I'm back with Part 2! I haven't gotten very far, but hey, we've got to get through this! Hopefully by Part 3, things will begin to pick up and get interesting!

"This is as far as we go with this…" Zero said. For several hours, they traveled up the river. But now, the river bed was getting shallow; they could not longer travel submerged, and bringing the knightmare by air to New Delhi would have been suicide, both politically and if things went really south, literally. So, they opted to take the Gawain in the dead of the night, and hide it in the sparse forest.

"Though this is a rather rural area, it's still pretty populated." Fadah said, noting the lights of rural villages and smell of domestic animals. "Someone WILL find it."

"Not to worry." Rakshata giggled. "I've come prepared for that."

Zero then pressed a remote on his king-piece switch, and the knightmare disappeared. "A cloaking device." Kallen noted.

"Indeed." Zero confirmed. "The Gawaiin Atlantia has special reflective mirrors that bend light and can cloak it's entire being. It is most effective when it is stationary; should it move, most people will be able to catch the distortion."

"Still, someone could run into it." CC said. "Being invisible is not the same as intangible."

"I'm afraid we'll have to chance it." Zero turned to the others. "From here on out, we travel to the capital anyway we can."

"Well then, that's another problem." Fadah said. "I assume you're aware we can't just hitchhike with you wearing that." She pointed to his outfit. Zero nodded in agreement.

Kallen looked between them nervously; while she was for Lelouch revealing his identity, they had to be smart about it. Considering Rakshata's history, it may not be THAT big a problem. But Fadah-! She was still new to the group, and while she didn't seem to be overly aggressive towards Britannians as a race, it could still be an issue. Kallen looked to CC; she gave her a nod, assuring her it was okay.

"You're correct, Fadah." Zero answered. "I will have to opt for a new disguise while I'm here. And in doing so..." Zero reached for his mask. "…I will have to show you my true face."

Kallen gulped. Zero then revealed his face to the two women. If he was nervous, he hid it well with a surprisingly neutral face. "You're Britannian!?" Fadah expressed in surprise.

"Do not mistake my ethnicity as a product for deceit." Lelouch answered. "I may be Britannian, but I never approved of the empire's world conquest. On top of that…" He thought back to Shirley's death, Rolo's betrayal. "…they took people precious to me. I may not have formed the Black Knights for the most altruistic reasons…but I intend to fulfill my promises to them, and through Wahid, your people as well. So long as the empire falls."

Rakshata only chuckled a bit. "I should have known." She exclaimed, surprising the others. "With your knowledge of how the Britannian system worked, and your refusal to show your face, I had a feeling something was up. Plus, you said yourself you were not Japanese. Given that knowledge, why else would you hide your face?"

"But I take it this changes nothing?" Lelouch asked.

"For the most part, no." Rakshata smiled.

Lelouch nodded, and turned to the other woman. "Fadah?"

Fadah sighed as she held her head. "I suppose it really doesn't matter. You may be a Britannian…but not like the others, it seems." Holding her hips, she declared "Fine. I'm still in."

"Thank you." Lelouch nodded. "C2 has prepared a change of clothes for all of us. We'll try to find the nearest point of public transportation, and make our way towards New Delhi."

India made it a point to stay neutral in the war. Though there was great animosity against the empire, no politician in the government would dare challenge them. Even with their great numbers, casualties would be heavy. Even if victory was achievable, the cost would not be worth it in the eye of both the politicians and the general public. Not to mention they still depended on them economically. Thankfully, Britannia did not express any outward interest towards colonizing the sub-continent, and the country was more or less allowed to go on about it's business.

Still, the indigenous population, with good reason, did not trust the Britannians. Much like a custom officer overlooking the passports of some unusual individuals. There were three people. Two of them were Caucasian, one a young man with red hair, and a young girl with silver hair. They claimed they were siblings, and their passports listed them as being from the Europia United. The third one really stood out. He was clearly east Asian, though it seemed he dyed his hair with blond highlights, also from the EU. Either he was a refugee from Area 11, or the Chinese Federation. "Reason for entering?"

"We're just here on vacation." The Caucasian man answered.

Finding nothing wrong with the passports, he sighed, and stamped them. "Very well." Handing them back, he added "It is unprofessional for me to tell you this, but I suggest watching your back. Most locals don't take kindly to…your 'kind'."

"We're European." The red-head reiterated.

"Then I hope for your sake, everyone else can make that distinction." The officer said, waving his hand. "Enjoy your stay…if at all possible."

The man nodded, as his friends followed after him. "This is going to be trouble." Anya, wearing the silver wig, commented.

"That will make it fun though!" Gino answered enthusiastically, wearing a red wig.

"The less trouble we encounter, the better." Suzaku, having lightly dyed his hair, reminded him. "Are our remote signals active?" he asked Anya.

Checking her cell, Anya nodded. "Signal's strong. If trouble arises, we will have help in a matter of minutes."

"Excellent." Suzaku stared ahead as they exited the airport. "Operation Needle begins now!"

India was built around trains and buses. When your country was home to a billion people, public transportation was an absolute necessity. For Lelouch and company, they chose a train. It wasn't particularly efficient, but with what little money they brought, this was the most economical choice. "You know, I remember reading a book to Rolo that took place in this country. The Jungle Book, I believe it was called." He noted. "I used to think India was a giant land of rainforests." He sighed as he looked out at the arid plains they were crossing. While one could find a sense of beauty in the plains, it wasn't as scenic as a lush jungle.

"That would be to the far east." Rakshata told him. "The West is essentially the end of the Middle East."

"Point taken." Lelouch agreed, chastising himself for not paying attention to the geography of the country on the map. Lelouch looked around, noticing the stares they were receiving from the other passengers. They weren't angry, but they were clearly very wary of the foreigners riding with them. "I take it I'm the cause of this attention?"

"Well, you and C2." Rakshata said. "Maybe Kallen too, but they generally don't mind East Asians as much."

"Still, we should be careful." CC whispered to them. "I heard that mobs are a big problem here."

"Unfortunately." Fadah nodded. "But, I think we can handle it, right?"

"We just need to be sure it doesn't come to that." Lelouch said, making sure to mask his nervousness. He could handle himself okay in a fight now, but he wasn't sure he would be ready for a mass attack.

Though New Delhi was considered the best city in India, Bombay was a close second, being another economic hub of the country. Luckily for some Knights of the Round, they managed to get a decent hotel where they could be themselves and converse without fear of being overheard. "So, you willing to tell us what we're looking for exactly?" Gino asked as he took of his red-head wig.

Suzaku sighed as he relaxed into a rather comfy chair. "Zero."

"I know that." Gino snapped. "But we don't know what he looks like. He's not going to go around in costume. Either he's going to be in disguise, or he's going to be around in his own skin."

"And only you have seen his face." Anya pointed out.

Suzaku gulped. "It's a classified secret…"

"I understand, Suzaku, but you're not making this easy for us!" Gino protested. "Can you at least tell us WHY his identity has been classified to everyone?"

Suzaku sighed as he put his hands together. Looking them dead in the eye, he said "I can't tell you his actual identity. Not directly anyway. However, I can tell you this." The other two leaned in closer. "Zero is Britannian."

Gino's eyes widened in surprise, though Anya remained seemingly unphased. "Britannian?" Gino asked. "Then why-?"

"The empire was responsible for a tragedy that affected his family." Suzaku answered, unable to tell the whole truth but he could still give them a general outline. "His forming the rebellion is an act of revenge against the empire."

"Do the rest of the Black Knights know?" Anya asked.

"I'm not sure." Suzaku answered. "Though his personal guard saw me unmask him…"

"Kozuki, right? The red-head?" Gino asked. Suzaku nodded. Gino whistled. "Well, she's still with him, so obviously it doesn't bother her."

"We can't say the same for the others." Anya said. "We might be able to use this information to our advantage if we come into contact with them."

"We cannot hedge all our bets on that information." Suzaku rebuked her. "After all he's done for them, I've no doubt he has inspired genuine loyalty among them. We stick to the mission unless we are forced to combat them directly."

"But back to the task at hand." Anya interrupted. "We now know that Zero is in fact Caucasian. Do you think you'll be able to spot him? Even if he sticks out from the native crowd, we're still dealing with a literal sea of people."

"Plus, he just might be in disguise, like us." Gino added.

"While this is all true, a disguise can only go so far if your hunter knows what he's looking for. Plus, I doubt he's really going to 'blend in' with the crowd here; changing one's ethnic make-up is time consuming and costly." Suzaku stood. "I will personally look for Zero, and you will also be my eyes and ears. If you see any unusual people, I want you to photograph them and send it to me. I'll let you know if the individual is worth pursuing."

Gino sighed. This was going to be a pain in the ass… "Sounds like a lot of trouble. I guess we don't have a choice though, do we?"

Suzaku nodded. "Get some rest, you two. We're going to have a long, boring time once we get to New Delhi."

While Gino and Anya went to bed, Suzaku leaned against the railing of the balcony as he savored the view. The city life was still going on, even in this late hour of the night. Feeling he got all out of the sight-seeing that he could, he opened his cell and dialed the homeland. After reciting the necessary passwords to the operator, a familiar voice answered. "Prince Schneizel's phone."

"Kanon, it's Suzaku. Is the Prince available?"

"I'll have him on in a moment." The Prince's right hand assured him.

In that moment, Schneizel answered. "Suzaku. How goes the search?"

"We've just begun, but we have a plan. Still, I feel something will happen down here…and unfortunately, I fear we can't avoid the worst possible scenario." He answered honestly.

"I have suspected that as well." Schneizel answered sincerely. "Zero is an exceptionally clever man. There is no doubt in my mind he knows he's being hunted." There was a pause on the line. "What you are about to do will have political ramifications. There's simply no avoiding that. But not only will it benefit the empire, you will save millions of lives in the long run."

"Yes, your highness." Suzaku answered, still ill-at ease.

"It's late where you are, Suzaku. Get some rest; you'll need it."

"Thank you, your highness." The Knight of Seven answered.

Schneizel hung up as he handed his cell back to Kanon. "Do you believe we can put an end to Zero right there in India?" Kanon asked.

"Unlikely. I fear it is not in the cards." Schneizel answered truthfully as he observed Monica lying down, undergoing a full body-scan. "But we must try nonetheless."

Finally, one of the doctors came out to address them. "What's the prognosis, good doctor?" the Prince asked.

"Her lower lumbar spine is missing completely. A melee weapon for knightmare hands is a terrifying thing; it's a miracle she escaped with her life. But she is now paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life." Looking him in they eye, he said "I'm sorry, my lord."

Schneizel nodded solemnly. "I understand you've done everything you could. Still, I cannot accept another one of my dearest subjects being confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life." He looked inside the window as Monica's new servant observed, putting her hands up to her nose.

"Reminds you of your sister, doesn't it?" Kanon asked.

"Indeed it does." Schneizel agreed sadly. "I've seen enough of perfect people having their mobility stolen from them. I've actually been asking Lloyd to look into this." He said as he walked down the hall.

"Isn't he an engineer?" his servant asked.

"That is his specialty, yes. But Lloyd is brilliant in all fields of science. He has been researching a new type of knightmare interface using signals from the human body. I think it's time I asked him if there is any medical application to that contraption." Schneizel then held out his hand, signaling for Kanon to give him the tablet. "However, I have one more important person to check up on."

A window appeared on the screen, showing Nina Einstein. She was leaning against a pillow, dressed in a hospital gown. "Prince Schneizel!"

"Nina, dear. Forgive me for disturbing your rest. I just wanted to know how you are?" the prince asked, seemingly concerned.

"I'm fine, my lord. I only had minor injuries; I don't understand why the staff insists on keeping me here!" Nina protested.

"They are only looking out for you. Still, I do believe it's time you returned to your work…that is, if you're up for it…"

"I am." She said affirmatively.

"Very well. Zero is growing stronger by the day, and I fear covert tactics will no longer work. We must fight back, full force…and we'll need your knowledge. I'll speak with the staff and order your release." He told her.

"Thank you, my lord!" Nina bowed.

"Savor your rest. I'll call on you soon." Schneizel hung up. Handing the tablet back to his man servant, he said "Bring the limo. I'm going to retire in my study for now. Do not disturb me unless it is of the utmost importance."

That will be all for now. I know we're moving at a slow pace, but I promise you, this will all lead to somewhere soon.