Making all those changes is really having an effect, though, in a way, some of what is discussed here is stuff that could have happened regardless of how things went. However, with some extra time, I was able to write a full-length chapter, a good thing, too, as I had a lot that I wanted to cover after the Black Knights conducted their raid. There was also the fact that I kinda skipped over the whole, the irregulars having geass, but it wasn't something that could be discussed with Kallen present, so it got moved.

Chapter 21: Hotel Getaway

A lingering haze of acrid smoke mingled with the stench of char and blood, all things Cornelia was well accustomed to but not in such a setting. Those were smells that belonged on a battlefield, not an oil rig. Still, then again…it seemed that Zero had managed to find something she couldn't, a thought which only infuriated her.

Having arrived along with Guilford and the Area 11 navy, they had found that the oil rig had been lifeless. Preliminary tests pointed towards Zero's attack being a quirk, brutal and uncompromising assault, one which ended with the masked bastard setting fire to the structure.

Looking around as soldiers conducted their investigations and tried to recover whatever evidence they could, she spotted the scorched metal beams and twisted remnants of industrial might that jutted the area like broken bones peaking out of a decaying carcass, but along with that was evidence that this place had been modified for more than drilling for oil, all signs pointed to this having been a research facility, one which she had no clue existed till now, and considering that Zero saw fit to strike it instead of heading towards Saitama, she could only assume that it was related to Code-R.

"It seems that they're no survivors, your highness. We've searched most of the structure and found that even those who seemingly tried to hide weren't sparred." Guilford approached, to which Cornelia nodded as she had spotted the bodies when they arrived, all of whom were wearing military uniforms despite the fact she had no orders despatching people here. She had reviewed all those issued under Clovis.

"It seems that Zero isn't acting alone as we thought." She stated. While they had an idea of Zero's skills, chiefly how stealthy he could be, there was no way one person was responsible for all this, as most of the dead seemed to have been killed in a shoot-out. However, some seemed to have their necks snapped or stabbed.

"That would be fair to say, but we found something else," Guilford replied, his face twisting in disgust, a rare showing from a professional soldier who had seen the worst of battle.

"What?" Cornelia's interest was piqued.

"A lab, your highness…or what's left of it," Guilford replied before leading her to the level where the labs had been located. Along the way, they saw other things, such as what looked to be a holding cell for the human test subjects, their bodies cut up in ways that seemed like they had been used as cadavers for a medical school, with signs that all had been alive when they had been put through hell.

They had already gone over them and confirmed that each had been killed by a single gunshot to the head. However, they wouldn't know who their executioner was till they transported the remains back to the Tokyo settlement and had the medical examiners look over them. They also found the bodies of some lab-coated researchers, people that Cornelia would have wished to have interrogated so she would learn more about whatever project Eden was.

Seeing the remains of the main labs, Cornelia's brow wrinkled in disgust at the sight of the place; equipment was smashed up, computers smashed and shot up, books and other hard copy reports torn to shreds, doused in the chemicals that had been laying around, or just laying as ash in piles where they had been set alit. She knew that they wouldn't get anything from this.

"Guilford, what would be the chances that there were more researchers here, and Zero merely kidnapped them rather than putting them to the sword."

"That would depend on how they managed to get this far out, as they'll need a proper-sized vessel. However, if he had access to such, then it's feasible that he would wish to question them without the threat of our arrival." Guilford replied, which only angered as it would mean that he would only learn more about this while she was left with the scraps he hadn't burned or destroyed.

"Just what was being done here? They were performing human experimentation…perhaps some sort of new drug for soldiers?" Cornelia mused, thinking back to the faces of those poor souls. Most of these were Elevens, but some were Britannians. Those were the ones whose twisted remains, pale, scar-covered, and in some cases, still cut up or connected to IVs that had been filling them with, as of yet, unknown drugs, which made her blood boil.

A soldier came running towards them. "Your Highness, the sub-viceroy is here."

"What? Who allowed her-!" Cornelia didn't have time to finish as she spotted the VTOL heading towards them, one with the Viceroy's office markings. Ticking, she and Guilford marched to the landing pad and waited for it. Upon touch-down, the door quickly opened, and her sister came marching out, a rare look of fury across her face. Seeing her sister, Cornelia asked how she managed to come, to which Euphemia had a retort ready.

"Viceroy, are you implying that those people could control my actions? In what capacity, who gave them the authority to command an imperial princess or the sub-viceroy?" She questioned, though Cornelia hardly cared that she put her staffers between a rock and a hard place with that order. Rock could be moved by a hard place could not, and she would make it clear to them when she got back that she was the hard place.

"And why would you show up here, sub-viceroy?" Cornelia shot back, Euphemia's frown only growing more prominent at her sister's tone, but she was sorely mistaken if she thought she would just back down like a scared baby.

"What did you do in Saitama? I just got reports that you ordered our troops to massacre the ghetto's inhabitants." She cut right to it, not looking towards the burnt-out ruins they stood on.

"I was conducting counter-terrorism work, Sub-viceroy." Cornelia's response only tore at her heart; she knew her sister could be ruthless and that she had earned the nickname 'Witch of Britannia' that others called her in terror and hate, but this wasn't battle-it was just wrong!

"Do not treat me as a child, Viceroy! If that was how you conduct counter-terrorism, you've been reading up on sister Marrybell's playbook." She snapped back, making Cornelia pursed her lips, her glare heightening at the low blow.

But Euphemia wasn't done. She hadn't seen the broadcast, having been kept busy by work- no doubt her sister's way of keeping her out of the loop. Thus, she had only heard about it when she heard some staffers talking about it before demanding to see proof of it.

"You gave them 6 hours, Viceroy. 6 hours to evacuate the ghetto before you put it to the torch; how were they supposed to achieve that? Clovis conducted surveys of the ghettos 4 months ago, and Saitama had a population estimated to be over 70,000! There were not that many people who could be moved in such a short time, especially when people are still frightened by our troops." She left it unsaid but knew that maybe the Elevens would have been willing to work with them to get out if Cornelia had just done what Euphemia had been badgering her to do and denounce Clovis' actions, something Cornelia had refused to do.

"It was within my authority to conduct it, and not even you can argue that sub-viceroy," Cornelia doubled down on this, daring her sister to defy her as if she wished to throw a fit like a child. She'd be treated as one, though Cornelia wasn't happy for another reason. "Besides, the entire point was to lure out Zero, but the coward refused to show up."

"And that's mean to excuse it? Where was the honor in a senseless slaughter? What bravery lay in targeting the weak and gunning them down? How are we to govern if the Elevens are terrified of us? This will only send more of them into the arms of violent extremists." Euphemia shot back, trying to make her sister see reason.

"This is how Britannia governs, sub-viceroy. We remind those lesser than us of their place, and if they wish to become terrorists, then they'll be made examples of." Cornelia replied.

"It's that sort of thinking which is why brother Clovis isn't with us," Her glare grew so intense that a lesser person might have buckled then and there, as even Guilford gulped just from being near her. But Euphemia, the target of it, faced it with a determined fury of her own. "Zero is no coward, Viceroy. He didn't fall for your trap because he was focused on hunting down Project, Something we could not do, and because of that, he got here first and destroyed it."

She was in dangerous waters; Guilford understood that well, as he had seen firsthand how…distraught Cornelia had been when she first got the news that Clovis had been murdered. Same was Euphemia, so for the younger li Britannia to throw that death in her face was, in his opinion, needlessly confrontational.

Cornelia's tone was like a spring pressed tight, ready to release. "It sounds like you're praising him, sub-viceroy."

And Euphemia remained dead set on this. If her sister wished to yell, they'd yell the night away. "And what if I am? He seems to understand what should be fought."

The following morning, Nunnally sat at the dinner table, upset that once again, her brother had gone out and stayed out until late with C.C. They had told her they'd be back by 9, and yet, despite staying up until 10, they hadn't appeared. She had only heard from Sayoko when she was woken up for school that they had arrived close to midnight.

Hearing him walk in, she turned her pout towards him. "Brother, you came home late again last night!"

Lelouch sighed as he expected this, and yet it didn't make it any less awkward for him as he took a seat, scratching at Pedro's head. "Sorry about that, Nunna. Something came up." He waved towards the door, which had remained open to allow their guests to enter. He had already explained this to Sayoko when he arrived with them, so she hardly reacted to the three girls, all wearing some of her master's spare clothing.

Nunnally listened and could pick up their footsteps. "Kallen? And…who's else?" She could recognize the first set, but the other three were strangers to her. They didn't walk like the girls around her normally did, but also not like Kallen's, who seemed surer and purposely than most teens.

They moved like soldiers.

"That's what came up. C.C. and I were coming home from our date when Kallen gave me a call." Lelouch explained to her, to which she nodded, but that only left more questions: Why would Kallen know such people?

"Did she need something?" Nunnally asked as Lelouch turned to the three, who looked much better than they did the previous evening. Having had the chance to have a warm home-cooked meal, hot shower, and warm, soft bed for the night. Though Alice had slept with C.C. as they only had one spare bed, and despite what they wanted, they couldn't all fit into it, Lelouch slept on the floor with the dogs, Pedro having happily let his master use his belly as a pillow.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Lelouch suggested, to which Sancia, the appointed leader of the trio, stepped forward.

"Good morning, I am Sancia." She stated.

"Hi, I'm Dalque."

"It's Alice."

"…Lucretia…"

Nunnally kept on frowning as she was getting mixed signals from them. They moved like soldiers but didn't sound as confident as soldiers. Lucretia was the most obvious with how nervous she sounded. Still, she could even pick up the same nerves and fears in Alice's brash words and Sancia's collected ones.

"Do…you not have last names?" She asked them.

"We're friends Kallen met online, but they're illegitimate children of nobles," Sancia explained, going with the story that Zero…Lelouch had cooked up for them. She hadn't thought it would be much, especially when even Kallen seemed skeptical. Still, she was proved wrong as Nunnally's face immediately shifted to shock and sympathy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to ask, I didn't mean to be rude." Nunnally turned her wheelchair to properly apologize to them for such a mistake.

"It's all right; it's not something we're used to." Sancia replied, Dalque being too caught off guard by how sincere this civilian was, while Alice looked like she was trying to find fault or some other piece to imply it was a front.

Nunnally nodded but shifted to beam at them. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I can always lend an ear. Our father's…not nice either, throwing me and my brother out. It's why we stay here with the Ashfords."

That got a response from them, as the three irregulars hardly knew anything about Lelouch. They just knew that they could trust him, and thus they did. As for Kallen, she had remained largely silent since she arrived early to soothe things out with Nunnally. She knew more about him but nothing about his part outside the fact he met Suzaku before the war.

She wouldn't lie and say that she didn't wonder about their parentage as if they were still around. Ashford wouldn't have needed to grant them accommodations in the student council building when she was allowed to live at home because of her 'health condition.' She just assumed that their parents had died, but from how even Nunnally phrased that mention about her father and Lelouch's confidence, one noble throwing out unwanted bastards…

"That's part of why I need your help on this. I can get the principal to allow them entry as students, but they're too young to attend the high school division." Lelouch, ignorant of her thoughts, continued to try to explain things to Nunnally.

Only for the girl to smile and chirp. "I'll be happy to!"

"But he hasn't even asked yet," Kallen spoke up.

"Kallen, I know my brother. And it's not something that needs to be thought about, is it?" Nunnally got up and smiled, closing her gaze towards Kallen's voice. "They're your friends, so if you trust them, then I can trust. Besides, having people my age around for a change will be nice."

"Just like that? You can't even see us." Alice, perhaps rudely, started, and while Lelouch shot a glare her way, Nunnally hardly seemed to care about the insult.

"No, but I can hear you just fine, Alice." She stuck her tongue out, though she already suspected they were keeping stuff from them. It was rare but legal for people as young as 13 to enlist, and if they were her age, that couldn't mean they'd served more than a year. But had they been kicked out of their homes, couldn't they have just lived in the barracks like Suzaku did? Or were they also kicked out of the military? How would Kallen know them? Was it tied to why Kallen hid the fact she wasn't as sickly as she acted? Why would her brother even let such clearly suspect people into their home?

So many questions, but if she asked them, she knew her brother would either refuse to answer…or it would, and she wasn't sure which she preferred. But while she was a little hurt that they were keeping things from her, she could give them the benefit of the doubt as she did with Ms. C.C. as she already suspected she wasn't his girlfriend- not at first, anyway. Still, he would have good reason to invite her to stay with them, and she would believe he had good reason to indulge Kallen's request.

"Well, that makes things easier; now let's go. We'll need to speak with the principal and get your admission on the fast track." Lelouch stated that they had to miss breakfast, but time wasn't on their side. Wishing his sister a good day, he led them out of the room; as he and Kallen discussed matters, the irregulars thought about how things would be for there and something that Lelouch and C.C. brought up before they went to bed: Geass.

'Kallen and the rest have no idea about Geass. We'll leave that out when I explain what you can do to the rest. It goes without saying, but I want you to keep what you know secret.' Was that Lelouch had asked of them, which they were happy not to discuss, as they would sooner bury the memories of how they even acquired them when, by Lelouch's account, he got him through a mutual agreement with C.C, the same woman having no knowledge about any other means to get such power outside what she called 'a contract'.

Meeting with the principal had been a tense encounter. Despite his age, Lord Ashford was not senile or slow and was very much the adept political actor he had been long before any of them had been born. And much like Nunnally, he knew how Lelouch thought and was immediately suspicious of their story and how Lelouch was signing off on it. Still, despite those misgivings, he couldn't turn the trio away when he felt they were being hunted, so as long as their presence didn't endanger Milly or his students, he could look the other way and go along with it.

The trio was quickly enrolled and put into Nunnally's class, where they didn't make as big a splash as Suzaku's arrival. Still, it soon became the talk of the grade and, eventually, school when they seemed to remain close to Nunnally the entire time. Not even her hounds or birds seemed to make a peep about it.

Interest only rose over the next few days, as while the girls looked like the rest, how they acted was…off. Sancia was the least jarring for the students, as while she should have been a freshman in the high school division, she was still a senior in the middle school division. That didn't raise many eyebrows, but it was more just how calm and poker-faced she could be; she acted far more mature than her age would suggest, which could throw others off.

Alice was the next odd one. A determined young lady who seemed to take great offense to any slights against her 'sisters' and bullying in general, she was called to the principal's office not even three hours into being a student. She broke the nose of a girl she heard calling Lucretia. Despite the incident, she was let off lightly for it and has since stuck to her sisters and Nunnally, who, along with Sancia, acted as Alice's regulator.

Lucretia was the least…visible of the group. Her quiet and shy nature meant that she worked not to be the center of attention and would be visibly upset when not close to one of her sisters or Nunnally. After the ugly incident, most kept their piece about her, but she was also one of the most approachable of the two. She was not as mature as Sancia, not as violent as Alice, or as extroverted as Dalque.

Speaking of Dalque, after taking some time to adjust, was the most outgoing of the group. She often would leave her sisters to spend time with the rest of the student body, which at first was appreciated. However, it soon became clear that she lacked a lot of common knowledge. It was like she lived under a rock. She seemed confused about the old news of Clovis' death, but she did seem to know Zero and often spoke highly of him.

All these things quickly found their way to Lelouch's desk, only complicating things as he was already busy handling his next steps now that they'd struck at Code-R and now that they had prisoners whom he hadn't even had time to visit.

"Lucretia has separation anxiety similar to what Nunnally had after the accident. Dalque's far too blasé and enjoys messing with others. Alice acts…too much like me, and Sancia's far too professional for what's meant to be a typical school environment." Lelouch muttered.

The terrorist/student was seated in his room, handling some homework while also reviewing information on Code-R they recently acquired.

"It's something you should have expected; just be happy that we haven't had any incidents involving their geass," C.C. added, lounging on the bed, enjoying what had to be her 3rd box of pizza that day.

"That we know of," Lelouch muttered, as their geass was far different from what even C.C. thought was possible, impacting the physical world where geass was meant to be only a mental power similar to his own.

Alice and Dalque were easy to spot. The former was so fast it was hard for the eye to track when she pushed it, while Dalque would tap into the strength of 10 full-grown men if she pleased. The girl loved to state she could amplify her strength even further, and considering the dent he saw she made, he would be on the side of belief.

Lucretia and Sancia's geass were similar to his own, though designed more for a combat role as they allowed them to scan their surroundings and create intricate mental maps of it for the former and being able to identify, track, and even calculate their movements of anything she wished. The only tell was that Lucretia needed to close her eyes to use it.

"Still, it's only a matter of time before something happens, as those brats are already on edge with Nunnally. As far as they're concerned, she has 4 new oddities," Lelouch noted.

"You worried your influence is waning?" C.C. teased, to which he scoffed.

"Hardly; after the last time they tested it, they would never try it again," Lelouch replied but paused as an irritated frown worked its way onto his face. "At least, not intentionally…"

C.C. wondered about that, but then again, she was getting more involved in things than she typically would, all because of Lelouch, who was so different from what she expected. Even when they returned from their mission, he had grabbed and held her, apologizing for having her see all that, as if she had any part in it outside her cells having been harvested to make artificial geass.

She told him as such, but he didn't care, repeating something similar to what he told her after he learned what Clovis had been doing. Again, those eyes of his had been so sincere, as even in the vast pools of hate and madness, she could see that spark of empathy shining bright. That night, he didn't try for something more carnal to forget the horrors but instead held her as he fell asleep.

She could have ignored it, but she couldn't deny that being in his arms and feeling how much he seemed to care… got to her.

Besides, it wasn't as if she could just ignore those girls, so she made a suggestion. "Well, if the issue is that they need to learn how to relax, there was something I heard Milly talking about…"

Beneath the looming shadow of an elevated rail line, a ghetto festered in the grim of neglect. Thin figures of Japanese huddled around trash-can fires, eyes sunken from hunger. In contrast, others seemed to stare into nothing, muttering about things and people that didn't exist, happier times that had long passed.

As the ground started to shake, children with hollow cheeks were moved aside by their parents and elder siblings. It might have been a regular occurrence, but their fear was born from the tragedies of Shinjuku and, most recently, Saitama. The rumbling that was feared wasn't from troops moving into position to slaughter them as well but instead were 2 trains passing overhead, going in opposite directions.

Both were high-speed models, silver blurs of polished luxury with sealed, crystal-clear windows giving its Britannian passengers an excellent view of Area 11's landscapes; their elevated route meant that none saw the ghetto and would ever hear its people's struggle.

But while it was a bubble designed to leave its passengers in comfort, these weren't the same model trains as one would find in the settlements, as each car was armored, while the engine pulling them around even more so, armed with tank caliber cannons and a retro Cowcatcher modified to smash through any obstacles that might fall…or be placed in the way without disturbing their occupants. Such measures wouldn't see use today as in one of the cars, Shirley focused on the passing landscapes.

"This would be my first time out of the settlement," Shirley stated, the girl-much like the rest, dressed for what seemed to be a day out in the city.

"I worked hard to ensure we could all be here, including our guests." Milly lifted her glass of non-alcoholic wine to Claude, Lelouch's mysterious girlfriend, towards Nunnally and her new friends in Ashford's latest transfers. "Sadly, Kallen has a doctor's appointment, Rivalz has work, and Lelouch is off doing who knows what."

"He better not be gambling," Shirley grumbled, to which Dalque looked confused with Alice. What was so bad about gambling? It seemed hella fun to her.

"Brother was just busy with something; he was pretty grumpy this morning, so it was probably just a mistake," Nunnally added, seated next to C.C., who had done her hair up in a blue win and orange contacts. She knew that Ms. C.C. would be in disguise, as part of why she was staying with them was, like her brother, she had some enemies in the gambling world.

"But I'm still excited about this trip; I rarely get to leave Ashford for anything, and now I get to spend the night out with all of you." Nunnally clapped her hands as despite how frequently her brother would head out and even stay out late-he was always such a worrywart with her.

"Maybe with the old hound away, Claude here can tell us more about what she and our VP do when they're alone." Milly wiggled her eyebrows towards the secret immortal, who seemed open to the idea.

"Milly, that's far too private!" Shirley yelled, her face going red for several reasons.

Nunnally only laughed it off. "It's okay, Shirley. I know my brother and Claude are close; it's hard for him to hide it." She understood that he kept some things from her, but did he really think she didn't pick up how some days they'll wake up, and she could smell the two off one another? Even Sayoko would giggle about it at times.

"Still, if there is one thing about him that will never change, it's how much he cares for Nunnally. We could be out on a date, and he would be worried about her and always makes sure to call to check up on her." Claude rolled her eyes, as while their dates were often work, the contractor was far too much of a mother bear to just let Nunna be for a while, and if he had the chance, he would call.

"Please be patient with him; my brother can be silly sometimes." Nunnally told her, missing how Shirley slumped in her seat, depressed that she wasn't the one getting that talk because she hadn't dared to ask him out when she had the chance.

"Only sometimes?" Claude, which made the immortal and blind girl laugh at Lelouch's expense. "It was a miracle that he agreed to allow us to bring you. If he had his way, you'd be back home having only Sayoko to entertain you."

Dalque groaned at such a fate. "That sounds so boring!"

"He must have a reason…" Lucretia added, the girl nearly as silent as Nina, which only made Milly all the more determined to get her out of her shell.

"It's not the best time, and we all know how much Lulu worries for his precious baby sister, but he needs to let her be able to live her life," Milly stated, as at times it seemed like Lelouch was terrified that she'd be killed by an assassin out to finish the job. Paradoxically, he went around, meeting with members of high society who all but robbed them.

"It helps that I promised to keep an eye on him and made him promise that unless it was important, he can't call us, not unless he wants to sleep on the floor for a week." Claude took another bite of her pizza, Milly's smirk growing as Shirley's cheeks reddened at the implication that Claude and Lulu had got close enough to regularly share a bed.

"Are we going to talk about other things besides him?" Alice grumbled as this was getting annoying. She could respect the guy for saving them and for taking the fight to Britannia, but she had no clue why so many wanted in his damn pants.

"Of course, Alice, this is a girl's night out, and everything is on the table!" Milly chirped, as she was nothing but a benevolent dictator. "Speaking of which, I heard that the hotel has a small water park; we should try to see what it offers."

Without warning, they entered the tunnel, bathing the train and its interior in shadow, which had an immediate effect on Nina but also on Alice and Dalque; they were just better at hiding it. Seeing her getting so wound up, Milly took her hands into hers.

"Nina, it's all right. There are a lot of Britannian tourists there, so security will be almost as good as the settlement's." She reminded the girl, who seemed to regret agreeing to this.

"I know, but…" Nina started before looking away from the group.

Before Milly could assure her of things, Sancia spoke up. "We'll be with you the entire time. We'll keep an eye out for anything that can be an issue and…." She paused before course-correcting. "Report it to the security."

"Oh yeah, nothing gets past those two. I've tried it; no matter how many paper planes I make and from where I throw 'em, they always see it coming." Dalque as she pointed towards Sancia and Lucretia, much to the latter's mild annoyance.

"What she means is," Sancia frowned towards their most chaotic before she focused on Nina. It didn't matter that she was older, that she was…normal; she looked distressed, and how she would act with her sisters, Sancia acted. "That we won't leave your side. If you need a break, just say the word, and we'll find a spot for you to take it. If someone gives you issues, point them out, and Alice here can handle them."

At that, Alice smiled, as it would be nice to use her power to put someone in their place. "I'm not against it."

Milly took it less dangerously and laughed. "Oh yeah, I can see how Kallen met you while gaming, but I thought most kept their aggression for the screen." She would need to thank the girl for having such friends, as she could tell that Sancia was calming Nina, a rare feat, especially as they hardly knew each other.

Alice rolled her eyes at the lie told to cover their relation to Lelouch's best pilot, but she knew it could have been worse. "Not me; if I see something wrong, I'll call it as it is. If no one will fight for it, then I will."

Shirley looked hesitant with how gung-ho Alice was when it came to violence, while Nunally kept her piece about it. But Milly? Milly hummed, a cat-like smile stretching across her face as she leaned into her seat. "Well, so long as you don't make too much of a mess, then as student body president, I granted you a pre-emptive pardon."

"That's not how it works, madam president." Shirley sighed, but she knew it was a lost battle. Thanks to their gambling escapades, the council already had two troublemakers in the form of Lelouch and Rivalz. Still, it seemed like whatever council formed after graduation had its own…uniqueness, especially if Milly had her way.

As the girls were set to have a fun overnight trip, Lelouch-having swapped the Lamperouge persona for the mask of Zero. Still, despite the mask, he couldn't help but worry. He could admit that C.C.'s idea to have the irregulars spend time with Milly and the rest of the council would be a great chance to bond and relax around people he could trust and not make them feel unsafe. It was even better to ask Milly if they couldn't attend.

He wasn't sure about Nunnally attending, and he didn't care how much of a hypocrite he was about it; he still worried for her, and if Rivalz and Milly would call him a mama bear over it, he could stomach it. Yes, he often left campus for his work and other affairs even before an attempted good deed saw him dragged into fighting Britannia earlier. Still, at least he had the means to defend himself. If not with force, then with influence.

He couldn't get them to take Luluko or Cathy with them because the place had a strict 'no pets' rule and wouldn't even allow seeing-eye dogs like Doby. Milly wouldn't even let him try to make an exception for Nunnally.

"Lelouch, it'll only draw attention to us if she's the only person there allowed to have pets with her, especially a dog as big and goofy as Doby." was Milly's retort. Sadly for him, when it came time for it, Nunnally did ask to attend, and…he just couldn't say no. She didn't ask for much, and she couldn't enjoy many things, so when she had something like this, he couldn't help but try and give it to her.

He was so invested in it that he nearly didn't hear the door open. Looking up from his couch, he saw that the resistance members had managed to find his location, and on time as well. "What are you waiting for? Come in."

"Zero, what is this place?" Ohgi asked as he entered, followed by the other resistance members Zero had gotten to know.

"As of now, until I can obtain something better, this vehicle will be our hideout." He gestured towards the entire motorcoach, which, for obvious reasons, came as a shock to them. Just looking at it, one could tell it had to cost millions. It was such a show of wealth and power that Ohgi had been unsure if they had read the instructions right or thought Zero was late.

"You mind if I ask how you came by this?" Ohgi asked.

"A great many people are indebted to me. This includes wealthy people who were willing to depart with this. Rest assured; they'll never speak of it." Zero replied, which left most of them confused, though Kallen suspected that he cashed in one of his gambling favors in exchange for clearing some debt.

She was half right. He did, in fact, use that, but he also used his geass to make the man forget that he ever made the trade. Instead, he thinks that he traded away something else of similar value to his debt while also having been made to forget that he ever owned the thing to be on the safe side.

"I was a little worried when you said you'll wire Kallen the cash, but if this is what you can do, I should have had more faith," Yoshida noted as he looked around. They had got the cash and were able to upgrade their base in the ghettos so they could better hold the prisoners. A task none liked, but they did agree that killing them or just treating them like dirt didn't sit right with any of them.

"I would not say as such; a healthy dose of skepticism keeps one cautious, observant, and adverse from careless risk-taking. Like I said the day we formally met, I'll earn your implicit trust." Zero stated, which got some approved nods from them, pleased that Zero was at least aware that despite the fact they worked together, they weren't close…at least, not yet, though something like this implied he wanted to change that.

"It's huge. Check it out. It has a second story." Sugiyama called out, standing on the stairs that led down a small corridor with three closed doors.

"But something like this being our base, no one would ever suspect it. We could cruise around the settlement without ever drawing attention." Kallen noted, as there were so many rich and influential people in Tokyo Settlement alone that another fancy car wouldn't even register to most, hell-cops would probably ignore them if they didn't see her friends as they'll just assume it wasn't worth it to antagonize someone with money and probable influence to get you fired.

"It even has a TV," Minami picked up the remote and turned it on.

"How's it looking at the scene?" Without warning, they were dropped into what seemed to be a serious news story, one which drew most of their attention.

On the screen, they saw a reporter out in the field. To her back was a lake and a building none of them recognized, but Lelouch did as he prayed that it was a coincidence, that she was just in the wrong place and reporting on something else. "I'm here at the Lake Kawaguchi hotel, where the hotel ackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front, an Eleven terrorist group."

"Members of the Sakuradite allocation meeting, most notably Chairman James, were taken hostage as all as at least 300 tourists and hotel employees." Kallen was now paying extra attention. Hostage? The JLF? What the hell was happening.

When the footage changed, she felt her heart drop. Not because of the strangers she saw being forced to kneel surrounded by armed men, but because among them, she saw people she knew. Good people that had no part in her people's suffering. "This is footage taken by the perpetrators. You can clearly see the chairman, including some students."

"The student council…" She voiced her concern, seeing how all of them looked distressed, and some, like Nina, looked close to a freakout. But in the middle of the group, hidden from view by C.C. and Milly's bodies, she saw Nunnally. The younger girl was out of her wheelchair, which made it easier for her to blend, so at least her face wouldn't get plastered across the airwaves.

"You know them?" Inoue asked her.

"They're from Ashford. I know all of them. They had gone on a trip, even inviting me, but I turned them down because we had this meeting…" She could recall how excited Shirley had been when she asked, and how, for the first time, she was sad to say she already had plans, as she did enjoy spending time with the council, their quirks and all.

However, seeing Nunnally made her realize that there was another facet to this. When she looked towards Zero, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. But she could bet that he wasn't as calm as he appeared, not when his friends, his girlfriend and confidant, and his sister were all in danger. If this was a JLF operation, then…then the odds weren't looking good for any of them.

They weren't the only ones watching the proceedings, as among the many who were, one such party was Kyoshiro Todhoh, who, along with his 4-man personal unit, had been just as surprised by this as the Britannians as they had no such plans for this. Listening to the reporter explain that it was Kusakabe who carried this out. The importance of sakuradite, how their homeland produced 70% of the world's supply, and how this conference was held annually to allocate it to the world's nations only made it apparent that this was done for publicity.

"That imbecile!" Todhoh punched the floor. Not only would this be a shame to the Japanese and the Japan Liberation Front, but whatever publicity he got would only be negative. To target non-combatants, many of which weren't even Britannians, would only alienate their people from them and frighten any foreign backers they might have. The fool had even gone and taken one of their freshly delivered Raikos for this suicide mission.

Cornelia would never let this go unanswered, and she had already struck numerous resistance groups and turned her ire onto a ghetto. After this? She'll be hunting for any and all who had a connection to them and wouldn't care if she killed hundreds of Japanese as collateral to do it!

Inside the hotel, Kusakabe marched into the storage room where they were holding some of the hostages, this one being the same one in which the Ashford students had been kept. "I am Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe Josui of the Japan Liberation Front. This stand we're taking is for Japan and our countrymen," The Japanese man spoke, his Britannian clear and understandable. "Even though you're not soldiers, you're still Britannians, our enemies and invaders who abuse and enslave us. Sit still, be quiet, and don't give us problems, and you'll be fine."

Milly held onto Nina, the girl as terrified as she had been when the armed men stormed through the hotel and shot a security guard who tried to stop them, and that wasn't the only concern she had as she had to leave Nunnally to Claude to handle it, as it was luck that they saw the camera and shifted around slowly enough that they didn't notice the two girls hiding Nunnally from view. It would be a disaster if these terrorists or Cornelia recognized her.

'Lulu…' Shirley thought, wondering how he would handle this. To the side, Sancia remained as calm as ever despite having several guns aimed in her general direction.

"Just when I was expecting a relaxing trip…" She whispered with a sigh.

"I could." Alice seemed ready to act like Dalque, but she managed to grab both without drawing attention.

"Not here, too many witnesses." She whispered to them, though she wondered how long they could abide by this. This Kusakabe man didn't strike her as a reasonable actor. She doubted that whatever he demanded from Britannia, he wouldn't get it, and a terrorist like him would try to force their hand…

"Are they?" Nunnally whispered. The girl was afraid, and C.C. couldn't blame her; this wasn't some school bully or minor incident on the street.

"Just keep your head down, " she whispered back, trying to think of a way to get them out of there. She would survive no matter what and could trust that the irregulars would handle themselves just fine once they had the chance, but the same couldn't be said for Nunnally or the council. This situation was made worse by the fact that she didn't have Nunnally's wheelchair and would need to avoid any cameras.

Unknown to her, both she and Milly's attempts to keep Nunnally out of the public eye had only half-worked. It was true that anyone watching the news, including the Viceroy herself, wouldn't have seen her, but there was one person there who did.

Euphemia, having shown up in disguise, had been instructed by her 2 plain clothes guards to follow along with the rest and not draw attention to herself. By chance, she had been placed in the same group. She had never met her, but when she looked up Suzaku's possible schools, she came across Milly's photo along with the principal and lord of the Ashford family.

That was the only reason she spared the rest of the girls' friends a second glance.

"It can't be…." It shouldn't be possible; she and her brother were dead…but even though it had been years, she still had the same hair, the same face, with her eyes being closed just like the last time she had seen them before they had been shipped off to Japan. "Nunnally?" Euphemia whispered.

And another chapter is done. It's a bit shorter than I wanted, but this seemed like a good point to cut things off. With the student council's trip, yes, I put Nunnally on the trip. In canon, I get the reason why she wasn't there. Lelouch is overprotective, but like Milly points out, he had to have some limits, so it's not impossible that she would get permission to attend. It's a shame that the hotel is doomed to get highjacked.

Also, another change is the fact I'm having Euphemia be more vocal about her distrain for how Britannia conducts herself, as at times, it feels like she really is just useless- but also content in that. You can't tell me it's not weird that she didn't have anything to say about Saitama and how it went out, as Clovis managed to hide what happened in Shinjuku. Suzaku never told her the truth, but Saitama feels like she and Cornelia should have had words on it, even if it amounted to nothing; it helps show that she isn't all talk.

In fact, I'm surprised more isn't made of the divide in world views and personalities between the sisters. Plenty of stories focus on Cornelia to try and explore why she's the way she is, but so few do the same for Euphemia and how that difference leads to arguments and conflict between them.

The next chapter will be out April 26th

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