Author's Gab: Just a small lil update. This'll be the last update for a while, as I do have to focus on my thesis paper. Until then...

Like a primordial sea-creature, the facility that currently housed the Lamperouge Project swam tirelessly through the depths of the Pacific Ocean, heading north from when it had submerged. It plodded onwards, caring not for the real sea-creatures that were displaced by its passing nor of the man-made objects that had found their way to the depths. The thousands of sensor buoys that Britannia or the Chinese Federation had deployed would only register the facility as a whale - a particularly large one at that.

But there was one thing that would time and again jar the facility's progress, though not by a significant amount. From time to time the residents would feel a slight tremor as the whole thing shook from the impact of it colliding with a depth charge, deadly remnant of wars waged long ago. These would not be wholly damaging to the facility itself, as it was shielded with a covering of a particularly strong metal, but it formed scars and dents nonetheless.

Now, it seemed that the facility had swam into a literal field of those explosives. As always, the thing continued on without hesitation, though this resulted in a stream of tremors for the inhabitants within.

Said tremors had no effect, as usual on the towering head of the Lamperouge Project, Charles Augustus Portland as he sat in his office delivering the latest mission details to his pet subjects. The man spoke with his usual threatening tone, an act that came naturally in his line of specialty.

The current plan ran as thus: the two subjects were tasked with the responsibility of Area Eleven's infiltration, finding and reporting information that would interest Portland and the subject. What this information was, the man had limited to describing as other "certain clandestine Britannian projects" and others of the sort.

Aside from that, it was also the siblings' continued role as the Morgana Knightmare Frame's Devicers to ensure that the original goal of the project would be affirmed, that of sharpening their young fangs on warfare as much as possible. To that end, one agenda on their investigations would be singling out specific rebel groups that were hidden in Area Eleven.

"I have deemed it necessary for you to be released from your little homes within this facility, as it is costly and ultimately unnecessary for us to continue ferrying you to and from this place. As such, your first objective will be to seek a suitable safehouse for yourselves within Area Eleven..."

A thought occured to him as he barked orders and details into the speakerphone. "Do not assume that your release from the facility frees you from the project itself. As I have said long, long ago, you are both mine - body, mind and being. I will be there personally to enforce the discipline that will be required should you prove lax in this undertaking, and to impose punishment on your failures. Do not forget: I shall be watching you each and every step of your miserable lives..."

As usual, the two would be supported, and at the same time monitored by the resources available to the project and, as he'd mentioned, by Portland himself. In a way, this was a newer and more complicated test for the two in Portland's mind, and it was something to look forward to aside from his imminent goal here in Area Eleven.

Portland's thoughts briefly recalled that piece of information so readily divulged by that man from General, detailing research undergone towards a certain end. That such a thing intrigued Portland was unsurprising of the man. For it was a subject that so involved the aging Innocence Breaker, that drove him to seek out even in spite of its forbidden nature.

The power of immortality.

"Area Eleven..."

As they returned to their quarters (escorted this time by armed guards), Lelouch mentally examined the details gleaned from their mission briefing. Foremost in the boy's thoughts was the bitter reminder of the truth of their current existence, so bound were they by the chains of this so-called Project that he could not even focus on anything more than his sister's safety. Even with this new mission, as with all other missions before them, he knew that the both of them could not willingly escape from this.

Another concern was the reason for this new special mission, to be sent to the very country that they had first been abducted from. He knew from the first mention of the term "Eleven" during the briefing that it referred to the now defunct nation of Japan, where he and Nunnally had spent that final bittersweet summer. Lelouch could not fathom the reason for it being their next mission area.

The final concern, the boy thought as he flicked his eyes towards his sister marching in step beside him, would be Nunnally's reaction to this. This new mission was vastly different from all their previous ones, and was unique in the sense that it was required of them to re-enter society to achieve. Lelouch was afraid for his sister's ability to cope with the outside world, as that had been deprived of them for the majority of their past years. Of course, the boy thought, this limitation also applied to him, although Nunnally's handicap would be the major stumbling block for everything.

As the door to their quarters closed behind them, Lelouch abruptly felt the room spin around him and collapsed at the very spot. Nunnally, blind and alarmed, immediately sought the source of the sound as she crawled towards his body.

"Lelouch...!" Nunnally, blind once more from the removal of the Mind's Eye, cradled her brother's head between her lap. She was alarmed at her brother's sudden collapse and had hurriedly taken action.

"I'm fine...Nunnally...let me rest for a while," came her brother's hoarse reply as she felt his palm brush her cheek. "You feel so warm, Nunnally."

"Lelouch...", she began again as she grasped her brother's hand. "Are you thinking too much again? You know all that thinking's just going to make you older right?"

She heard no reply from her brother as she continued, "About this mission...you don't have to think too much about it, Lelouch. Let us treat it like any other mission before it..."

"Nunnally," her brother now spoke up in a near-whisper, "What about you...? What do you think about our new mission?"

"Me? I - " She cut off. There was no other answer, right? No hesitation because her mind is already set. Mother... As long as Lelouch, as long as nii-sama... "I'll always be fine as long as I'm with nii-sama!", she exclaimed loudly.

"'Nii-sama'?" Her brother laughed softly. "I guess that's right, we are going back to Japan. I'll have to be your nii-sama all over again."

"Yes...whether in Japan or in any other place, nii-sama..." she declared softly and strongly. "We will always be together. As long as we are..."

"Yeah..." she felt his thin fingers brush her cheek with a feathery touch. "That is one thing that will never change."

The hangar shook ominously when Dr. Rouche Aiyme arrived to do her daily rounds on the Morgana. The sounds of machinery being welded into place and of computer systems operating filled the space, and on the far end of that space stood the towering metallic masterpiece, secured in place by interlocking metal frames.

It had been the usual protocol for the people in her division to use the time in between missions to do maintenance on the Morgana. They would set to it with haste, always keeping in their minds the possibility of merciless disposal that would befall them should they fail to meet expectations. As such, within mere days after a mission, the massive Knightmare Frame would be sporting a brand-new look: all traces of the battle before swept clean off the exterior, weaponry freshly outfitted and reloaded to pre-operation levels.

Currently, the Morgana was stripped of its important armaments, barring the conical Merlin module on its shoulders. Aiyme had deemed the time that they spent submerged to be optimum to trying new methods of power core output.

So far, there had been no successful models and, as a particular assistant told the esteemed engineer as she approached, no brilliant ideas had been developed over the night either.

Aiyme made a sound of frustration as the theoretical model that was displayed on the nearby computer screen resulted once more in a failure. Many simulations and models had already been tested and not one proved feasible enough to help improve the Morgana's measly twenty-one minute performance time.

"Pump the latest live core full. We will test Radick's live model," she ordered her assistants. And if it fails, we'll just have to get more sakuradite and push on. The esteemed engineer was satisfied at least on that regard. There would be no more issues with the sakuradite for her, oh no. She had already seen to it when she had turned the tables on her eccentric rival and snuck his own supply out from under his nose.

"Not this time, Valdez." The esteemed engineer smirked as the hangar groaned again under the brunt of another collision.

The lights dimmed for a moment as the room shook from the impact of the collisions. Dr. Rimes Duran paused in his work, head cocked as he waited for the tremors to pass. When it had seemingly ceased, Duran set to work again, crafting something on the work-table that occupied his attention.

Sweat dripped off the man's face in droves, an indication of the concentration he was exerting to maintain the Mind's Eye. He had been given the go-signal by the Boss to start creating a new innovation for the system, it was up to Duran to figure out what it was.

"As long as it will help the subjects in their current mission."

So ordered, the blind scientist had worked tirelessly through the days thereafter, taking advantage of this allowance to explore new and innovative features for the Mind's Eye. The man was determined to take back what he had lost: true sight.

The blip of light that was the mobile facility moved steadily across the navigation screen, drawing closer and closer to the coasts of Area Eleven. The crew that was assigned to monitor the facility's course had orders from the head of General Affairs to maintain their current distance.

It was then that their door to their room slid open to let in the hunched man himself. Abruptly, the techs all stood from their seats to salute, but were dismissed with a lazy gesture.

They watched as the man regarded the screen with interest. His amber eyes absorbed all that the screens had to show about their status, and for a while after the man seemed to be deep in thought. The crew snapped to attention when the man spoke.

"Prepare to disengage the Leviathan cord. Start Surfacing Procedures within the next hour. Make for Point 13-C. Usual surfacing precautions."

With that, the man turned crisply to slouch back out of the door.

The familiar computer voice now resounded throughout the halls of the facility, informing the members of the Lamperouge Project that they would soon be surfacing. The structure itself had gradually slowed its advance, making a creaking sound as rear thrusters were retracted and water vented.

An hour later, after much groaning and clunking, the mechanical sea-creature slowly started to rise from its depth. Slowly but surely the faint tinge of sunlight dancing in the distant surface could be glimpsed by any who looked. As it ascended, the facility was shrouded in a maelstrom of air bubbles, entire clumps spiraling throughout its frame.

The faint rays of sunset bounced off its top as the facility broke the surface of the water in a violent burst of water and bubbles. Like a whale it moaned as the rest of its structure broke the surface, exposing its entirety to the open air once more. As the water around it started to settle from the sudden disruption, the facility transformed with much more noise into its usual floating facility form.

Inside, the computer voice was announcing the facility's successful resurfacing and redeployment some distance of miles off the southeastern coasts of Area Eleven.

Walking down a white-washed corridor, the hunched man crumpled a half-finished cigarette between his hands as he uttered, "So far. So good."

(excerpt from a school announcement)

Attention all students of Ashford Academy:

To celebrate the last year of Lady...and to also commemorate the election of the new
student council president, Ms. Mi-....said farewell party will NOT be-....a heart-felt congratulations to our new
graduates-...Hail Britannia-...