The next morning, six Knightmares take to the skies. Kallen and Suzaku play tag with theirs to stave off boredom, while L2 catches up with the others.

Nunnally in particular wanted to be with him, and eventually he consented to flying the Lancelot Shinobi to have some private conversation time. He looked a bit put off by the color scheme, but let it drop.

"Nunnally, I've told you a thousand times already. I didn't talk to you because I was supposed to be dead."

"But you weren't! You could've at least sent me a message!"

"And you would have left it at that? I think you would've tried a lot harder to find me if I sent you a note, then someone would have found it, and my secret would be out." L2 sighs. "You tried to go after my clone the moment you saw him. Its a moot point, anyway."

Nunnally shifts her position behind his seat. It was uncomfortable to say the least. "I guess. So what are we going to do now?"

"We're going back to our hanger. We need to resupply, then make our next move against the Geass Order."

"So, no time to lie in the flowers?" she gently bumps her hands against his head. Funny how he looked younger than her. Physically, it was true, do to his code thing, but mentally-

"If we had time to do that I would. It seems that life's just a rush of constant pressure though, and I'd hate to spoil it for the Order by not responding to their invitation."

He looks out the window. "Besides, we are international criminals now. The harmony between nations I attempted to create has backfired on me. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as that was my original plan. Can you imagine if they all learned all the truth?" L2 sports a sardonic smile.

Nunnally considers. "Yeah, the Black Assassins would be ridiculed, the scientific industry would go on a witch hunt to find whoever cloned you, and we might have another war, if things play out properly. Not to mention that Geass alone might cause extinction if we let it loose."

L2 turns in his seat to grin at her. "I knew you had a smart brain in there. Too bad I didn't get to see it much until now. And you're correct. If we let loose Geass, the world would be wracked in turmoil once again."

He pauses for a moment, scanning the skies for enemies. "I'd like to ask you why you didn't ask who zero was until twelve years after I died. It seems silly to bring it up now, of all times."

Nunnally curls up in the gap between seat and hatch. "I was reminded of you by a friend, and I pulled up all your old records. They reminded me about Zero and I decided to ask him about that vision I had when you died. I figured he'd have some information, even if he wasn't Suzaku."

"Makes sense, but I don't understand why you didn't do it immediately." L2 hits a button on the console. "All units, turn 12 degrees north. Q1, K1, stop playing around and fall in to pattern theta."

Two grumbled "Yessirs" echo out of the radio before he turns it back off.

"I really wanted to, but Zero was very cold when he first took power. I was scared of him for the first year, but then I got my leg implants, and I was finally able to walk again. I went around the world touring countries and meeting lots of people. It wasn't until the fifth year that I finally went back to Zero, and he was for warmer then, but I had forgotten about the vision. It took that message to spark it off."

L2 considers this for a moment. "Who... sent you that message?"

"Um... I can't remember. It was a friend though." she says this with conviction.

"Nunnally, I happen to know that our enemy is very good at manipulating minds. There is a good chance you have had that memory implanted and a trigger woke it up. That means that this whole thing might have been orchestrated from the beginning, I've been operating under the assumption that this was a chance they took. If they carefully orchestrated it to coincide with you learning the truth-"

"-Then nothing would have changed. I barely acted on the information, honestly. I asked Zero, he told me the truth, and then-"

"You were kidnapped." L2 grimaces. "I need to see the facility they were keeping you in. Maybe then I can get some answers."

The two lapse into silence.

In a larger, but not that large cockpit, C2, Lady Kaguya and a finally awake Gregor have a rather interesting conversation.

"So you weren't Actually there the entire time we knew you." Lady Kaguya asks disbelievingly.

"Yes. It's very nice to meet you, by the way."

Lady Kaguya shakes her head. "Wow, so many memories, and not a one with you."

Gregor just shakes his head.

C2 pipes up from the command chair. "Not to mention L2 had even me fooled. He occasionally switched between mannerisms so as to fool even me. He even forged your handwriting on a note that said he was trapped. I still don't know why he went to such great lengths."

"L2 is always like that. He always has a plan, and several in reserve. If not for my initial capture, I doubt he would have even attempted to confront his clone."

At the curious looks the two girls gave him, he amends his statement. "If you'd like to hear about it-"

"Yes!"

o-o-o-o

"I was caught trying to locate Nunnally. I think I was near the location of their hideout before I was captured, but not close enough. I was sent to a cell inside their prison and left to rot for a few days. Finally, after endless darkness, somebody came to get me. It was L2, or at least I thought it was him. He acted very friendly and it took me a while to notice he was trying to get information from me. When I thought it was L2 and not his clone, I gladly spilled all I knew. Once I figured out who he was for real, I clammed up and I was sent to his dungeons, under the capital. L2 and I have a secret transmitter we use to communicate. I sent him a message telling him about my situation and about the clone trying to rise to power. I also warned him about a potential attack on our home base. Another few days pass, and I am greeted by the clone gloating over how my base was destroyed, all thanks to me. It was mere hours later that I got news that L2 had been captured and interrogated after a party.

"Needless to say, we both kept in careful touch. L2 told me his cover was blown. That you were coming to save me. That our plan was falling to pieces. I was not sure I would survive anyways, so I told him that if we died now our plan wouldn't come to fruition. I think that's what saved his mind throughout our ordeal. I think he was ready to throw in the towel once or twice. Then, on the day you rescued me, he was silent. I must have sent him 20 messages or so trying to get him to respond. And then you lovely ladies showed up-"

Kallen clicks the recording off. She knew the rest. Frustratingly, Gregor was smart enough not to give much of anything away.

She sits back in her seat and fumes for a while. Then she opens up a channel to Jeremiah. "Hey Orange."

"And hello to you, Stadtfeld. Is there something on your mind?"

"Yeah. I... I had a talk with Lelouch last night."

"Do go on."

"We talked a little bit about... I asked him what he felt for me. Did he like me? Did he love me? Was I his pawn? I've been so confused for so long and I never thought I'd get answers. But I got them. I'm not sure I like them either."

The radio is silent for a bit. "Kallen. L2 is a very complicated man. I doubt anyone knows what really goes on in his head. Trying to second guess yourself around him will drive you insane. In fact, that's what did it for me. Well, more blind rage and less chess mastery stuff, but that's beside the point. I have always remained loyal to Lady Marianne and her children, and that loyalty has turned my life for the better. I started out a horribly misguided soldier, became a royal guard under my lady, and when she died I swore to protect her legacy. If you recall, I only encountered misfortune when I actively antagonized her heir."

Kallen honestly had no idea where this was going. She didn't ask for his life story, but still... "Ok. Yeah, I can see that. Once you sided with him, you started winning, right?"

"Correct. I was successful in many fights and endeavors L2 charged me with. During the final battle in the sky, I also met the girl who is now under my charge. Anya is the best thing that happened to me, and it is thanks to L2 I was able to meet her. The reason for this tale is this. Things go both right and horribly wrong around L2. There is no middle ground. Need I remind you that he was beaten in strategy by only a few? Very few of his plans failed. I was lucky to have good fortune following L2, which is what my heart said was the right thing to do. Now I ask of you: what is you're heart telling you too do?"

"I... I..."

"There's no need to tell me. Just think, and find the answers for yourself. I do not know what transpired on the island, but you can be sure he didn't mean you harm. You are one of his true allies, and while he has a bad habit of lying to everyone he can, he does it to protect who he cares about."

After a long pause, Jeremiah speaks again. "Kallen? Are you there?"

"Yeah. Just thinking it over. Thanks. I mean it. I think I understand now. I'm going to have to have another conversation with Lelouch."

"Good luck." and the comms cut off.

If she wasn't piloting a Knightmare forty feet off the water, she would've curled up into a ball and screamed. So many conflicting emotions, and she wasn't sure what was real and what was her own self protection mechanisms. His words last night certainly didn't help.

Did he really feel like that? Did he really-

"Missile lock detected. Deploying chaff."

Her reverie is interrupted by the automated systems deploying countermeasures. She looks out the windows and sees a lot of the Geass Knightmares.

Her scanner reports over three thousand.

Last time, on the way to the capital, they had faced less than one tenth this number.

L2's voice comes over the radio. "They've spotted us! Alright, nobody is going to die, do you hear me? I'm going to give you all your orders, and you need to do exactly as I say."

Kallen heaves a sigh of relief. Suddenly, her thoughts were a lot clearer.

She'd follow Lelouch into hell if he asked her too.

I just wanted to put a note in here about my writing process. I've said it other places, and maybe even here, but I write for a deadline. On top of that I write what come naturally. If you had told me when I started that that there would be a clone, an overarching plot, and an honest to goodness OC character, I would've said "Not in this story. you've gotten them mixed up."

But here I am. I'm coming up on this stories' 1 year anniversary as well. Two more chapters. Thanks for tagging along with me. I hope to start heading for the endgame soon, and It's been a pleasure writing this.

'Till next time.