Jesus. The last time this was updated was back in July of 2018. Welp, at least it's updated now! ...right?

Kudos for Writer of a Thousand Stories, who contributed to a good portion of this chapter. Zero's debut is rapidly approaching, boys and girls. And with Oda here, Britannia is not prepared!

Also, before anybody asks, I still have not seen the recap film trilogy or Re;surrection, so NO SPOILERS!

At any rate, let's drift back to rebellion, shall we?

Drifting towards Rebellion

Act 6: Loop

Following the Student Council's arrival, Lelouch had been bombarded without end by them, asking what had happened to him after his apparent kidnapping inside a truck. Because of the situation and the panic he felt at the time, he had never attempted to call them and assure them that they were okay. The only person he had called was Sayoko, who had been quite worried for Nunnally's sake about his prolonged absense. The woman was quite sharp, as she had already noticed that there was something off with her young lord. Thankfully, she hadn't questioned him, though it was clear she was suspicious of him. He made a mental note to tell her what happened, or at the very least give her the abridged version.

Unfortunately, Sayoko's suspicion and the Student Council's worry over him was the least of his concerns at the moment. He could barely keep his eyes open, finding himself to be utterly exhausted in spite of the fact that he had managed to sleep last night, if only just barely. When he was only a moment away from dozing off, Milly's voice cracked in the air as she brought down a rolled up piece of paper on his head.

"Wake up, Lelouch!" she scolded. "I know you're trying to sleep! Your hand stopped moving!"

"You don't have to hit me over it..."

'And you weren't the one who was in a life or death battle with the freaking military...'

"That right? Well, thanks." After a short conversation over the phone, Oda set the cell down on the table and turned to his fellows, who had been lounging around in his office. Toyohisa was still drinking from the whiskey he stole from his cabinet while Yoichi was doing maintenance on his firearm. Though he still very much preferred the bow, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven was fully aware that he had taken a begrudging liking to guns. "Well, I got some news."

"Is it good or bad?" Toyohisa scoffed.

"In our line of work, there's really no such thing as bad news or good news." the man replied as he sat down on the sofa, propping his leg up on his knee and swinging an arm over the spine of the sofa while he took out the tin box in his breast pocket, going for another cigar. "The grease monkeys just got done doing maintenance on our mystery friend's stolen Sutherland. The bastard was smart and damaged the motherboard, so we couldn't access the internal footage."

"Internal what?"

"A recording of what was happening inside the Knightmare Frame." Yoichi explained with a hint of exasperation. "We covered this the other day. Did you already forget?"

"You can't honestly expect me to remember every tiny detail about that damned thing!"

"No, we don't. In fact, I'd be surprised if you did." Oda snickered. "At any rate, our mystery friend is quite the craft one, if not careful. The fact that he was able to pilot a Knightmare Frame, even if his actions were amateurish, means he's had some type of formal training. He's also shown a tactical mind, which means he's somewhat knowledgeable about warfare. Putting these two together, there's no doubt our mystery friend is Britannian." He paused to take a quick smoke of his cigarette, then continued. "What I haven't figured out just yet is his angle. How did he get involved in that operation, how he got his hands on that Knightmare, and so on. I keep running my mind, and all I get are blanks."

Toyohisa scoffed. "Whatever the case is, what I want to know is about what happens next."

Though he preferred swinging his sword and raising hell while chopping heads, he was no fool. The viceroy was dead. Everything that happened in the Settlement was in accordance to his plans, and everyone turned to him for leadership. They had effectively cut off the head of the snake, and now no one knew what to do. There was definitely going to be a power vacuum, which of course meant that all kinds of people were going to be crawling out of the woodwork. Everyone was going to react to this, both Japanese and Britannian alike.

"Well, since Clovis is dead as a door nail, I imagine the nobility and everyone looking to get ahead in life will want to take his place, or at the very least set up a temporary system while they try and find his replacement. To tell the truth, some of the big wigs have been looking to remove Clovis from power because of his incompetence, since most of his actions were mainly focused on reconstruction and improvement of the Settlement and other little side ventures."

Yoichi rubbed his chin. "Who do you think will be the best possible replacement for him?"

"Hard to say, but if I were to make a wager, I'd say Cornelia li Britannia." Oda guessed. Toyohisa raised an eyebrow, as he was unfamiliar with that name. "Cornelia's known as the Goddess of Victory to Britannia, and to her enemies the Witch of Britannia. Ever since she became a leading commander in the subjugation of various other countries and continents around the world, she's never lost a battle. In other words, she is undefeated. However, subjugation and stamping out enemies is what she does best. When it comes to the political circle, the best in the business is the second prince. He's in charge of dealing with foreign relations in the Europia Union, and he's the reason why some of the other Areas are more pacified than others. He's done several reforms and dealt with enough politics to know how to screw them over while reaping the benefits."

"In other words, a snake." Toyohisa grunted. "I hate people like that."

"Lucky for us, he's more focused on the war front at the moment." Oda offered some consolation. "Which means the best choice is Cornelia, especially since Japan has been home to greater resistance than the other penal colonies. Another boon thanks to Clovis' incompetence. For now, we should focus what's in front of us. Now that Clovis is dead, everyone's gonna be looking to take his throne while it's still warm. And my gut tells me the Purist Faction is having a field day."

"Purist Faction?"

Yoichi grimaced. "They're a group within the Britannian military, comprised mainly of noblemen of pure Britannian descent. There are other soldiers in the military and even the political circle who, while Britannian, are sometimes of mixed blood. As a matter of fact, I believe that a member of Clovis' Civilian Council is one-third Japanse, though he was removed from the council some odd months ago. The Purist Faction has been looking to make reforms so that only those of pure Britannian heritage may be involved in Britannian politics, as well as the military. On the more extreme side of things, they also want to do away with the Honorary Britannian citizenship."

"If there's one thing Britannia realizes, it's that having a few happy natives of a conquered country can do wonders to the populace." Oda gave a dark smile at the now enraged Toyohisa. "By giving those poor fools the illusion that they can push further ahead in life, they give them the idea that they can stand on equal par with their rulers. Naturally, a lot of people recognize the deception, but when you back a man into the corner and give him no other ways of escape, he crumbles beneath the pressure. And in response, they get a man who realizes the hopelessness of the situation, and will lash out at anything that will ruin his chances at surviving. The Honorary Britannians will lash out at their countrymen who fight back, or at the very least act as a deterrent. Simple, but effective. Unfortunately, the Purists are too near-sighted to understand something as simple as that."

"Those sons of...!" Toyohisa growled, grip on his katana tightening. "If that's the case, we should slaughter every last one of them!"

"And we will, in time. For now, we have to wait until things cool off. Wait and see how things pan out." Oda advised. "In the meantime, why don't you go see Ohgi and the others? I've already set things up for them at their new hideout, but just to be safe, I'd like it if someone checked on them. Plus, it'll be a good way to get to know your comrades!"

"Comrades? I call comrades only those who has shed tears and blood together with me." Toyohisa replied sharply to Oda's statement.

All this damn politicking was giving him an headache and the alcohol, while numbing his anger, wasn't helping in the slightest. That was the reason he preferred to fight directly on the battlefield, where even complicated stuff made sense and could be resolved with enough courage and common sense.

In contrast, he couldn't help but view all this cloak and dagger as a giant parade of fools. One he was very glad to leave to the old Kabuki. With a scoff and more force than necessary he put the cap back on the whisky and pushed it out of his view: he had seen what alcohol can do to men who get addicted to it, and he would sooner commit seppuku than ending like that.

"They may be on our side, and fought with us on Shinjuku, but I'll withhold my judgment until I can watch them in the eyes."

"Fair enough." Oda shrugged. He, too, would never trust someone he never met before... or forget to set up contingencies for possible betrayals even from people he actually respect, like the two young men before him. After all, he survived Mitsuhide setting fire on the whole Honnoji temple because of that.

Not that he ever trusted or respected that damn snake: despite his title, he was decidedly not a fool.

"I can see all this heavy thinking is wearing down on our friend's already frayed nerves." Yoichi said with a pleasant tone. He didn't really predict himself playing the part of the peacemaker, but he was the only one in the right position to do it. "What do you say Toyohisa-dono, shall I accompany you to meet Ohgi and the others so that you may properly assess them? They're decent soldiers already, but I'm sure they can only improve with the guidance of a seasoned warrior such as you."

"Pulling recruits through the grinder? Why not, it feels like years since I did it." Toyohisa grinned in a way that would make normal people shiver. "Second best way to get rid of bad mood."

"Try to refrain from anything that doesn't heal in a few days." Oda rolled his eye. He would pity Ohgi and the others, but the faster they improve the better.

Although, considering Kallen's temper... Eh, there were going to be some impressive fireworks once those two met.

That girl was a spitfire if he ever saw one. It was a shame there weren't very many women like her back in their time. He had read that, although women in Japan still typically held the same role as usual, some had taken up the katana way back when. There were not very many stories about female samurai, but what little there were told the story of someone as dangerous as they were beautiful. If given enough time, maybe Kallen could become just like those female warriors of yore.

Assuming she didn't kill Toyohisa first.

For now, though, he had his own task. Namely, to look into the mysterious interloper "K-1" that intervened in the battle at Shinjuku. Their work was rough around the edges, and maybe a little naive, but he saw potential. There was skill and potential, and perhaps an ally. However, they were also an unknown and that was something that irritated the so-called Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. He didn't like not knowing about anything or if someone or something went and screwed things up for him. Everything he made today was done so with careful planning.

Oda was certain they could benefit from this person's skill, regardless of whether or not they really were Britannia. He had to dig up as much information as he could. So he looked at what he knew.

'They clearly weren't expecting to get involved in that goddamn mess, seeing as how they were fighting to live.' Oda went over the facts in his mind. 'He knew that he wouldn't be able to bypass the checkpoints at the perimeter even if he did have a Sutherland, which means he probably stole it but didn't have the proper items necessary to pass himself off as a soldier. As for how they managed to get their hands on one of our radios, it must have been recent. Maybe, was it when Kallen and Nagata were running away from the Britannians after we stole the poison gas?'

His eye narrowed. 'Wait, if I remember right, Nagata ended up crashing into a building under construction. Assuming they were out for at least a minute or so, someone that wasn't gawking like a bunch of onlookers would have had enough time to reach the truck and see if anyone was injured. If we go that by line of thought, they must have ended up inside the truck when Nagata and Kallen snapped out of it and got out of there. Assuming that is the case...'

As Yoichi and Toyohisa left his office, Oda took out his cell phone and quickly dialed up a number. "Yo, it's me. I need a favor. Think you can hack into the security cameras on highways? I need you to look for something."

Ohgi sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

The last few days had been hectic, between handling the relocation of the refugees and survivors of the Shinjuku Ghetto and keeping the cell from tearing itself apart. Ever since the botched operation a few days ago and the massacre, tensions were running high. Some of the more bloodthirsty members were calling out for blood and attack the Britannians, others were stating that it would be better for them to quit while they were ahead. In all honesty, he couldn't blame them. They had been fighting Britannia for a few years, but in all that time they never saw deaths as horrible as the ones in Shinjuku.

However, Ohgi knew that they couldn't give up. While they had lost the poison gas, which had no doubt been already recovered by the Britannians, they now knew it was possible to strike a blow against them. And with Oda's resources and intelligence, it would only be a matter of time before they could deliver another one. But right now, they just weren't ready. They were ill-prepared for any major offensive. They needed time. Time to heal and prepare.

Time he felt that they didn't have under his leadership.

It was no secret that Ohgi felt that he couldn't lead the Kouzuki Resistance as well as Naoto had. Whereas Ohgi operated with logic and often played the part of peace maker, it was Naoto's charisma and boldness that had eventually led to them establishing ties with the Japan Liberation Front. He did not have the same charisma or charm that could make people follow him. At best, people followed him because they knew, without him, the resistance cell would fall apart.

When he first heard about Oda Nobunaga, a man named after one of the most infamous warlords in their country's history, he thought that it would be better for him to lead the Resistance Cell in his place. Not only did he possess that same charisma Naoto had, but he was a talented schemer with good connections to the point where he could supply them with Knightmares and intelligence. Ohgi had even made the man an offer when he was at his lowest point, but Oda had refused. When Ohgi asked for an explanation, the response he was given stunned him.

"These men don't trust me. They trust me to provide them with weapons, supplies and information. They will trust me to help them in any way I can. But they don't trust me enough to have them under my command. Give enough time they might, but right now, and in the near future, Kaname, it's you who they trust. After all, your the reason why they're still alive."

He never would have expected such a response, but it was just the talk he needed to try and forge ahead. In spite of his reservations, Ohgi did his best to lead Naoto's group and keep everyone's spirits up.

As the afro-haired man continued to think about their present circumstances, wondering if they should make a move or wait for Oda to give them another chance, Tamaki entered the room. "Yo, Ohgi. Yoichi-sama's here with some new guy. Says they want to meet with you."

"I'll be right there." Ohgi nodded and stood up.

The two left the room and returned to the huge open space litered with machinery and supplies, both from Oda's contributions and stolen equipment from small Britannian outposts. Everyone was either making sure they had what they needed for future raids or keeping someone from killing another out of frustration. He saw that a few people were incensed and looked ready to start a brawl at a moment's notice, that he could have blamed them.

Eventually, Ohgi and Tamaki stopped in front of two people. One was Yoichi, Oda's right hand man. At first, Ohgi was not entirely sure what to make of him other than that he was a crack shot with a gun, though the pretty boy mentioned he preferred a bow and arrow over a firearm. The other was someone he did not recognize and was likely a new member of Oda's group, but he had the look of a warrior on him. His eyes were fierce and his body thick with tension, perfectly ready for an assault at the drop of a hat.

"Long time no see, Ohgi-san." Yoichi greeted with a smile. "You look well."

"I wouldn't say that." Ohgi replied weakly. "Things have been pretty hectic, what with relocating the survivors and all. Who's your new friend?"

"This is Toyohisa, one of our new recruits. He's a bit technologically inept, but he's a natural in a Knightmare. He's also good with a sword."

Toyohisa snorted. "I can introduce myself, thanks." He turned back to Ohgi. "You the guy in charge of this place?"

"Yeah. Kaname Ohgi, at your service." He extended a hand. "Good to meet you, Toyohisa-san."

Toyohisa returned the gesture and wrapped his hand around his. Immediately, Ohgi could tell that Yoichi's words were the truth. His hands were rough with callouses, slightly bigger than his own.

"So, what's a newbie doing here?" Tamaki asked. "He a new recruit or something?"

Yoichi smirked. "Hardly. Oda's asked him to help whip your troops into shape."

"Whip them into shape?" Ohgi repeated before analyzing Yoichi's statement inside his head. There was no doubt that being physically fit was a necessary requirement to be in a resistance cell like theirs, as more often than not it was demanded they fight against or run away from the military. That didn't meant they turned away those that failed to meet certain standards, they just give them more administrative jobs where they help the cell without being in danger. Ohgi was sure Oda knew about it, so why send someone like Toyohisa?

Unless, he realized immediately afterward, it was not about physical training but combat training. That was more understandable, as the majority of their members, Ohgi included, were civilians before Naoto recruited them. They all learned how to use firearms and some of them (especially Kallen) showed themselves good with a Knightmare, but it was an amateurish thing compared to the strict coaching Ohgi knew Britannian soldiers go through. Loathe was he was to admit it, there were many good reasons why Britannia had such a strong army.

"What the fuck?" Tamaki blurted out, a clearly annoyed expression on his face. "We're already doing fine by ourselves! We don't need a stranger butting in, even one sent by Oda-sama."

Of course, maybe Ohgi was one of the few seeing it that way. Quickly looking around at the members present the afro-haired man saw those who before looked ready to start a brawl now clearly agreed with Tamaki. Not only that, they clearly thought they found the perfect excuse to start said brawl.

Before Ohgi could try to cool down their spirits, Tamaki was a hothead but as an old friend he knew which buttons to push, Toyohisa quickly looked up and down the redhead with a neutral gaze before taking a few steps towards him, until their chests were almost touching. "H-Hey! What gives?" Tamaki demanded while looking up at the taller male. His earlier bravado was gone, the young man clearly intimidated by the warrior's fierce presence.

"..." For a few moments Toyohisa said nothing, merely gazing down as Tamaki with an indecipherable look.

And then, faster than Ohgi could follow, the warrior's fist was buried into Tamaki's stomach, the readhead folding over it with wide eyes as spittle flew out of his open mouth.

"Maybe I should have started a betting pool." Yoichi commented with an idle smile, completely unperturbed by the current events.

"You are either incredibly lucky or blessed by the gods. There's no explaining how greenhorns like you managed to survive until now otherwise." Toyohisa commented with a harsh and disappointed tone before grabbing Tamaki's shirt and forcing him to look back into his eyes. "Here's a lesson for you: if you want to prove someone wrong don't use words." He straightened up the redhead before pushing him away. "Use facts."

He looked up and glared at the others, bearing his fangs at them. "Listen up! I don't care what you think about me! If you have a problem, then come up here and say it to my face! If you want to fight, bring it! I'll gladly pummel you into submission if that's what it takes for you to realize where it is your standing!"

Ohgi looked on worriedly, wondering whether or not a fight was about to break out. Toyohisa's declaration had deterred them slightly, some looking hesitant. Others were still incensed and were about to lunge at him. At this time, Yoichi finally spoke up.

"By the way, anyone who doesn't undergo Toyohisa-dono's training camp will be subjected to my own personal training program." The archer smiled innocently. "We've actually been looking for some volunteers to stand still while we try and shoot an apple off your heads. Any takers?" Immediately, their faces paled. Resistance was gone and quickly bowed their heads towards Toyohisa as if he were the kami. Pleased with himself, Yoichi turned to Ohgi and Toyohisa. "Try not to kill them, Toyohisa-dono. We do need them alive, and I'm certain Ohgi-san won't be pleased to see you killing his subordinates."

Toyohisa snorted. "Only if they don't test my patience."

"Dully noted. At any rate, I must be heading back. I'll leave the rest to you."

Ohgi bowed deeply. "Safe journey, Yoichi-sama."

The archer nodded and turned on his heel to leave. As he did, the afro-haired man decided to take Toyohisa on a tour through the warehouse in order for him to understand the layout. Some of the resistance members grew curious and were happy to hear that Oda had sent them help, albeit not in the way they expected. Others were resistant to the idea, though like before, they cowed quickly when Ohgi relayed to them Yoichi's offer of them being his personal target practice if they didn't comply.

He glanced at the fierce man beside him. His expression gave nothing away, and his eyes were almost always wandering as if in search of a threat. Ohgi took notice of how stiff he became when speaking to a female member, though he didn't understand why that was. He had to admit, he was curious as to what Toyohisa's relationship with his benefactor was, but that wasn't his place to pry. Whatever relationship Toyohisa had with Oda was none of his business, and frankly, the less he knew about Oda's associates the better. He would never admit it to anyone, but Ohgi actually feared the man named after the infamous warlord centuries ago. There was something unsettling about the man, this sense of danger that lingered around him like the scent of death.

Whatever the case, Ohgi was not about to anger the man nor deny his help. After all, they needed all the help they could get.

"So." Toyohisa said to Ohgi. "Tell me what I can expect."

"For the most part, the original members have been fighting Britannia for a good few years now, so we're well-versed in combat and military routines. At best, we're adequate." Ohgi answered. "However, most of the newer members struggle to keep up. Then again, none of them ever really expected to get into this life. Not helping matters is that some of the refugees from the Shinjuku Ghetto decided to join up with us. Can't say I blame them after what happened. I'm worried that they might let their feelings towards Britannia in general get the better of them. Last thing I need are radicals. We're freedom fighters, not terrorists."

Toyohisa nodded. "Well, at least you have your heads on straight. I can offer you military training, but as for Knightmares, you're better off asking somebody else. Actually, the pilot of the red one. Are they here?"

"No, Kallen's at school." At the swordsman's confused look, Ohgi explained. "Kallen is one of our older members. She's the original leader's younger sister. She used to have a normal life before she found out Naoto was part of the resistance, but we try to have her stick a normal life. That, and there's her connection to her family."

"Her family?"

Ohgi grimaced. "She's not exactly proud of her heritage. You see, Kallen's father is a Britannian nobleman." Toyohisa looked at Ohgi with wide eyes. "If you think we Elevens have it bad, Japanese with Britannian heritage have it a hell of a lot worse. Britannians, especially the Purebloods, look down on anyone that isn't of pure Britannian descent. And the Elevens mistrust anyone who has Britannian blood in them. We try to keep Kallen's heritage a secret for the most part. I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself."

Toyohisa nodded. Aside from this "Kallen" being a woman and his personal belief that killing was a man's job, he was not prejudicial to someone simply because of their blood ties. Granted, his homeland had a very critical way of looking at someone's bloodline, but as far as he was concerned, if she was capable of fighting in spite of opposition, then he was willing to give her a chance.

"It isn't my business to meddle with, and we need all the members with can get, especially if they're actually good at it." The warrior from the Sengoku period told Ohgi. "I'll handle the refugees from Shinjuku, I know a thing or two how to channel anger and hate into something productive." Lessons taught to him by his father and uncle, who supported his desire to fight against Tokugawa but wanted him to do so as a honorable samurai.

If his fellow countrymen wished to have their vengeance against Britannia, then the Shimazu scion would show them how to do it properly.

Lelouch finished puking the last traces of food in his stomach, then flushed the toilet and let the proof of his moment of weakness disappear into the sewers.

'But it's really weakness if I feel sick at the thought I killed someone? And not just a stranger, but my own half-brother?' He thought while leaving the stall. Pleased to see the bathroom was still empty he approached a sink and washed both his mouth and face with cold water. Catching his own reflection in the mirror he smiled in a self-deprecating manner. "I'm a lot more sensitive than I thought."

For years he fantasized about killing his own father as revenge for leaving the murder of his mother unpunished. Not only the Emperor, many of his half-siblings that despised Marianne and could have ordered her killed became targets of his hatred. And yet, despite not hesitating when it came to kill Clovis he still found haunted by his own actions, a small part of him wishing the events of a few days ago never happened. Clovis wasn't involved in the death of Lelouch's mother, the use of his new power made it clear, yet he was still guilty of human experimentation and the senseless killing of hundreds of innocents for the trivial purpose of covering up his crimes; even worse, they were not crimes that would had him being judged fairly by a tribunal but merely something that could hurt his chances to inherit the throne. As if he had any chance in the first place.

'Thinking about it, why have they yet to announce Clovis' death?' Lelouch thought while closing the faucet. 'Are they hiding it to prevent chaos? Or to preserve his reputation? But if they do that, then they'll need a scapegoat or a false culprit on hand once they decide to announce it.' A member of the Royal Family killed was a serious affair, to have it happen was already bad enough but to actually lack a culprit was suicide, in more than one way.

Lelouch wondered if Clovis' ex-subordinates were at each other's throat, trying to decide who to sacrifice, or if they were searching for a scapegoat to accuse with false proof. The first possibility made him smile internally, but the second had him feeling actual guilt: Clovis' murder was his sin to bear. But even if he wanted to there wasn't much he could do without proclaiming himself the culprit: doing that would put Nunnally into danger, so it was out of the question.

Deciding to set the matter aside for now Lelouch dried his hands and face, then left the bathroom to return to his classroom. He managed to reach the entrance unmolested before hearing a girl exclaiming loudly. "Kallen! It's been ages! Are you okay? Sophie's been worried about you."

Looking for the source he saw a group of girls making a fuss around one of them. A girl with red hair, if he remembered right she was often ab-

Lelouch's gaze landed on her face, his eyes widening as he recognized the girl he saw within the truck that 'kidnapped' him. 'Of course! That's why I thought she looked familiar!'

Her hair was different and her expression was calm if maybe downcast, but her features were the same. It was quite a sight, as the last time he saw her her eyes were full of fire and her hair was unkempt. No doubt the face she was wearing was a "mask" no different from his own, but he was genuinely curious as to why a terrorist was doing at his school.

"What'cha looking at there, buddy?" Rivalz leaned over his shoulder and followed his gaze before grinning. "Oho~ You got a good eye. Kallen Stadfelt, huh? You sure do know how to pick 'em!"

He rolled his eyes. "It isn't like that. It's just that her being here is pretty rare. Hasn't she been absent for most of the semester since it started?"

"Yeah, I think so. I think it's because she's pretty sick and frail."

Lelouch internally snorted. Considering what he saw and heard from her the last time they met, she was anything but. Either way, this was both an opportunity and a danger.

On one hand, she could put him into contact with her fellows and superiors. Even though he tried to live a normal life, there was no quelling the angry fire of revenge in his heart. What happened the other day only fueled it further. He was dead set on fighting Britannia and claiming his vengeance, but he couldn't do it alone. He needed allies. If he could learn about her affiliation and get into the good graces of her boss, perhaps with the use of this newfound power, he could finally take his first steps towards his goal.

On the other hand, she was also dangerous. While he was careful in covering his tracks, removing all traces of his being in the stolen Sutherland by frying the hardware and wiping his fingerprints from the consoles, he still couldn't be sure that they didn't know who he was. Being a Britannian would naturally make the group wary of him, but if they discovered he was a prince, who knows what they might do?

His mind drifted back to Nunnally and her pure smile. The smile he was going to fight desperately to protect. No matter what, he was going to do all it took to defend it. Even if he had to spill the whole world in blood.

'First things first...' Lelouch glanced at Kallen again, eyes narrow. 'I need to get some answers.'

"Great! Thanks a lot! Say, why don't you and your girlfriend go someplace nice? I'll foot the bill, don't you worry. Take a load off, my man. You earned it."

Oda grinned from ear to ear as he got off the phone. He couldn't stop himself from laughing and dancing around the room, company be damned. Yoichi stared at the sight with indifference was he was already used to the man's eccentric behavior. "I assume whatever that phone call was about produced some good results?"

"You better goddamn believe it!" Oda stopped his little routine and looked at his comrade. "That was an ol' buddy of mine who works along the highways. One of our saboteurs, you might say. Had him look into the video feed on the highway cameras, tracked where the poison gas was headed to see where it crashed. Our mystery friend couldn't have had very many opportunities to slip on inside the truck, so chances are he must have snuck his way inside either when they stole the truck, or when it crashed."

Yoichi smirked. "And let me guess, we now know who our illustrious K-1 is?"

Oda sat back down on the couch and opened up his laptop. With a few keystrokes, he opened up a window and revealed a picture that had been sent to him thanks to the aforementioned informant. The picture showed the building that was under construction where Nagata and Kallen had crashed into during their escape. Almost everyone in the picture was gawking at the sight, clearly gossiping and taking photos but doing little else.

All except for one person; a good Samaritan wearing a school uniform that was at the truck, trying to help whoever was inside.

Yoichi smiled wryly. "Looks like you're guess was on the money as usual, Oda-dono. That uniform belongs to students of Ashford Academy, an all-Britannian civilian school. Still, who would have thought that our budding young strategist was so young? I dare say he's a little younger than yours truly."

"Least we got a face." Oda said. "With this, we can finally find out who K-1 is. Have to admit, I'm actually quite curious. It'll take some time before we get the results, but luckily for us, we happen to have someone who just so happens to be at Ashford at the moment."

"Ah, Kozuki." Yoichi recalled the red-haired spitfire. "I do remember hearing she was a student. You think she might be able to tell us who our mystery friend is?"

"Worth a shot, at least." Before Oda could make the call, his cell phone began to ring. A quick glance at the ID made him frown. "Hey, Yoichi. Handle that call to Kozuki-chan for me, will ya? Got to take this." Yoichi raised an eyebrow, but shrugged as he walked away. Oda answered the call and put the cell phone to his ear. "Been a while since the last time you rang me up, Ried."

"I believe the last time we called was when you inquired information about Bartley's mystery project." the man on the phone replied smoothly. "A shame neither of us was able to turn up any promising leads. I'm still working on it, but I just happened to come across some news I think you'll come to greatly appreciate."

Oda's good eye narrowed. Diethard Ried, a Britannian civil servant in the news sector, was one of his informants. At first, Oda wasn't took keen on operating with people he didn't know very well or couldn't get a good read on. Diethard was a mix of both. He spent his whole career working for the masses, creating sensational news that got them riled up. But internally, he was frustrated by the lack of progress. He was disgusted by all the fake news and desired something more revolutionary. A groundbreaking change. That was why the man threw his lot in with Oda.

Somehow, Diethard believed Oda could create incredible change. A chance to truly shake things up in the Settlement. However, Oda was cautious. He knew that the second Diethard believed that Oda was no longer capable of providing him the incredible change he was looking for, he would jump ship. For that reason, he kept him on a tight leash.

Still, the man's connections to the army and other pieces of hot intel made him valuable.

"Depends. What do you got for me?"

"Margraive Jeremiah recently apprehended Major Bartley and members of his operations, save for those that were transferred to Narita just this morning." Ried answered. "Several of the prince's major officers have either transferred or abdicated power. As of now, the Purist Faction now has total control of the Britannian Settlement, with Jeremiah Gottwald named as Regent until the new Viceroy is named."

Oda scoffed. "Great. That makes things troublesome, though it's not like I didn't expect this. So, how's he going to handle Clovis' death? It'd be foolish for him to say that the prince was assassinated and they're looking for the killer. Even if they did tell everyone the murderer is an Eleven, the public would lose trust in them and think they're incompetent."

Ried chuckled. "As expected, you're always a step ahead. The Margraive has a scapegoat in mind. A rather special one, considering their position will not only demoralize or incense the other resistance movements into acting recklessly, but also effectively destroy the Honorary Britannian citizenship practices here in Area 11."

Oda's good eye widened. "Don't tell me the guy they're using to save their ass is..."

"I'm afraid so. Three days from now, Private Suzaku Kururugi, the son of Japan's last Prime Minister, will be executed for the murder of Prince Clovis la Britannia."

Traitor.

Mask.

Devil's smile.

Act 7: Cut You Down