"Miss Cecile, do you mind if I ask you some things?"

As the August sun beat down on a weary Camelot crew, Cecile turned to observe her newest subordinate. Suzaku's been loading and unloading materials with the rest of us all morning, but at a glance he doesn't seem to have exerted himself at all...

The bluenette could imagine a few other potential uses for that kind of stamina, but put such thoughts on the back burner. "Not at all, Suzaku. What's on your mind?"

"How do you kill an idea?"

Cecile blinked, and considered the question warily as she focused more keenly on him. "Could you explain what you mean?"

"It's for the job Her Highness asked me to do," Suzaku explained. "Just putting new rules in place and targeting terrorists won't be enough to make the world a more peaceful place by itself; I need to address the ways that people think and deal with the social and ideological variables that breed chaos in our world."

That sounds considerably more involved than what Her Highness was asking for… but if he's genuinely motivated, is reining Suzaku in really what's best for him?

"Bigotry isn't something you can just kill with a bullet, dear boy. You're setting yourself up to fail if you try."

Cecile watched Suzaku's posture turn lax as he fixed Lloyd with a look somewhere between a smirk and a sneer. "If our ancient ancestors all had quitter attitudes like that, they'd have been too afraid of fire to ever make use of it."

"And if they were all as impatient and reckless as you're acting," Lloyd easily replied as he popped open the cap on a bottle of water, "they would all have died from playing with fire before learning the first thing about it."

"You're talking about memetics, right, Suzaku?"

As the impetuous Suzaku's gaze turned back to Cecile, she saw his lingering irritation immediately turn to guilt before he looked away and changed back to the more serious Suzaku. "That's right."

If Suzaku really does have two personalities, I should probably work out a better nomenclature for them… "If you're that determined to change society itself," she thought aloud, "you won't be able to do it by cutting out memes like they're some sort of cancer. To crush an idea would involve destroying everyone who carries it, and I don't think that's what you have in mind. And in general, pushing someone to change their beliefs or way of thinking against their will is more likely to breed resistance and resentment than anything else; you understand that, don't you?"

Suzaku frowned and leaned against a wall, catching a bottle out of the air when Lloyd tossed it to him. "What you're saying makes sense… but I can't just sit back and be content with accepting the world as it is, either."

"You seem like you're in quite the hurry all of a sudden," Lloyd noted.

Suzaku didn't answer that immediately, apparently needing to think through what he wanted to say – or perhaps, Cecile wondered as he shot her a glance, filtering out what he didn't want to say in light of his audience?

"When you offered me the chance to pilot Lancelot," Suzaku began, "you said that doing so could represent the power to change the world. If I can't take that power and put it to good use, then how am I any different from some worthless parasite?"

"You're useful enough as a devicer regardless of whether you do anything to society or not," Lloyd glibly replied.

There's something he's trying to prove to himself…

"In natural biology," she explained, "genes aren't passed down completely perfectly. There's variation between specimens caused by how cells interact during reproduction; on occasion it's even possible for unexpected mutations to create greater divergences and potentially create new subspecies."

Suzaku almost seemed to stare through Cecile in obvious thought, before visibly calming down as he began properly focusing on her. "So you're saying that… instead of trying to purge an evil meme from society, I might be better suited to introduce and spread my own variation of it?"

"That's right!" Cecile didn't bother hiding how pleased she was at how readily Suzaku caught on. "If you're trying to work out your methods like this, then am I right to assume you've got some other ideas for how to address your organization and logistics?"

Suzaku nodded, getting a bit excited as he stepped out onto the floor of what had once been an advanced machine shop classroom and was now becoming a maintenance hangar. "I was thinking I'd call this task force… The Titans! I thought with a name like that – brief, memorable, powerful, and obviously Western in origin – it would be that much easier for the Britannian propaganda machine to get behind such a group and spread its influence among the populace. Suppressing terrorism and corruption with overwhelming force so that ordinary people can live out their daily lives in peace and calm."

Suzaku turned on his heel, offering the pair a cautiously expectant smile. "So, what do you two think?"

Cecile shared a moment's glance with Lloyd, which Suzaku clearly noticed as his expression fell.

"It's not bad at all! But… knowing that the mythological Titans were overthrown by the Olympians," Cecile quickly explained, "using that name could be seen as bad luck."

"Not to mention that it sounds like something from one of Elle's cartoons and you're grasping at straws to get away with invoking it," Lloyd quipped.

Suzaku worked his jaw for a moment, clearly looking for a response, before shaking his head and waving a hand as if to brush the matter aside. "...okay, nevermind that. The name's something I can keep working on, I've got until the last minute to decide on that as long as everything else is solid enough."

"Dear me," Lloyd drawled as he idly spun around in his office chair, "I hope you won't need to return to the drawing board for everything…"

"We won't be able to conduct any new tests until the support crews finish getting everything set up," Cecile began, "so we could certainly pass the time by going over what you have in mind – or would you rather wait until Mariel returns from lunch with Miss Ashford?"

Suzaku visibly stilled for a second as he considered the question. "No, Elle deserves a break," he said before muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like after dealing with me and my damage.

Before either adult in the room could begin to address the slip, Suzaku quickly began laying out his ideas. "I need to reach out to some people, but in general it goes like this…"

In the mountains of distant Narita, a weary Kyoshiroh Tohdoh steadied his breath and set his composure. I've no more time to waste on fruitlessly dueling with demons. There's no better course than to simply be done with it.

Without further hesitation, he stepped into a restricted-access briefing room to find his Holy Swords waiting for him at attention. "Be seated, all of you."

His most capable and trusted subordinates obeyed at once, seamlessly offering a casual display of the teamwork and unity the battlefield had long since famed them for.

It only made the message on his lips that much more agonizing.

"Until further notice," Tohdoh began without preamble, "the Four Holy Swords have been disbanded; effective immediately."

He didn't begrudge the outcry from the two younger and more hotheaded members of his unit, allowing them a moment to work through it before raising a hand to command silence once more.

"General Katase has decided that in light of the administrative bedlam currently wracking the Britannian administration, the JLF's best course of action to protect the soul of Japan in the long term is to go into hiding while the enemy are too confused to pursue. To better facilitate this change of strategy quickly, all female officers are being withdrawn from combat roles to assist with internal logistics."

The Holy Swords shared looks with each other that ran a gamut from uneasy to absolutely livid. "Colonel," Chiba forced through clenched teeth, "may I respectfully ask what the hell?!"

"Chiba might be a woman," Asahina unnecessarily pointed out, drawing her ire, "but she's single-handedly pulled any of our asses out of the fire more times than I can count! Our faith in you is absolute, but there's no sense in that strategy!"

Tohdoh let out a sigh, calmly allowing their indignation to wash over him. "I wasn't asked for input in making this policy," he slowly explained. "Chiba, however, has been allowed a temporary exemption from it in light of her undeniable record and accomplishments… in accordance with Lt. Colonel Kusakabe's proposed intelligence operation from a few days ago."

That declaration brought yet another round of confusion from the Swords. "Kusakabe? He doesn't have the authority to push any kind of operation! Nevermind that his talents are hardly to do with intelligence!"

"She's more than proven she has every capability to fight that we do and as fiercely as we do! Intelligence op or not, what possible reason is there to pull Chiba from the front lines?!"

In contrast to his three younger comrades, Senba took a brief moment of reflection. "...it's because as a woman, there's something Chiba can do that the rest of us can't. Isn't it?"

Tohdoh's solemn frown was more than enough of an answer as Urabe and Asahina lost their anger to dread, while Chiba turned pale as a ghost.

For several minutes, none could bear to break the awful silence. Eventually, however, Tohdoh let out a breath, looking more the part of an exhausted old man than he did a mighty warrior and strategist. "...I had to press for this; to insist to General Katase that Suzaku Kururugi presented a sufficiently worthwhile target as to merit an operation against him. In light of your ability and your accomplishments, Lt. Chiba, giving you one last chance at glory – however small or undignified though it may be – was the very least I could do. …in light of your circumstances," he gravely continued, "this is the most that my duty – that our duty to Japan allows of me."

Tohdoh wouldn't attempt to demean the utter shame of this situation with an apology, nor did his subordinates expect one. Even if Kusakabe had first given the idea, and even if Katase had made decisions beyond his ability to affect, the responsibility for this was still Tohdoh's to bear. As a samurai, he would sooner die than shrink away from it.

"...Colonel," Urabe muttered, "it's insane to let Chiba go out there alone. Even if she dolls up and goes around in disguise, this kind of thing isn't in her wheelhouse and they know her face."

"Nevermind that Kururugi's just another Britannian dog now," Asahina spat. "Taking a job in their precious Settlement to feed your kids is one thing, but knowing where that guy is? I wouldn't trust him as far as his father's corpse could throw him."

Tohdoh closed his eyes, just as aggrieved with his estranged student's chosen allegiance. "...I know. That's why you will be deploying as long-distance support, Asahina. If Chiba fails to compromise Kururugi, or if the worst should happen and she's taken captive… your assignment will to eliminate him and to protect our secrets."

Asahina stilled at the order, eyes wide as the realization sunk in that he might be forced to assassinate one of his own comrades, while Chiba dropped her face into her hands, coming to terms with the fact that the best-case scenario for her future might well be a bullet from her best friend.

Inazo Nitobe had once written that dishonor was like a scar on a tree which time, instead of effacing, helped only to enlarge.

What cold comfort it was, then, that Tohdoh could feel their time running short.

"There's a phone call for you about a pending conditional release. Get up."

Viletta Nu made a show of waking up in her prison cot, trying to hide how little sleep she'd had in the last two days since her arrest. Foolish and maybe even empty pride, perhaps, but it wasn't like she had anything else worth clinging to. "Nnh…"

The dark-skinned former soldier placidly allowed a female guard to step in and put her in cuffs while two male guards held her at gunpoint through the cell doors, even as her mind raced to process the possible new developments. Is their investigation finally recognizing that only a small fraction of us were involved with Soresi's insanity in Shibuya? Did Jeremiah convince Her Highness of my innocence?

Either way, the fact that she only might have a path to freedom if someone were satisfied with her ability to meet some condition or perform a task didn't fill her with much hope. It wasn't unheard of for nobility in certain circles to hire personal servants out of the penal system for dirty jobs, be they of one sort or another…

After being led to a communal reception area, the female guard nudged Viletta towards a wall of phones with a slap and grope on her ass. Whether it's today or a year from now, Viletta swore, she's getting a black eye on my way out of here.

An imposing male guard held out a landline phone to Viletta and allowed her to grasp it before stepping away and offering her as much privacy as could be expected.

"Viletta Nu?"

"Speaking." The voice isn't one I recognize…

"Excellent. I need a pair of boots on the ground, someone with sharp eyes and a sharp mind. I need you to investigate a certain noble house and to do it the way I want; if you accept your assignment and get the results we're looking for, I have a full pardon and a comfy new job with your name on it that can get you back on the track to earning a noble title yourself."

Viletta considered the offer for a long moment. On the one hand, the caller was offering her almost everything she wanted both in the short term and out of her military career, for what sounded like a glorified milk run.

By all rights, it could only be too good to be true.

…but at the same time, she also really, really wanted to get out of this rotten prison. "What assurance do I have that this is legitimate?"

The caller proceeded to rattle off an authentication code that sent chills down Viletta's spine and made her decision for her.

"Just one last question, if I might? There's a guard that's been harassing me… If I got a little payback, would that pardon still cover me?"

"Absolutely."

"Deal."

"I expected that you'd see things our way. Relay that code to your guards and make your way to the old shrine in Kichijoji for the details of your assignment."

"Of course! All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia," the caller replied before hanging up.

Placing the phone back in place, Viletta wasted no time in following her new orders as the trio of guards escorting her quickly broke into a cold sweat.

"Listen, ma'am, about before…"

Viletta offered the female guard no response, save to hold up her bound hands for uncuffing.

Visibly beginning to shake, the guard stepped close to do so… and was quickly favored with a knee to the gut, before Viletta grabbed her hair and drove her face into the same knee, following with a one-two punch just for the satisfaction of it.

"If I hear so much as a whisper of prisoners being treated like that after today, heads will roll. In Eden's name," she spat, "you should know better than to let each other act like the Chinese."

The male guards on either side of their fallen peer immediately snapped to attention and gave Viletta a salute in recognition of her restored authority and connections. "Ma'am!"

Viletta took a short few seconds to luxuriate in her regained power, rolling some tension out of her neck. "You there, get me some half-decent street clothes and call a taxi. And take her to the infirmary while you're at it."

Yoshida Minami shivered as he swept his flashlight through the damp underground darkness, a nervous chill running down his spine. "How sure are we that this is a good idea, Ohgi?"

"Not very," the former teacher admitted, casting his own light down the abandoned subway tunnels. "But even if we had a choice, we're short enough on options right now that even the bad ideas are worth considering… and with Tamaki bound for Kyoto and out of our way, it's kind of perfect timing for this."

Kallen, on Ohgi's other side from Minami, let out a growl. "I still can't figure out when or where they slipped that damn note in my pocket…"

"What if it's a trap?"

Ohgi bit back on his instinctive response and took a moment to consider Minami's question seriously. "If the Britannians had the resources and intelligence to find and lure us to a place of their choosing, they'd have just stormed in like bulls in a china shop to kill us all instead of bothering with some convoluted scheme."

"Maybe you're right… it's just that I can still barely believe we made it out of Shinjuku alive, much less came so close to actually winning."

"Indeed," a new voice called out. "With the right guidance and resources, you can make quite the force to be reckoned with."

The confident voice echoed through the underground, making it almost impossible to pinpoint a direction of origin.

Ohgi, for his part, saw fit to remain unarmed. "And I suppose you're willing to give us the benefit of yours in exchange for… what, a few hapless Elevens as proxies in some stupid nobleman's grudge?"

"Hardly anything so crass as that, although your caution can only be commended..No, your manpower and general cooperativeness at Shinjuku proved useful to me. Or are you not satisfied with the miracles I performed for you on that day? Of deliverance from extermination, and a slain Imperial Prince to boot?"

Minami shivered at the admission, dread settling in his gut like a heavy weight. This is someone who can walk into battlefields with an entire unit's worth of stolen heavy weaponry, outwit the most elite Britannian commanders in Japan, kill a VIP under maximum security, and walk back out with complete impunity…

To say he felt like a mouse that had wandered into a tiger's den would have been an insult to mice.

The trio rounded a corner, catching a glimpse of dark fabric and the glint of light reflecting off of metal as Kallen took aim. "Just who do you think you are, anyway?!"

"You might call me... the storm that is approaching."