Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. I'm really happy how much you all liked my previous chapter, as well as the rest of this story. But this is one chapter that I have been wanting to write since I started this whole story. So much happens here and I'm sure you'll all thoroughly enjoy it, that's my hope anyway. So, without further delay, let us begin.

Island of Gods and Monsters

Rai's eyes flickered open as the first things he saw were birds circling throughout the bright blue sky as he heard the sounds of the ocean's waves impacting the beach. "Wha… where…?" Rai stuttered as he picked himself up, still in his blue pilot suit, looking around at his surroundings. He appeared to be on a tropical beach of sorts. "What the heck…?"

"[Rai!]" The amnesiac youth turned around in surprise to see the yellow Autobot scout kneeling down closer to his level.

"Bee!" Rai tried to stand up. "What happened? Where's everyone else and…. Where the heck are we?!"

"[I haven't the faintest idea.]" Bumblebee bleeped. "[I just came to, same as you.]"

The white-haired Black Knight got another look at his surroundings. "Something's telling me this isn't Shikinie island. Cause if it were, we'd be crawling with Britannian soldiers right now."

"[Yeah, but that still doesn't answer how we even got here.]" Bumblebee said.

"Can't you just call for a Groundbridge?" Rai asked.

"[I tried, but something's blocking my commlink.]" Bee explained. "[I can't get a signal]"

"Scrap…" Rai muttered, but his attention was caught by the sounds of movement in the bushes and trees nearby. "Hang, I'm gonna check something out." He walked into the foliage to see what he could find.

Rai was able to brush away some of the branches while also feeling his person to see if he had any weapons on him, turns out he still had a pocket-knife, but that was about it. The sounds he heard had suddenly stopped, which surprised him. He stopped moving, not making any sounds as to not alert whatever it was that was also in this foliage with him. It could be just a wild animal, or a fellow Black Knight that got stuck with him and Bee, or even an enemy soldier.

Soon, he got his answer when a hand shot out of a nearby bushes to grab him by the shoulder and pull him deeper into the foliage, throwing him across the ground. Rai was quick to draw his knife as his opponent tackled him to the ground, though he tried to thrust the knife forward, a hand blocked his own arm and pinned him to the ground as he looked in surprise to see the face of his attacker was none other than Nonette Enneagram.

Nonette glared at the young Black Knight, however, once she saw his face, her pupils shrank. "Kaizaren…"

"What….?" Rai questioned in surprise.

Before this could escalate any further, a large shadow loomed over the pair as Nonette gasped upon seeing Bumblebee loom over her with his Energon blasters primed and ready. "[Get off him! Now!]"

Nonette's surprise gave Rai an opening to kick her back and off of him, the force sending her back to a nearby tree, hitting the back of her head in the process and knocking her unconscious. Rai stood up and looked in surprise. "Hey, isn't she… a Knight of the Round?" He asked his Autobot comrade.

"[Yeah…. The Knight of Nine I think.]" Bumblebee confirmed.

A surprised smile fell on Rai's face. "We just captured a Knight of the Round. Not bad for a completely random situation, huh?"

Suzaku, who had also woken up on the same island, had begun to scale a small cliffside so he could get a better view of his new surroundings.

"Just as I thought… this is another island." He muttered to himself.

"Kururugi!" The youth turned in surprise to see just down below him was arguably the only Decepticon whom he could truly consider a comrade.

"Dreadwing! What… what are you doing here?" Suzaku asked as he appeared to be at a height that actually put him above the Decepticon Seeker.

"I could ask you the same thing." Dreadwing said. "The last thing I recall, was being immobilized. Though I was frozen, I could see and hear everything around me, including that large vessel that attempted to bombard the area. After that… I woke up here, completely functional."

"Is there any way we can contact headquarters?" Suzaku asked. "I lost the comm and the Lancelot's nowhere in sight."

"I've tried, but my communications seem jammed." Dreadwing answered. "But perhaps we can simply fly back." He attempted to transform, and though his wings twitched, he still remained in his Cybertronian form, much to his and Suzaku's confusion. "What?" He attempted to transform again but was unable to. "My T-Cog…!"

"You're… T-what?" Suzaku didn't seem to understand.

"It is the organ that allows Cybertronians to scan vehicles and transform." Dreadwing explained. "Perhaps it is still suffering the effects of my immobilization."

"So, you can't transform?" Suzaku asked.

"It does not appear to be an option at the moment, no." Dreadwing confirmed. "I apologize."

"It's fine." Suzaku assured. "There's a waterfall up here, I'm gonna see if I can get some water." He resumed his climb.

"I will be with you shortly." Dreadwing told his young friend as Suzaku had already climbed his way to the top.

The Honorary Britannian made his way through the foliage, following the sound of falling water. Once he saw the waterfall, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a certain red-haired young woman, bathing naked in the waterfall. He recognized her almost instantly. "Kallen… it can't be…"

Kallen heard some noises behind her and turned around to see a familiar face. "Suzaku…?" Her eyes widened as she quickly went on the defensive, pulling out her Black Knight jacket to cover herself.

This took Suzaku even further by surprise. "A Black Knight uniform?! You mean you're a…"

Kallen took out the knife from her jacket's pocket and attempted to rush the surprised and confused Suzaku, however her path was bared by a large metallic foot that stomped in front of her and she fell backwards into the water, her jacket covering her body as she looked up in surprise to see the Decepticon standing above her.

"I wouldn't attempt such a thing if you value your life!" Dreadwing warned her.

However, Kallen wasn't completely frozen by fear as she attempted to get up and run, only for Suzaku to grab her by the wrists and pin her down to the ground in the shallow water. "Kallen… I don't believe this…!"

"You know her?" Dreadwing asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she's my classmate. Kallen Stadtfelt…"

"Don't call me by that name! My name is Kallen Kozuki! I'm Japanese!"

That took both Suzaku and Dreadwing by surprise. "You're kidding… then you really are….?" Suzaku stuttered.

"Yes, I'm a Black Knight, an ally of the Autobots! I'm not going to hide that anymore!" Kallen confirmed with a steely glare.

Suzaku was the first to steel his resolve as well. "Well then 'Kallen Kozuki', I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy and rebellion against Britannia."

Zero stood on a large rock over the shoreline as he and Optimus Prime observed their new area. "The vegetation and climate are the same as Shikinie Island, we can't be that far from it." Zero said.

"But without access to any communications, we lack a means of calling for assistance." Optimus pointed out.

"So Groundbridge is out of the question then." Zero said with a small tisk under his mask. "You can still transform, can't you?" He asked the Autobot Leader.

Optimus briefly transformed his right hand into a blade and into an ion blaster before it went back to a normal hand. "Yes, I am still able to."

"I suppose we'll just have to drive back to the Ark." Zero said as he gave a small chuckle. "Actually driving in a truck underwater… if you asked me if something like that was possible a year ago, I wouldn't believe it."

Optimus had a small smirk on his face, however both he and Zero heard some movement from the bushes nearby. They both turned around to see a face that made Lelouch gasp underneath his mask. 'Euphie!'

Euphemia walked onto the beach but gave a surprised gasp as she not only saw the masked revolutionary, but even the leader of the Autobots stand before her.

Nonette woke up with a small groan, however as she regained conciseness, she felt her hands had been restraint behind her back, having been tied with some vines.

"Have a nice nap?" She looked in surprise to see both Rai and Bumblebee sitting across from her on the beach they had previously woken up on.

Though the Knight of Nine was surprised to be this close to an Autobot, and without a Knightmare no less, she was even more stunned at the sight of the white-haired young man in front of her. "Kaizaren…? Is… is it really you…?"

"Who the hell are you talking about? My name is Rai."

"What? But that's not…" Nonette muttered as she got a good look at him. "You look the same? How? It's been more than seven years. And yet… you look like you haven't aged a day."

Rai only looked more confused as he glanced up at Bumblebee who only shrugged his shoulders. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean? You don't recognize me?" The Knight of Nine asked.

"Your name is Nonette Enneagram, you're the Knight of Nine, part of that old bastard Charles' personal entourage and the pilot of that blue knock-off Lancelot." Rai summarized nonchalantly. "It's hard not to know you since you're pretty famous."

"You… really don't know me…?" Nonette stuttered as she seemed emotionally hurt as she looked down. "I see… you don't remember. Amnesia I guess…"

"[Hey Rai, it kinda sounds like she knows you.]" Bumblebee bleeped.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember one of the Emperor's lapdogs." Rai commented.

"[Well… maybe she knew you before you lost your memories. I mean, a lot can happen since the start of your life, right?]" Bee assumed.

"Maybe… but I'm not really about to trust her, not without proof." Rai said as Nonette simply hung her head down, so that neither he nor the Autobot could see the tears that formed in her eyes. But they weren't just tears of sadness, they were also that of joy as well, joy that she finally found her prince again.

Kallen meanwhile had been allowed to put her red pilot suit back on to allow her some form of decency as her hands were tied behind her back as Suzaku put her Black Knight jacket over her shoulders while Dreadwing stood over both of them.

"I see, and you don't know what happened either." Suzaku said. "When you came to, you found yourself on this island, is that right?"

"What do you mean? You can just fly out of here, right?" Kallen grunted as she cast a glare at the Decepticon present.

"Due to unusual circumstances, I am unable to transform." Dreadwing informed.

Kallen actually snickered with a smirk. "So, you're grounded? What's wrong Con? We clipped your poor little wings? Serves you right."

Dreadwing stomped his foot down as he glared at the young woman. "Do not try me, Black Knight! Were up to me, I would leave your lifeless husk on this island!"

"Go ahead and do it!" Kallen dared him, not remotely intimidated by his presence. "I'd rather die free as a warrior, then live as your personal play-thing, Decepticon!"

"You're not going to be anyone's play-thing, Kallen." Suzaku told her.

"Tell that to your new buddy, Airachnid." She glared at him, which earned a glare from both Suzaku and Dreadwing. "Or better yet, why don't you save your temper-tantrums for when my friends get here. You two idiots won't last ten seconds before your thrown behind bars!"

"You mean to say the Autobots and your fellow Black Knights will come for you?" Dreadwing inquired.

"Without a doubt." Kallen smirked.

"Alright, but before they do, tell us something. Who is Zero?" Suzaku asked.

"Figure it out for yourself." Kallen said as she looked away.

"It would be wiser if you told us and avoid less-civil methods of interrogation." Dreadwing informed.

"You mean torture?" Kallen scoffed before she glanced at Suzaku. "You've really fell in with a bad crowd, haven't you Kururugi? And I don't just mean Britannia."

"Why do you follow them? Zero and Optimus?" Suzaku asked.

"I don't know. Why do you follow Megatron?" Kallen shot back.

Zero slid down the rocks as he stood on equal level with his half-sister as she continued to stare at him. Though at first she was intimidated by the appearance of Optimus Prime that stood behind the masked revolutionary, once her eyes set on him, that seemed to be all she could focus on at the moment. Optimus said nothing as he took a few steps back to allow Lelouch to think on his own what to do.

What would Lelouch even say to her, he wondered to himself as his mask hid the conflicted look on his face. This was the first time he ever saw Euphemia face-to-face since before his exile, not including the hotel-jacking. He remembered how close he and Nunnally were to her before being sent to Japan, she was one of his best friends alongside Cornelia. But what would he say to her now? Should he reveal himself? He could use his Geass on her like he did Cornelia, but he quickly pushed that thought back as that was the last thing he wanted to do to her.

"Lelouch." She spoke, interrupting his thoughts, though it took both him and Optimus by surprise. "Lelouch, it's you, isn't it? I haven't told anyone about you, I swear! Please… let me see your face…"

Optimus cast a concerning glance towards his young friend as after a minute of silence, Zero reached up to his mask to remove it, allowing the pink-haired princess to see the face of her half-brother, which was fully revealed once he removed his face mask. Upon seeing his face again, Euphemia wasted no time in running toward him and wrapping her arms around his body as she cried tears of pure joy.

Lelouch was stunned by this at first, before he let his own emotions flow as he embraced her back, a few stray tears fell down his eyes as well. Such a heartwarming moment was enough for Optimus to give a smile as he witnessed this touching reunion.

"I've missed you so much!" Euphie cried.

Lelouch tightened his grip. "I've missed you to."

Shikinie Island

Multiple Britannian soldiers, both in and out of Knightmares, continued their search for their missing princess, and have thus found nothing. Thundercracker and Skywarp appeared to be part of the search as they scanned the entire island from their vehicle modes, having been freed of the immobilization effects thanks to Knock Out. The entire search was being oversaw by the red Decepticon and his partner, the latter looking more annoyed than anything.

"Can't believe we had to come out here and look for some stupid little fleshy!" Breakdown muttered. "We got better things to do!"

"True, but the sudden disappearance of Dreadwing, Kururugi, not to mention Zero and Prime is something that should be looked at." Knock Out said as he scanned the area with a hand-held device. "Hmm, doesn't seem like there's any residual Energon traces, so there wasn't a Groundbridge. But… there is an unusual energy reading in this area. It appears that… right before the Avalon's bombardment, something happened that just caused certain bots and humans to vanish."

"And it wasn't a Groundbridge?" Breakdown asked, to which Knock Out shook his head in confirmation. The large Decepticon ran a hand down his face. "I hate it when things get complicated."

Meanwhile, the floating ship that was known as the Avalon, the same transport that had bombarded the area the previous day hovered over the beach. Inside the ship's main hangar; the Lancelot, Galeschin, Mordred, Tristian, and Florence had been recovered with Cecile sitting on the staircase that led the Lancelot's cockpit as she looked over the data from not only the Lancelot but also the other four Knightmares present.

"So, what Suzaku and Nonette just vanished?" Gino asked as he and his fellow Knights of the Round were also present.

"Without a trace." Anya said emotionlessly as she was at her own personal hand-held electronic diary.

"You've checked the Lancelot's data?" Monica asked Cecile. "Maybe security footage?"

"Yes, Lady Krushevsky, but it's all static." Cecile answered. "There's no way to trace Suzaku or anyone else who was there."

Before anyone could ask any further questions, the hangar doors behind them opened as they saw an incoming fighter-jet slow its approach. Once it entered into the hangar, it transformed to reveal the Decepticon's second-in-command who could only just barley fit.

"Ugh, why do humans always make everything so compact?" Starscream groaned in annoyance.

"Well, look who decided to join us." Monica glared with Cecile and Gino. Though Anya didn't glare, she gave a distrustful look towards the Seeker.

"And just what are all of you looking at?" Starscream glared back.

"Oh, how about the fact you ordered an air-strike on Suzaku, Nonette, and Princess Euphemia?!" Gino exclaimed in a rare sight of anger.

"I did not make that order!" Starscream stated. "I only followed through with it."

"But you didn't even attempt to warn them that Princess Euphemia would be in the way!" Cecile stated as she stood up to glare at him. "You didn't even care that a member of the Royal Family would be caught in the crossfire?!"

"Oh please, that wretched Cornelia puts her life on the line every day." Starscream brushed off. "The Royal Family is expendable, even to their precious Emperor."

Before anyone could voice an argument, a new voice spoke up. "Though I don't necessarily agree with the tone, it is sad for me to admit this is true." The voice belonged to none other than Prince Schneizel, a young man with blonde hair, light purple eyes, and a royal white outfit. "My father isn't necessarily one to bat an eye even at his children's deaths."

"Prince Schneizel!" Monica stated in surprise as she, Anya, and Gino both bowed before the prince as Lloyd causally walked onto the scene as well.

"Prince… Prince Schneizel… here…?!" Cecile stuttered in surprise.

"You impudent little… ! How dare you look down upon the Second Prince of the Empire!" Bartley exclaimed as he appeared as well.

"General Bartley…?!" Cecile lost her footing and slid down the stairs to land on her rear on the ground, much to Starscream's amusement.

"That goes for you too, metallic abomination!" Bartley stated to Starscream specifically. "How dare you look down upon Prince Schneizel!"

"You do realize I can only look down upon him due to being physically taller." Starscream snarked, much to Bartley's irritation. "Oh, and speak to me in such a tone again…" He extended his claws and loomed over the fat general who's expression change from irritation to fear. "I will squash you like the insect you are, vermin!"

"Now, now, there's no need to be so hostile with one another." Schneizel said as he helped up Cecile. "You are not injured, I hope. Yes, I am Prince Schneizel El Britannia." He then looked up toward the Decepticon. "And you must be Commander Starscream, first lieutenant of the Decepticons. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Yes, it is your pleasure." Starscream smirked, much to Gino, Anya, and Monica's irritation, though Bartley seemed more irritable.

"To take such a tone to our prince…!"

"General, you're quite the devoted subject, aren't you?" Lloyd asked casually.

"Primarily, because the prince is the one who commuted my sentence and saved me from being chained-up deep beneath Temple Tower." Bartley said.

"So Starscream, what do you think of the Avalon?" Lloyd asked the Decepticon. "Have the Decepticons ever invented their own floating air-craft carriers?"

Starscream scoffed. "Please. We've developed entire warships more advanced than this. When you invent a vessel that enables you to fly through space, then we'll talk."

"I'll be sure to make a note." Schneizel said. "Now, Commander Starscream, if you don't mind, there is something that I would like your assistance with."

"Oh?" Starscream wondered. "A Britannian Prince is actually asking for help? Are you certain you're related to that wretched Cornelia?"

"How dare…!" Bartley was about to protest, but the second prince raised his hand to prevent any outbursts.

"I understand how you may feel, Commander Starscream." Schneizel continued. "My sister does have a strong sense of pride. But I would thank you not to compare all of us. My team and I have located an unusual find, and we've been unable to find anything worth value with our own resources. However, given how the Decepticons have more advanced resources of our own, it would make sense to ask for help. Wouldn't you agree?"

An intrigued look fell on Starscream's face. "Very well, provide me the coordinates and I shall assemble my Decepticons and meet you there."

"Of course, I thank you." Schneizel gave a bow. "Sir Weinberg, Lady Alstreim, Lady Krushevsky, I would ask that you please continue your search for my sister as well as Sir Kururugi and Lady Enneagram." He began to walk away with Bartley.

"Yes, help them out to Cecile. It's so hard to find devicers like that young man. Especially after yesterday's exploits." Lloyd said as he joined them.

"Hold on a minute, did you know Suzaku would be there?" Monica questioned as she, Gino, and Anya stood up. "Did the prince order him to be killed?! Along with Nonette and Princess Euphemia?!"

"Silence!" Bartley warned. "Not even Knights of the Round should question royalty!"

Despite that however, Schneizel chose to give an answer. "Those orders were indeed mine, Lady Krushevsky, I also fired the Hadron. Though I wasn't aware Euphemia and Lady Enneagram would be present as well, but that's no excuse. Even in a situation like that, priorities mustn't be forgotten. The Empire currently faces arguably it's most dangerous adversaries, I saw an opportunity to eliminate their leadership and I choose to take it. Besides, if something anomalous happened, we would have been unable to rescue any of them, that's what I gambled on."

"I see…" Monica seemed to accept that response as she shared a concerning glance with Gino and Anya. "I'm sorry I spoke out of turn…"

"No, you were worried for your friends as well as the third Princess." Schneizel replied. "It's my fault for not protecting my subordinates, or even my own sister. Can you ever forgive me?" Those were the last words he said before leaving with Bartley and Lloyd.

Starscream followed suit as he jumped out the hangar doors before transforming and flying away. However, despite the tone Schneizel carried, Starscream was able to recognize something of an ambitious undertone in the second prince's voice. And it reminded him of his own. Needless to say, Starscream was rather intrigued. Though both Cornelia and Euphemia drove him up the wall, perhaps this Schneizel could be useful.

At the same time, a Groundbridge portal had opened up on a large hilltop on Shikinie Island, allowing Megatron and Soundwave to step outside as they stood at the top of a cliffside to oversee the area where the action had taken place the previous day.

"So, this is where it happened?" The leader of the Decepticons asked his silent comrade, who nodded in response. "And you're unable to get a fix on Dreadwing's signal? Or even from the badge we gave Kururugi?"

Soundwave shook his head. Though he quickly deployed Laserbeak which began to hover over and scan the area, the readings were brought up on Soundwave's visor which he showed Megatron.

"An unusual energy signature…" Megatron noticed. "And yet… it seems rather familiar, based on Shockwave's findings."

"So, you finally stepped out into the open."

Both the master of the Decepticons and the silent surveillance chief turned around to see a familiar looking boy approach them with a smirk on his face.

"The high and mighty Megatron finally makes his appearance." V.V. said in a snarky tone. "It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"

"Victor." Megatron observed with minor surprise. "Back from the dead? And not a day older from the looks of it."

"I finally got your attention." V.V. said to Megatron, not remotely intimidated by him. "And all it took was the sudden disappearance of your own enemy."

"So, you're aware of what has transpired?" Megatron asked, sounding rather intrigued.

V.V. smirked, believing he had him right where he wanted him. "More than that, I know where Optimus Prime is. And not just him, but even one of his most beloved Autobots, two elite Black Knights, that annoying Zero, and even two of your favorite soldiers, Suzaku and Dreadwing. I know exactly where they are."

Megatron glanced at Soundwave who checked over V.V.'s voice through his recordings and saw that there was no deception indicated. He was telling the truth.

"I imagine you have a lot of questions, Megatron." The arrogant immortal 'boy' continued. "And I'd be willing to answer some of them. But you have to do something for me."

"Is that so?" Megatron's eyes narrowed as he did not like the tone V.V. was carrying.

"Yes." V.V. nodded. "If you do one little favor for me, I'll give you Optimus, Zero, and a small handful of your enemies, as well as the locations of two of your favorite soldiers. You'll finally have a chance to rid this universe of your greatest enemy. I just want a small favor from you, that's all. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

The immortal boy had it all figured out. 'He knows nothing of Geass, so seeing me as young as before is enough to keep him perplexed and get his attention. And since I'm the only one who knows where his 'beloved nemesis' is, he'll have no choice but to listen to me. I'll use his resources to grab C.C. and use the Thought Elevator to teleport both of us back to the Geass Order where Charles, myself, and that traitor can finally begin Ragnarok. He has no way of tracing the Order, we saw to it.' His smirk only grew. 'Now that I know the location of Optimus and Lelouch, he's putty in my hands.'

However, Megatron did something that V.V. could not have expected. He aimed his fusion cannon and fired on the immortal boy, reducing him to a chard crisp that appeared dead.

"Code R's experiments indicated that the immortal known as C.C. is hundreds of years old and is unable to age, correct?" Megatron asked Soundwave, who only nodded in response. "Contact Shockwave, tell him to meet me on the Nemesis immediately. I have a special project in mind for him." He said as he picked up V.V.'s charred corpse.

Meanwhile, back on the mysterious island, Euphemia had removed her clothes that had been soaking wet as she allowed them to dry in the sun. Lelouch had provided his cape to her to gain some form of cover as he sat on the rock behind her, with Optimus next to him.

"When did you figure it out?" He asked her.

"Back during the hotel-jacking." Euphemia answered. "Somehow… I just knew. But I wasn't one-hundred percent sure till now."

"I see… I guess I should be saying thanks for not telling anyone." Lelouch replied.

"Euphemia, if I may." Optimus spoke. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

The young princess was slightly startled at Optimus' addressing her, but not because she was intimidated. There was something in the tone of his voice that indicating he was speaking to her as an equal, and not talking down to her like what most Decepticons have done. Even though she only met him, hearing the voice of Optimus Prime made her feel relaxed and safe, even as she gave her answer.

"For one, Cornelia doesn't usually listen to me. Besides that, I think things are depressing enough as they are." Euphemia then addressed her brother. "Lelouch… is Nunnally…?"

"She's living with me, but she's still blind and crippled." Lelouch answered.

"Does she know about you? About you being Zero and… with the Autobots…?" Euphie asked.

"No, not yet." Lelouch responded with a grimace. "I've been wanting to tell her, but something always seems to get in the way, it's starting to become rather annoying."

"Lelouch I… I'm so sorry…" Euphemia stuttered as her voice began to crack.

"Sorry for what?" Lelouch asked as he craned his head back in her direction.

"…For so much… for everything…" She continued to stutter, tears forming in her eyes. "For what happened to Nunnally… your mother… your exile… all of it! The hatred you must feel for us…"

"For our father, not for you." Lelouch quickly said, surprising Euphemia as even Optimus raised a curious eyebrow. "Even after Nunnally and I were exiled, I never hated you Euphie, not once. But, after seeing how much Clovis and Cornelia had changed, I admit I was scared… scared that you weren't the same person I remember. But, after seeing what you did in the hotel-jacking, standing up to the terrorists to defend the weak… I felt so relieved, knowing that you were that same girl I used to play all the time with." Though she couldn't see it, Lelouch gave his half-sister a smile. "You're still my sister Euphie, and I love you."

Euphemia could not contain her tears of joy as they fell down her eyes almost like a waterfall. "Oh Lelouch…!"

Optimus Prime couldn't help but smile as well. He had heard from Lelouch how close he and Euphemia were in their childhood and was pleased to see at how easy the two were able to mend their bond. "Optimus Prime…" Euphie tried to wipe her eyes as she glanced in his direction, though her emotional smile was still present on her face. "Thank you so much for looking after my brother…!"

"Of course." Optimus nodded with an assuring smile.

Lelouch himself smiled at this small exchange. A part of him had hoped Euphie would take a liking to Optimus. He was a true father-figure to him, and he hoped he could be one for her. A father that she deserved, unlike their biological father.

Euphie's stomach gave a light groan, causing her to blush in embarrassment. "I believe feeling relieved has made me hungry."

Several fish on sticks hung over the fire that Rai had made as he, Bumblebee, and the imprisoned Nonette sat around it, the fish already appeared nice and crisp. "Hmm, looks about ready." Rai commented.

"[I could have caught some fish, if you wanted.]" Bumblebee offered.

"Really?" Rai offered a smirk to the yellow Autobot. "Fish get scared at the sight of a human, how are they gonna handle a giant robot who's about ten times the size?"

"[Point taken.]" Bumblebee nodded as he saw Rai bite down on the fish.

The white-haired Black Knight looked at Nonette briefly before he sighed. He offered a separate fish on a stick to her. "Here, have a bite." She looked up in surprise. "What? Can't have a starving prisoner. I'm not a Britannian soldier."

Despite the subtle insult, Nonette smiled as she bit down on the fish Rai held in front of her, he wasn't planning on untying her. "Hmm, not bad."

"Sorry but being stranded on a small island isn't exactly five-star restaurant material." Rai joked slightly, causing Nonette to snicker.

"I always hate those places anyway, they're so stuck-up." She responded. "Personally, I would be fine with just a plain grilled cheese."

"Hmm, a Knight of the Round who's okay with 'commoner food'. Never thought I'd see the day." Rai chuckled.

Nonette gave a small sigh with a smile. "So, his name's Bee?" He asked, referring to the Autobot.

"Bumblebee, and yeah." Rai confirmed, his smile fading.

"Why does he… only speak in bleep?" Nonette asked.

"That's personal." Rai said immediately, causing Nonette to look away.

"Sorry."

At the same time; Suzaku had managed to pull some fish out of the pond he was at. "Impressive." Dreadwing noted as he sat close to the bound Kallen to keep an eye on her. "You have some experience, don't you?"

"It's a lot easier than it looks." Suzaku said before turning to their prisoner. "Hey Kallen, if I let you lose, will you help me find some food?"

Kallen said nothing as she turned away with a scowl. "I believe that is a 'no'." Dreadwing told his young friend, causing Suzaku to shake his head with a sigh. However, Kallen looked in minor surprise as she heard some foliage move and saw a deer sticking it's head out. Dreadwing had also noticed the animal's presence. "Suzaku, there is wildlife here."

Suzaku saw the animal. "It's a deer. They're not usually island animals so it's a little weird." The animal ducked its head and turned back into the forest.

"I can fetch it for you." Dreadwing stood up.

"No, it's fine. Let it go. We've got plenty of fish in here." Suzaku said as he continued to search for more fish, all the while Kallen couldn't help but look in the direction the deer ran off into.

The deer had made it quite the distance away from Suzaku, Dreadwing, and Kallen as it came to a stop in the middle of the forest to eat some plants off the ground. However, its ears twitched as it heard some branches snapping around it. A large shadow loomed over the smaller animal, by the time it turned its head it was already too late. With a sudden slash, blood had scattered all across the ground.

Meanwhile, Lelouch and Euphemia, now fully clothed, were both in the forest, Optimus was still at the beach as Lelouch used a log to try and dig a pitfall trap with Euphemia holding his cape.

"If you want… I'm sure Optimus can…?" Euphemia asked her brother.

"He's far too big…. He'll scare the animals away…!" Lelouch muttered as he dropped the log, having dug a small pit already. He took the time to catch his breath.

"Maybe I can help." Euphemia offered.

"Manual… labor isn't… fit for a… royal princes… don't worry…." The sweaty Lelouch said in-between breaths. "My method's… perfect…"

"Well I suppose, I could go and search for something like fruit." Euphemia said as she was about to walk away.

"Don't go off too far Euphie…" Lelouch said, taking a moment to rest.

"Right." Euphie smiled as she walked deeper into the forest.

As the pink-haired royal searched for some fruit, she still couldn't contain the joy that had filled her heart. After so many years, she was finally back with her dear brother, whom she cried for after his supposed death for weeks. But now he was here, and in the care of someone truly strong and caring. Though it was the first time meeting him, one look in Optimus' eyes and she could tell he was someone she could trust completely, in stark contrast to many of the Decepticons she's met so far.

Her thoughts were brought to halt as she found a branch with some fruit hanging from some branches. "Oh, these look promising." She reached out to pick some. But when she pulled on the branch, she noticed something odd behind the branches, but she couldn't quite make it out. When she pulled the branches out of the way to get a clear view, she gasped and scrammed in horror as she saw the decapitated head of a deer, blood splatered all over the place.

Euphie quickly ran out of the forest and made it back to the beach, right toward Optimus who turned around to look in surprise and concern at the sight of Euphemia's frightened expression.

"Is something wrong?" The Autobot leader asked as even Lelouch ran out, having heard Euphemia's scream as well.

"There's… something out there….?" Euphemia stuttered, still not over her shock. "A deer…. Only it's head… I…"

"Euphie." Lelouch put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "It's okay, just breath." He gave a deep breath of his own for emphasis. One look in her brother's eyes was enough to calm her slightly as she took a deep breath to calm herself further. "Alright, what did you see?"

"I saw… a severed deer head…" Euphie stuttered as Lelouch glanced up to Optimus. "There was… blood everywhere…"

"Maybe a wild predator." Lelouch assumed. "I think it's best you stay with us for the time being. Don't wonder off again, alright?"

Euphie nodded. "Alright."

The Nemesis

V.V.'s eyes flickered open as a light shined over him. "Wakey, wakey." His eyes shot open as he saw the Mini-Cons Rumble and Frenzy standing over him. V.V. had found himself strapped on an interrogation table built for Mini-Cons in the laboratory of the Decepticon warship. He struggled, but the energy-bindings on his wrists wouldn't budge. He tried to use his powers with is Code to teleport away, only to feel that his connection was lost. He was out of range for all of the Thought Elevators.

"Sleep well little Victor." Frenzy teased. "Have a nice dream?"

"Good, because you just woke up into a nightmare." Rumble laughed.

V.V. glanced upward to see Megatron enter the laboratory with Soundwave and Shockwave by his side. "Megatron! What is the meaning of this?! How dare you attack me?!"

Megatron chuckled. "You know, you really have no right to speak to me in such a tone after your grand deception." He began. "Charles had told me that you had died many years ago, and yet now here you are, not only alive, but the same age as you were back then. Even more so, your body was utterly destroyed by my attack, and all injuries have healed, without even the tiniest of scars. Am I correct to assume you possess the same immortal-abilities as the one you call C.C.?"

V.V.'s eyes widened in shock. "How… how do you…?"

"It would seem that the late Prince Clovis had a secret project of his own dedicated to the study of the immortal." Shockwave explained as Soundwave's visor had shown the pictures and data gathered from Code R. "Clovis clearly intended to use her abilities as a means to secure the throne for himself. Although, seeing how Clovis was among Charels' least intelligent offspring, at least compared to the likes of Lelouch and Schneizel, it makes me wonder how Charles was unaware of this. Or perhaps, he was always aware, and choose not to act. But that leaves one prudent question: why? Why did he not intervene in his son's treacherous affairs? It seems highly illogical. Could it be because he didn't wish the potential exposure of his own conspiracies regarding the power of Geass?"

The immortal boy gasped. "I… I don't know what you're talking about…" He tried to deny.

"Oh, I think you do, seeing how you've just recovered from a shot that would have killed an ordinary human." Megatron continued. "So, allow me to venture; you and Charles have been plotting behind my back, attempting to use the power of Geass for your personal ends. You knew of C.C. from the beginning, didn't you? And have done everything you could to hide it from me."

"No. I don't know what you're…" V.V. tried to protest only to be silenced as Megatron blasted a hole in the wall with his fusion cannon.

"DO NOT TAKE ME FOR A FOOL, VICTOR ZI BRITANNIA!" Megatron yelled with a raged look on his face. This was enough to make V.V. gulp and remain silent as Megatron continued to speak. "I've been growing wise to you and your brother's transgressions for some time now. From what I can gather, those who are immortal can grant the power of Geass to others. C.C. has no doubt granted it to Zero, also known as Lelouch Vi Britannia." V.V. gasped. "Yes, I've been aware of his identity from the beginning, it would be wise not to underestimate Soundwave's analytical abelites. And seeing how I remember how close you and Charles were in the past, I can only assume that you've given him a Geass ability as well. But I doubt it was simply him. You must have granted it to a number of individuals, perhaps as your own personal force to do as you see fit. To act in the shadows and carry out whatever schemes you have planned behind my back."

V.V. couldn't believe it. It sounded as if Megatron had already known almost everything. "How… how could… you have known all this…?" The immortal stuttered. "Charles and I… we covered all our tracks… there was no way you could have…"

"C.C. had given her Geass to an individual before she came into contact with Zero and the Autobots." Shockwave answered. "It was this individual that had brought the concept of Geass to our attention."

"And you seem to have quite a bit in common with that individual, my dear Victor." Megatron continued. "You were about as arrogant as he was when he approached me. He believed with his ability he could find a way to persuade me to assist him, and it seems that was your intent as well. Unfortunately for you, I've had experience with those types of individuals long before I came to Earth. I had suspected you were secretly alive, and I would have found you eventually, but it seems you've saved me the trouble." Megatron loomed directly over V.V. so the immortal boy could look into his soul-piercing red optics. "Now Victor, you will tell me everything you and Charles have been up to."

A look of defiance fell on the immortal boy's face. "There is nothing you can do that will make me betray my brother."

"I wouldn't be so certain." Megatron turned to his scientist. "Shockwave, is quite adept at extracting information from his 'patients'."

Shockwave knew what his leader was implying and had mixed thoughts about it. "Lord Megatron, the Cortical Psychic Patch was designed to be used for Cybertronians. It has never been tested on an organic specimen. It is highly unlikely he will survive the process."

"Then it's a good thing he is immortal, wouldn't you agree Victor?" Megatron queried the boy with a smirk, causing V.V. to sweat a little bit before Megatron turned back to Shockwave. "Feel free to use whatever methods you wish. Test as many times as you need to, Shockwave and take as much time as you require. Kill him repeatedly if you have to, we'll at least learn the limits of his immortality."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron." Shockwave picked up a cord, attaching one end to the back of his head as the other end surged with electricity as the one-eyed Decepticon approached the immortal who began to experience an emotion he had never felt in a very long time: fear.

The Ark

What happened yesterday was beyond perplexing for both the Black Knights and the Autobots. Though they all made it back in one piece, while also recovering both the Guren MK II and the Gekka-Preproduction; Optimus, Zero, Bumblebee, Rai, and Kallen had vanished completely and they have been unable to find any of them.

"You still haven't found them?" Ohgi asked Ratchet as he, Shirley, Tamaki, Tohdoh, Kaguya, along with Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, and Ironhide were all on the bridge as Ratchet and Fixit continued to scan the area from the Bridge's controls.

"No." Ratchet shook his head. "Optimus and Bumblebee's signals have not popped up since yesterday."

"What could have happened though? It's not like they all just vanished into thin air." Shirley said, sounding more than a little worried, a feeling that was shared by every human and Bot present.

"Maybe another Groundbridge?" Tohdoh suggested. "Is it possible they were captured by the enemy?"

"Unlikely." Fixit commented. "We would have detected another Groundbridge signal had it appeared in that area."

"Well they didn't just disappear." Arcee said in tone indicating she was worried for Kallen. "They had to be taken somewhere!"

"Maybe they just wound on one of the other islands nearby." Tamaki thought.

"We've scanned the entire area, there is no sign of any Autobot signals." Ratchet responded.

"What could have happened to them?" Wheeljack wondered. "You don't suppose they might have bought it, right?"

"No freaking way!" Tamaki exclaimed. "No way our top guns could kick the bucket so easily!"

"That's right." Ironhide agreed. "If Lelouch or Optimus were killed, Britannia would have already made a statement. The fact they haven't shows that they haven't even found any remains."

"So, they might still be okay?" Shirley asked in a hopeful tone.

"I have no doubt." Cliffjumper said with confidence. "Look who we're talking about here. Kallen and Rai are out top pilots, Bee's the best scout there is, and Lelouch and Optimus need no further explanation. I'm sure they can handle themselves no matter what trouble they find themselves in."

"But it's not just them that vanished, right?" Kaguya asked.

"That is correct." Fixit confirmed. "Britannia's military channels have indicated Suzaku, Dreadwing, Nonette Enneagram, and even Euphemia have all vanished. Britannia's military personnel, led by Second Prince Schneizel El Britannia as well as Starscream are leading the church… birch… search!"

"Which means we can't just go looking for our comrades blindly." Tohdoh said. "Not with so many enemies combing the area."

"But what happens if the bad guys find our friends?" Bulkhead questioned. "Or that our pals, Suzaku, Dreadwing, and their pals ended up with their friends?"

"If that's the case our friends outnumber them. They should be fine." Wheeljack replied.

"Still, it really gets to me that we can't do anything to find them." Arcee said.

"We may not have a choice in the matter, Arcee. Not with our current circumstances." Ratchet told her.

"Okay, how about this?" Ohgi suggested. "We wait twenty-four hours. If we don't hear a response from them, we go looking ourselves. But we use stealth and try to avoid drawing attention. How does that sound?"

Ironhide, Ratchet, and Tohdoh shared expressions as this seemed like a good idea. "Alright." Tohdoh nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good plan." Ironhide agreed.

"So, there's nothing else we can do?" Shirley asked.

"Sorry Shirley, but not at the moment." Kaguya told her, causing the brunette to look down.

Ratchet then turned around to look at the monitor. 'Optimus, where are you?'

The sun had slowly began to set as Lelouch, Euphemia, and Optimus Prime sat together on the beach of the mysterious island.

"What's wrong, Lelouch? They're quite tasty." Euphemia said as he had gathered much fruit for herself and her half-brother, and while Lelouch was glad to have some food, he felt a tad bad that she was the one who got them food when he wasn't able to gather any. She looked upward to the Autobot that sat with him. "I'm sorry I couldn't find anything for you, Optimus. You know, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure what Cybertronians eat."

"We don't ingest food the way humans do." Optimus explained. "Energon is often our means of preservation and sustention."

An intrigued look fell on Euphemia's face. "Well, I'd be very interested to know how that works. There's really a lot I'd like to know about Cybertronians." Her face fell into something of confliction and dismay. "The ones that…. I've been around lately… aren't exactly the type I want to make small-talk with."

Both Optimus and Lelouch grimaced. "Let me ask you something Euphie, seeing as how you've interacted with some of the Decepticons, were you by any chance in contact with their leader, Megatron?"

Euphie stopped moving just at the mere mention of that name and hesitated before giving an answer. "I've… spoken to him only a few times."

"Seeing how you've been so close with him; how do you feel?" Lelouch asked.

"Well, he certainly is strong." Euphie answered. "Incredibly versatile, not to mention a competent strategist, I even think he might even give our brother Schneizel a challenge if they were to play a game of chess…"

"No, I mean how do you feel when you're around him?" Lelouch clarified.

"Truthfully?" Euphie asked, in which Lelouch nodded in response. "He terrifies me." Both Lelouch and Optimus were not surprised to hear that. "Not just how… intimidating he is in appearance… Lelouch, you remember how your mother and Schneizel once said how eyes are like the windows to the soul? Well, when I first looked into his eyes… I didn't see a soul. There was just… nothing. As if…"

"As if you were looking into the eyes of the devil?" Lelouch finished, to which Euphemia gave a nod in response.

"Euphemia, you have good instincts." Optimus told her. "If Megatron ever did have a soul, he has long since abandoned it."

Meanwhile, on a separate beach, night had fallen as Dreadwing, Suzaku and the imprisoned Kallen had set down near a campfire as the redhead leaned back with a content sigh having eaten a great deal of the food that Suzaku had fished for them.

"Can't eat another bite. Boy am I stuffed."

"So, is this a glimpse of what you're really like?" Suzaku asked.

Kallen shot him an indifferent look. "Yeah, you wanna make something of it?"

"No, I think it's charming to see you so much livelier than you are at school." Suzaku said, causing Kallen to look away.

"What about you?" Kallen asked him. "You act all nice and sociable at school, but when you're with the Cons you're probably every bit the war mongered your master is, right?!"

"I would appreciate if you did not speak about Lord Megatron in such regard." Dreadwing advised.

"What? I'm not allowed to express how I feel?!" Kallen questioned. "If you want me to shut up, then you can just execute me and get it over with!"

"No, I will not terminate an unarmed prisoner." Dreadwing responded, resulting in Kallen scowling as she looked further away.

Suzaku gave a sigh before he spoke. "Kallen, leave the Black Knights and the Autobots."

"Forget it!" Kallen yelled immediately. "You want me to abandon my friends?! Well that's not happening! You have no idea what they've all done for me! They gave me a chance to take a stand and fight for what's right! Zero even saved my mother's life!"

"What?" Suzaku voiced in surprise, even Dreadwing was caught off-guard. "He did?"

"You think he's a terrorist, but you couldn't be further from the truth!" Kallen continued. "He gave me hope, they all did! They showed me how I can use my skills to fight monsters like Britannia and the Decepticons! In fact, I've kicked even your ass in my Knightmare!"

"Are you that red one?" Suzaku asked, taking a guess based on the color of Kallen's pilot suit.

"Damn right! I've even totaled more than a few Cons, like your BFF Airachnid!" She replied.

"Airachnid and I are not friends!" Suzaku quickly said. "I honestly don't want anything to do with her!"

"Yet you and Breakdown teamed up with her during that whole mess over the Polarity Gauntlet!" Kallen argued.

"We had orders to retrieve that weapon." Suzaku said. "I couldn't let it fall into the hands of the enemy…"

"So, you teamed up with a god damn serial killer to do it?!" Kallen yelled. "At first, I didn't think you were so bad, till I found out how much of a hypocrite you are!"

"Hypocrite?!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Yeah, you heard me!" She continued to shout. "You keep acting like you have the moral high-ground, even though you willing joined the fascist Britannia and became Megatron's personal attack dog! So, what did Megatron do to buy your loyalty?! Money?! Power?!"

"I didn't… I…" Suzaku tried to come up with an argument, but Dreadwing spoke up.

"Lord Megatron does not bribe his subordinates, and he did nothing to coerce Suzaku." The Seeker spoke in a calm yet assertive tone. "It was his choice to join our ranks."

"Oh, quit acting so high and mighty! I know what you guys really are!" Kallen yelled at Dreadwing. "You're monsters! A den of murderers, butchers, back-stabbers, and psychopaths who didn't bat an eye at even destroying their own home!"

"We did not destroy Cybertron!" Dreadwing stated, partially losing his composure. "We did everything we could to save it! That was the very reason Megatron formed the Decepticons, to wipe away the corruption that had spread throughout our society and restore the Golden Age! I regret what has befallen our planet, but that was not our intent!"

"So what?! You're gonna tell me Optimus did it?!" Kallen continued to argue. "That he's some kind of murderer?! Well I'm gonna tell you right now that he isn't! Optimus Prime is one of the most honorable and courageous people I've ever met in my entire life! He's been nothing short of a father to me!"

That took Suzaku by surprise. "He's a father to you?!" He questioned in a tone that sounded as if Kallen had suddenly grown a second head.

"Damn right he is!" Kallen continued. "Many of the Black Knights and the Autobots feel like family to me! I will never betray them! I lost my brother had the hands of Britannia, I'll be damned if I let them or the Decepticons take any more from me!"

"You've lost your brother?" Dreadwing voiced in honest surprise.

Kallen scoffed. "Go ahead and laugh at me. Go ahead and call my cause weak and trivial, tell me that my brother deserved to die just because he was helping the weak! Mock his memory! Airachnid and Starscream certainly would, I don't care what you people think!"

Dreadwing's expression became sympathetic as he looked at Kallen. "I will never mock someone who has lost their sibling, because I have lost a brother as well."

Kallen honestly did not expect to hear that. "What?" Suzaku looked toward Dreadwing in sympathy as he spoke.

"My twin Skyquake perished during the War for Cybertron." Dreadwing explained. "We joined the cause because we both believed in what Lord Megatron strived for. You use your brother's death as motivation to help drive you for your cause, just as I do. You wish to avenge him and preserve his memory, as I do as well. Even though we may be on opposite sides, Kallen Kozuki, I believe I understand your reasons to fight, and you have my honest sympathies."

Kallen simply looked away. "Lucky me." She muttered sarcastically before glancing at Suzaku. "Something you wanna say?"

"Kallen, I'm sorry about your brother, really I am…" He tried to speak, but Kallen didn't want to hear it.

"Oh please, like you care about family! Sympathies for the loss of a family member don't mean much when they're from the person who killed his own father!"

Suzaku gasped as his pupils shook, and Dreadwing was left completely stunned as he gasped at the shocked Suzaku.

At the same time; on a separate beach; Rai and the imprisoned Nonette had finished off their food as they sat with Bumblebee on the sandy ground. Rai tried to suppress a small burp. "Excuse me." However, both he and Bumblebee were caught off guard by Nonette who gave an even louder burp.

"Did you… just burp?" Rai questioned.

"What? A Knight of the Round isn't allowed to do that?" She asked with a half-smirk.

"Well you guys are like pseudo royalty, trying so hard to look nice." Rai commented as his face formed into a frown. "While hiding just how rotten you guys really are."

Nonette's smile faded. "You really hate Britannia? Can't say I blame you given what happened…"

"It's kinda hard not to hate Britannia considering it's mostly filled narcissistic war mongers." Rai began. "Not to mention it's become even worse since the Cons joined up with you."

"Okay, that much I can agree with." Nonette said. "From what I've seen, the Decepticons aren't ones that I would consider trust-worthy, with the exception of Dreadwing."

Rai scoffed. "If you know they're so bad, why are you still working with them?"

"Not my choice, not my call." Nonette quickly said. "The Emperor's orders…"

"Of course!" Rai threw his arms out in exasperation. "Who else but a psychopath would work with another psycho?! I swear if I ever see that bastard, I'm gonna kill him myself if Zero doesn't get the chance to!"

Nonette looked toward Rai in minor surprise. "You… you really don't remember, do you?"

That got Rai's attention as well as Bumblebee's. "What was it you called me again?" The young Black Knight asked.

"Kaizaren." Bumblebee's radio played Nonette's recorded voice.

"What the heck does that even mean, anyway?"

"It's your name." Nonette said.

"My name is Rai."

"[I don't wanna sound rude, but that was the name you gave yourself. Remember? You don't know your birth name.]" Bumblebee pointed out.

"Maybe… but Kaizaren doesn't ring any bells." Rai then looked at Nonette. "Well Ms. Knight of Nine, since you apparently know so much about me, tell me who I am. I'm just dying to know!" He voiced in obvious sarcasm.

Nonette looked down with a sorrowful expression, knowing he'd probably regret learning this. "Your real name is… Kaizaren Von Britannia…."

Rai almost fell back as his eyes widened to the point that they were almost circular, and even Bumblebee's optics shook in shock.

"[Say what?!]" Bumblebee bleeped.

"Von… Britannia…?" Rai had a pretty good idea what that part of his so-called name meant, but he had hoped beyond hope that it wasn't true.

"Your father's name is… Charles Zi Britannia." Nonette confirmed.

It was nighttime as Lelouch had set his cape down on the ground for Euphemia to lay on as he sat on a rock with Optimus sitting on the ground close to him, all three happened to gaze up at the starry night that laid above them.

"The stars haven't changed, have they?" Euphemia asked, mostly to her brother. "They were the same back then." She and Lelouch both remembered how they, Nunnally, and even Marianne used to lay on the ground and watch the stars the same way. "Were the stars like this? On Cybertron, I mean?"

Optimus gazed up reminiscently before answering. "Perhaps not the exact same, but yes… there were nights much like this, when those I considered friends and myself would gaze up at them with hope." He did this many times before with the likes of Alpha Trion, Ratchet, Ironhide, and even Elita before the war, and even a few times during the war with Bumblebee and his fellow soldiers. He even stood alongside Megatron at a time before they were sworn enemies.

"What exactly happened?" Euphemia asked. "I've heard some bits and pieces from Dreadwing and even what Suzaku had told me from Megatron's words. But… I want to hear yours, Optimus. Why was there a war? How did Cybertron…? If it's not too much trouble, of course, I just…"

"It's quite alright." Optimus assured. "If you really wish to know, I will tell you." She gave Optimus her undivided attention as even Lelouch listened. He heard the gist of what had happened and even knew a bit of Optimus' history with Megatron but know it would seem he would learn some of the details.

"Before the war broke out, Cybertron was divided by a caste system that was not too dissimilar from the one Britannia has implemented on this world." Optimus began. "There were those among the privileged high-class, and those among the lower class, often designated as workers such as miners, construction, and other similar designations. Soon, corruption began to spread among the masses as a result of this inequality. Those in the higher class viewed themselves as superior to those with lower class."

'Definitely sounds familiar.' Lelouch thought as he continued to listen.

"Back then, I went under a different name. I was called Orion Pax." Optimus continued. "I served as an Archivist in the halls of Iacon, the capital of Cybertron. As I learned more about the past Golden Age, I became more concerned with the growing corruption and I sought to find a solution. I would soon be joined in this endeavor by a gladiator who had named himself after one of the original Primes: Megatronous." That really caught Lelouch and Euphemia's attention as that name sounded so much like another one they knew all too well, it didn't take a genius to figure out who this 'Megatronous' was. "Megatronous had vowed to challenge the current leadership of Cybertron, demanding all Cybertronians be treated as equals. His words and actions rapidly gathered a loyal following, and I was among them. Megatronous and I worked together for many years, hopping to bring about a new Golden Age where we would all live in peace, at least that was my hope. As Megatronous left the gladiatorial arena for the political, he saw fit to shorten his name. It wasn't long before Megatron approached the High Council, those who had the power to select the Prime, the leader of our planet, and proposed his vision for a just society. However, it is here that I believe Megatron would begin to show his true intentions. He proclaimed to overthrow the current leader, Sentinel Zeta Prime, with brute force and demanded that he be named the next leader. Not requested, demanded it."

"Sounds like those were his true intentions." Lelouch commented. "He never really wanted peace, did he? He just wanted power."

"Megatron believed that power was the only way to obtain peace." Optimus continued. "But I did not. I proposed to the High Council a more peaceful solution, a way to change our current system without violence." As Euphemia and Lelouch continued to listen, the later couldn't help but recall some of Suzaku's words about changing Britannia and a pit formed in his stomach a bit. "The High Council agreed my proposal, and even opted to name me the next leader. However, Megatron was not in agreement. With his ambitions thwarted, he spitefully severed all ties with me and the Council, and would soon come to wage war through his growing army of followers which he named Decepticons."

"So… he actually started the war…?" Euphie asked in shock.

"Yes." Optimus confirmed.

"But, if you were friends, didn't you try to stop him? Try to convince him to change his mind?" Euphemia asked.

"I did, many times did I ask or even beg Megatron to stop the fighting." Optimus replied. "But he wouldn't listen, and even requested that I would join his cause. I refused and he declared me his enemy, as if those years we spent together as brothers-in-arms had meant nothing to him."

Lelouch looked to Optimus in sympathy, as did Euphemia. "I'm so sorry."

"The war had continued for many years, the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons remaining a bitter stalemate." Optimus continued. "That is until, Megatron had gained the power to control Dark Energon."

That took both half-siblings by surprise. "Dark Energon?" Lelouch asked. "You never mentioned that before."

"I never felt there was a need." Optimus answered.

"Energon is Sakuradite…" Euphemia recalled. "It serves as fuel, but… Dark Energon? What exactly is that?" She didn't quite seem to understand.

"In order for either of you to understand this, I feel you must understand how our species came about." Optimus began, getting their attention. "Before the beginning, at a time when the Universe was still in its infancy, there were two beings: Primus and Unicron. One the incarnation of good, order, light, and creation; the other, of evil, chaos, darkness, and destruction. Due to their opposite natures, these deity-like beings battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the Thirteen, the original Primes who proceeded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the core of our planet, creating life through the Well of All Sparks, his life essence becoming the substance that would be known as Energon. While Unicron himself was never heard from again, his spilled blood had fallen upon the surface of our planet, and just as Energon, the essence of Primus, brings life; the Blood of Unicron, also known as Dark Energon, brings destruction and death."

"So, would I be correct to assume that Primus and Unicron would be the equivalent of God and the Devil?" Lelouch asked.

"That is one way of looking at it, yes." Optimus nodded before continuing. "However, Megatron was somehow able to control Dark Energon, even though all thought such a thing would be impossible. With this powerful and destructive substance under his control, Megatron infused Dark Energon into our planet's core, believing he would control the will of Cybertron itself by doing so. But all he did was seal our planet's fate."

Euphemia gave a gasp as she covered her mouth in shock, while Lelouch simply scowled.

"I journeyed to the core, alongside my fellow Autobots, Ironhide and Warpath, hopping to reverse the effects." Optimus continued. "Only to find it was too late. However, I would soon find myself before the very spark of Primus himself. He told me that Cybertron could still survive, but the core would shut down for millions of years, during which Cybertron would be left cold and barren. However, before Primus would enter his slumber, he would pass onto me a portion of his spark: The Matrix of Leadership." Optimus' chest-plate opened to show the Matrix itself, it's bright and brilliant, almost holy, light sinned down on both Lelouch and Euphemia as they looked in awe. "So long as the Matrix survives, so too will our home." Optimus said as he closed his chest-pate. "I've carried it with me ever since, with the hope that Cybertron could be restored to its former glory."

Both Lelouch and Euphemia looked to Optimus in absolute awe, any respect they had for him had increased exponentially. Yet, at the same time, a great deal of sorrow, or rage in Lelouch's case, had also filled their beings as they know understood completely what kind of being Megatron truly was.

"Optimus… I… I am so sorry…" Euphemia was almost brought to tears. "I can't believe someone… like that… could actually exist."

"Megatron is pure evil, Euphie." Lelouch told his half-sister. "I've known that before I've heard this story. But now… If he didn't even shed a tear for the destruction of his own home, I shudder to think what he would do to ours."

"Yes, I also fear that if Megatron is not stopped, Earth may very well suffer the same fate as Cybertron." Optimus said in a grim tone.

Meanwhile, Suzaku was left in a state of shock, as was Dreadwing as he gazed down at Suzaku in surprise while Kallen continued to glare.

"How… how on Earth do you know that…?" The young Honorary Britannian stuttered.

"Tohdoh told me everything." Kallen said with a scoff. "And even then, I can't believe that he actually still wants to help you."

"Suzaku…" Dreadwing, for one of the few moments in his life, had no idea what to say. "Did… did you… really kill your own father…?"

"I… I didn't have a choice…" Suzaku tried. "He… He called for do-or-die resistance! Millions of people would have died… Japan would have…!"

"You didn't have a choice?!" Kallen exclaimed in anger. "That's bullshit and you know it! You could have stabbed him in the leg or something! You didn't have to kill him! And now you're only using his death as an excuse! Just a steppingstone to get what you want!"

"My father made his own choice." Suzaku tried to argue. "Are you saying he was right in sending millions of people to die?!"

"That's not the point!" Kallen stated. "Look, personally I wouldn't have agreed to something like that, but that's not what we're talking about here! You killed your own father and your blaming him for that, and it's not the only time! You choose to become a Britannian soldier! You choose to join the Decepticons! Quit acting like you didn't have a choice, because you did!"

"I joined the Britannian military because I want to change the system!" Suzaku argued. "It's also the reason I joined the Decepticons, because Megatron said…"

"And you actually believe him?!" Kallen interrupted. "After he let that spider-bitch Airachnid back into his ranks after what she did?!"

Suzaku tried to muster a glare of his own. "Well perhaps we wouldn't have to go to such methods if you're side continues to fight!"

"It's always everybody else's fault and never yours, right Suzaku?!" Kallen exclaimed. "Ironhide was right about you. You cannot take responsibility for all the crap that you do in your life!"

"Responsibility?!" Suzaku shouted in shock and anger. "You're lecturing me about responsibility?! Britannia is an Empire that controls one third of the entire planet! Trying to get everybody to fight a force as powerful as that is only going to put innocent people in danger!"

"That's always something we tried to avoid!" Kallen stated. "We never target civilians, even Britannians! Which is more than I can say for the likes of Britannia and the Cons! Clovis tried to massacre the entire Shinjuku ghetto; Cornelia tried the same thing in Saitama; Starscream used the hotel-jacking to draw us out so he could blow up the entire damn thing; and don't even get me started on what Airachnid did in the ghettos!" She spoke to both Suzaku and Dreadwing "Even if you two say you guys have a moral code, it doesn't really mean much if you let your leaders continue to slaughter countless people to get what they want! Can you honestly look me in the eyes and say they were right to try and kill all those people!"

"No, that is not what we are saying!" Dreadwing stated. "I agree that there are those, even on our own side, that have less than reputable approaches in certain situations."

"Keep preaching you damn Con!" Kallen stated. "I don't wanna hear your excuses, or yours Suzaku!" She spoke to him directly. "We're fighting to make this world a better place! Something that son of a bitch of an Emperor does not want to happen! The world is wrong; Zero, Optimus, all the Black Knights and the Autobots, including me, are trying to change it!"

"If you want to change it so badly, you can stop fighting and propose a peaceful solution to us!" Suzaku argued. "But all you're doing is fighting, which leaves me no choice but to take a stand against you!"

Kallen scoffed. "Are you even listening to yourself?! What am I some kind of comic book villain controlling your mind!? You do have a choice Suzaku! You've always had a choice! All the bad stuff you've done…. Killing your dad, attacking us, that was all you! And by trying to put the blame on us, you're just making yourself look like a pussy."

Suzaku was left completely floored, so much so that he couldn't come up with a proper argument. Dreadwing had a serious expression as there was a part of him that agreed with what Kallen said, a soldier must be willing to accept responsibility for the mistakes they've made.

Seeing how he wasn't giving a response, Kallen gave one final remark. "There is nothing you can say to me that will make me change my mind, Suzaku. I'm a Black Knight, and a friend and ally to the Autobots. That will never change. I know what I'm fighting for. Do you?"

Rai could not believe the words that Nonette just spoke to him, even Bumblebee was left in a state of shock. "No… that's not true…" Rai stuttered. "I can't be… you're lying… you have to be lying!"

"I'm not… I'm sorry, but it is the truth." Nonette confirmed as she had a somber look on her face.

"That' can't be…" Rai said as he fell to his knees and held his head. "That monster… is my father?! How… why…?!"

"[Hold on a minute.]" Bumblebee spoke up. "[There aren't any records of a Kaizaren Von Britannia. We did research on the whole royal family, but the name Kaizaren doesn't pop up.]"

Rai's shocked look into a glare. "You know what? You're right, Bee."

"What did he say?" Nonette asked.

"If you're telling the truth, then I should be a prince. Someone who's world-famous." Rai stated as he narrowed his eyes at Nonette. "How come nobody has ever heard of 'Prince Kaizaren'?"

"Because the Emperor has never officially announced your existence, or that of your sister." Nonette said.

Rai did not expect to hear that last word. "Whoa, whoa, hold on! I have a sister?!" He voiced in shock as he looked at the equally surprised Bumblebee.

"Had a sister. She…. Died…" Nonette looked away with a pained look in her eyes. "And, I thought you died to… but, that's what I don't get. Not that you're alive, but you look the same as you did seven years ago!"

"Seven years?" Rai questioned.

"You were reported dead seven years ago, but you look exactly the same! Still as young as you were back then! I don't get it!" Nonette stated as she herself seemed to have trouble trying to process all this.

Rai had heard enough of all this. "There's only one way for me to know if you're telling the truth."

Bumblebee looked to his friend in surprise, knowing what he meant. "[You're going to use your Geass?!]"

"I have to know." Rai quickly said as he looked at Nonette, the Geass emblem flashing in both his eyes. "Tell me who I am."

The minute his voice reached her ears, a red ring formed in both of Nonette's eyes as she gave her answer. "Your name is Kaizaren Von Britannia."

"And my father's name?"

"Charles Zi Britannia." She answered robotically.

A look of anger filled Rai's face, knowing she was speaking the truth, as it was impossible to lie under the effects of a Geass. With an angry yell, Rai slammed both his fists onto the sand, causing Bumblebee to look in sympathy. Taking a moment to calm down, however, Rai looked up at Nonette again, his Geass still active as he asked another question.

"Who's my mother?"

"Sakura Kururugi." She answered.

Neither Rai nor Bumblebee could have expected that. "[Did she just say Kururugi?!]" Bee bleeped in surprise.

"As in…she's related to Suzaku…?" Rai stuttered to ask with his Geass.

"Yes, Suzaku's paternal aunt. The elder sister to Genbu Kururugi." Nonette revealed.

To say Rai and Bumblebee were surprised was an understatement, not only was he half-Japanese and half-Britannian, but he was also the half-brother to Lelouch and Nunnally, and Suzaku's cousin. However, something did not quite make sense. "Why would the Emperor, a man who encourages racism and war marry a Japanese woman?"

"They did not marry. Charles and Sakura had an affair that was kept secret from both their families." Nonette revealed.

"Why though? Why have an affair with her in the first place?" Rai asked.

"I do not know." Nonette answered.

"Tell me about my sister." Rai said, keeping his Geass active.

"Her name was Erina Von Britannia, your younger sister." She replied.

"How do you know about us?" Rai asked further.

"Because I was assigned as your knight." Nonette answered robotically, much to Rai and Bee's surprise as she continued. "I was among the select few that knew of you and your family's existence. I became your knight to protect you and your family."

"Where did we live?" Rai asked.

"In the area that was known as the Philippians, south of Japan." Nonette answered.

"What happened to us?" Rai continued to ask.

"When Japan was invaded, the Britannian forces also invaded the Philippine islands at the same time." Nonette began. "They were have reported to have fought to the last man. Casualties were extreme, among those counted deceased included you, your sister, and your mother."

Rai narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Well if you were my knight, where were you when all that happened?!"

"I was called away on another mission by the Emperor to quell a dispute on the homeland." Nonette answered. "By the time the dispute was settled, I had learned of your deaths."

"How'd you take it?" Rai asked.

"I barged into the throne room and demanded the Emperor answer for his actions." Nonette answered. "In response, I was demoted."

"Then how'd you become a Knight of the Round, one of his elite?" Rai asked in confusion, his Geass still active. "And why did you do it if you were angry him?"

"I became a Knight of the Round by rising through the military." Nonette answered. "And I choose to become one because I sought to expose the Emperor's darker nature to the rest of Britannia in an effort that the Empire would see him removed. By force if necessary."

If Rai and Bee weren't surprised before, they certainly were now. "You… you would start a Britannian civil war?"

"I would avoid a war if necessary, but if there was no other alternative, then yes." Nonette confirmed.

"Why?" Rai asked, still in shock.

"To avenge you, and your sister, and mother." Nonette answered. "I was your knight, I swore to protect you, and I failed you. It is my hope that you can forgive me, but I understand if you can't."

Rai couldn't believe it, and neither could Bumblebee. A Knight of the Round was ready to strike against her own emperor without hesitation?! Maybe she could be a potential ally. But it wouldn't be under the effects of a Geass, if he did that, he'd be no different from his so-called father or the Decepticons. With a sigh, Rai deactivated his Geass, freeing Nonette of the influence as the red ring vanished from her eyes.

She looked in confusion over what had just happened as Rai stood up, his hair covering his face as he walked away. "Are… are you alright?" She asked him.

"No… I… I just need to think…" He muttered as he walked behind the sitting Bumblebee, sat down and lied against his back, placing a hand over his face. There was so much going through his head just now. He finally learned who he was and where he came from, but a part of him wished he hadn't. Yet there were still so many questions in his head, like how apparently, he hasn't aged in seven years. He knew he didn't have the same kind of Code abilities that V.V or C.C. have. And the worst part, he still had no memories of any of this. He didn't know what to think.

Bumblebee looked backwards to cast a sympathetic glance toward Rai, honestly having no idea what to say to comfort or help him, no matter how much he wanted to. At the same time however, he had come to develop a sense of respect for Nonette, she appeared truly loyal to Rai, or Kaizaren anyway, evenly confessing she'd start a Britannian civil war just to avenge him. Maybe she could be an ally against both Britannia and the Decepticons. However, the yellow Autobot glanced upward in minor surprise as he saw lights shinning from another area on the island up toward the clouds.

The Avalon had stationed itself near the center of the very same island our heroes and other individuals were stuck on. Schneizel was at the control center of his personal aircraft carrier with both General Bartley and Lloyd by his side.

"We couldn't find Major Kururugi or Lady Enneagram washed ashore on the other island, so it's obvious we should look here." Schneizel said.

"But what about Dreadwing?" Lloyd asked. "Considering he's a flyer, wouldn't it make sense he'd already transported them away?"

"If that were the case, it's a wonder why they haven't attempted to make contact." Schneizel replied.

"We'll send a search party out in the morning." Bartley said.

"Speaking of contact, I don't think I've even able to establish contact with anyone since we came to this little island." Lloyd said as he took out his personal cell phone. "I can't even call Cecile without receiving static on the other end."

"Yes, we are even unable to make short-ranged contact with our Knightmare pilots." Schneizel said as he and his two companions looked through the Avalon's screen to see a cave that was outside, right in front of the craft. "I do believe that this may be the cause."

"We uncovered it when the Shinjuku Incident occurred." Bartley answered. "Though we were able to contact outside forces when we discovered it. This blocked-contact situation is something entirely new."

"Hmm, interesting." Schneizel mused.

At the same time; Starscream was right outside the Avalon, along with Thundercracker, Skywarp, Knock Out, Breakdown, and several other Vehicons and even Britannian Sutherlands as they looked toward the cave.

"Hmm, this seems to be the source of the jamming signal." Knock Out said as he and Thundercracker scanned the exterior of the cave with their own devices. "It's radiating the same energy that was detected on Shikinie when Dreadwing and everyone else vanished."

"Some form of teleportation, maybe?" Thundercracker wondered as he looked at his own device. "Not unlike Groundbridges, yet quite different. I've never seen an energy signature quite like this before."

Starscream glanced at the cave as he rubbed his fingers down his chin. "It would appear that there is more to this planet than I originally thought."

The Nemesis

It took longer than one had expected, but Shockwave was able to use the Cortical Physic Patch to extract all information from V.V.'s mind as he remained strapped to the Mini-con table in the laboratory. It was a rather grueling process as V.V. died exactly seventy-eight times, only to be revived immediately thanks to his own Code-powers, and to undergo the same process again, dying each time, rather painfully. Sometimes, his body exploded, sometimes it burst into flames, sometimes his internal organs melted, other times his nervous system was fried. But no matter what, he healed up almost instantly, allowing Megatron and Soundwave to observe the effects of his immortality and they seemed quite impressed; with the power, not with V.V. himself.

But it was finally done. Shockwave had perfected the Cortical Psychic Patch's ability to work on humans as he was able to extract every little piece of information V.V.'s mind held, and the data was presented to Megatron. The Lord of the Decepticons had learned everything that Charles and V.V. were up to; he learned more about Geass as well, including all the Thought Elevators, more information regarding C.C., the contracts V.V. has made with others including Charels, even learning Charles' ability to alter memories as he's even done to his own family before. But what really got Megatron's attention was Charles and V.V.'s end goal and how they had hoped to achieve it.

"Ragnarok." Megatron said with an evil chuckle. "I never knew Charles was so ambitious… to come up with such a grand goal… and the plan on how to achieve it… how deceptive. It's a shame his dear brother has decided to act out against his wishes." Megatron cast a glance to V.V. who looked up with fear-shaken eyes at the Decepticon leader. "Perhaps I may have underestimated you and your brother, Victor. But not as drastically as you've underestimated me. You thought by teleporting Optimus, Lelouch, Suzaku, Dreadwing, and their allies to Kanime Island via the Thought Elevators, you would not only gain leverage over me, but even trigger a trap that would enable Lelouch and Kaizaren to lose control of their Geass abilities, which you would turn to your advantage. Though I suppose that's more of a matter of underestimating Optimus and the influence he has on his allies. Regardless, you believed your immortality made you invincible, that you were the pinnacle of the power of Geass. But you have no idea what true power is! I have seen true power! And it makes even the Geass look weak and insignificant by comparison! At the end, you are as you appear to be, just a spiteful child!"

Megatron then turned to his most faithful scientist. "Shockwave monitor V.V. and see to it he is confined to the Nemesis, away from his Thought Elevators so he is unable to teleport himself away. I will make a final decision on what to do with him soon."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron." The cyclops Decepticon bowed his head.

'No…!' V.V. thought as dread spread throughout his body. 'It… it wasn't supposed to be like this…! Charles… I… I didn't mean for him to find out! It's… it's not my fault! It's not my fault!' He tried to tell himself as he was unable to hide the fear he was now experiencing.

The next morning

Dreadwing and Suzaku escorted the bound Kallen in the direction they thought was a search party. However, what they didn't seem to notice was Kallen losing her wrists from the bounds that kept her hands bound.

"What makes you guys so sure it's A Britannian search party?" Kallen questioned them. "What will you do if it's my people?" A smirk fell on her face. "You don't seem to have much of a winning streak against them, do you Suzaku?"

Suzaku's eyes twitched slightly. "If that's the case, we'll figure a way to deal with them."

"You should be more worried for yourself, Kallen Kozuki." Dreadwing told her. "If it's our forces, you may very well be a prisoner of war."

'Not for long.' Kallen hid her smirk as she was almost free from her bonds.

At the same time; Bumblebee and Rai walked toward the same location along with Nonette as her hands were still tied behind her back, though she made no attempt to escape.

"Are you sure you saw a light?" Nonette asked.

"[Yeah, I'm positive.]" Bumblebee bleeped.

"He said 'yes'." Rai translated.

Also, simultaneously, Optimus led both Lelouch and Euphemia in the same direction from a separate location. "We should be nearing its location soon. Stay close to me." Optimus told both of them. "If it's our forces we shouldn't have much to worry about."

"What if it's Britannia?" Lelouch asked.

"Then maybe I can do something." Euphemia suggested. "I may be the Sub-Viceroy, but I am still a princess."

The two revolutionary leaders shared a concerning look. It wasn't that Optimus or Lelouch doubted Euphemia, but more so they were worried that the Britannians or Decepticons would attack anyway and dismiss Euphemia as a 'casualty of war'.

Schneizel, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Lloyd, Knock Out, Breakdown, and General Bartley were now inside the cave they discovered, facing what appeared to be ancient hieroglyphics on a massive stone door that was even twice as tall as the likes of Megatron. However, there was also an empty Knightmare that stood out among all others seen thus far. It was by far the biggest, black with a gold secondary color, with two shoulder-mounted cannon-like devices.

"You say this is called a Thought Elevator?" Starscream mused.

"That's what we believe, yes." Schneizel confirmed.

"Doesn't seem like much of an elevator to me." Skywarp commented. "There's nothing here to move it."

"I doubt it's the same type of elevator." Knock Out said.

"But it does appear to be the source of this usual energy." Thundercracker noted as he scanned the hieroglyphics.

"Well then, let's crack it open and see what's inside!" Breakdown readied his hammer.

"As much as I appreciate your straight-forward thinking Breakdown, I believe it would be best to find out what exactly it is first before we attempt to destroy it." Schneizel advised.

"He's got you there, big guy." Lloyd said causally. "But I'm afraid archeology isn't my strong suit, especially with all this paranormal stuff."

"Why you… show some respect!" Bartley growled.

"As I was saying, this is way outside of my field." Lloyd continued. "I wish you could have asked Cecile about this instead."

"But it is with my hope that the Gawain's Druid System will be able to analyze it." Schneizel said, referring to the large black Knightmare. "And that is why we called you in Lloyd."

"Ah ha!" Lloyd seemed more than a bit excitedly.

Starscream gave an annoyed groan "Must you always be so annoying, Asplund?" He then looked toward the Britannian prince below him. "And you say there are more of these things?"

"Yes, eight total; including this one." Schneizel confirmed. "My father seems infatuated with this as well, isn't that right Bartley?"

"Oh, so the Emperor knows about this?" Knock Out asked.

"Eh, yes." Bartley confirmed. "Excluding this one, the remaining seven sights are directly under Imperial control."

"Coincidence?" Skywarp asked.

"Maybe not." Thundercracker theorized. "If the Emperor's interested in these, then maybe that's the reason Britannia is invading other countries."

"To get these elevator-things?" Breakdown asked. "Why not just call him up and ask him?"

"My father isn't one to give a straight answer." Schneizel replied. "And besides, I'd rather not have him learn that I've taken an interest in these Thought Elevators, not without finding out exactly what they are capable of and how they can be used."

Starscream was able to get the underlying message in Schneizel's words as he turned to the prince with an intrigued look. "Ah, intending to go behind your father's back, are you?" The Schneizel only responded with a half-smile and a raised eyebrow, which was all the confirmation Starscream needed. "I am no stranger to ambition."

Optimus, Lelouch and Euphemia were about to make it into a clearing when the Autobot leader stopped. "We should be careful going from this point." Optimus advised.

"So, does that mean our time together is over?" Euphie asked in a sad tone.

"Maybe for now…" Lelouch told his sister with a small smile. "But I'm sure we'll see each other again. In fact, I've been saving this just in case I were to run into you again…" Lelouch reached into his pocket and pulled out a small phone-like device and handed it to her. "This is a special communicator I made so we can talk in private without Britannia or the Decepticons listening in. But keep in mind Euphie, this is only for emergencies. We can't use it for small-talk, do you understand?"

Despite that, Euphie couldn't help but smile as she held the device close to her person. "Yes, I understand." She turned to the Autobot leader and bowed to him. "And Optimus, thank you again for looking out for Lelouch. I am so glad I got to know you."

Optimus smiled as well. "And I am glad to have met you as well, Princess Euphemia."

Euphie then had a serious look on her face. "And this why I promise that I'm going to do everything in my power to help you in your struggle against the Decepticons. Now that I know what they are, I refused to let what happened to Cybertron happen to Earth."

"Is that why you made Suzaku your knight?" Lelouch asked her. "To get him away from them?"

"That is one of the reasons, yes." Euphie confirmed. "He's a good person, and I don't want a monster like Megatron to try and turn him into something he's not."

"You said that is one of the reasons." Optimus noted. "Might I ask what the other is?"

Euphie stuttered for a moment. "Well… you see… I…"

Lelouch however was able to see right through her as he smirked. "You like him, don't you?" This caused Euphemia's face to blush, which was all the confirmation Lelouch needed as he chuckled. "Oh Euphie, all these years and you're still too easy to read."

Euphemia chuckled with her brother as Optimus had a heart-warming smile at their interactions. However, such a happy moment was brought to a halt as they all heard rustling in the woods across the clearing. Lelouch was quick to place his mask and cape back on as they all hid to see who it was that had approached on the other end of the clearing.

'Kallen?' Lelouch thought in surprise. 'With Suzaku and Dreadwing?!'

Euphie was the first to rush out. "Suzaku!" This got the attention of Suzaku, Kallen, and Dreadwing.

"Princess Euphemia!?" Suzaku did not expect to see her here. However, once Optimus and Zero stepped out, Dreadwing was the first to draw his massive cannon.

"Prime! Zero!" The Decepticon seeker was ready to fight as Optimus primed his Energon blaster.

"Dreadwing, it's alright, stand down!" Euphemia walked forward, though her command was a shock to both himself and Suzaku. "They saved my life and have been taking care of me since I woke up here! They're not our enemies!"

"They… saved you…?!" Suzaku stuttered.

"Suzaku Kururugi, Dreadwing, I don't know how you two have ended up here, but I would appreciate it if you were to return our subordinate now." Zero requested, referring to Kallen.

"I don't think so!" Suzaku stated as he kept a firm grip on her arm, however he was taken by surprise by the sound of primed Energon blasters as he and Dreadwing looked to the side to see a certain scout aiming his weapons at the pair.

"[Better do what he says!]" Bumblebee advised.

"Bumblebee." Optimus noticed his friend's presence as well, as both he, Lelouch and even Euphemia were shocked by who was with him.

"Rai…" Zero muttered in surprise.

"Nonette!" Euphie exclaimed.

The Knight of Nine did not expect to run in this kind of meeting. "Euphie? Suzaku?"

"Lady Enneagram and…" Suzaku's pupils shrunk at the sight of the young man next to her. "Rai?!"

The amnesiac Black Knight sighed as he addressed his friend. "Hey Suzaku."

"You're…. you're a Black Knight to?!" Suzaku couldn't believe it as he looked in-between Rai and Kallen with a shocked look on his face before glaring at Zero. "What did you do to them to make them join you!?"

Before Zero could give a response, Euphemia walked forward. "That's enough Suzaku. Let that woman go, and Dreadwing stand down."

"Princess Euphemia…!" Dreadwing was about to protest, but Euphie remained firm.

"That is an order!" Euphie stated with finality. "Stand down, now!"

Though surprised at first, both reluctantly did as they were ordered. "Yes, your highness." Suzaku said as Dreadwing put his cannon away. Suzaku was about to release Kallen's bonds, but she had already freed herself and wretched her unbound hands away as she glared at him before walking across the clearing to join her friends as Optimus lowered his arms.

Bumblebee did so as well as he and Rai walked to join up with Optimus and Zero, while allowing Nonette to join Suzaku and Dreadwing, prompting the Honorary Britannian to untie his comrade.

"[So, you guys are stuck here to, huh?]" Bumblebee noted.

"Yes, it would appear so." Zero confirmed.

"Kallen, Rai, are you two unharmed?" Optimus asked his two soldiers.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kallen confirmed.

"Same, physically anyway." Rai said in an unsure tone that all his friends noticed as Bee gave another sympathetic look.

"Dreadwing, can I assume you're unable to transform for some reason?" Zero asked, getting the attention of the Decepticon and two Britannian knights. "Otherwise you would have already taken my subordinate and flown away."

"It's none of your concern, Zero." Dreadwing glared.

"Dreadwing, Suzaku, Lady Enneagram, is there really a need for us to do battle when we are all in the same predicament?" Optimus asked.

"He does have a point." Nonette pointed out. "We're all kinda stuck here."

"But there's still that search party nearby." Suzaku also said, keeping his glare fixed on the supposed enemies. "When we find them and if they're Britannians…"

"Suzaku, there's no need for any of this." Euphemia walked toward her group. "You don't have to fight the Autobots or the Black Knights anymore. They're not the real enemy."

"What are you talking about?" Suzaku asked his princess.

"Megatron has been lying to us! To all of us! Even you, Dreadwing!" Euphemia told them, much to each of their surprise. "Everything we know is wrong! Please just listen to what Zero and Optimus have to say!"

"Princess Euphemia…?" Suzaku had no idea how to respond to this.

"Suzaku, maybe we should listen to them." Nonette seemed to agree.

"I disagree." Dreadwing stated as he glared at the Autobots and their human allies. "I see no reason to converse with any of you."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kallen rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion.

"Dreadwing, there is more to Skyquake's death than you know." Optimus tried to speak to him rationally. "I was there, when he died. Please just listen…"

However, before anyone could speak any further, Rai happened to glance toward a cliffside on the right side of the area, and his face went pale upon seeing something that stood on top of it. "Um… how about we talk things out after we figure out What THE HELL THAT THING IS!" He practically screamed as he pointed at what he saw.

All human and Cybertronian eyes fell toward what Rai was seeing, and it was something that made them all gasp in shock or horror in the case of the Autobots, even Dreadwing. It was a massive hulking creature that appeared made entirely out of metal with brown metallic skin, massive claws and talons, insect-like arms on its chest, a metallic head with a red v-shaped visor for an eye and four mandibles near its mouth. It looked even bigger than the likes of Optimus.

The creature gave a roar as it leapt onto the ground, causing a tremor that shook up the entire area. It set its sights on Optimus and Bumblebee and once it saw the Autobot insignias on their bodies, it gave another roar as it charged at the pair; forcing them, Zero, Kallen, and Rai to scatter as Bumblebee and Optimus opened fire with their respective blasters.

"What is that thing!?" Kallen exclaimed as she, Rai, and Zero attempted to hide as they saw the large creature grab Bumblebee and chuck him at Optimus, causing them both to crash deep into the forest. Before the monster could make a finishing move attempt, a blast had shot past its head as it turned around to face Dreadwing that had his cannon primed at it.

"Stand down, scavenger!" Dreadwing exclaimed as he stood protectively in front of Suzaku, Euphie, and Nonette who continued to hide behind the trees, but they were surprised to hear Dreadwing addressing this monster in such a way. "I am lieutenant Dreadwing, under direct command of Lord Megatron! I order you to stand down!"

In direct response, the monster roared before it charged at Dreadwing who opened fire again, but the giant beast was able to dodge the blast, grab the cannon and throw it away before grabbing Dreadwing by the shoulders and pinned him to the ground. It raised its claw to finish him, only for Bumblebee to leap on top of its head and pound on it, forcing it off of Dreadwing as it tried to shake the Autobot off.

Bumblebee primed his blaster and aimed directly into its mouth. "[Eat this!]" He fired into the monster's mouth, causing it to roar in pain as it was able to shake Bumblebee off, but this left it vulnerable for Optimus to rush in with his blade and decapitate it with a single strike. The headless monstrosity fell down onto the ground. Optimus first helped Bumblebee to his feet before he walked over to Dreadwing and offered him a hand, though hesitant at first, Dreadwing accepted the gesture as the Autobot leader helped him to stand.

Zero, Kallen, and Rai walked out in the clearing from one end as Suzaku, Nonette and Euphemia did the same, the princess shaking like a leaf as she saw the lifeless body of the metallic monster. "What… in god's name… was that…?"

"An Insecticon." Optimus answered gravely.

"A what?!" Kallen, Rai, Suzaku, and Nonette all exclaimed at the same time in shock.

"A sub-terranean Cybertronian lifeform." Optimus explained. "After our planet's core when dark late in the war, many of these creatures moved to the surface to find new sources of Energon to sustain themselves."

"But... if it's Cybertronian, what's it doing on Earth?" Rai asked as Zero went to inspect the body closely. However, he spotted a certain insignia on it's right arm that he recognized all too well.

"This thing is a Decepticon?!" He exclaimed, surprising much of the group as all of them set their sights on Dreadwing for an explanation.

The seeker sighed as he spoke. "As Prime said, these sub-terranean creatures had made their way to Cybertron's surface near the end of the war. Our scientist Shockwave saw their potential and choose to recruit them, despite many protests he faced, including my own."

"Still think you're with the good guys, Suzaku?" Kallen glared at the shocked Honorary Britannian.

"Hey, wait, do you guys hear that?" Nonette asked as the entire group heard more sounds that sounded like rapidly flapping wings, almost like the buzzing noises insects make only much larger.

They soon discovered the sources of the sound to be three large creatures that resembled massive Herculean Beatles. They entered the clearing and began to circle the group before they transformed to reveal they were Insecticons as well, identical to the one that had just been killed. But it wasn't just them, a different Insecticon flew in that seemed to resemble something of a large wasp-like creature before it transformed to reveal a smaller Insecticon with silver color scheme, with hints of purple and yellow around Bumblebee's size, with two large claws coming out of it's back in addition to his normal hands at his sides. It was clearly the leader of this group.

"Well, well, look at what we have here, here, here!" It said with a snickered.

"Kickback." Dreadwing recognized him.

"First, Shockwave's tower blows up, up, up!" Kickback began. "We end up on another planet, planet, planet. Now we got Bots and Cons waking us up, up, up!"

"Why is he talking like that?" Rai asked.

"[Some kind of speech impediment I'm guessing.]" Bumblebee guessed.

"Kickback, I order you and your forces to stand down at once! By the order of Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing demanded.

"I think not, not, not!" Kickback replied. "We just woke up after who knows how long, long, long! Now we're hungry! And looky, looky, we got lots of fresh Energon. Sick em boys, boys, boys!" He pointed toward the group as his Insecticon trio roared and charged at them.

Optimus and Dreadwing were the first to open fire and draw the attention of the incoming monsters, while Bumblebee ran to grab all six of the humans in his arms and drop them off into the woods. "[Stay here!]"

"Behind you!" Zero warned as Kickback's insect-mode flew above Bumblebee to grab him by the talons and throw him toward the wall. "We have to go! Now!" He told the others.

"For once Zero, I agree!" Nonette exclaimed as she grabbed the Princess' hand. "Euphie, Suzaku! Let's go!"

The group ran deep in the forest, but it wasn't unnoticed by Kickback. "Oh, little fleshy playthings, things, things! Get em!"

One Insecticon heard his leader's command through a special sonic frequency and ran in pursuit of the humans, much to the recovering Bumblebee's shock. "[No!]" He was about to rush after them, only for Kickback to transform into his normal Cybertronian form and land his feet on Bumblebee's back before jumping up to stand in front of him.

"Don't think so Autobot, bot, bot!" Kickback snickered, resulting in Bumblebee glaring as he rushed to tackle Kickback and face him directly.

Optimus and Dreadwing found themselves literally backed into a corner as the remaining two Insecticons loomed over to them. "Dreadwing, whatever conflict is between us, remains unfinished. But if we don't unite against our common foe…"

"The Insecticons will destroy all of us, including our human companions." Dreadwing agreed to the temporary alliance as he drew his sword and swung it, challenging one of the Insecticons as he rushed it, leaving Optimus to deal with the remaining one.

Meanwhile, the one Insecticon that Kickback had sent after the humans searched the forest for its prey, while the six of them hid in a nearby cave to avoid being seen.

"These things make Scraplets look downright pleasant!" Rai commented in a harsh whisper.

"Scraplets?" Euphemia asked.

"Don't ask." Zero and Kallen both said simultaneously.

"Well anyone got an ideas, on how to take that thing down? If you do, I'm all ears." Nonette said.

"There might be a search party nearby…" Suzaku suggested. "If they're Britannian forces…"

"Out of the question!" Zero stated. "And before you say anything Suzaku, it's not because they're the enemy. It's because just one of these Insecticons was able to throw Optimus and Dreadwing around like ragdolls. If one of them is able to over-power two of the largest Cybertronians we've seen, what are puny Sutherlands going to do other than literally getting torn to shreds?"

"He has a point." Nonette agreed.

"Looks like we'll have to settle this on our own." Kallen said. "Be a whole lot easier if we had our Knightmares."

Euphie began to think as an idea came to her. "Zero, when the two of us and Optimus came here, I remember passing by a small cliff, with a bunch of jagged rocks on the bottom. They looked pretty sharp."

"Hmm, maybe." Zero glanced out the cave as he saw this jungle was lined with many vines that seemed pretty thick enough. "Alright, you might be onto something. But if it's going to work, we all need to work together. Suzaku, Enneagram, would you be willing to cooperate with us?"

"Beats getting eaten alive." Nonette said immediately. "And there's no way I'm going to let you down again.' She cast a small glance in Rai's direction.

Suzaku however seemed to be hesitant, something Euphemia noticed. "Suzaku, we have no other choice. We all need to work together on this, so just this once, listen to Zero. Consider that an order."

With a sigh, Suzaku accepted. "Alright." He then looked at Rai. "But we are going to have a talk about this later."

"How about after we kill that oversized bug?" Rai suggested.

"Alright, we need a distraction." Zero began to think. "Something to keep it busy while we set up the trap. I'll go."

"What?!" Euphie exclaimed in surprise, greatly worried for her brother.

"By yourself?!" Kallen seemed equally concerned.

Even Suzaku looked stunned. "You're willing to offer yourself as bait?"

"If a leader doesn't lead, how can he expect his friends and allies to follow?" Zero asked, surprising Suzaku even further. He honestly did not expect Zero to willingly put his life in danger for his subordinates. Did he misjudge him?

"Zero, no offense, but you're skinny as a twig." Rai said. "You need someone who can actually run for their lives. So, I'll be the bait."

"Rai…" Zero tried to say something.

"Not by yourself you're not." Kallen said. "We're partners, remember?" She offered her friend a smirk and a handshake, which Rai accepted. "Zero, we'll keep that thing busy."

"Yes, we will." Nonette said as she put her hand on both of theirs, surprising the group even further. "I'm a Knight of the Round, I've got special training, and you need all the help you can get. I'm in."

"I'm in too." Suzaku put his hand in. "We'll keep it busy."

"Very well." Zero put his faith in his friends, even if one of them was at the moment on the opposite side. "Euphemia, you and I will set up the trap. Once it's ready, I'll fire my gun into the air. The four of you will lead that Insecticon to the trap, the location is roughly half a kilometer east from here."

"Understood." Kallen nodded as she, Suzaku, Rai, and Nonette all stood up. "Let's go." They walked out of the cave as they saw the Insecticon in view.

"Hey! Over here!" Rai called to it as he picked up a rock and threw it at its head to get its attention. "Come on! Fight me!"

"No! Me!" Nonette waved her hands as they ran around it.

"Come on! This way!" Suzaku called to it as the group began to run into the forest.

"Come and get us you oversized bug!" Kallen also called to it as the Insecticon roared and chased after its prey, taking the bait.

As they saw the Insecticon move deeper into the forest, Euphie couldn't help but express total worry for both Suzaku and Nonette. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Zero. Even though she couldn't see her brother's face under the mask, she could tell that he was giving her an assuring look, saying it was going to be alright.

"Come on, let's go."

Euphie nodded and followed her brother.

Back in the clearing Dreadwing swung his blade down toward the Insecticon he was facing, which was able to block it with its smaller insect-like arm before slugging him in the face to send him crashing across the ground. Though Dreadwing was quick to stand back up as he picked up a large boulder and chucked it at its head. This disoriented the Insecticon enough to give Dreadwing an opening for him to strike on its head with his blade, slicing off most of its mandibles before slicing at its chest to knock it back. However, as he went in for a third slice, the Insecticon dealt a powerful punch to Dreadwing's chest to knock him into the air before he crashed into the ground. However, the Decepticon was quick to pick himself up, he bore witness to the Insecticon stomping on his blade, shattering it as it roared challenging at him. Dreadwing responded with a yell of his own as he rushed the bug-like Cybertronian with only his bare hands.

Meanwhile, Optimus had dealt several punches to the face of the Insecticon he was facing and was able to knock it down with a powerful slug to its face. He primed his Ion blaster with the intent on finishing it, but the Insecticon quickly grabbed his arm and got back up to flip Optimus over his head and slam him down hard onto the ground before throwing Optimus at the nearest cliffside. This disoriented Optimus slightly, but his optics widened as he saw the Insecticon transform into its Herculean Beatle mode and attempted to fly and rush him, but Optimus rolled out of the way as it impacted the cliffside and shook the area a bit. The Prime was quick to get back on his feet to tackle the Insecticon to the ground.

At the same time, Bumblebee continued to shoot Energon blasts at the flying Kickback as he was in his bug-form. The crazed Insecticon shot down at Bumblebee faster than he could react and crashed him into the ground before transforming to pin him down even further.

"I hear they call you Bumblebee." Kickback said sadistically. "Does that mean you can sting like me? Me? Me?" He chuckled insanely, only to be halted as Bumblebee was able to kick him off with his right leg before quickly getting back up. He then rushed Kickback and dealt a punch across his face to knock him back before dealing many more punches. However, Kickback retaliated with slashes from its upper claws, which cut Bumblebee across his chest and spilt some Energon, allowing Kickback to blast the Autobot scout back with an Energon blast from its hands.

Kickback brought some of the dripping Energon from its right upper claw close to it's faceplate, which opened up to reveal insect-like mandibles as it tasted the dripping Energon. "Hmm, that is good, good, good. Give me more! More! More!" Kickback transformed again and fired more Energon blasts at Bumblebee, forcing him to dodge the blasts and return fire with his own Energon blasters.

Back in the forest, the four human soldiers continued to run from the pursuing Insecticon as it used its massive hands and arms to bash and clear away all the trees that stood in its way. Rai ran toward the side and picked up several rocks, which he threw at the Insecticon's side to get his attention.

"Come on bug-boy! Over here!" Rai waved his arms as the Insecticon attempted to rush him. However, it wouldn't get to far as Nonette swung down from a vine to land her feet on its head, though she didn't hurt it, she did get its attention as she let go of the fine and landed on the ground some distance away, but the massive metallic monster was quick to close the distance and loom over her.

"Hey! Hey!" Kallen called to it from behind. "I got a bug-zapper right here for you!" The Insecticon then focused its attention on Kallen and attempted to rush her, but this seemed to distract it for Suzaku to leap down from the tree he climbed up and land on its head. He got the rock he recently picked up and banged on its head. Though he was certain it wouldn't damage it, this would still get its attention.

The Insecticon was unable to reach for Suzaku with its hands, so it instead transformed into its Herculean Bug form and attempted to fly and shake him off, though Suzaku was still able to hold on, albeit for dear life. It then descended back to the ground as it attempted to shoot Energon blasts from its horn, forcing Kallen, Rai, and Nonette to take cover and avoid getting blown up.

"That thing has lasers?!" Kallen practically screamed. "The giant transforming alien bug has freaking lasers!"

"Well, it is a Cybertronian!" Nonette pointed out.

"That's not exactly helpful!" Rai told her.

They wouldn't get a chance to argue however as the Insecticon flew back down and transformed once it reached the ground to knock Suzaku off and send him crashing onto the three other humans, knocking them down. The Insecticon looked more annoyed than anything as it loomed over the frightened quartet.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A trio of gunshots was heard in the air, getting the Insecticon's attention, as well as the four humans.

"That's the signal." Rai said. "Come on, let's go!" He, Kallen, Suzaku, and Nonette ran directly under the distracted Insecticon in the direction Zero told them to go, prompting the Insecticon to chase after them.

The trap was all set; multiple vines had been tied around two large trees as they were grouped together and tightened, at the same length that was twice the length of Sutherland. Hopefully the multiple vines wound together made it thick enough for it not to snap when their quarry tripped on it. As Zero made a final check-up, Euphie looked down the cliff below them, it was a hundred-foot drop with multiple jagged rocks at the bottom that seemed hopefully sharp enough.

"Lelouch… do… do you really think this will work?" Euphie asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Zero replied. "But if it doesn't, we have to get back to Optimus and the others and hope they can finish it." Though he clenched his fists in frustration at the fact he couldn't do much more without a Knightmare. However, they began hearing the stomping noises that rapidly made their way towards them. "When I say now, roll out of the way. Got it?"

"Got it." Euphie nodded as they waited. What seemed like only a few seconds was an agonizing eternity for the both of them until they saw their friends run for their lives out of the clearing.

"IT'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" Nonette screamed as the Insecticon roared, bashing the trees and foliage out of the way of its charge. Zero had to wait till got close enough before they could move, Lelouch's eyes shook beneath the mask before it was finally time.

"NOW!" He exclaimed as both he and Euphie separated and rolled toward the left and right sides respectively, just as the Insecticon had made its way at their location, it's right foot twisting on the vines set up. However, the trees snapped out of the ground, something Lelouch didn't intend, but it did help them as the trees tangled around it, blocking it's view as the Insecticon lost its footing on the cliff and fell down face-first into the rocks below.

The six of them all quickly walked towards the edge as they saw the result of their plan. The Insecticon had been impaled in multiple spots, notably in its chest and neck as they saw a large puddle of Energon leaking out from the bottom. It twitched for a moment, before its visor turned dark, indicating its termination.

"Think we got it?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes… seems that way." Zero confirmed.

"Good." Kallen breathed a huge sigh of relief as she fell down on her rear, followed by Rai, and Nonette. "Let's agree to never try anything like that again."

"At least not with our Knightmares." Rai joked, resulting in much of the group chuckling.

Suzaku gave a deep sigh of relief at their accomplishment but was caught off guard by Euphie who ran and wrapped her arms around him. "Eu… Euphie…"

"I was so worried about you…" She said as she buried her face into his chest. Suzaku's surprise faded as he wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I'm glad you're okay to."

Lelouch couldn't help but smile underneath his mask. This gesture shows that Suzaku does truly care for Euphemia, Megatron hasn't corrupted him completely, he could still be saved.

"So, is it over?" Rai asked.

"Not yet." Nonette replied. "We need to at least make sure Dreadwing and the others are alright."

"Agreed, let's head back." Zero said as he offered Kallen a hand up, which she took as Rai and Nonette helped each other up as well. The older woman smiled at him, as Rai did his best to hide his own smile as well before the group went back in the direction they came.

Back in the clearing, Dreadwing had rushed the Insecticon he was fighting from behind and pounded both his fists on its back-neck area, but the Insecticon was quick to turn around and slap him away with his arm. However, brute force alone wasn't his objective as Dreadwing took out his trigger and pressed the button on it. The Insecticon heard an odd noise coming from its back, which was revealed to be one of Dreadwing's bombs, which blew up to completely obliterate the monster's upper half.

The second Insecticon flew down in its Herculean Beatle mode to shoot Energon blasts at Optimus, who deflected all the blasts with his right arm-blade before using his Ion Cannon in his left hand to score a direct shot on it's right wings, causing the Insecticon to stumble out of control and fall down toward Optimus, who rushed with his blade to decapitate the monster from underneath as it's body and severed head skidded across the ground.

"No! My brothers! Brothers! Brothers!" Kickback exclaimed at seeing his fellow Insecticons get wrecked so brutally. However, this left him open for Bumblebee to grab him by his shoulders and slam his face down onto a nearby rock to break off his faceplate and expose his mandibles. Though Kickback's upper claws lashed back to knock Bumblebee off, Kickback seemed disoriented which gave Bee the opening he needed.

"Float like a butterfly…" Bumblebee played through his radio before charging a shot in his right Energon blaster as he rushed at Kickback. The crazed Insecticon couldn't react in time for Bumblebee to punch his blaster right into his face and firing his charged shot, which was enough to completely obliterate his head, killing Kickback as his headless body fell back to the ground. "…Sting like a bee." Bumblebee's radio finished before he blew off the smoke from his gun.

"Looks like you guys are all cleared up here." Rai said as he, Zero, Kallen, Suzaku, Euphemia, and Nonette stepped out into the clearing.

"I trust the rest of you are alright?" Optimus asked.

"We're fine Optimus." Zero assured. "The last Insecticon has been dealt with."

"He's been skewered." Nonette confirmed. "He won't be getting back up again."

"Good." Dreadwing said before he pulled out his cannon once more, much to the surprise of most of the group. "Now that our alliance has served its purpose…!"

"Oh, come on!" Kallen exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Dreadwing wait, please!" Euphie pleaded. "We're not meant to fight each other! Please, Suzaku, Nonette, you two have to listen to what Zero and Optimus what to say!"

"She's right." Zero said as he stepped into the clearing, Rai and Kallen sticking close if Dreadwing or Suzaku tried anything. "It's time we finally had our talk…"

However, the minute Zero's foot stepped into the center of the clearing, a massive glowing red Geass sigil formed on the ground, much to everyone's shock.

'A Geass?!' Optimus thought in surprise.

"What?!" Even Lelouch was caught off-guard as the Geass sigil in his left eye began to glow brightly, despite him not activating it on his own.

Rai suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head as he fell on his knees, clutching his head as he yelled in pain, the Geass sigil in both his eyes glowing brightly.

"Rai!" Kallen leaned down to his level and see what the problem was, but the group had other things to worry about as the entire ground beneath them began to shake and collapse.

Despite being confined to a small cell on the Nemesis, and out of range of the Thought Elevators, V.V. had a smirk on his face as he had felt Lelouch and Kaizaren stumble right into the trap he had planned for them.

The Thought Elevator began to glow a bright red, much to the shock of the Decepticons and Britannians as the entire cave shook with incredible force.

"What is happening!?" Starscream questioned.

"The energy is spiking out of control!" Thundercracker reported as he, Knock Out, and Lloyd could see the data from their respective consoles. "It's even stronger than it was active on Shikinie Island!"

"The cave is crumbling down! Everyone get back!" Knock Out stated as the group made their way from the collapsing pillars near the Thought Elevator.

"My lord, please save yourself!" Bartley attempted to pull Schneizel out of the way as they saw the platform above fall into the cave carrying with them the group consisting of Optimus, Zero, Kallen, Bumblebee, Rai, Suzaku, Dreadwing, Euphemia, and Nonette.

"Dreadwing!" Skywarp exclaimed in surprise.

"Major Kururugi! Lady Enneagram!" Lloyd was just as surprised "And is that… Zero? And the Autobots…?!" Most of the heroes turned around in surprise to see the many enemy soldiers they were now facing.

"Optimus Prime!" Starscream scowled as multiple Britannian soldiers aimed their guns at the group.

"Don't shoot you fools!" Bartley exclaimed to the soldiers. "Princess Euphemia and Lady Enneagram are with them! Capture them! Capture them!"

Bumblebee and Optimus quickly stood in front of their human companions as Breakdown was the first to try and rush them with his hammer, but Optimus ducked under the swing to catch Breakdown's arm, pick up the large Decepticon with both his hands and throw him at Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Knock Out to knock all of them down at once.

"Guys! A Knightmare!" Kallen pointed to the Gawain that was close to them.

"Perfect! We'll use that! Let's go!" Zero was the first to rush to the Gawain.

"Bumblebee, cover them!" Optimus ordered as he and Bumblebee aimed their Energon blasters at the Britannian soldiers to keep them from shooting. Dreadwing meanwhile stood protectively around Suzaku, Euphemia, and Nonette to avoid having them caught up in the crossfire.

Kallen however noticed Rai hadn't moved from his spot, he was still on his knees, hands clutching his head, his pupils shaken in his widened eyes as if he had seen a hundred ghosts all at once. "Rai! Rai!" Kallen shook his shoulder to shake him out of his trance. "We have to go!"

"Eh… right." He quickly got up as they quickly joined Zero in climbing into the black Knightmare. It was a two-man cockpit, but with Zero in the driver's seat, Kallen and Rai had to squish together in the seat above him as they could barely fit.

"This is good." Zero said. "Not only unmanned but activated to." He pressed the right activation buttons to turn the Gawain on as the cockpit closed around all three of them. "What kind of Knightmare is this?" However, Zero saw someone very familiar through the Knightmare's screens "Schneizel!"

The Britannian Prince had to take a few steps back as he finally saw Britannia's greatest enemies stand before him. "That's Zero… and Optimus Prime…?"

"Ah! The Gawain!" Lloyd exclaimed as it powered up.

"Zero, we have to leave! Now!" Optimus told his friend.

Lelouch knew that Optimus was right. "Schneizel… next time!" He piloted the Gawain out of the cave with Bumblebee and Optimus running beside him.

"No! Don't let them get away! Not with the Gawain!" Bartley exclaimed as Starscream and the other Decepticons recovered.

Multiple Sutherlands began to flood the entrance and block their escape, but Bumblebee and Optimus were able to quickly shoot them down and clear the path, allowing themselves and the large black Knightmare to escape outside.

"STOP THEM!" Starscream yelled. "DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO ESCAPE!

The heroes quickly found themselves surrounded entirely by a dozen Vehicon troopers and twenty Sutherlands total as they were all in front of the Avalon.

"Damn it! We're surrounded!" Zero cursed as he removed his mask.

"Doesn't this thing have any weapons?!" Kallen exclaimed.

Lelouch checked the systems over but gave an annoyed tisk. "They're either unresponsive or incomplete! This Knightmare is unfinished!"

Despite being surrounded, Optimus found himself looking back inside the cave, directly at the Thought Elevator deep inside. Though he couldn't make out the hieroglyphics, he did recognize the glowing Geass symbol that appeared on the ground just above the chamber, he even noticed a few similar symbols on the mural. Without a doubt, this strange object was connected to Geass. But why are the Decepticons and Britannia here? Whatever the case, if this was connected to Geass, he could not allow such a power to fall into the enemy's hands.

Without a moment's hesitation, Optimus converted his right arm into an ion blaster and shot directly into the cave. The Energon blasts scored direct hits on the Thought Elevator, and it only took about five or six shots for the entire thing to crumble as it gave off a bright red flash, blinding every human and Cybertronian present.

V.V. gave a gasp as he had felt it, even from his confines in the Nemesis. He fell to his and knees as he clutched his head, his eyes shaking with shock and rage as he took multiple rabid breaths.

"He… he didn't…" He stuttered. "No… he destroyed the Thought Elevator! No!" V.V. ranted like a bratty child. "No! No! How dare you… Optimus Prime… how dare you! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!"

C.C. sat in the Ashford Clubhouse on Lelouch's bed as she undoubtedly felt the same thing. Though she was initially shocked at the Thought Elevator's destruction, she couldn't help but smirk as she could already imagine the looks on Charles, V.V., and Marianne's faces.

"That's what you get for underestimating Optimus." She snarked.

The screens on the Ark's bridge suddenly sprang to life as Optimus and Bumblebee's location was finally known, much to Ratchet and Fixit's surprise and relief.

"Optimus and Bumblebee's signals are back online!" Fixit exclaimed.

"Thank the Allspark!" Ratchet stated with joy.

"Oh no…" Fixit's relief turned into read. "Multiple Decepticon and Britannian signals are surrounding them!"

Ratchet immediately called for reinforcements as he activated the Ark's speakers. "All Autobots to the Groundbridge bay immediately!"

Schneizel, Lloyd, and Bartley looked in shock as the saw the crumbled ruins of what was left of the Thought Elevator. Starscream was just as shocked as they were before he turned with a heated glare towards Optimus, Bumblebee, and the Black Knights in the Gawain.

"DESTROY THEM!" He yelled, ordering the Decepticons and Britannian soldiers to terminate their enemies.

However, before they could open fire, a Groundbridge portal suddenly opened up twenty meters away from their current location as the vehicle modes of Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ironhide all rode out onto the battlefield.

Arcee was the first to gun it as she transformed and dealt a flying kick to completely obliterate one Sutherland before firing her Energon blasters to take down two more. Bulkhead and Ironhide both transformed and fired their respective cannons to obliterate most of the enemy forces as they and the other Autobots provided cover for their friends.

"About time you guys popped up! We were worried sick!" Ironhide stated.

"I apologize for the delay." Optimus nodded.

"Nice Knightmare by the way." Wheeljack complemented the Gawain.

"Where's Kallen?!" Arcee questioned worriedly.

"I'm in here, Arcee!" Kallen told her from inside the black Knightmare. "Zero and Rai are both with me to!"

"Then let's get the heck out of here!" Bulkhead stated as Breakdown, Knock Out, Thundercracker, and Skywarp made it out of the cave.

"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered as he and his comrades all transformed and rolled along with the Gawain into the still active Groundbridge portal, but not before Cliffjumper transformed back briefly to smirk at the surviving Britannian and Decepticon forces.

"Nice seeing you guys again. We'll let you know the next time when we're available to kick your skid plates." Cliffjumper trolled with a finger salute before running into the Groundbridge portal right as it closed.

"No… Not the Gawain! Our beautiful prized Gawain!" Bartley cried in despair as he, Schneizel, and Lloyd were all outside, with Suzaku, Euphemia, Nonette and Dreadwing right behind them.

"Well, it was only a test model." Schneizel didn't seem too upset over it. He took the moment to observe the destruction around him. This was his first time seeing the Autobots in action, and all the reports he heard did not do them justice. He was not only surprised but also impressed. They easily blew through his own forces like nothing. He glanced back inside the cave at the remains of the Thought Elevator.

'He destroyed the Thought Elevator, which seemed to be the source of the energy that blocked all communications.' Schneizel thought. 'But was that his intent? Or does he know something about them that I don't?' An intrigued smile formed on his face. 'Optimus Prime, you truly are an interesting character.'

"Aside from that, I'm thankful the three of you are alright." Schneizel spoke to Euphemia, Suzaku, and Nonette directly.

"Prince Schneizel…?" Nonette did not expect to see him here.

Euphemia however was more than a little happy to see her older brother. "Schneizel!" She wasted no time in running to him and wrapping her arms around him. "You would not believe what we went through on this island!"

Schneizel could hear the distress sound in his younger half-sister's voice. "What do you mean? Euphie, what happened?"

"The four of us…" Nonette began, referring to herself, Suzaku, Euphemia and Dreadwing. "including Zero, Optimus, and their allies were all attacked by these creatures called Insecticons."

That took most of the Decepticons by surprise. "Insecticons!?" Thundercracker exclaimed. "Here on Earth?!"

"It's true, even the one known as Kickback was here." Dreadwing confirmed. "Though Kickback himself, and four other Insecticons were terminated, there might be more on this island. Perhaps even in other locations on this planet as well."

"Insecticons, you say?" Lloyd looked rather intrigued. "Well, that sounds interesting. I'd be very excited to see something like that."

"No Lloyd, trust me, you don't." Knock Out advised him.

However, all conversations were brought to a halt as Starscream walked directly toward Suzaku and gave him a heated glare, much to the Honorary Britannian's confusion.

"Is there a problem, Commander Starscream?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh yes, there most certainly is you wretched human!" Starscream primed his Energon blaster and aimed it directly at Suzaku, much to everyone's surprise, especially Euphemia, Dreadwing, and Nonette. "Over and over again, you've repeatedly questioned and disrespected me since the beginning, even disobeying a direct order! And as if that wasn't bad enough, you've allowed our worst enemies to escape with a new weapon at their disposal! I've tolerated your insubordination long enough! There is no way I'm letting you leave this island alive!"

Suzaku gave a gasp, but Euphemia was the first to try and defend him. "What is the meaning of this?! Major Kururugi is my knight! You can't just…!"

"That goes for you too!" Starscream aimed his second Energon blaster directly at Euphemia, much to her shock, as well as Schnizel's and every other Britannian present.

"How dare you threaten Princess Euphemia!" Bartley exclaimed. "You have no right…!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Starscream exclaimed at the fat general, causing him to fall back in fright. Nonette immediately rushed to Euphemia's side as she stood protectively in front of the princess as the remaining Britannian soldiers and Knightmares aimed their weapons at Starscream, while Breakdown, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the surviving Vehicons aimed their own Energon weapons at the Britannians in response. Knock Out choose to back away from the scene along with Lloyd to avoid being caught up in the matter.

"Every single one of you wretched Britannians has failed to deliver any kind of results!" Starscream ranted. "You squabble over the most pitiful and vein of matters, allowing our enemies to grow every single day! At least Schneizel is willing to deliver results when he ordered that bombardment on the Lancelot!" Euphie gasped as she glanced at her brother, who only held his head down. "But the rest of you are ineffective and incompetent! And I will not tolerate this any longer!"

"Starscream, they are our only allies!" Dreadwing marched in front of his commander. "You cannot blame them for all our failures when we are just as responsible!"

"Dreadwing, have you forgotten that I AM YOUR SUPPERIOR!?" Starscream screamed. "If you dare side with Kururugi and Euphemia I will terminate you along with them! And that goes for any other filthy Britannian that tries to protect them! This island will be their graves!"

"Starscream!" All eyes turned to behind the Seeker as his own face changed from rage to fear at the sight of an open Groundbridge portal and the Decepticon leader that stepped out of it with Soundwave right behind him.

"Lord… Megatron…!" Starscream stuttered.

'That's Megatron?' Schneizel thought in surprise as this was the first time seeing him in the flesh. Though he had seen recordings of him, being in his presence was something else entirely. Bartley's face contorted clear fear and dread at the sight of him and even Euphemia was visibly terrified; now that she knew who and what he really was, there was nothing to stop her fear from reaching the surface as her body was immediately drenched in a cold sweat.

"My master… Kururugi has repeatedly defied us!" Starscream tried to save face. "It was a mistake to bring him into our ranks! It was a mistake to ally with Britannia! They continue to stumble and question us, repeatedly getting in our way and preventing us from…!"

The cowardly Seeker was silenced by Megatron smacking him with his arm to send him skidding across the ground and crashing against the Avalon's side, denting it a little.

"This kind of in-fighting is exactly why are our enemies continue to succeed!" Megatron stated. "However, I will agree with you about one thing, Starscream. Insubordination cannot be tolerated!" He looked at the young soldier directly.

"What… what are you talking about?" The confused Suzaku asked.

The Ark

The Autobots had returned along with the newly acquired Gawain as Lelouch, Kallen, and Rai stepped down; among those waiting for them included Shirley, Tohdoh, Ohgi, Fixit, Tamaki, and even Rakshata.

"Guys!" Shirley rushed to all three of her human friends and wrapped her arms around all of them. "I was so worried about you!"

Lelouch and Kallen were the first to embrace her back, though Rai was somewhat hesitant with his. "Thanks, sorry we made you worry." Lelouch said.

"Kallen, are you okay?" Ohgi quickly rushed in front of her with worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ohgi. Sorry to be gone for so long." Kallen nodded.

"Good, cause Arcee here was about to have a panic attack." Cliffjumper smirked.

"Hey! Was it wrong that I was worried about my partner?!" Arcee questioned, resulting in some chuckles from nearly everyone present.

"Thanks for being so worried." Kallen smiled at her partner/older-sister-figure, who smiled in return.

"Damn, what the heck is that thing?" Tamaki said with a smirk upon seeing the Gawain. "That's one big Knightmare."

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty sick too." Wheeljack smirked. "Can't wait to see what this bad boy has got tucked away in there." He tapped the Gawain's shoulder

"Well, well." Rakshata observed the Gawain with a grin. "Looks like I got a new toy to play with."

"One new special Knightmare to add to arsenal." Fixit seemed quite excited himself as he looked at the impressive black Knightmare.

"Lelouch, Optimus, glad to see you're both alright." Tohdoh said with a relived smile.

"Thank you, Colonel Tohdoh." Optimus nodded as Lelouch smiled as well.

"[Hey? What am I? Chopped liver?]" Bumblebee said in a joking fashion.

Bulkhead chuckled as he lightly bumped Bee's shoulder. "Good to see you to, Bee." He was about to address his human partner when he noticed the look on Rai's face. "Hey, Rai are you okay?"

Rai's face still had the same sort of expression he did when the Thought Elevator trap activated. So many memories had all filled his head, and he wasn't sure what to make of them as there was one memory in particular that made him look as if he had seen something truly terrible.

"Rai?" Shirley asked him with concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I… I just need to… sit down for a minute…" Rai said as he walked away, leaving every human and Bot to look in his direction with concern.

"What's going on with him?" Ironhide asked Lelouch, Kallen, and Bumblebee who didn't seem to have an answer to give either, they were about as worried and confused as everyone else.

"Optimus, what exactly happened?" Ratchet asked his leader. "First you, Lelouch, Bumblebee, Rai, and Kallen just disappear, then I can't locate your signals at all. Next they pop back up on a separate island entirely?"

"Ratchet, there is much that we need to discuss." Optimus spoke not just to his medic and friend, but to everyone else present. "We have learned some new information that could alter the tide of this war and it must be discussed immediately."

"He's right." Lelouch nodded, at the same time, a certain memory popped back into his mind. 'I'm sorry Suzaku. I didn't intend to use Geass on you.' He remembered he gave the simple Geass command to live back on Shikinie Island to his friend, whom he still hoped can be saved.

Soundwave's faceplate showed the recorded footage of the Lancelot driving away from the scene back on Shikinie Island before the recorded voices took over.

"Kururugi! Follow your orders!" Starscream's voice yelled.

"Shut up!" Suzaku's recorded voice yelled back. "Who the hell cares about them!? I have to live!"

Static took over the sound and imagery on Soundwave's visor as Megatron spoke. "That is where it cuts off. I am unsure how you ended up on a separate island, but you threw away a golden opportunity to eliminate both Optimus and Zero. Care to explain this, Suzaku?"

Suzaku couldn't believe what he just saw and heard. "Was that… really me…?"

"Yes! It was, you insolent fool!" Starscream yelled before he was silenced by a glare from Megatron.

"Suzaku Kururugi, I am going to ask you this and I want an honest answer from you." Megatron spoke to the Honorary Britannian directly. "Did you purposely disobey your orders?"

There was some hesitance before Suzaku spoke. "I… no… I wouldn't… I couldn't…"

Megatron looked at Soundwave who replayed his answer through his systems and indicated that Suzaku had given an honest response.

'He doesn't remember.' Megatron thought to himself. 'Lelouch was directly in front of him, so more than likely it was his Geass. But this isn't the first time Kururugi has avoided taking a life, be it his will or not. Perhaps I was mistaken in recruiting him. He is a talented warrior, but he's much too hesitant and naïve, his reluctance could make him more of a liability. Hmm, what exactly is it that is going on inside your head, Suzaku Kururugi? Perhaps it's time to find out.'

"Prince Schneizel." Megatron spoke to the prince directly as he gave him his undivided attention. "Allow me to take Kururugi into my custody. I will look into this matter personally."

"Yes, I believe that may be for the best." Schneizel nodded.

However, Euphemia seemed dead set against it. "Absolutely not! Major Kururugi is my soldier! You can't just…!" She was suddenly silenced by a glare from Megatron. One look into his evil red eyes was enough to make Euphemia's heart stop briefly as she almost fell back.

Schneizel put a hand on her shoulder. "Euphie, I feel this is a matter we have no say in. The best we can do is just let them be."

Euphie wanted to protest, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. One look from the monster that she knew was truly evil was enough to shatter her confidence.

"Kururugi, report to the Nemesis." Megatron ordered.

Suzaku sighed before responding. "Yes… Lord Megatron."

Soundwave opened a Groundbridge portal and allowed himself, Megatron and Suzaku to step in as his leader gave him a special order. "Contact Shockwave. I have a special assignment for him."

Done.

Damn, this has got to be my longest chapter ever! Not just for Code Prime but all of fanfiction! Then again, it's to be expected as so much has happened. And I am pleased with how it turned out, and I'm hopping you can all enjoy it to.

So, let me explain a few things…

*How did the Insecticons ended up on Earth? Back in the FOC game, Shockwave had a Spacebridge portal opened up above his laboratory, where he had his Insecticon soldiers all stationed. When the tower exploded, many of the Insecticons were pulled into the portal's vortex and sent to Earth. I'm sure many of you are now wondering, what about Grimlock and the Dinobots, considering they were there to. I can't say anything in regards to the Dinobots, other than the fact that they WILL make an appearance, but I'm not saying anything else about how or when. I also plan in on bringing other Autobots and Decepticons later in my iteration of R2. But for now, all you need to know is that the Insecticons have made their appearance and you will see them again; not just the kind you saw in Transformers Prime, but even the other types from the FOC game. Although Kickback is now dead, thanks to Bumblebee. And don't expect Sharpshot to appear as well, he was killed by Grimlock in the game, so he's dead to.

*Rai is now aware of his family history. He is not only the son of Charles Zi Britannia, but his mother is also Sakura Kururugi, Genbu Kururugi's elder sister. He is Lelouch and Nunnally's half-brother, and Suzaku's cousin. Nonette briefly served as his knight before his home was invaded. I know in the Lost Colors series that the matter around Rai's origin was overly complicated, so I decided to simplify it myself. Sakura Kururugi is an OC character of mine, just letting you know, she does NOT exist in the cannon. And while this is quite a revelation, along with Rai regaining all his memories from the Thought Elevator (tiny spoiler), it's nothing compared to what happened DURING his life as a secret Prince of Britannia, and why he looks the same age he did back then.

*Megatron knows about Ragnarok now. I'm sure many of you will criticize me for writing how reckless V.V. was for walking right up to Megatron, but here's the thing, V.V. wasn't aware of what Megatron already knew and still believed him to be in the dark. And while he did use the Thought Elevator to teleport Lelouch and Rai to Kanime Island for the Geass-trap he had planned for them, he also did it for Optimus, Bumblebee, Kallen, Suzaku, and Dreadwing because two of them are some of his most valuable soldiers and the others are his most persistent enemies. By knowing their exact locations, and thinking Megatron didn't, V.V. thought he had leverage over Megatron, and since he was immortal, he felt he couldn't be hurt. (He also teleported Nonette there because she was close to Rai in the past and could help trigger his memories returning, which was part of Charles and V.V.'s intentions) But since Megatron was already aware of the existence of Geass from Mao, as well as Code R, he had suspected Victor was alive, and this was all but confirmed. Ultimately, it was V.V.'s recklessness and immaturity that did him in; which is a bad combination, he was reckless because he felt since he was immortal, he was invincible and not even Megatron could touch him; and he was immature because he still had the mind-set of a ten-year-old. Now Megatron knows EVERYTHING about Ragnarok (with the exception of Marianne being in Anya's body), after having Shockwave subject V.V. to a cortical psychic patch, killing him seventy-eight times to perfect the process (LOL). I REALLY enjoyed making V.V. suffer like that. After seeing how much of a conniving little bitch he was in the cannon series, it made me so happy to torture him so thoroughly (evil laugh)

*Euphemia now knows the truth about Cybertron's past and what Megatron and the Decepticons truly are and vows to become an ally to Lelouch and Optimus in their struggles against them. I enjoyed writing the time they spent together in this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it as well.

*Optimus has also destroyed the Thought Elevator, which will throw a MASSIVE wrench in Charles, V.V., and Marianne's plans. But more importantly, it means V.V. is unable to use it to teleport in the Japanese area again. Turns out, V.V. is able to use the Thought Elevators as a form of limited teleportation, not only for himself and others, that was how he was able to kidnap Nunnally in the cannon R1 finale. But now that the Thought Elevator in Japan has been destroyed, that little bitch can't try anything. (LOL)

What does Megatron have planned for Suzaku? I'm sure you can all figure it out, but I have one last original chapter planned after this before we get back to the Code Geass narrative. But I promise, by the time we reach the end of R1 in my series, NOTHING will ever be the same again.

Stay safe and stay healthy out there. Until next time.