Last Time:

When Suzaku arrived at the main deck of the Avalon, everyone's gaze snapped towards him, some with looks of panic on their faces, while others showed relief at his arrival. Taking in the anxious expressions marring Cornelia's and even the typically fearless Tōdō's faces, he turned towards the window which covered the entire outer wall and faced towards the Damocles. What he saw made his eyes widen in horror.

"This is…"

The Avalon

On the far side of the twenty mile gap between the Avalon and Damocles was perhaps the last sight any commander of an army would wish to see – scores of knightmare frames swarming out of the Damocles frontal hangar like bees out of a hive.

Suzaku maintained a cool composure for the masses, but was inwardly terrified of the latest developments. He raised his right hand to his head and tapped the communication switch on the side of his mask, hidden by the tall collar of his cloak. His left hand went into his pocket and once again retrieved the master communication device, selecting the same line he had previously.

"Ōgi? This is Zero."

The line crackled for a moment before a different voice than he was expecting entered his ear. "Villetta here."

"Villetta, then; have you secured the area?"

"Yes," she replied after a brief moment of silence in which he could hear her tapping on the control panels. "The communications centre has been re-secured and all of its functions are operating normally."

"Good. Right now I want the screen on the main deck magnified to focus on the Damocles. This is your top priority."

"Yes, understood," was her immediate response. Seconds later the window crackled with feedback, startling a few soldiers who weren't aware that it was a projected image, rather than an actual window. The view reappeared after a moment, this time showing a much closer view of the Damocles.

"Villetta, you have changed the magnification from twenty times to thirty times, correct?"

"Yes."

"Increase that to fifty times; I want to be able to see each individual knightmare in detail."

Villetta complied and the screen flickered once more, revealing the Damocles seemingly right in front of them. The flow of knightmares out of the main hangar had slowed to a trickle, and every frame appeared to be taking up defensive positions around the mobile base. Suzaku estimated there to be over four hundred and fifty frames, to the Black Knights' own remaining one hundred and fifty.

"It is as I thought…" he mused out loud, trying to assuage the fears of the lower-level soldiers. "Villetta, ensure that this view is routed to my display in the war room. Assign Squads Five and Ten to counter-attacking positions; I need them to hold off Schneizel's forces, should they attempt to launch an attack. That will be all."

Upon receiving her confirmation he turned to leave the room, pausing momentarily to catch the eyes of Tōdō and Cornelia. He deliberately brought his hand up to grasp the collar of his robe, lifting it slightly – the signal for a meeting in the war room. He didn't think he would ever be able to let go of the memory of his best friend, but their old signal worked effectively and wouldn't cause a panic among his troops.

His two Vice Commanders nodded resolutely, turning and heading off to gather the core group for the meeting. He took the long route towards the Command Centre, remaining deep in thought about ways to combat the far larger and better equipped force.

'Could we…no, that wouldn't work.'

Suzaku cursed inwardly; if only they hadn't destroyed the launcher on the FLEIJA, they would stand a much better chance. As it were, Schneizel had already fired four FLEIJAs at the Avalon. Each time they had been able to avoid the warheads despite the bulk of their ship, the missiles passing comfortably over them and detonating safely in the distance.

Twice, Schneizel had attempted to manoeuvre himself so that the Black Knights were positioned directly between his own forces and the Tokyo Settlement. It was a dirty tactic, to hold an entire city hostage; the full ten FLEIJAs presumably loaded and ready to fire. Only the skill of Guilford and Claudio Darlton, who had been jointly piloting the Avalon, had allowed them to clear the area before they could sustain heavy damages from Schneizel's frontal assault using his knightmare frames.

Suzaku growled under his breath. 'How can I possibly win this? This is a hopeless situation.' He had always been a warrior, not a tactician, and certainly not a strategist. His expertise was in piloting advanced knightmare frames; commanding a battle was Lelouch's forté. Their shared abilities had been what had made it possible for them to conquer the world with only a single Knight of Rounds – himself, the Knight of Zero.

Asking himself what Lelouch would do in this situation got him nowhere; Lelouch would think for a split second, inform everybody that 'the initial conditions had been cleared,' and proceed with some whacky battle strategy that nobody would have ever expected. Toppling half a building to pave a road towards the Chinese Consulate, twice overriding the controls on the Tokyo Settlement's interlocking plate network, driving a car directly towards seven knightmares during a high-security public execution and escaping with the prisoner – Suzaku didn't have a hope of coming up with something so elaborate, and even if he did, he would never be able to pull it off.

He reached the war room just as Cornelia was entering, being the last arrival himself. Ōgi and Villetta were participating via a video feed from their stations which appeared as he sat down. Guilford and Darlton engaged a similar system moments later. Tōdō got right down to business. "Zero, do you have a plan?"

Suzaku waited for a moment before responding evasively; it wouldn't do for them to lose faith in him at this point. "I was intending to hear your suggestions before I made my final decision. The enemy formation suggests that we may have some time before they launch an attack; does anyone have any information to report?"

Cornelia spoke first. "Ten minutes ago Squad Fifteen engaged an enemy squad a few miles to the right of the direct line to the Damocles. Only one of our frames was lost to their six." Those in the room who weren't aware of the final result smiled slightly at the small win, but their relief was soon crushed as Cornelia continued. "However, as they were retreating after destroying all of the enemy frames, a silver knightmare attacked from below, likely coming from the mainland. Two more of our units were lost; one pilot died and the other ejected to safety. We picked him up in a Caerleon a few minutes ago."

A few cringes could be seen around the table at her words, and both Guilford and Villetta opened their mouths to respond. Suzaku silenced them with a casual wave of his hand. "That must be similar to the frame Chiba mentioned in her report."

Cornelia seemed surprised. "What report?"

"Minutes before you previously entered this room, I was speaking on a direct video link with Chiba, who is currently leading Squad Seven on a specific mission. You were unaware of this because you had been organising the hangar as it was being carried out." This successfully cut off any objections she may have had about not being in the loop or concerns about bad communication, although ironically they'd had more than their fair share of communications issues in the past half an hour.

"The frame you mentioned attacked from below. Chiba's mission involved heading off a cargo truck which was being escorted by four knightmare frames. Three of the escorting frames were of the standard design Schneizel has been using, while the spearhead unit she described as being much more advanced – an eighth or possibly even ninth generation frame. It was equipped with one of Cécile's Energy Wing Systems."

Tōdō made to comment, but was similarly waved off by Suzaku. "Chiba's squad was able to capture the four pilots, as well as the truck, and they have all been executed. Their frames, however, were not able to be captured; liquid Sakuradite detonators attached to each pilot's chest destroyed them immediately upon their death." He paused and stood up, taking up where he left off as he paced slowly around the room.

"From what we have seen of Schneizel's battle tactics so far, it appears that for every squad he sends out, he employs the use of scouts regularly. I am assuming that they are used to supply a video feed, as well as to provide assistance if necessary, but it isn't certain what their purpose is. It is probable that, if he has more than one of these stronger frames, he may use them as his scouting units. The knightmare Squad Fifteen encountered was most likely the scouting unit he had sent with the escort squad."

Cornelia wrinkled her brow in confusion. "In that case, wouldn't the scout have made to assist its allies against Squad Seven?"

Suzaku's reply had already been crafted in preparation for that question. "It would have desired to, certainly, but have been unable to. The Gefjun Net Chiba's squad set up to capture the convoy was large enough to cover a significant portion of heavily forested land. If the pilot was outside of the net when it activated, then there would have been little he could do to recover his allies; the advanced knightmare he piloted would have been useless if he had to move on foot through the net. It is likely that he spotted the battle in the sky and decided to give his assistance where he knew it would be effective."

Tōdō nodded slowly. "So we have knowledge of two potential ninth generation frames, one which is a confirmed threat and one which has been destroyed. Have any more of these been spotted?"

"Not from what I have heard."

"Then there could be more of them in Schneizel's hangar?" he questioned, teeth grinding together in anger towards the Second Prince.

"Yes, there easily could be," Suzaku replied, pausing for a moment before continuing. "We should assume that this is a certainty."

Villetta interjected. "What did the cargo contain?"

Suzaku hesitated for a moment. "FLEIJA."

A few gasps were heard around the room and from the video screens. "FLEIJA?" Cornelia repeated. "Why was there a FLEIJA in the truck? I was under the impression Schneizel fired them from the Damocles."

"When we found the warhead, a launch system had been attached to it. The enemy squad's initial objective was to reach the point directly below the Avalon and fire it upwards towards us. We would have been unable to avoid it."

Tōdō grinned. "We could use that to destroy the Damocles if we can get an opening."

"No," Suzaku stated simply, the echoing voice of Lelouch Vi Britannia carrying far more weight than his own. "The truck had to be stopped with bullet fire, as it was unaffected by the Gefjun Net. When the FLEIJA was recovered, the launch system had been destroyed. We cannot use it in this battle; I have had it loaded onto a Caerleon to be taken to a remote testing facility where it can be studied to create a more effective countermeasure."

Tōdō's grin fell, and he dropped the issue. "What are our chances in an all-out frontal skirmish?"

"Very small. Schneizel's forces outnumber our own three to one, and are all of superior manufacture. We still have the Guren, Lancelot, Tristan and Mordred in the hangar, but if there are many more of these ninth generation frames, then they may not be enough. The Mordred in particular is at a disadvantage in this battle; its specialty is a high-powered offence – something we do not have the Sakuradite to fuel. We have been able to raise its speed slightly as we removed some of its more powerful weapons, but its key attribute at the present time is its defensive capabilities, which have remained more or less intact."

"Can the Tristan still switch between frame and fortress modes?" Tōdō asked, the gears in his head turning as he spoke. He had been on a mission for the duration of the week preceding the battle, when the final changes had been made to their four key frames, and as a result was unaware of the specifics of the adjustments. His personal frame, Zangetsu, had been destroyed a month earlier, having been rebuilt after its destruction at the hands of the Lancelot Albion. A replacement hadn't been possible to acquire before the battle.

"Yes, that function is still possible with our downgraded Tristan. However the transition takes a few seconds longer, so the unit is in freefall for about four seconds before it levels out."

The glint in the former Lieutenant Colonel's eyes vanished immediately; no doubt he had been working on a plan relying on an immediate conversion from the Tristan. Suzaku cursed inwardly; he had almost been able to extract a working plan from Tōdō. 'If only we had more Sakuradite, this wouldn't be happening…'

"Zero, what is your strategy?" Cornelia asked hurriedly; evidently she felt as if they were pressed for time. The frames outside the Damocles which were visible on the display hadn't moved yet, so Suzaku was still relatively comfortable in spending a few more minutes coming up with a plan, rather than confronting them head-on.

"I have no strategy," he admitted, his voice not shifting out of its commanding tone. "This battle has become an impossibility to win. Schneizel's numbers dwarf our own, and it can be assumed that he has access to more FLEIJA units. The best we could hope for is to engage his frames with our own and score victory there. Regardless, in the unlikely event that we do win, our army would be crippled beyond use. That being said, we will retreat."

Shocked expressions marred the faces of everyone in the room, as well as those corresponding via video link; Zero had just said that they couldn't possibly win the battle they had spent five months preparing for. Tōdō was the sole exception.

"Retreat?" Cornelia repeated, not quite sure that she had heard correctly.

Suzaku nodded. "Yes, we will retreat. There is no way for us to win this battle."

"…There is one way…"

All eyes snapped towards Tōdō, pleas for hope evident in their eyes.

"What way is that?" Suzaku enquired; something about the way he spoke gave him the feeling that he wouldn't like the plan he was proposing.

Tōdō stood silently, turning his back to the group and leaning with both palms resting on an inactive console. "We use the FLEIJA."

Suzaku raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "Chiba reported that the launch system on the FLEIJA we recovered has been destroyed. It is no longer capable of being fired at the Damocles."

The hopeful looks which filled the room were immediately dashed upon the words of Zero. Tōdō didn't answer for a moment, his hands gripping the sides of the panel until they begun to shake. When he replied, it was with clenched teeth and a pained voice.

"I know."

"Then what are you proposing? That we just send it in on the back of a knightmare?"

His Head of Military Operations remained silent, and Suzaku's eyes widened in alarm.

"You're crazy! That's a suicide run!" he shouted, leaping out of his seat and slamming a fist on the table.

"I know."

"No!" Suzaku barked. "There has to be a better way! I'll find one!"

Tōdō spun around, his voice booming with every ounce of authority he commanded. "There is no better way!"

"Then we will have to retreat!"

"A battle you can't win and a battle lost are different! This battle is one we can win! This is the only battle was can win! If we withdraw now, we sacrifice our last chance to ever defeat Schneizel!"

Suzaku turned his back and strode over to the far control panel. He hunched over it and supported himself the same way Tōdō had; his fingers gripping the metallic surface with such force that he could feel the material give slightly under his grasp.

Tōdō was asking him to deliberately sacrifice someone. People died regularly in wars; this was something he had come to accept both about himself as a pilot, and about others as a commander. But never had he deliberately sent one of his men to their death. It would be giving up the life of one to save the lives of more than a hundred, yet it was completely against his principles.

It wasn't against Zero's principles, however.

"Fine, I will accept your proposal," he replied eventually, slowly turning to face the group and returning to his seat at the table. Tōdō relaxed slightly, but it was clear that his frustration wasn't with Zero, but due to his own inner turmoil over advocating a suicide mission for one of his soldiers.

"The FLEIJA we have acquired has been loaded onto Caerleon X-62," Suzaku stated apathetically; being an effective commander required you to kill your emotions, and now more than ever he would need to do so. "Its pilot is fanatically loyal and has stated that he will be willing to participate in any missions of this type."

A shudder went through the group at the thought of someone devoted enough to specifically volunteer for such a duty in advance. "A Caerleon won't be fast enough to penetrate their defences. It has to be a knightmare," Tōdō replied, leaving no room for debate in his voice.

"The Caerleon X-62's pilot has not had had the training required to operate a knightmare."

"Then the mission will fall to someone else."

Suzaku's fist clenched. "We could never get anyone else to volunteer for this mission; someone will have to be forced into it." He was clearly not happy with the idea of telling one of his pilots they were sending him to die. "Did you have someone in mind?"

Tōdō opened his mouth to reply but was cut off.

"I'll do it."

All eyes snapped to Tamaki, sitting two seats to Tōdō's left. The man had been sitting in silence throughout the meeting – something which was not uncommon for him over the previous year.

Cornelia's jaw went slack. "Wha–"

"–I said I'll do it!" he snapped, his eyes blazing with resolve.

The rest of the room was silent for a moment in shock. Ōgi was the first to respond, almost choking as he addressed him.

"–What? Tamaki, do you reali–"

"I know exactly what I'm doing!" he retorted, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I'm giving everyone a chance to win! I'm doing the only thing I can do for this war now that will make a difference beyond adding one more knightmare pilot to be slaughtered and one more frame to be wasted!"

"But–"

"–Is it really any different that I would do it, rather than some nameless grunt whose face we wouldn't even remember ten minutes after we send him to his death? Answer me this, Ōgi: what gives Tamaki Shinichirō the right to live while someone else sacrifices their life for a cause he too believes in?"

"Because…b-because…" he stuttered, clenching his fist. "…because you're just Tamaki, Damnit!" Ōgi screamed, slamming his fist down onto his control panel and causing the transmission to falter slightly. A tear rolled down his cheek as he began to tremble.

"You're damn right I'm 'just Tamaki,' Ōgi!" he shouted. "What have I ever done for the Black Knights? I've seen the scoring system used to rank us; I scored the lowest! Fourty points! The closest to me was Chiba with a hundred and seventy-five! I've never once scored a decent hit on an enemy in a knightmare; I've probably ejected more times than I've fired bullets!"

The others could only listen in silence as he spoke; a bitter undertone to his voice betraying his self-loathing.

"What have I ever done for the Black Knights?" he repeated. "Waste our money on dinners? Waste our knightmares on a useless pilot? Tamaki Shinichirō, the great Internal Cleaning Supporter!" he finally declared, waving his arms around in imitation of Zero.

"But Tama–"

"–No! I don't want to hear it! I joined Naoto's resistance cell for a damn good reason! This is my chance to do something with meaning! Who the hell are you to take that away from me?"

Nobody spoke for a full minute after his challenge. More than one set of eyes around the room was watering; Suzaku's behind his mask were no exception. Ōgi's head was resting in his palms as he shook it backwards and forwards mouthing the word 'no' over and over again. When he finally spoke, it was with tears in his eyes and a quiver to his lips.

"You're really sure you want to do this, then?"

"You bet your ass I'm sure!" Tamaki declared with his first true grin since before the Black Knights' imprisonment at the hands of Lelouch Vi Britannia. It was as if the weight he had been carrying for the past year had finally been lifted off his shoulders – years of inability and failures absolved in a final act of purpose.

This was the true Tamaki Shinichirō.

Ōgi's features curved into a bittersweet smile; he'd thought he'd never have his old friend back.

'For him to be sacrificing his life so soon, though…'

He clenched his teeth, drawing blood as his fingernails dug into his palms.

'No, this is his decision…He has accepted his death…I think he did a long time ago.'

He nodded towards his old friend, before turning and passing the equipment he was holding to his wife. "I'm handing full control over to Villetta. There's no way I'm letting you go without saying goodbye, Tamaki."

Tamaki smirked as he watched Ōgi leave the communications centre; he'd help Zero create a world where Japan could be free. It didn't matter whether Zero was the original or not; he was Zero, and that's what Zeros did – right?

Tōdō glanced at the display showing the Damocles once Ōgi's link had been severed, before turning his gaze back to Tamaki. "Despite what you say, you have served your country well. You will die a warrior's death – a hero's death. It is time to take your leave, Tamaki Shinichirō."

The ex-rebel nodded resolutely, the smirk still on his lips as he pulled a familiar red headband out of his pocket and tied it around his head for the first time in a year. He stood and left the room, pausing in the doorway to give a sharp salute.

Suzaku was barely staying in control of his emotions, but he knew that it had to be done for them to achieve victory. "Schneizel is preparing for a counter-attack. Tōdō, you will be First in Command for all internal matters on the Avalon. Cornelia, you will be Second in Command. I will take the Lancelot out to escort Tamaki, along with Gino and Anya."

"What? You stay in command; I'll take the Lancelot out. We need you aboard the Avalon."

Suzaku stood and walked towards the door, pausing in the exact same place Tamaki had moments before. He rested his left hand on the doorframe and replied with his back turned.

"No, Tōdō. This is your miracle. I will be with my men. If the King doesn't move, then his subjects won't follow; this is something I learned from a friend long ago."

Main Hangar – The Avalon

No words were exchanged among those who had arrived to see Tamaki off on his final mission. Suzaku, Ōgi, Minami and Kento each shook his hand firmly as he passed them; their stomachs clenching at the thought of what was about to happen.

Villetta had spoken to him via his headset as he made his way down to the hangar, being unable to leave the communications deck unattended despite the seriousness of the matter; if the plan failed because of a communication error, Tamaki's death would have been in vain.

Ōgi was the most visibly distressed out of everyone – Tamaki being one of his oldest friends – yet he did his best to put on a strong face in his honour.

As Tamaki finally stepped away from the group, the side doors slammed open to admit a clearly distraught Kallen. Pausing for only a moment to regain her bearings, she dashed at full speed towards the man, throwing herself at him and sobbing uncontrollably. Tamaki patted her on the back awkwardly for a few moments before she spoke.

"I…I heard what you're planning to do," she began, before pulling back and hitting him in the chest with almost no power behind her strike. "Why? Why are you doing this? Not you too! You betrayed me, Tamaki! You're just like him!"

He offered no response, instead staring at the back wall of the hangar absently. She continued to punch him; her blows getting progressively weaker as her arms began to fail her. Nobody made a sound as they watched her; Kallen had been the most affected by Lelouch's betrayal and death out of everyone.

"Not you too…" she murmured softly, collapsing to her knees.

Tamaki squatted down so he was face to face with her, reaching out his index finger to tilt her chin up so their eyes met. He gave her a smile and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Don't worry; this is what I have to do. You still have a very important part to play too, you know?

Kallen scoffed. "No I don't. I haven't even been able to pilot the Guren for months."

Tamaki grinned. "Sure you do!"

Kallen's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stood, releasing her shoulder and waving his index finger around, tapping her once on each shoulder.

"I hereby dub you my successor," he proclaimed loudly with wild hand gestures. "Kallen Kōzuki, you must accept your station among the greats – as the Order of the Black Knights' second official Internal Cleaning Supporter!"

His expression was perfectly serious, but his eyes gave away the grin which was fighting valiantly to escape. Kallen couldn't help but let out a small smile through her tears.

"I accept."

Tamaki allowed the grin to finally spread across his face at her response. "Then rise, Dame Kallen Kōzuki."

He reached to his forehead and slowly removed his red headband as she stood, recalling all of the good memories he had gained while wearing it. His eyes trailed down to where the headband rested in his hand, squeezing it tightly in reminiscence. Their eyes met as he looked up, and he held the accessory out to her.

"Wha…This is…"

"Yes, Kallen," he replied, his voice adopting a solemn undertone. "I know you no longer possess your own. I won't mention what happened to it, but you must promise me that mine will not share its fate."

Kallen's eyes began to well up with tears again as she reached out to accept it. "Yes, I promise."

He nodded, and Suzaku's headset crackled.

"Zero?"

"This is Zero."

"Caerleon X-62 is preparing for landing."

"Give the order; there is enough room for it to land as it is."

"Right away."

The transmission cut off, and seconds later the ship in question pulled up in the centre of the hangar. Four technicians immediately scurried over to him for his orders.

"I want the FLEIJA unloaded and transferred into the cockpit of whichever Akatsuki is the fastest at the moment," he stated clearly, turning around and walking towards Gino and Anya.

"This is our turn, eh?" Gino asked casually, leaning against the leg of his Tristan as he spoke.

"Yes," Suzaku replied emotionlessly. "We will accompany Tamaki nineteen and a half of the twenty miles between us and the Damocles. From then it will be up to him; we will barely have enough time to escape the blast radius as it is."

Gino went to nod in response, but cut himself off, turning to look at Anya before returning his gaze to Zero. "What about Anya, though? The Mordred isn't nearly as fast as the Lancelot or the Tristan."

"The Mordred will stop at nineteen miles and provide ranged support. She should be able to retreat comfortably from that point."

Suzaku didn't listen for Gino's reply, one of the technicians scurrying up to him and informing him that the FLEIJA was in place. He strode over to the group and addressed Tamaki.

"It's time."

A nod was the only confirmation he received, the man turning towards his frame and climbing in. Suzaku, Gino and Anya followed suit immediately, starting up their own knightmares and joining him at the hangar door.

Those who remained on the floor lined up instantly and each gave a crisp salute, replicated immediately by his three escorts with the use of their frames.

Tamaki grinned wildly inside his frame, returning the salute with his own knightmare before turning towards the exit.

'This is it. Time to prove to that fucker that I'm worth more than a fourty! Heh!'

"Launching!"

En Route to Damocles

Suzaku released his left hand from its trigger, tapping a few buttons on the control panel to bring up Tamaki's video link.

"Tamaki, your job is to focus on evasion; Gino, Anya and I will defend you from any attacks. Only use your offensive weapons if you are being attacked and you can't evade, and we are unable we get to you in time. Is that clear?"

"Only attack if I can't evade and you can't protect me; got it."

"Good. There is a squad of thirty enemy frames approaching from ahead" he replied, bringing up video links for Gino and Anya before he continued. "Anya, you will pierce the centre with the Mordred; try to take out as many frames as you can, but your main objective is to open up a hole for Tamaki. You will continue on that path to ensure that he is not vulnerable to any frontal attacks."

The pink-haired girl pulled the Mordred's triggers together and two black visors flipped down to cover each of her eyes. "Understood."

"Gino, you will attack on the left side where the bulk of their numbers are concentrated. I will eliminate the right side and return to fully guarding Tamaki."

Gino nodded and readied his weaponry; evidently he didn't wish to engage in his fortress form. "Understood."

"Anya, fire the double hadrons straight down the centre, now!"

The enemy scattered as they saw the hadron canons being prepared, leaving only three to be caught in the blast and disintegrated. Suzaku cursed; they would have a larger battle on their hands than he had hoped for.

"Anya, ready them again and fire them sideways as you break through. Gino, try to find the closest possible path to Tamaki; you can eliminate them as they attack," Suzaku ordered, firing his slash harken to destroy a frame flanking him.

He spun around readying an MVS sword and dug it into the cockpit of another enemy knightmare, ripping it out downwards to split the machine in half. Another frame almost snuck up on him, but was destroyed comfortably by a hadron blast from Anya.

"I'm through!" Tamaki called over the internal line; him and Anya had managed to pierce the defences of Schneizel's units and were continuing onwards at full speed. Suzaku and Gino accelerated past the few enemies in front of them to cover Tamaki's exposed rear.

"Thirteen miles remaining," Suzaku stated, having just checked their location. "Eighteen of these enemies remain. We have to destroy them before we reach Damocles; Schneizel has hundreds of knightmares hovering around it and we can't afford to be watching our backs as we approach."

Suzaku darted towards the pursuing enemies and lashed out with both swords, destroying one instantly and tearing both legs off another. He twisted around and sent the amputated frame careening towards the ground with a kick, firing two slash harkens as he spun to wipe out another approaching pair.

Gino attacked left and right, tearing into his opponents with the Tristan's MVS polearms. He turned around just in time to slam the ends of his weapon together and block a heavy blow from a silver frame. The pilot withdrew his own MVS sword in a split second and sheared Gino's polearm in two, severing his left arm at the shoulder.

"Zero! I'm hit!"

Suzaku growled, slamming down on his controls and rocketing towards Gino, carving through four frames with his dual MVS swords and destroying another one with a slash harken. He grabbed the frame's arm just as it was drawing back to finish Gino and thrust his sword through the cockpit.

"Thanks, that was a close one."

Suzaku made no reply, instead drifting backwards to again take up a defensive position on Tamaki's flank. The entire wave had been destroyed, so Gino followed suit.

Tamaki grinned; everything was going according to plan so far. It was the first time he had ever felt comfortable in the cockpit of a knightmare. The comfort could never last, though, as he felt his frame jerk and begin to rapidly ascend.

"Zero! What the fuck is going on?"

Suzaku, hearing the collision, spun around in horror to see Tamaki's frame being forced upwards by an enemy knightmare which had rocketed into him from below. He chased after it and opened fire on the unit immediately, being careful not to hit Tamaki from below.

"Gino, shoot down that knightmare! Anya, hold your fire, you'll hit Tamaki if you use the Mordred's offenses!"

Tamaki mashed his eject button repeatedly, hoping to escape with the FLEIJA before it could accidentally detonate, but the mechanism was being jammed from the outside.

"Shit!"

He reached for the view adjuster in panic, switching to see a standard frame with both legs missing forcing him upwards rapidly. Swinging the Akatsuki's arms around to get into a better position, he managed to aim the handgun downwards and fired while drawing his sword.

The bullets bounced harmlessly off the armoured top of the enemy frame as he swung the sword downwards to block a blow from his opponent's arm. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the approaching opposite limb moments too late.

The clawed hand tore through his cabin, missing him by a hairsbreadth. His eyes widened in panic as it drew closer to the FLEIJA.

'No…not like this…'

Gino and Suzaku raced after Tamaki's upwards spiralling knightmare, intent on destroying the frame before it could set off the warhead inside. He was less than a second out of range when he saw the frame tear into Tamaki's cockpit.

"WITHDRAW! FLEIJA!"

Suzaku screamed himself hoarse, spinning his knightmare around to fly at full throttle towards the Avalon.

"GINO! ANYA! GET OUT OF THERE!"

'It's too late; we're not going to make it!' Suzaku inwardly cursed, urging the Lancelot on with everything he had.

His eyes took on a red tinge as the vile pink sphere reached out to vaporise him, only one word running through his head.

"LIVE!"

Aerial Fortress Damocles

Suzaku awoke in a darkened room, his hands chained to the wall above his head and his feet similarly shackled to the ground. He shook his head to clear it of the wooziness he felt upon waking and tried to think back to how he had been captured. Almost instantly his eyes widened in horror.

'The FLEIJA…That means…Tamaki…That means he died for nothing!' He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming out. 'Gino…Anya…did they escape? What happened to the others? Did we lose? Is everyone dead? Did–"

"–Ah! I see my guest has awakened."

Suzaku flinched in surprise, before straining his eyes in the direction of the voice. A black silhouette on the opposite side of the room stood from its chair and made its way to the wall, flicking a switch. Light flooded the room and Suzaku snarled at his captor.

"I haven't removed your mask yet," the Second Prince stated in amusement. "I thought it would be courteous to wait until you were awake before I found out who you were."

"So you won, then?" Suzaku spat bitterly, images of his past failures flashing periodically through his head.

"Yes, I did."

"You killed everyone, then?" he screamed, his composure finally cracking as he struggled furiously against his chains.

"No, not quite," Schneizel replied calmly, returning to his seat. "I left your command level alive, if that's what you're asking. They will be the proof for years to come that there isn't any point in going against me; any resistance they attempt to put up will be futile."

"So am I supposed to believe that you're just going to let me go?" Suzaku growled, his fists clenching above his head.

Schneizel's facial expression remained apathetic. "No. You will be publicly executed."

Suzaku's eyes widened behind his mask. It wasn't that he was afraid of death – he had accepted it long ago – it was that in death he would be unable to carry out Lelouch's final request; the death of Zero would be turned into a spectacle, and the people's hope would be crushed.

"What happened to Gino and Anya?"

Schneizel sighed, although Suzaku could tell it was just for show. "Both are dead; they were killed in the FLEIJA blast." Before he could reply, Schneizel stood and walked over to stand in front of him.

"Now," he began. "Let's see who's under my little brother's old mask."

Suzaku could do nothing but clench his teeth and correct his posture in defiance as the man's fingers drew closer to the side of his mask. With a slight tug, the mechanism released and the mask was removed.

"Kururugi Suzaku! Now this is a surprise!" Schneizel mused softly, yet still in one of the most emotional tones he had ever heard the Second Prince use. "I thought Kallen killed you aboard the old Damocles. How ironic, you truly are The Betrayer, aren't you?"

Suzaku schooled his featured before he could accidentally let out a sigh of relief.

'Schneizel doesn't know about Zero Requiem…'

Voices were heard outside the door and Suzaku turned to face it; Schneizel seemed to be expecting the interruption and walked over to open it. Through the doorway, Suzaku could make out a guard who appeared to be arguing with a man in a hooded cloak. Both of them turned to face the prince when he spoke.

"Don't worry, he's with me."

The guard turned red with embarrassment as he let the man through; he had obviously been keeping him from entering.

The two of them walked back towards Suzaku in silence, coming to a stop a few feet away from him. The cloaked man pulled his hood back slowly, revealing light hair and a fair complexion.

Suzaku pressed himself up against the wall in shock.

"You…It couldn't be…But you're…"