AN:

Alan Wake: I guess it's because I haven't made a page yet. Perhaps I will if I have the time.

Chapter 120: Gauntlet

Lucretia let out a defeated sigh as she felt the antidote flow throughout her body, providing necessary relief to the excruciating pain she was feeling, "This works… I suppose…" she mumbled while gazing upon the group of Black Knights floating above, "Alice… I hope your plan works…"

"Suzaku's here?" the Prince mumbled with disbelief as the Knight crushed the Gx's cockpit with a stomp, causing blood to splatter in all directions, "But how? How did he know?"

"Despite getting a different paint job, the Conquista's unmistakable." Kallen commented, "Lelouch, let me-"

However, just as the red head was about to rush in, the Conquista was already barrelling toward them at breakneck speed, twirling his chain sickle with killer intent. Though, he wouldn't get far, as Jeremiah would get in his way, using the sheer size of the Siegfried to block him, "Not so fast. I won't allow you to approach."

"Orange boy?" the corrupted Knight scoffed, "Why would he join Lelouch?"

Suzaku flew past the Giga fortresses slash harkens, before landing on it, where he would immediately push off as the electric field surrounding the beast's armor activated, nearly shocking him. That's when Clara jumped in, swinging her revolving blade downward, where the Knight caught her arm at the last second, suspending both of them midair as he drew his MVS, kicking her away simultaneously.

The pink-haired girl smirked while increasing the speed of her chains, lighting them blue instead of orange before moving in to attack Suzaku, who brought his MVS to block – a crucial mistake. Effortlessly, the revolving blade slashed through the red blade effortlessly, delivering a clean slash to the Lancelot's black coat, surprising the pilot as his opponent pulled away, "What was that? The Black Knights never had something like that before…"

"You're up, Rolo!" Clara shouted as the defenseless Lancelot crossed its arms, preparing for another attack.

Without another word, the former Assassin flew in with his Gekka – wielding its revolving blade already charged in a blue hue – activating his Geass in the process, freezing Clara, Suzaku, and Jeremiah in the process. But as always, things wouldn't be that simple.

Upon sensing his synapses being manipulated, a subconscious signal was sent through the former Margraves nervous system in less than a second, making its way to his Geass canceller, which automatically activated, breaking everyone free of Rolo's Geass – including Suzaku.

After recovering, the Knight redirected the Assassin's weapon to his right, followed by forcefully pulling the Gekka onto the Siegfried, where the revolving blade would pierce through the tough armor. "That too?" Suzaku muttered while getting up, using the fortress as makeshift footing.

"What happened?" Rolo spoke in disbelief as he recovered.

"My apologies. It's an automatic response from the canceler." Jeremiah explained, "Clara, you need to help him drag Suzaku out-of-range."

Before the boy could respond, the Knight delivered a powerful strike to his gut, beginning a ruthless assault that Rolo had no hope of countering, especially under these circumstances. With a follow-up, Suzaku drove his knee into the Gekka's head, grabbed it by the arm, using it as leverage to flip the frame, dealing extra damage by landing a kick on its falling figure, "Jeremiah, activate the electric shock…" Rolo said in a pained tone.

"As you wish." the former Margrave responded without hesitation, pressing the button at the same time as the assassin activated his Geass, keeping Suzaku in place as the current shocked both of them. Of course, Jeremiah quickly broke the Geass due to being in proximity, but by then it was too late for the Knight to escape.

"Damn it!" the Japanese boy groaned in pain, gritting his teeth while fighting through it. Lifting his foot, the Knight slammed it into Rolo's head, destroying it and grabbing the revolving blade in the process, using it to pierce through the Siegfried's thick armor, where he would drag the sword downward, straight through the Gekka's center. Afterward, Suzaku would push off the Giga fortress, freeing himself from the pain finally, "Too… close…" he mumbled, heaving heavily, "And what the hell was that? Another Geass?" his eyes wandered to Clara, who's Gekka had dropped considerably in altitude, "It seemed to affect them…" he then glanced at Lelouch and Kallen, "But not them… strange. Well, there's no point in worrying about it now, especially since the only possible source has been dealt with."

"Suzaku, behind you!" Cornelia's voice shouted over the radio as Jeremiah flew in once again, smoke exuding from his Giga fortress.

"Crap, I forgot how durable that thing was." the Knight crossed his arms, bracing for a devastating attack as several massive slash harkens approached.

Luckily for him, a devastating explosion went off behind his opponent, causing the fortress to plummet downward, followed by the harkens, "You need to be more careful." the Princess reported from below, her Gloucester now outfitted with Sancia's rail gun, using both of her arms to hold it steady.

"Thanks." the Knight responded while instinctively dodging right, reacting to an incoming beam from Kallen's Guren, which was rapidly approaching. Spinning his chain sickle repeatedly, Suzaku dove below his opponent's flight path, pivoting midair to rapidly change direction toward her, entering proximity within seconds.

The red head threw her surger out, getting avoided by a duck, before countered by an attack to her chest with the sickle. However, just as the Knight was about to latch on, Kallen blocked his strike using her fork knife, leveraging it between the openings, pulling him in-range of her surger. Though, Suzaku would narrowly move to the back of her powerful weapon, escaping its range by a mere foot, where he would prepare a hand to destroy it.

"Kally!" Clara shouted, rushing to the aid of her friend.

"S-stay away!" Kallen desperately ordered, "If you get closer, he'll-"

But it was too late. As soon as the pink-haired girl moved within striking range, Suzaku fired a harken that pulled her in, following this up by wrapping the chain of his weapon around her body, forcefully attaching the Guren and Gekka together. Then, he smashed the protective cover of Clara's harken, pulling it out to wrap the wire around the Gekka's arm, before attaching it to the Guren's chest, where he would do the same with Kallen's harken. However, as he moved to tie the surger, he had to dash back, narrowly avoiding its deadly, but limited grasp. Even so, this didn't stop him from completing his objective; wrapping the wire around the arm once it extended, ending it by slamming the harken into the Gekka's chest.

After that was done, he flew above the duo, preparing his harkens to finish both of them off in one strike, if not for Orpheus' intervention – attacking the Lancelot with his combined blade.

"Kallen!" Lelouch rushed to his girlfriend's aid, with the Byakuen and Lancelot moving further and further away.

"K-Kally… I'm sorry." Clara apologized as the Prince attempted to release their binds.

"It's fine… you just wanted to help. But please, keep your distance, okay?" the red head responded, "Unless I call for help, I can handle him by myself."

"Jeez, you all suck." Luciano taunted with a smirk, "He's already in the fighting motion, so you'll have to be more cautious."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ugh. Think of it like this: Suzaku has already been fighting for quite a bit, right? So he's like a warmed up car; his body's already in the mood, thus his senses are heightened. However, we're like a cold-start car; it'll take longer for us to get into the rhythm of fighting, so he naturally already has an advantage, despite already building fatigue." the former Round shook his head in frustration, "Don't they teach you idiots anything?"

"I already knew that." Kallen argued, "You just worded it weirdly."

Suddenly, Luciano pulled Lelouch back, shocking everyone by his act of defiance in spite of his command. Though, the reason for this would soon reveal itself, as a powerful bullet would zoom past the group, straight through where the Kagero was previously positioned, "Be careful. If you die, I won't be able to kill Rai." the Vampire said while releasing his 'leader'.

Kallen's eyes wandered to the source of the shot, where she spotted Cornelia's Gloucester reloading a rail gun – parts falling off its arms due to the sheer power of the back blast, "Over there, it's Cornelia!"

"How do you know?" Lelouch asked while moving to release the red head.

"Those horns, it's her Gloucester, no doubt about it!"

"But why's she here?" the Prince questioned, "Luciano, I want you to capture her alive, understood?"

"Fine." the Vampire responded to the command, "This'll be a cinch."

"C.C." Lelouch called the Immortal, who had been watching the battle with an observant gaze, "Follow Luciano. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Very well." C.C nodded at the order, passing Kallen in the process, "Good luck." she wished her friend.

"Such a pain." Cornelia thought with a bead of sweat dripping down her brow, fumbling to reload the rail gun in the process, "Maybe I should've got something different…" that's when the bullet got stuck in the chamber, not budging due to the end being put in wrong. As a last resort, she slapped the round inside, creating a clang before racking the weapon.

"Nice gun!" Bradley shouted, flying rapidly toward her position, "Mind if I see!?"

The Princess quickly aimed the rail gun at the approaching vampire, pulling the trigger without hesitation, letting soar a hasty shot that came nowhere near the impending danger. To recover, Cornelia ditched the weapon, drawing her MVS in the process to clash with the incoming revolving blade. The sheer force of their blades colliding sent both of them tumbling back into the cave, where they crashed into two separate buildings, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

"Nice shot, loser." Luciano taunted sadistically while emerging from his crash – unscathed.

The Princess exited hers shortly after, breathing heavily as the former Knight spun his blade hypnotically, trying to throw her off, "Never thought I'd have to face you someday." she lied, putting on a brave face while catching her breath.

"Liar~" the Vampire made sure to elongate the word in his speech, "Of everyone I've ever worked with, you're the one who pissed me off the most – and I'm sure the feeling's mutual, right?"

"Does that include Zero?" Cornelia asked, shifting her body to hide behind a building, "Tell me, what made the oh-so-Great Luciano Bradley to change sides?" she slid between an alleyway, where two kids were cowering in fear, evoking a sympathetic gaze from her.

"Let's just say…" suddenly, Luciano's Gekka burst through the building, extending his hand to grab her Gloucester's head, "There was a change of interest!"

The ensuing rubble ended up crushing the kids below, leaving only a crimson splatter as their remains. Cornelia swatted her opponent's hand away, freeing herself to counter with a thrust from her MVS, narrowly grazing the Gekka's chest, as it spun toward the right. Luciano licked his lips, eagerly bringing his revolving blade in an attempt to decapitate the Gloucester, only to find the purple frame already ducked, escaping the close-encounter with hardly a scratch.

"Where are you running to!?" Luciano exclaimed, cutting her off in the process, "I thought you were supposed to be fearless."

"One must know when to withdraw from an unwinnable battle." Cornelia retorted, ducking his incoming slash with ease, "That, in of itself, is a special kind of strength."

"That's precisely how losers think!" the Vampire proclaimed while skating into position, throwing a large piece of concrete at his opponent's back, causing her to stumble.

The Princess brought up her blade at the last moment, barely blocking an incoming strike that would've severed her arm, "My breath is wasted on you; you're unaware of what it takes to be a commander!"

"I don't like working with weaklings, that's why!"

Luciano grabbed the Gloucester by its chest brace, before slamming it into a building, where he would deliver a devastating kick to send her crashing through, causing the structure to collapse on top of her. "It's you who's weak!" Cornelia shouted, firing a slash harken that burst through the rubble, attaching to the Gekka's chest, allowing herself to be pulled in the process, where she would land a disastrous strike to her opponent's face.

Bradley reeled back in pain, tripping on a fallen pillar that gave the Princess a massive advantage. She prevented his escape by planting her foot on his chest, pointing her blade downward in an effort to pierce straight through to his cockpit, ending the fight. Or at least that's what would've happened, if Luciano hadn't fired his own harken to knock the MVS from her grasp, "Stupid bitch." he seethed, kicking her off in the process, shattering the Gloucester's right arm in the process, "Who the fuck do you think you are!?" he delivered another kick to her center, sending her tumbling away, "Did you really think you could beat a Knight of the Round-"

"Former." Cornelia snapped, recovering by boosting off the ground with her float system, "You're a former Round. Essentially a failure."

"Wh-why you…" Luciano's face contorted into one of pure rage, feeling the insult cut deeper than it should. No. This was Cornelia he was dealing with. Someone who he clashed with in the past. Of course, any insult she hurled his way would be even more so, "I'm just taking a break! That's it! I'll reclaim my place by slaughtering that phony Rai! I'll make such a bloody mess of him, nobody will even remember his face!" he rushed in, dragging his revolving blade across the floor, before sending it forth, where it was knocked away by Cornelia's slash harken.

"I can't let you do that!" she proclaimed, catching his stray arm midair, and driving her knee into his chest, "Especially since he's protecting Euphie!"

"Euphie?" the Vampire groaned as the knee made contact, "Don't you mean the sister you shot in the back?" he chuckled while grasping her leg, using it to slam her into a building, "I can't believe you're still worried about that bitch. How about this? After I've killed Rai, I'll slaughter her shortly after? That way, he can be her little Knight in the afterlife!"

"Firstly…" Cornelia sent a kick to Luciano's head, sending him stumbling back, "Nobody calls my sister a bitch." she then shot up, grabbing a stray rebar in the process, "Especially not you!" with her new weapon, she drove it forward, forcing Bradley to duck the attack, only to receive a devastating knee that smashed his Gekka's head. As the former Knight let out a pained sigh, the Princess drove her rebar through his left arm, severing it in one quick motion, "And you won't lay even a finger on her, you hear me!?" she then slammed the metallic piece against his side, causing him to shift to the right, absorbing the impact.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Luciano's voice suddenly turned serious as he caught the rebar, drove his shoulder into her chest, throwing her overhead shortly after by attacking the Gloucester's center of gravity. Once on the ground, he forcefully flipped the frame over, and ripped the cockpit open, grabbing the pilot with ease, "Killing your sister would probably do the exact opposite of getting me my seat back. So be grateful that I'm choosing to spare her… for now."

"Bastard… I'll kill you first chance I get, I swear!" Cornelia hissed as she felt the metallic hand tightly grip around her fragile body, "So if you're gonna kill me, better do it now."

"Unfortunately, I don't have such a luxury." Luciano scoffed as he spotted a group of kids run into a building, "Boss man wants you alive. And I'm on thin ice as it is, so I won't fail this task, even if I have to listen to your worthless taunts."

"C-capture? Damn it… I can't let this happen… even with my precautions, it won't take long for him to Geass me." she shook her head in defiance, "No. I refuse that kind of fate!" Cornelia then let out a painful, gut-wrenching scream that instantly drew Bradley's attention, "Gah! Are you seriously trying to kill me!? Let up a little! Otherwise, you'll crush me!"

"Seriously? That grips too tight for you?" Luciano scoffed, loosening his hold, "For such a hard woman, you're awfully fragile." Using this opportunity, Cornelia managed to evade her capture by wiggling free, falling with a hard thud. But the pain wasn't important. Not with her life on the line, "You lying bitch." the Vampire tried to grab her, only for her to slide beneath a pile of rubble, which he lifted moments later, finding no trace of his target. "Damn it. Where'd she go!?" Luciano desperately checked his surroundings, inevitably slamming his dash in frustration, "Damn it. This hunk of junk doesn't even have a factsphere." he smashed a pillar in half, before angrily beginning his search.

Suzaku pushed Orpheus' blade to the side, before slamming his leg into the white frame, following up by clasping his hands, and striking the boy from behind. The Mercenary recovered midair, changing his armament to a single blade, thrusting it forth to strike the Knight, who dodged the strike by strafing left, "Damn it… my injuries are stacking up." the Japanese boy thought while parrying another thrust with the back of his wrist, trapping the opponents arm in the process. He then raised a leg to sever the Byakuen's weapon, only to find the Knightmare quickly pull away in the knick of time.

"Not only am I getting a headache now… but the adrenaline's starting to wear off…" he clutched his side, where he had felt a rib break earlier, hissing in pain upon finding an additional burn mark at the very same place – a byproduct of his electrocution.

Orpheus rushed in again, feinting right, before pulling his blade abruptly back for a slash across the chest. However, when he expected his opponent to take a step back to avoid the attack, Suzaku instead chose to burst forward, catching the arm with his right, using it as leverage to deliver a devastating kick to the Britannian's face.

The Mercenary groaned in pain, recovering only to take another kick that sent him hurdling downward, where he would receive another strike to his chest which would continue until he hit the ground, with the Lancelot pinning him beneath its foot. Even so, Suzaku had no way of finishing the fight, giving Orpheus the chance to fire a slash harken at his face, knocking him back just enough to be free. With a flip, the Byakuen stared at its opponent, dust circling around their frames which helped him notice a large sand cloud in the background, with a heavily damaged Siegfried at the forefront, dragging its harkens across the sand, struggling to take-off.

Not noticing the impending threat, Suzaku rushed in with a punch, missing Orpheus' face by mere inches as the boy leaned back. He then noticed the Byakuen's right arm change to the combined blade, signaling him to preemptively leap back using his float system as support, narrowly escaping an uppercut that would've taken his head off. Even so, he wasn't out of danger yet, as he felt the intense strike of something ramming him from behind, earning an intense scream of pain. "Th-that thing's still moving!?" the Knight exclaimed as the Siegfried tried moving its harkens to destroy his frame, only for them to abruptly stop due to critical damage being sustained.

Suzaku then face forward, where he caught the tail end of Orpheus leaping toward him, blade extended to take off his head, which he responded by leaning to the left, dodging the attack as it pierced the Giga Fortress, "Seriously? You dodged that?" the Britannian mumbled while pulling his weapon back, only to be kicked away afterward.

Just as the Knight was about to chase, Rolo activated his Geass from within the Siegfried – leaning against one of the walls as Jeremiah piloted. This action froze Suzaku in place, long enough for Orpheus to recover before the former Margrave's canceller activated. "Wh-what the hell was that?" the Knight's eyes widened with shock as he found himself far closer to the Byakuen than he should've been. He pushed off the Siegfried, finally escaping the trap, straight into a situation where he found himself ducking another attack from the Mercenary, countering with a kick to build distance, "From the Margrave? Impossible. He only has the canceller. There's no way he could have a normal Geass, right?"

Meanwhile, Orpheus flew next to the Siegfried, contacting the pilot through a fair amount of static, "Thanks for the assist, Jeremiah."

"You should really be thanking Rolo too." the Margrave responded, barely keeping altitude, "He's the one who stopped Suzaku from pursuing you."

"I… suppose." the Mercenary refocused on the Knight, who seemed to be preparing for another attack, "What do you propose we do now?"

"That's simple…" Rolo chimed in, coughing twice in the process, clearly feeling the price of his power catching up, "I'll stop Suzaku in place… then you'll finish him off."

"Didn't you already try that earlier? He still somehow managed to block your attack."

"That's why you have to be fast." the former Geass assassin explained, "I foolishly forgot about the detail regarding Jeremiah's canceller activating automatically if he falls under Geass. So that's my fault. However, I know you can pull this off. Despite our differences, I hope you can see past them and work with me on this."

Orpheus let out a sigh, clenching his controls in preparation, "Don't worry. Just focus on your part, and I'll do mine."

"Perhaps it eliminates one of my sense?" Suzaku pondered, trying to figure out his opponent's Geass, "Sight? No, I'd still hear and feel what was going on. It's almost like I'm blacking out momentarily…" that's when it hit him; a memory long since suppressed from his past life, "Rolo. It's Rolo, isn't it? Or at least someone with a similar ability. After all, why would he partner with Lelouch? From what I remember, the kid was dead set on killing him. Things could have changed in this timeline, sure. But to this extent? There has to be something more." then he shook his head in frustration, "No. There's no time to be worried about that. Especially since I have to face him now." his grip on the Lancelot's controls tightened as he pushed them forward, sending himself flying toward the group, "I have to get in close."

Orpheus barely dodged the incoming Knight by strafing right, with Jeremiah committing left, "Get out of here!" Rolo ordered, "You're still in range of my Geass!"
The Mercenary nodded, and tried to retreat, only for the Lancelot's black paint suddenly peel off, getting sent in everywhere direction – erupting in chaff smoke moments after. "Damn it. I lost him." the Margrave muttered in frustration.

Due to the sudden loss of vision, Rolo activated his Geass, hoping to somehow catch Suzaku to prevent him from chasing Orpheus. However, as the Byakuen flew through a clearing to escape, the flawless white figure of the Lancelot followed soon after, grabbing its leg, and hurling it downward. Luckily, Jeremiah's canceller kicked in, freeing himself just as the smoke cleared.

Unfortunately for the Mercenary, Suzaku landed a final devastating kick that caught him off-guard, causing him to collide with the Siegfried, "Change of plans." Rolo said before entering a coughing fit, his face getting paler, "J-Jeremiah… the missiles…"

"Oz, get up." the Margrave ordered before unleashing a seemingly endless barrage of missiles, all aimed at the Knight, who took evasive maneuvers.

"Ah, so that's what you want?" Orpheus nodded, changing from his blade to the cannon, "Then I'll be sure not to miss." he took position, leading the Lancelot as hit spun midair, causing a few missiles to crash into each other, "Almost there…" he told himself as the Knight shook a few more, "Just a few more…"

Upon witnessing the Lancelot's final spin, Orpheus pulled the trigger, sending a high-powered armor piercing round that was set to hit the Knight in a few meters. Despite everything going to plan – with Suzaku's right arm getting struck – the White Knightmare used the momentum from the shot to pivot its entire frame to face the Siegfried, "Did you actually think I couldn't see you?" he muttered before flying toward the Giga Fortress, allowing his pursuers to follow – unknowingly – to their original master.

Orpheus desperately tried knocking the Lancelot out of the sky by firing another round, sailing past the Knight and colliding with a missile, causing a chain-reaction that set the rest off. He then changed his ammo-type to a grenade that would explode after a set distance; erupting mere meters in front of Suzaku, giving him enough time to change to his combined blade.

In a fury, the Lancelot burst through the smoke, brutally landing on the Siegfried – forcing it to dip considerably in altitude due to the sudden weight. This shift threw Rolo against a wall, knocking him unconscious, as the Byakuen and Lancelot clashed. Orpheus thrusts his combined blade forward, getting grabbed from below as Suzaku ducked the attack, leveraging the special arm against his own, to the point where – with one strike from his left – he was able to sever it, rendering the Mercenary defenseless.

With his foot, the Knight pinned his opponent against the Giga Fortress, lifting the severed combined blade overhead, before plunging it into the Byakuen's chest, stopping inches from Jeremiah's head as they skidded across the sand, throwing both White Knightmares in separate directions, but not without Suzaku grabbing Rolo's revolving blade – which was still stuck in the Siegfried's armor. After a few tumbles, the Knight Giga Fortress finally came to a stop, allowing Jeremiah to freely check on Rolo, who was still knocked out cold.

"Ugh… if I knew I was going to fight so many people… I'd have brought… more weapons…" Suzaku complained while using the revolving blade to stand, his eyes darting to the Kagero, Guren, and remaining Gekka as they watched from afar, "Not approaching? Don't tell me they're scared…" suddenly, he began coughing violently, involuntarily spitting blood onto his monitor, soon dripping onto his pilot suit, "No… if Kallen's staying so close to Lelouch, that must mean he's in danger-"

"Suzaku." Oiagros contacted the Knight via radio, startling him, "Suzaku, come in."

"Oiagros, are you gonna help or not?" the boy asked while checking his revolving blade, noticing the teeth have been damaged, "Piece of junk. Now it's just a blunt weapon."

"My apologies, but that's not something I can do. Not now."

"Are you betraying me?" Suzaku's eyes turned hostile as he tightly gripped his controls.

"Not at all… it's just… things are complicated now." out of nowhere, a black Knightmare, with a white body and gold accents appeared before the Knight, pointing a hand cannon at his head, charging a red beam within, "I've lost contact with Cornelia's Gloucester, so she must've been either caputred or killed. Regardless of what happened, there's no way to win this now."

In a split-second decision, the Lancelot ducked left, narrowly avoiding a hadron beam that struck a mountain in the background, causing a massive explosion that sent rocks and dust flying in all directions, "What is that? It looks like a Gareth. Yet… it's too early for that." his eyes wandered back to the mysterious Knightmare, which upon further inspection, was considerably taller than the Lancelot – even bigger than the Gawain, "Tell me, is that thing something Britannia's rolling out soon?"

"You sure figured that out quickly." Oiagros responded while chasing the Lancelot half-heartedly, "It's my personal frame. Something I stole from the lab coats a while ago."

"I can tell." Suzaku let out a deep breath, retreating further and further from the order searching for an opening, "Damn it… I'm too fatigued… there's no way I can fight under these conditions." he flew into a canyon, where the Zevon finally stopped attacking, landing at the entrance, "You'll have a lot of explaining to do later."

"I know." Oiagros let out a sigh, "Where would you like to meet?"

"Seoul. The same place we met before." Suzaku instantly responded, "By the way, what will you do about Cornelia?"

"I'll try my best to reason with Zero. Try it from the angle of Peace Mark. If all goes right, then I might save her from being executed."

"Well, that's certainly noble of you." the Knight opened his map, marking his fifth extraction point in the process, "You're certainly not the man I thought you were, Oiagros."

"Is that in a good way, or a bad way?"

"That depends on how our conversation goes." with those final words, Suzaku flew away, escaping the battle wounded and exhausted; in the back of his mind, he was still doubtful of Oiagros' true intentions, wondering if he'd truly show up to the meeting place at all, or if it was merely another trick.

Jeremiah dragged Orpheus from the Byaukuen's wreckage, setting him next to Rolo, who laid unconscious with the color of his skin gradually returning. The cyborg wiped his brow of sweat as a gust of wind blew sand past him, shortly followed by the sound of three Knightmares landing, "Master Zero." the Margrave acknowledged the Kagero, "Who was piloting that Knightmare?"

"I have no idea." Lelouch responded as Kallen stood in front of him, eyeing the subject of their conversation rapidly approaching, "He contacted us earlier; said he'd take care of the Knight of Seven. Rightfully so, Kallen didn't trust him and chose to stay with me, just in case. Shortly after, that Knightmare showed up."

"It looks like a Gareth." the red head's eyes narrowed, "So whoever that is, they're obviously Britannian, and a powerful one at that. After all, I can't imagine a world where any resistance group could hijack such a top-secret project."

"Zero, I presume?" the pilot of the mysterious Knightmare called, "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"Might I ask who you are?" Lelouch questioned the man as Kallen stayed between them, tightly gripping her fork knife in the process.

"You may call me Wizard. I'm a member of Peace Mark, so fear not, for our goals align."

"Peace Mark?" the Prince's eyes narrowed, "Why are you here?"

"I was in the area, and got reports from my agents that the Knight of Seven was in the Area. Thus, I dispatched myself to find out what he was up to. However, that's when I came across you, already battling him."

"Suspicious…" Kallen glanced at Orpheus, who merely gave the massive Knightmare a blank stare.

"I don't mean to pry, but since we are supposed to be allies; would you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

"Attacking a covert Britannian installation." Lelouch instantly came up with a convincing lie, "Though, the battle's already over, so you can return to base now."

"Are you sure?" Oiagros raised an eyebrow, "Considering how much damage your forces sustained during that fight, I'm sure it'd ease your mind greatly to welcome another competent devicer – even if it's only temporary."

"We'll be alright, Wizard." Kallen cut into the conversation, "After all, we know what we're doing."

The Zevon sighed internally, knowing that he couldn't push the issue any further without drawing more suspicion onto himself, so he had to take a different approach, "Very well. However, may I have a request?"

"What's that?"

"Do try to capture a Britannian in there. That way, we can interrogate them for more information, and see if they have any other bases around here."

"That won't be necessary. You'll find that we can get any necessary information out of them just fine." Lelouch reinforced his stance, turning to the Geass Order entrance.

"Very well. I'll trust your process." as a last ditch effort, Oiagros suggested, "However, if you wouldn't mind, could I join you afterward? I'd like to speak in private."

"Even if I deny him, he'll still follow us anyway." Lelouch thought with a frustrated sigh, "It'd be better if I could keep an eye on him." the Kagero began moving toward the Geass Order, kicking up a bit of sand in the process, "Very well. Just wait out here. Clara, Jeremiah, keep Oz and Rolo company. Kallen, come with me."

Once Zero and the red head were gone, Oiagros lowered his frame before opening the cockpit, leaping out in a half-white bodysuit, that had smaller black decals throughout, with the color scheme being inverse for his right. His cape held the same color scheme as his bodysuit, save for the interior, which was blue on the right and purple on the left. To further discern his true identity, he wore a red masquerade mask and a long silver wig, hanging a cute black hat off the side which was far too small to fit on his head normally.

Clara desperately stifled a laugh as the man approached Oiagros, finding the exaggerated outfit comical, but also adorable – especially the hat. "Looks like Zero's not the only one for dramatic flare." Orpheus commented as the man approached, "You said you were a part of Peace Mark, correct?"

"That's right, Oz." his Uncle nodded, "Even though this isn't how I imagined our first real conversation would go, it's better than being scorned… or worse."

"So you know me, but I don't know you?" the Mercenary got up, "Forgive me for being suspicious, but it's just a tad bit strange."

"Peace Mark is a vast organization with networks all over the world, so for you to not have heard about me isn't strange at all, especially when you consider how small of a role I play. If you'd like to know more about me, I'm sure your handler could tell you if asked."

"I'll consider it." Oz turned to Rolo, who breathed softly in his unconscious state, "Don't push yourself so hard next time." Orpheus to himself while shaking sand out of his hair, refusing to acknowledge the boy's help for now.

Unbeknownst to him, Oiagros smiled internally as he saw Jeremiah carefully check both boys for any injuries, "It looks like you finally found the right crowd, Rolo. A group who seems to genuinely care for your wellbeing." his eyes wandered to the Margrave, who aimed to return to his downed Siegfried, "Though, I can't help but wonder why he joined. Perhaps he hates V.V as well? Or is it something else entirely?"

In the distance, a young girl crawled along the sand on her bare body, feeling the sun radiating off the coarse substance, sticking onto her bloody skin, amplifying the discomfort as it burned against her. With an observant eye, Clara noticed the girl's approach, instantly recognizing her distinct pale hair, "Lucretia?"

"Where the fuck are you, bitch!?" Luciano shouted while kicking a pillar away, desperately searching for Cornelia, "I'm tired of playing hide-and-seek!"

Meanwhile, the Princess watched the former Knight from afar, sneaking through a building, back toward the Knightmare bay. However, on the way, she came across a stray kid wearing bloody garbs. Upon spotting her, his Geass flared in an attempt to activate, but just before it could, he was quickly torn apart by a hail of bullets, causing Cornelia to duck for cover as she checked the source: a Gekka that was now on one knee, its cockpit opening soon after, revealing a green-haired girl as the pilot.

"Cornelia." C.C called while pocketing her keys, "You want a way out of here, don't you? Why don't you fight me for my Knightmare?"

The Princess poked her head out, noticing her opponent unarmed, "What kind of trick is this?"

"It's not a trick at all." the Immortal said with a confident smile, approaching the woman fearlessly, "I've just realized that if I don't give you a fair chance, then you'll simply run away, and I might not be able to capture you again."

Luckily, she wouldn't have to wait long – because as soon as she got close to the Princess' cover, she shot out, leading with a high kick. C.C ducked the attack, moving around Cornelia as she firmly planted her feet, cocking her fist back to try knocking out the girl. The Immortal back stepped this strike, before sending a quick jab at her opponent's face, knocking them over a toppled pillar. At this point, Cornelia was feeling massive fatigue, and it was only a matter of time until she was captured, especially against a fresh opponent.

Despite such a fact, the Princess was determined to avoid such a fate, knowing what was possibly in store for her if she was captured by Zero. By throwing a desperate backhand, she finally landed a strike on the Immortal, sending her tumbling away, straight into a backflip, which was used as a launch pad to rush back into the fight, pushing an incoming strike from the Princess to the side, before driving a knee into her. Cornelia groaned in pain while landing on her back, rolling out of the way at the last second to avoid a power stomp; once on her feet, she sent an uppercut forth, hoping to gain some distance with it, only for her opponent to grab the arm, and use it to throw her to the ground.

C.C put the Princess in a chokehold, who tried to escape by breaking her nose with an elbow – though the Immortal didn't let up, feeling a warm trail drip across her lips as Cornelia finally went limp, "Not bad." the girl mumbled, gently laying her opponent against a pillar, "Though, I suppose it wasn't a fair fight-"

"C.C?" a voice called from behind, causing the girl to instantly turn around, where she would spot Alice using a wall as support, "It's really you…"

The Immortal moved to catch the girl as she fell unconscious, "So, you were here too? That's certainly an interesting development."

AN: I don't know if I've said this before, but Gareth's are way bigger than I remember. I mean, the Agravain (which is essentially a Gareth prototype) is nearly a full meter taller than the Gawain.