A/N: Here it is! A bit delayed, and it once again ran away from me in terms of length, but I got it done. Also, the full story is up on Spacebattles now, and I will have this chapter up there hopefully either later today or tomorrow.

Chapter 6:

The day had not been a good one for Cornelia. She had gotten some sleep after the battle of Narita, but not much. A large chunk of the night had been spent in a conference call with Schneizel and Guinevere, explaining the situation and putting together a plan of action. She had successfully been able to secure reinforcements, with new units from the mainland being sent her way to replace her losses, but the situation was still grim. At least her two half-siblings had been supportive. Schneizel had freed up the additional units without issue, though he cautioned her that the situation with the EU was still delicate and could result in those units being needed elsewhere if tensions flared up again.

Guinevere had similarly been willing to help run damage control in the media, reframing the whole affair as the cowardly JLF deploying an advanced superweapon on the town of Narita, causing a massacre and resulting in the Britannian soldiers taking heavy losses to try and stop them. Cornelia was not quite sure if the people would buy it, but Guinevere was the one with the media contacts and not her.

By the time that conference was over, the sun was already rising, and so the next day's work had begun.

Now, hours later, Cornelia was in another meeting, this one concerning measures to be taken to increase security within the Area following the debacle at Narita.

"Your highness, we are concerned that the outcome of the recent battle with the JLF will embolden the Elevens to commit further acts of sabotage. It is already difficult enough to sustain local industry, and we believe that a stronger stance must be taken against the Ghettos." Duke Brandon Lynch proposes.

"Yes! Right now, the Elevens may see us as being weak. A show of force against them in the Ghettos ought to put an end to that and give us some time to reconstitute our forces." Duke Ricardo Hegel concurs.

Cornelia resists the urge to sigh. A crackdown on a Ghetto would be worse than useless, especially if done on a flimsy pretext. Even if it wouldn't have meant breaking the ceasefire she had with the Black Knights and inviting them to stab her in the back, a second Saitama would only drive more people into the arms of the resistance.

"Perhaps, instead of seeking to shoot them, you should offer better salaries at your factories." Euphemia comments from her side of the table.

"After all, if people were able to make a living off of the jobs you offer, they would not need to turn to theft, sabotage and terrorism to make ends meet."

"Y-Your Highness, I do not believe that would be a good idea. Cheap labor is one of the only reasons Britannian companies are willing to establish facilities out here in Area 11 at all. If the cost of labor were to increase, then the incentives to invest further in this area would plummet." Ricardo replies.

"Somehow I doubt that. Area 11 was a sophisticated nation with an educated populace known for their work ethic, and world-leading products in several key industries. A lot of that potential remains untapped, at least in part because of poor policies aimed at short-term exploitation rather than long-term development. This short-sighted approach not only increases the cost of future developments, as vital skills and education is forgotten or made unavailable to the native population, but also drives people to rebel against our group in the hopes of one day reclaiming what they had." Euphemia replies.

"That is enough." Cornelia intervenes before the argument could get heated.

"While this is certainly interesting, this is not a meeting discussing Eleven economic development strategies. With that said, I do agree with my sister. The approach taken by Clovis to pacify this area was extremely short-sighted, with disastrous consequences. This included not only the failure to adequately verify Eleven demilitarization, but also subsequent ham-fisted crackdowns that would culminate in the Shinjuku disaster. Right now, further crackdowns on the Ghettos serve no purpose. Instead, we need to locate the potential sources of JLF equipment, and simultaneously plug the gaps through which they may be able to infiltrate Tokyo." She says.

"In the latter case, the Tokyo Underground is of particular concern. The failure by the Clovis administration to clear it out is, in my opinion, its single greatest failure."

At that, many of the men in the room look uncomfortable. They were, after all, a part of said administration.

"It is an embarrassment that these tunnels were left completely untouched and left to fester with terrorists and resistance fighters." Guilford joins in, fixing one of the nobles in the room with a pointed glare.

"Um... Well, the subway system runs across the entire country, and clearing it out was not economical... Ah... The decision was made to simply seal entry points into settlements and leave the rest to rot without food, water or electricity..." Brandon Lynch answers.

"Now we have tunnels full of terrorists, who are able to ship in food from rural areas, and who have plenty of water, electricity and gas that they can siphon off for free from our existing utility lines." Guilford replies.

"It is a very complex process, which the Japanese have been able to accomplish without causing damage to the infrastructure above them. Such modifications, as well as the planning and excavation of such extensive tunnel networks, are beyond the skill of ordinary, uneducated workers. Perhaps if people were willing to hire trained Japanese engineers and pay them a fair salary, they would not be incentivized to built infrastructure for rebel organizations in the tunnels." Euphemia points out.

"Elevens." Cornelia corrects her sister, who sighs and nods.

"But my sister's point does stand. Simply blocking off the tunnels and trying to starve them out has backfired. Now, they possess their own redundant infrastructure and supply lines. Seven years ago, this could have been resolved quickly. Now, it will be a long and difficult process." Cornelia continues.

"Moreover, during the battle of Narita, Guilford and I both encountered Knightmares equipped with high-grade excavation equipment. The Tokyo Underground issue can no longer be put off, as now the JLF may be able to simply dig a tunnel straight from Narita into Tokyo, and strike anywhere, at any time, without us having any ability to predict where."

That causes the nobility in the room to look worriedly at each other.

"With this in mind, once my forces have been reorganized and brought back to combat readiness, we shall begin preparing for an operation into the Tokyo Underground, with the goal of cleaning it out once and for all."

The nobles all nod at that. Then, Cornelia's computer terminal shows a message from Euphemia.

'We will have to talk more about this.'

Cornelia quickly types up a response.

'Yes. Later.'

Her sister clearly wanted more say in how the operation was conducted, likely to limit civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure... Cornelia was leery of the whole idea, but considering her conduct at Narita, she could not exactly fault her.

"With that said, there is another issue at hand." Darlton takes the lead.

"As is Britannian policy, a collection of local collaborators were elevated to help administer the region under the oversight of Clovis. This group, responsible at least partially for administering day to day domestic affairs within the area, is known as the NAC." The scarred general says.

The mention of the NAC causes the other nobles in the room to all look up at once. This was as expected. The NAC may have been a puppet government, but more than that, they were also the cartel responsible for the management of the Fuji Mines, and whose collaboration was key in ensuring that Japan remained a profitable addition to the Britannian Empire. Every single man here had business involvement with the NAC.

"The NAC may have also had backroom dealings with the JLF. They are in a prime position to play both sides, as it were. With the immense amount of revenue they generate through Sakuradite mining, as well as their control over large factories pertaining to the Sakuradite extraction industry, they are in a prime position to either manufacture military hardware on the side, or to simply send money to the JLF directly that they can then use to buy weaponry from the Chinese Federation or the EU."

"Indeed... That is the second potential security issue that faces us. The JLF had to have gotten their technology from somewhere. If not from us, then who? The NAC may be the missing link, and this warrants an investigation." Cornelia says.

"W-Wait! I do not believe that such an investigation is necessary..." Ricardo speaks up, visibly sweating.

"The NAC has been nothing but cooperative with us, ensuring that the bulk of Japan surrendered swiftly and that the Sakuradite quotas are met and even exceeded at times. If we suddenly move to suppress them without concrete evidence, then it could be catastrophic for the local economy, as well as for revenue in the homeland! Plus, it is necessary to allow the Numbers to at least have the impression that they have a say in government, as otherwise it could only worsen domestic political issues..." The Duke protests. The other nobles around him nod.

'I suspect they all have some corrupt dealings in the Sakuradite industry. They don't want you to investigate because they are worried you might turn up their own misdeeds.'

Cornelia carefully keeps her face neutral as she reads Euphemia's message.

"... I suppose you are right." She finally says as she types out a message to her sister.

'Can you take care of this, then? I recall charging you with this already.'

'Of course.'

Euphemia responds immediately.

"I will hold off on investigating the NAC for now, assuming no further evidence comes up." Cornelia says.

"However." She continues before the nobles could say anything.

"It is clear that the Clovis administration has severely bungled things here. As such, I will take any action I see fit to ensure the security and stability of this Area, regardless of past precedent set by the old administration. Any attempt to obstruct or to undermine my efforts will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Am I understood?" She says, standing up.

"Y-Yes, your highness!" The nobles respond.

What else was there for them to say? They had dropped the ball over the past seven years, and now it was time to clean up their mess.

Lelouch stared out of the window of his dormitory, idly twirling a black king in his hand. Outside, the sun was setting on an orange sky, the soot from the now-extinguished Narita fires still permeating the air a day after the battle.

The entire day had passed by in a sort of blur to him, as if after so much non-stop action parts of it had insisted on shutting down and falling asleep. His school bag is on the desk beside him, along with two tickets to a concert that Shirley had insisted on giving to him earlier that day. Had he been in a better state of mind, he might have politely turned her down, but as it was, by the time he'd realized what had happened, Shirley had already run off.

Behind him, he hears C.C. shift quietly from where she is lying on the bed, her amber eyes staring up at the ceiling.

For a long time, there is nothing in the room but the ticking clock.

Finally, Lelouch speaks.

"Well? Was it worth it?" He asks quietly.

"Hm?" C.C. asks.

"What you pulled with the truck in that drug den. Was it worth it?" Lelouch asks.

"... I helped you rescue Kallen's mother, didn't I?" C.C. answers.

"I could have done that without you onboard, and I never took you to be one who cared so much about the people we are saving. So why did you do it, and was it worth it?" Lelouch asks again.

C.C. is quiet for a few long moments, before looking down.

"... No. It was not." She says quietly.

"Did you learn anything?" Lelouch's voice grows sharper.

"... Nothing you wouldn't have figured out easily on your own." C.C. replies, and Lelouch clenches his fist around the chess piece.

"Educate me, then. What would I have been able to figure out on my own?" He asks.

"That the aliens we encountered in the drug den do not use Geass as you do, and that the Hybrids in that truck used, well... A strange Hybrid of the two that gave me a constant migraine." C.C. answers.

How Lelouch was supposed to have easily figure out that on his own, he had no idea. He leans back in his chair and lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I need details. What does that mean? Does this mean I can use Geass on them? Are they immune? Are they able to control me? Do you know any of that?" Lelouch asks.

"... What is Geass?" C.C. answers instead.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the expert here." Lelouch grumbles.

"You just got your Geass a few months ago. The memory is fresh in your mind, is it not? Tell me, how did you know what your Geass did when you stood up in that tunnel and ordered the Royal Guards to die?" C.C. replies.

"I..." Lelouch blinks.

"Yes?" C.C. continues.

"I just... Knew..." He says, trying his best to remember. That moment was seared in his mind, and yet...

"... I made a wish." He finally concludes, quietly.

"Yes. That is our contract. A wish for a wish. I granted you the power you desired, and in exchange you agreed to make my wish come true. Simple, no?" C.C. replies.

"But that doesn't answer anything-" Lelouch protests, but C.C. cuts him off.

"But then why does your wish come true?" She asks.

"Anyone can make a wish. The Black Knights, the JLF, that Shirley girl who is so infatuated with you, all of them have their wishes, but what is it that makes yours come true?"

"I... The power you granted me, right? Geass, the Power of the King." Lelouch answers, still thinking back to that fateful moment under Shinjuku.

C.C. shakes her head.

"You do not use my power. At the end of the day, I do not grant you strength directly. I am merely a broker."

"A broker between me and what?" Lelouch asks.

"... Geass is the Power of the King, but what are you the king of?" C.C. answers.

"Can you stop speaking in riddles for a moment and give me a straight answer?" Lelouch snaps.

"I am trying to make you think, Lelouch. What did you see when I granted you your power?"

"I don't know? Lights, colors, you but naked, children with strange symbols on their heads, the planet Jupiter, two spheres..." Lelouch thinks back to the jumble of visions he'd glimpsed, almost too fast to recall.

Something about that last item though...

"Two spheres..." There was something important about that, he was certain, but what... He had no idea. It was just a disjointed mess.

"Those spheres represent the mortal and spiritual worlds. One, the world of flesh, and the other the world of spirits and consciousness. C's World, as some like to call it." C.C. says.

"From it we are born, and to it we return, in an endless cycle. In it lies the sum total of all human experiences. All joy, all suffering, all desire, all accomplishment... All of it is there." C.C. elaborates.

"Now, answer my question." C.C. replies.

"I... You brokered a contract between me and... This gestalt in C's World?" Lelouch ventures a guess.

"Yes." The witch replies.

"... And that is what I am King of?" Lelouch wonders.

"In a sense. As the King makes his wish, the people work to make it happen. Every time you issue a command, the total might of all mankind works through you to see it done. It is why, with but a word, you can order a crowd of men to kill themselves with smiles on their faces."

Lelouch winces at that, but nods.

"But then, why only once? Why can I not use it multiple times per person?" He asks, to which C.C. shrugs.

"I don't know. Every Geass is different, but at its core there is always a wish. To manipulate, to understand, to control... But even with the same basic wish, there are a million permutations. Perhaps if you had less respect for the sanctity of free will, then that limitation would not exist. Geass accomplishes your true desire, not necessarily what is expedient in the moment." C.C. says.

"So the aliens draw their power from a different source, then?" Lelouch asks.

"No. Maybe? I am not sure. It felt... Strange, and I didn't exactly have much time to feel them out. The others at the ship were... Different. Almost hollow, in a sense. I didn't feel much from them at all." C.C. replies.

"What about the Hybrids? You were in the truck with them. You must have had plenty of time to get a feel for them."

"I... I did. They... They seemed to use a mix of both... The same strange power as the aliens, but they used it to... Pull at C's World, forcing it to conform to their will. It was... Disconcerting." C.C. replies.

"But they still have a connection to C's World? I can still place the Hybrids under my Geass?" Lelouch presses.

"I don't know." C.C. sighs.

"What about... You said that C's World's power is used to drive my Geass? Could it also be used to counter a foreign attempt to invade my mind?"

"I don't know." C.C. repeats.

"Then what do you know? You're the expert on Geass here, not me!" Lelouch snaps.

At that, C.C. fixes him with a glare.

"... The people of this time are all so... Analytical. They want to look at everything, pick it apart, trying to find the Why and How." She says, before leaning back, staring back up at the ceiling.

"... Life was simpler once. When lightning struck, there was no thought of electrons, positive charge, negative charge, or any other such things... Lightning was lightning. Thunder was thunder. The world was what it was, there was no need to dig deeper, picking things apart until all the wonder was gone and only cold, clinical science remained..."

Lelouch stared at her for a few moments.

"C.C... How old are you?" He asks.

"... I don't know. I've lost count long ago." The green-haired girl replies quietly.

Lelouch sighs and looks away. Just his luck that the immortal expert on Geass in the room also probably predated the scientific method. Still... At least this was something, even if it left him with more questions than answers.

A quiet beeping pulled him from his thoughts, and he glances down at his watch to see that it was time to leave.

"Will you be coming with me?" He asks as he stands up and begins to pack away his Zero costume.

"No. I... I think I will stay here for now." C.C. replies.

"Don't cause trouble, then." Lelouch replies as he finishes the packing process and turns to leave the room.

For a while, there is quiet in the room once he's gone. Then, C.C. speaks.

"You're one to talk about lies of omission."

...

"Dramatic as always. Does 'Remember your ooooaths to meeee!' ring a bell?"

...

"I suppose... But what else am I supposed to tell him? If he knows too much, then he might go off to get himself killed. The little gremlin isn't exactly someone he can fight right now."

...

"Oh, that much I know. What is there to do about it though?"

...

"Does he know about them?"

...

"At least your son is..."

...

"Well enough, I suppose. Don't know how long that'll last though. Sleep deprivation and overwork are likely going to be an issue soon. On a lighter note, I think some girl finally had the guts to proposition to him."

...

"Heh, not yet. He's probably just going to turn her down."

...

"... Oh no."

...

"... Fine. But you owe me."

With that, C.C. rolled over and closed her eyes, drifting off into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

Lelouch was still somewhat miffed by the time he got to the Black Knights' headquarters in Shinjuku, though fortunately it was not long before more immediate matters had presented themselves to occupy his mind.

He was currently in a room with Toudoh, Kaguya and Ohgi, listening to Kaguya giving a briefing on the latest news from the Kyoto Group, which had responded to the message Kaguya had sent them immediately after Narita.

Fortunately, it seemed that the double-crossing businessmen running Japan's sakuradite monopoly were savvy enough to understand what had happened. Based on what Kaguya had relayed so far, the Kyoto Group had come to the conclusion that the Aliens were likely attempting to oust Britannia and set up a puppet government under Katase with the broad support of the Japanese people. As Kaguya had so eloquently phrased it, they would let the Japanese enslave themselves, and let the people celebrate their freedom until it is far too late. This, to Kyoto, was unacceptable.

"Furthermore, the Kyoto Group's scientists and engineers have had a chance to investigate parts alien structure that we captured shortly before Narita, with the rest of it still in the process of disassembly. They have, however, come to the same conclusion that we have. That was not a building, but a ship. Moreover, they have concluded that the ship was simply too small to feasibly travel a long distance in space... At least, not by any means we are aware of. While it is possible that it is simply capable of traveling through unknown means, the prevailing opinion among the analysts was that the vessel was intended as a small landing craft, not a large, interstellar transport." Kaguya pauses, glancing down at the documents in her hands.

"... They believe that this ship was either carried here by something larger or, more concerningly, that it may have been built here, in our solar system. Unfortunately, they lack the means to determine which option is true, but personally I hope it is the former."

"So the question is, how can we detect and destroy them? I don't think we will always be so lucky to have the aliens lead us right to them while they are sitting on the ground, ripe for the taking." Ohgi points out.

"Unfortunately, our means of doing so are limited." Lelouch replies.

"Unless something changes, we have no choice but try to catch them on the ground."

"That is something I was sent to start taking care of." Toudoh says, causing the attention of the room to shift to him.

"Oh? I seem to recall Sumeragi-hime mentioning you scouting out a base of operations for the Black Knights to move into. Would that be it?" Lelouch asks.

"Yes. We have, in fact, located what we believe to be the best such site, and have sent our analysis of it to Kyoto. Sumeragi-hime, have they commented on it by any chance?" Toudoh asks.

"Yes. Let me see..." Kaguya turns a few pages, and then nods.

"Yes. They have reviewed your recommendation, and they have agreed that the Mount Takanosu bunker is ideal, due to both its proximity to a rail line and the existence of pre-made bunkers for us to start out of. They recommend that construction of basic facilities begin as soon as possible."

"I assume this base will also contain the means by which to track alien craft?" Lelouch asks.

"Yes... To track and, potentially, to intercept. For the former, the Kyoto Group can procure a radar set and install it on the mountain. We would need to be careful using it though, to avoid Britannian attention." Toudoh replies.

"Leave Britannia to me. However even if we can track them, as far as I am aware we have no weapons with which to shoot them down." Lelouch points out.

"There are... A few ways that Kyoto is looking into right now." Kaguya replies after a few moments of flipping through papers.

"The first is to shoot them down with ground-based missiles. In this regard, Kyoto has the resources to set something up on relatively short notice." Kaguya says.

"Yes. While the Japanese Air Force's planes were all either destroyed during the invasion or subsequently captured, the missiles we built for those planes were, in many cases, saved, and the Kyoto Group was able to resume producing them in secret a few years after the war ended. These were then converted into SAMs for air defense. Unfortunately, the entire stockpile of these missiles is in the hands of the JLF, so it will be some time before they become available to us in quantity." Toudoh says.

"More importantly, from what I've read, the existing warheads on those missiles are not sufficient to take down an alien craft." Kaguya continues.

"So new warheads as well?" Lelouch asks.

"Yes. The analysts suggest that an anti-tank warhead mated to one of these surface to air missiles may be enough to punch through the hull and perforate the craft's internals. Some more tests will need to be performed on the captured hull before they know for certain though." Kaguya replies.

"Also, wouldn't such a missile launcher not be able to provide much in the way of coverage? What's the range on them anyway?" Ohgi asks.

"About... Thirty kilometers maximum, though the effective engagement range is shorter." Toudoh admits.

"Hmm... Such a system wouldn't be useful as anything other than point defense." Lelouch points out.

"That is true. However, it is the only option we have that can be procured on relatively short notice. For this, all that would need to be done is modify the missiles to carry new warheads and produce a stockpile of units and launchers." Kaguya says.

"That is no small feat." Ohgi notes.

"Yes. The other option, however, would be to develop our own air force. For that, we would first need a runway, which would need to be dug out of the mountain. Then, we would need planes, trained pilots, fuel, munitions, ground crew... Far more difficult." Kaguya replies.

"However, it is something that is necessary in the long term." Lelouch replies.

"Yes. Moreover, the lead time for a lot of those items is long enough that we would have to start procurement immediately. There are, however, two options for us to explore." Kaguya answers.

"Go on." Lelouch nods.

"Well, the first option would probably be the most expedient, but also probably the worst. That would be raiding a Britannian air base and stealing the planes." Kaguya says.

"No." Lelouch shakes his head.

"That would require also gaining access to a steady supply of Britannian parts and munitions, learning to maintain Britannian airframes, and a whole host of other logistical problems. At that point, we would be better off just pointing Cornelia's air forces in the right direction."

"What is the other option?" Ohgi asks.

"Purchase from abroad. The Kyoto Group has contacts in the Chinese Federation that they have leaned on in the past for weaponry. Many of the Guren Niishiki's components were sourced from there. I am sure we would be able to source some aircraft from them as well. Probably not the latest designs, but older models like the J-8, J-9, Q-5 and Q-7 might all be on the table." Kaguya says.

"... Those names do not fill me with confidence. China is already somewhat behind the rest of the world in most fields, and most of those designs are already several decades old. I don't believe they would be useful as interceptors." Toudoh says.

"So it is a choice of stealing Britannian planes we cannot maintain, or buying garbage even the Chinese think is outdated?" Ohgi asks.

"What about the Russians? Are they not an option?" Lelouch asks.

"I..." Kaguya pauses.

"That is true. The Russians do have a more advanced aeronautical industry than the Chinese, thanks to their member status with the EU and a need to compete with, well... China." Toudoh muses.

"More importantly, their proximity means that they could ship planes to us even with the rest of the EU under a de facto blockade." Lelouch says.

"I see... We don't have many contacts in Russia though. It may take us more time to make a procurement decision, and then make arrangements for the planes to be shipped over." Kaguya says.

"We have time in that regard, and I feel like they are the best option short of Britannia deciding to suddenly gift us our own air force and the supply lines needed to sustain it." Lelouch replies.

"That aside, with new missiles, planes from Russia or failing that, China, and a radar, we would have the means to at least put up some level of defense against incoming alien craft." Lelouch says.

"With all that said, I agree with your recommended location as well, Toudoh-san. Moreover, with the ceasefire currently in place, we have a prime opportunity to begin moving equipment over and starting the excavation process. How long do you expect it to take?" Lelouch asks.

"I... Am not the best person to ask, but from what I've seen during my time with the JLF... Assuming we have people working around the clock and good equipment, I would say... Three to four months to get everything dug out and made ready for some basic work. Maybe more." Toudoh estimates.

"What would that base include?" Ohgi asks.

"An underground runway and hangar space for aircraft, living quarters for base personnel, a radar set, some storage space, some manufacturing space, a laboratory... Everything that is too risky to keep doing more of in Kyoto. Of course, we intend to continue expansion afterwards, and over time move as much research and manufacturing over from Kyoto to this new base as possible, due to the risks and limitations imposed by keeping it in-house." Kaguya replies.

"Ambitious..." Ohgi says.

"Ambitious, but necessary. We cannot safeguard Japan through half measures." Lelouch adds.

"With that in mind, Ohgi?"

"Yes, Zero-sama?"

"Unfortunately, cannot leave Tokyo right now to oversee the construction myself as the situation is too volatile. Thus, I am putting you in charge of getting the base up and operational, or at least pulling our own weight in doing so. Kyoto doubtless has their own people to put on the project, but we should make a good showing of ourselves as well where we can. With this in mind, gather up a group of volunteers and start by making sure the track leading out to Okutama is still in usable condition. Talk with the resistance rail operators too, and let them know we will be making extensive use of that line soon. I will cover payment." Lelouch says.

"Understood, Zero-sama."

"We must also start expanding our recruitment efforts. In particular, we will be needing people with scientific and engineering degrees. Biologists, chemists, physicists, computer programmers, engineers... Fortunately, Britannia has made this easy for us by barring them from working in their fields of expertise. If we can find people like this, reach out to them, and offer them work that isn't just holding a gun and fighting Britannia, they will very likely take it. Moreover, now is the best time to do this with the ceasefire with Britannia in effect." Lelouch continues.

"Not just them." Toudoh interjects.

"We will also need more laborers and technicians. The Black Knights are no longer a small resistance cell with a few rifles and a salvaged Knightmare, where everyone can work a bit of everything and then fight when the time comes. You are quickly growing into a proper army, and already have equipment to match. At Narita, your force suffered heavy casualties. Were it not for the Purists on the flanks to absorb the worst of the losses, plus the presence of two high-end seventh-generation Knightmare frames with ace pilots, we would have likely been annihilated by the JLF before we even reached the mountain top. It is not enough to put people into Knightmares. If you want to get the most out of them, you are going to have to get their pilots to devote themselves full-time to training and preparing to use Knightmares. This means that they will no longer have time to do heavy lifting and logistical work around the base. As you transition from part-time resistance to a full-time army, you will need to bring in more people to support the army's needs." He says.

"You are correct... Though does that also mean you are volunteering to train them? You and the Holy Swords are probably our best and most experienced Knightmare pilots." Lelouch replies. It wasn't entirely true. In a fight, Kallen could definitely take down Toudoh. Even if Chiba wasn't MIA, he would also be willing to bet that she could take the four Holy Swords at once too. However, Kallen was neither a tactician nor a teacher. Toudoh, by contrast, was both, while also being a skilled Knightmare pilot with a reputation.

"I am. It is as you say, I have the experience and plenty of experience in teaching others... Plus, even the most hot-blooded and rash of recruits would listen to Toudoh of Miracles." Toudoh replies, scoffing slightly as he mentions himself.

"Not too fond of that title?" Lelouch asks.

"I did not win at Itsukishima because of a divine miracle. I won because I had good men in good positions and knew my enemy well enough to anticipate their actions. To call it a miracle is to say that it cannot be done again." Toudoh answers.

"Very well said." Lelouch nods.

"It looks like plans are starting to come together then. In that case, I will start putting together my next report for the Kyoto Group. Though... One more thing of note." Kaguya says.

"Oh?" Lelouch asks.

"The Kyoto Group has expressed an interest in meeting with you in person. Shall I make arrangements?" She asks.

"Yes, though it will have to wait until after I have spoken with Cornelia. The results of that conversation will determine what I need of them, and probably what they will be able to provide us." Lelouch replies.

"Very well. I will let them know. Is there anything else you would like me to ask for?" Kaguya asks.

"Body armor." Lelouch replies without hesitation.

"Ballistic vests, helmets, anti-flash visors, ear protection... Anything and everything, we need it and we need it now. Even if it won't do much against alien weaponry, it might still provide some protection against the more conventional guns their Hybrid proxies use, as well as against Britannia. The average Britannian footsoldier steps onto the battlefield clad from head to toe in armor. A full-face helmet with anti-flash lenses, night vision goggles and respiratory protection. A composite ballistic jacket with front, back and shoulder plates, forearm and hand guards, shin guards, and armored boots. All of this is capable of protecting them against pistol rounds and shrapnel, as well as most standard rifle caliber rounds outside of point blank range. By comparison, our men are going into battle in cotton shirts and pants, which won't stop anything. You must have some stocks of old Japanese Army gear lying around, right? Send it to us, the sooner the better. I don't want any more casualties that could have been prevented with a bit of armor." Lelouch says.

"Understood, Zero. I will make sure they know." Kaguya replies, jotting down some notes.

"Good. With that said, if there is nothing else, then let's end this meeting for now. Ohgi, I want a list of everyone you plan to take with you to Okutama by the end of the night. I'll approve it and make recommendations then. You'll be moving out tomorrow."

"Yes, Zero." Ohgi nods with a smile. Clearly, he was happy to be trusted with this sort of responsibility.

"Toudoh, look through our base and start putting together a training regimen for our Knightmare pilots. If you have any needs that cannot be met with our current resources, let Kaguya know and she will convey them to Kyoto. Kaguya, when you have a moment, I would like to discuss recruitment campaigns with you."

"Yes, Zero-sama." Kaguya nods.

"Understood. I will begin at once." Toudoh nods as well.

With that, the four assembled leaders break off, returning to their duties as the Black Knights nursed their wounds from Narita, already preparing for the next step of what lay ahead.

Kallen stifled a yawn as she walked across the well-kept lawns of Ashford Academy. By now, the smoke had been blown out east over the ocean, and air quality in Tokyo had improved. Of course, that meant her alibi for not attending classes the day before had gone away as well, so for appearances' sake she had to show up.

The day that followed had been particularly excruciating for her. She could not stand sitting still in class, pretending to be an invalid while some teacher droned on and on about stuff she would never use in life, even on the best of days. Now though, the Guren was waiting for her in Shinjuku, and after having a taste of its capability at Narita, Kallen wanted nothing more than to get in the cockpit again.

Even more infuriating though was the fact that a certain other classmate was in as well. Lelouch Lamperouge, as disinterested and aloof as ever, playing the role of the Academy's Ice Prince to perfection. Her classmates had teased her about her staring at him all day, though if they'd known why they would probably not have been so eager to gossip. Lelouch was Zero. That or he was one of several Zeros. The more she thought of it, the more the pieces fit together. The familiar voice at Shinjuku, which she'd heard again and more clearly from behind the door when Kaguya came. The strange order he tried to give her to not say anything about Shinjuku. The weird phone call in the shower. Other pieces were similarly beginning to slide into place. Lelouch had often gone gambling with Rivalz before... Until he suddenly stopped, right after Shinjuku had happened, and yet he still went out alone. All the pieces were adding up, and it was taking every inch of Kallen's restraint to not just immediately confront him over it during school hours.

Now though, as she approached the Student Council clubhouse and opened the door, she began to think of ways to lure him away from the others now that the campus was quieter and less populated, so she could interrogate him.

"Ah, Kallen! It's good to see you again!" Milly greeted her as she stepped inside.

"Yes, it's good to see you too. The past week hasn't exactly been the best for me." Kallen smiles.

"I'd say. You look like you need some sleep." Milly points out.

"Hehe... I swore I'd done my makeup well." Kallen sighs as she puts her bags down on the table.

"Oh you did, but makeup can't hide the tired posture." Milly replies.

"Got me there. Had some trouble sleeping over the week." Kallen says, plopping down into an available chair and looking around.

Milly wasn't the only person in the clubhouse. Nina was present in her usual corner, typing away at something. Kallen wondered if the girl had even left the building in the time since she'd last been there.

Rivalz was also there, filling out paperwork for Milly, ever the diligent friend with a far too obvious crush.

Across the room she saw Nunnally, who in turn was sitting next to...

Kallen looked onwards before she could give any reaction. Beside Nunnally sat Suzaku, the brown-haired Honorary Britannian staring out the window, seemingly at nothing. The younger girl was gently holding his hand, trying to comfort him.

It was more than the traitor deserved, in her opinion, but she couldn't exactly say that aloud, could she?

"Have you seen Shirley today, by any chance? She's usually in by now." Milly asks, causing her to look back around.

"Hm? Oh, no... Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her all day." Kallen replies.

"Strange..." Milly frowns.

"Eh, she's an athlete. Probably pushed herself too hard yesterday and breathed in too much bad air." Rivalz proposes.

"Maybe..." Milly nods, then smiles.

"... Then I suppose we'll have to start planning something to help her get better!" She declares, though Kallen senses that there is something forced about that... Did Milly know something? Probably, considering who she was.

"What about Lelouch? Is he coming here today?" Kallen asks.

"He'd better be! I've been doing his share of the paperwork for days now! I don't know how he manages it all!" Rivalz sighs.

"Was he not here yesterday?" Kallen asks.

"Oh no, he was. He just got sidetracked by something, left, and took Shirley with him. Don't think I saw either of them after that." Rivalz says.

"He took Shirley with him?" Kallen raises an eyebrow.

"Ah... Well, he didn't TAKE Shirley with him, she just followed him out, saying something about tickets to a concert or something, and then neither of them came back." Rivalz clarifies.

"Why, is someone jealous~?" Milly teases.

"What? No! Why would I be?" Kallen exclaims.

"Hehe~! Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" Milly winks.

"I have no secrets!" Kallen protests.

Before Milly could continue on her offensive, the door opens again and Lelouch walks in.

"Aaah, speak of the handsome devil and he walks right in!" Milly points.

"Oh? But who really is the devil here?" Lelouch replies, setting his own bags down then walking over to sit at the table, near one of the corners.

"Big brother!" Nunnally suddenly speaks up, much louder than normal, drawing everyone's attention.

"Nunnally? What is it?" Lelouch turns to her.

"Ah... Why don't you sit over here instead?" The younger girl asks, patting the spot beside her and Suzaku.

The rest of the room smiles and nods at that... Except for Nina, who suddenly blushes furiously and looks like she wanted to disappear. That was odd. Lelouch naturally walked over and sat beside his sister, who quickly took his hand and held it close. Kallen watches as he looks over at Suzaku. Nunnally then leans in to whisper something in his ear.

Lelouch looks thoughtful for a few moments, before he gently grabs Suzaku's shoulder. When Suzaku doesn't respond, Lelouch shakes him a bit more roughly.

"W-What?" Suzaku twists around, only to see Lelouch and Nunnally staring back at him. As Kallen watches, Lelouch says something, too quiet to hear, while reaching up to touch his shirt's collar. Suzaku blinks, then nods.

With that, Lelouch turns and leaves, Suzaku following him. Soon they leave the room, leaving Nunnally behind, the younger girl looking melancholy as her blind eyes stare down at her hands.

This was her chance, Kallen realized. She had to follow them, but how to leave without arousing suspicion?

Her gaze quickly landed on a stack of completed paperwork.

"... I... Since it looks like Lelouch is occupied, I can drop that off at the main office." She gestures to the stack.

"Really? Thanks, Kallen. I owe ya one!" Rivalz grins as she walks up, picks up the papers, tucks them into a folder and leaves.

As soon as she is out, she looks around. Soon she spots her targets, rounding a corner towards one of the school's side entrances, near a stairwell. Rushing to the school, Kallen enters via the main entrance and heads to the stairs. Glancing around, she quietly pushes the door open and begins to ascend. She hears footsteps up above, along with quiet voices. Lelouch and Suzaku were talking, she realizes. Perfect. It gave her something to follow.

She shadows them from a floor below all the way up until they reach the school's roof exit. So that's where they were meeting...

Kallen approaches the exit and peeks out through a slot in the door, seeing the two boys sitting down together on the roof. They were too far to hear, but so close to the edge... Kallen compared their position to her mental map of the school, and quickly realized where to go.

She headed down a floor, then out to a now-empty classroom. Quietly opening and pushing out a window, she clambered out and climbed up onto the decorative ledge just below the roof's edge, where she could listen in unseen.

"... was there at Narita, Lelouch. I was there..." She heard Suzaku say.

"... And I... I..." He takes a deep breath.

"I wasn't just some engineer kept far away from the front in a special unit."

"Hm? Was your team sent to the front to dig?" Lelouch asks.

"No... I... Lelouch, I... I haven't been entirely honest with you. N-Not by choice, but..."

"But you had orders. I understand. You don't have to tell me." Lelouch replies.

"No... I... I just... I want you to know." Suzaku replies.

"Then your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you..." Suzaku takes a deep breath.

"I... I am part of a special engineering unit, but we... We don't dig trenches. The unit's purpose is to test an experimental seventh-generation Knightmare frame. The Lancelot." Suzaku says quietly.

"I am the pilot." He confesses.

Lelouch is silent for a long few moments.

"I... I'm sorry... I knew I shouldn't have kept it from you. I've lied to your faces all this time, I-"

Lelouch cuts Suzaku off.

"I understand why. Don't beat yourself up over it. So... A Knightmare pilot, huh? How did you end up landing that position?" He asks, changing the subject.

"I... I got lucky. Lloyd-san's original intended pilot was missing, and he saw me being hauled in on a stretcher after, well... After the Royal Guard shot me." Suzaku finishes quietly. Kallen's eyes widen.

"From there... One thing led to another, and... I ended up in the cockpit of the Lancelot that same day, being sent in to bring an end to the fighting..." Suzaku sighs.

"Is that what you did?" Lelouch asks.

"The fighting stopped. Then Clovis was killed." Suzaku replies.

Then he sighs.

"... You've probably been wondering how I ended up in the Britannian army, right?" He asks.

"I can make a pretty good guess." Lelouch replies.

"You've always been good at reading me... You'd probably be correct." Suzaku says after a few moments, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"... Tell me anyway. Maybe I'm wrong." Lelouch replies.

Suzaku is quiet for a while before speaking.

"... I wanted to prove a point, I suppose. I was Suzaku Kururugi, the son of the last Prime Minister. People would follow my example, right? I wanted to show people that if they laid down their arms and worked with the system, it would turn out better for everyone."

Kallen wanted to climb over the edge and punch him out then and there. Perhaps even do more than that.

"... But would Britannia make it better for them? They've still lost everything to Britannia. What reason do they have to cooperate?" Lelouch counters.

"I wanted to be that reason. Britannia doesn't care about a bombing here or a shooting there. If that happens, it just leads to a brutal retaliation against the innocent. The cycle has to stop, and it must stop with us, the Japanese. Japan is dead... But the people are still alive. I don't want those people to die fighting for a false dream. I just... I just wanted to show the people that they still had a future." Suzaku says.

Lelouch says nothing. Kallen also says nothing, despite once again wanting to go up there and punch him. Better to die standing and proud than to live a slave.

"... When I got the Lancelot, I thought I was finally getting somewhere. Here I was, a lowly Honorary Britannian, in command of Britannia's finest Knightmare. I could show the people that the system worked, that they could fit into it, that they could help change it for the better... I thought I could open the door for others, to set a precedent that they could benefit from... Maybe then they would lay down their weapons." Suzaku sighs again.

"... Then I went to Narita."

"What happened at Narita?" Lelouch asks.

"... It was hell on earth, Lelouch. That fire you saw from the city? The JLF started it. Their artillery tore the mountainside apart, set everything ablaze. I was there, at the front of it all, fighting my way uphill, through new JLF Knightmares that were somehow even better than what the Britannians brought... I was at the head of thirty-six other Britannian Knightmares. Only four of them made it back. I couldn't save them, Lelouch." Suzaku chokes.

"I... I..."

"... T-That wasn't event the worst of it though. We were fighting near the town of Narita... Everyone in that town is dead, Lelouch. The JLF deployed some kind of drone swarm during the battle... The drones killed everyone they saw. Soldiers, civilians, Britannians, Japanese... Everyone in Narita is gone, Lelouch. The reports confirmed it. Some of the footage I saw..." Suzaku takes a deep, shuddering breath.

"... The JLF are monsters, Lelouch. The entirety of Japan could burn and die for all they care, so long as they can raise a flag over its ashes. Even Zero knew this. He was there too, you know. Not even a hundred meters away from me. He and his Black Knights came to Narita to fight the JLF... Even then it wasn't enough. The town died anyway." Suzaku says.

He stops for a long moment.

"... I wish there could just be a way to stop the violence. It needs to stop, or it'll only breed more violence until everyone in Japan is dead..."

"But you are right." Lelouch finally speaks.

"So long as the violence continues, so long as one side continues to think that they can hurt the other without meaningful retaliation, Japan will not be at peace. So long as Britannian retribution comes down on the civilians in the Ghettos, the terrorists will think they can strike again. So long as Britannia thinks it can strike with impunity, it will continue striking. The cycle needs to be broken." He says.

"... But then how do we stop it? We can't just stop violence with more violence... We must convince the Japanese to work with the system, to improve it from within..." Suzaku asks.

"Or create a new system, one that will accommodate them where the current one cannot." Lelouch replies.

Suzaku sighs.

"... Unfortunately, I don't think I have the means to do such a thing. But... Now that you mention it... What about you? Given who you are..." Suzaku trails off.

Kallen's eyes widen. Did Suzaku know? No... He'd referred to Zero separately earlier... Unless... Were there multiple Zeros? Was Suzaku referring to another? Or... No... That can't be it. It just didn't feel right...

"Perhaps I am doing just that." Lelouch answers, with just a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Is... Is there anything I can do to help? I... I'm not just a boy anymore, Lelouch. I've got the Lancelot now... Together we can make the world a better place." Suzaku says, a bit of desperation leaking into his voice.

"Perhaps we will." Lelouch replies.

"But plans are like wishes. If you speak them aloud, they might not come true."

Suzaku seems to take that as an answer.

"... Fair." He says, before letting out another long sigh.

"... Thank you, Lelouch. I... I needed this. Just... A chance to get this all off my chest..." He says.

"No problem. I saw how you were, and, well... I figured a chance to talk would help." Lelouch replies.

"Read me like an open book, you did... Still, thanks again."

"If you want to talk again later, you know what to do. I'm always ready to listen... After all, we're best friends, right?" Lelouch says.

"Right." Suzaku replies.

"I... I guess we should head back now, right?" He asks.

"You go on ahead. I'll be right down after you." Lelouch replies.

"Oh?"

"Yeah... Don't worry. I just need a bit of time to think is all. I'll be there soon." Lelouch answers.

"Of course you do. Well, I'll leave you to it then." Suzaku says.

Kallen listens as the Honorary Britannian's footsteps trail away. She hears the door open, close, and with that she drops on down, climbing back into the empty classroom and quietly closing the window behind her. Then she turns and walks along to another stairwell, which she ascends to the roof and opens the door.

"Oh! There you are!" She says, spotting Lelouch sitting alone on a bench.

"Kallen?" Lelouch turns to her.

"What brings you up here?" He asks.

"Ehehe... Well, a few things." Kallen says, walking closer and sitting down beside him.

"I've been wanting to ask you something all day now, but never really got the chance." She says.

"Oh? What sort of things?" Lelouch asks.

"Well... Honestly, I've been thinking. You're pretty good at chess, right? I've heard you were a master, though Rivalz might have just been talking you up..."

"I'm somewhat decent, yes." Lelouch replies. She can hear the immense understatement in that tone.

"I see... Well, it's not quite related to Chess per se... But you know how back when we ah... Spoke in the shower... How I got a call from my ah... Gaming group, yes?" Kallen asks.

"Ah, yes. That was quite the memorable conversation." Lelouch replies.

Kallen once more holds herself back, this time resisting the urge to slap the boy in front of her.

"Well, you see, we've been part of a long campaign now. It's a sort of... Modern combat game, where we're playing a secret cabal of investigators trying to stop aliens from taking over Tokyo. However, our GM has recently taken a bit of a liking to Zero and has started to employ him as a sort of... Not quite antagonist, but not quite ally either." Kallen explains.

"Oh? Sounds like quite the game."

"It's quite fun. I actually have a session with him later tonight... But it's a bit difficult to predict Zero's actions, so I figured I would bring in some help." Kallen continues.

"Unfortunately, I'm a bit occupied tonight so I won't be able to attend." Lelouch answers.

"Oh, no worries. I'm not asking you to attend, I just want your thoughts on how Zero would act."

She then looks him straight in the eye.

"After all, I can think of nobody here who can better understand the mind of Zero."

Lelouch stares back at her for a few moments, before a smile slowly spreads across his face.

"... What gave it away?" He asks.

"Many things. Your voice, that mention of Shinjuku back then, how Kaguya talked about your sister and Suzaku, how you suddenly stopped gambling with Rivalz but still go out... Nothing individual, save for perhaps that Shinjuku thing, but they all add up." Kallen says.

"I see." Lelouch says.

"So... What will Kallen Stadtfelt do now that she knows my secret identity?" He asks.

"Kallen Kouzuki will do this." Kallen replies, before leaning forward and pulling Lelouch into a tight hug.

"Wha-?!"

"... This is for saving my mother, you smug, insufferable jackass." She says quietly.

Lelouch is frozen for a few long moments, his arms twitching as if to return the gesture only to stop, before Kallen lets him go and leans back.

"... I see." He says simply. Kallen smirks, enjoying her brief victory before her thoughts turn to other matters.

"I... I also overheard your talk with Suzaku." She says after a few moments.

That snaps Lelouch back to reality.

"How much?" He asks.

"... Most of it." Kallen confesses.

"I... How can someone be so stupid? Britannia can't be changed from within. It'll either use him and expend him, or just grind him down until he's as much an oppressor as the rest." She says.

"I know." Lelouch sighs.

"But his heart is ultimately in the right place. I just need to help him see the truth." He says.

Aaah... So that was Lelouch's game... If he could convince Suzaku to defect and bring the Lancelot with him...

"I see." Kallen nods.

"Though... He also said something a bit odd. Something about who you were? I thought it meant he also knew you were Zero at first, but it didn't make sense..." She says.

Lelouch is silent for a long moment, before shaking his head.

"I'm sure you will figure it out soon enough, so I see no reason to spoil the fun." He says.

"... What."

"You are right. I have more secrets than this. At the same time, I like subordinates who are able to think and investigate, so consider it a test of sorts. You'll figure it out."

"... You bastard." Kallen pouts, crossing her arms and looking away.

"I learned from the best." Lelouch says, an infuriatingly smug expression on his face.

"Hmph." Kallen stands up.

"Then I'll accept your challenge. I'll figure you out one day, Lelouch." She says.

"I am sure you will." Lelouch replies.

"Now, shall we? I think it would be best for us to return separately." Lelouch says.

"Oh, right. I have some paperwork to drop off." Kallen replies.

"So ah... See you tomorrow night?"

"We're quite literally going down to the clubhouse." Lelouch points out.

"You know what I mean." Kallen says.

"Yes. I will see you then. That said, what we spoke about stays between us, understand?"

"Yes. I understand. Don't think the others would be able to take it as well as I have." Kallen replies.

"Good."

With that, Lelouch stands as well.

"Shall we?"

Kallen nods, standing up and turning to leave, only to pause.

"Lelouch..." She says.

"Yes?"

"... Thank you again. Just so you know, no matter what you are hiding, I'll stand with you. I'll see this through to the end." Kallen says.

Lelouch smiles back at her, and for a moment she feels like it is genuine.

"... Thank you." He says simply.

Kallen nods once again, before turning around and leaving him on the roof, her mind already wondering just what it is that Lelouch was still hiding from her, and what the future would hold.

Elsewhere in Tokyo, in a luxurious estate just outside of Tokyo, two figures stood beside a flowing stream. One was a blonde Britannian woman, tall, with a buxom figure, flawless skin, and wearing an elegant sundress. The other was a Chinese man with white hair, wearing a jacket that covered his whole body. Both wore dark polarized sunglasses, obscuring their eyes from view, and both held each other's hands, the man clinging tightly, almost desperately, while the woman's grip was gentle.

"It is a beautiful day out here, isn't it, Mao?" The blonde asks, glancing around.

"It is... I can hear the birds again, Gertrude. It's wonderful!" Mao nods, smiling as he too looks around, enjoying not only the nature, but the peace and quiet.

"Yes, and soon you will be able to hear them even without my help." Gertrude replies, gently reaching over to ruffle Mao's hair.

"Now, it is quite peaceful here. Very few people around... Are you ready to begin?" She asks.

"Yes." Mao nods eagerly.

"Very well. Let us begin with a simple lesson." Gertrude sits down beside the stream, carefully folding her skirts as she pulls Mao down to sit beside her.

"There are three sources of power from which Gifted people like ourselves may draw. Do you know what they are?" She begins.

"No..." Mao replies after a few moments.

"Do not worry. It is not your fault that you were not taught anything about your gift." Gertrude comforts him, before continuing.

"The first is the source that you draw on. It is the collective unconsciousness of our entire race. Every human that has ever lived and died is contained within this great collective, and it is their combined power that constantly courses through you, allowing you to effortlessly read the minds of everyone around you." She says.

Mao nods at that.

"The second, which is the source that I normally draw on, is the power within ourselves. The power drawn from the collective unconsciousness comes from the countless souls that make it up, but those souls were not always there. Long before they were part of that great consciousness, they resided within a human body, and they carried their own small wellspring of power with them. Compared to drawing on the collective unconsciousness, the amount of power to be gained from this source is tiny... But I have total control over it." Gertrude explains.

"But if it is so small, how can it possibly suppress all the power I possess?" Mao asks.

"A good question. What you say is true, if I simply pitted my strength against the strength of your power, then it would be no contest. Mine would be overwhelmed practically instantly... But then, an ancient Greek mathematician once said that if he were given a lever and a place to stand, he could move the Earth itself. It is the same with my power and yours. Even the overwhelming weight of the collective unconsciousness can be shifted if I can find proper footing and a well placed fulcrum. When I suppress your power, I do not dam the river. Rather, I divert it, carefully looping it back around, inch by inch until it no longer hurts you." Gertrude replies.

"I see... And you will teach me how to do this?" Mao asks.

"Yes, I will." Gertrude replies with a smile.

"... So what is the third source?" Mao asks.

"The third source is the Star Gods. I told you of them last night, remember?" Gertrude asks.

"Yes..." Mao nods. Gertrude had indeed explained it to him. Of the almighty alien race that had come to Earth, in order to uplift its people and usher in a new age for all mankind. Personally, he was ambivalent to the whole idea. It sounded an awful lot like the aliens were coming to conquer Earth, but he found it hard to care. Humanity was a rotten mess of schemers, liars and endless inane white noise. They could all burn for all he cared. Gertrude though... Gertrude had offered to help him, to cure him. For that, he would do a great many things.

"The Star Gods are each a great wellspring of power, and to their loyal servants they may grant a portion of it." Gertrude explains.

"But that is not relevant for us now." She says, focusing on him.

"Now, you will begin to learn how to use the power that lies in your spirit." She says.

"I see... How will we do that? If I have this power, then surely I would have felt it at some point?"

"Simple." Gertrude says.

"Think of your breathing. You do it constantly, all the time, unconsciously. You do not think about your breathing. It is simply something you have dome for all your life... Until you suddenly become conscious of it. Suddenly, with a conscious thought, you can control your rate of breathing. You can now hold your breath, or breathe faster or slower than normal. It is the same for the power of your spirit. It has been with you all along. You feel it every moment of every day... And thus you do not realize it is there, because it is simply normal for you. Thus, much like with your breath, you must become conscious of it, and thus control it. That is the first step." Gertrude says.

"But how do I do that?" Mao asks.

"I will help you. With my own Gift, I can reach inside you and make yours respond to me. Much like a punch to the stomach that jams your diaphragm, a sudden shock will force you to become cognizant of your power." Gertrude replies.

"... Will it hurt?" Mao asks.

"Yes. I will do my best to make it as painless as possible, but it will hurt. I must strike hard with my Gift, so that yours will respond violently enough for you to notice it and seize it. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Mao takes a deep breath, before closing his eyes.

"Alright. I am ready."

"Good... Good. Deep breaths, Mao. Steel yourself. I will begin in three... two... one...!"

A moment later, Mao feels as though a spike is being driven through his skull.

"G-Gaahhh!" He cries out, his grip tightening on Gertrude's hand.

"Focus, Mao. Feel for what was always there but now is not. You can do it. Ignore the pain and feel." Gertrude's voice echoes through his mind as much as his his ears.

Mao grits his teeth and tries, fumbling for something, anything. He feels like his head is about to burst, but... Something... Yes, something is missing. He tries to grab it but fails. Already, normality is returning as the pain starts to fade.

Finally, he opens his eyes to see Gertrude staring at him, concern plain on her face.

"Are you alright, Mao?"

"I... Yes. I am. Again." He says.

"Are you sure?" Gertrude asks.

"Yes. I think I felt it. I just need to do it again." Mao replies.

"Very well." Gertrude replies, and Mao grits his teeth as she prepares to strike at his mind once more.

The second spike of pain feels no different from the first, but this time he knows what he is searching for. He feels its absence almost immediately. Something that was always there, constant in the background is now shaking, shifting from side to side, growing and shrinking in intensity, beating like a heart. He tries to reach for it, and he feels something respond, but it seems to slip through his fingers as normality begins to reassert itself once more.

"I... I had it. I had it!" Mao gasps as the pain fades.

"Again. Again! I'll get it this time!"

"Mao, we shouldn't. There is plenty of time. You should rest..." Gertrude places a comforting hand on his back.

"No! If I rest, I'll forget the feeling! I need to do this! Again!" Mao shakes his head.

"Very well..." Gertrude says, and then begins to count down once more. Slowly but surely, Mao powers through the pain, chasing after a feeling that, with every strike, seems closer and closer. Beside him, Gertrude looks on with a concerned expression on her face, cautioning him to slow down, to think of his own health... But inside she was grinning widely. She had found a diamond in the rough, and now he would be hers.

The rain was coming down hard that evening, and not for the first time Lelouch had wished he'd stayed home. As if running a resistance group, fighting aliens, and keeping up his cover identity wasn't enough on his plate, now he was expected to go to the opera as well?

It had all started the previous day, when Shirley had pressed a pair of tickets to the opera into his hands before running away before he could explain that he was not available. It wouldn't have been a lie, even if nothing was already planned, he'd have found something more important with which to occupy his time.

The next day, of course Shirley had been absent. He'd planned on calling her and turning her down, but C.C. of all people had insisted. In the end, he'd acquiesced and that had led to him standing outside of the Tokyo Opera House, in the pouring rain, while Shirley remained mysteriously absent.

His attempts to contact her had met with silence. Had she stood him up? Wasn't it the guy who tended to do such a thing?

Still, he supposed it gave him some time to think.

Kallen figuring out that he was Zero was hardly unexpected. In the past, he had toyed with the idea of telling her directly, but at the time he had decided to play it safe rather than risk losing her.

Of course, she also been listening when Suzaku had all but asked him to use his royal heritage to help bring an end to the fighting. Though he hadn't mentioned it directly, Kallen now knew that there was something else worth digging into. Not for the first time, he had questioned his past self's sanity when he'd insisted on keeping his and Nunnally's first names, and using his mother's maiden name as their surname. It was just his luck that nobody in Ashford had done any digging into why two students who looked just like the missing prince and princess, with the same names and their mother's surname, and who lacked any parents of their own, just happened to be attending school with them in the middle of Japan. More than anything, in Lelouch's mind this had thoroughly disproven the ideals of Social Darwinism and Britannian superiority that his father preached so loudly.

Even so, the clock was ticking. Soon, Kallen would put the pieces together, and then... Well, then he would see whether or not the words she'd said to him earlier that day meant anything. What's more, the option of Geass was off the table in case things went badly. Lelouch smiled slightly at the thought. No easy way out meant that it would be Kallen's choice, and his ability to influence it, that held her loyalty. Perhaps C.C. was right, and his subconscious desire had limited his Geass to only work once per person. Thinking on it, he found that he preferred it that way. The allure of being able to simply erase the free will of anyone on a whim whenever he liked would have likely corrupted him. The easy way out would have likely become the default way over time, until he'd lost sight of all his original goals.

That brought his thoughts to the Black Knights. The organization had come a long way, and he could feel the inertia building behind them. Kyoto and Toudoh throwing their weight behind him was a refreshing piece of good news as well. He had been worried that the fragmented nature of resistance in Japan would lead to factionalism and infighting once Britannia was gone. Now though, with the JLF having made themselves into pariahs, all the remaining major players were now in his court, and the small fry would soon follow suit.

However, there remained complications. The first was that the Black Knights had fought alongside Britannia, and the JLF likely had footage of it. While their broadcasting systems were likely destroyed in the fighting, he was sure that they would be up online soon, and he had no doubt that this would be the very first thing they proclaimed in an attempt to pull some of his supporter base away from him.

He would thus need to bring his narrative to the table first. That drone system that Suzaku mentioned would be a good start. If he could paint the JLF as killing indiscriminately, then the Knights of Justice intervening against them would not be so problematic. Perhaps he could try and acquire combat footage from Cornelia during the upcoming negotiations...

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw a familiar figure, standing alone in the rain.

It was Shirley, standing alone under a streetlight. Without an umbrella or a rain jacket, she was soaking wet from head to toe, but she seemed to hardly notice.

Something was very wrong here. His first thought was to come to her immediately, to ask what was wrong, but then caution stayed his hand. The aliens had infiltrators that could operate almost unnoticed within the city, and they were capable of mind control. What if they had somehow figured out his identity? What if they had captured Shirley and mind controlled her as bait for a trap?

One hand reaches into his pocket to grab a taser, ready to draw it at a moment's notice as he approached the orange-haired girl, looking around cautiously.

There was nobody around...

Finally, he reached her, holding the umbrella over her, sheltering her from the rain while keeping his distance just in case...

"Shirley? Are you alright? I was getting worried." He asks.

Shirley is quiet.

"... Never mind. Come on, let's find somewhere inside to dry off." He continues, worry beginning to grip at his heart.

Something was very wrong.

"... Lulu..." Shirley says softly.

"... I-I'm sorry... I should have called..."

"It's alright. These things happen." Lelouch answers.

"I... I just..." Shirley's voice grows louder.

"... My father... He was working near Narita as a geologist..." Shirley begins, and Lelouch's heart turns to ice.

"He often worked with Japanese guides... He always treated them well. He made sure that... that they were paid fairly. He... He was kind... He never hit me... He did nothing wrong..." She continues, her voice breaking.

"... B-But the JLF murdered him. They murdered everyone... why... h-how could they... How could they...!"

Lelouch reaches out to catch her, letting go of the weapon in his pocket as Shirley leans forward, clinging onto him. The umbrella he was holding falls to the ground as well, but suddenly the rain doesn't feel so important anymore.

"I don't want this!" Shirley cries into his shoulder as he pulls her close.

"Lulu... P-Please... Help me..." She sobs, looking up at him, her arms holding him tight.

Before he knows it, she is reaching up, pulling his head down to kiss him, and he returns it, heart pounding in his chest. This was not right. Already, doubts were forming in his mind. Had the JLF truly killed Shirley's father? Or had it been the avalanche he caused, and Britannia simply used the JLF as a more convenient, less controversial patsy?

Had he killed Shirley's father?

Finally, the kiss breaks, and he stares down at the girl in his arms, eyes wide, trying his best not to show the growing doubts and horror that now filled his mind.

"... Please... Lulu... I-I don't want to be alone tonight..." Shirley says softly.

Lelouch nods. What else could he do? Say no? Suddenly, all his musings and concerns about the Black Knights seemed so insignificant. Gently, he picked up the umbrella and slowly began to guide Shirley home.

The entirety of the journey passed by in a blur. He didn't remember calling a taxi, and upon seeing them the man in the front had wisely chosen to remain silent.

Soon, they arrived at Shirley's house.

It was by no means the great palatial estate that he knew Kallen lived in, but the Fenette family was still reasonably well off. The lights were off as they entered. Either her mother had already gone to bed, or was elsewhere.

"Come on. You should change into something dry." Lelouch said. His own clothes hadn't gotten too soaked, and had at least partially dried off in the taxi, but Shirley's were still soaked through and through.

"I... Alright." Shirley nods, before vanishing upstairs.

Lelouch takes a seat on a couch in the living room, staring out the window as the rain falls against it.

The burning question still remained.

Had he killed Shirley's father?

He did not know. In the heat of battle, he hadn't even thought of the town below, but he buried it anyway, hadn't he? The fact that the JLF had already gone through and massacred the people there was no excuse. He hadn't known it at the time, and what if there were survivors? His grip on the side of the couch tightens.

This was a war. People were going to die. He'd watched people die in front of him. He had shot his own brother through the head, and yet none of it had the same weight as the one now bearing down on him. All those people had been the enemy. The Royal Guards had shot Suzaku and been ready to kill him to cover up Clovis' misdeeds. Clovis had begged for his life, and had done so with the same voice that had so casually ordered the entirety of Shinjuku wiped out. The Britannian soldiers he had killed were the oppressors, the agents of his father that helped ensure that Japan stayed pinned beneath Britannia's iron boot... And yet, how many more Shirleys were there now as a result of his actions? How many more would come before it all ended? Even Clovis... He had a sister, didn't he? Lailah... Yes, that was her name now. She'd been about Nunnally's age, and the two had been friends back when they were young... And he had gone and shot her brother, with a smile on his face and a one-liner.

"... The world cannot be changed with pretty words alone..." He says to himself. Perhaps that was why so few people changed the world. Because not only was action difficult, but it carried consequences with it.

"Lulu?" He turns at the sound of Shirley's voice. His classmate had changed out of her dress and into a set of loose green pajamas, and had just walked in. Had she heard him?

"Ah, Shirley. You've dried off?" He asks, moving over to let her sit beside him.

"Yes..." Shirley says softly, moving into the spot and coming to lean against him, her chin resting on his shoulder.

Neither one of them breaks the silence for a long while. The only sound within the house is the ticking of a clock above them, and the patter of rain on the window.

Lelouch can hardly bear to look over at the girl beside him. The question is still burning in his mind.

Had he killed her father?

How many other fathers and sons had he killed?

How many more would he kill before it was all over?

"... Lulu?" Shirley speaks up, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yes, Shirley?" He replies.

"... You look troubled." Shirley says.

"It's nothing. Just... Just thinking." Lelouch replies.

"About what?" Shirley asks.

He is quiet for a few moments.

"... About changing the world?" Shirley ventures a guess.

"I... Yes." Lelouch replies quietly.

"I want the world to be a gentler, kinder place..." He says.

"Mhm..." Shirley nods.

"... But... Whenever the world changes, it is never without suffering... Is it even worth trying, then?" Lelouch says quietly.

Shirley is silent for a few long moments before she replies.

"I think so. If... I-If we don't keep moving onwards, then..." Her voice cracks, and Lelouch reaches over to help wipe her tears.

"T-Then we won't get anywhere in the end. Even if it might hurt... I think my father would have wanted me to m-move on too..." She says, choking at the last few words.

Lelouch reaches over, gently pulling her into a hug as she begins to cry once again.

Shirley was right.

He thinks of Nunnally, of Kallen, of the Student Council, of the Black Knights... Of the monsters that were surely hanging over their heads in the black void beyond the sky. He thinks of fire and smoke, and tanks filled with blood and gore.

The world was already changing, but if he gave up now, if he didn't stand up and fight for the world he wanted, then it would be someone else's vision for it that won, be it Britannian or Alien in nature.

His grip on Shirley tightens as he pulls her closer.

Narita was only the beginning. He could not stop now. It was too late to stop. To give up now would be the height of selfish apathy, trading the hopes and futures of so many in exchange for a bit of time with Nunnally before it all came to a horrible end.

There was no longer a choice in the matter. He had to keep fighting. For Nunnally. For Japan. To find justice for his dead mother. For a future for all mankind...

Once again, the room fell into silence as the two of them held each other on the couch.

Above them, the clocked ticked on, though it seemed like the rain outside was slowly petering out.

"Lulu?" Shirley speaks up again.

"Yes, Shirley?" He replies, looking over at her.

"... I've been thinking about what you said too... When I walked in, that is."

"Hm?"

"About how you can't just change the world with pretty words." She says.

"What about it?" Lelouch asks.

"... I'm thinking... I'm thinking that I should also take action, Lelouch." Shirley says.

"What sort of action...?" Lelouch asks nervously.

"I'm thinking of joining the military. I... After what I've heard, the JLF needs to be stopped. If it means bringing about that kinder, gentler world, then... Then someone has to fight them." Shirley says.

Lelouch blinks.

"What?! No!" He gasps.

"L-Lulu?" Shirley blinks.

"No, Shirley. Don't join the military." He repeats, looking her in the eye.

Images of Narita once again rushed to the front of his mind. The fire, the artillery coming down all around them... Picturing Shirley in the middle of it all...

"I..." Shirley blinks.

"Don't do it. If you do, then..." He trails off, shuddering slightly.

"I... I-I know it is risky, but-"

"No. You do not." Lelouch replies.

"But-"

"... Trust me, Shirley. You do not." Lelouch says again.

"And you do?" Shirley asks.

After a few moments, Lelouch nods.

"I... Ask Suzaku. He knows better. He was there at Narita."

"He... He was there? But he was an engineer, right? He wasn't actually fighting..." Shirley trails off.

"His unit was in the back originally, but from what he told me, he got forced to the front as the situation got worse." Lelouch replies.

"There were thirty six people with him in his unit. Only five of them made it back, including him. I..." His grip on her tightens again.

"If you join now... You'll be in the exact same situation as him. I nearly lost Suzaku already. I don't want to lose you too." He says, hoping that would be enough to persuade her. He did not want to have to use his Geass on her.

Fortunately, Shirley nods.

"... I-I see... Then... Then I won't." She says.

Lelouch breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Shirley." He says.

She says nothing, lowering her head and holding him close.

By now the rain has stopped, and the only thing Lelouch can hear is the ticking of the clock, and Shirley's quiet breathing against his shoulder.

"... Thank you, Lulu." Shirley says softly.

"Hm?" He replies sleepily.

"For staying with me..." She says.

"It's no trouble at all." He replies.

Soon, the two of them would fall asleep, still holding onto each other.

Two days later, that evening was still on Lelouch's mind as he drove a truck up to the designated meeting spot. Looking up, he saw Britannian sentries posted on the distant checkpoint that marked the border between the Settlement and the Ghettos surrounding it.

He glanced down and adjusted the straps of his body armor, just in case this did turn out to be a trap. He didn't think Cornelia was the sort to do something so underhanded, but he could never quite be sure. That done, he opened the door of the truck and stepped out, before looking at the distant sentries and raising his hands, showing himself to be unarmed.

The East 4th Bridge was an open space, with no cover in it for either side. Any foul play would immediately be seen by the sentries on the distant checkpoint, as well as by his own Black Knights that were hidden in the Ghetto behind him. He had brought his best men with him, the ones whom he could count on not to fire unless the other side did. Now, he hoped that there wasn't some young glory-hound on the Britannian side who would take the shot in the hopes that being the man who killed Zero would absolve him of the crime of disobedience.

With that done, he turned around to the back of the truck, opened it, and began to haul out the crates of evidence. Inside were several alien corpses, packaged and kept as cool as they could be, a large sample of concentrated Refrain still in its alien container, and several samples of alien technology that he had deemed to be low-risk. A few scraps of alien hull plating, one of the tanks that had kept the remains of their previous victims, the wreckage of the destroyed alien elevator, and a few other, similarly low-risk pieces of technology that he was sure would neither explode in the lab or give the Britannians a potential edge.

Once all those boxes were set out in the open, the last thing he did was pull out a folding table and a pair of chairs, quickly setting them up on the pavement before sitting down.

"Cornelia! I have come as per our agreement! Show me the hostages, and then we can talk!" He shouts.

For a few moments there is no response, but just as Zero started getting nervous, the checkpoint boom swung up, and a pair of trucks drove though, followed by an APC. The trucks stopped by the sides of the bridge, leaving the sentries' fire lines open, before their rear doors opened and a line of Japanese hostages, some in hospital gowns, others still in Black Knight uniforms, filed out. Under the watchful eye of Britannian guards, they formed a line in front of the checkpoint. No doubt, this would make it harder for his own snipers to hit the Britannians without accidentally shooting one of their own. No matter. He had no betrayal planned.

The APC came to a halt in the middle of the road, its hatch opening to allow Cornelia to climb out.

"I admit, I am surprised you came, Zero. I was half expecting a bomb under this bridge." Cornelia declares.

"Funnily enough, I was expecting the same, your highness." Lelouch replies as Cornelia clambered down the side of the APC and approached the table. Once she was off, the APC began to roll back, the line of hostages parting to let it pass.

Soon, it was just the two of them on the bridge, their guards and hostages far enough away on either side to be out of earshot. It might as well have just been them alone.

Lelouch watched in anticipation as Cornelia got closer and closer. Soon there would indeed be a time for talk, but first... There was some personal matters that had to be attended to.

As Cornelia approached, Lelouch stood up.

"Good afternoon, your highness. I trust these furnishings are suitable for one of your status?" He asks with a hint of mockery.

"Hmph. Do not waste my time with small talk. Tell me what you know, and I will release the hostages." Cornelia says, not sitting down.

Lelouch grins beneath his mask.

"Of course. But first..." His helmet's eyepiece slips up, revealing an eye glowing with the power of Geass. It was time to get answers. Clovis had given him a lead, but how could he waste such a prime opportunity to follow up?

"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, answer my questions!"

Cornelia hardly has a moment to blink before the Geass takes effect.

"Go on." Cornelia says quietly, staring straight ahead with red-rimmed eyes.

"Sister, are you the one who killed my mother, the Empress Marianne?" He asks.

"No. I am not." Lelouch pauses. That was... Not entirely unexpected. Cornelia had idolized Marianne... But still, just because she didn't do the deed herself didn't mean she might not have been an accomplice! She was the captain of his mother's royal guard!

"If not you, then who?" Lelouch asks.

"I do not know."

Lelouch gasps. But... That was not possible. Surely...

"But you were the captain of her personal guard, were you not?"

"I was." Cornelia answers before he could finish.

"Then why did you not protect her?" He asks.

"Empress Marianne ordered that her personal guard be withdrawn for the night." Cornelia answers.

What? No, that could not be true!

That was impossible! Why would Marianne... Unless...

The gears turned in Lelouch's mind.

Marianne would never order her personal guard away like that, unless she was discussing something sensitive, with someone that she had absolute trust in...

"But then who did? What happened that day? Who killed my mother?" He asks, growing desperate as he felt his one solid lead turning worthless in front of him.

Cornelia remains silent. Clearly, she did not know.

"If not you, then who does know?" He asks.

"Prince Schneizel was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor to take her body away somewhere secret."

That... If that was true, then... Was the coffin empty? What was his father doing?

He stood there, thinking for a few long moments... Before beginning to laugh quietly as his Geass died off.

It was all for nothing. He had just played his trump card, expecting answers, and had only gotten more questions and no new leads. Now, his best chance at controlling Cornelia in the case of an emergency was gone...

At the very least, it absolved Cornelia of any part to play in the murder, for all the good that did him.

"What are you laughing about?" Cornelia demands.

"Just at the irony of it all. Just a few short weeks ago, I would never have imagined ever meeting you like this." Lelouch replies.

"Likewise. Still, my time is limited, so you had best get on with it. I am not known for my patience." Cornelia warns.

"Very well." Lelouch sighs, calming himself down. He can berate himself for his foolishness later. For now, he had work to do.

"I will start at the beginning, then." He says.

"Ten days ago now, the Black Knights were making a routine raid on a Refrain dealers' warehouse. We had gotten intel that a new shipment had arrived from China, and that portions of it were being packaged up and auctioned off to dealers, with corrupt members of the Knightpolice keeping watch. Our objective was to seal the dealers in, kill the rank and file, and then capture the higher-ups so that we could continue working our way up the supply chain and cut the drug off at its source." He says.

"Corrupt Knightpolice?" Cornelia asks.

"They are already dead. Still, I would recommend an audit at least." Lelouch replies.

"Hmph. Continue."

"Release some hostages first."

Cornelia stares at him for a few moments, before picking up a radio.

"Guilford, release two hostages." She orders.

Lelouch watches as the first two Black Knights in line are tapped on the shoulder and begin to walk across the bridge. He recognizes one of them as Sugiyama, and nods to the man as he passes. Sugiyama replies with a thumbs-up, before hurrying off to the other side as Cornelia glares at him.

"Satisfied?" Cornelia asks.

"Yes." Lelouch nods, before continuing.

"At first, everything went smoothly. We breached the exterior, gunned down the criminals on the packing room floor, and Q1 dealt with the two Knightpolice frames in short order."

"Q1? Is she the pilot of that red Knightmare?" Cornelia asks.

Lelouch's response was to gesture to the hostages. Cornelia sighs, and orders for another one to be released.

"You are correct." He confirms once the hostage in question was safe.

"Now, shortly after we breached, we came under fire from advanced energy weapons of unknown origin. These weapons were capable of instantly destroying vehicles, penetrating the armor of a Knightmare frame, and were about the size of a handgun. More importantly though, they were not being used by simple drug dealers."

Lelouch turns to one of the boxes beside him.

"Are those weapons in there?" Cornelia asks.

"No. They had a self destruct system in there that nearly killed one of my men when he tried to pick one up, and even if they didn't I would hardly give them to you to reverse-engineer." He replies.

"Then what is in the box?"

Lelouch gestures at the hostages again. Cornelia growls, but orders for two more to be freed.

This time, Lelouch recognizes one of them as Chiba, from the Four Holy Swords. The woman was still wearing a hospital gown, much of her hair had been shaved off, and one of her arms was covered in bandages indicating that it had been burned quite badly, but she seemed to be in one piece.

Once they were safe, Lelouch continued speaking.

"We did not have the weapons for you... But we do have one of their wielders." He says, before opening the box. A rush of cold air, as well as a strange decomposing scent came out.

Inside was one of the grey aliens that he had encountered. Of those present in that raid, this was the most intact, save for a single bullet hole in its head. This was the one that had mind controlled Tamaki, and had nearly killed him that night.

Cornelia's eyes widen.

"What the hell is that?!" She demands.

"One of the prisoners we took called it a Sectoid." Lelouch replies grimly.

"This is the body of one of the JLF's hidden masters. The ones who provided them with advanced technology. The threat we are now facing is quite literally not of this world, Cornelia. It is extraterrestrial." He says.

Cornelia stares down at the body for a few seconds, noticing the strange green bloodstains across its head.

"... How do I know this is not some elaborate joke?" She demands.

"Would I have come to your aid at Narita over a joke?" Lelouch counters.

"I have more evidence than just this corpse. Some more bodies other creatures, a few technology samples, all the data we have been able to gather on them so far... And in exchange for the hostages and a continued ceasefire, I will give it all to you."

Cornelia stares down at the corpse for a few more seconds, before nodding.

"Guilford, release the rest of the hostages now. This is big." She says into the radio.

"Are you sure, your highness?"

"Do it. Zero has uncovered something that changes everything. I will explain once I am back." She confirms.

As Lelouch watches, the rest of the hostages are released all at once, departing across the bridge.

"There. Now, tell me everything." Cornelia orders.

Lelouch responds by picking up the folder and handing it to her.

"To start, that includes a manifest of everything that is being sent to you, as well as all the information we have on their motives and capabilities thus far." He says as Cornelia takes the rather thick folder of paper, which is a mix of photocopied handwritten notes, copied photographs with identifying features cut out, and some typed-up formal reports that he and Kaguya had composed over the past two days.

"A summary is included at the top. It should suffice for now. The rest you can review at your leisure later." He explains.

Cornelia nods, opening the folder and reading through the first few pages.

"... Mind control?" She asks quietly.

"Yes. That creature in the cooler over there nearly got me killed when it hijacked one of my men. If it hadn't been for another man's quick reflexes, I would have been dead then and there. In other cases, my men were not so fortunate. One man with an automatic weapon can gun down an entire squad in seconds if controlled at the wrong moment. I assure you, I am in no way exaggerating."

"... Could they make well-trained, disciplined soldiers who have served under me for years turn on each other for seemingly no reason?" Cornelia asks.

"Yes... Have you encountered it before?" Lelouch asks.

"Yes. At the time I thought it was just corruption in my ranks of some sort... Perhaps they were blackmailing one of my men, but now... Anyway, continue. What did you find in that drug den?" Cornelia asks.

"In addition to three Sectoids with plasma guns, we found two nobles, Baronet Reynold Devereaux and Knight-Commander David Slaine. They were captured and interrogated. The details are enclosed in the reports I gave you." Lelouch said.

"Where are they now?"

"Dead. I executed them both."

"Hmph. I would have appreciated a chance to talk to them myself." Cornelia sighs.

"Perhaps it was rash of me, yes." Lelouch admits, before continuing.

"In addition, we found enough concentrated Refrain in that warehouse to give a lethal overdose to half the city, all of it in alien containers. It is likely that they were shipping it into the city deliberately to try and undermine productivity, or perhaps to manufacture more nostalgia for pre-war Japan..." Lelouch muses before continuing.

"One such container has been included in the evidence I am giving you." He says, stepping back and opening one of the boxes, revealing a cylinder filled with bright blue liquid.

"Note that I had my men adulterate the mixture with Evans Blue dye. If any of it ends up back on the market, we will know it when the addicts start turning blue." He warns.

"I would never!" Cornelia gasps.

"But someone under you might. I would take no chances, especially not with the Knightpolice and Nobility." Lelouch replies.

"Was that all you encountered in that drug den?" Cornelia changes the subject.

"Mostly. After interrogating the prisoners, we learned that there was a second meeting being held in two days' time. We also learned that during this meeting, drug addicts would be abducted and taken elsewhere, to an unknown fate. We planned to attack this meeting and rescue them." Lelouch replies.

"What did you encounter there?"

"It was as the prisoners said. We encountered drug dealers, corrupt Knightpolice, and aliens as expected. We also encountered several large, flying discs armed with heavier versions of the plasma guns the Sectoids carried. Unfortunately, they exploded when destroyed, so nothing could be recovered from the wreckage."

"The aliens put up enough resistance that we were unable to save the hostages. It appeared that as soon as the operation came under threat, they used mind control on the Refrain addicts to herd them into a truck and-"

"That damn truck!" Cornelia makes the connection.

"Indeed. It was the same truck that blew the Tokyo Bay bridge to shake our pursuit, and that both of us likely spent the following day searching for in our own ways."

"Did it have Sectoids aboard?" Cornelia asks.

"Not that I am aware of. However..." Lelouch walks over to another box and opens it, revealing the corpse of a Hybrid.

"... This was one of the creatures onboard. Look at the eyes." He points.

"Pitch-black..." Cornelia frowns.

"Yes. We have taken to calling these Hybrids. While we are not certain, we believe that they may be artificially created from abducted humans. As you can see, their blood is red, and save for the eyes, they seem to be human... Perhaps your own scientists could shed more light on this. Not very many biologists out in the Ghetto, I'm afraid." He says.

"These Hybrids are also capable of mind control, if you were curious."

"That... It all makes sense now." Cornelia frowns.

"When I found the truck down in the tunnels, I sent a team of well-trained men from my own personal forces down into the tunnels to retrieve it. These things... They must have mind-controlled them into shooting each other. It all make sense now!" She repeats.

"Ah, so that is what spooked them out... Well, I am sure you saw what happened next. You had a helicopter overhead, if I recall." Lelouch says.

"You should be thankful the sub-viceroy spoke up on your behalf. I was seconds away from ordering an airstrike on you lot." Cornelia replies.

"Then I suppose I should thank her soon. Perhaps I should buy her dinner, or maybe send her flowers- Whoa!" Lelouch steps back as Cornelia, in lieu of having a weapon, grabs her folding chair and raises it menacingly.

"Talk about Princess Euphemia li Britannia like that again, and I will cave your skull in with this chair, consequences be damned. Are we clear, Zero?" Cornelia growls.

"Crystal." Lelouch sighs, and Cornelia sets the chair down.

"So, where did you chase that truck to?" Cornelia asks, sitting down.

"To the landing site of an Alien craft, about eight hours south of here." Lelouch replies, sitting down across from her.

"That far?"

"Indeed. We stormed the craft in the middle of the night. There are pictures of it enclosed." Lelouch says, opening the folder and flipping to the back, where a collection of photographs were kept. Soon, he finds the one he is looking for.

"This is the craft in question." He points to a photo of the craft taken shortly after the battle had ended. Its metal sides were pockmarked with impact craters and shell holes, human and alien bodies could be seen strewn about on the ground, and the wreckage of his Knightpolice frame still lay against the side of the alien vessel, its torso, arm and leg shot off.

"Inside, we found the hostages, as well as... The remains of those they had taken previously." He says, showing more photographs of alien machinery, of the bloody tanks, of the body on the vivisection table...

"Could they have been making new Hybrids here?" Cornelia asks after that last photo.

"It is possible." Lelouch replies.

"In any case, the corpses of two of the aliens we encountered inside are also being provided to you." Lelouch says.

"These were creatures that seemed to have been grown around a piece of technology that allowed them to fly. An anti-gravity generator of some sort, perhaps... We took the liberty of removing them from the corpses rather than risk one potentially exploding in your lab and causing an incident." Lelouch says, moving over to open one of the boxes containing a Floater corpse.

"Notably, these creatures did not seem capable of using mind control. At the very least, the only time we encountered it during that battle was from a Hybrid." He says.

"I see." Cornelia says.

"The craft has since been stripped down. Some samples of its technology are included in these containers for your own use. We believe that they were inert enough to, again, not cause any explosions in the labs." He says.

"It was during that process that we heard news of your operation at Narita. At the time, we already had convincing intel that the JLF had been compromised by alien agents, and so we realized that you were stepping into a trap." He continues.

"Hmm... It seems I have a spy in my ranks. I will have to clean house."

"If you find them, give them a medal. It is thanks to them that you are still alive."

"Hmph. In any case, you decided to intervene?"

"Yes. Because right now, having more guns pointed at the aliens and their proxies is more important than fighting over who controls Tokyo." Lelouch replies.

"The issue of Japan can, and will, be resolved. However, I would much prefer it if the final resolution to it did not come in the form of aliens cutting us all up."

Cornelia stares back at him for a few moments, before nodding.

"Yes. You killed my brother, Clovis, and for that there will be a reckoning one day... But I agree. I will shoot you later, Zero. For now, we have a deal. So long as you do not cause any trouble in the Ghettos, I will not hunt for you there. In exchange, I will allow the ceasefire to continue." She says.

"How generous of you." He says.

"Note that the same does not apply for the Tokyo Underground, or for any other terrorist cells based there. With the threat now posed by the JLF, I cannot have the people in there undermining my defenses." Cornelia continues.

"No." Lelouch shakes his head.

"Pardon?"

"I said no. The Tokyo Underground is not just home to resistance cells. It is also home to a large amount of civilians who were forced to live there after you bombed their homes into rubble during the war and then built the Settlement on top of the ruins." Lelouch replies.

"Be as it may, the threat it poses is unacceptable. Furthermore, I have evidence that there may be an alien presence established within. One of the scouts I sent down reported encountering non-human creatures that attacked her, shortly before she found the truck. They must be dealt with. Would you really jeopardize the ceasefire for their sake?" Cornelia crosses her arms.

"Of course not. Instead, I will merely point out that you sending forces into the Underground would be a long, protracted bloodbath that will grind your available units into nothing. There is a reason that Clovis never sent anyone down there after his first attempt failed." Lelouch counters.

"I am not Clovis." Cornelia points out.

"Yes, I believe that you are smart enough to avoid such a problem in the first place." Lelouch replies.

"Instead, I have a deal in mind. Let me handle the Underground. My men can move about much more freely in there than yours, and can search for alien activity without causing a bloodbath every time they round a corner. This would free up your own men to defend the city against the JLF, and it keeps that ceasefire intact. An elegant solution that plays to both our strengths, is it not?"

"And let you gather up strength to wield against me when the time comes?"

"Please, do you honestly think this would be a short war? This won't be over in a few weeks. Besides, you come out of the deal much stronger as well, not having to wage a long, costly campaign in tunnels too small for Knightmares, full of angry Japanese with plenty of guns."

Cornelia is silent for a while.

"... Very well. However, any sign of treachery, and I will end the ceasefire. If I get any evidence that you are using this to set the stage for an attack on me..."

"Don't worry. I am not that short-sighted." Lelouch says.

"On that note though, I do have a few more items to discuss, which I am certain you will find less contentious than this." He continues.

"Go on." Cornelia replies warily.

"First, the two of us would need a means of contacting each other. In an emergency, or to de-escalate in the case of some mistake causing tensions to rise. We wouldn't want this carefully crafted ceasefire to fall apart because one of your men got drunk and picked a fight with one of mine."

"Yes. I can agree to that." Cornelia agrees immediately. It seems she realized that it could be useful as a means of tracking him. Of course, he was two steps ahead of her in that regard, having already acquired a burner phone just for this purpose, and if he suspected that could fail, then he could always Geass someone into lending him theirs and send his sister off on a wild goose chase.

"I will give you a phone number for now. We can set up a more permanent hot line later." Cornelia says, writing it down on a slip of paper.

"Likewise. I will give you a number to call as well." Lelouch replies, writing one down and passing it to her."

"And the rest?" Cornelia asks once they had exchanged contact information.

"I would like to get my hands on footage of the battle of Narita, particularly as it unfolded within the town itself. The JLF will likely begin a propaganda campaign soon, aimed at painting me as a Britannian lapdog. Such a thing would make my campaign in the Underground difficult, and might make it harder for me to keep the Ghettos pacified and uphold the ceasefire. I would thus like an opportunity to first paint the JLF as murderers and madmen in the eyes of the public. This would erode at their own supporter base here, and make it harder for them to get their version of the story out. Better for everyone involved." Lelouch says.

Cornelia considers this for a few moments.

"I will... On one condition." She replies.

"Yes?"

"You mentioned the corpse in there having an anti-gravity unit in it before you removed it." Cornelia says.

"Give it to me, and I will in turn give you the footage."

Lelouch sighs.

Not entirely unexpected, and as far as technology went it was not the worst example they had in storage... Probably why Cornelia chose it instead of pushing her luck and asking for a plasma gun.

"... That is acceptable." He concedes.

"Good. Then I will have the footage ready in a day's time. We can arrange a time of exchange then." Cornelia says.

"Very well." Lelouch says.

"Is that all?" Cornelia asks.

"For now." Lelouch agrees.

"I will leave the samples here. They are yours to take." He says, beginning to close the boxes back up.

"Then I suppose our business is concluded." Cornelia says, standing up as well.

"Consider yourself lucky, Zero. Most in your position would be dead by now."

"Likewise, your Highness." Lelouch gives her an exaggerated bow before walking back to the truck, making sure everything was unloaded before closing up the back and starting to drive it back into the Ghetto. In the mirror, he watched as Cornelia's men moved forward, securing the boxes and loading them up into the APC before beginning to drive them off.

In the end, neither one of them had been blown up, and both of them left without any cases of high velocity lead poisoning. The loss of the Floater's floatation unit was regrettable, but the Black Knights had several more, and that was one of the pieces of tech he had been willing to concede. All in all, he would say that the negotiations had went well.

A/N: Alright, that is that. I hope you all enjoyed, and as always send me any feedback you might have.

Regarding scenes, the first one here is a bit of a retread of canon, and serves largely to start introducing the next main arc of this story. That, as you have probably guessed from the last scene of the chapter, is a foray into the Tokyo Underground. That aside, it also served to slowly continue the Euphie subplot, of her investigating and purging corruption from among the nobility. From the scene in the show, I got the impression that practically all the nobles in the room were dirty in some way. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the nobility of Area 11 are considerably more corrupt on average than elsewhere in the Empire due to the sheer amount of Sakuradite wealth located in Area 11. Most of the people there has their hands in that pie to some extent, and is trying to wring as much money out of it as possible, and that sort of attitude would then extend to the other aspects of Area 11's government. It also will tie into Clovis' character, which I plan to explore a bit with Euphie as she travels down that particular rabbit hole. It would also let me make better use of some content regarding Clovis that I'd originally planned to include in Chapter 2, but cut due to it not being really connected to anything at the time.

Next up, the first of two Geass-related scenes in the chapter, and me explaining the relationship between Psionics and Geass. In this story, Geass is the power of the Collective Unconscious working to grant one singular wish. That is why it is pretty much impossible to resist by any normal person. Conversely, psionics comes from the spirit within. It is just a tiny droplet compared to the might of the Collective Unconsciousness, but it can be wielded precisely to do a wide range of tasks, and with proper preparation and training, one can even use it to resist a Geass.

This scene with C.C. and Lelouch also led me to the issue of excessive infodumping. I didn't just want to bog the story down with nonstop exposition, nor did I want to have C.C. just dump everything on Lelouch at once. I resolved this conundrum by making C.C.'s mind a product of her time. This is a girl who was at least two centuries old when the Scientific Revolution took place. That mindset has stuck with her ever since. To her, Geass is something mystical and spiritual, a power that aids the worthy and corrupts the arrogant, which makes her the polar opposite of V.V. who sees Geass and C's World as scientific curiosities to be understood and harnessed for his own ends. Thus, to me at least, it makes sense that despite her old age, she doesn't know as much about Geass as, say, V.V. might simply because she doesn't consider studying, classifying and understanding it to be a goal worth her time... And then, what she does know, she is in many cases deliberately keeping from Lelouch because she either does not think it is relevant, or because it poses an unacceptable risk to him.

Next up, the Black Knights' planning session. This took the place of the visit to Kyoto, as in this situation Kaguya is already embedded within the Black Knights, and Toudoh has joined up with them as well. Thus, Kirihara and the Six Houses don't see the need to bring Zero in to test his mettle when they already have eyes within the Black Knights. Instead, I decided to elaborate on the Black Knights' plans going forward as they start moving out of Tokyo and building themselves a larger base of operations. It also let me nerd out a bit about military hardware, and players of Xenonauts might have an inkling of what the Black Knights' air arm will look like once it gets formed.

After that came one of the big scenes of the chapter, which I'd set up previously with Kallen overhearing his conversation with Kaguya. Now, she finally has a chance to confront him about it all... But first, a talk between Lelouch and Suzaku. The Battle of Narita would have probably hurt Suzaku particularly bad. Not only was he probably personally acquainted with at least some of the JLF's leadership via his father before the war, but it also showed the Japanese resistance at its absolute worst. On top of all that, it was Suzaku's first taste of the pure, unrestrained carnage that battle could turn into, as all his previous battles were short, clean, and won relatively quickly through his superior skill and machine. Now though, he was the one helpless on the ground as artillery came down around him, the soldiers he was fighting alongside fell one by one, and a massacre was occurring behind him. It was all the horrors of the invasion seven years ago, except now perpetrated by his own countrymen. It would have certainly left a mark on the poor boy, and he would have thus likely confided in Lelouch about all this. Of course, he is still the same Suzaku, who believes that the only way forward is non-violent cooperation and working with the system, as opposed to fighting to overthrow it.

Of course, Kallen overheard it all, and now knows there is even more to Lulu than Zero... I also had a little fun with her confronting Lelouch though, taking the alibi he gave her and throwing it back in his face.

Next up, the second of two Geass scenes, this time between Mao and Gertrude. Originally, I planned to have Mao start slowly working to suppress his Geass with Psionics, but then decided to instead dial his progress back a bit and focus solely on the 'unlocking' process. Gertrude here is also working to try and displace C.C. in his life, in order to harness his devotion and desire to belong to her own ends. That aside, not much to say here outside of it just being part of setting up the future of Mao's arc which will be quite different from what it was in canon. I look forward to writing it out when the time comes.

With that out of the way, it is time for the tragedy of Shirley. Personally, I am not a big fan of stories that just save her father at random. The whole point of his death in canon was to show Lelouch that his actions have consequences in a direct way he cannot simply brush aside and ignore. Of course in this story, where on top of a landslide there was a swarm of drones and heavy fighting/shelling in Narita, her father making it out alive would have massively strained suspension of disbelief for me. Thus, he died much like in canon. However, in this scenario, Britannia did not control the field after the battle. They could not go through, performing search and rescue and digging people out of the ground. Instead, he was simply listed as missing, presumed dead. In canon, he was killed by being buried alive, but likely survived for some time in an air pocket before suffocating rather than simply being pulverized directly by the landslide. This, to me, suggested that he was in the town of Narita itself, likely buried in a basement, rather than being outside. This means that his death can likely be considered truly ambiguous. Was he killed by a JLF drone? By JLF artillery? By stray fire from desperate Britannians? Or buried by the landslide? There is no concrete proof either way, and thus even if Lelouch didn't directly kill him, the possibility remains real to him, and thus the feeling of consequences is driven home once again. In this case though, rather than C.C. calling him out on it, it is Shirley herself who indirectly encourages him to go on, coupled with the knowledge of the consequences of inaction. After all, even if he gives up completely, it would do nothing to stop the alien threat from coming for him in the end.

Finally, the negotiations with Cornelia. First and foremost, there is his use of Geass on her. This is similar to canon, where when he had Cornelia at his mercy atop the Viceroy's palace, and had the power to order her to immediately cease the fighting and surrender, he instead questioned her about his mother. Similarly here, when he had a moment alone with Cornelia and could have ordered her to do anything, he chose to question her about his mother. Then, when it turned out that things weren't as he thought, he then realized just how foolish he had been in letting personal desire and emotion override his better judgement.

With that done, the negotiations themselves served to get Cornelia up to speed, as well as give Lelouch some vital intel about the Tokyo Underground alien presence. It set the stage for further potential cooperation between the two of them, as well as a temporary state of truce, at least until the JLF is dealt with. It also sets the stage for Cornelia preparing her own anti-alien efforts, and setting precedent for technology exchange between the Britannians and Black Knights as they begin to fight aliens in earnest. Perhaps Zero might trade an alien surgical table for some flight simulators, or negotiate the delivery of aid and infrastructure to the Ghettos in exchange for some Elerium. Who knows what the future might hold? Of course, the two sides are by no means friends. They are merely allies of convenience, and unless something happens to change that, they will revert to shooting each other down the line...

As always, feel free to point out any typos or inconsistencies in the work above, and I hope you all enjoyed.