nodded. "Now then, I have a couple things to take care of before I go to the classroom, why don't you get going in the meantime?"

"I'll do just that." Hawk said as he stood and left, walking towards his assigned classroom and finding Lelouch darting off, holding his mouth, towards the bathroom. Sighing, he followed after the exiled Prince, having a faint idea of what had happened.

'They're still hiding Clovis' death. But that can only mean they're planning to use it for their benefit somehow…' Lelouch thought to himself as the water ran. He then smiled as he noticed who was also in there with him. "I'm not as tough as I thought I was, is that what you were going to tell me?"

"The first kill outside a machine is always the worse, especially if it's someone you knew." Hawk explained before reclining on one of the bathroom's walls, remembering when he had disposed of Don Colonel when he tried to stage a coup against the League, he had become quite fond of him a few days before that happened and shooting the man when he had abandoned his unit had been one of the hardest things for him. Had Wynne D. Fanchon not been there and helped him out, he probably wouldn't have made it out if there as sane as he had. "Take it easy for a while."

"I understand." The raven haired student replied. "So tell me, are you ready for what's to come? In the Academy, I mean." He added, smirking.

"I'll survive… Hopefully." Hawk stated, a little nervous, which made Lelouch laugh a bit. The man that had taken out so many enemies along with that red Glasgow was actually nervous about school of all things. "The biggest problem I'm going to have with school is that I can't take the Sky Ruler and threaten the teachers into making me pass, while the battlefield is a completely different thing."

"Trust me, when you get into the Student Council you'll wish you could take that with you there, if only to keep Milly away." Lelouch told him smirking, although he was planning to question the Lynx thoroughly later today. He wanted answers and he was sure Hawk had already investigated him and knew more than he let on about his real identity. "Well then, we wouldn't want you to be late on your first day, right?"

Both of them exited the bathroom and Lelouch entered the class while Hawk waited outside for Professor Lloyd to show up. He was just looking around when a name and a face caught his attention just as the white haired teacher started approaching down the corridor, humming happily.

"Kallen! It's been ages!" One girl shouted happily just as both Hawk and Lelouch focused on who she was talking to, an apparently weak, light red haired girl with azure eyes that both of them recognized instantly. "Sophie was really worried about you!"

"Are you okay now?" Another girl asked as Lelouch observed from a distance before he was interrupted by Rivalz.

"What are you looking at, buddy?" The blue haired teen asked to Lelouch's annoyance. "Kallen Stadfelt, huh? You sure know how to pick'em, Lelouch."

"It's not that. I was just thinking it's a strange occurrence to have her here with us, almost as strange as Professor Lloyd not being away in some of his shady business." Lelouch replied dismissively as he made plans to interrogate the girl as soon as possible while ignoring Rivalz's ramblings about the good and bad qualities of the redhead.

"Or having a transfer student!" Shirley added happily, sitting behind them and eyeing Hawk from her position. "Do any of you know him?"

"Alright class, quiet down." An overly happy voice caught everyone's attention as Professor Lloyd entered the classroom. "All of you, go to your seats, I have a little announcement to make before we get on to business." Once the students had obeyed, the white haired man gestured for Hawk to come in. "Well, this guy here's your new classmate, so treat him well. Come on, introduce yourself."

"I'm Hawk Magnus, it's a pleasure to meet you." The Lynx said with a small smile and his voice made Kallen blink a couple times, but she soon shook her head. Both Lelouch and Hawk had noticed it though, increasing their suspicions on the girl's identity. "I'm looking forward to spending the year with you all."

"Now that that's out of the way, why don't you take a seat?" Lloyd smiled as he eyed around the classroom. "There, the one by Miss Stadfelt is empty."

"But, Professor Lloyd, that one's taken by Martha, she's just not coming today." One of the students explained just before Hawk took a step forward.

"Well, if she's not here then she can't make the claim." The white haired professor waved his hand in dismissal to the surprise of the class. "All yours, Hawkie." He sang out to the teen's dismay, but he obeyed nevertheless.

"Well, looks like I'll be sitting here for a while." Hawk told the red haired girl as he sat. "I hope we can get along."

"Same here." The girl replied weakly with a small smile, keeping up the façade as she tried to distinguish whether the voice was actually Strayed's or not.

Classes continued throughout the day, with Kallen taking the sideline during PA due to her sickness, until it was time for lunch. The classroom was soon empty and only Lelouch and Hawk were left, Kallen had been dragged outside by her friends and they were eating while sitting on the grass despite her attempts to ask Hawk something, probably related to Shinjuku.

"So, it's her, right?" Lelouch said, having spent the whole time analyzing Kallen's voice and mannerisms and comparing. He had to admit the girl's mask was as solid as they came.

"Yeah, no doubt about it." Hawk replied, looking out the window at the group of girls. "What do we do?"

"Well, I have some questions for her that I want answered." Lelouch flashed his power for a second for emphasis.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell her who we are?" Hawk suggested as they came out of the class, he wasn't against the use of Lelouch's power, but he found that using it without good reason was not the best idea.

"I don't want her pestering us about this all the time, so I'd rather take this choice." Lelouch told him. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Then, I'll stay behind." Hawk replied, stopping in his tracks and getting a nod from the raven haired boy. "I have nothing against that power, but using it at every turn just can't be good." He mused to himself as he looked out the window, seeing the girls fleeing the place they had gathered in a hurry while crying out about bees, the last one to react was Kallen, who ran towards the building and hid right below Hawk's window.

"Why's that bee following me around?" Kallen wondered aloud as she held a piece of her sandwich. The bee in question flew by her face and her expression changed to one of annoyance before she cut it in half with a sharp move of her hand and furiously bit her food. "I'm sick of acting like this! Why did I have to choose this sort of personality?!"

'If I had any doubt left about it, I don't anymore. It's definitely her.' Hawk mentally chuckled as the girl found Lelouch standing by her side and looked taken aback.

"Can I help you?" She asked the other student who activated the power he had been given before speaking.

"I want answers." He stated simply, and that command took form in the girl's mind.

"What do you need to know?" She replied under the spell.

Hawk listened intently despite his earlier reluctance about the idea of using Lelouch's power. He had to admit that he was rather curious about what would drive a Britannian student to fight her country, he had figured out Lelouch's reasons with a bit of hacking and data gathering, entering His Highness Lelouch on Google and waiting for results had been quite enlightening, but the girl's motives were a mystery to him.

It turned out Kallen was actually half-Britannian, half-Japanese. Which certainly explained her reasons for fighting along with a desire to bring about his late brother's dream of a free Japan. Hawk couldn't help but admire this girl, whose prowess in a Glasgow would have probably gotten her into the middle Ranks of Collared at the very least. Lelouch's questioning soon finished and the exiled Prince walked away after giving her a polite excuse.

"Oh, right, before I forget." Lelouch turned around, activating his power again. "Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku."

"About Shinjuku? What's that supposed to mean?" The girl asked in reply, frowning, surprising both Prince and Lynx. "Why would you say that now?"

"Go back to class." Lelouch commanded again, but to no avail.

"I'm not going anywhere without you answering my questions." The girl replied with a ferocity she had not displayed until now.

"Kallen! We have to go to the Chemistry lab now." Hawk called out the window just as Shirley did the same thing for Lelouch. "Would you mind showing me the way?"

"Oh, crap. It's my turn to get everything ready for class!" Lelouch shouted as he ran off, leaving Kallen behind.

"Ah, sure. I'll go with you, Hawk." The red haired girl replied after sighing, but she couldn't really blame the guy, he was new in the school after all. Even if she was suspicious of him due to his voice being similar to Strayed's, that was no reason not to help him out when he needed it. "Wait for me at the stairs."

'I got you some time, Lelouch. The rest is up to you.' Hawk thought as he nodded and walked towards the stairs in question. 'But why did his power not work? Is it one use per person only? Or did he just use it up and lost it?'

The tension between the two of them and Kallen accumulated all throughout the day. The girl tied things pretty quickly since Lelouch's voice also sounded familiar, very similar to Strayed's boss. Could it be? Were they both in the Academy like her? And had Hawk gotten her away of the black haired student to prevent her from finding out? She needed answers, as soon as possible. Unfortunately for her, they were both part of the Student Council, so they had to leave for the council room since it was Hawk's first day there. Kallen made a point to confront both of them about it as soon as she could. She was determined to have this solved before the end of the week.

Once Student Council was over, Lelouch followed Hawk to the house he had obtained, soon going down to the basement where the Lynx had stored the Sky Ruler. The massive machine was disassembled inside the room, both arms were on the floor, the legs reclined against the wall, and the torso and head hanging from the ceiling with thick metal cables. There were a lot of tools all over the place, a few tables, a couch that could serve as a bed if necessary and a small bathroom. There was also an elevator mechanism that could take the Sky Ruler into the old Subway tracks to head out undetected whenever necessary.

"You really got all this in just one day?" Lelouch asked bewildered at the amount of material in there. "How?"

"Looked for it on the internet." Hawk chuckled, knowing how stupid it actually sounded, as he took out the uniform's jacket and got behind a curtain, changing into an outfit that made him look like a mechanic. "Although the tools, repair material and the rest were already here, Lord Ashford said it was a present."

"And no one will know about this?" Lelouch asked, incredulous. "I find that hard to believe."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at what a bit of money can do for you when given to the right people. Britannia puts the League's corruption to shame if you ask me." Hawk then bit his tongue at the slip, knowing he had just given Lelouch more than enough reasons to ask uncomfortable questions, questions he would have preferred to wait before answering. "Ignore that one, please?"

"I'm afraid I can't, you know a lot of who I am and my implication in this mess, I'm afraid I want answers." His eye flashed with the bird symbol as Hawk went about to bringing down the NEXT's torso to work on it. "Easy way or hard way, your choice."

"As amusing as you threatening me with that power of yours is, Your Highness…" Hawk's voice drawled for a second there. "Coming head on against someone who could kill you without making eye contact is not the best plan." The raven haired exile took a step back when the Lynx came out of the NEXT's back and walked to another of the tables, getting two small cases and throwing them his way. "Besides, I never said I wouldn't tell you, I just would have preferred to wait a little longer. Here, catch."

"What's this?" Lelouch asked, catching the two CDs that Hawk had thrown at him. They were labelled as Strayed's Mission Record (League) and Strayed's Mission Record (ORCA).

"I don't have the time to tell you all of it, as you can surely understand, Your Highness." Hawk explained as he grabbed a few tools on the table before going back to whatever he was doing behind his NEXT's torso. "So I'm counting on you watching that. Take your time, they're pretty long."

"So this is your story, huh?" The exiled Prince eyed the two CDs suspiciously. "Complete and uncensored as well?"

"Nothing has been changed, in those CDs are the direct video feeds from the Sky Ruler and my previous NEXTS, along with the com logs and the briefing for each mission and a few aclarations I and my operator made for the reports to my superiors." Several clangs were heard as the Lynx spoke, but Lelouch did not ask what they were. The mercenary then added. "Two things though. First, you need an open mind to believe what you'll be seeing, and you'll probably end up with more questions than the ones you have now. Questions I will not answer if I don't want to." His tone was dead serious, leaving no room for argument. "And second, keep the volume down or use headphones. I wouldn't like it if you woke up everyone in your house while taking a look at my story, it's kind of explosive... Literally."

"Are you sure about this? Isn't this a question you'd rather not answer?" Lelouch was pretty surprised at the ease with which this man was giving him everything and not asking for anything in return.

"Pretty kind of you to say that, considering you threatened me with that power of yours a second ago." He chuckled dryly as he worked. "Consider it a thank you. You got us all out of there alive." The Lynx added before a snap was heard. "There, that should fix it, now to run a couple checks and a simulation."

"I'll be going then." Lelouch smiled nervously as he eyed the disks while the Lynx closed the small opening that let him work on the engine of his machine before walking towards the front of the torso. "This is no bomb or something like that, right?"

"Lelouch, if I wanted you dead I would have killed you already and be done with it." Hawk stated flatly as he sat in the cockpit and had SKAI run checks on the fix he had just made. "No harm will come to you from that, except a night without sleep or two."

"I understand." The exiled Prince waved goodbye just as Hawk shouted that it finally worked. He wasn't sure about what it was that worked, but he was glad to have the guy on his side. Plus, he was pretty likeable as long as you didn't rub him the wrong way or threatened him.

Lelouch got back to the school slightly anxious to find out what exactly he had been given. Although that anxiety did not prevent him from acting lovingly towards his sister Nunnally when he arrived. The two of them had dinner, served by their Eleven maid, Sayoko, and chatted happily for a while after they were done. Whenever he was with Nunnally, most of the exile's anxiety vanished.

"Is there anything you wish for, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked after having listened to his sister talking about the paper cranes she was making, and how making a thousand of them would grant one wish.

"I wish the world was a gentler place for everyone." She replied after feigning to think for a few seconds.

"I'm sure that when you can finally see again, it will be." Lelouch replied with a kind smile as his mind raced through the biggest problem he had ever had in his life.

'Our future is not exactly welcoming, there aren't many paths for us to take right now. If the Ashford family were to stop protecting us, everyone would walk away from us, even those that call themselves my friends.' The black haired teen thought as he and his sister made a pinky promise, one that ended up in him swearing not to lie. 'Before something like that happens and we end up political tools or casualties of someone else's ambition, I need to change this world into one where at least Nunnally can find happiness. No matter what the cost.'

A few minutes later, Nunnally was yawning and Lelouch took her to bed. He stayed with her until she fell asleep and caressed his beloved sister's cheek before leaving towards his room. Once he was inside, the raven haired teen locked the door and walked towards his desk, turning on his computer as he took a seat.

"Well then, let's see what your story is, Strayed." He mused aloud as he inserted the first CD in the computer and put on headphones just like the mercenary had told him. Readying the list for reproduction. "This is…" He muttered as the first video played out, the video summarizing the National Dismantlement War as the voice talking called it.

What followed had Lelouch rooted to his seat for hours, and he even had a five minute delay when the first CD was over, his mind going into overload as he realized that all he had been shown seemed like out of a science fiction book or one of those Eleven robot animation series that sometimes came out on TV, in their Britannian Dub version, of course. Had Hawk tried to fool him? He soon discarded that notion, the machines were way too similar to the one he used so all these things had happened. The Sky Ruler's existence was physical proof of it.

Almost in a trance like state, Lelouch introduced the second and last CD as he recalled the last mission shown in the first one. If Britannia ever managed to create a weapon as destructive as those Sol Dios Cannons, everything would fall under the Emperor's rule in no time.

The second CD was shorter in material, only containing eight video archives. Lelouch put all the videos in the playlist in order, being soon shown the message the ORCA leader, a man named Maximilian Thermidor, had sent to the Lynx after the battle against the Sol Dios Orbit. He was surprised at learning what it was that had motivated this ORCA Brigade the Lynx was the sole survivor of, and had to admit they were similar to himself. Willing to change the world through whatever means necessary, although their reasons were slightly unrealistic for him.

Then, it came to the massacres the Sky Ruler had caused in the main facilities of these Cradles, known as Arteria. The black and white NEXT was finally making an appearance in the files. For the whole length of the first CD, Hawk had used three different NEXTs that Lelouch hadn't recognized, named Eternal, Saber and Will Force in order of appearance.

He was astounded as he looked on while the black and white unit fought against armies on its own and won, dodging bullets, missiles and all sort of weaponry as he took out the enemy turrets and machines. What he had seen before was nothing in comparison with what he was seeing now. The Sky Ruler was also displaying abilities far beyond what he had seen, like the flight capability, firing all weapons at once, the usage of flash grenades mounted on the shoulders and some sort of energy shield similar to the one used by that damn white Knightmare that surrounded the unit entirely. Was any of those things the one Hawk had repaired earlier?

Then it got to Old King's message. Like Hawk had been, Lelouch was outraged at the man's words. In a revolution blood was to be spilled, yes. And he was willing to spill as much blood as necessary in his quest to change the world, but he would never go and kill people for the sake of killing! That was just barbaric and would never accomplish anything.

The exiled Prince found himself sighing gladly when the man's NEXT had been taken out by Hawk himself before he and his autonomous drones managed to send the Cradles crashing down onto the surface, even if that operation had revealed the location of ORCA's secret weapon. Not that it mattered too much, since Strayed and a heavy looking white unit had taken care of defending the weapons at the cost of the latter's life. The ORCA Brigade had been slowly but surely losing its members one by one, but they were accomplishing their objectives at the same time.

Then he witnessed the Answerer's might, putting the Sol Dios Orbit to shame, and his admiration for the mercenary grew ten-fold when he finally managed to take it down, having his unit almost in shambles but alive and functional. The next and final mission was the one in the Arteria Cranium, he watched on as the two on one battle took place until the biggest of the enemy NEXTs, identified as My Bliss, bit the dust and Hawk engaged against the fast, bronze colored one, finally defeating it and having a few words with the female pilot in it.

"Alright, that's very informative. I think I'm starting to understand what you meant about an open mind, what you're trying to tell me is not something easy to accept but I still need to know… How did you get here?" Lelouch muttered to himself, not realizing the sun was coming out on the horizon. This was the last archive in the CD, there had to be something else that explained that point.

As if on cue, the feed continued, revealing that the enemy had one last ace in the hole. Hawk met it head on and fought valiantly as everyone left in the ORCA Brigade died around him until he finally managed to take out the second Answerer Arms Fort while the Batteries fired and the objective was completed. He saw the blinding green explosion take place and then, nothing.

Lelouch opened the text file, expecting his answers there

"Big brother, are you awake?" Nunnally's voice got him out of the trance state he had gone into at the end. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

"I… I'll be right there, Nunnally." Lelouch told her in a shaky voice as he stood, stumbling and almost falling on the floor due to how stiff his body was at the moment. "He was right, if he had told me any of this back in that truck I would have taken him for a mad man. But this… he couldn't have faked it, and I've seen that machine of his with my own eyes. As improbable as it may sound, there's no other explanation available. I have no choice but to accept that I have met someone from an alternate Earth."

Lelouch somehow managed to make it to school that day, he even managed to find the reason his power had failed by using a passing by teacher as a test subject, concluding his power was one use per person only, and used a few classes to catch some shuteye without anyone noticing. So by the time it was time for history class, he was ready to read out loud for the whole class. The exiled Prince did notice that Kallen had been paying a lot of attention to both him and Hawk as the day progressed and knew he was running out of time to prove her wrong of her suspicions about the two. And he also needed a good long chat with the mercenary as soon as possible. The exiled Prince got his chance the moment they came out of the student council room.

"So, are you full of questions?" Hawk chuckled as he eyed Lelouch carefully. "You haven't even said a thing in the whole day, even during the meeting."

"I still have trouble believing what I saw, no offense." The Lynx indicated that none taken and Lelouch continued. "And as much as I'd like to ask how in the world you people ended up as badly as you did, that is none of my business." Another nod from the NEXT pilot. "What I need to know is, why do you want to change this world as well?"

"Britannia reminds me way too much of the League, things will get bad for everyone if it continues this way." Hawk explained with a tired expression. "I want to stop it. Call me a fool if you want, but I come from a ruined world, Lelouch, a world ruled by people that only care about how fat their pockets are no matter what it brings. Understand that I don't want to stand idly by and let another follow the same path."

"And you are helping me because?"

"There's one thing that tells you and I apart, Lelouch." The mercenary started. "I'm a fighter that can lead and you're a leader that can fight."

"So you're saying you can't do it without me."

"In short, yes." Hawk sighed as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled drily. "I mean, sure. I could go and beat the ever living crap out of the Emperor in the Sky Ruler… and then what?"

"Wars all over the world, rebellions, hostages, murder, betrayal…" Lelouch started listing. "It would be like Dash's coronation all over. A game of cloak and dagger that could last forever, a far worse situation than the one we're in."

"Exactly, which is why I'm looking for a way to do it right, and you are that way as far as I can tell." Lelouch looked at the Lynx in the eye as he pointed his finger at him. "When you asked me to join you in the Ghetto, I saw it. You have the potential to change everything, and I'm willing to bet on that potential."

"I see, your actions are now much clearer to me." Lelouch chuckled with a confident smile on his face. "Your help will be greatly appreciated, Hawk Magnus." A few seconds later, his face became serious. "Still, we have something to take care of."

"I'm still for telling her who we are, or at least who I am."

"Actually, that might not be so bad." Lelouch stated as a plan formed slowly in his mind, he could clear the suspicions on him with this, and Hawk could do it his way at the same time. "This is what we'll do…"

xxxxxxxxxxx

A day later, during lunch break, Kallen managed to go to the roof alone, leaving her friends behind. She brought out her cellphone and called Ohgi, using their secure line through an attachable part for the phone. The line beeped a couple times before the Resistance leader took it.

"Hey, Kallen." He greeted. "How's school?"

"To be honest, boring. I had history class the other day, filled with lies about Japan, as usual." The girl explained in a bored tone. "I really think I should be there with you guys."

"No, it's better you stay in the Settlement while the military is on high alert, we wouldn't want you to get caught." The black haired leader told her. "Besides, Naoto would be happy to know you went back to school."

"But what about Strayed and his boss?" Kallen said with a bit of anger. "If we find those two then..."

"Look, Kallen, you can't just go around looking for two voices and hope you'll be lucky." Ohgi lectured as if he was still a school teacher. "Forget about it for now, I'll contact you later tonight."

'Even if you tell me that, until I'm sure about those two…' She thought as she planned her next move. He needed to get each of them alone and ask them, at knife point if necessary. "I need to get them by surprise and then..."

"Get who?" Hawk's voice caught her by surprise. The guy was standing right by her side and she hadn't even noticed him. "Seriously Kallen, you need to pay more attention or you won't last out there, whether you're in a Glasgow or not."

"What?" She asked, taken aback.

"By the way, I did get the gun I lent you back, so no worries." Hawk continued as the dumbstruck girl realized he had just revealed himself to be Strayed and was giving even further proof.

"So it really was you." She started carefully, getting her hidden knife in her hand. "I knew your voice was familiar."

"Yeah, I noticed you looking at me weird these past days, which is why I decided to tell you." The Lynx explained, he could only hope that Lelouch's part of the plan would work. He was glad he had let him do it his way though. Hawk felt no need to hide himself from future allies, especially one as promising as Kallen. "You've been busy with that, haven't you?"

"And is Lelouch Lamperouge your boss?" Kallen asked, just as the man in question had predicted. "You two seem to get along and you supposedly just met."

"Lelouch? As in the guy in our class, the Vice-President of the Student Council?" Hawk feigned ignorance and shrugged. "Yeah, he's an okay guy but that's not it, he was just the one that helped me out on my first day and we bonded fast."

"Then who exactly are you working for?"

"I'm a mercenary, Kallen, and I took the job offer from the guy I call boss now. This school is my cover for as long as I stay, and I have no idea about who I'm working for apart from the fact that he's nothing short of a tactical genius." He chuckled dryly. "Plus, he calls whenever he wants and there's no way to trace the call back to him no matter what I do."

"You take jobs without knowing who's paying for them?" The redhead asked, bewildered. "That's sort of risky, isn't it?"

"It is, yeah." The mercenary nodded in reply, continuing with the conversation. "But it's also the only way to get the money to maintain the Sky Ruler, so I take them as long as I agree with what I'm supposed to do."

"That does make sense, I guess." The frail looking girl replied as the bell sounded. "I still have a ton of questions for you, but we should go back to class."

"Before we do that, why do you suspect Lelouch?" Hawk asked even though he knew the answer, but he needed to cement the position he had just gained.

"His voice is very similar to your boss'." Kallen replied, slightly surprised. "You didn't notice?"

"Well, now that you mention it, they are slightly similar." The Lynx agreed with a hand on his chin. "But let me tell you, I'm in the Student Council with the guy and he doesn't really look like someone who would stand on a battlefield and start giving orders, he's more on the frail side if you ask me."

"I'll just have to ask him myself then." Kallen huffed as they both walked back to class, if she had been right about Strayed then she was probably right about his boss' identity. The moment they got back to class, they were received by a fair amount of squeals from Kallen's friends at the fact that they had come back together. "It's nothing like that!" She shouted at them, still managing to keep the sickly look and voice.

"Nice move, new guy." Rivalz told Hawk as he approached his seat while the girls kept Kallen busy. "A bit sheltered if you ask me, but we all have our preferences."

Resisting the urge to knock the blue haired fool out with a punch, Hawk nodded at Lelouch, indicating that the first part of the plan was done and that only Lelouch's move was left, it was just a matter of timing now. Classes continued on until the day was almost over an the exiled Prince stood before walking towards Kallen and Hawk, who were surrounded by the girl's friends and being bombarded with rather stupid questions.

"Could you come with me, please?" The raven haired boy said to pretty much everyone's surprise. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Of course." Kallen replied, surprising the class further. "I was going to ask you to accompany me as well."

They both left as Hawk looked on with an unreadable expression on his face while the girls around him talked to each other hurriedly about what had happened, gossiping like crazy about the possible meaning behind it. The Lynx stood up, gathered his things and got out of the classroom just as Milly Ashford approached, wearing an apron for whatever reason.

"Lelouch has taken Kallen there already, huh?" The blond President mused with a grin. "Well, come on, don't just stand there. Get going to the ballroom."

"Uh… why?" Hawk asked as Shirley, Nina and Rivalz joined them.

"Just go already, we'll be there soon." Milly commanded enthusiastically, and the Lynx could only obey.

The mercenary walked down the corridor and reached the room in question, only to find Lelouch and Kallen there, both were pretty surprised to see him and what followed the Lynx's arrival didn't help. Milly Ashford, accompanied by the remaining three members of the Student Council, entered the ballroom pushing a tray loaded with food for some obscure purpose.

"Madam President, what are you…?" Lelouch managed to get out as he and the other two students looked on while the rest of the Student Council readied a banquet for apparently no reason.

"Oh, isn't that why you brought her here, Lelouch?" The Student Council President asked in surprise. "I thought you already knew about this, in fact, Rivalz should have told you."

"About what?" Hawk asked this time.

"Well, my grandfather suggested we got Kallen into the Student Council due to her sickness not letting her join any clubs." The blond girl explained as she set the plates on the tables. "And since we still hadn't celebrated Hawk joining us as much as I'd like, I decided to combine both events today in one big dinner party."

The rest of the council then introduced themselves to Kallen, who greeted them as politely as she could. The introduction was interrupted soon as a brown haired girl in a wheelchair approached them, carrying a couple pizza boxes and a few sweets on her lap.

"I'm sorry, Shirley. Could you please set this on a table for me?" She asked with a kind smile and the orangette went to do exactly that as Kallen wondered who she was.

"That's Lelouch's little sister." Milly Ashford explained with a small smile.

"Even if she's only in middle school, she's an honorary member of the council." Rivalz added with a grin before going somewhere else.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen." The brown haired girl said, still smiling kindly.

"Likewise." The redhead replied, smiling as well.

The nice atmosphere was soon disrupted by Rivalz, who had come back with a bottle of champagne in hand. The blue haired boy had a happy grin on his face while the rest of the council had mixed expressions concerning the presence of the liquor.

"So, should we greet our two newest members with a toast?" Rivalz suggested as he laughed while Shirley and Nina looked at him slightly taken aback and ready to object on the matter. "Oh, come on you two, you need to loosen up." He stated as he started to open the bottle.

"No, we can't drink that." Shirley chastised as she and Rivalz started fighting for the bottle in question while Milly told Nunnally to ignore them and drink some orange juice.

"Hey, Hawk, catch!" Rivalz threw the bottle towards the Lynx, who caught it in surprise and narrowly avoided Shirley as the girl charged at him.

"Hey, don't get me into the mess." He told the blue haired boy before ultimately deciding to follow up with the idea, no harm in doing so anyway. "Oh, well. Lelouch!"

"Huh? Wait, what…?" The raven haired student caught the bottle in time, but he was unable to dodge Shirley's charge and they both fell on the floor in an awkward position. It was exactly at that moment that the bottle decided to pop itself open, as if to draw the attention off the two blushing teens and give them time to separate.

The cork flew towards Kallen, who slapped it out of her face by sheer reflex. What she didn't foresee was the champagne bursting out of the bottle and soaking her to the bone as the rest of the council looked on.

"Would you please tell me where I can get a shower?" She asked as she glared at the three boys, who were looking rather apologetic.

"Sure, I'll take you there and get your clothes in the cleaner." Milly replied with a nervous smile. "In the meantime, Lelouch, go get some clothes for her. And Hawk and Rivalz will clean up once we're done. It'll be your punishment." The three boys grunted, but did not argue.

Knowing this was his chance to do what he had planned despite the interruption, Lelouch decided to put the final phase of the plan into action. Hawk stayed with the others while he got the clothes Kallen needed and gave Sayoko her orders and the recording device where he had stored the different sentences, basing himself on what he had predicted the girl would do and say. Knowing how impulsive she actually was made it so much easier to plan that point, as impulsive people tended to react in a certain pattern he knew well.

"It's me, I brought you some clothes." Lelouch explained after he knocked on the bathroom's door. "They're mine, but I think they'll do until your uniform is clean."

"Come in, the curtain's drawn already." Kallen replied as she showered. "Thanks."

"I apologize for what happened." The exiled Prince continued. "Things can get a bit out of control in the council, especially with Milly in charge and Rivalz around."

"Don't worry about it, it was fun in its own way." She replied dismissively as she wondered whether or not to bring up the matter of Strayed's boss. "That was really fast, by the way. Did you go to get them at the dorms and came back in such a short time?"

"Actually, both Nunnally and I live here." The raven haired boy told her. "It'd be pretty hard for her to be in the dorms, the Principal lets us stay here as a favor, a pretty big one."

"I see…" She muttered and after a few seconds she noticed he was about to leave. "Wait a moment!" She got his attention with that and showed her hand. "Could you give me that pouch over there? I need it."

"Sure." Lelouch took the pink pouch in his hands and handed it to her, only for the girl to grab his arm, making him let go of the pouch in question. "Can I know what this is all about?"

"Tell me, were you the one in Shinjuku the other day?" Kallen asked, not beating around the bush.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, you mentioned Shinjuku yesterday." Kallen told him sternly.

"I did, but why does it make you so nervous?" Lelouch feigned ignorance, getting on the girl's already strained nerves.

"Don't answer my question with a question!" The redhead commanded, taking the pouch in her free hand and revealing a hidden knife. "Yes or no, which one is it?"

Just before the boy replied, the school phone rang, getting their attention. After a nod from the girl, Lelouch took the phone and replied, he made sure to look surprised at the voice he was supposedly hearing. After a few seconds of pretending to be listening to someone, Lelouch turned to Kallen.

"It's for you, he says you'll recognize him easily." He told her, handing her the phone. The redhead looked at him with suspicion in her eyes, but soon resigned and let go of the pink pouch, taking the phone and approaching it to her ear.

"Who is it?" She asked, curious about the caller's identity.

"Hello there, Q-1." Strayed's boss was the one on the other side of the line much to her surprise. "I'm glad you are still alive, Strayed told me about it just a day ago when I contacted him, he didn't give any names but it wasn't too hard to find you." There was a pause before the voice added. "I trust the others also made it out of there alive."

Kallen's mind almost collapsed then and there, she was almost sure that Lelouch was Strayed's mysterious boss, but he couldn't be in two places at once. She had him right there with her, and he had even answered the phone call before handing over the antique device. Therefore, the only explanation was that she had been wrong. Paying a bit more attention to the student standing there she realized that Hawk was right, the Student Council Vice-president didn't really look like someone who would be able to stand on the battlefield and order people around, and this call was all the proof she needed to be finally sure that he was not the one she was looking for.

"You don't need to answer, but if you want to know more about my motives and identity, follow these instructions." The voice continued after her lack of reply "I want you to be on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. Be there the day after tomorrow, at 1600 hours, and bring Strayed with you. You can also bring as many of your friends from the Resistance as you want."

"Wait a minute, hold on! Who are you?! How did you arrange for that ceasefire?!" She asked, completely forgetting that Lelouch was there and not realizing that she strained the phone's cord, opening the curtain and showing everything, but the voice did not reply, he hung up instead. "Hey, don't hang up on me!"

"Ceasefire, what are you talking about?" Lelouch mused out loud, snapping the girl back to reality. "You seem to keep some strange company, Miss Stadfelt."

"Oh, no. That was just…" She started, trying to come up with a believable excuse.

"Let me guess, an online game?" The raven haired teen suggested much to her relief. "I suppose having been shut at home would encourage you to play a few of those."

"Yeah, you got me." Kallen smiled, embarrassed but glad that he had led himself away from the truth. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Lelouch assured her with a smile. "You see, that was the reason I told you not to bring up Shinjuku. Many people in the school are going around showing footage at the mention of it and it's really creepy. I figured you wouldn't know."

"I see. I suppose I should thank you for that." Kallen replied, a lot more relaxed and finally letting go of him.

"You do realize the curtain's half open, right?" Lelouch told her, not looking in her direction at all. "I didn't see anything, so don't worry."

The girl reacted fast at his words, throwing the phone at the teen's head and closing the curtain in one swift move that would have surprised many due to how fast it had happened. Lelouch picked himself up from the floor with a grunt of pain and said he'd wait outside after he had put the phone back in place.

The raven haired teen reclined on the wall, gently caressing the bump on back of his head as Hawk appeared around the corner and gave him the device he had given Sayoko to fool Kallen through the phone. Both boys waited patiently and in silence until the girl was out of the bath and clad in Lelouch's clothes, which seemed to fit her well.

The group of three walked down the corridor back to the ballroom. Both boys were taking turns explaining what the council was about, Lelouch talking far more than Hawk considering the difference in experience on the matter, but the brown haired Lynx was adding his two cents from time to time.

"And what's up with all the weird festivals?" He asked for both Kallen and him after Lelouch finished listing all the celebrations Milly had added to the school calendar, celebrations he hadn't heard about until today despite having been in the Council for a couple days already.

"Blame the President and her tastes." The Student Council veteran replied with a nervous smile as they reached the ballroom. "You'll be spending a lot of time with her, I hope you'll be ready for that."

"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally said as they entered, her voice sounded quite sad and more importantly, distressed.

"What happened?" The three of them asked at the same time.

"Prince Clovis has been found dead." Shirley explained with a hint of fear. "They say he was murdered."

"Prince Clovis was taken away from us!" Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald proclaimed from the TV. "He died a martyr, fighting against the evil that are the Elevens. Still, we must carry on and fulfill his will and last wishes, for the glory of the Empire."

"We have breaking news." A woman's voice interrupted the broadcast as the image changed to one of a beaten up, brown haired Japanese boy being carried away by various Britannian soldiers. "The man suspected of murdering prince Clovis, Suzaku Kururugi, an Honorary Britannian, has been caught. I repeat, Suzaku Kururugi, main suspect of Prince Clovis' murder has been caught and imprisoned for murder, he will attend his trial in three days."

"What?!" Both Hawk and Lelouch shouted at the same time, eyes wide open. That was not possible, Suzaku had been killed in front of their eyes, even if he hadn't been killed by the shot, without medical attention he should have bled to death, and those soldiers would not have taken him to an infirmary or anything like that even if their life depended on it.

"Oh no…" Nunnally muttered to herself in fear.

Lelouch and Hawk looked at each other and nodded, the exchange was unnoticed by anyone else, even Kallen herself. The celebration was cut short after the news of what had happened, but Kallen still stayed until her clothes were ready. She and Hawk both left at the same time, the Lynx offering to walk her home but she declined, she had a lot to think about and despite how many questions she had for him, today wasn't a good day. She had agreed to take the Lynx to the Resistance hideout the next day, although she was unsure about whether or not that was the best idea but she could talk about it with Ohgi when she got home.

"See you tomorrow then." Hawk told her as they reached the point where their paths diverged. "Also, 1600 hours at Tokyo Tower in two days. You'll remember, right?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Kallen replied curtly, eager to get inside her bed.

"Well then, I wonder if he'll finally allow me to know who he is." Hawk mused as he waved goodbye and walked to his home. "I hate doing things like that." He told himself once he was inside. He walked down the stairs to the basement and answered the call he was receiving in his computer. "Good to see you again, oh mysterious boss." He mocked.

"You better get used to it." Lelouch told him through the ORCA channel they were using to communicate. "Now, why did you want to contact me like this?"

"You see, I have a favor to ask." He told him flatly. "And it's not like I can ask for it in school."

"And that would be?"

"A bit of advanced payment, so to speak. Your talents would be appreciated in getting me something to load into my weapons." Hawk explained, pointing at Lelouch's eye and then gesturing towards the assembled Sky Ruler. "Knightmare Frame ammo will do, believe it or not it's the same size as the one I need."

"And a few flash rockets, like the ones used by the Knight Police, right?" Lelouch added, remembering the usual tactics the Sky Ruler employed against powerful enemy machines. "I'll see what I can do about it, I do know a few people that could get us that."

"So, when can you have it for me?"

"In consideration of your excellent services in Shinjuku, I'll have it sent to you tomorrow afternoon." Lelouch replied as he made a mental note to visit a couple of his chess rivals the next day. "Was that all?"

"Yes. By the way, I thought I should tell you..." He added almost absentmindedly but with a big smile on his face. "That the Sky Ruler can finally live up to its name." And he hung up.

Inside his room, Lelouch Lamperouge sat still for five seconds before starting to laugh uncontrollably, imagining the look on every Britannian soldier's face the day they faced off against a flying unit that could wipe out armies on its own. A unit that would have all its weapons loaded and ready in about twenty-four hours. The laughing soon stopped as he remembered the plight his childhood friend Suzaku was in. He needed to help him out, but how?

"As easy as sending Strayed to do the job would be… I have a better idea." He stated as he started using his most powerful asset, his brain.

And done. I've tried my best to make it interesting and I can only hope I have succeeded in the effort. Next chapter we'll get into Zero's debut (Yay!) and Strayed will get some action, but not in the Sky Ruler. Be warned, though, that I plan to deepen his relationship with the Resistance members there, mainly Ohgi and Kallen, so a big part of the chapter will be them interacting with Strayed. Lelouch will have his spotlight, as always, and I plan to make things good.

Also, Lloyd being a teacher at Ashford was inspired by his Manga incarnation, who works there part time as his cover. I decided to use that because it would make a lot of things I have in mind easier to happen. Likewise, the mention of Dash's coronation is a nod to an ongoing Code Geass Spin-Off named Shikoku no Renya, in which this character appears and bears a huge resemblance to Lelouch, depicting an internal struggle in the Royal Family after the death of the Emperor and the various factions intending to gain control of the Empire. I have no idea how it will end but I decided to assume that Dash would end up Emperor, if only to just go Zero Requiem in the end.

As a side note, I should tell you that I'm a bit of a Tamaki hater, expect him to get into trouble more often than in the actual show, or simply criticised and made fun of, and to be on the receiving end of something bad, but don't worry, he's not going to die. He's like Patrick Colassour from Gundam 00, annoying like a fly and about as immortal as C.C. (Now there's an idea for a crack fic if anyone's looking for that, an Immortal Tamaki forever pestering an Immortal Lelouch)

Well then, before I go further off tangent, please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I know thanks to your reviews I got the fighting part handled nicely, now I need you to tell me how I handle writing the plot.