Chapter Twelve: The Dawn.

The morning sun shone over Gotham City. Much of the city was still heavily flooded. The corpses of people who were unable to make it to shelter floating along with the debris.
The deposed Emperor Joker had been spirited away by the Batman. After securing his foe, the Dark Knight help coordinate rescue when Insurgency forces came to assist.
For the rest of the nation, the fall of Emperor Joker had emboldened resistance forces throughout the nation. The deactivation of the H.I.V.E. Mind cut the strength of the H.I.V.E forces considerably. Then there came the re-activation of the automated H.I.V.E. factories. However this time the H.I.V.E. Mind was under control of the Batman. From the automated factories came Knightmare Frame drones clad in dark armor and stamped with the emblem of the Batman. These new Bat-Frames attacked H.I.V.E. forces and the forces of the various criminal gangs and regional warlords that occupied the nation. Thus what was left of the Holy Britannian Empire fell under the shadow of the Bat.

Milly hovered over the flooded streets. Below swam Shirley, both of them helping people who were trapped in their homes during the flood. After securing the residents of one apartment building and putting them on a rescue boat, Milly hovered down to where Shirley bobbed in the water.

"Shirley, can we please just talk?" she asked.

"Milly I...

"Please," Milly pleaded. "I know everything went horrible but...Shirley...Rivalz's gone."

Even with the blue mask covering her face, the pain was obvious in Milly's expression. Shirley could hardly reconcile it with the image of the happy-go-lucky and somewhat perverted Student Council President who would tease her constantly about her crush on Lelouch.
Lelouch, that was a whole other issue Shirley was still not ready to address. But she could at least offer comfort to Milly. Whatever she could at least. She brought her hand up from the water and offered it to Milly. Milly took it even as her tears joined the water below.

One of the most impressive buildings in Gotham was a large clock tower with a large bell. The Belfry Clock Tower as it was known. The bell was set to ring only during the new years, to signal out a new age for the city. But for some time the clock and bell mechanisms had fallen into disrepair. Leaving the tower a lone remnant of a different time.
It was there Batman had told Robin to tell the others where they could meet. It also gave an excellent view of the city. A view Ohgi took in with no small amount of sadness.

"For years I had dreams of revenge and destruction falling upon Britannia," he said. "Now the dream is come true and I feel only regret for ever thinking such thoughts. All I see down there are broken lives, shattered dreams, and so much needless death."

"Man you are such a bummer," said Tamaki, slurring a bit.

"Are you seriously drunk at dawn?" asked Minami.

"Hey is it my fault that the booze from a liquor store happened to drift along and I just pulled it from the water?" said Tamaki.

"In other words you've already begun looting," said Inoue.

"Hey, come on the League's finally got a big win," said Tamaki. "We've been doing nothing but walking out assess off in a desert, or wandering at sea, or whatever useless bullshit we've been up to since Brainiac came down and screwed everything. But hey, at least Britannia's pretty much out of commission. You know doesn't that mean Japan is...technically free?"

"Japan is going insane under the rule of a monster," said Ohgi. "That's not freedom even if its citizens think it is. It's the same kind of trap the people of Britannia fell under."

"Yeah, and hey you know what else," said Tamaki. "Don't you guys think it's kind of...funny that in the end what really screwed Britannia wasn't some foreigner? In the end...it was one of their own princes. I mean you have to admit that's kind of funny."

A batarang shattered the bottle Tamaki was holding up. The sudden shock nearly had him tumbling out the window he was against. Ohgi caught him before he could fall and all eyes turned on the figure walking from the shadows.
The Batman walked, wearing a suit he had fashioned the previous night. From the older suit Robin had given him and the remains of the technology of the suit he had come from Apokolips with. A black armored suit with the only color coming from a red dot on the chest which bore the bat symbol, as well as the red eye lenses in the cowl.
Ohgi looked at the red dot and wondered if Lelouch had refashioned his suit with that as a tribute to Japan, where he began. Or perhaps the red was a tribute to the still missing Kallen. He also wondered if Lelouch was working on a plan to determine her fate. If she was still alive at all at this point.

"Everyone else is helping with relief efforts," said Cornelia, having reverted from her Hawk form. "Manfredi and the rest of the Insurgency leadership, as well as several surviving members of the former Senate and a few nobles are gathering in what was once the City Hall. They're eager for you to hand over our...former siblings."

"For now they're secure where they are," said Batman. "Until a proper court can be established. I am not going to set up a show trial."

"We don't have the resources to form a proper trial," said Cornelia.

"Britannia doesn't even have a legal system any more," said Ohgi.

"And there is the question of succession," said Guilford. "We've recovered Princess Marrybell thanks to..."

"Shirley," said Batman. "Her name...is Shirley."

"Yes, thanks to your friend Shirley we have secured Princess Marrybell," said Guilford. "She's been fighting against Joker's regime since the beginning but..."

"There is no succession," said Batman. "The Monarchy is dead. I'm currently setting the final nail for that coffin as we speak."

"While no doubt our people have had their fill of...our family," said Cornelia, "we cannot simply have no centralized authority. Fate ensured your identity was wiped. Perhaps this is why. Lelouch, you could return as yourself. It wouldn't be to hard for you and the Batman to appear side-by-side. That way..."

"No," said Ohgi.

"Excuse me?" asked Cornelia.

"A missing prince offered up by the Batman out of the blue?" said Ohgi. "That would be too suspicious for anyone. Even so, we shouldn't have a hand in establishing politics. It's too dangerous."

"For who?" asked Cornelia.

"For them," said Ohgi, pointing out to the view of the city. "You're right, even with the suspicious nature of the Batman revealing a long lost prince, people could go for it. Because right now, there are people throughout the Britannian Homeland who are enthralled by the Batman. Grateful and in awe of him."

"And that's a problem?" asked Cornelia.

"The problem is how much that gratitude and awe can be used," said Ohgi. "With how much people will do in worship of their hero. We're already seeing it in Khandaq, Japan, and the former E.U."

"Are you honestly comparing us to them now?" yelled Cornelia. "They're madmen...despots..."

"And so were you," said Ohgi. "You might not like it Cornelia but you were as much a despot as Charles and Joker. You just finally realized it and are now working to make up for it."

Guilford was about to charge Ohgi for his words, but Cornelia bade him stay.

"Batman, no one can argue that in your hands the H.I.V.E. Mind's control of the automated factories and drones are necessary for securing the region," said Ohgi. "But all that power, as long as it is in your hands, hands that are accustomed to their own justice...how can the people of this nation ever have peace?"

Batman said nothing, he merely stared at Ohgi, who in turn stared at him.

"You're right," said Batman. "The people of Britannia do not need emperors and vigilantes dictating their lives. It's time that they had an active role in the governance of their nation."

"You're talking about a democracy," said Cornelia.

"A Democracy in a Republic," said Batman.

Cornelia chuckled a bit.

"You know before I came to Gotham I had an interesting conversation with one of Manfredi's allies," said Cornelia. "A woman named Amanda Waller. She compared you to Caesar. Once a defender of the Roman's Republic before his ambitions set him out to try and take total power."

Batman said nothing as unaware to the others, the phantom images in his mind, Omega and Bat-Mite, hovered around Cornelia and Ohgi. Omega seemed to chuckle at Cornelia's words.
While Bat-Mite sat on Ohgi's shoulder, nodding with his own words.

"Whenever a more functioning government can arise from these ashes I will destroy the H.I.V.E. Mind," said Batman. "As well as the Bat-Frame Drones. But until then, I will do everything I can to protect these people. You were right Ohgi, I had a responsibility to them. I have a responsibility to them, as their former prince. And while I will never take the throne, I will do what my birthright should have demanded, and protect my people. And this mask, the image of the Batman, and any others I were, will by how I enact that duty. It will also act as my penance for not understanding that before. And for the blood which courses through my veins. As the son of the Emperor who so set them up and betrayed them. And as a child of the Secret Society, I will spend my life working to undo the evils they've done. Argue all you want that I am not to blame. It isn't about blame. The sins of the parent are up for the child to make right. And I will make right on them. On all of them. You have my word on that."

Ohgi nodded, a somber look still on his face. Cornelia said nothing, nor did Euphie. They both too understood that as daughters of Charles, princesses of Britannia, the responsibility for making up for the crimes of their father, or their own, were theirs.

"I will speak with Manfredi and those he's gathered," said Batman. "To try and set their minds at ease. I will speak to all of them. They deserve that much."

Batman then walked to the window and looked out to the city.

"It's funny, when I was in Japan, the land of the rising sun, I never really took the time to look out at the sunrise," said Batman.

"The sun's rising now," said Ohgi.

"Feels more like it should be a sunset," said Cornelia. "Britannia is dead."

"This isn't a death," said Batman. "It is a birth."

The expansive City Hall of Gotham was an impressive building. Enough to house those few from the old senate that had been taken in by the Insurgency. A truly small few indeed. But enough to perhaps start again. Michael Manfredi had been elected the head of this new body. As such he took the main podium while the Batman took center, standing before them.
For many of the men and women gathered there, he was a frightening figure to behold. A demon sent to punish them for their sins. But Manfredi looked on more in curiosity. Waller at his side in all of this.

"First and foremost," said The Batman. "The members of the former Royal Family, or the Royal Gang as some have called them, are in my custody. They will be release into the authority of a recognized law body only when one is formed. In such a way as to ensure proper legal trails can be conducted. They must be made to face justice for their crimes against the people of Britannia. But only according to a proper set of law. The laws of Britannia, no longer apply. The Holy Britannian Empire is dead. It died the very instance those whom the people trusted to have their best interests in heart, betrayed that trust. A trust which in turn, made them all accomplices to the crimes of the Empire. And make no mistake, there is at least truth in that which the impostor Superman has said to rally the rest of the world against you.,"

Batman's words naturally sparked yells of outrage as well as murmurs of confusion. Not only in the gathered hall but for all who were now watching as Batman ensured that this would be broadcast globally.

"You were fattened off the suffering of countless lives," said Batman. "Now you have suffered as they have suffered. You have seen in Britannia what others have seen. You have seen corruption, cruelty, and evil. That is what Britannia's core was. Emperor Joker removed all the fine glamour which men like Charles painted this nation with. He empowered maniacs, thieves, and despots. This is how the world sees Britannia. This is how...I saw Britannia. I am not...Japanese."

This caught many who watched by surprise.

"I was a Britannian," said Batman. "Who suffered when he confronted what he knew was the rot in Britannia. I dedicated my life since to exposing and fighting that rot. To my...shame, I often ignored that along with the evil in Britannnia...there is also good. There are good people in Britannia. People who want nothing more than to live their lives in peace and dignity. It is the same for the people of Japan, of Europe, of all the Areas subjected by Britannia's heel. While we are all born looking different, or with different gifts and abilities, in this pursuit of happiness all men are indeed created equal. Superman, the real Superman understood that I think better than anyone. He was an alien, an outsider who lived among the people of Britannia. But while he was easily the most powerful person in the Empire, he did not take the Emperor's rhetoric to heart. He rejected it, chose to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. Because he could see what so many of us couldn't. He could see how fragile and frail our lives were. He saw humanity not as separate, but as one. An ideal that a fraud has twisted and mutilated not to spread justice but to spread a new form of tyranny, masking itself as justice. The ideals of the Holy Britannian Empire are alive and well in the One Earth Government established by this false, Cyborg-Superman. Its citizens under the same delusions that Charles had you all under."

Waller noted the reactions of the men around her. She had to admit, the Bat had a way with words.

"Now is the time for change to come to this land," said Batman. "This land which once held a dream of a new nation. A dream which was cut down before it could become reality. Perhaps however that dream can be resurrected. That a new nation can arise. One of the people, by the people, for the people. The Age of Empires is over. No more will an Emperor be allowed to reign supreme over your lives and the lives of your children. You have seen what happens when such power is allowed to an individual. Where with a gesture your lives and liberties can be stripped away and made a mockery. You will no longer look to an Emperor to define your nation or to dictate how you should live your lives. Nor will you look to me. After this, I will say no more. I am not your Emperor. I, and those like me who chose to rise up against the evils of the former Empire, are not fit to rule you. We hid our faces to make us effective attackers against a nigh all-seeing force. We hide now...because we can be anyone among you. We are among you, people like you, who have loves and lives we cherish and seek to protect. And that is what I, and those like me will do, we will protect you, all of you. That is all we can do for you. The decisions of how this new nation you must form will lie in your hands and yours alone. Use your own judgement, your own wisdom, to decide who you should wish to lead and then cast them out by your own choice if they fail to honor the responsibilities you grant them. Hold them accountable as Charles should have been held accountable. How even we of the Justice League must be held accountable should we betray your trust and our responsibilities. This is your nation now, it must be you who decide its future. A future reclaimed from the savagery of Britannia. A future once promised under the name of...America. I offer that name be adopted by this...this congress of all who remain on this continent. Disband the Holy Britannian Empire, and by that right declare all Areas still clinging to that old foul phantasm of a nation to be illegal in their operation. And rise again, not as a Holy Empire, but as United States. Do this and I promise, we of the Justice League will fight to defend you as you welcome those citizens of the old Empire to the fold. Including those Honorary Britannians who face persecution in their native lands because of the choice they made to try and work within the system. Take them all into the fold as full citizens. With the promise to uphold their rights and liberties. Fair and equal treatment under laws made to ensure those rights. No matter the race, their religion, no matter the land they came from before, they will be welcomed and they will be protected. And to ensure that this happens, we of the old Justice League, will be reorganized and base ourselves in this land. For now I declare us...the Justice League of America!"

Hushed murmurs and arguments were heard throughout the room. But all became silent when Michael Manfredi stood and nodded. Batman nodded in response and took his leave.

The Cyborg-Superman shot out the screen which bore the image of the Batman in fury.

"Damn him," said the impostor.

Savage was not in a fine mood of his own. Batman had openly called out that the Superman leading the One Earth Government was a fake. But as both of them lacked a body there was no way to convince all of the people that the Cyborg wasn't the real thing. But this would cause disruption.

"I will go..."

"No you will not," said the image of Eclipso as a hologram.

The Cyborg-Superman immediately took a knee before her. Also projecting in was an image of Shiroi Kozuki's body, possessed by Mister Mind, who wore an inverted version of Kallen's usual suit.

"Mind, I was wondering when you'd deign to call," said Savage. "You have been quite silent as of late."

"I have been quite busy," said 'Mind'. "Have you guessed what I am up to?"

"I have a guess," said Savage. "Monstrous that it might be."

Mind chuckled with Shiori's voice.

"The League will come for you of course," said Savage.

"I have developed my own forces quite well," said 'Mind'. "But there must be an Axis of Evil for you to point those sheep into. And it will be hard with Joker no longer in Britannia."

'Yet I see nothing of Strange being counted among Batman's captured,' Savage thought. 'That Clown is up to something.'

"Indeed," said Savage. "Although perhaps I could have made it Japan. Ito has also seemed to drop all communication and fewer Britannian prisoners have come from Japan. Discounting the ones stolen by the League. I shall have to direct our Asian forces there. And Mind, should you fail...feel free to come back to the fold. What is a Society if we are not working in tandem?"

"Well said, but I've thought of everything in this case," said 'Mind'. "And do not think that I shall fold my own forces so easily against yours."

"I wouldn't expect you to," said Savage. "May the best...monster win in the end after all."

With that 'Mind' cut contact, leaving Savage with Eclipso and the Cyborg.

"I trust you're eager to re-unite with the boy?" asked Savage.

"Very eager, I'll be bringing my pet along when the boy and Mind go at it," said Eclipso. "It'll go over so well."

"I'm sure," said Savage.

With that Eclipso cut out as well.

"I'll arrange for incidents in which you can reinforce the good will you've established with our people in our borders," said Savage, turning to the Cyborg. "Batman's seeds of doubt must not be watered too much. However it may come to where we'll have to abandon these games altogether. As such I'm ramping up O.M.A.C production. When the time comes where all masks come off, you know what to do I take it."

"Yes," said the Cyborg.

"Good, now I have other matters," said Savage, walking away.

As he did he brought up a tablet looking up Lloyd's latest project. The culmination of all the scientific research Savage had overtaken throughout the centuries. For when he would eventually have to abandon the manipulations of politics. Project: Solaris.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Marrybell asked.

She recovered in a medical tent at the temporary safe zone outside the flooded city. Her faithful knight Oldrin at her side as she argued with her sister Cornelia.

"The Empire is dead Marrybell," said Cornelia. "But our people are not and now they can have a better future."

"You have tossed aside all our traditions, our birthright, and for what?" Marrybell asked.

"For a better tomorrow," said Cornelia. "Euphie and I have already signed away any claim to the throne. By this time tomorrow Manfredi and the Congress will make it official, the Empire is disbanded. They will act as a provisional government and work to set up a Constitution so we can work to rebuild the military."

"And you expect me to agree to this?" asked Marrybell. "After all the work I've done to keep our Empire safe from the terrorist scum like the ones who killed my mother and sister?"

"You can still defend," said Cornelia. "But it won't be for the Empire and it won't be as a princess."

"This is treason," yelled Marrybell.

"Hard to betray a nation that doesn't exist anymore," said Cornelia.

"How dare...agh,"

"The Princess is still recovering from the wounds given to her by the Batman," said Oldrin, stressing the word 'princess'.

Reluctantly the elder Li Britannia sister left, hoping she'd have a better chance of talking later. Leaving Oldrin alone with Marrybell. Once alone Oldrin sighed.

"The old Empire could never allow us..."

"We didn't need father to allow anything," said Marrybell, taking Oldrin's hand. "And once this foolishness passes I will become Empress. Then you and I will have nothing to fear, from anyone. Not even the Batman."

Suzaku, hovering over the Belfry Tower, used his ring to create funnels to move the water back into the sea. The Outsider known as Geo-Force brought up lava to rebuild the seawall.

"Impressive," said a modulated voice.

Suzaku turned in surprise and a saw the Batman standing atop the Belfry. Suzaku looked at his old friend's new suit and his eyes began to water.

"Lelouch...you are alive," he said.

"And you're quite bright," said Batman. "I'd heard you had left Earth while I...was away."

"Lelouch...we...we wanted to come for you but..."

"If you had then Darkseid would have killed you all or worse," said Lelouch. "Still, you left too."

"I...I did," said Suzaku, his face falling a bit. "But only because...because Ganthet came back. Do you...do you know what happened in Japan?"

"Euphie attempted to build a safe zone for Britannians, hoping she could reason with the Japanese," said Lelouch. "Ito responded by bombing the zone."

"I was with Euphie that day," said Suzaku. "I could only react in time to shield her and myself and a few others. Everyone else...I saw the face of Japan that day Lelouch. It was a hideous face that I couldn't...I...I couldn't stay. Ganthet came not long after. Highfather had been able to help him get in contact with the other former Guardians. Once re-united they...Lelouch you wouldn't believe what they can do together. There's this world Oa, it's located in the exact center of the Universe. From there they created something. A power source that draws from what they call 'The Emotional Spectrum'."

Lelouch said nothing, truly unreadable under that cowl.

"From this source they created a gigantic battery in the shape of a Lantern," said Suzaku. "Based off of what Ganthet had seen of what I did with the Starheart. They made others in that fashion and forged rings like the one I used to use. Not exactly the same but powerful. They sent them out to find wielders. Using an advanced program to determine people who could 'overcome fear'."

"A tall order," said Batman.

"But one that's worked out," said Suzaku. "The rings technology carries a training program that give the basics of how the ring operates. It's necessary in order to get us enough numbers to start with. Enough to act as a force which can fight against the chaos that's out there in the galaxy. Rogue worlds, pirates, criminals, and...really there's things I've seen the likes of which you wouldn't believe."

"I can believe a lot of things Suzaku," said Lelouch.

"Then it shouldn't be a surprise that a lot of the incidents we've dealt with show signs that..."

"That Darkseid is the force behind them," said Lelouch. "Darkseid has scores of puppets acting on various worlds. You forget I have recently had a great deal of insight into Darkseid's operations."

"I...I'm sorry," said Suzaku. "I was...I was so surprised when I saw the broadcast of the signal."

"You saw that?" asked Lelouch.

"We ensured there was a monitoring probe close to Earth," said Suzaku. "Even if Savage can't yet achieve space travel en mass he's worth the Corps keeping an eye on."

"The Corps?" asked Lelouch.

"The Green Lantern Corps," said Suzaku.

Lelouch chuckled a bit at that.

"It's not like I picked the name," said Suzaku. "But...yeah, I'm technically grandfathered in since I'm powered by the Starheart and not the Central Battery like the rest of the Crops. Because of that I'm more of an informal member in the ranks. As Appa-Ali-Apsa, one of the other Guardians says it allows me to stand apart from the Corps. To stand as sentinel over the others. As such some of the others call me 'Lantern Sentinel'."

"Which I'm sure you enjoyed," said Lelouch.

"It's a lot of responsibility," said Suzaku. "But I've managed to handle it. I've even made some good friends with the Corps. You'll be meeting a few of them soon enough."

"So it's no coincidence you decided to return to Earth then?" asked Lelouch.

Suzaku could tell there were wheels turning in Lelouch's head.

"Lelouch...establishing the Corps, I took it as a way to honor you," said Suzaku. "To continue the mission of the League but this time on a bigger scale. Out there, among the stars, you can see how small the struggles on Earth can be."

"Not small for us down here," said Lelouch.

"That's not what I meant," said Suzaku. "I always intended to return to Earth. But this time in force. The Guardians promised it to me that I would be allowed to use the power of the Green Lantern Corps to help me stabilize the Earth. My request has gone through. I'm here to help make way for the others."

"You do realize that won't help win back any friendships in the League don't you?" asked Lelouch.

"You mean it sounds like I'm paving the way for an invasion," said Suzaku. "That I'm a coward and a traitor in the eyes of the League? I was already deemed such by the Japanese. You'll find I care very little about that Lelouch. One could almost have said you were a traitor to Britannia by acting as the Batman and rallying the League against the Empire. And now look at you, you've given Britannia the chance at a new future. You kept your promise to me. Do you remember?"

"I swore I would obliterate Britannia," said Lelouch. "I don't think I really kept that promise. Britannia destroyed itself in the end. Taking the lives of many innocents with it. In truth that was the promise of an angry and immature child. My work now is to redeem this nation, it starts with the new name."

"I listened in," said Suzaku. "Stripping a way a nation's name to make room for a new regime. Oh the irony."

Lelouch shot a glare which Suzaku.

"I'm just saying it is," said Suzaku. "But more to it...you made good. Britannia can now change into something better. No deplorable means needed. Justice was your weapon. And when the Corps gets here, I intend to repeat this success with Japan."

Lelouch noticed a hint of anger in Suzaku's voice. Familiar anger, the kind Lelouch himself once spoke with when he discussed Britannia.

"Still, you really think it'll take?" Suzaku asked. "I mean, you're essentially asking the people of Britannia to completely abandon the traditions they've had for centuries."

"Traditions that have led them to the edge of destruction," said Lelouch. "It won't be easy and it won't be instant. The remnants of Charles's ideology will linger. Former Imperial military forces who don't come to the fold of America will either devote themselves to fighting to restore the Imperial system as terrorists or try to make it as mercenaries."

"Kind of like what happened to a lot of Japan's old military," said Suzaku.

"I'm also troubled by how Hugo Strange was surprisingly absent when I went up to Wonder Tower," said Lelouch. "Joker is still making a play, I'm sure of it."

"They could have gone back to Savage," said Suzaku.

"Perhaps, but the remnants of Britannia's aristocratic and military elite may prove to be a problem," said Lelouch. "Crime and corruption will also naturally worm its way into whatever system is established."

"You really are a pessimist," said Suzaku.

"I'm being realistic Suzaku," said Lelouch. "There is also the possibility the democracy can be used against us. Hence why the League won't be too involved with the government. We stand as the watchmen on the wall. Watching for attack inside and out. Of course there will be the inevitable question."

"What question?" asked Suzaku.

"Who watches the Watchmen?, of course," said Lelouch.

Suzaku sighed, his old friend sure knew how to but a dimmer on what should have been a hopeful beginning.

"I noticed Shirley," said Suzaku. "

"Where has she been? And where did that suit come from?" asked Suzaku. "And that thing she was holding?"

"Clearly Shirley's had adventures of her own," said Lelouch.

"Do you...think you'll talk to her about it?" asked Suzaku.

"I...I don't know," said Lelouch. "Besides there are more important issues. We still have someone behind enemy lines. Kallen has waited long enough for aid."

"When you're ready I'll be there," said Suzaku.

"The trick is getting there," said Batman. "Scott, Ohgi, and the rest have had trouble finding Kallen in Khandaq. But I have some strong leads to look into. I'll let you know when I have a plan for action set. In the meantime continue with the relief effort."

"Nice to see your 'take charge' attitude hasn't changed," Suzaku said with a chuckle, closing his eyes as he did. "I really missed..."

When he opened his eyes Lelouch was gone.

"Guess that didn't change either," said Suzaku.

"Is the blindfold really necessary?" Ohgi asked.

Not long after his conversation with Suzaku, Lelouch quite literally grabbed Ohgi to talk.

"A precaution," said Lelouch, undoing the blind-fold. "I can't afford to risk this location being compromised like the last time. For now it's safer if only I am fully aware of the location of this..."

"Batcave?" asked Ohgi.

"I wasn't going to call it that but..."

"It's a bat cave," said Ohgi, hearing the sounds of bats in the darkness of the cave depths. "What else can you call it?"

"Moving on, was there any headway in finding where Kallen was kept?" Lelouch asked.

"Not really," said Ohgi. "When Scott was forced to retreat when Ares and Shalio showed up we haven't been able to get any further in. And things in Khandaq aren't doing well for its own people either. After Fate helped us rescue the Britannian refugees, Shalio began demanding his subjects 'honor him with their labor'. And along with Ares he's rebuilding the army as an elite fighting fanatical fighting force. That woman who showed up, Breeda, actually suggested training the Britannians as a force of our own. I have to ask that woman Breeda is she..."

"She's Barda's mother," said Lelouch.

"That explains why I am so intimidated by her," said Ohgi. "And...I'm sorry but we don't know what's happened to Barda. Do you think..."

"Focus on Kallen for now," said Lelouch. "And where is Black Adam in all of this?"

"Unknown, he's been missing for months," said Ohgi. "We've even had some people manage to get in deeper than we ever thought. There's no sign of Black Adam and apparently the door to the Rock of Eternity was shattered."

"Then that's the place to start," said Lelouch. "The Rock of Eternity."

"But the door is..."

"There might be another way," said Lelouch, holding up a gold coin.

"What is that?" asked Ohgi.

"A mystery," said Lelouch. "It was given to me by an old man. Along with this."

Lelouch tossed the thumb drive to Ohgi.

"It was thanks to that I was able to take all the computational data of the H.I.V.E. Mind," said Lelouch.

"On something as small as this?" asked Ohgi. "That had to be a massive amount of data."

"A world's worth," said Lelouch. "But note the figure engraved."

Ohgi examined the drive.

"Atlas," said Ohgi. "Stamina."

"And this," said Lelouch, tossing Ohgi the coin.

Ohgi examined the coin closely.

"It looks like a Greek drachma," said Ohgi. "With the image of...Zeus."

"Two out of six," said Lelouch.

"Who gave these to you?" Ohgi asked.

"He said I knew his name," said Lelouch. "Or part of it. I have an idea but to be sure...I need to test it."

"How?" Ohgi asked.

"The Old Man mentioned the subway," said Lelouch. "We likely have a train to catch."

In the depths of the desert of Khandaq a hidden temple lay buried. An ancient and foreboding place now flickering with modern electricity. Walking through the temple was Mr. Mind in the transformed body of Shiori Kozuki. At 'his' side was Shalo, hovering thanks to the power he held, and Shamna.

"The gate is finally nearing completion," said Shamna. "Finally the Rock will be opened to us."

"Open to me you mean," said 'Mind'. "You're still quite banned. Daddy really was quite sore with you wasn't he?"

"Watch your tone worm," said Shalio. "By the time this is done the power will be ours. As was our agreement."

"You will get the power, rest assured," said 'Mind'. "And I will have my army. But of course we need our essential piece."

The three came up to a cage where lying on various cushions was a beautiful young woman dressed as a skimpy belly dancer.

"Let's at least have a feast before," said Shalio. "I'd like to see this one dance again. And maybe I could finally be allowed to..."

"Have some class," said 'Mind'. "After all she is technically...my daughter."

"Very funny," said Shalio. "Still, she's such a nice toy now that you've overcome that issue."

The cage's occupant, Kallen Kozuki, looked up at her visitors with eyes that bore no thought. As if behind those eyes, there was no soul.

Author's Note: A short chapter yes, but one I wanted to touch on a few character points. To show Shirley interacting with Milly, more to come I promise. The birth of a new nation out of the ashes of Britannia. And while I know the League has long since dropped the 'of America' title, I couldn't help it as I felt that it worked with how in Code Geass canon how Lelouch announced the United States of Japan. But now that he's helped lay the groundwork for a new nation and has reconnected with an old friend, who will have quite the arc later, he's a man on a new mission now. Next turn will go into Kallen's ordeal to explain what happened to leave her in such a sorry state. Think of her as being what Lelouch was like in the recent movie and you'll have a good idea of what's wrong with her.
And after that it's finally the Khandaq arc. A battle in the desert for the sake of Kallen's soul and the future of the power of Shazam!

Next Turn: The Damned Goddess.