Hi everyone. Thanks again for waiting, I know this story has gained quite a following, but I do have other stories I need to work on. So anyways, things get more interesting from this point forward as the Autobots and Black Knights currently stationed in the EU have allied with WZERO, but what of their enemies? Well let's find out right now. Without further delay, let's begin.

To Divide and Unite

The central palace of Sankt Petersburg was quite packed as the entire throne room was filled with nobles and soldiers from Euro Britannia, even those who managed to escape the fall of Britannia at the hands of the Decepticons. The Grandmasters of three of the main Holy Orders gathered together around the throne where Duke Highland sat; Andrea Farnese of the Holy Order of Raphael, Gaudefroy du Villon of the Holy Order of Gabriel, and Raymond du Saint-Gilles of the Holy Order of Uriel. But there was a special person standing close to the throne where Highland sat: Marrybell Mel Britannia.

The red-clad Princess looked around the throne to see the many nobles and soldiers gathered for this ceremony; among them were her own personal squad the Gilda Knights, who happened to be standing close to a similarly red-clad group of soldiers led by a young man with vibrant red hair and a wild look in his eyes. She made eye-contact with her personal Knight, Oldrin, before she gave an assuring nod to her princess. Though she wasn't a fan of most pageantries like this, she understood why Duke Highland organized this event. It was the knighting of the new head to the Holy Order of Michael, and such a thing could raise the moral of the people a bit, which she saw was necessary given the state the world was currently in.

Soon the man of honor, Shin Hyuga Shang, walked down the line of nobles and soldiers as they all stood straight; the soldiers all saluting him as he walked with such grace and nobility. However, underneath her calm appearance, Marrybell looked a bit uneasy. There was something about Shang that made her feel uncomfortable, and it wasn't because he was of Japanese descent, it was something else.

Shin would soon reach the small flight of stairs to the throne before taking a bow to the Duke, Princess, and three Grandmasters.

"In the name of the Heavens, the Earth, and the Holy Spirit, I Duke Velaines decree the following. Shin Hyuga Shang shall be named Grand Master of the Holy Order of Michael! One of the four great Orders that is bound to serve and protect the nation of Euro Britannia!" The Duke announced before standing up. "Lord Shang, if you would, please approach the throne."

Shang stood up and did as told before Andrea, Gaudefroy, Raymond, and even Marrybell drew and raised their swords and rose them before joining them up high, with Shin joining them with his own blade.

"All hail Britannia!" The five of them said, resulting in a series of claps from the audience.

Soon, the celebrations came to an end as the nobles and soldiers began to depart. Marrybell was about to rejoin her squad when the Duke spoke out.

"Excuse me, your majesty." Highland got her attention. "I would encourage you to please remain here. There is an urgent matter I would need to discuss with you and the Grandmasters."

"As you wish." Marrybell replied before turning to Oldrin and the rest of the Glinda Knights, giving a nod, silently telling them to return to the Granberry and she would join them later. They left soon after, leaving the six individuals alone in the large throne room. She paid a glance to the newest Grand Master before speaking.

"Congratulations Shin. I'm sure you've worked hard for this." She spoke to him in a polite tone but looked at him with suspicion. She knew Manfredi quite well as he was the former Knight of Two in the homeland, and it was highly unlikely he took his own life despite the official reports.

"I am thankful, your majesty." Shin nodded with a smile, but he saw through her façade quite easily. "It is my hope that I live up to my predecessors' expectations."

"I hope so as well." Duke Highland said. "And I thank you all for agreeing to this ceremony. With the world in such a state of turmoil, the people need events like this. It helps put their minds at ease."

"All due respect, my lord. I have a feeling that we weren't all called here just for the ceremony." Andrea spoke. "Which is evident by you requesting that remain here even after the ceremony has completed, and our guests departed."

"Perceptive as always, Lord Farnese." Duke Highland nodded solemnly. "As I said, the world is in a great crisis, one that threatens us more so than any other superpower. Because of that, I have been asked to arrange a meeting that could determine whether or not Euro Britannia has a future."

It didn't take long for them to realize who he was talking about, resulting in a series of mixed reactions. Andrea scowled lightly, as did the elderly Raymond, while Shin looked with interest, Marrybell's fists clenched as she openly scowled.

"You have got to be kidding me…" She muttered. However, Gaudefroy wasn't so subtle.

"Those wretched Decepticons dare to come here?!" He exclaimed in an infuriated tone. "After everything they've done…!"

"Lord Villon, please restrain yourself!" Duke Highland exclaimed, causing Gaudefroy to look at him in surprise, as well as Marrybell and the other Grand Masters. "Listen, all of you. You have every reason to be infuriated with this, as do I. But we have no choice in this matter. We all saw what they did to the Homeland, we cannot afford to wage open war with the Decepticons. So, I ask you all please to be patient. In these desperate of times, for the sake of our people, we must take the most desperate of measures."

Gaudefroy still scowled, but Andrea put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down slightly while Shin and Raymond simply nodded. Marrybell put her scowl away as well.

"As you wish, but I don't have to like it." Marrybell stated.

The Duke gave a sigh before the door to his throne room opened and two certain Decepticons entered the chambers.

"Wise words, Duke Velaines." The silver clad Decepticon spoke as he walked forward before stopping just before the group of glaring humans, while Shin looked up in awe, his eyes laying on a Cybertronian for the first time. "Please allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Steeljaw."

"And I am Sky-Byte." The Sharkticon followed. "We come on behest of Lord Megatron."

"And where is Lord Megatron?" Marrybell questioned. "Does he think us too beneath him to simply negotiate with?"

"Unfortunately, our Lord is currently occupied with other matters at hand." Steeljaw began. "Oh, you must be Marrybell Mel Britannia, the only remember of the former Royal Family that remains free; anyone else has either died, been imprisoned, or defected. So, I can understand why you feel such contempt toward us."

Marrybell was about to speak out again, against the wishes of Duke Highland, but Shin stepped in front to keep such an outburst from happening.

"Please excuse her Majesty." Shin spoke in a calm tone. "As you previously acknowledged, she has lost a great deal in the Fall of Britannia. But, it is our hope that we believe a more peaceful arrangement can be made between our two forces."

"Indeed, that is our hope as well." Sky-Byte replied. "I'm sure that you're each well aware at this point, but the Autobots and the Black Knights have resurfaced; as a result, your world is in a state of panic and confusion. But, with us, your nation could help restore order to this world."

"Order? Is that what you call it?" Gaudefroy was already beginning to lose his composure. "You've completely uprooted the entire Britannia Empire! Euro Britannia is all that remains now! So many people have died at your hands!"

"Lord Gaudefroy!" Duke Highland was about to calm him down.

"It's quite alright." Steeljaw assured, still speaking in a calm tone of voice. "It's perfectly understandable why you feel that way. But, if you would allow, please let me explain. Even before we came to Earth, your planet was already in a state of chaos. The former Britannian Empire has attempted to steam role the planet for many decades, wiping out several smaller nations and stripping them of their freedom. That is the reason why they had to be overthrown. The Holy Britannian Empire was, simply put, an embodiment of chaos and destruction. Their Emperor had to be dealt with, because if he continued along his path, the Earth would have been destroyed."

"You don't know that…" Raymond muttered.

"It was still a risk we couldn't afford to take." Steeljaw continued. "So yes, we admit, our methods may have seemed extreme, but we had to make sure Britannia could never further harm anyone again."

"Under the rule of the Decepticons, your world could become much more orderly." Sky-Byte offered. "Euro Britannia could continue to stand as it is now, under Decepticon leadership of course, but it would be as if we weren't even here."

"And should we refuse such an offer?" Andrea questioned. "Do you intend to force us?"

"Oh, we're not the ones you should be worried about." Steeljaw answered. "We actually believe the Autobots and the Black Knights seek aid from the EU, in order to gather allies of their own. Should this be true, they may attempt to seize control of your state. You should know by now just how dangerous they are, which could prove even more so should an entire superpower offer its support. However, with our assistance, we can not only keep the enemy at bay, but even begin to help establish a new state that can bring world to this chaotic world."

This caused the group gathered to look amongst each other. If it was true, and the Autobots and the Black Knights were to actually gain aid from the EU, it could embolden their forces to push back against them.

"Let us discuss your terms." Duke Highland accepted, causing Steeljaw to smile. Despite the glares from several of the Grandmasters, as well as Marrybell, they had no choice in the matter but to accept.

'Euphemia… I hope you and your friends know what you're doing.' Duke Highland thought to himself.

However, while everyone else appeared in reluctance, Shin had an intrigued look in his eyes. Perhaps something useful can come from working alongside the Decepticons.

Castle Weisswolf

Ryo gave a yell as he sliced his Alexander's axe toward Sideswipe, who blocked and parried with his own sword before locking weapons, both combatants appeared to be outside the castle.

"You're pretty good pal, but are you good enough to keep up with me?" Sideswipe said with a smirk.

An equally dangerous smirk fell on Ryo's face. "Someone's cocky. But who am I to talk?" He continued his sparing match as his variant of the Alexander continued to parry the axe against Sideswipe's sword, both appeared to be having fun.

At the same time, Grindcore looked almost like he was dancing on the ground, when really he was avoiding the small, non-lethal, explosions shot by the sniper rifle wielded by Yukiya's Alexander.

"Nice dance moves you got pal. Let's see you do one of those Scottish tap dance things." Yukiya chuckled as he continued to shoot.

"Oh, you wanna dance huh? I'll give you something better!" Grindcore stated as he transformed into his monster truck form and drove directly toward the surprised Yukiya.

"Oh crap!" He exclaimed before his Alexander turned into his insectoid-mode and scurried off with Grindcore in pursuit.

"Come back here! How are you gonna punch someone when you run away?" Grindcore questioned as he continued to give chase.

However, another sparing session didn't appear to be going as frivolous as Ayano's own Alexander swung its sword toward Strongarm, who parried it with the blunt of her Energon crossbow before she rolled away and shot at her sparring partner, who converted her Alexander into its insectoid-mode before scurrying away.

"Are you going to run or take this session seriously?" Strongarm questioned.

"You want serious?" Ayano questioned with a glare before gunning straight toward the surprised Strongarm and attacked her somewhat ferociously, striking her sword at her, though Strongarm was able to use her crossbow to parry it, she seemed to barley hold her ground. That is until, she ducked under the swing of the Alexander's sword, grabbed it by the waist and threw it to the side.

"What's wrong? I thought you wanted me to take this seriously." Ayano stated as she went on the attack once more, but this time, Strongarm was ready for her.

"Well, they certainly know what they're doing." Prowl commented as he stood alongside Arcee and Bulkhead, observing the sparing sessions.

"But the way those Knightmares crawl around creeps me out…" Bulkhead said with a slight shiver. "Kinda reminds me of the Insecticons."

"Either way, it's clear this isn't the first time these kids have piloted Knightmares." Arcee said. "They're definitely good, but…"

"You worry they could betray us." Prowl finished for her.

"It is a possibility." Arcee said.

"Well, maybe not." Bulkhead suggested. "I mean, Kallen and the others were just like that when we first formed the Black Knights and look how they turned out. Maybe it could be the same for these kids."

"You're pretty optimistic Bulk, and I like that, but try not to let it blind you to the real possibility of desertion." Arcee told him.

At the same time, in a different area outside the castle, the Radiant Wave Surger from Kallen's Guren shot a series of energy blasts towards the Alexander piloted by Akito as his own Knightmare, currently in its insectoid-mode, scurried around each blast before closing the distance to stand up right and bring down its tonfa toward the Guren, which parried it with a quick draw of the knife before shooting into the sky with the Guren's energy wing system.

"You're pretty good, Akito." Kallen commented with an impressed smirk. "But let's see you dodge this." She shot a series of blasts from the Guren's energy wings.

Akito's only response was a smirk of his own as his Alexander converted back into its insect mode and easily maneuvered around each blast before the Guren shot back down and fired its slash harkens, but Akito dove his Alexander directly under the slashes and the Guren just before it landed and stood up right from behind to attack, but Kallen quickly turned the Guren around to lock her knife with the tonfa as the Alexander's other arm shot out a hidden blade, which the Guren met with a flash of the Surger claw, melting it before the Alexander leapt back and the Guren pursued.

"Wow." Rai looked more than a little impressed as he, Gino, Smokescreen, Bumblebee, and Monica watched this sparing match. "Few pilots can actually match Kallen… and she's in an advanced Cybertronian Knightmare!"

"My own Florence was based off the Alexanders, which were designed as prototypes before Britannia procured one in a skirmish against the EU." Monica said. "But he's able to take a prototype and use it to go on par with someone on Kallen's level… I'm impressed."

"Yeah, and hey, before coming here, I did some research on this guy. Apparently, they call him the Ghost of Hannibal." Smokescreen commented. "Not sure what that means, but it's pretty catchy."

"[Hannibal was a general who fought against the Roman Empire on Earth a long time ago.]" Bumblebee explained. "[Apparently, he found a way to get his forces behind enemy lines, which Akito was able to do for the WZERO.]"

"Hence the name 'Ghost of Hannibal'." Gino said as he continued to watch the sparing match. "You know, this guy might actually be Knight of the Round level. If Britannia didn't have that whole stupid number system, I can totally see Akito becoming a Knight, and a high-ranking one at that."

"Maybe you'd like to spar with him, partner?" Smokescreen asked. "See for yourself."

Gino had a nervous smile. "Um… I don't think so. Don't tell him I said this, but Akito… kinda scares me."

At the same time, inside the castle; Zero, Cera, Euphemia, Orpheus, and Suzaku sat with Leila, Claus, and fellow WZERO officer Oscar Hammel around a table on an indoor balcony, with Ultra Magnus and Elita One standing next to them as they discussed the situation regarding their newest recruits.

"And they're the only survivors?" Zero asked as Orpheus finished his explanation.

"That's right." Orpheus confirmed. "They're group suffered many casualties until only those three were left. They scavenged for food, weapons, anything they could get their hands on."

"Well, when you're only option in the EU is to live in the ghettos, it seems obvious they'd make such a choice." Cera commented. "It's not too different from how Area 11 worked in the past."

Euphemia and Leila shared sympathetic expressions while everyone else remained more serious. "Commander Malcal, I understand this is your decision to make, but I still feel I most protest your reasoning for allowing those three to stay here." Ultra Magnus spoke.

"I have to agree with the Autobot." Oscar stated. "They attempted to abduct General Smilas and even attacked you!"

"I understand your concerns and I thank you for them." Leila spoke. "But I didn't just invite them here because I felt I could give them a home. Not including them, Akito is the only remaining soldier in the WZERO unit; no matter how skilled he is, a single pilot alone can't win a battle."

"You can thank that idiot Anou for that." Claus said in his causal tone of voice as he slipped some alcohol in his coffee. "He was the one who put the self-destruct option in all our Knightmares."

"All the more reason to see him discharged." Suzaku said, doing his best to maintain a profession disposition as he, and even Lelouch, both scowled at the mention of that man. They knew what kind of man Pierre Anou was after Leila told them about him, and he was not the kind of man they would want in their organization.

"That being said, we need more pilots." Leila continued. "Ryo and the others have proven to be capable of holding their own. And if our opponents are the Decepticons, we need all the assistance we can get."

"Don't misunderstand me." Ultra Magnus said. "If those three prove to be valuable assets and are capable of contributing to our cause, I am willing to accept that. But we must also consider the possibility of turning their Knightmares against us."

"Do you really think they would do that, Ultra Magnus?" Euphemia asked.

"It is a possibility; I'm not saying it's guaranteed." The Autobot commander replied.

"Another thing to consider is that they're kids." Elita One said. "I know it doesn't justify their actions, but they should still be given a chance at redemption. Optimus himself said that everyone is capable of change, and I agree, and while I do acknowledge that not everyone wants to change, they do have the capacity for it. We should still offer that chance to them."

"If we want them truly on our side, we need to earn their trust." Zero added. "That's always been the key ever since we formed the Black Knight-Autobot alliance in Japan so long ago. It's about establishing trust."

"And how do you propose we earn that trust?" Oscar asked.

"By fighting alongside them, on the battlefield." Suzaku said.

"That usually is the best way to for soldiers to earn respect." Cera added, having seen that thousands of times before in her immortal life.

"I am hopping we are able to establish that trust and rebuild the WZERO." Leila said. She noticed how Magnus was about to protest and spoke directly toward him. "But… if in the event it does not work out, I am prepared to turn them over to the authorities. But until they give me a reason to prove that they are not trustworthy, we will treat them with respect. Do you find these terms acceptable, Commander Magnus?"

"I do." Ultra Magnus nodded with confirmation. He may not have liked the idea, but he wasn't completely opposed to it either.

Meanwhile, within the laboratory of the castle, Jetfire was able to kneel down and fit inside the laboratory, after entering through the Knightmare bay door as he observed the work of Anna, Sophie, and several other young scientists, all of whom appeared to be young women, excluding one man.

"So… you're working with Knightmare drones." Jetfire observed as he saw one of the Alexanders, not being operated by a pilot, but hooked up to several cables as it walked along a treadmill, while being controlled by Anna.

"Yes, we're hoping it could help minimalize casualties on the battlefield." Anna replied. "But with our current AI system, I fear we may not be able to reach that kind of level of expectations."

"Hmm." Jetfire began to think. "Am I correct to assume that the Alexander pilots are linked together through some sort of neural link?"

"It's what we're actually hopping to achieve." Sophie replied. "It would enable our pilots to communicate much more effectively and respond to enemy attacks faster than normal. But we've been unable to work out the bugs."

"Maybe we could do something similar with these drones you're developing." Jetfire suggested, getting everyone's attention. "There's a Cybertronian device called the Omniglobe that allows the user to command multiple battles at once, we've even developed one for Zero. Maybe we could develop a similar device that can allow a group of pilots to command legions of drones. Depending on the user-in-question, it may increase reaction time and we may not have to worry about any AI issues."

"Is something like that really possible?" Anna asked.

"It's only a theory, but I think it's one worth exploring." Jetfire offered.

Sophie couldn't help but smirk. "Sounds almost like a video game. But a game I'd be interested in playing."

Ryo gave a loud sigh as he laid back in his bed, he and his friends having returned to their dorm room after their sparing session against the Autobots came to an end.

"Those Bots put up one heck of a fight, I'll grant them that." Ryo commented as Yukiya worked on a small pad-like device.

"And just how long are we planning to stick around here?" Ayano asked as she sat near the windowsill, looking outside.

"As long as we continue to get free room and board." Ryo replied. "I mean, we're in a castle that's got giant alien robots inside, not to mention freaking Zero!"

"And how long until they drag us into their little war?" Ayano questioned with a glare. "Those guys want to take on the world, that's their thing! But why do we have to go along with it?!"

"Don't get so worked up." Ryo said as he sat up.

"We both know the reason Ayano's freaking out is because they confiscated her dagger." Yukiya said with a smirk.

"Yeah, so what?!" Ayano exclaimed. "It's belongs to me! They have no right! Just because they say their fighting for the freedom of the world or whatever doesn't mean…!"

"Hey Yukiya, you finished setting up our next game?" Ryo asked, much to Ayano's confusion.

"Yeah, just about." Yukiya confirmed as he continued to work on his pad.

"What are you talking about?" Ayano asked. "Tell me!"

"Look, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." Ryo told her.

"Come on! Just tell me, guys!" She exclaimed.

"Ayano, all you need to know is that we belong here." Yukiya said in a mysterious tone of voice. "Trust me."

However, unbeknownst to them, there was someone else listening in on their conversation. Hanging just below their window was Prowl, who clung to the wall and used his cloaking field to keep himself invisible. He had tuned his audio censors to listen to every word they said. He could tell from the way Ryo and Yukiya were speaking that they were planning something. This was not unexpected, but it was also something to be concerned about. So, he relayed the information to his human commander.

"Yes, I understand Prowl." Lelouch said from his personal guest quarters as Prowl had just contacted him. "Thank you, continue to monitor them. Alright. Understood." Just as he hung up, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Orpheus as he entered the room. "Judging by the look on your face, I'm assuming our guests are up to something."

"Yeah, seems like it." Lelouch confirmed. "Prowl's watching over them."

"Well, they're not the only ones." Orpheus said, getting Lelouch's attention. "There's something about Claus. I'm not sure what exactly, but I can tell from the look in his eyes that he's hiding something."

"Are you sure?" Lelouch asked.

"Trust me." Orpheus replied. "There's something going on with him."

"Alright." Lelouch nodded. "Contact our agents on Horai Island and have them do some digging and have them do the same for Gene Smilas. I can't help but think something may be off with him as well."

"Doing digging on the one person who might be able to get us a word in with the EU politics?" Orpheus asked with a slight smirk. "For someone who's acting idealistic, you can be pretty sneaky too, Lelouch."

"Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst." Lelouch said with a serious expression. "That's one of the first things I've learned since this war started."

At the same time, Cera sat in Leila's room as the immortal girl pressed her hand against Leila's forehead before pulling away.

"Well?" Leila asked.

"I can safely say that power still dwells within you." Cera said. "But… it appears to have undergone a change. I can't say for certain what that change is, or how it occurred, but you definitely still have your Geass."

Leila wasn't quite sure what to make of that. On one hand, it felt good to know that she had a mysterious power that could provide aid for their cause, seeing how Lelouch and Rai and even Orpheus, have been able to use theirs. But at the same time, after hearing how this power could also be connected to something that could only be described as the Devil, it also made her uncomfortable.

"But I still have control over this ability?" Leila asked.

"At the moment, I would say so." Cera replied. "Or to be more accurate, you can control whether or not that power can be used at all. If you don't use it within a year or so, the power will fade away. If you do decide to use it, it will become a permanent part of you. But it's up to you whether or not you want to use this power. I've seen the good it can do, yes. But I've also seen the horrors that Geass is capable of, to others, as well as to the user themselves."

Leila understood. She was told everything Cera knew about Geass, including how the late Emperor of Britannia had one, as well as how he had a brother who was immortal like her. She was also told of Mao who allowed his power to drive him mad, and even how Megatron gained a power of his own that was beyond horrific.

"By the way, I never did get a chance to thank you." Leila said, getting Cera's attention as Leila's pet cat, Eliza, leapt up into her lap, prompting the blonde girl to begin petting her. "You saved my life, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be here."

"Don't worry about it." Cera said as she looked away. "At that time, I saw you as a potential contractor that might be able to help me rid me of my immortality."

"But now you're someone who truly wants to change this world for the better." Leila said. "Who wants to use your power to help people."

"You make me sound like one of those comic heroes." Cera said. "But yes… I'm going to do what I can to help Lelouch and Optimus fix this world."

"I've met Lelouch so I can already understand what type of man he is." Leila said. "But, what about Optimus? What is he like?"

Cera couldn't help but smile warmly. "It's… hard to put it into words. But…. At a time when I was completely devoid of all emotion… he brought hope back into my life. I… I think it'll make more sense if you see him for yourself. I'm sure the two of you would get along quite well."

Leila smiled at that. "I'm looking forward to it."

Euro Britannia

Shin Hyuga Shang was currently outside his adoptive family's large manor where a party was being held in his honor. However, he was nowhere near the party itself as it was inside the manor while he was outside, facing his adoptive younger sister, who sat at a fountain with an upset look on her face.

"Come on in, Alice." Shin told her. "You wouldn't want Mother to worry."

"I hate this." She began. "Everything's a mess now and all those people want to party? Why?"

"You're not wrong." Shin said. "The world is in a chaotic state right now, but maybe that's why we need these parties. It… helps provide levity. We can't be too down in the dumps now, can we?" He asked in a seemingly playful tone.

"But I don't even know these people." Alice said before she looked up to her brother. "Can we please go somewhere else, Big Brother? A place where we don't have to worry about these giant metal monsters fighting each other?" She asked as she held his hand.

"I'm not sure if there is a place like that right now, but I promise I'll make one." Shin said as he kneeled down to her level. "Now that I'm the head of the Order of Michael, I'm in a position where I can help fix this world. I promise Alice, everything's going to be okay."

Hearing her adoptive brother's voice was enough to calm her nerves as she wrapped her arms around him, an embrace he was quick to return. However, there was a look in his eyes that she wouldn't notice. A look that seemed equivalent of looking into an empty abyss.

"Sir." A young woman soldier approached them. She had brownish red hair and light purple eyes, and a military uniform that seemed like she was from the Order of Michael. Shin noticed her presence as she gestured behind her toward a silver car in the driveway near the front of the mansion. He nodded in understanding as he stood up.

"Alice, I have to take care of something. Jean will escort you back inside to see Mother, I will be with you shortly." Shin told her.

"Okay." Alice nodded in understanding as she followed Jean inside. Once they were gone, Shin's fake smile vanished as he walked toward the car.

The door opened and he stepped into the front seat before it closed. "Not much of a party-man, are you?" The disguised Decepticon commented.

"It's Steeljaw, correct?" Shin asked. "Is there something you need from me?"

"Yes, actually." Steeljaw replied. "We're organizing a joint-mission between your Order, as well as Princess Marrybell's Glinda Knights, and the Decepticons to see how well we can work together."

"Will this mission involve a confrontation with the Autobots and the Black Knights?" Shin asked.

"Most likely, it's at a rather strategic point." Steeljaw said. "And I can tell you're just itching for a fight, or rather… you're itching to kill something."

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Shin questioned as he narrowed his eyes.

"There's no need to hide it from me." Steeljaw told him. "I can see it in your eyes. Your face may carry the appearance of a kind and noble soldier, but that darkness in you tells a different story. It's something I can personally relate to, and because of that, I can see a rather interesting future for you in our cause, brother."

Shin's malevolent smile made itself known. "Steeljaw, I think you and I are going to get along quite well."

Castle Weisswolf

"And that's all I have to report, Optimus." Lelouch said as he summed up everything he learned and experienced in the EU to the Autobot leader over a communication frequency.

"It would seem that you have established good dialogue with an influential individual in the EU." Optimus said.

"I'm confident we can work with Leila; she seems genuine in wanting to help us." Lelouch stated. "However, there is also a part of me that remains suspicious of Smilas. His comment about his preference of the EU being an empire was somewhat unsettling. I don't want to automatically assume he'll turn us, but…"

"You wish to be prepared if that is truly the case, which is why you are having our Peace Mark connections look into his background." Optimus replied. "I understand. Smilas' influence could benefit our cause, as well as hurt should he indeed turn against us."

"Right." Lelouch nodded. "Anything going on with the Chinese Federation?"

"The Decepticons have already made contact with the High Eunuchs." Optimus reported, causing Lelouch to scowl slightly. "Gao Hai and Xingke are doing what they can to slow it down, but I foresee trouble from this exchange."

"If there is anything I can do to help…" Lelouch tried.

"Lelouch, we are capable of handling this." Optimus insisted. "You should stay focused on the EU. In our current state, we cannot afford to falter."

"I understand." Lelouch truly did understand. While he wanted to help Optimus, he knew the Prime was more than capable of handling himself. Not to mention Ratchet, Ironhide, Ohgi, Tohdoh, Kaguya, and Cornelia were all with him, so there didn't seem to be much to worry about at the moment. "Be careful. My instincts are telling me Schneizel may be involved as well, and while he is no warrior, he is far from predictable."

"Acknowledged." Optimus replied. "Good luck."

"You as well." Lelouch signed off before he sighed. He then received another call on a separate line, which he was quick to answer. "Hello?"

"Lelouch, I am sorry to bother you at this hour…" Leila was the one who made contact.

"Don't be, I'm wide awake." Lelouch replied. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes. Claus just arrived with the briefing on a new mission. I would ask that you come down and help review it." Leila requested.

"I'll be right there."

It didn't take long for Lelouch to enter Leila's private study as he sat on a chair across from Claus, while Leila sat at her own desk and the man gave the briefing.

"So, our little suicide mission this week…" Claus began before coughing and straitening himself out.

"Is he always like this?" Lelouch asked Leila.

"Unfortunately." She replied as she massaged her forehead in minor annoyance, while Lelouch inwardly grimaced, silently wishing Claus would never meet Lloyd. But every instinct told him that those two were bound to cross paths if the WZERO joined the Black Knights.

"Anyway…" Claus got right back on point. "Turns out the higher ups want to move up the Warsaw garrison. Once they learned from Smilas that the mysterious Zero and his alien robot buddies decided to team up with us, they decided to give you guys a little test."

"They want us to drop behind enemy lines and help advance their territory." Lelouch deduced. "They want to know if we're worth giving support."

"Bingo." Claus pointed his finger at him before taking a swig of his flask. "You catch on quick."

"This is a dangerous mission!" Leila seemed to protest. "That territory well be covered with enemy units… not to mention the possibility of the Decepticons…!"

"Oh, the Decepticons are likely already there." Lelouch said, causing Leila to look at him in surprise. "Euphemia was recently contacted by Duke Highland from Euro Britannia. The Decepticons have already made contact and are 'extending a helping hand'. But of course, we already know they're working their insidious claws into what's left of Britannia to decide if they either want to enslave them or wipe them out."

Claus couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, here you are having turned the leader of an enemy state into a double agent. They say you are a man of miracles, Zero, but you really do know how to turn some heads."

"Wanting to test the Black Knights and the Autobots is one thing." Leila began. "But they're also expecting to use the WZERO as decoys!"

"We can't just disobey their orders, now can we Commander?" Claus asked.

"No, we can't." Lelouch said. "If we want support from the EU, we'll have to take this mission." He looked towards the surprised Leila, no doubt she was shocked at how causally he accepted this mission. "The Black Knights are all capable fighters, and the Autobots have gotten out of more than their fair share of impossible situations. We can handle this, but that's not all you're worried about, is it? It's your newest recruits, not just the possibility of them abandoning the mission or even shooting us in the back, but whether or not they'll come back at all."

Leila saw no point in denying it as she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I knew what I would be getting them into by bringing them into the WZERO, but that does not mean I have to like it."

"Well, if you don't want those kids to get killed, you'll have to find a way to do just that, Commander." Claus said as he stood up. "Well, I'm just about done for the night. See you kids in the morning." He left the room, leaving the two young leaders alone.

"Lelouch." Leila got his attention. "I know I can't disobey this order, but I want to do everything I can to see to it my soldiers come home alive and help your cause. Which is why I will be joining you in this mission." That took Lelouch by surprise. "I have Knightmare training, I know how to operate the Alexanders. I've been through the simulations; I can handle myself."

"But have you been in an actual battle before?" Lelouch questioned. "Simulations and real conflict are two completely different things."

"I'm aware, but this will be my first real battle." Leila said, causing Lelouch to look with a serious expression. "But I am going, and I don't intend to let anyone else stop me."

"I'm not sure I could." Lelouch said. "Though I could use my Geass to stop you, I won't. Tell me Leila, do you play chess?"

"I do." Leila nodded.

"They would you care for a game?" He requested.

Leila accepted the challenge as she had set up the board in front of them. She took the white pieces, while Lelouch took black as usual.

"Is there a reason for this?" She asked.

"Maybe I just wanted a friendly game." Lelouch replied before a slight smile fell on his face. "Nunnally and the others would want me to socialize a bit more."

A small smile fell on Leila's face as well. "You speak so highly of your sister; I'd love to meet her myself." She said as she made the first move with one of her pawns.

"I'm sure the two of you would get along quite well." Lelouch said as he moved the black pawn in front of his king. Leila followed with another pawn's movement before he took his king piece and moved it forward, much to Leila's surprise.

"You start with your king?"

"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch questioned rhetorically.

"I see…" Leila seemed to understand. "A leader has to set the best example, I think I understand, and I agree completely."

"Which is another reason you want to join us in the upcoming battle." Lelouch said. "Not just to help protect your soldiers, but to tell them that you are willing to fight alongside them and risk your own life if need be."

"I'm glad I've finally met someone who understands." Leila smiled as they resumed their game.

"But I also can't help but notice there is a certain soldier in your ranks that means a little more to you than the others." Lelouch noted, catching Leila's attention. "You care quite a bit about Akito, don't you? And it's not just as a leader-subordinate role, or even that of a simple friend. Maybe a bit more…" Lelouch had to stop himself before a feeling of comic dread filled his body.

'Oh my god. I'm turning into Milly!'

Leila's cheeks turned pink as she looked away. "It's really that obvious, hmm?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry or anything." Lelouch quickly said. "It's your personal business and I…"

"No, it's alright. You're right." Leila said. "It is rather unprofessional, isn't it? Me having feelings for my subordinate?"

Lelouch sighed before he spoke in a more understanding tone. "I know how something like that feels. A few of my closest friends are in the Black Knights. Suzaku is the first real friend I ever made outside the royal family and Bumblebee is also in a similar boat; the first Autobot I ever met and one who's always been at my side no matter what. And they're not the only ones, my brother and three of my dear sisters are also in the Black Knights. And… you're not the only one who might have feelings for a certain pilot in your ranks. Kallen… she's… she means a bit more to me than just a friend."

Leila gave a genuine smile in his direction. "I honestly think that's great." That got his attention. "To form genuine bonds with all these people, I understand that we're soldiers, and we have duties we must fulfil, but we're still human and I think we're allowed to make bonds with others. It helps establish trust. Well… you and I are human, while the Autobots aren't… but you know what I mean." She said with a slight chuckle.

"Yes, I do." Lelouch nodded before he smiled humorously. "Well, to our continued unprofessional relationships and may they blossom." He joked, which earned a genuine laugh from Leila.

The next day

"This is quite amazing…!" Euphie said as she, Suzaku, Rai, Gino, and Monica walked through the halls of Castle Weisswolf with Anna. "I now Britannia has had a need for constructing palaces, but an actual castle from medieval period… it's truly incredible!"

"Got that right! Feels like we'd gone back in time, huh?" Gino said in an equal amount of awe.

"Just try not to have a seizure over it." Monica teased, causing Gino to chuckle awkwardly, while Euphie just giggled.

"Yes, it does feel rather incredible." Anna said. "This castle has been around since the medieval period. Leila's taken quite a liking to it, and with the proper modifications, it serves as both a home and a base for the WZERO unit."

Suzaku smiled. "I take it you and Leila are pretty close?"

"We're childhood friends." Anna confirmed. "We attended the same school together. When she joined the military, I followed. Her family had her study political matters while I went the scientific route."

"The Malcal family." Rai said. "They knew she was Britannian, right?"

Anna's smile faded. "Yes… and that was the reason they adopted her, to have Britannian noble blood in their family. Though I am grateful it gave me the chance to meet Leila, I do not approve of her so-called family using her like that."

"Yeah, family thinking of political gain over everything else. That certainly sounds familiar." Rai said in a low grumble; while everyone else winced as each of them had some kind of experience dealing with that.

Their attention was caught by the sound of a light meow, drawing them toward the corner of the hallway where a large crack was in the walls, and they could see the green eyes of a certain feline.

"A cat?" Monica asked.

"It's Eliza, Leila's cat." Anna replied. "She likes to wonder about the castle."

Euphemia was the first to approach the cat in hiding as she kneeled down to her level. "Aw, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you." She tried to reach out, but Eliza backed up slightly. "Meow." Euphie said, which drew Eliza's attention. "Meow. Meow." She extended only her fingers, which allowed Eliza to slowly step out and bur as she brushed herself against Euphie's hand, causing her to smile.

This earned a smile from everyone else too as Euphie picked up Eliza in her arms. Suzaku walked up to try and pet her himself, only for the cat to bite onto his hand, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Anna quickly ran up and took Eliza in her arms, who began to settle with a purr. "I don't know where that came from. Eliza is usually very friendly."

"Nah, it's not her." Rai said with a sad smirk. "All cat's hate Suzaku."

"Unfortunate, but true." Suzaku said in comic reluctance while Gino laughed and even Monica chuckled a bit.

Meanwhile; Kallen and Arcee walked about the grounds of the castle, with seemingly nothing to do and preoccupy their time. "So, we got our next mission coming?" Kallen asked her Autobot partner.

"According to Lelouch, he and Leila got it yesterday." Arcee replied. "We should be debriefed on it soon."

"Good, cause I hate just standing around and doing nothing." Kallen said.

"Yeah, I know." Arcee nodded as they found themselves walking toward a cemetery, but were surprised to see Akito there, kneeling before a small pile of stone that he was straightening out. He then turned around and noticed their presence before turning back.

"What are you doing out here?" Kallen asked.

"Paying my respects." Akito answered.

"I take it some of these people were friends of yours?" Arcee assumed.

"None of them. Only this." Akito referred to the small stone pile in front of him as he stood up. "This is a grave for those killed in the Narva operation. We all made a pact before that mission; those who survived, would build something here for the ones that didn't. I was the only survivor."

"Was it true? That the old commander of this unit rigged your Knightmares to self-destruct when cornered?" Arcee questioned with venom laced in her voice.

"Yes. Because we were Elevens, we were expendable." Akito said, which only caused Kallen to growl in anger. "Former Commander Anou even said it was part of our ways, saying it was the equivalent of seppuku."

"I wish he was still here, just so I can kick all of his teeth out." Kallen stated angrily.

That earned a smirk from Akito. "I can only imagine the fit he'd throw from that."

The humor however vanished as quickly as it came. "We're you friends with any of them?" Arcee asked.

"You could say that." Akito said. "I knew their names, I heard their stories, we trained together… but does that make us really friends? What is it that makes people friends? Is it working and training together, or is it something else?"

"They call you the Ghost of Hannibal." Kallen said to him. "But I can definitely see where the 'ghost' part comes in."

"Because I'm dead on the inside?" Akito asked rhetorically.

"It's a look we're sadly familiar with." Kallen replied. "Even in the mirror." Something even Arcee nodded to in agreement.

"So, this is our target." Ultra Magnus said as he, Lelouch, Leila, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Elita-One, Cera, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Grindcore, and Strongarm gathered around a holographic display from within the bridge of the Iron Will that identified the city. "The Euro Britannian city of Slonim will likely be heavily guarded. Even though the outer perimeter of this line has turrets, we can expect Knightmare and even Decepticon resistance once we enter the city."

"But if we are able to break the defenses and take the city, it'll create a hole in the line." Elita One continued.

"Which, in turn, will allow the EU forces to advance." Lelouch said. "If we pull this off without a hitch, it'll not only be a large victory for the EU as a whole, but it'll also impress the higher ups enough to want to lend their support."

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" Leila asked, causing Lelouch to smirk in confirmation.

"So, when are we gonna go? I'm eager to punch someone!" Grindcore stated.

"We could slip a few bombs in via Groundbridge and shake up the city Wrecker style." Bulkhead offered.

"Negative." Ultra Magnus shook his head. "If there are Decepticons stationed in that city, they will detect our Groundbridges and intercept the payloads before they can deal any significant damage."

"So, we'll arrive in one Bridge?" Smokescreen asked. "Won't that give us all away since we'd be a big target?"

"Even bigger if we include all those drones." Sideswipe added.

"Sirs, if I may make a suggestion." Strongarm raised her hand. "Perhaps we could invade the city from multiple directions. Use multiple Groundbridge portals to enter the city in small groups, force the enemy to scatter."

"You have good idea Strongarm." Lelouch granted. "But without knowing what exactly is in that city, we'd be spreading ourselves too thin. So here is what I propose: We all exit through a single Groundbridge and send the drones into the city first. At the same time, our main force will split into several smaller teams and encircle the city. Once the drones make enemy contact, we move in. And while our main forces deal with the enemy in the city, Jetfire will take to the skies and neutralize the long-distance arterially to further cripple enemy forces, making it easier for the EU to advance."

"And there's chess master we all know." Cera teased.

"A well thought out strategy, I second it." Ultra Magnus thought it was the best course of action.

"Then we better have our forces ready." Elita One said as Leila chuckled a bit.

"Just before you all arrived, we only just finished working on Apollo's Chariot." She began. "A rocket that would enable our units to fly in high altitude and drop behind enemy lines almost undetected. Yet you have a portal-system that easily lets you do the same while consuming less resources. I guess all our hard work was for nothing." She said in a joking tone.

"Don't worry, we'll find a use for your rocket." Elita teased. "We prefer not to waste."

"Ooh! Let's stuff that Chariot thing with explosives and use it to blow New Kaon to pieces!" Grindcore suggested with a wide grin.

"Yep, you're a Wrecker, alright." Bulkhead said as he playfully slapped his back; earning chuckles from most of the people and Bots present, save for Ultra Magnus who simply shook his head.

"This Prowl contacting Ultra Magnus. Commander, do you read?" The stealthiest Autobot contacted the commander.

"Go ahead, Prowl." Magnus answered.

"Sir, Ryo and the others are making a break for it." Prowl reported. "They tried messing around with the security cameras and might have everyone fooled, but I've got my optics on them."

"What's their location?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Ryo is heading to the lower levels, Ayano is trying to get to the outside perimeter, and Yukiya is remaining in their room trying to rig some sort of make-shift explosive. Should I move to intercept?" Prowl asked.

"Hold position." Ultra Magnus told him before turning to everyone else. "It would seem our 'newest recruits' are trying to abandon us."

"Commander Magnus, please." Leila stood up immediately. "Let me try to talk with them. I brought them here, they're my responsibility."

Before the Autobot Commander could protest, Lelouch also stood up as he placed his hand on Leila's shoulder. "Not alone you're not." Leila looked to him in surprise. "The reason why they are doing this is because they think we don't understand them. But I think I know a way we can change that."

The door to the dorm room opened up as the masked Zero and Akito stepped inside, where they saw Yukiya sitting at the far end all alone.

"Well, hello there, Akito Hyuga, and… eh, guess I lucked out. I even got Zero to witness my final moments." Yukiya said as he showed the trigger in his hand.

"You rigged yourself with a bomb." Zero noted.

"Don't know if it can dent that fancy alien armor you got, but I'd say it be worth a try." Yukiya smiled.

"Even if it means ending your life?" Akito questioned.

"Oh, don't give me that. Can you honestly say that you didn't see this coming?" Yukiya questioned rhetorically.

"You're abandoning of the unit through the use of explosives was something that we expected." Zero replied. "And I'm sad to say that even I considered the suicide approach. But he might not be too happy about it."

He pointed behind him, causing Yukiya to turn around as a shadow loomed over him. His smile faded as he looked in surprise to see Grindcore poking his hand through the window, shattering it and allowing him to speak.

"Did you seriously climb all the way up here?" Yukiya questioned.

"What? You see how big I am. No way can I squeeze in those tiny hallways." Grindcore told him.

"Fair enough." Yukiya shrugged.

"So, you gonna blow yourself up? You crazy man?!" Grindcore questioned. "Why would you do that?!"

"Huh, I'm not sure any of you would understand, but I might as well try to tell you." Yukiya took off the glove on his right hand to reveal a large scar between his index and middle fingers, stretching down the back of his hand as well as his palm. "What do you think? And I've got plenty more where that came from."

"Am I correct to assume you got most of them in the ghettos?" Zero asked.

"Bingo." Yukiya confirmed. "You've seen all the ghettos in Japan, right? Well, it's basically the same there too. Three years ago, I lived in the one in Amsterdam. The adults' sense of inferiority and discontent trickled down and affected the youth, the kids took their frustrations out on those that were weaker than them. The Japanese persecuting the Japanese. But I fought back, they deserved to die so I took them out with a literal bang. I don't give a rat's ass about the Japanese, the Elevens, or whatever crusade you guys say you're fighting for. I escaped the ghetto, but in order to avoid the police, I had to stay underground and in the sewers. That's where I met Ryo and his gang. For the first time in my life, I had friends I could trust. They're the closest thing I have to family."

"I know what that's like." Grindcore said. "All of that. I used to be a low-ranking gladiator back on Cybertron."

"Oh, you guys had gladiators, huh? Cool." Yukiya said.

"Yeah, I got to beat up a lot of big guys." Grindcore continued. "But I also got the scrap beaten out of me too. Oh, and I also used to be a Decepticon. So, when I tried to join the Bots, they weren't too happy about that. But when I joined the Wreckers, I got myself a band of buddies with me too."

Yukiya smirked. "What's your name?"

"Call me Grindcore."

"Well, Grindcore, I guess we do have something in common." Yukiya said. "But don't think that means you're gonna change my mind about what I'm about to do."

Zero then stepped up. "Before you decide to take your own life, would you at least like to see my face?"

"Heh… trying to tempt me with the face of the mysterious and superstitious Zero. What, are you some kind of hot chick that may try to swoon me? Or are you some butt-ugly freak with a scar on his face or something."

"Why don't you see for yourself." He reached up to remove his mask and reveal his face.

Yukiya looked for a moment as he saw the young face, thinking he saw it before but couldn't quite remember. But it clicked a few seconds later as his eyes actually widened, and he almost dropped the trigger in his hands. "No freaking way…"

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, former prince of the now-destroyed Britannian Empire, and current leader of the Black Knights, at your service." He performed a mocking bow to him.

It took a few seconds for Yukiya to process it all before he chuckled which quickly erupted into a full-blown laugh that almost sounded borderline insane.

"I don't get it. What's so funny?" Grindcore asked as Yukiya stopped.

"Well damn. I honestly didn't see that coming." Yukiya said. "So the Britannian prince who practically started it all when he was exiled to Japan is really the masked revolutionary the world swoons over. Now I'm honestly interested, not enough to keep me from killing myself though."

"If you're going to do it, then just do it. Because it seems like you're more wasting our time than anything." Akito said.

"Geeze, you're a real buzzkill, aren't you Akito?" Yukiya told him before looking toward Lelouch again. "Who else knows about you?"

"Pretty much everyone." Lelouch replied.

"Dang. And they're okay with it?" Yukiya asked.

"I've earned their trust." Lelouch answered.

"It's true. He has." Grindcore said.

"Alright, alright, if you say so." Yukiya said. "But… I just have one last thing before I decide whether or not I blow myself to kingdom come. What did you do to Ryo?"

"Care to be more specific?" Lelouch requested.

"Back when we first met, you did something to him." Yukiya began. "Something that made him tell you almost everything. The guy might have a big mouth, but he's not the type to spill the beans either. And just like that, he forgot the entire conversation even happened. You obviously did something to him, and I'd like to know what it is."

Lelouch honestly smiled before he explained it, even to Akito as well. "It's called a Geass. By making direct eye-contact with someone, I can have them say or do anything that I ask of them. Once it's done, the individual has no memory of what has transpired, and it can only be used on a person once."

"So basically mind-control." Yukiya summed up.

"You could call it that." Lelouch confirmed.

'I see… that's how he did it.' Akito narrowed his eyes slightly toward Lelouch but choose to remain silent.

"Anyone else in the Black Knights have that power?" Yukiya asked.

"Myself, Rai, and Optimus Prime. And the one who gave me this power is also in the Black Knights." Lelouch answered.

"Well, it all sounds really interesting. So, if you can mind control people, why not use it on me?" Yukiya asked. "Why not just have me deactivate the bomb and order me to follow you for the rest of my life?"

"I can do that, but I won't." Lelouch answered. "I'm not a slaver. I use this power only to procure sensitive information from an enemy. But… I don't think I even have to use it to stop you, because you're not going to kill yourself."

"You think I'm bluffing?" Yukiya questioned, his smile fading as his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, you are." Lelouch replied without even a hint of hesitation in his voice. "You said it yourself that Ryo and Ayano are like family to you. You won't do that to them."

"Maybe they know I'm planning to sacrifice myself…" Yukiya tried.

"If they did, they would have protested." Lelouch said immediately. "You care about them as much as they care about you. They have no idea you were planning to do this, you probably told them you would meet up with them later, and they believed you. Is that really how you want to end this? You might be buying time for them to escape, but you'll just end up hurting them in the process."

Yukiya glared before Grindcore spoke. "Come on, kiddo. You don't wanna hurt your friends, do you? I know I wouldn't. And hey, if you stick with us, I'll be your friend."

"Are you trying to mock me or something?!" Yukiya exclaimed as he turned to Grindcore in a fury but was surprised to see a genuine smile on his face.

"No. I don't mock people… except maybe the bad guys… but that's beside the point. The real point is, I think you're a good guy who cares about his friends." Grindcore said. "And I really like that in someone. So, for your friends' sakes, put the down the bomb and give us a chance."

"Of course, words only carry so much to them." Akito spoke up next. "The only way to truly know for sure if this is something worth it, is to come and fight with us. See for yourself, what kind of people each of us are."

Yukiya didn't quite know what to say at first, right before he disarmed his own bomb and threw it away. "Well… this is sure gonna be one hell of an experience."

An elevator door opened as Ryo ran out into what appeared to be a cargo loading bay that would normally have several Knightmares, but currently had none, not even the pods. "What the…? Where the Knightmares."

"Outside." He was shocked as he turned around to see Sideswipe leaning back against the wall, right next to the elevator door. "You think you're pretty slick, huh? Well I'd say I'm just a bit slickier."

"Slickier? Is that even a real word?" Rai asked as he stepped out from around the corner, along with Suzaku.

"How… how in the hell did you guys even…?!" Ryo stuttered.

"To be honest, we were hoping that you would stay of your own accord." Suzaku said. "But we expected you would also try to make a break for it. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst."

Ryo glared. "If you think you're gonna try and stop me…!"

"You'll try and outrun an Autobot that can transform into a car and move just as fast?" Sideswipe asked before transforming and spinning doughnuts around Ryo for a moment before transforming back to stand in front of him. "Yeah… I don't think so."

"Ryo, please just hear us out." Rai said.

"Why? I'm a prisoner, aren't I? Just an expendable pawn that you're gonna send into war!" Ryo practically spat.

"Yes, you are technically a prisoner." Suzaku confirmed. "But you're not expendable, nobody is. You and your friends have a chance to go into battle, and we'll make sure you come back alive."

"I'm sorry… we?" Ryo asked.

"What? You think we're shallow enough to send you guys in as decoys or something?" Sideswipe asked. "That's why we got the drones. I've seen it myself, you're a badass fighter, so badass I can totally see you running circles around even the Cons! And you're about to get that chance."

"What makes you think I want to fight the Decepticons?" Ryo questioned. "What makes you think I want to fight for any of you?"

"If you won't do it for us, do it for your friends." Suzaku told him. "When we first met, you said you were looking for a place to belong, a place to call home. If you work with us, you'll be able to make that place."

"And you're not the only one who wants that." Rai added. "Countless people, millions, maybe even billions, are about to go through the same thing you are. You say you don't care, but I think you do. We're not going to force you down this path, if you really want to leave, we'll make sure to send you and your friends somewhere that's safe."

That took Ryo by surprise. "But… I thought we were prisoners…"

"The EU believes you to be prisoners, but we're not with the EU." Sideswipe said. "We can just make something up and they won't even bat an eye in the direction we sent you."

"You… you'd really do that…?" Ryo asked. "For all three of us?"

"Yes." Suzaku confirmed. "It's your choice, Ryo. You and your friends can leave if you want, and we'll make sure you're somewhere safe and the Decepticons won't find you. Or you can work with us to help fix this world and make a place for you to belong, as well as others who need that." He extended his hand to him. "So, what's it going to be?"

Ayano crawled out of the hole from the secret passage within Castle Weisswolf and began to make her way through the woods surrounding the area.

"There aren't going to be any communication cables out here in the forest." She muttered to herself, when suddenly the vehicle mode of Strongarm drove out to block her path.

"No, but we have been monitoring you for some time, and have tracked your position here." Strongarm noted as Kallen and Leila got out before Strongarm herself transformed. "Ayano Kosaka, I highly recommend you return to Castle Weisswolf with us immediately."

She was immediately put on the defensive as she glared at them. "Or what? You'll kill me right here?"

"No, that's not what we do." Kallen stated. "We're not going to kill you, but at least just hear us out. We understand why you're doing this…"

"Do you?! You think just because we're both Japanese you know what I've gone through in my life?!" Ayano exclaimed.

"Yes, I do! Because I know exactly what kind of person you are." Kallen stated as she walked closer. "I know you try to act like a fierce fighter, unafraid of getting into a fight, when you're really more scared than you think."

"Shut up!" Ayano exclaimed, but Kallen kept going as she walked even closer.

"I know that even though you act unfriendly or hostile, you stick around with your gang because you see them as the only family you have left, because you've lost everyone else!" She continued.

"I said shut up!" Ayano shouted, looking like she was about to cry.

"You lost somebody you loved! Maybe it was a lover, or a parent, or a sibling, or maybe all-of-the above, and you don't want to run the risk of losing anybody else!" Kallen continued.

"I'm serious…!" Ayano was already in tears.

"You're acting the way you do because you try to see the worst in everyone, because you're too caught up in your own pain and anger to see there are people who are genuinely trying to help you! I know exactly who you are, Ayano! Because I was just like you!"

The two remained silent as Kallen and Ayano were so close to each other, it was almost as if their faces were touching. Kallen's expression remained fierce while Ayano's looked like she was about to break down. Strongarm and Leila remained silent as they waited for someone to speak.

"If… if you're… the same as me… then tell me what I'm supposed to do." Ayano stuttered as she tried to wipe away her tears.

Kallen took a breath as she spoke more calmly. "You can start by giving us a chance. I don't know exactly what you went through, but maybe I've been there to."

Strongarm then walked up. "Listen, even if I don't agree with your actions or motives, it is clear to see that you are a capable fighter. With us, we can at least point that capability in a direction where it can do more good than harm."

"And nobody is going to die in this mission, I'll see to it personally." Leila stated. "I'll fight beside you, all of you, and make sure everyone comes home alive."

"God… I am so bored!" Ashley Asura, commander of the Asura Force of the Holy Order of Michael sat on his throne in front of his entire team, and as one might guess, he was not too happy about it. "Bored... bored… Bored! How long are we going to stay couped up here in this nasty dump?!" He slammed his foot on the lion pelt beneath him. "Johanne!"

"Y… Yes sir!" One of his squad members, and arguably the youngest, stepped up. "What is it, master?"

Ashley took out his pistol and dumped all the bullets out of it before loading a single bullet into it. "We have some time on our hands. So how would you like to play a game?" He spun the barrel of his gun. "Tell me something, what's the one thing you need to survive on the battlefield?"

"Um… the skill to win?" Johanne guessed.

Ashley sighed in disappointment. "Come on, surely you can do better than that." He pointed his gun at Johanne, much to his shock, as well as that of his squad before speaking to all of them. "Listen closely, you want to know the one thing that's crucial to survival on the battlefield? It's luck. It doesn't matter how skilled you are, or how hard you fight, the fact is if you lose, you die. And why is that? It's because luck wasn't on your side. But not me, I'm very lucky. Would you like a demonstration? Allow me" He pointed his pistol toward his own head, much to everyone's horror.

"Don't do it, Master Ashley! Please! No!" Johanne begged, but Ashley had already pulled the trigger, only for nothing to happen, much to everyone's relief.

"See? Luck's definitely on my side." Ashley said.

"Oh please." A certain blonde girl in red walked in with an annoyed expression on her face. "You think luck is the reason you've made it this far? Give me a break."

"Oh looky, looky, Ashura Force." Ashley teased. "We got ourselves the mighty Oldrin Zevon, the strongest of the Glinda Knights and personal knight to the only Britannian princess left. I'm actually surprised to hear you badmouth luck so much considering luck's on your side too."

"Really? You think so?" Oldrin questioned with a slight glare.

"Yep, you and the rest of the Glinda Knights, as well as her majesty, are all that remains of Britannia, if you don't count Euro Britannia of course." Ashley said. "Everyone else is either dead or enslaved by the giant alien robots we've teamed up with. The only reason you and your friends were able to escape was because luck decided to smile upon you." That earned a glare from Oldrin. "But it makes me wonder, who is more in luck's favor? Me or you? Why don't we find out?" He pointed his gun directly at her.

"Go ahead and try." Oldrin told him, without even a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Ashley's wind grin only grew as he slowly pulled the trigger for dramatic effect. However, before he even had the chance to go through with it, Oldrin quickly rushed him. She grabbed him by the wrist of the hand holding the gun, twisted it and forced him to drop the gun before spinning him and pinned him to the ground as she kept her knee on his back.

"Master Ashley!" Johanne exclaimed in surprise.

"Here's some friendly advice, Ashley Asura." Oldrin told him as she kept him pinned. "If luck really does exist, I don't rely on it; I make my own luck. Maybe you should do the same or your so-called luck might just run out." She let him go and backed away as he pulled himself p.

Ashley scowled slightly as he straightened himself up before it erupted into a chuckle. "Wow lady, you're even crazier than I am. I like that."

"Spare me." Oldrin's eyelids lowered as she turned to leave. "Now come on, get your squad ready. Princess Marrybell and Shang are preparing a mission and your team is on deck with us."

"Finally! Some action!" Ashley exclaimed. "Does that mean we're playing around with the destroyers of Britannia too?!"

"Yes, unfortunately we will be working with the Decepticons." Oldrin commented with a slight glare.

"Hey, honest question." Ashley said to her. "What do you think of this? How do you like the idea of working with the same aliens who all but destroyed your home? I imagine it must be quite frustrating."

Oldrin turned around to face him directly. "You want my honest opinion? Charles Zi Britannia deserved what he got. Britannia's hypocrisy was among the many things I couldn't stand about it. But, at the same time, I cannot condone the Decepticons slaughtering civilians who don't even know how to defend themselves. So, I hate the very idea of my friends and I working with the Decepticons. But as we stand now, we don't have the means to fight them."

"You said 'now', which means you and little princess Mary are planning something, huh?" Ashley noted with a grin. "Well, whatever it is, I want in."

"Seriously?" Oldrin asked.

"Totally. It sounds like a helluva fun!"

Oldrin rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You don't understand… not sure if you ever will. Just get your team ready."

"Aye-aye, Miss knight." Ashley mocked as Oldrin left.

"So, we'll be stationed in Slonim." Toto explained to Marrybell, Shin, and Jean on the bridge of the Granberry, there was also a human-sized hologram of Steeljaw present. "Though there is a solid defensive line at the border, we can still expect the enemy to slip past the defenses and drop in where we least expect it."

"The Ghost of Hannibal." Shin noted. "Or do you suspect it may the Autobots and the Black Knights, as they were capable of the same thing."

"Unsure." Toto answered. "Either way, we should prepare for a battle. They cannot take this city, or the EU will push even further."

"Either way, this will also allow us to gauge the enemy's strength." Steeljaw noted. "So even if the enemy is victorious, we may learn how they are able to fight, and we can find a means to counter their next assault. Now, before we begin, Marrybell, a question."

"What is it?" She did her best not to glare at the hologram of the Decepticon.

"How close were you with Euphemia and Cornelia li Britannia?" Steeljaw asked, causing Marrybell's eyes to narrow even further.

"What does that have to do with this?" Marrybell questioned.

"One of my associates has a certain… vendetta with the two princesses and if you are rather close with them… she may or may not try something with you to make them hurt. Just thought I give a friendly warning." Steeljaw said.

"Noted. Anything else?" The red-haired princess asked.

"No, that is all." Steeljaw replied.

"Then you are dismissed." Marrybell said before the hologram vanished.

"I apologize, your highness." Shin spoke to her. "I understand this must be quite difficult for you."

"Your sympathy, while appreciated, is not wanted. Just stay focused on the task at hand." Marrybell said coldly to him.

"Very well." He and Jean turned to leave, when Marrybell suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and glared. "You may be the head of the Order of Michael now, but the Glinda Knights are my soldiers. If anything happens to them, it's on you!"

Jean was about to reach for her weapon when Shin held out his hand to keep her from acting out. "No harm will come to your compatriots, I give you my word. At least not by my hand, I make no promises for the enemy."

Marrybell said nothing for a few moments before finally letting go, allowing Shin and Jean to leave. Once they were gone, Toto approached her.

"Are… are you alright, Mary?"

"I don't trust him." She confessed. "I knew Manfredi, he was a good man and an even better soldier. There is no way he took his own life. Even if the Decepticons were to get involved, he would fight to the last on the battlefield and not take the coward's way out."

"You… you don't think Shang…" Toto wondered, feeling incredibly nervous.

"I don't have any proof, but I don't trust that man at all." Marrybell said. "Just be careful and tell the others to do the same."

"Alright." Toto nodded.

Just outside the Euro Britannian city of Slonim, a single Groundbridge portal opened up as multiple entities emerged. First was a dozen orange Alexander drones followed by the real soldiers. The Autobots consisting of Ultra Magnus, Elita-One, Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Smokescreen, Prowl, Grindcore, Sideswipe, Strongarm, and Jetfire. The Black Knights consisting of Zero, Kallen, Suzaku, Rai, Orpheus, Cera, Gino, and Monica; each in their respective Knightmares. Gino was given a new Knightmare that strongly resembled his old Tristian, the Tristian Divider. Finally, the five units of the WZERO stepped out, each in their own custom Alexanders.

"Everyone present and accounted for?" Zero asked as every Bot and human gave a signal or some kind of sign to show they were alright, save for Ayano as her only sign was the sound of her vomiting in her own cockpit, causing everyone to wince.

"Ayano, are you okay?" Kallen asked.

"She'll be fine. She's got motion sickness." Ryo summed up.

"Yesh…" Rai winced. "You're gonna have to get used to it, we use Groundbridges quite frequently."

"God help me…" Ayano muttered as she wiped her face.

"Alright, everyone knows the plan." Magnus got everyone's attention. "The drones will enter the city first and draw out the enemy. All assigned units will operate in their respective teams of two or three and encircle the perimeter, but do not enter the city until the enemy forces reveal themselves."

"Jetfire, you take to the skies." Elita One instructed. "But do not take down those turrets until after the fighting here begins. The element of surprise is crucial."

"Acknowledged." Jetfire nodded before transforming into his jet mode and flew off.

"Everyone, move out. We don't know what we're dealing with, so nobody goes anywhere alone." Zero instructed.

The drones were the first to enter the city as the large group of Autobots and pilots split apart. The Bots transformed into their respective vehicle modes while the Knightmares rolled along the ground, save for the Alexanders that crawled in their insect-mods. They split up into two larger groups to encircle the perimeter from both sides before slowly splitting off with their assigned teams. One team consisted of Zero, Bumblebee, and Cera; the second was Akito, Leila, and Elita One; the third was a two-woman team of Kallen and Arcee; the fourth team was of Bulkhead and Rai; the fifth was of Ultra Magnus and Suzaku; the sixth team consisted of Prowl, Orpheus, and Monica; the seventh team had Gino and Smokescreen; the eight team Ryo and Sideswipe; the ninth team consisted of Yukiya and Grindcore; and the final team was of Ayano and Strongarm.

Castle Weisswolf – control center

"Zero to control, all units have encircled the perimeter." The leader of the Black Knights made contact.

"Acknowledged." Claus said as the WZERO staff continued to work and observe with Euphemia standing right by his side. "Drones are entering the city limits. Nothing to report so far."

They all saw from several screens what the drones were seeing as they entered the empty city. All the staff, including Anna, as well as all the scientists present began to make the same report: no movement or enemy units detected. Euphie observed as she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that something wasn't right here.

"It's… too quiet…" She spoke.

"Got that right." Claus agreed as he took a swig of his flask before handing to her. "Thirsty? I promise I don't have backwash."

"No thanks, I don't drink alcohol." Euphie said.

"Eh, your loss." He took another swig.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded. "One of the drones just went off-line!" That got their attention as other alerts came in.

"We just lost three more drones… no, make that five!"

"Well, that was fast." Claus commented.

"Try to bring up visual feed of all those that went offline!" Euphie stated.

"Already on it!" Anna brought up the feed from all the drones that had been destroyed, which was now at eight total and climbing. Several screens popped up to show the last thing the drones saw before going off-line several all appeared to be shot by something that couldn't be seen, but Euphemia noticed something with one of them.

"Focus on screen three, please." She requested. Said screen was enlarged and enhanced to show the blurry but unmistakable figure of a Vehicon trooper blasting at the drone.

"Well, well, those must be Decepticons." Claus said nonchalantly as Euphie contacted their team.

"Zero! Commander Magnus! Everyone! There are Decepticons in the city! Repeat, the Decepticons are in the city!"

"Rodger that! All units, move in!" Zero acknowledged.

"Jetfire, begin your attack now!" Elita One ordered as the Aerialbot's vehicle mode shot through the sky and straight toward the field of massive long-ranged weapons along the border.

"Affirmative!" Jetfire relayed as he fired a series of missiles and the closest set of turrets, already setting it ablaze. "First target neutralized! Now maybe I can…" He gave a sudden cry as he just barely avoided the hadron blasts of a massive red Britannian aircraft carrier with a certain Sharkticon standing at the top.

"Hey there. It's Jetfire, right?" Sky-Byte greeted.

The Autobot transformed and hovered in the air briefly. "Jetfire to ground forces, Britannian units are aiding the Decepticons! Be on guard!"

"Oh, why did you have to spoil the surprise?" Sky-Byte stated. "But I guess they probably expected that. Now then, why don't we begin our little duel in the sky, shall we?" He transformed into his flying shark mode and shoot directly at Jetfire, who transformed into his jet-mode to fly away and gain some distance with Sky-Byte in pursuit.

"This is the Granberry to all units!" Toto contacted her team and allies as she worked on the bridge of the Britannian aircraft. "The Autobots and most likely the Black Knights are here!"

"[Zero, watch out!]" Bumblebee quickly transformed and blocked the path of the Shinkiro and pink Akatsuki as rapid-fire bullets were shot in their direction from the top of the building. Overlooking the team was none other than Steeljaw, and what appeared to be a red and gold colored version of the Lancelot.

"Ah, so that's Zero." The wolf-like Decepticon said casually. "A pleasure to finally meet you."

"I've heard of you. It's Steeljaw, right?" Lelouch glared.

"Zero…" Marrybell spoke in a low growl from her Knightmare, the Lancelot Trial. "The one who incited one of the worst rebellions in Britannian history. Well, I'll make sure that you're brought to justice!" She was the first to attack as the Lancelot Trial shot down from the rooftop, straight toward the Shinkiro, but the black Knightmare suddenly activated its shield-system to block the sword-strike from the red Lancelot, allowing the pink Akatsuki to come in with its katana and lock weapons.

"Don't even think about it!" Cera glared as she pressed further.

'Marrybell…' Lelouch honestly did not expect to see his half-sister this soon. There was some mixed feelings about fighting her; while he wasn't as close with her as he was with Euphemia or Cornelia, he stilled cared about her. But he would also stand his ground.

"Don't get distracted!" Steeljaw pounced toward the Shinkiro, but the black Knightmare leapt back just as he landed and fired its central laser at him, but Steeljaw proved quick enough to dodge; but not quick enough to avoid getting tackled by Bumblebee.

Elita-One and Akito leapt in front of the Alexander piloted by Leila as their path was blocked by none other than Ashley in his red custom Gloucester, with similarly colored white and red Gloucesters piloted by three other members of the Asura strike force.

"Ah ha!" Ashely laughed. "I got the Ghost of Hannibal and a freaking Autobot to boot?! Luck really is on my side today!"

"Stay behind us, Commander!" Akito told Leila as Elita was the first to attack, firing a series of Energon blasts, forcing the four Knightmares to roll around and avoid the laser fire; but Ashley actually pressed forward, drew one of his Knightmare's swords and slashed toward Elita, who blocked the strike with her arm-blade.

"Oooh… you're a lady Autobot, huh?" Ashley smirked. "Shall we have this dance?"

"You're not my type." Elita glared before kicking the red Gloucster back.

Kallen and Arcee were in the middle of the streets as they heard a drilling-like sound from underground. The Guren's system immediately went on alert.

"Arcee, move out of the way!" Kallen exclaimed as the Guren and the blue Autobot just barley dodged the exploding ground as a certain spider-like con emerged with a mixed look of a glare and smirk.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite girls. Arcee and Kallen."

"Airachnid." Arcee glared.

"Miss me?" Airachnid smiled.

"Like dogshit on my shoe." Kallen glared back. "This time, you're not getting away!"

"If that's how you want to play it." Airachnid said as two large Insecticons suddenly burst out of the ground to help surround the pair.

"Scrap." Kallen and Arcee both cursed.

Ultra Magnus drove to a halt as he transformed from his vehicle mode to his robot form as he and the Lancelot came face-to-face with the recognizable Decepticon named Thunderhoof, as well as a massive gold Knightmare that took the form identical to a centaur, which wielded a massive axe-like weapon composed of several gears. Right by its side was a smaller silver Knightmare resembling something of a knight.

"Eyy yo! It's the second biggest Bot around and one of his little meatbag playmates!" Thunderhoof exclaimed.

"Thunderhoof." Ultra Magnus glared. "And it would seem you have allies as well."

"Well, this is quite interesting." Shin said from within the Vercingetorix. "Not only do I find the Autobots, but even the controversial Suzaku Kururugi. That is you, isn't Mr. Kururugi? The Lancelot is a rather unmistakable Knightmare."

"And who are you?" Suzaku asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, my apologies. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shin Hyuga Shang, knight of Euro Britannia and Grandmaster of the Order of Michael. The one beside me is my personal knight, Jean Rowe." He gestured to the smaller Gracchus next to him.

'Did he say Hyuga…? Isn't that Akito's last name?' Suzaku thought in surprise.

"Well Shang, allow me to keep this brief." Ultra Magnus aimed his Ion blaster. "Surrender now, and your forces will not be harmed."

"Tempting, but I'll have to decline." Shin shot his Vercingetorix faster than Magnus anticipated, knocking him back with a slice of his overly complicated axe before giving pursuit.

"Magnus!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"You should worry about yourself!" Jean told him as she shot her Gracchus at him, both its swords drawn as the Lancelot drew its own MVS to block the attack, which also left him open for Thunderhoof to charge and ram the Lancelot with his antlers.

Orpheus grunted as his Byakuen rolled back to avoid the gunfire from the Lancelot Grail, a red version of the Lancelot with a plethora of swords on its back. The Florence Nero and Prowl quickly came to his aid, pushing the Lancelot Grail back as a group of three Vehicons along with two white and red Gloucesters piloted by the Order of Michael provided some back up.

"Isn't the Lancelot?" Prowl questioned.

"Looks like a remolded version." Orpheus commented as Monica eyed it with curiosity.

"Hold on…" Oldrin, the pilot of the Lancelot Grail, eyed the Florence Nero with suspicion before her eyes widened. "You, in the black Knightmare! Identify yourself!"

Monica gasped as she recognized that voice. "Oldrin… Oldrin Zevon!"

That got the attention of both Prowl and Orpheus. Both of them knew who she was; the head Knight of the Glinda Knights and personal guard to Princess Marrybell, as well as the supposed head of the Zevon family before Oiagros took over. Orpheus was also well aware she was his twin-sister, but he never knew her personally so there wasn't much emotion behind this.

"I know that voice… Lady Krushevsky! Knight of Twelve! You're… you're with the Black Knights?!" Oldrin exclaimed in shock.

"And you're siding with the Decepticons." Monica narrowed. "The same monsters that destroyed our home!"

Oldrin clenched the controls of her Knightmare. "Not my choice. Not my call."

"Then I believe this conversation is over." Prowl stated as he threw a series of shurikens at the enemy.

Bulkhead and the Raiden had rolled back and ended up regrouping with Gino and Smokescreen, the two Bots and two Knightmares circling up in a four-way back-to-back style, surrounded by seven Vehicons, two red and white Gloucesters piloted by the Asura Force members, and a red and black heavily armored Knightmare that strongly resembled the Mordred. Despite that, Rai and the two Autobots present were more than ready to throw down.

"Bring it on, boys! Bring it on!" Bulkhead readied his mace.

"Guys hang on, I know these folks!" Gino exclaimed. "They're from the Order of Michael, Euro Britannian! And the big one is called a Zetland, it's piloted by one of the Glynda Knights!"

"Gino Weinberg? The Knight of Three?" Tink Lockhart looked in surprise. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were captured by the Decepticons!"

"I'm a Black Knight now, they and the Bots rescued me." Gino said. "Come on man, we don't know each other that much, but I know you're a good guy! You don't have to fight us!"

"Sorry, but I have my orders." Tink said with reluctance. "I won't kill any of you, I'm not that heartless. But I won't let you do this either."

"Just following orders huh?" Smokescreen said with a slight glare. "So you probably won't take it personal when we wipe the floor with you!" He opened fire with his Energon blasters.

Yukiya pulled back his Alexander as fast as he could through an alleyway, right before the two buildings were blasted apart by the massive Decepticon that literally bit its way through, devouring everything in sight.

"Come on! You ain't even gonna be a snack for old Underbite!" He leapt toward him as the Yukiya's Alexander scaled a small building. Underbite was about to chomp through that building too before Grindcore came in and slammed his shoulder into the side of the Decepticon, sending him skidding along the street.

"Hey, aren't you that Con who ate that city?" Grindcore asked.

"Finally! What gave me away? The muscles?" He flexed his arms with pride.

Grindcore smirked. "The smell."

That earned a growl, followed by a roar from Underbite, who charged at Grindcore. The Autobot stopped him in his tracks, holding his jaw shut as the large Decepticon tried to push him back, but Grindcore stood his ground.

"Yeah, that's it." Yukiya smirked as his Alexander found a good vantage point, aiming it's long-ranged weapon toward Underbite's eye. "Hold em right there, big guy…" His Alexander sounded an alarm just in time as he leapt his Knightmare from the rooftop just in time to avoid the gunfire from the red, orange, and yellow Knightmare known as the Bradford.

"Sorry, no sniping for you today." Leonhardt said as he went on the attack.

Ryo's Alexander and Sideswipe drove down one road to arrive in an intersection where they met with Strongarm and Ayano's Alexander; all four transformed into their respective robot modes as the vehicle mode of Fracture appeared before he deployed his Mini-cons, Air Razor and Divebomb; while also arriving with Quillfire, another Bradford Knightmare, and a white and red variation of the Vincent called the Vincent Gram, both were piloted by Marika and Sokkia respectively.

"Well, looks like we got ourselves a showdown, huh?" Sideswipe said with a nervous grin.

"So, you guys are Decepticons?" Ryo said to Fracture and Quillfire specifically. "I thought you'd be bigger." He grinned.

"You won't be saying that for long, meatbag." Fracture drew his blade before going on the attack.

"All units have engaged the enemy!"

"We have confirmation of Decepticons and Britannian Knightmares working together!"

"A hole was punched in the long-ranged defenses, but not enough to push through!"

Euphie looked with intense worry as she heard Anna and everyone else voice the multiple alerts they were getting. She happened to glance towards Claus, hopping he would have something to say.

"Hey, nothing we can do about it now." Claus commented. "I know that sounds kinda careless, but it's the truth. You and I aren't fighters, but if you want to make contact and voice some kind of encouragement, go right ahead."

"No, it's alright." Euphie said with reluctant acceptance. "I know I'm no warrior, I can't fight. In the Black Knights, all I can really do is negotiate and help plan strategy, maybe even provide moral support and intelligence. But I'm alright with that." A smile formed on her face. "Because I know they'll pull through this. I've seen each of them come out of much worse than this and still win. I have faith in each and every one of them. They'll win, I know it."

Claus chuckled. "Faith, huh? You sure you're Britannian royalty?"

Euphie gave a slight half-smirk back.

Back on the battlefield, Kallen threw her Guren's Surger claw into the face of one Insecticon before activating it. The entire body of the Insecticon began to glow red as it cried out in agony before exploding in glorious fashion. She then shot her Guren into the air to avoid the laser fire of the second Insecticon that flew and shot at her in its Herculean beetle mode.

Meanwhile, Arcee and Airachnid glared at one another as they faced off on a rooftop. Arcee made the first move, firing her Energon blasters at Airachnid, who leapt back before returning fire from her single palm. She also detached her hooked hand, letting the chain extend before she threw it out toward Arcee, who used her arm-blades to block and parry the attack before rushing Airachnid to tackle her off the rooftop and down on to the ground.

Bumblebee drew his katana to block the claw strikes from Steeljaw before striking with said katana, using only one hand to hold it, which Steeljaw caught it in-between his claws, but this left him open for Bumblebee to deck him across the face, followed by a kick to the chest to knock him down.

The Shinkiro fired its hadron cannons straight toward the Lancelot Trial, which maneuvered swiftly away to avoid the blasts before zooming in to close the gap, trying to bring down one of its dual MVS swords toward him, but the Shinkiro blocked the attack with a transformable blade of its own from its right arm. Cera's Pink Akatsuki tried to attack Marrybell's Knightmare from behind, but she brought her second MVS blade to block the katana before flying straight up.

"She's pretty good." Cera commented.

"There's a reason the Glinda Knights were so revered." Lelouch said. "I'm actually somewhat relieved she didn't come to Japan when this whole thing started."

The Lancelot Trial drew its VARIS rifle and prepared to fire, but gunfire from the side forced Marrybell to fly away and deviate course. The one who shot at her was none other than the Alexander piloted by Leila. She quickly moved in to shoot at Steeljaw as well and force him from Bumblebee.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked.

"Where's your team?" Lelouch questioned. "Akito and Elita?!"

As if on cue, an explosion from a nearby building erupted as Elita-One slid back using her arm blade to block the sword slice from one white and red Gloucester before using her Energon blaster in her other hand to blast off its feet and cripple it, which was enough to allow Ashley to zoom in close and bring his right blade toward her, forcing her to block as they engaged in a brutal swordfight.

"You're not getting away from me!" Ashley exclaimed as they continued to clash blades.

At the same time, Akito's Alexander scurried onto the scene with two more Gloucesters behind him, which Bumblebee shoot at with his Energon blasters as they tried to find cover. Lelouch and Cera were about to provide back up as Marrybell's Lancelot Trial returned, just as Akito gunned straight for Steeljaw.

"The Ghost of Hannibal, I presume?" Steeljaw mused as he used his claws to parry the rapid tonfa strikes from Akito who began to move in like a rabid beast.

"Die…!" This was heard in not only Leila's communication, but even that of her current teammates as Lelouch, Cera, Bumblebee, and even Elita gave a glance in concern. "Die… Die…!"

Cera gave a gasp as she felt a throb in her forehead, even Lelouch and Marrybell stopped piloting for a brief second as they each felt something in their heads, almost as if they could hear Akito's voice in their heads.

"What…?" Lelouch questioned.

"…Was that…?" Marrybell also questioned, unbeknownst to her as a Geass sigil formed in her left eye, even though she hadn't activated it of her own accord; same with Lelouch.

"DIE!" Akito shouted, a pair of red rings in his eyes as he pushed further against Steeljaw, forcing the Decepticon on the defensive. Steeljaw's smirk was wiped off his face as Akito slammed his Alexander's tonfa in his face before spinning a kick to knock him back. Akito's Alexander stopped as it 'roared' into the air.

"For the Revolution!" Quillfire exclaimed as he shot a multitude of quills toward the speeding Alexander piloted by Ayano, her own eyes glowing as a red ring formed in both of them.

"DIE!" She shouted as she expertly maneuvered her Alexander around each quill, coming in close to slice at Quillfire with her Knightmare's blade with such ferocity, it instantly made him terrified.

"Demon…! Demon!" Quillfire exclaimed as he transformed to drive away and get some distance with Ayano shooting after him like a predator chasing its prey.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Fracture exclaimed as he also found himself on the defensive from the rapid slashes of the axe wielded by Ryo's Alexander, a pair of red rings in both his eyes as well.

"DIE!" Ryo screamed as he attacked just as viciously. Fracture couldn't even find an opening as his arm-blade was broken off and he was knocked back.

"Oh, screw this!" The Decepticon bounty hunter shouted as he transformed. "Air Razor, Divebomb! Let's go!" He called back his Mini-Cons, who were busy avoiding the laser fire from Strongarm's crossbow. They did as instruct, transforming into rockets as they reattached to Fracture, who drove away with Quillfire.

"Hey! Get back here!" Strongarm shouted.

At the same time, Sideswipe was on the defensive from MVS knifes of the Vincent Gram, and the dual-arms spear of the Bradford. He swung his blade back to get some distance, but before he could even press on; Ayano and Ryo's Alexanders came in to attack Marika and Sokkia respectively.

"DIE!" They both shouted at the same time.

"What the…?!" Sokkia questioned as she was taken by such surprise that Ryo's axe cleaved through her Vincent's left hand. Even Marika was knocked back into a building by Ayano, while she flew straight up to get some distance. Both Strongarm and Sideswipe observed this new ferocity with surprise and even shock.

"Um… they weren't this crazy in the sparring drills… were they?" Sideswipe asked.

"No… definitely not." Strongarm confirmed.

Grindcore continued to wrestle with Underbite as the Decepticon threw his face upward to throw off Grindcore and send him rolling down the streets, but before the green Autobot could even retaliate, he was struck in the back by the flying and smoking projectile that was the Bradford piloted by Leonhardt.

"Hey, watch were you're flying, meatbag!" Underbite exclaimed as he shoved the Bradford off.

"Move out of the way! Now!" Leonhardt exclaimed, but it was too late; both the Knightmare and Decepticon were shoot all over the place by the rapid fire and explosive shots from Yukiya's Alexander.

"DIE!" He shouted, a red ring in his eyes. He fired again as the Bradford flew into the air, while Underbite was blasted all over, forcing him to transform and drive away as Yukiya continued to shoot in both their directions.

Grindcore heard it through his comns and was more than a little concerned. "What the heck…?"

Rai suddenly held his face as his own Geass emblem began to shine in both his eyes, even though he didn't activate it on purpose. "What… what is…?" This left the Raiden vulnerable to get blasted by a pair of Vehicon troopers and knocked down.

They were, in turn, smashed by the charging Bulkhead as he quickly ran to help the blue Knightmare stand up. "Rai, get your head in the game!"

"Bulk… something's wrong. My Geass…" Rai tried to say.

"What?" Bulkhead questioned as they heard the sounds of fighting around them. Smokescreen ducked under the sword slice from one Gloucester before punching it down. He swerved back to avoid the sword slice from the second as he fired an Energon blast towards its head and disable it.

At the same time, the Tristian Divider was in the air as it avoided the massive Hadron blast shot at him by the Zetland. "Tink, come on! You don't have to do this man!" Gino tried to plead with him.

"I'm sorry! I can't do that!" Tink stated as he fired his Hadron blast yet again.

Orpheus' eyes began to burn slightly as the Geass sigil manifested in both his eyes. "What…?" He was then brought back to reality as Oldrin's Lancelot Grail brought down two of its blades toward him. Acting on instinct, Orpheus' Byakuen threw out its electromagnetic gun barrel device to block and obliterate both swords, forcing Oldrin to pull her Lancelot Grail back as it drew two more blades, pushing forward against him.

Monica slid under the fire of two Vehicons before her Florence Nero drew its MVS blade to decapitate both of them in one strike. Two Gloucesters attempted to attack from behind, but Prowl suddenly appeared as he threw his shurikens to swipe the swords out of their hands. They attempted to retaliate, but Prowl swiftly delivered a crushing kick to the right leg of one and cripple it before maneuvering behind the second to deal a neck-chop and disable it as well.

They both heard the distressed cries of Orpheus as his Byakuen was knocked back with a sword slice from Oldrin.

"I've got you now!" She was about to bring her blades down toward him before Monica's Florence appeared and blocked it. "Krushevsky?!"

"Oldrin, listen to me! You don't have to do this!" Monica tried to reason with her.

"Guys… Prowl… Monica…" Orpheus tried to speak as he felt the burning sensation of his Geass. "Something's wrong here…"

Ultra Magnus rolled back as he shoot his Ion blaster toward the charging Vercingetorix, with Shin being quick enough to avoid most of the blasts as he got in close to bring down his axe, but Magnus caught it by the handle with both his hands as he pressed back. But the Vercingetorix converted itself so that it's centaur-like legs merged into two humanoid ones, allowing it to stand taller and catching Magnus off guard as it fired its wrist-mounted slash harkens at Magnus' chest to knock him back. But he quickly drew his Energon hammer to slam it into the Vercingetorix's side and knock it back slightly before getting up and resuming the fight.

Suzaku, meanwhile was on the defensive end of both Thunderhoof and the Gracchus piloted by Jean. She attacked with such grace and agility, matching even his with the Lancelot, despite it being a superior Knightmare, it was clear she knew what she was doing as well. Yet, conversely, Thunderhoof also attacked with ferocity and rage rather than grace. As the Lancelot and Gracchus parried blades up front, Thunderhoof attempted to ram from behind, but Suzaku anticipated this as he shot the Lancelot upward, allowing Thunderhoof to accidentally ram into Jean's Knightmare knocking them both back.

The Vercingetorix got back up as it faced Ultra Magnus again. "Your name is Ultra Magnus, correct? I've been told that you are the Autobot second-in-command, and I can see you've earned that position. It makes me wonder how your leader would compare."

"You can save your empty flattery, I'm not interested." Magnus said.

"No, but I'm interested in something else." A Geass sigil manifested in Shin's left eye. "Yes… he's close. Oh… and he's not the only one is he…? There are others here. Others like me." A sadistic smile fell on his face. "I'm afraid we'll have to call this a draw for now, Ultra Magnus. Jean, Thunderhoof, fall back for now."

"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Thunderhoof exclaimed.

"You heard Lord Hyuga! Retreat!" Jean exclaimed as her Knightmare rolled back to catch up with the retreating Vercingetorix. Thunderhoof growled before he transformed and was forced to retreat as well.

"What was that all about?" Suzaku asked as the Lancelot regrouped with Ultra Magnus.

"I do not know, and that is what concerns me." Magnus said with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, as Bumblebee, Elita, the Shinkiro, and pink Akatsuki formed a perimeter around Leila's Alexander, who helped to provide covering fire on her own, their respective forms of long-ranged firepower was enough to keep Marrybell at bay, along with Ashley and their remaining Asura forces. Of course, most of them were drawn to Akito who continued to engage Steeljaw in a ferocious battle.

Akito's Alexander continued to crawl along the side of a building before leaping directly toward Steeljaw, who grabbed the Alexander before throwing it over him, but Akito recovered quickly enough to slam his tonfa repeatedly at him, forcing Steeljaw to block and parry with his claws. Even he was starting to become concerned right now.

"What in the name of Cybertron are you?" Steeljaw questioned as he transformed to retreat, with Akito giving pursuit.

"Akito!" Leila called to him.

"[Where's he going!?]" Bumblebee exclaimed.

Marrybell continued to feel the burning Geass in her eyes as she saw Akito tail off after Steeljaw. She didn't know what was going on, but suspected the Ghost of Hannibal was someone involved.

"Ashura, fall back!" Marrybell ordered.

"You crazy?! This is the most fun I've ever had!" Ashely exclaimed as he gunned for Elita again, only for Elita to block his sword strike while the Shinkiro shot its slash harkens at him, forcing Ashely to fall back and avoid getting skewered.

"That is an order! Retreat now!" Marrybell exclaimed.

Ashley scowled. "Fine. Asura Force, fall back!" He drove back with his remaining forces while Marrybell flew away with him.

"They're retreating?" Elita questioned.

"No… something else." Cera said as she continued to feel the throb in her forehead. "Akito… he's under the effect of a Geass!"

"What?!" Lelouch and Leila both exclaimed as even Bumblebee looked stunned.

"I don't know how, but somehow it's also connecting to Ryo, Yukiya, and Ayano." Cera reported. "They're all acting like rabid animals now!"

Lelouch immediately contacted some of his allies. "Sideswipe, Strongarm, Grindcore, report! What is the status of your partners?!"

"They've gone off the rails!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"They are acting like monsters! They're not trying to stop our enemies, but actually trying to murder them!" Strongarm reported.

"The kid's kinda scaring me right now!" Grindcore also reported.

"What… what can we do?" Leila asked with worry. "Cera, can you do something?!"

"I… I think I can stop this if I make direct contact with Akito, but I don't know if he'll let me when he's like this." Cera said.

"I don't think our enemies will just sit by and wait either." Elita said.

"Maybe we can use this." Lelouch said as an idea came to mind. He contacted all his forces. "This is Zero to all Black Knights and Autobots in the area! There is something that is compelling Akito and the rest of the WZERO, excluding Leila, into attacking like beasts! It may or may not have to do with a Geass, but we'll resolve that later! For now, regroup at these coordinates I'm sending you!"

"Are we retreating?" Kallen asked.

"No." Lelouch began to explain. "The enemy has already noticed this and are likely planning on regrouping as well. They might try to overwhelm Akito and the others with raw firepower. Once they're all gathered in one spot, we'll blast with long-ranged weapons and punch a hole, allowing Akito and the others to finish them off. I know this might sound unethical, but we don't have a choice. This is the only way to save our allies, complete the mission, and figure out what's going on. All units fall back to these coordinates now!"

"Understood"

"Acknowledged"

"Rodger"

"You got it."

Those were several of the responses his Autobot and Black Knight allies gave him, including the team he was currently with.

"Leila, I promise we will save them. But you have to trust me now." Lelouch told her as he could practically feel her own hesitance.

"I trust you Lelouch. I don't like it… but I trust you. Let's go." She nodded with acceptance as Bumblebee transformed with Elita before following Lelouch, Cera, and Leila's Knightmares to the coordinates assigned.

'Akito… I'll save you. Whatever's happening to you… I promise I will save you no matter what!' Leila thought to herself as a blue Geass sigil manifested in her left eye.

Meanwhile, Jetfire continued to engage in his dogfight with Sky-Byte, who opened his mouth to fire two missiles at him, which Jetfire retaliated with by rapid-fire Energon blasts in his jet mode. The missiles were promptly intercepted and exploded on contact, but this also proved to be a mistake as he was barely able to avoid the missile barrage shot at him by the Granberry.

'I can't keep this up much longer! I have to take down those remaining turrets!' Jetfire thought to himself as he shoot down toward the ground with Sky-Byte in pursuit, as well as the Granberry locking on to his position. 'I'm taking a big risk by doing this, but I don't have a choice!'

He flew closer toward the ground as he spun his body around, firing a volley of missiles just as Sky-Byte unleashed another set of his own missiles, followed by another volley from the Granberry. Jetfire allowed all the missiles behind him to track him as he zoomed forward, diving closer toward the large turrets, and allowing his own missiles to mix in with that of the enemies' and strike each of the large turrets he passed through. This resulted in a long line of explosions that took out most if not all the remaining defenses that prevented the EU forces from advancing.

"Ah scrap…" Sky-Byte cursed.

Even Toto winced from on-board, realizing what they had just done. But suddenly, she was contacted by her princess.

'Toto, bring the Granberry to my coordinates as soon as possible! We may need an immediate extraction!'

"I'm on my way." She said with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, the remaining enemy forces consisting of Steeljaw, Airachnid, Underbite, Fracture, Quillfire, Marrybell, Oldrin, Sokkia, Tink, Leonhardt, Marika, Ashley, and three Gloucesters of the Ashura strike force, as well as three remaining Vehicons, all regrouped near the town square.

"Alright, everyone listen up!" Steeljaw told the group. "Some of you may have noticed how four of their own may have lost their sanity and have become something truly dangerous. They're going to converge here; we'll draw them in and overwhelm them with everything we have. Once that's all done, we'll finish off the remaining enemy."

"Here they come!" Oldrin warned as they all spotted four Alexanders coming at them from the distance down a single road.

"Die! Die! Die! Die!" All four of them chanted repeatedly.

"All units, be ready to open fire!" Every Decepticon and Britannian Knightmare readied their respective blasters, harkens, and other long-ranged weapons. However, Marrybell noticed something.

'Where are the others? Zero and the Autobots?' She thought in confusion. 'Is this their doing? I don't think so, it seems like they don't know what's going on either. So are they hanging back or…?' Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"We have to get out of here! Now!" Marrybell screamed, but it was too late.

From the sky above; the Shinkiro fired its central chest-laser, which was added by a surged sphere of Radiation from the Guren's Surger claw, a powerful bolt of electricity from the Raiden's own claw, bolts of energy from the Lancelot's energy wing system, and a blast from the Tristian Divider's Slash Harken combiner, and a blast from the Florence's Hadron cannons. From the rooftops, Ultra Magnus, Elita One, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Strongarm, fired charged Energon shots from their blasters while Grindcore, the Byakuen, Prowl, and Leila's Alexander just watched as all the attacks converged onto a single point in front of the enemy group.

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion erupted from the center of the city like a miniature mushroom could. Several of the Knightmares were crippled as the Decepticons were all blown away and tried to recover. However, this all left them vulnerable for Akito and his group to swoop in and begin their ferocious attack.

"DIE!" Akito shouted as he crushed one of the Gloucesters.

"DIE!" Ryo decapitated two Vehicons.

"DIE!" Ayano screamed as she impaled Fracture in his shoulder and kicked him away, while twisting her blade to completely sever his arm.

"DIE!" Yukiya practically unloaded his rifle to take out anyone who attempted to retreat, which ended up crippling the Lancelot Trial.

"Marrybell!" Oldrin exclaimed in shock as she flew down to catch her. "Glinda Knights, fall back now! Everyone retreat!" They did as they were instructed; Tink, Leonhardt, Marika, and Sokkia practically limped away in their respective Knightmare, using the smoke for cover as the injured Fracture, Underbite, Quillfire, and even Airachnid transformed and scattered, with the later drilling underground.

"They're demons! Demons I tell you!" Quillfire ranted as he drove away.

This left only Ashley as his Gloucester appeared to be the only remaining Knightmare, which would soon be attacked by the raging Akito. "DIE!"

Both Knightmares parried their weapons again as Ashley was forced to back away and gain some distance. "They're wrong about you! You're not a ghost, you're some kind of monster!" He exclaimed as her rolled his red Gloucester away with Akito continuing to give pursuit.

Steeljaw limped his way through the alley, cursing himself for his lack of forethought. How could he not have seen such a flawed defensive strategy?! But then again, this did match the kind of strategy he heard Zero would normally employ. As he made his way toward a clearing, he noticed Ashley's Gloucester was on its last legs as Akito's Alexander had him cornered.

"Die! Die!" Akito shouted as he beat away the swords from the Gloucester's grip and knocked him down. The Alexander thrusted its hidden blade, ready to end Ashley right then and there. "Die…"

Suddenly, a single white Gloucester arrived to take the blow, the blade piercing through its cockpit and the pilot inside. The pilot in question was the young Johanne.

Ashely looked in absolute shock, his pupils shaking as he could not believe what he just saw. His own subordinate just took the blow for him. "No… Johanne…"

"Good luck to you… Master… Ashley…" Those were his last words before he passed on.

This was it. It was no or never. With Akito's Alexander no longer moving, Cera's pink Akatsuki shot forward and gunned straight for the Alexander. No time to stop moving, she opened the cockpit and timed it just right as she jumped out of the moving Knightmare, which ended up crashing into a building, but it could be repaired. Cera landed on Akito's cockpit and placed her hand directly on it.

"Akito! Stop!" Cera exclaimed, channeling her own power as the Geass emblem on her forehead began to glow brightly.

Akito gave a gasp as he felt something practically pull him out of his state, the very same thing was felt by Ryo, Ayano, and Yukiya; all of them gasping. Cera did all she could to not only halt the rampage, but even attempted to rid the effect of the Geass entirely.

"Time to end this." However, she soon felt a stronger influence inside the effect of the Geass itself, something that caused her to gasp as she felt her conscious being forcibly pulled from reality.

Cera gave a gasp as she found herself in a completely different setting than where she was just a few seconds ago. No longer was she in the city of Slonim standing on top of a Knightmare, but she was inside a small room filled with a large assortment of dead bodies, something that made her look more than a little disturbed.

"What…? What is this?"

"Big Brother…?" She heard a young squeaky voice as she saw a toddler, probably two or three years old, stand up in the middle of the floor.

"Akito…?!" Cera then turned to see a boy who was probably just becoming a teenager looking toward the toddler she now recognized as Akito in shock. "You… why are you still alive…?"

Cera looked in surprise, as the toddler simply looked to his older brother who then smiled malevolently. Cera gasped as she saw the Geass emblem form in his left eye. "Akito, die now!"

The second she saw the sigil, it flew into her eyes as the entire setting around her was suddenly set ablaze with blood red fire, causing Cera to look around in a startle. Soon, the flames took shape and manifested in the form of a skull with the glowing red Geass emblem on its forehead. Looking into the eyes of the skull was like looking into an empty pit, but she couldn't help but find herself staring deeper into the eyes. Not long, she did see something into the empty eyes… a bright surge of dark purple energy.

Cera then screamed as she saw in the center of that energy, a stone face with glowing eyes that seemed to embody pure and unrelenting evil.

The immortal girl gave a gasp as she fell backwards off the Alexander, falling flat on the ground just as Akito himself seemed to snap out of his stupor.

"What… what just happened…?" He honestly had no idea what had transpired as he saw the impaled Gloucester in front of him, as well as the crippled one right behind it.

"Akito…! Akito!" He heard Leila's voice call to him as her Alexander suddenly arrived, alongside the Shinkiro, the Raiden, and even the Byakuen.

"Cera!" Lelouch saw the green-haired woman lying flat on the ground.

"Hang on, we have incoming!" Rai exclaimed in alert as they saw the golden Knightmare known as the Vercingetorix arrive on the scene and come to a halt before Akito's Alexander. The Shinkiro, Raiden, and Byakuen immediately raised their weapons toward it.

"Don't you take one step closer!" Orpheus warned.

However, the pilot inside didn't seem to be concerned with any of them at the moment. "Akito… I can't believe you're still alive. Not only a European soldier… you're even sided with the Black Knights and the Autobots."

Akito felt a chill run down his spine as he recognized the voice. "It can't be…"

Just as Cera began to stirk awake, she looked up to the Vercingetorix as the cockpit opened and the pilot stood up for all to see him. "It's good to see you again…" He said to Akito as he himself stepped out of the Alexander cockpit. "Little brother."

"Brother?!" Lelouch, Rai, Leila, and Orpheus all exclaimed.

Cera looked up toward him and saw the exact same face and eyes as the teenage boy she saw in the vision. "No doubt… it's him."

One-by-one; Zero, Leila, Rai, and Orpheus all stood up from their Knightmare cockpits as well, and it only seemed then Shin noticed them.

"Oh my… the infamous Zero." Shin chuckled. "Fate seems to have a strange sense of humor, hmm?"

"Who are you?" Zero questioned.

"I am Shin Hyuga Shang, the Grandmaster to the Order of Michael, and as you've now just learned, the older brother to dear Akito." He introduced himself. "But I sense there is something else… something that we have in common."

"What are you talking about?" Orpheus questioned.

Shin got a good look at each of them before he chuckled. "I can sense it… we all share the same gift, don't we?" A Geass sigil manifested in his left eye; causing everyone to gasp as Lelouch, Rai, Orpheus, and even Leila felt their own respective Geass' activate on instinct.

"You seriously have a Geass?!" Rai exclaimed.

"Ah, so that's what it's called. Geass, I had no idea." Shin said. "Just as I had no idea there were others like me out there. This is truly fascinating; I'd love to learn more."

"And I'm sure we'll learn more about you as well." An Energon blaster was primed behind him as Shin turned around to face the glaring Ultra Magnus, who aimed his weapon directly at him. "We'll learn all we can as we interrogate you."

Shin looked around to see he was completely surrounded on all sides. The Guren, Lancelot, Florence, Tristian Divider, and even Jetfire hovered in the air; Arcee, Smokescreen, Prowl, and Sideswipe stood on the rooftops; while Bumblebee, Grindcore, and Bulkhead were on the streets. Likewise, Ryo, Ayano, and Yukiya arrived in their Alexanders as well. Even Elita-One stepped forward, closer toward Akito, feeling a sense to protect him as she saw the look of clear terror on his face.

Oddly though, Shin didn't look the least bit intimidated. "Commander Magnus." He greeted casually.

"Shin Hyuga Shang, your forces have been defeated." Ultra Magnus told him. "Anyone who survived has now left, and you're surrounded on all sides. Now would be an ideal time to surrender."

"Yes, one would think." Shin said. "But I'm afraid that time is not now." He accessed his communication device. "I request a Groundbridge." A portal suddenly opened underneath him as his Knightmare fell in, taking him with it. "Farwell for now Akito, I look forward to continuing our reunion." He said before the portal closed. Right as it did, another portal opened up underneath Ashley's crippled Knightmare, taking him as well as the deceased Johanne away.

"Damn it." Kallen muttered.

"Who the heck was that creep?" Sideswipe questioned as everyone regrouped.

"Akito's brother, believe it or not." Orpheus commented.

"Brother?!" Most of them exclaimed.

Lelouch sighed, no doubt this was going to complicate things, but they had to stay focused on the mission. "Jetfire, what's the status of the defensive line?"

"It's been brought down." The Aerialbot reported. "EU forces are advancing as we speak."

"Good." Elita nodded. "We'll regroup with them as instructed. Once we settle down, we can get some rest. Good work everyone."

Despite the praise from one of their leaders, as well as the obvious success of their mission, none of them felt like celebrating. What happened today was an absolute fiasco, both physically and emotionally. But with nothing else to do, most of the Autobots all transformed as the Knightmares rolled away. Even Akito, acting like a machine, got back into his Alexander, and joined everyone else.

The only ones left in the square appeared to be Ultra Magnus and Zero as he stepped down from his Shinkiro to help Cera on her feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

"I'll be fine."

"Lelouch." Magnus got his attention. "What happened today… Akito and the others acted nothing short of rabid and wild. While you were able to find a means for it to work in our favor, these actions are unacceptable. They put themselves and others in grave danger."

"It wasn't their fault." Cera said. "Akito was under the effects of a Geass, and it somehow transferred to Ryo and the others. Probably through the Alexanders' neural link, which is why the rest of us weren't affected."

"I'm guessing Shin was the one responsible." Lelouch assumed as he took off his mask.

"Yes, it was definitely him." Cera confirmed. "I don't know the details, or who even gave him that Geass, it certainly wasn't me. But Shin used his Geass on Akito when he was only a child, probably two or three years old."

"How do you know this?" Magnus asked.

"When I made contact, I saw what happened through Akito's memories." Cera explained. "I couldn't get a clear enough picture to know what exactly happened, but I do know that it was Shin who used his Geass on Akito. And… there was something else… something darker… Shin's Geass it… it reminds me too much of Megatron's Dark Geass."

That got both their attention. "Are you sure?" Lelouch asked with an urgent expression.

"It's not as potent, but it feels as twisted." Cera replied. "I don't think it was a power from V.V. either."

"Is there anybody else like you?" Ultra Magnus questioned. "Anyone who can bestow a Geass to others?"

"So far as I know, there isn't." Cera replied.

"This… this is very disturbing." Lelouch wasn't quite sure what to think of this.

Ultra Magnus then got back on point. "I acknowledge that this was against their will, but this still leaves the clear risk of Akito and possibly the others going on a similar rampage again. We cannot allow that."

"It won't happen." Cera said. "I'll try and purge the effect of the Geass from Akito's mind, but if I can't do that, I will try to teach him and the others how to control that power, similar to Suzaku. They won't be liabilities; I'll see to it."

"Very well." Ultra Magnus seemed to accept it. "However, this also means you are responsible for anything else that may happen."

"I understand completely." Cera nodded.

"Come on. Let's go." Lelouch said as they prepared to leave. Even though this was indeed a victory and can help them get a better relationship with the EU, which will most certainly help them in the long run; there were a great many things to be concerned about. Marrybell and the Glinda Knights were here. Akito's 'condition', and how it seems capable of spreading to others was a serious concern. But the most disturbing thing to learn today was this Shin Hyuga Shang person also has a Geass that was similar to Megatron's, and it wasn't given to him by either Cera or V.V. Needless to say, things were going to get complicated from this point forward.

However, none of them seemed to notice that there was a certain Decepticon who had heard the entire conversation. Steeljaw had listened to every word that was spoken and couldn't help but smirk, so much potential has just made itself known, so much for him to twist in his favor. With a small chuckle, he transformed into his Vehicle mode and rode off.

Done.

So… a lot has happened in this chapter. The heroes are beginning to build better relationships with their new allies, but they've also gained new enemies. Marrybell and the Glinda Knights are one thing, but Shin Hyuga Shang is someone that even the Autobots should be concerned with. Like Lelouch said, things are going to get complicated going forward. And you will be learning the origin of the Geass-Skull in this story, I promise.

Anyway, the next chapter is going to be pretty interesting. It may be a bit lighthearted and may even contain a few surprises that you might find rather pleasant. I look forward to hearing what you all think of this and writing the next chapter. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.