[Chapter 2] The White and Black Knights

Abandon Warehouse, Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11, 10 August 2017 a.t.b.

Amidst all the bodies, Lelouch looks down on the green-haired girl's corpse. I don't understand. What is it you wanted me to do? Why did you give me this power?

Lelouch back at the dead Royal Guards. He still could scarcely believe it.

Absolute Obedience.

All he did was just speak, and they obeyed without question. Terrify. He looks back at the girl.

A thought comes up. Is she causing all the Meta Abilities to occur? Wait, don't they have another name?

Before he could think any further, the entrance of the warehouse was blown wide open as a Sutherland barreled through. On its head, its Factsphere opens up and scans the surroundings.

Inside, Villetta stares in shock at the scene before her. Scores of bodies filled the area, and Lelouch stood amongst them.

"What the hell happened to these Royal Guards?" Villetta asks, recognizing the uniform of Prince Clovis' Royal Guards.

"You, schoolboy! What happened here?" She calls him out via the Knightmare Frame's external speakers. "What's a student from Ashford doing here?"

Lelouch just stares calmly back at her.

The dark-skin beauty frowns at this. "Answer me or..."

She fires around him, creating bullet holes larger than his head on the wall behind him.

Lelouch doesn't even blink.

He takes a step forward and activates his power. "I order you to come out of there at once!"

However, instead of complying, Villetta grew irritated at Lelouch's attitude. "Who do you think you are?"

Lelouch deactivates his power, noting this limitation. So it only works through eye contact.

He raises his hands in surrender. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father is a Duke. You can verify my ID in my pocket. Afterward, I would like to request your protection."

A Duke? This news greets a pleasant Villetta. If he is the son of a nobleman, then saving him could further her career greatly.

She opens up the cockpit and climbs down. "Stay where you are," Villetta said, holding up a gun. "I need to verify first."

"Of course." Lelouch said, dropping his hands. "However, before you do that, could you hand over your Knightmare to me?" He activated his power once more and before she knew it, she fell under his command.

Entering a trance, Villetta tossed her Knightmare activation key at him. "Of course. The code is XG2-1G2D4."

The schoolboy gives a smile. "Thank you."

-~-

Villetta blinks and looks around.

She finds herself in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by dead bodies and her Knightmare nowhere in sight.

"How did I get here?"

-~-

Medical Ambulance, Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

With a groan, Suzaku wakes up. He opens his eyes and screams.

A girl with dark hair and hazel eyes hovers over his face. She then smiles and winks. "Well, look who's awake."

She steps away as he sits up from the bed he found himself in. Looking around, he notices two other people in the room. Lloyd and his assistant, Cecile.

"Looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven." Lloyd said with a grin.

"Uh... wait, who are... where am... how..." The boy looked around, confused. Taking pity on him, Cecile explains the situation. "Hello, I'm Cecile Croomy. This is Lloyd Asplund," She gestures to Lloyd, who gives an eccentric bow. "And this is Mariel Lubie." Mariel gives a wave.

"As for where we are," Lloyd spoke up. "We're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto, I'm afraid."

"However, we're next to Prince Clovis, so we're pretty safe from the fight." Mariel said, pointing to the massive G-1 Mobile Base.

Huh, well, that explains who they are and why he's here, but it still doesn't answer the how.

Before he could ask, Cecile stepped forward to present him with something. "This was found under your bodysuit."

Suzaku grabs it and sees it's a large pocket watch. His pocket watch.

Or more specifically, his father's pocket watch.

"You're lucky to have it. It deflected the bullet." Lloyd said.

"Is it valuable to you?" Mariel asks.

"Yes. Very much so. Thank you." Suzaku holds the pocket watch to his chest. So his father's pocket watch protected him?

How ironic.

"You Elevens tend to believe that gods live in many things, even objects." Lloyd comments. "I guess this one-"

"Is Lelou..." Suzaku interrupts before falling silent, thinking on his words. "What's the situation?"

Lloyd blinks at the interruption before explaining. "Well, there'd be reports that the poison gas was released. Massive Eleven casualties."

"They haven't found the culprits as of yet." Cecile adds.

Suzaku looks up at them. The gas was released? But he remembers that there was no gas. Just that girl.

Speaking of which...

"Did they really find nobody there at all?" Suzaku asks. Cecile shakes her head.

So they haven't found Lelouch or the girl? Now, he can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Mariel claps her hands. "Good, let's get you suited up. Lancelot's waiting."

"Huh?" Suzaku said as the girl grabbed his hand and dragged him off the bed.

Lloyd shakes his head while Cecile moves in. "Wait, Mariel. We haven't told him about it yet."

"Huh?" The raven-haired girl looks back, confused. "We didn't? I thought we did." She turns to Suzaku. "I did tell you about it, right?"

Suzaku shakes his head. "I'm just as confused now as I was a few moments ago."

"Forgetful as usual, Mariel." Lloyd said as he turned to Suzaku. "Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare?"

Confused, the boy nevertheless answered. "Um, not much. I mean, they did let us Elevens use the simulators, so there's that. But what does that have with me? An Eleven can't become a Knight."

"But what if you could?" Lloyd holds a white and gold Knightmare activation key. "Congratulations, the only Knightmare of its kind awaits. Once you take the keys to this marvelous beauty, everything will change. You and your whole world."

"Whether you like it or not." Cecile adds.

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

In Shinjuku, the massacre continued, dropping body after body. No matter where they were or who they were, all died at the blade of Britannia.

As an armored vehicle raises its barrel on the populous, a Slash Harkens destroys it. Under the ground, the red Glasgow digs itself up, reeling back its weapon. Inside, Kallen glares at the genocide with hatred and tears. "Those... damn... BRITANNIANS! How dare they!"

"Kallen! Can the Glasgow still move?" Over the radio, Ohgi contacts her.

"Yeah. Don't worry, Ohgi. I'll lead them away as a decoy. You guys get the people out of here." She said, going after the Britannian armored vehicles. "The only ones who should be captured are the resistance."

"I know, but we're trapped!" A man with short black hair and brown eyes wearing a brown jacket, brown pants, and a red headband, held a radio in his hands. This was Ohgi and he was terrified.

Even as his comrades continued the fight behind, even firing RPGs, he couldn't see a way out for them. No matter where he looked, all he saw was death.

"AH!"

Hearing his comrades' screams, Ohgi turns around and his heart drops to his stomach.

A Sutherland came racing at them. "Wretched Terrorists! You should die the vermin you are!" The Knightmare raises its rifle.

While some members either raised their weapons or tried to escape the incoming threat, Ohgi looked in horror, frozen still.

He was terrified. Not only for his life but the life of his comrades as well, who he felt he had led them to their deaths.

Naoto!

Suddenly, bullets landed all over the Knightmare Frame, destroying its arms, legs and Landspinners.

"What the-"

Everyone turned to see where the shots came from and saw another Sutherland, standing on top of another ruined building.

"Friendly fire!?"

The rogue Knightmare didn't answer them, instead, they kept firing upon the Britannian. Confused, fearful for his life and with his Sutherland receiving more damage, the pilot decides to cut his losses and eject. From the chest, rockets flared up, rocketing the cockpit away from the battle. From afar, the resistance can see the cockpit deploy parachutes, safely lower it to the ground.

Ohgi turns back to the rogue Knightmare, unsure of what the hell just happened. The Knightmare lowered its rifle and Ohgi got a feeling that the pilot was looking at him.

"Uh," He pauses, trying to look for the words. "Thanks?"

The rogue Knightmare continues to look at them before turning, jumping off the building and speeding towards the heat of the battle inside deeper into the ghetto.

The resistance members glance at each other, mumbling about that rogue Knightmare. Ohgi stares at where the Knightmare went.

Who was that?

-~-

Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement – Area 11

In the Swimming Club's changing room, Shirley was getting ready to swim. She wore a blue swimsuit with white stripes. On the table that was in the middle of the room, three other girls in swimsuits sat talking to each other with a portable television nearby.

Suddenly, Shirley's phone rings. She picks it up and sees the caller is Lelouch.

She answers it. "Lulu? What are you doing?" She asks, attaching the phone to her ear, freeing up her hands so that she can continue changing. "Where are you now? If you keep skipping classes, you'll be held back."

"Are you near a TV?" Instead of answering her, Lelouch asked a question. On his side, he piloted his Knightmare through the ruined streets of Shinjuku.

"A TV?"

"Sorry, but this is important."

Shirley lets out a huff but complies. "Hang on." She approaches the girls at the table. "Hey, can I change the channel?"

"Oh, sure. Which one?" One girl asked.

"The news." Lelouch informs Shirley, who changes to the said channel. "Are they saying anything about Shinjuku?"

As Lelouch tampers with the Knightmare's systems while hiding from the Britannian military, Shirley checks out the news. "They're saying something about traffic restrictions. Nothing about Shinjuku, though."

"Why is it restricted?"

"They don't say."

I see. Back at his Knightmare, Lelouch realizes what they're doing. Once everything is finished, they'll release news that favors the military. On the dashboard, Lelouch peers outside and notices a chessboard nearby.

"You're gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley asked, taking his silence as evidence. "I've warned you many times how dangerous it is."

"Yeah, you got me." Lelouch smiles, playing along with her. "By the way, tell my sister that I'm going to be late tonight. Alright, thanks."

"Wait-" Shirley said before realizing he had hung up already.

"Oooh!" She takes her phone off her ear, glaring down at it. "Why does he always do that?" She tries to reconnect but to no avail.

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

On the Sutherland dashboard, the screen expands to reveal a bird's-eye view of the battlefield, as well as the many units that litter it. They need to keep a lid on the information so it'll be hard for them to call reinforcements. Therefore, they'll have to make do with the pieces they have now.

But I'm pinned in here as well, and it'll be tough breaking through myself. And going to refuge carries its own risks. Lelouch focuses down on the terrorist's communicator in his hand, contemplating his choices.

Looks like there's only one way out of here. He'll have to fight his way out using the terrorists.

Opening the cockpit, Lelouch looks up and sees a VTOL gunship get quickly shot down by a Slash Harken. He traced the wire of the weapon back to the red Glasgow he had seen earlier.

Lelouch gazed down at them. I want payback for bringing me into your fight.

But as they are, the terrorists don't stand a chance. So he has to even up the playing field. He looks down at the map of the battlefield, a smile on his face.

And he knows just how to do it.

-~-

As Kallen reels back the Slash Harken, she's interrupted by two Sutherlands pulling up behind her. "Well, well, well. If it isn't our Glaswegian friend." She gasps, hearing Jeremiah's familiar voice.

He raises his rifle and fires, forcing her to flee.

Kallen races down the ruined streets, swerving left and right, trying to dodge the gunfire, though it became harder as time went on, with a few bullets grazing her Knightmare. And looking down at her Energy Filler status, it was only going to get worse. "Only 30 minutes left!?"

Great! Just great! Not only were she and her comrades trapped in the ghetto, with the Britannians slaughtering everyone, but in a few minutes, she would join them in the grave.

And a not-so-small part of her can't help but feel that this was their fault.

If only they hadn't gone to the ghetto.

If only they hadn't been spotted.

If only-

"The west entrance. Use the tracks to reach the west entrance." An unfamiliar voice came over her radio. She knew just about everyone in the resistance group, so she was pretty familiar with everyone who was involved.

She certainly knows the guy is not with them.

"Who are you? And how did you get this code?" She tried identifying the man. He spoke Japanese fluently, so she could say that he wasn't with the Britannians. However, she could never know. Maybe they've decided to learn Japanese so that they can understand whatever plan they may have.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that if you want to win, you must trust me."

"Win?" Normally, she wouldn't be entertaining someone like this, however, the flying bullets from her pursuer reminded her that she didn't exactly have a lot of options.

With reluctance, Kallen follows his instructions and jumps onto the railway tracks. The Glasgow's landspinners line up perfectly with the rails, pushing the Knightmare along the track at great speed.

"Okay, what next?"

Behind her, Jeremiah and his fellow Knight follow. "Pathetic Eleven. If all you do is run, this hunt won't have much to offer in sport." He said, seeing the Glasgow's act as a desperate attempt to escape.

Up ahead, Kallen sees a blue and white train pulling only one cart coming her way.

"Since you trusted me, you win. Jump over the train."

"Right." As the train came closer, Kallen over the train, springing off its one cart, denting it with the Glasgow's weight. Instead of following, Jeremiah held out his free hand and stopped the train in its tracks, skidding back a bit. "So, you think you can get away like that? Very well... you," He addresses his ally. "Go after them."

"Yes, My Lord!" The Sutherland tries to jump past the train, but as soon as its legs leave the ground, two Slash Harkens strike the unsuspecting Knightmare, destroying its head and torso, effectively disabling it and causing the pilot to eject.

Surprised, Jeremiah turns and sees another Sutherland hidden in a hole of the nearby wrecked building, reeling back its Slash Harkens.

"Friendly fire!? You! State your name and your unit!" He orders them. "Our target is the one-armed Glasgo-" He's interrupted, taking a burst of fire from the Knightmare's rifle.

"Oh God, a terrorist!?" Jeremiah said. Terrorists have gotten their hands on a Sutherland!?

He tries to retreat, but the gunfire quickly destroys his Landspinners, crippling his mobility. With a growl, he raises his rifle to fire back but quickly sees Kallen's Glasgow charging at him. Realizing he cannot win, he ejects, the cockpit rocketing off into the ghetto where a pair of parachutes deploy, gently lowering it.

With a sigh, Kallen looks at the wrecked building. "Thanks for the help. But how did you get a Suther-" But all she sees is empty space. "Where did he go?"

"Kallen!"

Kallen turns and sees Ohgi and the others in the group running up to her. "What was up with the radio earlier?"

"You heard him too?"

"Yeah. Yoshida's group should be arriving soon."

At that moment, Ohgi's radio cracks on. "Are you the leader?" The voice asked.

"Um, yeah." Ohgi answered.

"Within the cargo of this cart is my gift to you. Your tools for your victory. If you want to use them and win, then you must follow my orders."

Hearing this, the resistance group looked at the one cart the train was pulling. Inside were the tools of victory? Normally, they wouldn't be listening to someone as shady as this guy, but with the distant sound of gunfire and explosions, they didn't have many options.

So they opened the cart and peered in. Inside, it was filled to the brim with crates.

Ohgi raises a brow. "What exactly are we supposed to look for? All we see are crates."

"Open them and see for yourselves."

Pulling out one crate and setting it on the ground, they pried open and gasped.

Inside were capsules. Lots of them. "Get a load of this!" A redhead man with the same red headband as the rest of the group, Shinichiro Tamaki, exclaimed as he held up a capsule. "And they're from Capsule Corp too!"

The group talked amongst themselves as they each held up a capsule. Ohgi focused on his, wondering if this was what the voice wanted them to see. Capsules were the newest commodity on the market, though they were very expensive. He only ever saw nobles owning them, and it was like seeing magic with how the capsules compact objects larger than it.

Still, why did he give them this?

Taking the risk and remembering how the nobles did it, Ohgi presses the button and tosses the capsule away from the group. As it lands, an explosion of smoke erupts from the capsule. The smoke dissipates to reveal what it had stored.

The group gasps and gape. From the smoke, they saw a kneeling Sutherland.

"Inside the capsules are enough resources to sustain a battalion." The voice said. "Follow my command and I shall grant you victory."

Excitement spreads throughout the group as they loaded out the capsules and crates from the train and opened them. Explosions of smoke poof into existence, revealing not only Sutherlands but ammo, guns and supplies.

There truly was enough to supply an army.

Inside the Glasgow, Kallen looks on in amazement as the resistance group armed themselves with the weapons. "Amazing."

Her radio cracks on. "Woman in the Glasgow."

"Ah, yes!"

"Stay where you are. Your unit's going to run as a decoy."

"U-understood." Maybe it wouldn't hurt to hear what this guy has to say.

"Energy Filler status?"

With a glance down at her dashboard, she spoke. "About 15 minutes' worth."

"Then recharge it. In 10 minutes, I'll contact you with your next instructions."

-~-

In another wrecked building, Lelouch sighs as he turns off his radio. "This is wearing me out." He said, fiddling with the Black King piece in his hands. "Still, I must persevere to win. After all, I'm betting my life on this game."

He looks down at the map, noting all the units on it. Because of the restrictions, it was easy to deduce that they would send in their supplies as discreetly as possible. A train with one cart isn't going to have people asking questions.

Now, with the terrorists having Knightmares of their own, the fight is more even. However, that doesn't mean victory is at hand.

No, not yet. He has to set the conditions for that first.

Speaking of which, Lelouch focuses on a specific part of the map, where he notices an oddity. A Knightmare unit that was attacking its fellow Knightmares. He had noticed them not too long ago, and

A rogue unit? Did a terrorist member hijack the Knightmare from a pilot?

Well, given that he also hijacked it from its pilot, he supposed it wasn't outlandish. Still, they were doing pretty well, taking out any Knightmare that came their way. However, he could tell that they didn't have a plan, given that they were about to head into an ambush. Looks like it didn't take the military too long to figure out what was happening.

He could leave them to their fate, but given they were attacking Britannia, he could use them. While they weren't his ally, they were not Britannia's either.

With that decision made, Lelouch tampers with the Knightmare's systems once more and contacts them. "Ambush up ahead. Take a right."

"Huh? Who are you?" A feminine voice came through. Hmm, doesn't sound like a Britannian soldier.

"Not important. What is important is that you follow my orders."

After a moment of silence, he received a response. "Why should I trust you? I don't even know your name."

"And I, yours." Lelouch sees that they were getting closer. "Regardless, you must make a choice. Time is of the essence."

With another of silence, Lelouch allowed himself to think they wouldn't do it. Then, on the map, right on the precipice of the ambush, they took the right.

"Huh, you were right. I can see them from here!" The voice said Lelouch could hear and see them speeding away from the ambush. "Ok, what next?"

After a moment of contemplation, Lelouch made a decision. "You're first going to remove the IFF tag. If I can see you, so can Britannia. Then we'll join up with the local resistance, K-1."

"K-1?"

"It'll be your designation. I trust you won't have problems with it."

She pauses before replying. "So long as you allow me to do one thing."

"And what's that?"

"The destruction of Britannia." She said calmly, but it surprised Lelouch just how much venom he detected from her statement.

The surprise falls away as he gives a smile.

Huh, seems he might grow to like her.

Still, why does she sound familiar?

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

"The terrorists have mixed in with the Eleven populous and are mounting a resistance. We've suffered light casualties, but the advantage is still ours." In the control room, Bartley informed the Prince on what had been happening.

"Casualties?" Clovis raises his brow.

"Y-yes. It appears that some Elevens were of the...more enhanced types.

Clovis squits but he realizes what the General meant. "Ah. Well, I shouldn't be too surprised. They've been popping up more and more these days. Carry on." He gives out a dismissive wave.

"Yes, Your Highness. On the topic of the rogue Knightmare unit," He turns back to the map. "Just before we got them, they dodged the ambush. They may not be as alone as we originally thought. Sadly, they somehow removed their IFF, their last location being to the west of Shinjuku."

"Hmm, well, doesn't matter. We'll deal with them later. Proceed with the clean-up and find the girl. Dead or alive"

General Bartley turns to his Prince. "Of course, Your Highness."

As the officers turned back to their work, Clovis leaned back on his throne, gently caressing his head.

My, was this tiring? Couldn't the terrorists just roll over and die? He has more important matters to attend to.

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

Back with the resistance, they were finishing up their preparations. However, among them, some felt unsure of the situation.

"Hey, are you sure about this?" Tamaki said to Ohgi, who was getting ready in his Sutherland. "These Knightmares don't have their IFF. What if it's a trap?"

"The Britannians have a total advantage over us. There's no need for traps." Ohgi said, looking down with Knightmare's cameras. "Get to your assigned position."

Despite his attitude, it didn't mean that he didn't understand Tamaki's fears. The fact that these Knightmares don't have IFF is worrying. Everything about this entire thing was worrying. But the voice hasn't led them astray yet, so he'll hold back on his distrust.

"P-1, can you move?"

Speak of the devil.

"The basics should be no different from what you're used to."

"Who are you? At least tell us your name." Ohgi asked. Having a name will at least help alleviate his and every's worries.

"I can't. What if our channels are being intercepted?" The voice said quickly. To Ohgi it made sense, but he still feels off about that reasoning. "Regardless, if Q-1 arrives on time, possibly two Knightmares will arrive 23 seconds later. Shoot them through the walls."

"What is this guy talking about?" Tamaki asked, growing increasingly annoyed with their mysterious benefactor.

While feeling the same, Ohgi decided to play along. "Everyone, check your weapons." He said, counting down in his head.

"Wait, are you serious?" Tamaki's complaints went ignored as they prepared their weapons.

-~-

Kallen's Glasgow raced down the ruined streets of the ghetto. From above, a VTOL spotted her and informed its superiors.

"Enemy spotted at F-31."

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

On the map, the Glasgow's highlighted and tracked.

"A feint. How pedestrian." Clovis chuckles at the terrorists' lack of abilities in tactics.

"Tell Laslo squad to move straight in. Cut them off." Bartley gives out his orders. On the map, a squad of Knightmare units moves ahead of the Glasgow, planning to intercept it. "Have Eugen and Valerie strike from the rear." Two Knightmare units follow the Glasgow from behind.

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

Ohgi calms his mind, taking deep breaths as the countdown nears its end. He hears the Glasgow raced past the wall.

"3... 2... 1... FIRE!" Ohgi and the group pull the trigger, tearing down the walls before them and destroying the unsuspecting Sutherlands behind it.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

"Sir Eugen and Sir Valerie were lost." An officer reports as Eugen and Valerie's signals reported [LOST]. The other officers gape while the Prince blinks wide-eyed.

"An ambush?"

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

Lelouch chuckles as he sees the results of his plan. An IFF can be a double-edged sword. As long as the terrorists follow my orders, my task at hand is sure to be completed.

And with a smirk on his face, he gives out his next orders.

-~-

The resistance gaped at the carnage and the trap that was sprung.

It worked!?

"P-1, P-4 and P-7, move a hundred meters to the right and fire your Slash Harkens towards 3 o'clock." The voice snapped them out of their awe. Ohgi gathers himself and begins to follow the orders.

"You heard him! Let's do this!"

"Damn, what else does he want us to do?" Tamaki complained, yet even he couldn't feel too grievance given what the voice had them do.

"Ready, P-5?"

Tamaki grimaces. "Quit calling me that." He said, even though he complied and entered the Knightmare.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base

In the control room, the air turned for the worst as more reports from the battlefield came in.

"They're using the sam- Gah!" Another signal reports [LOST].

"We lost two more in another ambush!" An officer frantically reports. That was the fifth one they fell into.

"Enemy spotted moving towards G-28!" Bartley turns to that officer, sweat pouring from his head.

"Send Laslo's Sq- no, Glaube's Squad!" Bartley ordered. How did they let this happen? The terrorists were fighting back and effectively!?

"This means that terrorists have our military weapons!?" Clovis stared shocked at the screen.

-~-

Glaude and his squad received their orders and were about to set out when suddenly, a terrorist surprise attack caught them off-guard. From atop a roof, Sir Glaude stared down in horror at the surprise. Then he heard Slash Harkens behind him.

Turning around, the last thing he sees is a red Glasgow socking him in the head at full speed.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

"Sir Glaude ejected! They completely annihilated his squad!"

"Change our codes! They're intercepting our transmissions!"

"We already did, My Lord! Four times!"

"Then change them again!" Bartley shouted. This can't be happening.

"This is unacceptable!" Clovis shot up from his throne. Bartley and the officers turned to the Prince and asked for forgiveness.

Suddenly, the map's replaced as they received a sudden call. On the screen, Lloyd appears with a smile. "Good afternoon!"

"What is it you want!? We're in the middle of an operation!" Bartley screamed, having no patience to tolerate Lloyd and his antics.

The scientist just continues smiling. "I say it's time to deploy the ASEEC's Special weapon." Great. So even he knew how badly the situation had deteriorated.

"We've got no time for this!" Clovis said, ending the transmission.

-~-

"R-2, take down that VTOL." Lelouch moves his Rook piece across the board.

-~-

From the ground, A Sutherland fired its Slash Harken, striking a stray Britannian VTOL.

-~-

"B-7, use AP artillery." Next a Bishop piece.

-~-

Explosions rocked the city block, as armored tanks crumbled one by one, their heavy armor doing little to stop as another Sutherland fired upon them with heavy weaponry.

-~-

"K-1, take out that unit." Following that, Lelouch moves his Knight piece.

-~-

A lone Sutherland fires on the charging rogue Sutherland, who fires their Slash Harkens into the surrounding buildings and launches them into the air. There, they kept dodging the fire, their Slash Harkens reeling them back and forth.

The Britannian pilot screams as he watches the Sutherland dive onto him. I didn't know Sutherlands could do th-

-~-

"Group N, keep advancing." Lelouch grins as he sets his pieces into position.

-~-

A group of charging Sutherlands let out a war cry as they fired on the retreating Britannians.

"You stinking Eleve-" A pilot screams before being utterly destroyed.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

"We just lost Laslo squad!"

Clovis has had enough of these impotent officers, as he takes direct command. "So be it. Bring in Quincey's squad."

The officers turn to him in shock. "But sire, that will break the encirclement."

"Then reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me. All we know is," Clovis points at a certain point on the map. "That the enemy is centered around here. Therefore, we'll destroy them there."

Bartley and the other officers looked at each other in worry but obeyed the Prince's orders.

-~-

Crawling out of his cockpit, Jeremiah stared baffled as he saw units who were supposed to hold the encirclement move in.

"Who ordered them to break formation?"

-~-

"Well, that was an even more stupid move than I expected." Lelouch said, twiddling the King piece and watching the encirclement break, with units who were protecting the Prince closing what little they could of the gaps formed.

Leaving the Prince entirely vulnerable.

Oh well, the Third Prince never made the best tactical decisions when panicked. Lelouch remembers that very well, given the many chess matches he had with him.

"Q-1, do you have a map of the area?"

"Uh, yeah. Though it's an old map of the city."

"It'll do."

Now then, time for the final act.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

Clovis smiled as he saw his forces encircled the enemy and moved in. Finally, he can be rid of these terrorists and focus on the girl. This entire day had been tiring, and it was time to put it behind him.

His forces closed in on the highlighted area and...

Nothing.

The units saw nothing but themselves.

No sign of the enemy.

The Prince stared in shock. "Where did they go!?"

-~-

Underground, Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

Underneath all the Britannians, in the underground tunnels, the resistance sped away as they gave the Britannians a slip. Once far enough, Kallen turns and fires her Slash Harkens on the supporting structure.

Then everything fell.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

In the control room, nothing but the beeping sound of the reporting signals filled the room. Stillness grips everyone as they see a sea of [LOST] being reported from the encirclement. Or what remained of it. They watched as the destruction spread out, the soldiers, Knightmares and tanks disappearing as the ground beneath swallowed them, crumbling like sand.

Clovis takes a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. Who... Just who the hell am I up against?

A terrifying thought came up.

What if he's even better than TOHDOH!?

No, no, this can't be. He refuses to accept this defeat!

"Lloyd!" He calls out to the Scientist, who is transmitting once again. "Can you do it? Can your toy beat them?"

Lloyd just gives his smile. "Your Highness, please be inclined to call it the Lancelot."

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

The resistance watched in awe as they saw what they had accomplished. For years, Britannia had been this overbearing presence that ruled unchallenged for years. Only Tohdoh's 'Miracle of Itsukushima' had been a true Japanese victory against Britannia.

And now they did it. Them, a small resistance from Shinjuku won against Britannia.

Cheers break out amongst the fighters.

The rogue Knightmare stood on a rooftop, looking down at the destruction wrought upon by the voice.

Amazing. With nothing but tactics, he managed to land such a devastating blow.

Looks like following this guy paid off.

-~-

Lelouch cackles as his plan comes to fruition. "My plan worked, didn't it!? I can do it! I can defeat Britannia!"

Calming down, he decides it's time to end this. "All forces." His voice ends the cheers he heard break out. "Proceed towards the final phase. Destroy the enemy while they are still dazed."

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

In the medical bay, Suzaku was putting on a special suit. It was primarily a white suit with gold linings and black sleeves that carried over the chest. It also had a high collar and shoulder pads.

"Did you read the manual?" Mariel asked over the earpiece he wore.

"Pretty much."

"Good. Miss Cecile worked hard on that, so I'm glad it's not a waste. Although, between you and me, I think that riding the Knightmare will be cooler than the manual."

"Elle!" Looks like Miss Cecile caught that.

"Ah, sorry, Cecile."

Suzaku hears Cecile sigh. "While checking your records, Suzaku, you scored pretty high in the simulations. Impressive."

"Sorry..." Suzaku interrupts. "About what I asked about earlier?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean about that? Well, the chances aren't good, but neither are they zero." Mariel spoke.

Earlier, he took a risk and asked if Lelouch and the girl could have made it out alive. Of course, he kept their identities a secret. He may not be as smart as Lelouch, but he wasn't stupid.

"So that means there's still a chance, right?"

"True." Cecile came in. "However, I advise that you don't do anything reckless. The Lancelot has not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."

"Understood, Miss Cecile." Suzaku walks out of the med-bay and towards the ASEEC Transport Truck. Standing behind the truck is the Engineering Corp Pride and Jewel, its Special Weapon.

"Z-01 Lancelot now activating."

"Lancelot now activated."

"Release hatch."

"Z-01 Lancelot on standby."

The tarp cover over the Knightmare was removed, unveiling the machine to the world. Suzaku gaped in awe at it.

A knight.

The Lancelot stood at nearly 5 meters tall and appeared more like a traditional knight. It was primarily white with gold highlights. Its armor was more streamlined than other previous generations, with pads on its forearms, protruding horn-like appendages on its shoulders and the back of its head, as well as two horns protruding forward on its head.

It looked more like a knight than any other Knightmare he'd seen.

"Yep." Mariel said. Suzaku couldn't see her, but he could almost picture the grin on her face. "The world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame. The Lancelot."

Inside the truck, Lloyd and his assistants, as well as other researchers, were gearing up the Lancelot.

"Well, if you're ready, Suzaku, shall we proceed with the set-up?" Lloyd spoke as he watched over everyone. At her station, Cecile worked on the computer in front of her. Next to her, Mariel did the same with her station.

"Initial Start-Up now proceeding from Phase 20." Cecile announces as Suzaku makes his way to the Knightmare.

"Equipping Energy Filler." Mariel said as they slotted in the power supply into the Lancelot.

One by one, many researchers working at their computers spoke up.

"Confirmed. Response: Energy Filler Status now at full output."

"30 seconds to reach critical voltage."

"Blaze Luminous shifting phase."

"Yggdrasil Drive..."

"Initiating Devicer Set-Up."

Suzaku sat in the cockpit and inserted Lancelot's activation key. The dashboard lights up, illuminating him and the cockpit.

"Confirming entry of Devicer into Z-01. Individual ID registration confirmed."

"Confirm Man-Machine interface engaged."

"Yggdrasil resonance confirmed."

"Rejection responses: Weak. Devicer's Stress Response: Weak."

"All systems nominal."

"So far, so good." Lloyd said, looking over the data that was coming forward. Outside, the ambulances moved out of the way, clearing a path for Suzaku.

"Status all green. Status of tactical data bank authorized. Second confirmation given."

The Lancelot moves, stretching its legs and lowering its hand to the ground. Its Landspinners hit the ground, deployed and ready. Inside, Suzaku looks ahead with determination, with a goal in mind.

And he was going to achieve it.

"Lancelot," He said. "Activate M.E. Boost!"

Lancelot's eyes flash green.

And with that, Cecile gave the go-ahead. "Lancelot, launch!"

With smoke pouring from the Landspinners, the Lancelot rockets into the battlefield, leaving a shockwave in its wake, knocking everyone off their feet.

"FULL THROTTLE OUT OF THE GATE!" Lloyd screams over the wind, laughing as he does so. Cecile and Mariel just stuck to the ground.

The Japanese boy looked down at the Knightmare, amazed by its speed and performance. "This is definitely cooler than the manual! With this-" He grasps his abdomen in pain. Right, he still wasn't fully healed. However, he can't falter right now.

Not yet.

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

The resistance were mopping up the remaining forces in the ghetto. While the Britannians may have lost a significant portion in the trap, there were still enough of them left to cause problems. Luckily, like the voice said, they were dazed, so it made for easy work.

That was until Tamaki noticed something. "What the hell?" He squits his eyes.

Some big and white Knightmare was heading his way. He couldn't recognize what it was, as he never saw anything like it.

"That doesn't look like a Sutherlan-"

Before he could blink, the Knightmare closed the distance and took him out.

-~-

In his Sutherland, Lelouch smiles, looking down at the map. "Another push and it will all crumble."

Suddenly, his radio turns on. "This is Group B! We spotted an enemy!" A voice came in, the panting and sounds of fighting Lelouch could hear emphasized the dread in the man's voice.

So they got reinforcements to come in? Truly, an actual battle is different.

"Status?"

"Some of us ejected, but they took out four units in an instant!"

So he may be dealing with a large force. This may very well turn out difficult, but he'll manage. "Number of enemies?"

"Just one!" Lelouch's eyes widen. One?

"I think it's a new model! Never seen anything li- Gah!" Next thing he heard was static.

"Hello?" Lelouch tries to contact them but to no avail.

What's going on?

-~-

As it took down another Sutherland from the terrorist, the Lancelot activated its twin Factspheres located on its chest, scanning the battlefield. Seeing two more Sutherland with no IFF, he sped towards them.

The terrorists fired on him, but Suzaku raised his arm, the pad facing the incoming fire. Out of nowhere, a green, transparent kite shield projected itself, protecting him from the gunfire.

-~-

"What!? It deflects bullets!?" Lelouch asked for the validity of such a ludicrous notion.

"Yes! What do we do? Ishida- Gah!" Static.

Lelouch glowered. Useless terrorists. Could they just take out one simple unit?

-~-

The Lancelot continued its rampage, destroying any terrorist Knightmare it came across.

No matter the numbers.

With the Blaze Luminous, no bullet could touch it.

With its Slash Harkens in the forearm pads, no Knightmare could catch up to it.

Launching from building to building, reeling itself from place to place, it was clear to everyone on the battlefield that nobody could stop it.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base – Area 11

"For heaven's sake, now I owe a debt to my brother that I didn't mean to incur." Clovis said as he watched the recent successes that the Lancelot was providing. With a sigh, he walks back to his throne.

"It's for the best."

-~-

"These readings are higher than predicted." Cecile said, astounded at the data of Suzaku's performance.

"I've never seen such a high operational efficiency!" Mariel said, looking at the steady 94% that the Lancelot. "It's like the machine is made for him."

"Hoho." Lloyd chortled. "Looks like our pilot is taking his mission very seriously."

-~-

Over the radio, the pilot of the rogue Knightmare could hear P-1 scream as he ejects. What's going on?

One moment they were winning, the next, Knightmare after Knightmare fell to this one foe. And looking at the direction of its carnage, it was closer to the voice who led them.

Now, it could leave him be. After, the enemy was outnumbered, yet they still kept winning. Hard to see how she herself could stop it.

But if the voice falls, the resistance crumbles and that means the death of everyone here, including herself.

Onee-chan

The pilot made her decision.

-~-

The Lancelot stood on an open street, Knightmare Frames lay around him with their cockpits gone. He wanted the fighting to stop. He may not like what the terrorists are doing, but he really doesn't want to kill his former countrymen. He understands their reasons.

The source of their hatred.

Inside, Suzaku catches his breath as he holds his abdomen. While the pain is great, he doesn't want to give up yet. Not until he saves Lelouch and that girl.

He then hears an alert on the dashboard. The Lancelot's Factspheres picked up a Sutherland that was hiding a few floors up in a wrecked tall building. Now, he isn't a tactical man, but he's pretty sure that's the leader.

He moves in.

-~-

"P-1, come in!" Lelouch screamed into his communicator. He hears nothing but static.

Could it really be just one unit? One Knightmare did all this?

How!?

He hears a Slash Harken being fired on the building he was in. Being reeled up on it was the accursed white Knightmare that wreaked havoc upon his forces.

It rushed, holding up a fist. Grabbing the controls, Lelouch blocks the blow, but it still rattles him inside, with one of the Sutherland's arms rendered inoperable.

"Are you the one in charge?" His foe asks, pushing against his Sutherland. Lelouch pushes back, though it does little as the white Knightmare pushes him back with little difficulty.

Lelouch growls. "Just a lowly pilot. How dare he!"

Beneath the two, the ground collapsed, their combined weight too much for the floor. They drop past the floor. And then the next floor.

And the next.

They burst through down to the ground floor. Lelouch, dazed but still coherent, decides it's time to leave. But before he could, he saw the white Knightmare jumping into the air, about to drop a spin-kick on him.

Wait, he could do that in a Knightmare!?

Also, where has he seen that bef-

He raises his remaining arm to guard and grunts as he's knocked over, the force too great. The white Knightmare stands before him, pointing his Slash Harken down at him.

He's about to finish the fight but gets interrupted by the red Glasgow, who comes in charging and throws a punch. The white Knightmare catches the punch, neither moving nor budging as it does so.

"Hey! I'm returning the favor!" Q-1 said to him.

Before anything else can happen, they're interrupted once more as, from behind the white Knightmare, the rogue Sutherland bursts through the wall and rains bullets upon the white Knightmare, forcing him away from Lelouch.

"We can't afford to have you fall here." K-1 said.

"K-1!?" Why is she here? He figured she would have run once the battle went awry.

"GO! We'll hold him off!" The rogue Knightmare keeps its fire on the white Knightmare.

Gritting his teeth, Lelouch makes his escape.

-~-

Suzaku grunts as he moves the Lancelot, dodging the gunfire. As he brought his arm up and fired his Slash Harken, it was intercepted mid-flight by the red Glasgow, who rushed at him.

Behind them, he can see the leader making his escape. He can't allow that.

With that, he dodges the Glasgow's punch and strikes its arm, tearing it off. But the Glasgow fires its remaining Slash Harken. However, Suzaku catches it and crushes it. The red Knightmare then begins sparking and falls to its knees. The cockpit ejects and flies off.

Huh, guess that Glasgow was running on fumes.

He turns and charges at the Sutherland, who fires at him. But with the Blaze Luminous, every bullet simply bounces off his shield. He jumps and aims for its head when he misses, grazing its horns as the Sutherland ducks.

The Sutherland fires its Slash Harkens, but even in point-blank range, Suzaku evades, making them hit the wall behind him, as he launches himself and comes down with an axe kick, his Landspinner a club.

Once again he misses, clipping off one of its horns as the Sutherland pulls itself forward, simultaneously reeling itself while pushing its landspinners for extra speed.

Huh, they really are good.

Still, he has a mission. So, with a charge and a swipe, he tears off its firing arm and fires his Slash Harkens on the other, destroying it too.

Retreating, the Sutherland fires its Slash Harkens, but Suzaku catches both and, just like previously, crushes them. He then delivers a body kick to the Sutherland, the seventh-generation Knightmare's strength crushing its torso and throwing it back harshly.

Weaponless and sparks appearing all over the Frame, the pilot decides they've done enough and ejects, flying off.

Finally done, Suzaku turns and around speeds off.

-~-

As Lelouch makes his way out, he contemplates. His plan worked. he saw that. Yet, something he did not foresee came and wrecked his plans.

I must remember that. The most important element of battle is the human one.

Glancing back, his blood turns cold as he watches the white Knightmare racing towards him. Even with the lead he has, it's closing the distance.

Desperate, Lelouch fires on the surrounding buildings, tearing them down and causing them to fall on the white Knightmare. However, his foe just slips past all the debris as if they weren't there at all.

"He's an unstoppable monster!" He grits his teeth. Just how was he going to get away from this damn thing?

Screams fill the air.

-~-

Suzaku grits his teeth, dodging all the debris with ease but annoyed with his enemy's tactic. "This man... He's tearing things down for no reason!"

He then hears a screeching scream from above and looks up to see a falling woman with a bundle clutched tightly to her chest.

Quickly, Lancelot twists, breaking off the pursuit and catches her.

-~-

In the midst of battle, he rescues someone? Lelouch stares in surprise.

Huh, how chivalrous.

I'll concede to you this tactical victory. Lelouch thought as he grasped the ejection mechanism. There are places he must go to.

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base

"He saved someone?" Lloyd asked as he looked back at the workstation, Cecile and Mariel looking just as surprised as he was.

"Uh, yeah. Looks like he did." Mariel said, looking up at him.

"Hmm, how peculiar."

-~-

The Lancelot gently lowers the terrified woman, who looks up at the machine in fear. Clasping her child to her chest, she screams and runs away.

Inside, Suzaku looks surprised at her action. But before he could do anything, Cecile contacted him. "Suzaku, are you tired?" On the dashboard, he could see a video feed of her worried face. "We can call it quits today if you want."

He shakes his head. "No, Miss Cecile. It's fine. I can still do the mission."

-~-

G-1 Mobile Base

A lone soldier walked to the unguarded land cruiser that housed the prince.

"Stop there!" Well, almost unguarded. One soldier stood out at the entrance. He held out his hand. "Present your ID."

"Such little security. Just as I expected." The soldier removes his helmet, revealing Lelouch. "Well then, would you kindly let me in?" He said, activating the power in his eye.

Like clockwork, the soldier obeyed. "Of course, Sir. Right this way."

-~-

Shinjuku Ghetto – Area 11

Kallen panted as she ran down the ruined streets of Shinjuku. Just have to meet up with Ohgi and the others.

"Kallen!"

Skidding to a stop, she looks back and sees Ohgi wave at her from an alley. Looks like he's alive and well.

"Come on!"

He led her down to a nearby Safehouse. Inside was not only the resistance but the surviving residents of Shinjuku. Who were obviously not happy that Britannia was massacring them. Thus, they took out their fear, anger and frustration on those they blamed.

"This is your fault for opposing Britannia!" One Japanese man screamed at Tamaki, who stood around with a rifle in his arms.

"What did you say!?" Tamaki glared at the man. "Say that again, you coward!"

"Do you know how many died people because of this!?" This time, a Japanese woman spoke up, tears in her eyes. Whirling to her, Tamaki shouts. "Shut up! Do you know how many of us were captured or killed!?" All this did was make the woman cry her eyes out. "Stop crying!" Tamaki growls out.

As Tamaki was shouting up a storm, Kallen and Ohgi sat down amongst the group. As she does, Kallen takes a look around and takes it in. Everyone was high-strung, and tensions were flaring amongst them. She couldn't blame them, however.

While their lives in the squalid ghetto weren't the most pleasant thing imaginable, the Britannians at least left them alone, seeking to ignore them rather than interact. Leaving to live in the ruins of their city. Now, something happened and Britannian had come for them.

Kallen's expression sours, the not-so-small guilt within her ever-present. There were moments when the doubt crept up and she questioned herself.

Was this the right thing to do?

Kallen shakes her head, doubt being replaced with hatred and frustration. Britannia had turned her beautiful nation into its dominion. Striping them of everything.

Their freedom.

Their rights.

Even their very name was not safe.

Area 11.

She can't just sit around while Japan's history and culture disappear under the might of the Britannians. It's why she fights. It's why her brother fought. It's why they all fought.

Speaking of which...

"Ohgi, what happened to the guy we heard?"

Ohgi sighs, resting his tired body. "I don't know. I'm as clueless as you are. Maybe he died."

Despite herself, she didn't like that possibility. While she still thought that voice was shady as all hell, it was because of him and that rogue Knightmare that they fought and almost won. If only that damn white Knightmare hadn't budged in.

A thought comes. "What about that rog-"

The gate behind her exploded, startling everyone. As the cloud of dust dissipated, her blood ran cold.

"So this is why you Eleven vermin ran off to." Atop a tank, a tank commander sneered as he gazed upon the shivering survivors, who were backing up as they saw the soldiers that were with him. He raises his arm. "Prepare to fire!"

"See!" Ohgi turns to see Tamaki glaring at him. "I told you we should've used that gas!"

"But-"

"Damn that Nagata!"

As Tamaki ranted off at Ohgi while pointing his rifle at the Britannians, who in turn pointed their weapons, Kallen stared in horror.

Was this it?

Was she really about to die here?

Was there nothing they could do?

Naoto... Onii-chan...

Then an epiphany struck Kallen.

There was something they could do. Something she could do.

Placing her hand on the floor, she closes her eyes and focuses on herself, searching for it.

That power within her.

Around her hand, the air shimmers, and the ground beneath it shakes. Inside her, she felt like a dam was about to burst. Ohgi looks down at her and sees what's happening.

His eyes widen and reaches out for Kallen as she opens her own eyes, glaring at the commander whose arm is dropping. She was about to release the dam when suddenly a booming voice called out.

"Attention all forces! Cease fire at once!"

Everything stops. Kallen looks up in shock. Ohgi stops as he also looks up, searching for the source. The survivors and even the soldier looked up, the commander's arm freezing where it was.

That was Prince Clovis' voice.

-~-

It wasn't just them who heard the broadcast. Suzaku looks down at his radio communicator, surprised by the orders. "Cease fire?"

"I, Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you: All forces, cease fire at once!"

Every soldier looked at their radios and those without heard him regardless as the orders as Prince Clovis' voice projected all across the ghetto.

"You shall also cease the destruction of any buildings or properties!"

From the rubble, any remaining Japanese looked up in confusion. And the soldiers were no different. Jeremiah stared in surprise. Villetta, on her way to friendly territory, looked up with the same look.

"All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice!"

Next to the crashed cockpit of the rogue Sutherland, a figure faced the battlefield.

Near the G-1 Mobile Base, the ASEEC team looked down at the orders they had received. Lloyd stands silently, a contemplating look on his face.

"I repeat. Under my name as Clovis la Britannia, I hereby order you to cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"

G-1 Mobile Base

Inside the dimmed room of the briefing room, Clovis sits on his throne, glowering at the intruder dressed in a soldier's garment.

The intruder who held a gun at him.

Clovis glowers even further as he looks around. For some unknown reason, the intruder was able to walk in here without anyone stopping him. More damning was that his officers and guards were nowhere in sight and he had a feeling that wasn't a coincidence.

"So, what shall we do next?" Clovis said, hoping to stall so that his soldiers may get to him. "Perhaps we should sing a few lively ballads or even a game of chess if you fancy that."

The intruder chuckles, gun still pointing at the prince. "Well, that certainly takes me back."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you remember? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I'd always win."

Clovis gives a blink in confusion. "What?"

"Remember? At Aries Villa?"

A pit opens up in the Prince's stomach. Aries Villa? He remembers that place. One of his favorite places in the Imperial Palace. And that was because of the vi Britannia siblings...

He glares at the intruder. "Who are you?"

The intruder removes his helmet and tosses it aside. He then steps into the only source of light in the room, the light from the near-setting sun.

Clovis choked on air as he bore witness to the intruder's face. Eyes widen as they recognize that face.

"It's been a while, big brother."

A face with fierce violet eyes and a devilish smirk.

"The eldest son of the late Consort, Marianne vi Britannia, and seventeenth in line of the Imperial Throne, Lelouch vi Britannia."

He gives a mocking bow.

"At your service."