Author's Gab:This ended up coming later than expected due to a computer crash, and I ended up losing the words that were supposed to be originally here forever.

The daily military exercises ended early for young cadet Suzaku Kururugi. The lad had endured the grueling courses with marked resilience, earning high marks at the end of the day. He had been told that if he kept his record of high performance up, he would be a natural shoe-in for Honorary Britannian status and could start duty regularly as a private.

Which was what the boy was apparently aiming for, to achieve his own unspoken ends. It was something he'd decided on that long ago summer, when he'd parted ways with two important friends.

As he lay on his cot after having once again refused an invitation from his fellow Eleven cadets to have some after-duty fun, Suzaku turned his thoughts towards his two childhood friends. Where were they living now? Had they hidden themselves safely under new identities? So far, he had not heard any news from the official grapevine about the return (or unfortunate death) of two certain Imperial heirs, so at least he was assured on that regard.

Unable to find the impetus to sleep, Suzaku headed outside for some fresh air. The night was clear and coldly crisp, allowing him to puff out white clouds with each breath. Relaxing, he enjoyed the nighttime sky, the crescent moon shining its pale light on the earth, the stars winking in transient incandescence.

Lelouch, Nunnally, are you guys looking at the same beautiful sky as I am? The boy sighed sadly. I hope you will be able to experience, the changes I will bring to the world. The boy's eyes flash determinedly. As he turns to head back indoors, his mind briefly sees a vision of each of his friends' respective farewells - of Nunnally's joyful smile and of Lelouch's terrible oath.

POP!

went the bubble, grown to at least the size of the man's hand's before doing so. The soapy remnants splashed on the man's chest, further moistening an already damp camouflage uniform.

The man's hooded eyes swivel to the enormous screen at the side, displaying for his convenience the images taken from cameras he had hidden in strategic places all around the area. On a certain corner was the image of the Lamperouge's base camp, the area they had chosen to hide themselves and that enormous Knightmare in.

Taking out a pack of cheap cigarettes, the man stood to exit his camp. The first thing he felt as he stepped outside was a freezing cold, and he slapped himself mentally for forgetting to put on a jacket of sorts. This caused him to shiver, holding himself close as he gazed up at the starry sky.

Portland had ordered the head of General Affairs to oversee the surveillance of the Lamperouges' first test mission himself, something the man took without complaint. (much to the Breaker's surprise) The man lit up one of the stale cigarettes, savoring not the taste, but the warmth it held.

The man stared across the horizon to his right, towards the general area where he knew the project facility had recently embedded itself. The beauty of that thing, the man thought, to be able to instantly move underground from place to place. It had been the advantage given to the project in light of its ultimate aims, and of course its clandestine nature.

Taking a deep hit from the stick, he next looked back over the mountains to his left - within one of the ridges there, the Lamperouges hid awaiting Portland's orders to begin.

The man stretched his stiff arms, uttering, "Wish the boy was here. Need to test new chess opener."

They lay together side by side, huddled in the darkness, arms tight around the other.

She breaks the silence.

"Nii-sama, they gave me new legs, I was able to walk again!"

The boy is happy. "Is that so? That's good to know, Nunnally!"

"Yep! Only," the girl looks up at the boy. "They had to drill holes in my head for it, nii-sama."

A hole opens in her forehead, horrifying the boy.

"N-no..."

"Why didn't you help me nii-sama? I was all alone, no one helped me, not even you nii-sama...I called for you but you didn't come..."

"N-no, but I was..."

The hole widens, bloody teeth.

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOUR LIVES BELONG TO ME!!!"

Lelouch woke up screaming, forehead glistening with sweat. He caught himself after he remembered where he was - sitting inside the spacious Siege Perilous cockpit.

Wordlessly, he wiped away the sweat and then massaged tired, bloodshot eyes. He glanced at the interface before him, still displaying complex programs that he had been working on before he had drifted off to sleep.

Lelouch shook his head, letting the few droplets that had settled on his head to spray around. He realized as he looked at the screen that the last code for his latest program had yet to be added , a miss he rectified a minute later - finalizing another program to be used by the Perilous system.

It had been almost a year since he and Nunn - Subject N. had finally met, his female partner who was only a little girl. He had been quite surprised at this prospect - that this tiny slip of a girl could pilot better than he. (Idiot! That's Nunnally! Stop-) Well, at least he was the only one who could use the Siege Perilous system, something that he was told that Subject N. could not even remotely operate. (-deceiving your-)

He called up the image that displayed the camp outside, where Subject N. (-sel-) was seen curled up in a sleeping bag. She would have to take watch later, allowing the boy to sleep, yet somehow Lelouch wanted to prolong the time as much as possible. Exhaling loudly, he typed in a directive on the keyboard before him, starting a new program.

An hour later, he exited from his cockpit into the cold night air. He fixed his eyes on Subject N. (-f that's-) as he descended the full ten-story height that was the massive Morgana Knightmare Frame. He walked over to the campsite, trampling the ashes that had once been a bonfire, and made to shake Subject N. (-N-) awake.

He was struck by the girl's peaceful sleeping face. Her breath came out softly in small, visible puffs. Well, sorry to do this, but it is time - (-unnally!!!-)

"Nunnally...?", he croaked, his hands shaking as they were poised above the girl. Strangely, he found tears welling up in his eyes, obscuring his vision as he stood over the girl. "No, that's wrong...Nunnally's...she's my sister...my dear sister who's.."

The boy collapsed shakily to the ground. "Yes, there's no way this girl is...Nunnally is my precious..." He crawled over to the girl and stroked her brown locks. The girl frowned in her sleep at the touch. The face, so familiar... At this, Lelouch gasped, finally breaking down.

"Nunnally...no, this is another dream..." Again, I've... "NUNNALLY!!!!", the boy howled into his hands.

What struck Lelouch the most, as he lay on the ground, clothes stained in ash, was the knowledge that this has occured many times before. He realized that it is a defense mechanism, a way of escaping the ugly truth, the possibility that he never took into account but came about anyway. Every time he can, he tries to block everything out, shielding himself in a mask of lies. But even with that, he could never escape into his own self-deception, as the reality facing him, facing the both of them - is for him, something that not even the worst of nightmares could replicate.

And the reality is something that drags him down painfully into hateful awareness.

Subject R. gazed emptily once more into the oppressive night sky, the cold air seemingly crushing the boy's supine frame.

"Now that you've taken the time to acquaint yourselves, I shall then explain your purpose here."

She was still wrapped tightly around her brother, and he was also the same as the two of them lay side by side on the harsh cold floor. At the sound of the voice, she huddled closer to her brother, as if afraid that his presence was transient, subject to even the whims of that tyrannical figure.

As if he understood, she felt her brother also tighten his hold on her and utter a bleak reply to the voice. It was with a weak voice, she heard, hoarser than when she'd last heard it when they were captured back on Japan.

She felt his hand stroke her hair softly, almost encouragingly as he talked with the voice. Only later, when her brother had explained it to her, would Nunnally understand what that ill omen had demanded. Indeed, they were things that she probably would have figured out herself, despite her brother's thoughts on the contrary.

They would never be free.

The voice had reiterated it again and again, but this time the words held more weight as the reality of their condition grated harshly on the girl. Already, she knew that she would never be okay again , that she would never recover the innocence she had been forced to relinquish. The months simulating that fearsome model had taught her that.

But even if that were so, even if she were no longer the sister her brother had known, she silently prayed that he would still love her and treat her as before. Deep inside, past all the torn sentiments, was that primal longing for warmth - a warmth that could only be gotten from her brother now that Mother was long gone. The long months where there had been a huge gap between the two of them now seemed like a distant, painful memory.

And it was this desire that sparked her helpless resolution to do everything: to excel as the Devicer they seemed to want her to be, just so she could ask to stay forever with her brother. To her, this was the entirety of her current wish. That despite the horrible things they would do to her, to them, they might still be able to experience just that brief taste of peace together, as siblings.

As Lamperouges.

"What could Portland be waiting for?"

Dr. Rouche Aiyme lounged in her chair, her enthusiasm for today long gone at the fact that the Morgana would still not be sortieing for another 24 hours. That would be the boss's - Portland's call to make, and it was a call that she wanted to hear day by day.

The esteemed scientist tapped her datapad in frustration. More than the desire to obtain useful live data on the Morgana's operation was the annoying, nagging feeling she had for its Devicer, the girl known as Subject N. Over two years, the girl had proved herself to be the best Devicer to possibly handle the Morgana - based on the simulations alone. This had somehow transformed the girl for Aiyme: rather than being just another set of equipment to be easily replaced, the girl was now an important asset to the esteemed engineer. Thus, something akin to a fierce protectiveness would come over Aiyme whenever events came up that involved the girl, an emotion that she usually afforded to her own precious creations.

On a whim, she brought up the latest data on the Morgana on the datapad. Her vision from five years ago had firmly taken flight, resulting in the gargantuan Knightmare that had taken the bulk of three years to complete.

The result was a seven meter high, bulky Knightmare that was reminiscent in design of the Ganymede prototype developed by the Ashford Foundation. When she had been asked about this derivation from an old model, she had denied them all, claiming a coincidence.

But there was a truth in the design intentions which sprang from the engineer's own experience with the Ganymede years before. When she had glimpsed that model for the first time, she was awestruck by its speed and maneuverability, a rarity at that time. In the video she had seen, she had borne witness to the way the bulky Knightmare precursor had moved as if it were just a flash in the air - so quick were its movements. By then, Aiyme had been inspired, and the experience would be her guiding light as she proceeded to design her own models.

The Morgana's had been designed with its primary function as an all-terrain Knightmare whose main purpose would be in supplementing a main force where the broken landscape would prove a hindrance to conventional Landspinners. As such, the model had been fitted with her own special Landspinners, complete with a reinforced leg structure a special sakuradite magnetic coating for the occasional urban warfare.

Its secondary function, grudgingly added into the design when she joined the Lamperouge Project, was to serve as the carrier of the Siege Perilous drive. She had designed the Merlin Module for this purpose in housing the system, resulting in a conical structure that draped across the top half of the model. This led to the model's present appearance which teetered on the brink of comical, alike in appearance to, as that Valdez had described, "a walking mushroom".

At that man's name, Aiyme's brows furrowed. As the weapons designer, it was his responsibility to provide SUITABLE weaponry for the Morgana, a responsibility which the man freely shirked. As a result, what few armaments that were installed in her baby at the latest were the only ones that could have worked well with Morgana's limited core.

The weapons were unconventional, and dangerous were they to be used incorrectly. First were the Flayers that served as the model's hands. This gave the Knightmare the appearance of a clawed behemoth. The Flayers, aside from being able to cut through ten meters of hard bedrock with ease, also doubled as the model's dual harkens: Valdez's so-called "Breaker Harkens" that could pierce through twenty more meters of bedrock.

The other weaponry of note, Aiyme recalled with a grimace, were dual Gatling guns mounted on either side of the model's hips. These "Dustbelchers" had the destructive capability of a single artillery shell in each round, but Valdez had failed to remove its limitations: namely, that the guns could only fire for the maximum duration of five seconds - or risk overheating the Morgana.

These two armaments, coupled with the Merlin module's required constant activation of its quad - Factspheres, taxed the as-yet experimental core inside the Morgana, reducing its projected forty-nine minute operation time to a meager twenty-one. This potentially lead to, the board would constantly be reminded, operations limited to that amount of time. It was something that she thought to be currently impossible for the two, for Subject N. mostly, with regards to the nature of their missions.

There had been several proposals for a new way to provide a power source, but for now, Aiyme would have to bank on the Devicers' skills - now greatly dependent on efficient synchronization between the Morgana's pilot and the Siege Perilous' operator for optimum performance. The lack of progress in this direction was credited to the sakuradite - there was always an issue with the sakuradite.

Overall, The model's unique design had led to the initial projection of it being unusable by the average Knightmare pilot, a prediction that was later discredited with the arrival of Subject N. According to the simulations, the bulky Knightmare was supposed to function at 95% efficiency under that girl's command.

In addition...

She clicked a button on the datapad, loading once again on the screen the designs for the new model the Britannians were developing: the Z-01. Without any knowledge about this new model's specifications, there was no way for her to create a proper counter-measure for the Morgana. And without any new intel about this particular model being delivered from General Affairs, she was resigned to the fact that there would not be any, in the immediate future.

The microwave oven made a resounding ding, signaling to Portland who promptly stood up to retrieve the contents. The Breaker occasionally used this archaic device to cook certain food up that catered to the man's taste for nostalgia.

Today was fresh, popped corn. The soft, buttery delicacy was something that Portland had remembered enjoying in his innocent years, times that were shrouded in a potent haze in his mind. The popped corn's buttery scent wafted throughout the room, bringing a sense of calm to the man.

As he took his time devouring his meal, Portland kept his eyes on the status reports from the subdivision within Aiyme's department. It was their job to outfit the "Tentacles" - the Glasgows that had been outfitted with AI that would be under the Siege Perilous' control, and so far they had only completed over half of the required Knightmares.

This was the main reason, unbeknown to the division heads, for the delay in the subjects' first ever live trial run. Without the Tentacles, the Siege Perilous was rendered useless, the operator unable to complete his intended function.

His eyes caught something in the screen, something that seemed to give him great consternation. After this, the man coldly noted, somehow agitated, they will need to be disposed of. Portland sighed irritably as he stuffed a handful of popped corn into his mouth, already contemplating the suitable replacements who would need to manage the Tentacles thereafter.

Elsewhere, Dr. Rimes Duran sulked in his room, unable to move about because of his disability and because of the fact that the Mind's Eye had been taken from him.

It was a punishment of sorts from the boss, something to teach the man after he had unwittingly comforted the two siblings who were the subjects of this project.

It had been a split-second action: after seeing the two (the boy he had just heard of but not personally met) with his portable Mind's Eye, he had proceeded to pat their heads, an action that caused the boy to recoil violently, clutching the girl in a fierce, protective way. This had confused Duran, even as he was carried out by guards ordered by Portland, who had apparently witnessed the act. He would not be able to see Subject N. from then on, as he was forced to work on something else related to the Mind's Eye. It then came to the point when the work was taken away from him entirely, shutting him in this room-turned-cell for months.

Now, without Mind's Eye or anything to keep him busy, Duran sulked, wishing again that he had discarded his heart for science completely. There can only be many times, the man thought as he turned over in his bed in an attempt to sleep, before they betray you, again and again and again. His mind briefly saw what he had remembered from the Mind's Eye of the little girl - that poor Subject.

Dear Sister,

Greetings! That white cake you delivered was very delectable. I hope to be able to taste more of Uncle Charles' secret recipes in the time to come. I will very much appreciate, once again, if you would be so kind as to send me the exact recipe, like you once did before with the mangosteen surprise.......However, I am currently working on an important assignment that will take me about a week to finish, I will write you again when I am through. My love goes to you, dear sister, and I do hope you will take care of yourself as usual.

With love,
F.F.P.

P.S. I found a kitten underneath the pink plant! I wish you could have seen it.