I had been walking for twenty minutes or so when a black limo rolled up next to me in an industrial part of the settlement.
"Need a lift?" the passenger who rolled down his window.
Looking at the man I was surprised to see Prince Claudius' smirking face.
"I have a feeling that we are heading the same way." He then opened the door and I got into the limo as it drove away towards the center of the settlement.
"How'd you find me?" I asked the prince who was busy shoving a glass of brandy into my hands.
"Oh, I had a feeling that if I took the scenic route, I would run into something interesting." He didn't say anything else as it seems the prince has eyes and ears everywhere to find me this quickly after I escaped.
"Now a toast to you a soon to be a free man and to a brighter tomorrow." He then held out his glass to toast with the one I was holding.
"To a brighter tomorrow," I said as I brought my glass to his and took a sip of my drink, which I immediately started to cough after and the Prince was laughing, all the while I struggled with my liquor.
Claudius p.o.v
The Middle Eastern Federation was a League of Middle Eastern nations united by their similar culture and religious beliefs.
Once they were a successful economic union that controlled much of the world's oil reserves.
But over time with the rise of sakuradite as a better alternative energy source, the wealth that had once flowed there stopped much like the production of petroleum.
So to increase their presence on an international scale these nations tried to become one in a messy unification that spawned many civil wars over ethnic disputes and political power.
Eventually, a singular unity of the majority religious sect rose to power and established it was the MEF.
However, this did not provide security and respect as they thought would come.
The Holy Britannian Empire was looking to expand and saw an opportunity in the weak independent nation stuck between the EU and the Chinese Federation.
Princess Cornelia li Britannia was dispatched under orders to conquer and establish the MEF as the next area colony for the empire.
Like the good soldier, she is the princess won every battle with ease and established area 18.
Most of the Empire saw this move as establishing a foothold in on the continent to launch further military action against the EU and Chinese Federation.
While they were right about the strategic advantages of such a staging area, the real reason behind the brief war was something much more sinister.
In the country formerly known as Iran stood the ruins of ancient civilizations that called that land home for thousands of years.
Among those ruins buried underneath the sand was a structure that would change the world.
A research team was uncovering a temple even before the war with the MEF was even over.
The temple was similar to many other ruins but had one distinct feature that set it apart.
A symbol that appeared all across the world in many similar structures, it looked like a bird in flight with its wings spread.
It was the symbol of geass and the temple that had been the real cause of the war was a thought elevator.
And the emperor was one step closer to his plan of slaying God, eliminating lies, and bringing forth a gentler world.
What a joke.
I shut the report on my sister's successful campaign detailing her pointless conquest.
After a few years in the military, I had begun researching the causes to all the wars Britannia had seemed to enter either by its own volition or was provoked by a foreign power.
The further I dug the more discrepancies I found.
The reasons for many of the wars even before my father took the throne indicated a third parties involvement.
The third party would instigate events such as assassinating key political figures both foreign and domestic, blackmail, bribery, extortion, and even instigate the war to further their ends.
This secret society or Illuminati would be considered just a legend if I didn't already know who they were.
The followers of geass or rather the geass Directorate were the ones deciding what path the world should take.
The biggest case for this was to look to Britannia's recent military expansion and conquests.
The actions of the empire made much more sense if you add the power of geass to the equation.
The power of the king was used throughout the world's history, but the reports of these strange incidents became much harder to find as you got closer to the present.
This could be the rise of the current directorate some fifty years ago, which would be when my uncle V.V. would have attained his own code.
Over this period of time, the empire became much more aggressive in its efforts to expand and gain new colonies outside of the Americas.
While the message of reclaiming lost lands and manifest destiny were some of the main reasons for my father's aggressive military conquest, I knew he was searching for, he was trying to gain control of enough thought elevators to complete his plan to bring about a world free of lies.
To accomplish this, he needed enough thought elevators or a majority of them to build his sword of Akasha to slay god or Jupiter I guess.
Even though I knew what was going on I still didn't know how the sword of Akasha works, would it even accomplish their goal, or what would be the real result of slaying the collective unconsciousness? All I did know is that I had to stop it because any world that twisted man desires is not one I would want to live in.
I looked around the empty viceroy's office that I occupied until tomorrow when my older sister would come and take over for me.
I had handled the fallout of Zero's first appearance and reveal pretty well.
There were still to be some terrorist attacks, but mass panic and confusion were avoided as I helped smooth things over with the police and military after Jeremiah's orange scandal came to light.
While I knew the man was innocent, I let him suffer the ridicule to get back at him for being a racist snob who takes pleasure in killing the innocent like he did in Shinjuku.
This also made him easier to control and manipulate should I chose to have my own knight of orange, but that would be unlikely because that man's loyalty to Britannia and presumably love for Marianne was borderline worship.
And I made it a policy of mine after nearly seeing Luciano all those years ago not to work with psychopaths.
Still I would make sure that I would be prepared if he does become a crazed cyborg assassin out to get me.
I was kind of glad that I let Lelouch kill most of the perpetrators that followed my brother's orders to eradicate the ghetto because if he hadn't I might have done it myself.
Finding Suzaku after his rescue was a simple matter of planting a tracker on his person thanks to the waiter and following the signal when he was let go to pick him up.
We had a few drinks and laughs before sobering up and getting the charges dismissed with me there and Zero's reveal was a painless process.
I had offered Suzaku a chance to celebrate further, but he declined to say he had to get his things for his new position as the test pilot of the Lancelot.
I was a little deflated hearing that, So I invited him out for lunch the next day instead.
Not wanting to refuse a member of royalty and one he felt like he owed he accepted my offer.
I knew that if I could win over Suzaku that things in the future would go much smoother for me with an ace pilot like him in my corner instead of against me.
But even if Suzaku's recruitment is slow going there are other pieces up for grabs that I would also be looking to gain shortly.
So I continued to plan for the future against nations, masked revolutionaries, the emperor, my own family, geass users and psychic immortals.
Ashford Academy Clubhouse
Lelouch p.o.v
After saving Suzaku and my first night as Zero I was dead tired so I was thankful that I had finally gotten back, I just hope Nunnally isn't mad at me for keeping her up.
"Welcome, home Lelouch."
Came the greeting from the very much alive green-haired woman from Shinjuku, who I saw take a bullet to head for me was making paper cranes with my sister.
"I'm so glad, I was worried." Relief clear in Nunnally's tired voice.
"I'm assuming you ate out tonight, judging based on your appearance." The woman said as she continued to make paper cranes while keeping my sister company ignoring her miraculous resurrection.
"Thank goodness, I thought you might have been caught up in all the uproar caused by that man zero. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer your cell phone. I wanted to tell you Ms. C.C. was waiting for you."
"C.C." So is that her name?
"Your friend goes by an unusual name, only her initials."
"Yeah." That's normal when it comes to a woman who can survive a bullet to the brain.
"I was wondering is C.C. your girlfriend?"
"He made a promise about our future together, right?" The green haired woman calling herself C.C. said deciding to now talk while looking at me expectantly.
I was off by her claim, sure I agreed to a contract with this girl but I didn't know what I was in for, my sister misunderstanding of the situation put me only further unsettled.
"By future together did you mean marriage?" Asked a hesitant Nunnally.
"No that isn't what she was talking about it's like she's kidding around." I try to refute her stuttering at my own attempt to clear up this misunderstanding.
"No, I'm not." Her reply was quick and held no tact.
Having had enough, I got a teacup and threw on the groundbreaking my sister over her pondering over my young engagement.
"Oh C.C. look at the mess you made, come here and I'll help you clean up." I then pulled C.C. out of the dining room and into my room to finally get some answers.
"Alright, who are you?" I asked the woman as I shoved her into the room.
"She said my name, I'm C.C.," She said while observing her surroundings
"That's not what I meant why aren't you?" I never finished the question because she.
"Supposed to be dead? Finished for me, "by the way do you like the power I gave you?" She asked as she turned around smirking.
My power seemed to resonate with her words as it manifested in my left eye upon her remark.
"As I thought it was you."
"Dissatisfied?" She asked lying on top of my bed sprawled out in her loose straight jacket.
"On the contrary, I'm grateful, it allows me to speed up my schedule tremendously which is a huge help."
She looked to me and asked, "your schedule?"
"Yes, my schedule for obliterating Britannia, I would have had to wait much longer before I could have made the initial move," I said as I held my hand covering my left eye.
"You believe you can destroy it simply, by using that power?"
"I intended to do it without this power," I said firmly as I was planning on building myself up more to destabilize the empire in other ways, but now with this power, I can take a more direct approach.
She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I knew he would end up being a fascinating guy."
"What will you do know, with the military after you?" I asked concerned if my safe haven in Ashford Academy was compromised.
"No the entire military is after me, only a small fraction of it, I can make do here." She then began to take apart her outfit stripping down until hiding under the covers of my bed.
"What you can't stay here!" I exclaimed at this woman's recklessness.
"A gentleman would sleep on the floor, goodnight Lelouch," She said with her voice muffled by the sheet covering her.
But I knew that today was the first step in the greater upheaval and chaos to come.
Suzaku p.o.v.
After being exonerated of my charges courteous of Prince Claudius I was on my way to meet up Lloyd and Cécile to meet the prince for lunch.
I was surprised at how carefree the prince could be and how he would just dismiss everything to take me out in celebration.
After everything though he seemed like a nice guy, but he said it was impossible for me to change things my way.
Was he right, could simply working inside of the system not change Britannia?
He told me to search for a better set of ideals to follow, but I can't just give up after everything that I've done.
I had wanted to change things to make things better, but the prince was doing his best now to help things and bridge the gap between the numbers and Britannians.
He told me about his projects, investments, charity, and aid that he provided to people across the empire.
He seemed too passionate talking about helping people and making positive things happen to be faking it.
But still was now no closer to changing things after years of trying, so what chance would I a Japanese, an eleven, an honorary Britannian have at changing the system.
Maybe I couldn't change Britannia alone but maybe I can help the prince change it.
"Out of the way please, look out below!" A falling pink haired girl broke me out of my inner debate as I dropped my bag to catch her.
"Uh, are you all right?" I asked the girl.
"I'm sorry I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leaped." She apologized for jumping from a high window.
"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting a girl to fall out of the sky and into my arms either." She seemed thankful but looked concerned.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked wondering what this girl could be running from to make her go out of the window.
"Yes, there are some bad men chasing me, can you help me, please." I was about to say yes, but I spotted men in red coats coming around the corner led by a woman in a purple one.
Wasn't she Prince Claudius' personal knight and those must be his men, but why are they after this girl.
I took the girl down a side street wondering what was so special about this girl to warrant her pursuers