Hey!

Fun fact: In real life, Rolo is apparently a relatively rare English name, coming from the name ROLLO, the Latinized form of Roul, the Old French form of Rolf. Rollo/Rolf the Ganger was an exiled Viking who, in the 10th century, became the first Duke of Normandy. A descendant of his, William the Conqueror, would go on to become King of England.

Chapter 3: Knight of Ignorance

Anya Alstreim (Geass): As a young girl, Ms. Alstreim suffered from a geass-based form of chronic amnesia, which was later cured by Sir Jeremiah Gottwald. It is believed that her frustration and obsession with lost memories built the foundation for her ability to clear the memories of those around her.

Resembling the late Emperor Charles' geass, Ms. Alstreim's geass is an area-based skill that can remove her target's memories. However, she appears incapable of implanting new memories. Indoctrinating victims with false memories immediately after regaining consciousness can minimize this limitation.

In addition, it appears that targets will, without fail, fall unconscious due to mental turmoil during the memory removal process. As a result, this geass proves extremely useful as a tool to incapacitate hostiles.

Maximum range is as of yet unknown.

-L.L.

Codicis Geis

"She's finally at our mercy." A short, elderly man in purple robes ran long, bony fingers over a metal coffin. A clear screen at its top showed the smooth face of C.C. To the rest of the world, it appeared as if she was peacefully sleeping. "I have waited decades for this moment, C.C. You truly haven't changed a bit."

C.C. shivered awake. "That voice… James?"

The man smiled. "You remember me, C.C.? It's been a long time since anyone has called me by my first name."

C.C. stretched her neck, trying to get a better view of her new prison. "So you've finally built me a coffin, James."

The man smiled, adding even more creases to his leathery face. "We could have started earlier, had you not tried to incapacitate every agent we sent to capture you." He drew his hand away from the coffin's surface. "I'm quite jealous, C.C. It appears that you let the young Prince Clovis almost perfect his immortality research before me."

"As if I had a choice, James."

The man's creases seemed to fold up upon themselves as he began to chuckle. "That's correct, C.C. You never once had a choice." He snapped his fingers. "You were only free to roam because Charles let you roam free. Now, you are mine."

At the snap of his fingers, a series of tubes dropped from the white-washed ceiling, connecting with C.C.'s coffin.

"What are you doing…" for the first time in a while, C.C.'s eyes widened in fear. "James Remington, I forbid you-!"

The man's chuckles evolved into cackling. "I apologize, C.C., but you are no longer our Director." He snapped his fingers once more. "Long live Emperor Charles!"

C.C.'s metal prison began to whir like a well-oiled machine. As the woman began to scream in pain, red liquid began to slowly rise out of the coffin, traveling up the tubes into the ceiling.

Overseer Remington wrung his hands together in anticipation. "Now I can finish what Clovis started."

Lelouch sighed. I just hope this works.

The former prince once more lay, stomach to the ground, at the top of the hill doming the ruins. From this vantage point, he could observe almost anyone who approached the island, as well as remain relatively hidden in the bushes. In his hand was a pair of binoculars taken from the boat. At the moment, the horizon was clear.

"So, Lelouch…" Anya sat a little farther into the foliage, back resting against a fallen tree trunk. "Will you do it? Rebuild the Geass Directorate?"

Checking once more with his binoculars, he scanned the horizon and turned back towards Anya. "To be honest, I'm not quite so sure." Turning his eyes back to the horizon, he raised a finger for silence. "I think our guests have come."

Off in the distance, Lelouch could make out the bright outline of a small ship. If we're lucky, there'll be another overseer onboard.

Then Lelouch felt his chest warm slightly at the spot where Suzaku had stabbed him. Somebody used geass just now. It was a fact that he simply knew subconsciously, without quite knowing why.

Lelouch pulled the binoculars up to his eyes and saw that only one masked man was on the boat. Judging from the purple garb, the man was an agent of the Geass Directorate. Instead of the bulky ceremonial robes that the previous overseer had worn, this man wore a purple combat suit that resembled a more streamlined version of Britannian infantry garb. This man was clearly prepared for combat on foot.

Somehow, Lelouch knew that the man was the one who had used geass just moments ago. So they sent a geass user, rather than risk another one of their overseers?... Since he shouldn't know where I am, it must be an area-based geass… so it probably affected Anya as well. "Anya, come over here and take a look."

He passed the binoculars to Anya. When the girl complied, she quickly began rubbing her eyes. For the first time, the knight sounded genuinely surprised, "There's no one there, Lelouch."

Lelouch rubbed his temple, trying to think. His geass must be like Rolo's; it affects the perceptions of those around him through a certain radial range. That must be why Anya can't see him… Lelouch tapped Anya on the shoulder. "Anya, pass me your cellphone."

A bit confused, Anya complied. Lelouch flipped open the small device and found its camera program. Using the device as a sort of telescope, he zoomed in on the boat, which was now speeding directly towards the rocky shore beyond Lelouch and Anya's hiding spot. Although the image quality wasn't perfect, it captured a purple outline behind the boat's wheel. "Take a look, Anya."

Anya tilted her head, looking first at the camera then back through the binoculars. It only took a moment for the girl to put the basic pieces together. "Is it geass?"

As I thought. Lelouch carefully followed the boat with Anya's camera. Like Rolo, this user is able to confuse our senses of perception, but it doesn't work with devices like cameras. If he's started using it from that distance, then its time limit must be much longer than Rolo's, assuming it even has a limit. The distance range must be frightening as well.

"What is it, Lelouch?"

Lelouch thought for a moment. "Anya, about what do you think is the range of your geass?"

"Operative 1-0-2, reporting. I've entered the area of operations. No sign of intruders." The purple soldier slowed his boat down, meeting with the makeshift docking station established by his peers. A row of rocks jutted out from the rough shore, protecting the boat from the ocean currents.

A voice in his ear responded. "Understood. We still don't know why a distress signal was triggered, so your first priority is to relay any new intel gathered. We don't know who or what is out there. Use of deadly force is authorized."

The masked agent touched the side of his helmet. "Video's on."

"Confirmed. We're receiving your visual and audial feed. You're good to go."

The agent took an assault rifle from the cockpit. Landing on the shore, he tapped his helmet once more. "Understood. I'm heading towards the Thought Elevator."

Just as the man stepped through the first trees of the island's forest, he felt an ear-splitting headache pierce his skull. Wha- The man fell to the ground without a word.

"Operative 1-0-2, what happened? 102, do you copy?"

The man could only moan wordlessly in pain. The man raised his two arms to his mask, moaning the whole while. It felt as if his brain would crack into pieces.

"102, you're blocking the visual feed! 102, report!"

Slowly, two figures approached from the side. "You can put your phone away now, Anya. It seems that your geass has rendered him incapable of using his." Lelouch bent down to grip the operative's mask. Feeling for the point of release, he peeled the mask off. "Now, let's get a good look at our new captive…" His voice died off.

Anya moved to see the agent's face, then looked back to Lelouch. "What's the matter, Lelouch."

Lelouch's face turned white. "But, it's not possible…" He said softly, "Rolo?"

"Overseer Mather, we've lost all contact with Operative 102."

A burly man slammed a powerful fist on his office desk. A deep voice rumbled forth. "First we lose Sir Gunter, now we lose one of our operatives? Do we have any video from his op suit?"

"Minimal, sir. The operative simply collapsed, and the suit uplink recorded no mechanical damage. It's possible that the attackers are using geass."

The overseer paused. "Geass? Are you sure?"

"We have no way of confirming conclusively that geass was used, sir. However, it seems to be the most viable explanation."

"That means that the attackers must be affiliated with Lelouch." The overseer stood up and began to make his way towards the exit. Only after he reached the door did the overseer seem to recall that his subordinate was still there.

Turning, he spoke calmly, as if to calm his own nerves. "For now, Overseer Gunter's agents are under our jurisdiction. Order them and all other geass operatives in Japan to prepare for possible deployment. I must report this incident to the Council!"

"Understood, sir."

Suzaku sat at the front of a black table. Around the sides sat roughly 20 figures disguised behind purple ceremonial robes. A few monitors stood at the opposite end, which displayed other overseers not currently present. Suzaku leaded forward, carefully placing his hands on the table before him. "We are gathered here today by Sir Mather. Report, overseer."

The man slowly rose from his seat, looking down at the table. "As is standard, I sent one of my operatives to investigate Sir Gunter's disappearance at Kamine Island. However, he was killed before we were able to see the intruders and have reason to believe that geass was used to incapacitate him." He raised his eyes to look at his assembled peers. "As such, we believe it's possible that Lelouch has raised a geass user."

"That's impossible." Suzaku shook his head. "Lelouch is the last person who would grant someone else geass."

"Still, Director, evidence points to the use of geass." Mather bowed to Suzaku. "Since you were convinced that he wouldn't resort to geass, I've had most of my operatives working on restoring the Directorate's influence in Japan. Now, however, I would like to request permission to send my operatives after Lelouch. Chances are that he's still in Japan, as it'll be hard for him to secure a boat or plane out of the country."

Suzaku frowned. "It appears that I was mistaken in judging Lelouch. Permission granted, Sir Mather." The director looked around the table. "At the same time, we need an overseer to take over Sir Gunter's work in restoring Kamine Island's Thought Elevator. Is there anyone willing to take over?"

A woman raised her hand. "I can."

"Good." Suzaku nodded in her direction. "Lady Osmer, you and your staff should leave as soon as possible. We can't waste a single day in restoring the Ragnorak Junction." Looking around, he added, "Are there any other critical matters to discuss?"

Nobody volunteered to speak, so Suzaku turned to one of the monitors at the end of the table. "How goes your research, Overseer Remington?"

On the screen, an old man bowed slightly. "Director Suzaku, it's going just as great as I had hoped. Give me just a little more time, and I should be able to have a final product ready. Though, I do have a request…"

The Japanese man smiled. "What is it, sir?"

Remington wrung his hands together. "You see, experimenting with C.C.'s blood samples requires a large number of test subjects. More importantly, it's likely that most of these subjects won't survive the experiments…"

"So you need subjects that could go missing without causing any concerns." Suzaku slowly nodded in understanding. "Do you have any specific requirements for these subjects? Health? Ethnicity?"

The overseer smiled. "I'm glad you understand. I don't have any specific requirements, but I will probably need a good few hundred."

Suzaku thought for a moment. "It won't be easy to make a few hundred go missing..."

"I believe I can help." Lady Osmer interrupted. "I have an operative who is to solidify our influence over the Chinese Federation. I'm sure that the Empress could be… persuaded to look the other way for Lord Remington."

He had a light, young face, covered in brown hair. He couldn't be older than 17. Every part of him, from his thin frame to the way his hair parted around his forehead, exactly mirrored Rolo Lamperouge.

It's not possible…

After a crazy few days, Lelouch had thought he'd pulled himself at least partly back on track. He'd confirmed the Directorate's existence and even captured a valuable captive: a geass-wielding operative of the Directorate. Except now he found that he might regret that last part.

Thinking logically, Lelouch mused, the Department of Secret Intelligence didn't have much data about Rolo on file. He didn't even know his real parents or birthday. It's technically possible that Rolo had a twin, and if he did, chances are high that both twins would be subjected to geass testing…

A geass which I still don't know much about. Carefully, Lelouch reached forward with one hand, peeling back the right eyelid of this Rolo doppelganger.

A red pupil stared back at him. Unlike Rolo, it seems that this kid's geass has fully matured. Does that mean that he can no longer control it? Lelouch was a bit unsure, having only limited encounters with different fully matured geasses. But if that was the case for all geasses, then Rolo would have died when his geass fully matured, due to the toll it takes on his heart. In addition, what's the range of a permanently on geass like this? Mao's was roughly 300 meters, but Rolo's varied in range… this area effect actually seems very much like Rolo's…

Lelouch shook his head. Too many questions, too little time. He took a look at the dismantled mask that lay at his feet. The Directorate probably got video feed from this thing, so the next group of reinforcements will most likely be prepared for us. We need to leave as soon as possible.

"What are you going to do to him?" Anya was sitting off to the side, watching for any more ships on the horizon.

"I don't know." Lelouch felt like ripping out a patch of his hair in frustration. "I was hoping that they'd send a squad so that we could ask the leader a few question. If they sent a geass user just as a scout, then the Directorate may have more geass users than we ever imagined."

"I don't think you'll be able to get many questions out of him, now that I used my geass." Anya admitted, "My geass-"

"Wipes their memories." Lelouch interrupted, "I know." My Code told me.

Anya looked like she wanted to ask much more, but instead she just ended by stating dully, "So you know he's not going to have anything useful to tell you. We should just kill him and leave. They'll probably be sending a much larger force soon."

But killing him would be like killing Rolo… Lelouch thought for a moment. "What if I made him an ally?"

Anya turned her attention from the horizon. "What do you mean Lelouch?"

"Since all of his memories are gone, he has no reason to believe that we're his enemies."

Anya didn't say anything.

As he was deep in thought, the man in front of him started to fidget and let out a small moan. The sound caught Lelouch's attention. "Anya, prepare the boat. We'll need to leave soon."

Anya hesitated. Slowly she complied, walking off into the woods. Just before she fell out of sight, she gave Lelouch a piercing glare.

After she was gone from sight, Lelouch turned his attention back to the captive. I can tell you don't approve, Anya, but we're going to need every chess piece we can get our hands on.

Suddenly, Lelouch felt a familiar wave of energy flow past him. The captive had used his geass once again, though he had yet to open his eyes. He is either unable to control his power or uses it so often that it's like a reflex. In either case, it seems his power doesn't have the sort of time restrictions that Rolo's did.

Then the captive finally opened his eyes. "W-Who?" The agent's young age began to show. The boy had no idea where he was… or who he is…

Lelouch shook his head to clear his thoughts. If I have to lie, I'll lie. If I have to deceive, I'll deceive. The Geass Directorate has given me no other choice. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

When he reopened them, he donned a bright smile. He untied the captive's ropes and gave him a hug. "Thank goodness you're alright, Wilhelm!"

The child seemed surprised. "W-Wilhelm? W-Who are you?"

Although he hated himself for it, Lelouch faked a tear and smiled even bigger. "Wilhelm, it's me! It's your brother, Lelouch!"

MY god, sometimes writing this stuff is so frustrating. I swear, I've deleted, edited, and replaced scenes in this chapter enough times to fill 2 more chapters worth of deleted content. I'm still getting back into writing, so I apologize if I end up taking more time writing each chapter.