Kallen, C2 and Nunnally run down the maze of corridors, no real direction in mind. They made sure not to backtrack, but nobody tracking their movements could call their search thorough.

That is in part why they missed Tamaki pulling Suzaku out of his air duct, missed Suzaku being knocked out, and Suzaku being hauled off. If they had seen where he went, and subsequently followed Tamaki all the way to his destination without getting caught, they would have found a heavily reinforced room that contained only few people.

Inside this bunker, built to withstand anything short of a FLEIJA Warhead, Tamaki, Gregor and a newly recruited Rakshata Watch as a tied up Suzaku slowly regains his consciousness.

He looks around the room and identifies the faces. Gregor notes a hint of very well disguised surprise at Rakshata, but it fades quickly.

"Well. It seems that I'm in no position to ask this, but why are all you traitors gathered here?"

"Traitors? Us? No, we are just what Lelouch left behind in his conquest for glory." Tamaki growls.

"Excuse me, but I switched over because I heard there was new toys to play with." Rakshata says lazily. She looks a bit restless without her pipe and couch, Suzaku notes. Not that that observation would do him much good.

"Silence, both of you." Gregor says. "Suzaku, Kururugi. I wonder, why do you stay by L2's side? Why do you not see what he is doing?"

"I don't see any reason not to follow him." Suzaku tries to shrug, but his bonds make the gesture a painful one.

"Really? Then describe the situation to me."

Suzaku begins slowly. There wasn't any reason to keep it from them now, since it would all be moot in a few hours either way the battle went. "L2 is planning on using this tower to broadcast a signal. He said that this was the idea area to wipe out all of your communications."

Gregor laughs. "Really? And you believed him? How naïve! No, Suzaku, what he wants this tower for has nothing to do with me."

Suzaku arcs an eyebrow. "Continue."

"L2 has a plan. His plan is not to wipe out me. Nor is it to end the threat of my organization, though it will be weakened significantly by this attack. Nor is it even to make the world a better place. He is doing it because he is selfish."

Suzaku narrows his eyes. "Selfish."

"Yes, selfish. Have you ever heard him call himself the King of Geass?"

"I have." Suzaku nods.

"When he faked his death, he didn't relinquish that title, at least in his own mind. He considers himself to be the only one worthy of Geass on this planet, and possibly this universe. Thus, he is going to destroy all other Geass users." Gregor leans into Suzaku, his breath making Suzaku's squint worse. "That includes you, Suzaku. It also includes Nunnally, Kallen, C2, Lady Kaguya, and anyone else associated with Geass. There is even a possibility that those that have been Geassed will be affected, meaning most of the remaining Britannian family, thousands of random civilians he has Geassed since his power manifested, and every one of his comrades we held prisoner. And who knows? Maybe more people will die, depending of what other Geass users have done."

"Then what is the giant radio thing we have been hauling around? I looked over the plans myself." Suzaku counters.

"And I assume you read them carefully, and understood perfectly?" He walks over to a desk and taps the surface, where blue paper is rolled out. "I had Rakshata here read these, and she had problems understanding it."

Rakshata flips her hair back. "I'm sure the Earl of Pudding wouldn't be able to understand it either. For one thing, it looks like three designs overlaid into one."

Gregor continues. "After I pulled Rakshata out of the sardine can you call a submarine, she told me that it uses sakuradite in conjunction with a large quantity of the Geass power-"

Rakshata shakes her head. "That isn't exactly correct-"

Gregor raises his voice to drown out Rakshata. "Either way, it's essentially a massive bomb that destroys only that which has been touched by Geass. This tower was selected because it is right over one of the old Geass leaks that the old emperor was using to power the Sword of Akasha."

Suzaku tests his bonds, but finds them very snug. "If it won't affect you, then why do you care?"

"I want an immortal army, that is why." Gregor says. He starts to pace as his rant continues. "If L2 destroys the Geass entirely, then that dream will have come to an end. If I stop him though, all my subordinates will be free and immortal. I will grant eternal life to those that wish it. The future that he dreamed, without fighting, the one he faked his own death to attempt to achieve, that future will be a reality."

"You say L2's goal is to get rid of the Geass, but what proof do you have? It sounds to me like you weren't in the loop for this plan."

Gregor's lip curls into a snarl. "I wasn't. L2 never trusted anyone with any information, not even his body double. I would wager only C2 knows the truth about most of his plans, and even then he might still keep secrets from her."

Rakshata yawns. "I'm getting tired. I'm going to my bed and taking a nap." She turns on her heel and walks out the door.

"Yeah, I'm going to go look for L2." Tamaki says, then pauses with his hand on the doorknob. "I am allowed to kill anyone that gets in my way, right?"

Gregor nods. Tamaki grins and opens the door. Once again he stops, and this time instead of turning around, he falls over. Suzaku winces as he sees a large knife handle sticking out of his chest. Blood pools on the floor beneath him.

L2 walks into the room a second later.

"Gregor."

"L2."

"You have my subordinate tied up there. I would recommend releasing him." Throughout this, L2 hadn't moved a muscle, and his voice was as steady as it always was.

"Not a chance. Even if I did release him though, you should know that he knows the truth."

L2 glances at Suzaku. Suzaku nods. L2's eyes shift back to look at Gregor. "What of it?"

Gregor halts. "Do you really expect him to through with a plan that would end in his death?"

L2 grins a spine chilling grin. "He already has. I made him throw away his life and serve my whims. He loathed Zero in life, and was Zero in death. He fulfilled his role for twelve years before he was found out. I'm sure that I could ask him to do it again." L2's grin gets wider. "And if he won't, I have a backup plan."

L2 jerks his head and Jeremiah comes from behind the door. "A simple erase and command would make him follow my every whim, just as Schneizel has since my inauguration."

"You would do that to your own subordinates?" Gregor growls. "That is appalling!"

"Nothing stands between me and my goal. Anything or anyone that tries gets removed. It's been that way since the day I obtained my Geass."

"And what of me? I've been thwarting your plans behind the scenes for years!"

"Have you? On April 3rd, eight years ago. I told you how the immortality codes work. Less than a month later, the new Geass order was formed. I made the connection easily. I have known all along that you were part of my enemy. I just found it more convenient to have you around."

Gregor's hand starts to shake. "I… I… DAMN YOU!" He pulls out a pistol in one smooth motion and fires it.

L2 barely leans back and dodges. Several hairs go flying, and after a second, a line of red cut across his forehead. "Gregor. Your plan was brilliant. It would have worked too, but you made two mistakes."

Gregor aims the gun right between L2's eyes. "What would that be?"

L2's hand moves up to his forehead and rubs back and forth. "You subordinate hit me with his new toy, and I was allowed access to your chambers." He lowers his hand-

Both his eyes are filled with Geass. Suzaku looks down at his hand to see two purple contacts sitting in his palm. In the fog of confusion, Suzaku wonders why L2 had those things anymore.

"I, Lelouch Vi Britannia command you, Gregor, Die!"

Gregor's body locks up. L2 stands there unmoving as the burly man struggles internally to resist the command. Slowly, inexorably, his arm betrays his will as is pulls his drawn pistol up to his head. For a few painful seconds, the gun is in place, but nothing happens.

Then the sharp report comes, and the wall is painted to match the floor. Gregor's body slumps down to the ground and L2 turns to Suzaku.

"It's time to finish this."

o-o-o-o

A few floors down, deeper into the facility, three girls race through the halls, looking for the most influential person in their life. None of the three of them know what will happen if their fearless leader's plan succeeds. C2, the oldest by far, has a vague clue, but has no idea that it will kill not only her but her friends. Once, she wished for death. Now, she was willing to accept it to bring a small measure of peace to the world.

She wouldn't accept the death of her friends though. While she had lived a long, and admittedly full life, Most of those she called friends had a long life ahead of them. He oldest of her close knit group is only 31, which is less than half of his expected lifespan despite being declared dead 12 years ago. C2 would not have accepted the plan if she had known the whole truth when they began 9 years ago.

Kallen on the other hand would bow her head if she knew. She would accept her leader's judgment without reservation. She had realized this somewhere along the way, but she had sold her soul to Lelouch. She had been willing to follow him directly into hell if he had asked, and had been willing to find a way to usurp the devil's throne if he had asked her to do that as well. If she had known the truth, she would have stood by and accepted it as the result of hours, day, or years of calculations that her leader had performed prior to making this decision.

Nunnally would never stand for it on principle. She is a savior, a savior who still believes that what she did on the Damocles was wrong, despite having been convinced at the time that is was the right thing to do. She had lost and regained her sense that the ends do not justify the means. If she knew L2's plan, she would use her considerable influence as his younger sister to convince him to find another plan.

Alas, none of the three women all who had a deep connection with L2, formerly Lelouch Vi Britannia, knew what he had in store for this world.

If they had known, maybe they wouldn't be in a tower's extensive basement, rushing headlong to find a spot to place a machine their leader had built, a machine that would end their lives.

Maybe, the hourglasses governing their lives wouldn't be down to their last few grains of sand.