"Anything may be betrayed; anyone may be forgiven, but not those who lack the courage of their own greatness." Ayn Rann.

Saudi Arabia. One of the biggest desert countries in the whole world.

And they we're Britannia's targets today.

A long line of standard Britannian tanks began to march towards the capitol city of the whole country. The country had been fighting, but was unable to deal with the Knightmares they steadily advanced along their regions. The city constructed mobile fortresses to defend their capitol city. The fortresses we're huge, extending two and a half hundred feet wide and cannons that we're even bigger.

"Fire!" The Sultan of the city called out.

A massive barrage of cannon shells fired at the tanks approaching the city. Several of the tanks we're almost instantly destroyed from the shells. Britannia fired back, but its weapons seemed ineffective. The shells bounced right off of it, doing no damage. The fortresses continued to fire at the line of tanks, destroying one after another, and killing pilot after pilot, until both lines were completely eliminated.

But out of the dust cloud, Knightmares appeared and charged straight at it. These were Glouchesters, stronger, more armored Knightmares. They were armed with Slash Harkens, Machine guns, and long lances…and were considered one of the deadliest forces in Britannia.

"Shotty Knightmare clones." General Dolton said.

"They should have surrendered when they had the chance." Gilford said.

The Britannian Knightmares got within close range of the fortresses. They then fired several shells into the base of the towers, bringing the machines down to their knees. When the machines were situated in place, the leader of the Knightmares destroyed the entire city. The Sultan turned around to see his city and people burning, and a single Knightmare unit standing, its cape flowing in the wind.

"Cornelia." The Sultan said.

"My lord, look in front of us." One of his warriors shouted.

The leaders looked to see a single human sized machine floating in front of all three of them.

Harpuria.

"Enemies of the Empire!" Harpuia shouted. "You all shall cease to exist today!"

Harpuria activated his two beam sabers and swung them three times where he stood. Energy blasts from the blades came out and sliced into all three towers. All three towers stood still as massive explosions incased all three of them. Not one bit remained of them.

"Well done." Princess Cornelia said. "Area Eighteen has been secured."

"Yes." Gilford said. "About the mobilization effort…"

"Sorry I'll have to accompany you on that." Cornelia said.

"I understand." Dolton responded.

"Area 11 will be difficult to manage." She continued.

"We will manage through." They all said.

She nodded her head in approval.

I will find you Zero. To Avenge Clovis.

Harpuia merely stood in the air as he awaited his next orders.

Mega Man X was still thinking about all that had happened those weeks ago. He didn't like Jeremiah for his view on people's lives, but he trusted that he was an honest commander. Because of that, even X's relationship with his fellow officers was cut slim. He stood at the shooting range, firing X-buster after X-buster at the training targets, hitting each one with deadly accuracy. X never missed one target and always hit directly on the target. No one could really tell; he sort of destroyed the target too when he hit it. When X finished his training session, he looked at the results to see all the targets hit directly on the mark.

"100%." He said.

"Quite right you powerful piece of technology." Someone said from behind. X turned to see it was Count Lloyd.

"Count Lloyd!" X shouted. "It's good to see you."

"You too, my little computer friend." Lloyd said. "How's everything been going since you've transferred to the military?"

"Well…" X began. He sighed and then continued. "Things have been quite messy since the whole Zero thing occurred. It's actually now hard for me to discern friend and foe right now with Jeremiah's betrayal."

"Anything may be betrayed; anyone may be forgiven, but not those who lack the courage of their own greatness." Lloyd said.

"I suppose." X said. "It's funny; I actually knew someone who was coincidentally named Zero too."

"Really?" Lloyd asked. "That Zero who appeared wouldn't happen to be…"

"No." X said. "It's not Zero's style to be hidden like that. Not to mention he'd be too bulky for that guise to fool anyone. No, if it was him, he would have charged straight at us and…out of honesty probably have killed all the soldiers there. But…Zero's no Maverick so I think we'd be safe."

"Oh and just when I thought the R&D division could reveal Zero's identity." Lloyd said. "I really could have used that government money they would have given us."

"There's another reason you're here isn't there?" X asked with a sarcastic look.

"Hee hee." Lloyd giggled. "You catch on way too quick. Suzaku Kururugi is going to be released from court today."

"You serious?" X asked ecstatically. "You think they'll actually release him?"

"They're not going to condemn after what happened yesterday." Lloyd said. "If they do, they would be outright proving that all their doing over here is discriminating directly against the elevens to the whole world. Britannia wants a good image for themselves; as essentially any politician would. I know arrogant bastards now aren't they? Besides they had it caught all on camera…and you have it all on camera too."

X did nothing but looked away and clutched his fist.

"Ahh but how the country runs its personal matters is none of your concern." Lloyd said. "Anyway you and Kururugi are good friends so since your off duty today, I figured why not have you come with? You were the only one who stood at his defense so maybe it'd brighten the whole day up for him."

"All right; shooting targets was starting to become a bore anyway." X said. As he turned his X-buster back into a regular arm, he looked up into Lloyd's face…and noticed something. He was still smiling…with an unusually large smirk.

"Hey Lloyd; why do you have that unstable smirk again?" He asked.

Lloyd laughed as he pulled out several power tools from his coat.

"Since we're taking the R&D truck," He began. "You wouldn't mind if I research you a little bit more carefully now don't you?"

"I suppose." X said. "But…for what purpose might I ask?"

"Oh…" He said. "Stuff?"

"Case number 1075." The judge said in Suzaku's mind as he left the court room. " Private Suzaku Kururugi. In the murder of Prince Clovis, you are no longer a suspect due to lack of evidence presented. You are free to go."

He couldn't believe it. He thought for sure he was going to die after what had happened.

"Why?" He asked. "Why all of a sudden?"

Everything that had occurred was still racing through his mind as well. About Zero, about his mysterious followers, everything. Nothing seemed to functioning correctly in Britannia lately.

"Please get out of the way!" A voice from above shouted.

Suzaku at first looked around to find where that voice was coming from. He looked up to see a girl flying from the sky heading straight towards him. The wind picked up her skirt, but she quickly caught it as she fell from the sky.

"Look out below!" She shouted as she fell.

Without even thinking, Suzaku reached out his hands and caught the girl before she even remotely hit the ground. The force of the girl hitting his arms (since she did fall from quite a distance up) caused him to stagger and bend forward, but he quickly caught his balance back up and managed to regain control of himself.

"Hey are you alright?" He asked as soon as he had a firm grip.

"I'm sorry!" She shouted. "I didn't think there was anyone down below."

"It's okay." Suzaku said. "I didn't think there would be a girl falling from the sky either. Is…something wrong?"

The girl looked kind of confused for a moment or two. Then she looked up at him. It looked like she got a bit scared of distorted when she did, but then her expression became cheerful.

"Yes!" She shouted. "Yes there is."

"Oh?" Suzaku asked surprised.

"To tell you the truth," She began. "I'm being chased by bad people. So, can you please help me?"

The girl requested that Suzaku take her away from the general area. Suzaku, being the suck up he is for…just about anyone, went along with her. They mostly went through the town. Suzaku was still confused on the whole ordeal, but he continued to do any of her requests as they went. They pretty much went through the settlement, almost as if they were on a date. Suzaku didn't treat it as such, but he wasn't so sure on what the girl was thinking. As they were strolling, Suzaku noticed that several people who recognized his face were glaring at him. Suzaku put on a pair of shades to hide his eyes. Some people still recognized him, but a lot of others didn't.

With disguise terms, this will have to do until I can get some more cash.

"I haven't even introduced myself yet." She said at one point during their stroll. "I am…"

The girl hesitated for a moment and looked off to the side. A few seconds later, she returned to look at Suzaku.

"Yuffie." She said.

"Yuffie?" He asked.

"Yes." She responded.

"Well I am…" Suzaku began.

"You don't have to do that." She said. "You're famous."

Famous how?

"The son of the former Prime minister, Suzaku Kururugi." She said.

Wow she's pretty good.

Suzaku turned around and looked off into the wilderness.

"It was a lie right?" He asked. "The story of being chased by bad people?"

Yuffie missed what he said. She was busy looking at a cat that she had found on the ground nearby where they were walking. She was even meowing to it like a cat. The cat moved up its back and hissed at her, but she continued to act calm around it and continued to meow at it. Suzaku just stood there and watched, wondering who exactly this girl was. She eventually managed to calm the cat down even be able to pick it up. She grabbed it and held it for Suzaku to look. Suzaku smiled as he saw the cat and attempted to pet it. However, as soon as he tried, the cat reached out and bit him.

"Oh my." She said.

"We're late." Lloyd said as the R&D truck pulled by the courthouse. "I wish the boy had waited for us at the door."

"Maybe if you didn't take the time to strap me into this device, we'd be in here a lot sooner." X said. "Any chance I can lea…"

"No." Lloyd snapped, still looking for Suzaku.

"Was he really released?" Cecile said.

"You're asking the guy who's strapped on a table against his will?" X asked. "I don't mind him researching me…but even this seems like a little much."

"Of course he was due to lack of evidence." Lloyd said. "Thanks to Zero, they investigated it very thoroughly."

"Zero…so ironic I knew someone with that exact name." X said. He then peered into the window and something caught his eye. "…is that Suzaku with a girl?"

Lloyd and Cecile looked at the rear view mirror of the car to see Suzaku walking with the mysterious girl Yuffie.

"Do you hate cats?" Yuffie said as she bound up the cat's paws at the fountain.

"No I love them." Suzaku said as he reached to try and put it again. The cat merely hissed at him.

"But I suppose my love is a bit one sided." He said.

"Unconditional love is the sign of a gentle soul." Yuffie said.

While she was speaking, the cat got up and ran away from the two. The two simply watched as it ran into the crowds of people.

"There he goes." She said.

"Yuffie…" Suzaku began. "Why did you lie back there? Did you want to know something about me?"

"Yes!" She shouted. "You should accompany me for a little while longer!"

And so the two went around town and began to do things. Whether it was looking at all the nice clothing, getting something to eat, and just plain out messing around town, they did it. Again, Suzaku wasn't sure if what he was a date, but he didn't really care. Right now he was having too much fun. Fun he hadn't had for a while now. The two began to learn about each other more and more.

"Walking about like this, makes me feel like I'm back in Britannia."

"Are you from the mainland?

"Yes. I was a student up until last week."

"Until then? But what about High School?

"How long are you going to be here? Uh sorry…that's not what I meant. It's just this is my last day off and I want to see what kind of place Area 11 is."

"But then anyone could have shown you around."

"Well, I'm happy I found you."

"I see."

"We're done here, X." Lloyd said as he deactivated the machine.

"What was all that about anyway?" X asked as he looked at the unusual device.

"I'm trying to understand how Doctor Light did it." Lloyd said.

"Light?" X asked. "As in…Doctor Light! You know that?"

"The capsule you were sealed in had a message built into it that explained all about you." Lloyd said. "The hard drive built into it as well provided further details, but the mere fact of the matter is the drive is heavily encrypted. I have a good R&D team that has been working on it to try and break into it, but no luck. I wonder why Doctor Light went through such trouble to encrypt…he obviously wasn't going to gain anything from it."

"But…" X began. "Aren't you guys only here to develop weapons for the empire?"

"Both." Lloyd said. "R&D team is interested in your capabilities militarily wise, but a few key members of the team and some big shots in the military are interested in a much bigger prize."

"Hmm?" X asked.

"A machine that can perfectly simulate all the emotions of an individual human being." Lloyd said as he looked up at him with a data disk in hand. "Britannia has done some unique things with technology, but nothing among the lines that you have. I'm trying to find out how your brain works. That piece of metal in your head moves and calculates on a scale no other scientist has even fathomed. The human brain generates so much electricity because of the fact it does think. Your brain thinks with the capacity of a super computer and a human combined, but can also…THINK. As in how a human brain works. If I can solve the mystery of you, I can breach a whole gap of machine and man."

"You wanted to see how I work; why I feel emotion?" X asked.

"Learning that is a stepping stone to much bigger things X." Lloyd said. "I want to learn how your brain works overall. The emotional part will come into play among this research. Finding how your brain works is the true goal. This in itself could open a whole new door in the world of technology. New technology would be created that cut severely cut costs of machines. Maintenance would almost be never being required. You can self-repair. Your brain works like that of a human so the amount of information you can store is essentially limitless. Databases and archives could be stored onto one computer. And all from replicating a hard drive similar to that of your brain. Maintaining an empire which controls one-third of the planet is not a cheap venture; and any costs that could be cut is a gesture that the empire would love. Along with controlling the populace, cutting costs for businesses and government alike is almost necessary in any day business practice. Why I think if I study this data enough, I could even replicate your design. Make more of you."

"You mean create more Reploids using my data?" X asked.

"Indeed; however…that's something for another time." Lloyd said.

X stayed quiet for a few minutes, and moved his head away. As much as he enjoyed Reploids, he knew that the whole Reploid generation had caused unprecedented problems for the Earth as a whole. He couldn't help but wonder if this idea was worth it.

"I don't know…" X said. "The last time someone did that, it caused too much damage. I don't think it can justify a second time around."

"I'm afraid the decision X rests entirely upon the Britannian government." Lloyd said. "I can't deny that I have been hearing rumors about Britannia slowly becoming more and more interested with your data. A machine that is capable of out running and out gunning a Knightmare; and its only 6'3. That could be useful…don't you think? No matter whether it comes to you turning into a weapon, or a research tool, I do intend to make good use with your data."

"But to reproduce me…make more Reploids…" X said. "No…it should not be done again. Not even the greatest scientist back where I came from was able to do it. And the technology he had was greater than Britannia's!"

"Well then…"Lloyd began. "I'll just have to outdo the guy now will I?"

"ARE YOU AS STUPID AS DOCTOR CAIN?" X shouted. "He tried that before you even thought about it and it created a war that lasted for over a hundred years!"

"Well…regardless of any qualms that you have…this will eventually come to pass." Lloyd said. "I was ordered by the military to extract information on your brain...and acquire data about you"

"You were?" X asked.

"Indeed." Lloyd said. "They didn't tell me with what for yet, but according to what I know, they just want it on file. Sorry I didn't tell you, but if the military told you, I know for a fact you'd think twice about it and possibly resist. You saw what the military did in Shinjuku so I thought that might have been something you never would have wanted to get involved in. Sorry about this X, but my job was on the line. I need to make a living somehow."

"I...I... see…" X began.

"Cheer up X." Lloyd said. "Unlike the Elevens, their treating you like a Britannian. Maybe one day after you go up enough, maybe then you can the influence the government to hold off on pressure or create policies on your own…unless they continue to give you that label of hardware instead of person."

"Suzaku is moving again." Cecile said.

"We'll speak on this later." Lloyd said. "If you have any other concerns, comments, insults, death threats, just relay them after today. Know that we are only right now extracting data for study…there's been no official declaration for Reploid production; or weapon production from your data…yet."

"Right." X said.

"Zero." Leviathan asked as they sat along the shore. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Zero said.

"Why did you follow the resistance?" She asked.

"Why do you care?" Zero asked.

"I'd just like to know." She said. "Think about it; in the resistance, you had nothing. You were no longer renowned as a hero…"

"I don't ever remember calling myself a hero." Zero snapped.

"Just shut up and listen." She snapped back. "You barely had any energy to survive on. You were constantly hunted by Neo Arcadia's army, and us four guardians. And even still you fought on. So why? You could have it all like you did before. And you threw that away."

Zero looked at her.

Well this is a surprise from her flirting with me the whole trip.

"Why did I do it?" Zero said. "Because it just seemed right. More right than what it was back in the day. As a Maverick hunter, it didn't matter what we did; every battle we won, we lost. Every victory only renewed the Maverick's will to fight. People that had signs of being Maverick and/or accused of it we had locked up and/or on surveillance…they we're more willing to join them. Families, friends, neighbors, associates; all of them split up from the label of Maverick…least that's what I think. I thought that by fighting with them, that could end it. Humans and Reploids, all sacrificed for idealism...because of a label that may or may not have been justified. All of that had to end. That's why I showed no mercy and no repercussions by killing Weil. The battle needed to end."

Leviathan looked at him as Zero stared off into the sea.

"Maybe that's why I let you all live." Zero said. "You and the others knew. You knew I could have killed all of you right there. Instead I let you run away."

"Zero…" She said.

Zero turned to look at her. He formed a small smile; something rare for him. She smiled back.

"Can we be friends then?" She said, reaching out her hand.

Zero took her hand and shook it. He also put his other hand on top of hers and clutched it tightly.

"Why not?" He responded.

Zero and she held hands for a while as they stared off into the sea.

Zero got up and picked her up as the two looked at the ocean waves. Zero kept his arm on her hand. She placed her hand on his arm. When he realizied that though…he pulled it away.

"Don't push it." He said.

Zero had no idea that he was being monitored. A small probe hid in the trees as it recorded Zero talking with Leviathan. No one in the public seemed to see it because it was so small. If someone did, they would not have idea what it was. The probe itself looked far more advanced than anything Britannia had ever saw before. The camera seemed to directly focus on Zero, as several mysterious figures watched the feed on another screen.

"The warp didn't have Zero where he should have been located." A voice said.

"Most unexpected." The voice of an old man said.

"Because of that, Zero's true form is developing slower than needed." Another voice said. "If it doesn't develop quickly enough, our greatest creation will not be ready for our plans."

"Irrelevant." The old man's voice said. "We have plenty of time before we need worry. Zero isn't going anywhere. However, we should accelerate this process so he will come to us when he needs us to."

"What about the other Reploids?" The voice from before said.

"They are there to create more chaos and influence Zero more." It responded. "Most of these Reploids Zero knows in some way or form. Their deaths will be the perfect fuel to his form. This power I obtained will make it as I foreseen it."

A Geass marking appeared in the eye of the voice.

"Suzaku." Yuffie asked. "I want you to take me to one more place."

"What place is that?" HE asked.

"Shinjuku Ghetto." She said. "Please take me to Shinjuku Ghetto."

Suzaku willingly obeyed the young woman and took her to the Shinjuku ghetto. The ghetto before the battle had already looked destroyed, but now, there was almost nothing. Nothing left to return to. Playgrounds were buried into the ground. Graveyards were abundant. Suzaku was surprised to see a look of empathy in the girl's eyes. Like she couldn't believe her people would ever consider doing this. Suzaku just stayed still as they stared at the grave markers.

"Ah…as I thought." A voice from behind them said. "They wouldn't use RGs against Elevens."

Suzaku and Yuffie turned around to see two Britannian students from Ashford looking at a statue. Suzaku couldn't tell what the statue was due to the damage it had taken from the history of conflice that the Elevens had.

"Look at the aftermath." The other said. "Hurry and take a picture."

"I know." The other said as he snapped a photo of the other. "Me next."

"I know I know." His cohort responded.

Suzaku looked at them with anger, but did nothing to stop them. He however, turned around when several Elevens went over by the students and began to harass them. One of them that apparently were the leader of the gang, smacked the new camera right out of the students hands.

"Get out of here, Britannian pigs!" He shouted.

"What?" They said startled. "You're just an Eleven?"

"Japanese!" He shouted. "I'm Japanese damn it!"

"What are you talking about?" They shouted. "You lost the war to us; you dogs of a defeated country."

"Why you little…" The leader said. He raised his fist in a position to punch the young man where he stood.

"Stop!" Suzaku yelled. "Don't resort to violence!"

Tamaki and his gang looked at the approaching. Tamaki swatted Suzaku in the face, knocking off his shades. Suzaku's face was now shown to everyone. Everyone seemed to recognize him instantly.

"Are you…Suzaku Kururugi?" Tamaki asked.

"You mean the one who killed Clovis?" A student asked,

"No way." The Eleven said. "Zero killed Clovis."

Tamaki spat on the ground. He eyed Suzaku with evil glaring eyes. Tamaki did not look like his friend one bit.

"This guy's just a slave." Tamaki began. "Look at you acting so happy. Selling your comrades, your pride and soul. I bet you don't even call yourself Japanese anymore."

As soon as Suzaku heard that, he began to overreact. He looked at Tamaki with fierce eyes when he said that.

"That's not it!" He shouted. "I…"

"That is it!" Tamaki shouted. "You dog of Britannia!"

He raised his fist towards Suzaku's head and charged at him like a madman. Suzaku looked at. His body pumped heavy amounts of adrenaline into his brain. Tamaki appeared to be moving in slow motion. Suzaku grabbed Tamaki's fist and his shirt, picked up Tamaki's whole body, let him slide down his back and threw him against the heavy ground. The impact was so loud it was heard all around the general area. Tamaki could barely move after it.

"Please stop this!" Suzaku said. "I have received training. You do not stand a chance against me."

Tamaki managed to get up after Suzaku's attack. He was about to strike at him a second time, but one of his comrades told him to stop. Tamaki got up and walked away from the area.

"Suzaku!" Yuffie shouted as she got near him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes everything is okay now." He said. He took back the bag he dropped when he first ran up to the area.

"No it's not okay!" One of the students shouted. "My prime G and MX4 are ruined!"

"You were too late!" The other student said.

"Why did you let them go?" The other student yelled. "You're an honorary Britannian? You've killed Elevens before! Who the hell do you think is feeding you?"

Yuffie went up to the one student was insulting Suzaku and smacked him right in the face. The camera fell on the hard rocks. You couldn't tell from the outside, but it was broke.

"Stop!" She said. "I will not have you insult this man!"

The students looked in terror. A Britannian woman was in front of Suzaku and defending him. And her clothing suggested she was a noble type woman. The students ran away from the area. Nothing but cowards in the end.

"Attention all troops!" A Britannian officer said. "Target has been confirmed. Leviathan. 3rd Generation Reploid, according to data from Mega Man X. Target has been locked. All shells fired on command."

Behind Zero and Leviathan, Britannian troops have been setting up artillery in an attempt to kill off the Reploid girl.

"FIRE!" He shouted.

Several Batteries launched large shells at Leviathan and Zero at the beach. The shells collided on the ground and created an eruption of flame and smoke. The cloud of dust and debris stretched for fifty feet in the air. The Britannian's looked confident that they had nailed the target. Many of pedestrians were running. That's okay. Britannia was going to make it look like a terrorist attack anyway.

But to their dismay, when the smoke cleared, they saw Leviathan and Zero covered in a barrier, flashing red and blue all around them. Zero had transformed into his armor and had his cloak on to keep him from being seen. He was holding a sphere in his hands that was also flashing red and blue that seemed to be emitting the aura.

"WHAT!" They shouted. "How did they survive that?"

"Look over there, next to Leviathan!" Another soldier shouted.

Leviathan stood there in her actual Reploid armor and Zero stood there holding the sphere.

"Should have figured we were being followed!" Zero shouted.

"That was a close one." She said. "What is that?"

"Guard shell." Zero said. "Data I acquired during the Zero Nightmare incident."

Zero deactivated the barrier. All of it seemed to disperse into the sphere. The sphere began to grow erratic and unstable. Zero stretched out his hand looking like he planned on throwing the sphere.

"Have a taste of your own power!" He shouted, hurling the sphere at the Britannians.

The sphere went straight towards the Britannians. The sphere collided into the batteries that were set up to destroy the two. A few seconds later, an explosion, far more massive the one created at the two, incased the entire area. All of the batteries were consumed in the blast. A large smoke cloud appeared over the area of destruction.

As soon as the blast cleared, Zero and Leviathan saw several Britannian troopers get up and start firing at them.

"Let's show them what were capable of!" Zero said as he activated his beam saber.

"Damn right." Leviathan said.