Chapter 10: Battle Between Geass

Shirley's mind thought back to what happened yesterday while she was in the student council room. She had been mourning her father with her mother, then a woman by the name of Villetta Nu from the Purist faction had come to see her. Viletta revealed to her information regarding the death of her father, and the one who was responsible. Her heart wrenched when Viletta informed her that was Zero the one responsible for the battle of Narita, but Lelouch may have a connection with the Black Knights. While Shirley had doubts that Lelouch could be involved with the Black Knight, she did trail him to Port Yokosuka as a Britannian miltary operation was happening in the port. But the strangest thing happened when she realized she was suddenly away from the port, having no idea of how she got there. A Britannian police car escorted her back to the academy after that night.

"Lelouch couldn't be part of the Black Knights, could he?" she thought. "I shouldn't be doubting him like this, but..."

"You want to meet Princess Euphemia?" Suzaku asked

"Yes, to thank her." Nina responded. "I just to want to thank her for what she did that night."

"Why?" Rai queried

"She risked her life to protect Nina during the hotel jacking. She stood up and spoke. "I'm Euphemia", right?" Milly said as Nina nodded and blushed

"Really? I wanna meet her, too." Rivalz said

Carlito raised an eyebrow at Rivalz. "Why is that?"

"She's a real princess!" Rivalz gleefully said. "I could marry into royalty!"

Rai sighed. "I knew there was a reason why you wanted to marry her."

"I'm sure that you will never meet her with impure motives." Nunnally said

"Impure? That's a little harsh, isn't it, Nunnally?" Rivalz responded feeling hurt before turning to Lelouch. "You're on my side, aren't you, Lelouch?"

"Not this time, Rivalz. You're on your own." Lelouch said with a grin

"Besides, you're not as slick as you think you are." Rai added

"Ah, come on. Not you too, Rai." Rivalz replied as he slumped in his chair

"Anyway, I'd like to meet Princess Euphemia, too. If I could, that is." Nunnally said as Malik side glanced at her curiously, while Lelouch gestured for Suzaku and Alice to play along

"It's just she's a member of the royal family and..." Suzaku was suddenly cut off when Arthur jumped on him and started scratching his face

"Suzaku!" Shirley said, going over to help as Alice simply shook her head in disbelief

"For some reason, that cat really hates you." she said

"No idea how a dog would react to him." Carlito commented

In the Government Bureau, Cornelia was discussing things with Darlton and Guilford as the Knights of Two, Nine, and Thirteen arrived. They were currently in talks regarding to the Port Yokosuka, with Euphemia being present as her and Cornelia sat on their thrones.

"That's twice." Cornelia said. "First in Narita, and now Port Yokosuka. We've suffered humiliating losses at the hands of Zero, leaving too many of our soldier's lives lost. That also includes my Royal Guard and the Royal Marines as well. If this keeps up, I can only imagine that I'll be removed as Viceroy."

"It seems that in our last operation, the Black Knight came specially for the Japan Liberation Front." Darlton said

"Every move they make a move whether it's going against us or our raids, they participate stumping out criminal activity and corruption." Guilford said. "The overall goal always lead to one desire."

"Me." Cornelia concluded. "Eliminating the leader is a standard tactic in war."

"Zero eliminated Prince Clovis, but he has no tact for military strategy and tactics." John pointed out

"Zero's war doesn't just start with Britannia, it also involves the royal family." Nonette added. "He wants one thing, and that is blood."

"Euphemia, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the commoners. You haven't changed." Euphemia recalled Zero saying to her back at the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel

Cornelia looked over to Euphemia and stood up from her throne. "Careful, Euphie." she said

"Huh?"

"I don't want another crisis like that at the hotel." Cornelia said, placing a hand on her sister's cheek

"Speaking of which..." Nonette trailed, walking over to Cornelia and Euphemia. "It's high time we assign you a Knight, Euphie."

"A knight?"

"Yes, someone to act as your sentinel and build up a royal guard unit. As sub viceroy, you have the right to choose a personal champion." Nonette said as Euphie was in thought

Lloyd was typing on a computer and looking over data he got from Port Yokosuka in the A.S.E.E.C. Knightmare hanger. Cecile came in and looked at the computer screen, while Mariel was checking the systems of Guinevere.

"I'm worried about Suzaku." Cecile said

"Really? I thought that would be the case after last night, I admit the Black Knights outwitted us." Lloyd replied

"Suzaku was upset with how things turned out in the Port Yokosuka operation."

"He's not the only one." Mariel said, approaching the two. "Everyone involved in the operation is upset. Is he having a problem operating the Lancelot?"

"It's not his performance, it's his state of mind." Cecile said, worried

"Treating him like another part of the Lancelot would cause serious consequences. The human part has to be essential and dealt with." Mariel stated

"Pardon me." Lloyd said, smiling. "But really aren't you taking care of him in place of someone else?"

Mariel blushed heavily, as she suddenly grabbed him by the collar in partial irriation. "Easy, easy, easy!" Lloyd spoke

"Hit the nail on the coffin with that one." Cecile said. "By the way, Mariel. Didn't your father say he would be coming here."

"Oh, that's right." Mariel replied. "I did say I would bring him a gift before he would even get here."

"Why don't I help you for the right gift?" Cecile asked

Mariel smiled. "I'll grab my things." she said, already taking off

"Thought of that one rather quick, did you?" Lloyd spoke

"You're quick to catch onto something silly, aren't you?" Cecile said in a cheerful tone

Lloyd gave an amused look. "I'm the boss, so you're stuck with me."

Lelouch was walking down the street in the shopping area, unaware of Shirley following him.

"Lulu, where are you going?" she wondered to herself as she saw walk inside a store, to see only an old man in the antic store

"Yes, can I help you?" the old man asked

"Oh, no thank you." Shirley said, before leaving the store as the old man was completely affected by Geass. "Strange. I could have sworn I saw him go inside." she said as Shirley walked past two women, with one of them being perhaps a year older than her

Shirley was walking in the ruined streets of Narita, noticing the military still around as she decided to head to the memorial of those lost. To her, it made sense that the military won't leave Narita until all the damage done by the landslide was gone. However, to her surprise she noticed Alice.

"Alice?"

Said girl's ears perked up when she heard Shirley from behind her. "Oh, Shirley." Alice said

"What are you doing here?" Shirley asked

"I guess you could say I had something on my mind." Alice said, looking away as Shirley only walked closer to her out of curiosity

"Like what? It has to be something big to keep you wondering around here." she said as she hear Alice sigh, not turning to Shirley. "It's okay, Alice. You can tell me."

Alice bit her lip before she spoke. "I'm not sure how to put it."

"Try." Shirley replied, in an honest tone. "I'm a friend."

"For as long as I can remember, I was born and raised here." Alice said, reminiscent of her time in Kururugi Shrine before Britannia invaded Japan

Shirley raised an eyebrow. "In Narita or..." she pressed for Alice to continue

"Japan, or Area 11 now. My mom came here before I was born. Since then, me and my sister Ingrid lived here all our lives until..." Alice trailed before continuing. "Until we lost our mother. It was just me and Ingrid, so I did whatever I could to look after she was paralegic."

"Like Nunna." Shirley responded, reminded of Nunnally's condition as Alice nodded. "Your sister, is she still around?"

"No, she died in a fire." Alice sadly said to her. "And for the longest part of my life, I thought I was alone with no family of my own. My mother's family died after my sister was born. I don't even know if my father had still out there. Until I realized something that I had forgot about from my past."

"What?" Shirley noticed Alice grip the sleeves of her shirt. "Alice, what is it?"

Alice took a deep breath before she spoke. "Suzaku is my brother." she admitted as Shirley has a look of surprised. "He is my half brother. My older half brother."

"Does he know?" Shirley queried

Alice shook her head in reply. "No. I don't think he does at least."

"Then, you should tell him." Shirley said to her

"How?" Alice asked, putting her hands up in disbelief. "Even though he's my brother, he's not exactly the brightest type."

"Explain to him. Tell him everything. Connect the dots long enough for him to finally get it, you know." Shirley suggested

Before Alice could respond back to Shirley, something stung her neck as she touched the spot that she was hit. To her shock, it was a tranquilizer dart as she looked around to see Shirley looking worried. She could not hear what Shirley as Alice slowly fell unconscious on the ground, but not before she put a small item in Shirley's pocket using the power of her Geass. Shocked, Shirley ran over to Alice as she held her in her arms seeing her eyes slowly closing.

"Alice! Alice are you okay?! Alice!" she called out

"My, my." a voice said from behind Shirley as she turned to see a silver haired man with ;ong shades and headphones on. "Little Alice. All this uncertainty regarding her long lost brother."

"What did you do to her?" Shirley accused the man

The man merely chuckled at Shirley's accusation. "Don't act like she's the victim. After all, she was involved with what happened to your father. The same could be said with Rai, Malik, Carlito, and especially Lelouch. Isn't that right?"

Shirley's eyes widened with shock. "What..."

"You remember. That Villetta woman telling you that you're precious Lelouch having involvement with the Black Knights. I bet little Alice also didn't tell you that Zero is Lelouch." his wicked smile grew as he saw Shirley with a mortified expression on her face. "That's right. Your darling Lelouch is the one responsible for your father's death." he turned to the unconscious Alice. "She was the one who got both of you out of the port that night."

"No...no...no..." Shirley trailed in shock, dropping her bag as she fell on her knees

"You didn't find it strange that he disappeared when that battle in Narita happened?" he asked, tauntingly. "How odd was it that he kept disappearing from school a lot? I must say you are quite the selfish girl I've ever met. You used your father's death to give Lelouch a big smooch, you know that?"

"NO!" Shirley cried out in tears, as the man clapped with his eyes bearing the mark of the Geass sigil under his glasses

Just then, he heard a phone ring from Alice's pocket as he grabbed and smiled. "Now, who do we have here?" his smile grew with sinister intent. "I see. Why don't we bring Lelouch along for the fun?"

The mobile base of the Black Knights was currently stashed inside the garage of an abandoned police station, courtesy of Washington. Lelouch was currently inside one of his private rooms, a narrow room with dim red lighting. It included a minibar and large TV, as Lelouch was readying his hand to shoot a dart. He was not alone as C.C was cutting up a pizza, then turning on the TV. All of Fenrir team had arrived except for Valkyrie, which was a bit odd since Lobo or in this case Carlito said she'd be in the mobile base earlier before the rest. There was also that night in Port Yokosuka where Malik informed him that Alice was the one who prevented his capture that night.

"The Black Knights sure have grown, haven't they?" C.C commented

"Yes, they have." Lelouch said, aiming a dart at the dartboard. "The Britannian rule will be overthrown by Zero and his black knights of justice. So, naturally we would need to expand." he added as the dart hit its mark

"And now you got the resistance calling themselves Knights." C.C said, taking a bite of her pizza after cutting a slice. "I wondered what you were planning when you annihilated the JLF."

Lelouch threw another dart. "You're exaggerating. We just got rid of people who were hiding in the Indian Military District."

"Along with the Britannian Navy?" C.C also queried

"Two birds with one stone." he said, preparing to throw another dart

"You seem rather keen on destroying other resistance groups." C.C replied, looking at the TV

"The Black Knights are heroes." Lelouch stated. "To us, Britannia and other resistance groups are anything but heroic." he threw the dart before grabbing another one. "With that being said; if we find something or someone we can use such as stragglers from remnant cells, we will. No one can say no."

"Your Geass of absolute obedience deforms human will." C.C said. "You do realize it may rob people of their principles or their will to live."

"I know. But creating a world in which Nunnally can be happy is my number one priority." Lelouch said, preparing to throw another dart. "I'll gladly dirty my hands for her."

"Then tell me, whose clean hands will be there to wipe away her tears?" C.C asked as Lelouch lost concentration and missed his mark

"Alice." Lelouch said

"What of her?" C.C queried

"She knows I'm Zero." Lelouch replied. "Doesn't she?"

"Yes. You should consider yourself lucky she got you out of danger in time." C.C stated. "What will you do since she knows your identity as Zero? Would you use your Geass on her like other before her?"

Lelouch scoffed. "Out of the question. Her and Nunnally have known each other since they were children just like Suzaku and I." he said, now hearing his phone ring as he saw it to be Shirley. "Strange." he answered. "Hey, Shirley. Something you wanted to talk about?"

Lelouch's face filled with shock and dread when he heard a voice that wasn't Shirley. "We have lots to talk about, Zero." the voice said, being that of a man

"Who is this?" he demanded

"Narita. If I were you, I'd hurry. Shirley and Alice here are preoccupied right now. You wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would you?" the voice said, hanging up as Lelouch grabbed his zero mask and left the room

Elsewhere, Ohgi stood by the pier at Port Yokosuka. He looked out at the sea thinking back to last night.

"Zero said the JLF chose to detonate the sakuradite as a means of defiance against Britannia." he said. "But why do I have this feeling...?" he paused as he looked down to see a woman passed out in a pile of wreckage. Ohgi could tell the woman was still alive and loss of blood as he goes over to her. "Are you alright?! Talk to me. Come on." he checked her pulse as her eyes slowly opened for only a split second. "Hey, you're alive."

"Zero, it is you." she said, passing out leaving Ohgi to be shocked

Lelouch arrived in Narita in his plain clothes, as he arrived in the area within where work was still being done due to the rockslide. Unknown to him, he was being shadowed by C.C before she took on her own. He heard his phone ring after he got out of the train as he answered.

"I'm here. Now where are you?"

"Take a railcar to the station, that's where you can find me. Meet me there if you want to see these two alive."

Lelouch did as instructed and complied with the mysterious person's demands. Once he made it to his destination, he saw a silver haired man with long shades and headphones who wore a white coat. The man threw a sinister grin as he showed Lelouch a white chess piece. The railcar went up to the station while Lelouch sat down

"I heard you're quite the chess player." the man spoke. "Care for a game?"

"I'm not participating in any games of yours. Where are they?" Lelouch said in a demanding tone

the man simply looked back Lelouch and smiled. "You know, I never actually played this game before. I was wondered if you give me some pointers on the game."

"Who are you?" Lelouch demanded, narrowing his eyes at the man with a glare

"Well, since you're been a good boy following instructions, I suppose I earn you the courtesy." he said. "My name is Mao." he introduced himself as the railcar stopped. "Follow me."

Lelouch followed Mao out of the railcar as he turned around and saw Alice in an unconscious state, tied to a chair.

"Alice!" Lelouch turned to glare at Mao. "What did you do to her? And where is Shirley?"

Mao waved his hand dismissively at Lelouch. "Oh, she's fine." he said, as he walked over him toward Alice before looking to Lelouch. "I had to take some precautions, considering that Geass of hers. As for you, you came up with 14 possible identities for me inside that head of yours." he added as he took his shades to his eyes, housing the Geass signal in his eyes at the center

Lelouch's eyes widened with shock. "These eyes... you have a Geass."

"That's right. And regarding your Geass, you have to look directly into someone's eyes." Mao said. "I know all the rules to that little gift of yours."

"You can read minds!" Lelouch deduced as Mao gave a slow clap

"You could call my Geass mind-reading, or telepathy." Mao stated to Lelouch. "Whichever floats your boat." he then made his way to Alice. "As for your friend here, her Geass is mainly about alter human perception to a point that it seems she has super speed."

Lelouch glared angrily at Mao. "You didn't answer my question. Where is-"

"I will if you answer mine. Where is C.C?" Mao asked, seeing a look of shock on Lelouch's face as he laughed at the sight of it. "She never told you about me, has she?"

'C.C knows about him?!" Lelouch thought as Mao read his mind before bringing out a camcorder

"Yes, she and I know each other." Mao answered. "Look at that camcorder and see if you notice anything." Lelouch looked at the camera as his eyes widened with shock and dread, seeing her an abandoned shrine. "As for Shirley, I have her hidden somewhere. Just away enough for you and me to have a little chat. And I'll tell you, if you play along. Don't and well..." he trailed, pulling out a small button device. "She'll just be drowning in sorrow."

"Can he read any thoughts near him or all around?" Lelouch thought in his head. "There are conditions to his Geass, a time lag? A limit? Does he plan to kill me if he doesn't have what he's after-"

"That's right. Keep thinking of a way to get out of this." Mao taunted. "Your mind is the strongest tool, and I can read it. So keep spinning around thought after thought..."

"Shut up! You are nothing but an insane little man!" Lelouch spat with hatred. "He reads mind to make it easier for him to confuse and control people!"

Mao pulled out a pistol. "As fun as this was, it's time to die-"

All of a sudden, Mao felt his legs trip before feeling something hit his chest as the gun loosen off his hand. He is sent flying back near the rail car, landing on his back as his head bumped to the rail car door causing his head to ring a bit. He was able to look up long enough that Alice was the culprit, barely remaining conscious after the effects of the dart he shot at her earlier. Mao drew an expression of shock and outright anger at the girl's sudden move as she was freed, gritting his teeth. Alice was fighting right now to stay awake, glaring daggers at Mao as she struggled to stand.

"How did you-?!"

"That's enough, Mao." a voice said

Mao looked and turned as he was surprised to see he hadn't seen in years, the very person he was looking for. Lelouch and Alice were shocked as well as C.C walked by with green hair in twin pigtails and wore a lavender dress, with black boots and a brown belt around her waist. She held a gun toward Mao as he was ecstatic to see her again.

"C.C! You look beautiful!" he said, happily. "We finally meet again."

C.C's expression turned to one of sadness. "Mao..." she said

The confusion was long enough for Alice to kick Mao into the rail car as he was knocked down. The rail car closed and started to move again, going downward. Mao went to the window after his earphones fell off him as recordings of C.C's voice could be heard.

"C.C! I'll come you again! I promise! I promise!" Mao called out as the rail car was leaving downward

"Mao... I never thought you would come out among people due to your power."

"Shirley..." Lelouch and C.C looked to Alice who was on her knees. "She was with me when he..." she trailed, still weak and losing consciousness

"She's safe. Mao wouldn't kill her after your first encounter with him." Lelouch turned to C.C as she handed him a phone and voice modulator. "I didn't come alone, so I had Fenrir look for her. You can call them right now."

Lelouch dialed the number to call Fenrir. "Fenrir, this is Zero." he said through the modulator

"Zero. C.C said you would probably have need of us, so we came along." he heard Yasuke say on the phone. "How's Valkyrie?"

"Valkyrie is safe. But she wasn't alone. She was someone else."

Elsewhere in Narita, Yasuke glanced at Shirley who was being carried by Archangel while Lobo kept an eye for anyone unusual. They were near an abandoned shrine that took a bit of a blow in the battle of Narita.

"We know. Shirley Fenette. Luckily, we found her just in time."

"How were you able to find her?" Zero asked

"A tracker only I could hear. Valkyrie must have managed to put on Shirley and turned it before she passed out." Yasuke stated to Zero

Back at the rail car station, Lelouch looked down at the unconscious Alice. "Well done, Alice. You ensured Shirley's safety."

"Make sure she's safe and get out of there before any Britannian patrols show up." Lelouch ordered under the guise of Zero. "Also be on the lookout for a man name Mao. Consider him an enemy and stay out of sight."

"Understood." Yasuke said, ending the call as he looked back to the others. "Let's get moving."

The three man of Fenrir team consisting of Archangel, Yasuke, and Lobo safely trek down as they escort Shirley to safety. They moved through checkpoint after checkpoint, staying clear from any Britannian patrols nearby as they reached Narita. They took a breather at the memorial and changed regular plain clothes as Shirley's eyes opened, going frantic when she saw Rai, Malik, and Carlito. Rai walked slowly toward her, noticing that Shirley was in a panicked state.

"It's okay, Shirley. Everything's okay." Rai slowly moved to give her a reassuring touch on her shoulder. "You're safe."

"I don't know what to believe! All the things that man said about all of you, tell me!" Shirley cried, shocking the three of her sudden reaction. "Please tell me this isn't happening! Tell me this is just a nightmare... please, just tell me!"

"What did this guy do to her?" Carlito asked

"Who else? But something tells me that Zero is definitely going to look into this." Malik said

"He took Alice!" Carlito exclaimed

"And Zero confirmed she's safe." Malik replied. "As for this Mao guy, Zero will give the word if he wants us to deal with him or not."

Carlito sighed, furrowed his brow. "You're right. It's Zero's call to make."

"This is just a nightmare. I'm in a dream. A bad dream." Shirley quietly muttered to herself, as Rai knelt by her side

"Shirley, I can't even imagine what you're going through after that lunatic showed up. The things he must have said to you." Rai said, activating his Geass as Shirley looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Which is why, you will forget the truth of whatever Mao has told you. As well as the pain and heartache of that very revelation."