"What do you mean it was stolen?!"

General Bartley dabbed the nervous sweat from his head with a handkerchief. He had to know full well the outcome of this conversation could be the literal loss of that head. Might as well keep it comfortable for as long as he had it. "The... The escort was waylaid by enemy knightmares during transit."

"Knightmares! The JLF again! They've never been this bold! They stole them for this?!" Clovis had become twitchy as of late. He couldn't deny it. The reveal of the traitors in his midst. The theft of knightmares under their very noses by a faction of Eleven resistance that had become famed for their indecision. And now this! This theft of his only true advantage that was all his! Gone. He had nothing. Just the position that so many wanted to strip from him, along with his life.

"Sadly no, your highness..."

"Sadly?!"

The sweat ran in thick rivulets down the somewhat corpulent man's face. Even so, no matter the danger, Bartley would give the most accurate report he could. If nothing else, he was loyal. "Were it the JLF, it would be simple, your highness. However... This was too well organised. Too coordinated. Too carefully planned with information they could not have gotten without an inside source. One that has access to information the Honorary Britannians couldn't possibly acquire. Enough that they replaced the driver for the cargo, taking control of it before we even knew anything was amiss." The general swallowed, worried for the reaction of his next words. "And... Preliminary interrogation of the driver indicates his captors were Britannians. True Britannians. Even high-born based on the accent."

The anger Clovis felt. The betrayal of Bartley's failure. It fell away as the prince of the Britannian Empire fell back into his throne, a look of abject horror on his face. "Britannians... Traitors..." There was only one conclusion he could come to. "It's happening. It's already happening. They arrived, they acted right under our noses and no one noticed." Head in his hands, he felt the panic rise up to grip his throat and squeeze. "Leave me."

"Your highness–!"

"OUT!"

-(-)-

"Lelouch, um..." Ohgi stared, completely confounded by what his leader had brought back from the most dangerous heist they had ever undertaken. "What, uhh, who is that?"

Lelouch could hardly blame him. He didn't exactly have many more worthwhile answers than his second in command. The enigmatic woman wasn't forthcoming with answers and seemed to revel in their confusion. Really, he would've much rather tried to figure the woman out on his own, but with Inoue along with him when they procured her, there was no possible way to keep her secret. Lelouch believed he could trust his underlings a little, but not enough that he expected they wouldn't run their mouths, especially to the ones they ran with before the JSDF. Ohgi would know. Tamaki would know. And the instant Tamaki knew, everyone would know. Probably including some people outside the JSDF. The man was a walking security breach.

Really, the only way to handle it was to allow everyone to be aware, hoping it would no longer be a problem. No longer be a secret worth keeping by the time it would get out.

Thankfully, they had very little information to spread regardless. Because, "I have no idea. She has refused to even give her name." Only that she already knew him somehow and... Whatever she had done while he was alone with her in the truck. That was the beginning and end of her compliance. Just using him as a pillow on the return to the hideout used for this specific mission. The ambush team were already going to ground, escaping with the still functioning knightmares. Leaving Ohgi and Tamaki at the command position, here to greet Lelouch, Inoue and their guest.

And speaking of Tamaki. "Well that's easy then. We can get her talking!"

The woman's stare became more pointedly empty, losing the hint of amusement from her eyes. However, she showed no fear of the implication. Only boredom and resignation.

"Tamaki, you moron!" Inoue interrupted, only the first to do so before anyone else could. "Really?! What are you even threatening to do to a prisoner we just rescued from Clovis, huh?!" The Japanese woman turned away as Tamaki sputtered excuses, directing her attention to the green-haired woman. "I'm, we're sorry about him, he's an idiot. Umm, can I get you a change of clothes? That straitjacket doesn't look like it's comfortable."

"Oh?" the woman asked, smiling as she twisted to sit upside-down in her chair. "Is it the proverbial mother hen? Or perhaps the good cop to the bad cop." Her amber eyes sank to look at Lelouch, having kept himself apart from the conversation as it developed. "And there stands the leader, letting the conversation flow to learn all that he can. What have you learned, prince of the resistance?"

"I've learned you're a very observant woman," he answered, stepping forward now that he had directly been called out for exactly what he was doing. "That you aren't overly invested in anything happening here. You don't care who we are. You don't seem to show any gratitude at all for your rescue, like it was simply a thing that happened. Apathetic. That would be the word."

"I wouldn't go quite that far," she sighed, spreading her arms to let her loose sleeves dangle to the floor. "Gratitude... Certainly a little. It would have been inconvenient had I stayed there any longer."

"Inconvenient? They had you locked up in a big tank wearing a straitjacket!" Inoue exclaimed, baffled at the indifference to such harsh treatment.

The woman raised her arms, showing off the dangling sleeves. "They didn't leave it fastened."

"But–!"

"Inoue," Lelouch halted her. "She's making fun of you." The smirk more than confirmed it. "I can't imagine why, but she doesn't see this situation quite the same way we do. Of course, if she's really this disinterested in her improved circumstances, we can truss her up and leave her on the viceroy's doorstep."

"Hmmm?" She looked almost disappointed. "You should give the loud one more credit. At least his threat wasn't so transparently empty. You wouldn't risk sending me back to tell all of your dirty little secrets."

"Correct. A threat, though?" Lelouch asked with his own look of amusement. "That's the first word you've spoken to indicate you don't want to go back."

"Touché."

"You two look like you're having fun trading banter," Ohgi interrupted. "But could we get back to the matter at hand?" He focused his attention on the woman, his arms folded. "How about we start with something simple. What's your name?"

"Hm, simple, he says," the enigmatic woman said, letting out a noise that could charitably be called a laugh. "You may call me C.C."

"Not your real name."

"Of course not. That would be so much more impersonal, and we're such good friends already."

"Holy shit this woman is exhausting," Tamaki groaned. "I give up. You guys can handle it." Having made a single threat and contributed nothing else, Tamaki left the room.

C.C. watched him go. "I like that one. He's amusing." Her eyes scanned the remaining occupants of the room, two of which seemed to have no idea how to proceed. "I'll speak to your leader privately."

"Look, we're sympathetic to your position but you can't just make demands like that–"

"It's fine," Lelouch interrupted his second in command. "If it will speed things along then it's for the best. Leave us. Get yourselves and Tamaki back to your safehouse."

The Japanese man and woman gave their leader a look, mild dissatisfaction mixed with concern. But with a reluctant 'Yes sir', they followed the order and left him alone in the room with the green-haired stranger who refused to even give her real name.

"My, aren't they trusting."

"Of my intentions? Yes. Of my capabilities? Yes. I've gone to significant lengths to prove myself on both fronts."

"Oh of course," she replied, sliding out of her chair until she was sprawled on the floor before bothering to return to her feet. "Lelouch vi Britannia, leader of Japanese resistance. Not at all what I expected but I've been out of the loop for quite a while. Fate can take some funny twists and turns, can't it?" She approached him, moved into his personal space like she belonged there, forcing him to take her previous place sitting in the chair before she straddled him. The intimacy, the suggestiveness of the position, it was all incidental to her intentions. To trap him, pinning his eyes with her and leaving him no means of escape. "And now you have found me. And now we are collaborators, you and I."

He remembered what she had done in the truck. That inexplicable instant of confusion as she seemed to touch her mind to his. "You offered me a contract."

"I did. And you accepted. Our fates are now intertwined. How strange you are though." No hint of a smile. No emotion but curiosity. "You haven't shown any intention of using the power you have been gifted. Perhaps you're afraid?"

"Hardly," he responded flatly. "Impulsively using a tool they don't understand is the refuge of the foolish, the desperate, or both."

"Caution rather than fear, then. And restraint. It would be respectable, but you'll never be in a position to uphold your end of the bargain if you're unwilling to be daring."

"And what is my end?" the teenage prince asked. "Caution, yes. But it looks like I wasn't cautious enough to hear full terms of a contract before agreeing to it. You've given me this power. What exactly do you want in return?"

"Simple. I want you to fulfil my desire."

Once again the intimacy of their position entered Lelouch's mind. But no, that being the desire she meant had become no more likely than it was the first time. "And that desire would be?"

"Hmmmm... Unimportant. We can revisit that in the future when you're capable of doing something about it. Until then, simply do as you will. Whatever your ambition may be, the power of Geass will allow you to pursue it to your heart's content. What is your desire, by the way?" she asked with a look like the question hadn't even occurred to her until this exact moment. "To have accepted the contract so easily, you must have one."

Well. If all she was going to do was play mind games. "And what if," he said as he grabbed her about the waist, "I said my desire was you?"

At least that got a reaction. It was more than anything else that he had gotten from her ever since she fell out of the tank. However, perhaps not the kind of reaction he would have hoped for if he had the luxury of choice. "Some things are beyond even the power of Geass, I'm afraid," she informed him, slapping his hand away.

Ever analytical, he couldn't ignore what she had perhaps unintentionally revealed. The power she had granted him wouldn't work on her? It certainly sounded like that was what she had said. And with her being ever so careful with her language so far, he had suspicion that was exactly what her words meant.

"A shame," he doubled down, feeling satisfaction for finally getting a real rise out of her. "But I'll settle for my original ambitions instead. You wanted to know my desire?" he asked. "I'll take the throne. First as viceroy, taking control of Japan, reforging what Britannia made of it into something worthy of respect. I'll fend off all threats to its shores, and from there," he continued as he rose out of the chair, setting the eternally unimpressed C.C. on her feet. "I'll keep going. I'll sweep all challengers from the board and ascend the imperial throne. The Britannia that strangles the world, I'll break it down and rebuild it as an empire worthy of pride. An empire where born citizens, those of the colonies and all in between will feel glad, feel proud, to be part of it!"

"Hoh?" She looked into his eyes again, and once again that mild, unimpressed amusement could be found in hers. "The world continues to turn as it always has."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

She sniffed, looking away, turning away. "Nothing important. So, would-be emperor, you and I shall be collaborators from today forward. I'll see the fruits of your ambition, and you will one day fulfil my desire. Do we have an accord?"

"I already accepted, didn't I?"

The trip back to civilisation was only mildly eventful. Taking one of the stowed vehicles that had been prepared for this exact purpose, though with an unexpected passenger. Passing through town it was an acceptable opportunity to test out the power C.C. had granted him. She needed clothing that didn't look like she just escaped from an asylum. And so it was time to experiment.

"Don't tell anyone you saw us."

"Yes sir," the shop clerk agreed with a vacant smile. "What can I do for you?" she asked politely.

"She needs new clothing. Get her something less conspicuous that fits."

"Of course!" the clerk agreed, though... Not as vacantly as she had the first time. "If you'll just come this way."

"And by the way," he tried once again, the crane appearing in his eye for the third time. "Give me your phone number."

"Ah, well, the store's number is 03-3625-4414," she answered.

"... Thank you." That wasn't the question he asked. He didn't ask for the store's number, he asked for hers. He might have thought a person under the influence of his Geass was able to creatively interpret his orders, but no. The manner of her answer was also entirely different. She wasn't under his influence. Only the first order had taken hold. Only one order? Was that the limit of this power? He would need to verify with further testing, but it seemed a reasonable precaution to act as though it was.

The clerk soon returned with C.C. in an outfit that looked pricey. Was she trying to tweak his nose again, or was it simply that she didn't care it would cost him more? Well, that question at least was immaterial. Especially compared to his many, many others. He completed the purchase, walking out with his collaborator looking far less conspicuous than she had when she went in.

"Already discovering things, are you?" she asked from her position lounging in the back seat.

"As I said, having a tool I don't know how to use is unacceptable. Especially with something so potentially useful and already showing unpredictable limitations."

"Yes, how terribly clever and cautious you are. What now?"

He glanced at her via the rear view mirror before he rolled his eyes. "More experiments, of course." Stopping the car again, he opened the driver side door. "Stay in the car. I'll be back in a moment."

Another experiment. This time to see if he could give orders to perform longer, more complex tasks that would include sequential actions. Telling a store employee to clean one of the changing rooms. Lelouch watched as the employee did exactly that. Non-specific as the order was, the employee cleaned the mirror, swept the floor, mopped the floor, wiped down the bench, wiped the hanger fittings, scrubbed the walls, even went so far as to give the ceiling the same cleaning treatment. It seemed yes, complex, multi-step tasks were more than possible. In fact, broad orders would be followed until the parameters of the order were fully completed. 'Clean a room' would mean the room would be cleaned in its entirety, assuming there weren't some time limit to how long an order could be in place before it would expire.

If there weren't... The limitation of only a single order per person would seem like no limit at all. All it would take would be a single order and he would dictate that person's entire life. Such a possibility gave him a moment's pause, but only a moment. After all, his ambition was the imperial throne. An order that would dictate a person's life? His orders as emperor would dictate the lives of billions. If he weren't mentally prepared to wield such a simple power as this Geass, his ambition would have been doomed from the start.

Attempting to give the employee a second order with no success, Lelouch mentally added that as further evidence of the one use per person rule, before returning to the car.

... The empty car.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She wouldn't, would she? Just run off on her own?! She might not have been wearing her straitjacket anymore but Clovis' people would still be looking for her! "You!" he called out, grabbing the first person he came across. "Did you see a woman with green hair?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Where?"

"Where what?"

"Where wha–?!" He asked a question. It counted as an order. But that meant he couldn't ask a second. "The green-haired woman you saw, where did she go?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't see anyone like that!"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed in suspicion. But no, the man wasn't lying as far as he could tell. So... The Geass could make them recall information they weren't consciously aware of? Useful to know, but... He moved to the man's companion. "Answer my questions!"

"Hey, what are you–?!"

"Of course, sir," the woman complied readily.

"Did you see the green-haired woman?!"

"Yes."

"Where did she go?!"

"That way."

"Hey, you bastard! Leave her a–" the man protested, moved to grab Lelouch but the prince was already moving, headed in the direction the woman had pointed.

-(-)-

Hours passed. Fruitless, pointless hours of searching for a woman who seemingly didn't want to be found. Some collaborator. The woman had fled the moment she had an opportunity. Had he become too reckless? Bought too heavily into her talk? She had seemed genuine, if disinterested. It had simply seemed preposterous that she would invest so heavily into him, give him such an incomparable power, only to disappear the moment he looked away. Perhaps that was it? It was an incomparable power to him, but she had seemed completely at ease with the idea of it.

Others. It would have been foolish to assume he was the only one who could have this power, wouldn't it? Maybe she gave it to Clovis too. Maybe that was why Clovis was keeping her secret. Keeping her trapped.

... Oh, what a horrible twist his life had taken that he suddenly found himself wishing he were as responsible and wise as Clovis.

In any case, after more incidental experiments in the use of his Geass as he desperately chased any lead that might take him to his absconded companion, Lelouch returned to Ashford Academy defeated. What an embarrassment this would be if he had to tell his subordinates that he had already lost the woman they risked so much to acquire.

"Welcome home, Lelouch!"

"Hello again."

The third greeting from Sayoko went in one ear and out the other as Lelouch stared at the source of the second. There, sitting with Nunnally and drinking tea was the woman he chased across half the settlement.

And by the looks of her, she found his reaction to be hilarious. Not that he could blame her.

"I'm glad to be home," he said as he walked into the sitting room, or as close to one as they had. "Sorry I'm late. Something unexpected came up that had me running around town like an idiot to fix it."

"Oh my," C.C. murmured in faux shock. "That sounds terrible. But in my experience unpreparedness is to blame for that sort of situation. Did you manage to resolve it in the end?"

"No, as it turns out it seems to have simply resolved itself."

"That must be infuriating. To have gone to all that effort and it ends up being for nothing." It was the most reaction he had gotten from her since he made a pass at her, and yet the laughter in her eyes only made him want to choke her.

"Well either way the problem is solved, right?" Nunnally asked with a smile. "I think that's the important part!"

"Sounds like quite the enlightened view to me," C.C. responded, staring at Lelouch, daring him to contradict his sister.

"I like to see the positive side of things! There's so many horrible things in the world, it's important to remember things can still turn out okay. Right, big brother?" the kind-hearted girl asked as she took his hand. "Ah..." Slowly, she turned her head toward where she knew the visitor was. "That was a mean joke, Miss C.C."

Lelouch's eyes widened. Not only because Nunnally just received an idea of his feelings at that particular moment. The quiet irritation and where it was directed.

But also for how Nunnally's sudden insight had caught the woman completely off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"Making poor Lelouch run around chasing you as a prank! You made him so worried! You should apologise!"

Nunnally couldn't see it, but C.C.'s mouth hung open, the largely unflappable woman not understanding what just happened or how to respond to it. Her game having been completely found out. "... I'm... Sorry?"

"Good!"

Moments later, Lelouch was able to pull his self-proclaimed collaborator into his room for a private conversation. "So what was running away in aid of?"

"Does your sister have Geass?"

"I didn't know what that was until earlier today. Answer my question."

"What does it matter?"

"Are we collaborators?" Lelouch asked. "Are we accomplices? Are we working together, or are you just doing your own thing in my orbit making things more complicated to amuse yourself?"

"I don't see why it can't be all of the above." He pushed her, pinned her against a wall only for her to roll her eyes. "Oh, very threatening."

"How did you know where I live? You knew my name the moment you saw me. Does Clovis know where I am?"

"No, he doesn't, so far as I know." She pushed against the hand pinning her shoulder, dislodging it, but Lelouch continued to crowd her. "As for how I knew where you live. You're the one so proud of your intellect. Figure it out."

He sneered. But he couldn't back down from the challenge. If she said that, there must have been a tell at some point. Between her rescue and when he left her in the car after–

Slowly, he pulled out his wallet and flipped it open. Seeing his Ashford Academy student ID.

"Well done," she praised him, voice dripping with condescension.

"You still knew my name. How?"

"Would you believe we've met before?"

"No."

"Good, because we haven't. Though we have crossed paths on occasion."

"When?" he demanded. Her only response was to tilt her head. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to calm down. C.C. was playing games again. She was that type of person, though already ten times worse than Milly on her worst day just in the single day he had known her. "Fine. An important, relevant and time-sensitive question, then. Why was Clovis keeping you prisoner? Did you give him Geass? Someone on his staff?"

"No. I didn't. None of them have Geass."

Answering the last questions only. But for the moment it would be good enough. "Good."

"And why was that relevant?"

He moved away from her, allowing her to come off the wall as he pulled out his phone, a data drive connected at the bottom. Tapping a few buttons, it began to play audio.

"Eleven... I need your assistance once again. But the situation is too dire and too urgent to communicate remotely. I swear this. If you come in person, I will use the power of my position to ensure you are given a position of prominence on my staff, exonerated of any crimes. I no longer have the luxury of caring who you are. If that was what saw you keep your distance, it no longer matters. I need your help. Whatever cost that help incurs, I will see it paid."

"It seems my brother is at his wits' end," Lelouch observed. "It's time to start moving things along."