Code Geass: Chronicles of Tartarus
Side Story Three:
Steps
“‘Lelouch…why?’ was all I could say as the tingling sensation began throughout my body and the pain of Zero’s bullet pierced my heart. I know it was all that he could think of to do to save me; poor Lelouch, he had no idea that someone else was watching out for us. I remember lying in the hospital bed dying as Suzaku tried to be so brave. He had lied to me to save my feelings and let me die in peace, not knowing what had really transpired. It was a noble and kind thing that Suzaku did to try and save me, but my dear Suzaku didn’t have any idea that my guardian angel had already taken steps to ensure I would live. That time was hard, but it was nothing compared to the steps I had to take afterwards. I was like a baby having to learn to walk all over again. Not because I couldn’t walk, but because the burden of what Geass had caused me to do was a weight that threatened to crush my soul.” —Excerpt from the personal diary of Euphemia li Britannia, the Red Dragon, dated May 23rd, 2025 a.t.b.
“Don’t worry, Suzaku, I’m just going to see Cornelia off,” Euphie smiled at him in the airship terminal. “We will be together again soon.” She pulled up the large-brim, white hat she wore as part of her disguise and kissed him passionately on the lips.
“I know you’ve got to go, but…” Suzaku started.
“You can’t bear to be without my sister,” Cornelia finished for him as she and Guilford walked up behind them. “You realize, Knight of Zero, that if you continue to lavish her with such affection, I will demand that you marry her.”
Suzaku turned multiple shades of red as Cornelia’s brazen consent to their being wed embarrassed him. He put his hand on the back of his head as he tried to respond, “Uh…yes, Princess Cornelia…uh, your Majesty.”
Cornelia leaned down and whispered in his ear as Euphie gave her a playful scowl, “I’d prefer you be able to call me your sister at some point, Suzaku, so don’t keep Euphie waiting too much longer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Suzaku involuntarily straightened up.
“Do you have to pick on him?” Euphie asked Cornelia with her hands on her hips.
Cornelia snickered, “Well, I was hoping to go to a June wedding before I had to leave on the Kaminejima, but you two are dragging your feet.”
“WHAT?” Euphie nearly fell backwards. “No…we just don’t want to rush into things!”
“Oh?” Cornelia chortled. “Finding out if he measures up in all the right ways before you snag him for good, eh, my sister?”
“Cornelia!” Euphie scolded her with an embarrassed smirk. “We’re not like that. We want to wait until we’re married.”
Cornelia waved her hand nonchalantly. “Oh, you don’t have to pretend with me. I’m no angel either.”
Guilford smiled.
Suzaku looked dizzy from the implications of Cornelia’s confession. “Oh, dear.”
“Suzaku, are you okay?” Euphie asked as she put her arm around him.
“I think I need some air,” he said softly.
Cornelia laughed out loud as she put her hand over her mouth. “Oh, Suzaku, you really need to be more aggressive with my sister. She loves you dearly, and I do so wish for the two of you to be happy, but you have to be more forceful if you want to take her.”
“Cornelia!” Euphemia barked at her.
“Are we interrupting something?” Lloyd Asplund asked as he and Cecile carried their luggage onto the boarding ramp of the terminal.
Cornelia sniggered, “No, Lloyd, we were just having a friendly discussion about some unfinished business between Suzaku and my sister.”
“Oh, I see.” Lloyd adjusted his glasses. “Well, this little shakedown trip shouldn’t take more than a few months. That should give them a reprieve in order to set a date by the time we get back.”
Cornelia laughed at Suzaku’s shocked look as he exclaimed, “You too?”
“Well, you can’t stay single forever, Suzaku,” Cecile tittered. “It’s no mystery how you two feel about each other, and we all look forward to it, so why not?”
“Speaking of mysteries,” Suzaku ventured to change the subject, “have either of you heard from Nina?”
“Not since Schneizel’s island fortress was destroyed,” Lloyd said with a curious look. “It’s very strange…almost as though she just vanished off the face of the Earth.”
“I’m really worried about her and Kannon,” Cecile said. “They were both very disturbed by the unexpected events of last year. I do hope they haven’t gotten mixed up with any of the trouble that’s gone on since then.”
“You mean all the disappearances?” Guilford asked.
“What disappearances?” Euphie inquired, a bit unnerved.
“It would seem that many high-ranking members of the Russian Federation and the European Universe have gone missing over the last few months,” Cornelia stated with concern. “All of them were supporters of the new Commonwealth of Earth government.”
“Is that why Zero and Nunnally aren’t here?” Cecile asked.
“Yes,” Suzaku answered her with a sad expression. “L2 (code name for Lelouch Lamperouge) and C2 are meeting with the Russians while Enoch and Nunnally are trying to keep the EU in the Commonwealth. Tensions are rising again even with the threat of attack from the Olympians looming over all our heads.”
“Monstrous,” said Cecile with a frown, “why would anyone kidnap supporters of the new government. Under the Commonwealth that Nunnally, Kaguya, Lihua, and Zero created, people now have protected natural rights that governments must adhere to or face international sanctions. At no time in history have the citizens of the world been as free as they are now, nor government been so restricted. It’s been wonderful, why would anyone try to undermine that?”
Cornelia gave her a thin smile. “Bigots, megalomaniacs, corporate big shots, racists, elitists, and socialists are just a small list of the types of people that hate the free republic we now have. I guess what Enoch says is true, that freedom isn’t free, its price is eternal vigilance.”
Euphie noticed the sweetness in her sister’s voice when she spoke the name Enoch. “Do you have a crush on him?”
“Wha? Who?” Cornelia stammered.
“Enoch?” Euphie folded her arms and glared at her with a sly smile. “Do you like him?”
Cornelia glanced at Guilford who held a stoic expression and then back at her sister. “Yes, I do, but I also understand that it’s a thing that can never be. In much the same way as what our brother is going through with Kallen.”
“With Kallen?” Euphie’s eyes lit up at the new gossip. “Do tell, Cornelia.”
“Pardon my interruption,” Guilford said apologetically, “but we have to board immediately.”
Cornelia tittered at her sister, “Looks like you’ll have to wait for the juice a little later.”
Euphie turned and gave Suzaku a long kiss goodbye. “I’ll miss you every minute and be back in a few days. Protect Britannia while we’re gone, Suzaku.”
“With my honor and my life,” Kururugi said with a salute across his chest in the manner that Enoch had taught them. The amber-eyed cyborg had been training him and the others to become real champions capable of fighting the Greeks. Suzaku knew that Geass would play a role at some point, though how and when he was not sure.
* * *
“Alice, are you in position?” Colonel Madd asked over the comm. of her Vincent-Advanced (a Vincent Ward upgrade that made the machine the equivalent of an eleventh-generation KnightMare Frame except with special modifications designed by the Geass Order). She flew her KMF at the head of a formation of four Vincent-Advanced units.
“I am,” the blonde-haired woman said with a smirk as she watched the Commonwealth Longres class airship that flew with its escort of Avalon frigates a few hundred feet below her.
“Lucretia, what is the geographic area like?” Madd asked another of the pilots. The pale-haired woman’s reply was jovial as the sigil of Geass appeared on her forehead. “The terrain over their current position is perfect for our operation.”
“Good.” Madd’s voice sounded pleased. “Sancia, position of targets?”
The dark-haired woman brushed her long locks out of her face as a sigil of Geass appeared on her forehead. “Relaying target data into our attack computers now, Colonel.”
“Excellent,” said Madd. “Dalque, you will begin the operation by destroying the frigates. Alice, you shall board the Avenger and capture Princess Cornelia. Kill everyone else. Understood?”
“Yes, Colonel,” the women replied in unison.
Madd's voice boomed over the radio, “Irregulars, commence operation.”
The four Vincent-Advanced units dove down towards the fleet.
* * *
“Commander Guilford,” a male officer called his attention within the bridge of the Avenger.
“What is it, Lieutenant?” Guilford asked.
“I’m not sure, sir.” The man sounded perplexed. “I’m detecting an unusual air turbulence a few hundred feet above us that seems to be spiraling towards our fleet.”
“Air turbulence?” Guilford inquired in a raised tone. “Sound battlestations! We’re under attack!” The Avalon frigate on their port side erupted in a fireball as a KnightMare Frame zipped up from under the wreckage towards the starboard airship.
“Fire anti-KnightMare batteries!” Guilford yelled.
Instantly, the airspace around the aerial-battleships erupted in a shower of anti-KMF rounds and beam cannon bolts.
* * *
“What the?” Euphie exclaimed as she jumped up from a chair within Cornelia’s personal quarters. The alarm Klaxons of the ship had interrupted them just settling down to resume their conversation from earlier.
“We’re under attack,” Cornelia said as she donned her gunsword and fastened its belt.
Euphie put on the helmet of the Red Dragon and suited up.
“We better get to our KnightMares,” Cornelia told her with a mischievous smile. “I’m anxious to see how well Enoch has trained you for battle. It’s my understanding you’re quite good.”
“Of course I am,” the Red Dragon snickered, “I’m the sister of the Goddess of Battle.”
“Indeed,” Cornelia gave her a proud look. “And together we’ll be unstoppable.”
They left the room for the KnightMare hangar.
* * *
“Dalque, I’m through their defenses,” Alice said as she piloted her machine towards the main dorsal hangar door of the Avenger.
“Roger that,” the dark-skinned woman said as she felled the second Avalon frigate with her machine’s shoulder-mounted Hadron Cannon. “I’ll be there to back you up in a moment.”
“Sancia, have they launched any mecha?” Alice asked as she blasted the hangar bay doors open.
“No, Alice, not yet,” the older woman told her over the radio. “It would appear we took them completely by surprise.”
“Good,” Alice said as she landed her machine in the hangar. “We need to move quickly before they can field their KMF Victorias, or else we will be hard-pressed to complete our mission.”
“Don’t worry, Alice,” Dalque said as she rolled and spun her Vincent-Advanced to dodge the hail of anti-KMF fire coming from the Avenger, “I’ve got your back.”
“I’m disembarking from my unit,” Alice said. “I’ll keep in contact with you while I go and retrieve Princess Cornelia.”
* * *
“Lloyd, are our machines ready yet?” the Red Dragon asked as the enemy KnightMare Frame blasted through the outer door of the hangar and came to a stop.
The blast of the explosion caused Lloyd and Cecile to hang onto the KnightMare gantry railing for dear life as the enemy machine landed.
The Red Dragon shielded Cornelia from the blast as the cockpit of the enemy unit opened up.
A blonde-haired woman jumped down from the machine with a machine gun in hand and rushed towards them.
“Watch out!” Cornelia told Euphie as she drew her gunsword and aimed at the enemy pilot.
This is too easy, Alice thought to herself as she activated her Geass SPEED! Alice moved at blinding speed towards the Red Dragon and Cornelia. Lloyd and Cecile were too stunned by Alice becoming a blur to be able to react quickly enough to stop her from disarming Cornelia.
“You’re coming with me, Princess!” Alice told Cornelia as she jabbed the muzzle of her machine gun into the small of Cornelia’s back.
The Red Dragon moved into a subtle combat stance. “I’m going to give you one chance to release her and surrender.”
“Hahahaha, you’re going to give me a chance?” Alice cackled. “How amusing.”
The Red Dragon pulled a flash grenade from her belt and threw it in one swift motion. The harmless charge detonated before Alice had a chance to react and created a brilliant light that caused Alice to turn away quickly giving Euphie the opening she needed.
The Red Dragon kicked the machine gun out of Alice’s hands with a snap kick then followed up with a side-chop to her collar bone.
Alice winced in pain as Euphie’s strike connected, but the Irregular used her Geass to dodge a roundhouse kick that followed the Red Dragon’s first attack. The Geass-soldier grabbed her machine gun and fired it at the Red Dragon. Euphie was riddled with bullets which penetrated her suit.
“NO!” Cornelia screamed as she unloaded a salvo of rounds from her gunsword at Alice.
Even with her Geass-enhanced speed, Alice was grazed by one of the rounds. She turned to fire on Cornelia but chose to flee as Guilford and a squad of soldiers entered the hangar deck. Damn it! I’ll have to retreat.
“Stop!” Guilford commanded Alice as her blurred form fled to her KnightMare Frame. In the next instant, her machine flew out of the hangar.
“Euphie,” Cornelia whispered to the Red Dragon with trembling lips.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Euphemia reassured her.
“But you’ve been shot,” Cornelia said with panic creeping into her tone.
“It’ll be okay,” Euphie said as Guilford and the others came over.
“We need to get to our KnightMares immediately,” Cornelia exclaimed urgently.
“That won’t be necessary, Princess Cornelia. Reinforcements from our submarine escort have arrived, and the enemy is in full retreat,” Guilford informed them. “It would seem that Empress Nunnally’s premonition was correct.”
“Remind me to thank my sister when next we speak,” Cornelia said as she helped the Red Dragon up from the floor.
“We should get you to the infirmary immediately,” Guilford said hurriedly as he saw the various bullet holes in the front of her suit.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it,” Euphie reassured him with upraised hands.
“But, how is that possible?” Guilford asked her in shock at the bullets falling out of her through the holes in her uniform.
“It’s a long story,” she replied with a giggle.
“One that I certainly want to hear,” Cornelia said with a hand on her hip.
* * *
“That is truly amazing,” Cornelia said as Euphemia stripped off her uniform, revealing her undamaged skin. “How is it possible?”
“Nanomachines,” Euphie replied with a smile.
“Nanomachines?” Cornelia inquired with a befuddled look as Euphie put on a fresh Red Dragon uniform.
“You know, microscopic robots,” she said with a giggle.
Cornelia shrugged in confusion, “I know what they are, Euphie, but how did they get inside you?”
“Oh, Enoch put them inside me,” she said in a nonchalant tone.
“Oh, my God, Euphie, you didn’t,” smiled Cornelia slyly.
Euphemia was perplexed. “Didn’t what?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about…he is really cute, you know,” Cornelia snickered.
“What? Oh, for Heaven’s sake, no…” Euphie blushed. “As if I’d ever do that with him. He slipped them in my tea before…” Euphie's expression hardened as her words trailed off.
“Before your incident,” Cornelia said sympathetically as she put her hand on Euphie’s shoulder. “Does Suzaku know?”
“Yes, his does,” Euphie said. “I told him about how I became the way I am now after the battle over the Hawaii Islands when we were walking to meet with Lelouch. Suzaku actually had the same reaction you did.” Seeing Cornelia’s puzzled look she added, “About Enoch, I mean. He thought I was in love with him or something. Suzaku can be a real dork sometimes.”
“Well, he loves you,” Cornelia smiled.
“I know. That’s why I suggested we take the stairs up to meet with Lelouch so I could tell him everything.”
“Would you share it with me?” Cornelia ventured to ask cautiously.
“Of course,” Euphie replied as she sat down on a long, angled couch that covered one corner of her quarters. Cornelia sat down beside her. “But it’s easier for me to tell it like I did with Suzaku. It helps me keep it impersonal.”
Cornelia nodded, “Okay.”
Euphie took a deep breath. “It was shortly after I had my first taste of the horrible power of Geass that I awoke under the crystal lid of my coffin. I totally freaked out.” Euphie paused as a smile crossed her face. “So did Suzaku when I told him about how I was gasping for breath and trying to claw my way out. He nearly tripped over himself as we took the first steps up the long stair towards Lelouch’s quarters on the Ikaruga.”
Cornelia tittered, “Poor Suzaku.”
Euphie laughed, “Yeah, he looked like he wanted to hug me and sob right then and there, so I had to rush my story along to the part where I noticed a man I had never met before, a man with amber-colored eyes and skin that glinted gold in the warm candlelight of the crypt I had been lain in.”
“Enoch, I presume,” Cornelia interrupted.
“Yes, he lifted the lid and introduced himself.”
Cornelia raised her brow as she opined, “As your Prince Charming, no doubt.”
Euphie let out a laugh, “Will you let me tell this tale?”
“I’m sorry, Euphie, continue with your yarn.”
“Enoch helped me out of that dreadful place under the cover of darkness as the battle that raged all around the Tokyo settlement ensued. It was during the confusion of the Black Rebellion that Enoch stole me away from the mausoleum where my body was awaiting transport back to the homeland for a proper burial. He told me that I was the victim of a horrible mistake and that he had to get me to the safety of solitude before the dreadful effect of this power took hold again and caused me more grief.”
Euphie held back tears as she remembered. “How we got out of the city was blurry to me at that time, but when I did regain my memory, I recalled that I had had the overwhelming urge to kill the Japanese, to destroy their entire country, and purge it from the face of the Earth. Enoch, in his vice-like grip, restrained me until he got me to Ashford Academy and through the broom closet door into his world and out onto a small farm he owns on Tsushima Island.”
“You guys traveled to his world through a broom closet and came out on Tsushima?” Cornelia forced back her urge to smile out of respect for the dreadfully sad expression on Euphie’s face.
Euphie’s dark look softened to a smirk as she said, “Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Anyway, he took me through to his five-acre retreat where I first met Delphi. She did all she could to try and help me in those first few weeks, but her knowledge of the arcane was limited, as her specialty is in computer technologies and cybernetics not metaphysics. Thus, Enoch called for a man he knew that could help me with my dilemma, a man named Brian Bryant. I won’t elaborate on the details of this gentleman's fantastic talents nor the journey that he and I took in a real starship, since I’d hate for you to think I've gone completely mad, not to mention I don't want the Kaminejima to fall short of your expectations should I reveal what is possible or, more accurately, what I’ve experienced.”
“Oh, thanks, Euphie," Cornelia snickered. "I'd hate to view my new ship as a toy compared to what I can only imagine was grandiose judging my Enoch, himself, but will you at least tell me what this Monsieur Bryant did to you?"
"Funny you should ask that as Suzaku wanted to know in detail what happened," Euphemia laughed. "Monsieur Bryant, being a modern sage in various disciplines of the Magi, found the most expeditious and safe method to attempt to reverse the effects of Geass, on a planet that orbits a star quite far from our own."
"So, you're saying that you're already an interstellar traveler before me, is that it?" Cornelia tickled her softly on the side.
"Yeah," Euphie giggled as she pulled away playfully. "Jealous?"
"A little," Cornelia tittered as she leaned back on the couch. "So...what did they do to you?"
"They used an incantation that dispels curses of nearly all types and kinds," said Euphie in a plain manner. "I was simply lain within the center of a large incantation circle and subjected to a technomantic spell."
"Technomantic?" Cornelia inquired with a grimace.
"Yes, a combination of super-science and theosophical-magic." Euphie shrugged and smiled. "Don't ask me to explain because that's all I know about it."
"I take it that this spell worked?" Cornelia asked with an amazed look.
Euphie blushed slightly, "On me yes, on the nanomachines no."
"Why do the nanomachines matter?" Cornelia was intrigued.
"Unbeknownst to any of us, the nanomachines were affected by Lelouch's Geass because they are directly linked to the neural network of the brain, which is how they know when the body is in need of repair and how much to repair."
"Lelouch's Geass took control of the nanomachines?" Cornelia scowled.
Euphie chortled, "Suzaku reacted the same way. He wanted to beat Lelouch to a pulp for it until I told him the next part. You see the nanomachines have no concept of nationalities or peoples or races outside of the need to repair. Their little computer brains don't input data the way ours do, and they don't have emotion like we do, so they inputted Lelouch's command as destroy all foreign bodies. Thus, they became highly augmented in their programming and produced a heretofore unknown generation of themselves within my body. This new generation of nanomachines not only repaired damage but regenerated any damage sustained at speeds far in excess of what they were originally designed to do. That augmentation was caused by the power of Geass, and in effect created a new model of nanomachines that will regenerate my body in a matter of seconds."
Cornelia was mortified. "Are you saying you can't die?"
Euphie took Cornelia's hand in hers gently. "Suzaku stopped dead in his tracks halfway up the stairs when I told him that. He got mad and thought I'd gained a Code or something. I had to tell him that I'm not immortal like Lelouch or C2, but I will live until my brain is destroyed or my body sustains massive damage. According to Monsieur Bryant, something in the range of eighty-five percent or higher."
"I see." Cornelia clasped her hand. "You poor thing."
"That wasn't the bad part, my sister, believe me. Living for an indeterminate period pales in comparison to what I have to live with: the memories of the Special Administrative Zone." Euphie tried to smile but couldn't. "Suzaku turned away from me in shame for lying to me about what had really happened there and what I had actually done. I told him it wasn't his fault and thanked him for trying to let me die in peace not knowing the evil that I had committed."
"But it wasn't you that was responsible," Cornelia told her softly.
"That doesn't chase away the nightmares I have about shooting down innocent people, or the horror of screaming in my head for my body to stop while being overpowered by a force it could not resist. Geass is an evil that no man or woman can control. It is precisely what Lord Acton warned about when he said that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
"Who?" Cornelia was unfamiliar with the name.
Euphie smiled, "Someone I read about in one of Enoch's many volumes of books. In his world, power is seen as more of an evil than a good. It is something that good men obtain in order to protect from evils."
"Oh," Cornelia sniggered, "I suppose that explains a great deal about why such a man plays the humble fool rather than the great leader or ruler."
"It's also partially what I learned when Enoch and Delphi trained me in Gevurah Krav Maga. You must learn to only use power when power is used against you or the powerless. That is the way of the peaceful warrior, the way of the hero. It is a philosophy that I hold dear to my heart because I've learned firsthand what unbridled power can do and how many people can be hurt or die from it. The concept can be summed up simply in the words of William Hazlitt when he wrote that the love of liberty is the love of others, the love of power is the love of ourselves. That is the stark contrast between our father Charles with his desire to subjugate and destroy this world for his own selfish desires and a hero who would liberate this world and let men be masters of their own destinies."
Cornelia was shocked. "I've never seen you so determined or filled with conviction."
"Neither had Suzaku," Euphie tittered. "He was practically drooling when he hugged me tightly on the third landing of the stairwell and confessed his love for me over and over until I had to ask him politely to stop."
Cornelia laughed out loud, "Oh, I would’ve loved to have seen his face. It must have been glowing."
"It was," Euphie said with a warm smile. "When he finally composed himself, we started up the steps and I continued my tale to him. I went on to explain that as I gained knowledge of what could be in this world, I achieved control over my mind and was able to stop the night terrors and horror that invaded my dreams. I had lived in solitude on that Japanese estate for four years before I got control of my mental demons. I knew that Lelouch was as much a victim of his Geass as any of us that were hurt by it. I couldn't hate him for what happened, and me saying that hit Suzaku pretty hard."
"Did he cry?" Cornelia asked.
"Yes, a little," Euphie grinned. "Then I told him that my determination to leave my exile and return to the world drove me faster and harder than before. The UFN was still behaving like a subtle dictatorship, with corruption creeping up through its ranks faster than anyone had expected. The tipping point was the terrorism and the reformation of the Black Knights. It was clear to me with all my newfound knowledge at that moment that the peace was over."
"Ah, so then the Red Dragon was born?" Cornelia asked as she leaned her head in her hand and listened.
"Yes, the Red Dragon was chosen as my code name because in Chinese culture, it represents bravery and valor. The color red is also the primary color of the Japanese goddess Kannon Bosatsu who represents mercy and the giving of children. I chose her because I wanted to use my newfound power and ability to defeat the merciless and to protect children most of all. You see, there is one horrible image that I couldn't will away. It was of a little girl crying over her dead mother in the stadium in the SAZ, right before I..." Euphie couldn't finish as two tears ran down her cheeks.
Cornelia leaned over and kissed her on the forehead and hugged her. "It's over now, Euphie, and you've helped save millions since that time by defeating the Greeks and ending our war with them. Tell me more about what you said to Suzaku and forget this bad memory."
Euphie wept softly before going on. "I told him that I had shadowed Zero according to Enoch's orders, to be sure to keep track of him and see whether or not he was corrupted by the growing number of corporate and government lobbyists that had undermined the democratic nature of the UFN. Anyway, I followed him and Nunnally onto the Britannian ocean warship Emerald Queen last year."
"The Emerald Queen?" Cornelia interrupted. "Why does that sound so familiar?"
Euphemia sniggered, "The ship you and I stowed away on that one time by hiding in the oversized ventilation units that Charles had installed for his secret police. Remember that ship?"
"Oh, gee, yes, I remember, we were gone for a week, and the whole Britannian military was searching for us. Oooh, was he mad at us for that," Cornelia snickered.
"But he did commend us on our ability to outwit his best commanders," Euphie winked at her sister.
"Yes, he did," Cornelia said thoughtfully. "So, what happened on that ship that you needed to tell Suzaku about?"
"Let's just say that Suzaku didn't think this was funny when I told him about it," Euphemia smiled in embarrassment.
"Why not?" Cornelia was curious.
"Because I was hiding in your old room on the Emerald Queen, which at that time was being occupied by Zero," Euphie giggled. "Poor Suzaku..." she laughed, "I had donned a suit of optical camouflage just after midnight one night before coming out of the secret passage in his room. My intention was to slip out, get something to eat, and then go back to my mission of observing him and gathering data. When I came out of the secret passage, I had the suit's hood down so I could see better in the darkness. Unfortunately, I was startled by Suzaku screaming out my name, and I stopped in my tracks. At first, I thought he was awake and had recognized me, and then I realized too late that he was only dreaming."
"And he woke up," Cornelia chortled.
Euphie's eyes closed as she held back her mirth and nodded, "Yes, he shot up in his bed, and I had to pull the suit's hood over my head as quickly as I could then dart out of his room. He donned his Zero helmet and cloak but nothing else and came after me down the halls."
Cornelia chucked, "Did he have anything on underneath, or does he sleep naked?"
"No, he was naked," Euphie laughed heartily, "and that's not the best part. The ship was passing through a moderate storm system, and an ocean breeze was rushing through the ship to air it out, but that small wind was also flipping Zero's cape behind him."
"Hah! Oh, this is too much!" Cornelia held her hand over her mouth as she snorted in laughter. "Did you actually confess this to Suzaku?"
"Yes," Euphie admitted with a sigh, "and he didn't talk to me until we reached the last landing before the doorway that led to the deck that Lelouch's quarters were on. He was mad."
"Why?" Cornelia shrugged. "So he streaked though the halls of the Emerald Queen, big deal."
Euphie chortled, "The storm had brought with it a fog that was interfering with my optical camouflage suit, so he was able to see my silhouette and gave chase. I had to find someplace to hide, and the only place I could think of was my old room since I knew where the secret door was in there and could get back into the ventilation system quickly. The problem was Jiang Lihua, the Chinese empress, was occupying that room at the time. I successfully slipped past her and into the secret passage, but Suzaku was right behind me. I think he thought I was someone else because he flipped the light on and woke the Tianzi up."
Cornelia's shoulders shook as she tried to hold back her laughter.
"Naturally she screamed, but what she said forced me to bite my knuckle to keep from laughing hysterically. She said, ‘Guards! Come quickly...there's a naked man in my room!’ The image of that poor girl's fear and Zero naked from the helmet down was just too much. I don't think Suzaku could dodge bullets faster than he sped out of her bedroom."
Cornelia was crying jovially. "Oh, my..." She coughed and got her breath. "Did he forgive you?"
"Yes, though I had to ask him why he chased after me." Euphie waved her hand in an upward gesture. "He could have just informed the ship's security force."
Cornelia composed herself. "Did he say?"
"Suzaku said he thought it was Kaguya spying on him and didn't want to make a scene," Euphemia answered with a smile.
"I guess that plan failed." Cornelia cleared her throat with a final giggle. "I assume you two made up?"
Euphemia nodded her head. "Yah, all I had to do was kiss him as we reached the door and tell him I was sorry. He understood and we kissed for a while before we proceeded to Lelouch's room."
Cornelia regarded her sister for a moment. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Euphie." She leaned in a hugged her. "The world is a brighter place with you in it."
"And you also, my sister." Euphie hugged her back.
* * *
"The first few steps of our plan are complete," a man in an Oni mask and military uniform of the Irregulars said to Colonel Madd over the main video monitor on the bridge of the Intruder (the Ikaruga class aerial warship of the Irregulars).
"But we failed to capture Cornelia," the colonel replied. "Professor Einstein will be furious."
"Do not concern yourself with Nina; I'll deal with her," the man assured Madd. "What is important is that the next step of our campaign be implemented without fail."
"But that's risky, isn't it? We could lose a considerable portion of our forces in this—" Madd was cut short by the masked man.
"That is of no consequence," the man in the Oni mask stated firmly. "We must make our move now lest we lose the opportunity to do so in the future."
Madd adjusted his collar before continuing, "Professor Einstein has uncovered the second temple, and the contents of it are all intact. It would seem that V2's plan was never put into action, but the specimens that he and the Order created are all fully grown and ready for use."
"And the special weapon?" the masked man asked.
"A perfect replica of the original, although the professor isn't comfortable with this, as even the Geass Order was fearful the thing could become infected by the former..."
"It doesn't matter," the masked man cut Madd off again. "Tell Nina that I intend to use this weapon against our adversaries, particularly Zero, no matter what her personal feelings might be about this asset."
"Yes sir, but Zero may have the power of Geass." Madd knew that Zero's file showed that his influence was very similar to that of a Geass user with the POWER OF THE KING or similar manifestation of Geass ability. He didn't know whether Lelouch Britannia had acquired a Code or not, but he knew that given the ex-emperor's genius and cunning, it was certainly possible that he had attained one and was in effect Zero. The details of the defeat of the Olympians was sketchy at best, as most of the information was filtered for mass consumption by the UFN in order to cover the involvement of forces they had an interest in keeping secret, but one thing was certain, without Geass, it was highly improbable that the UFN would have defeated them.
The mask hid the emotion of the man behind it as he answered Madd, "Whether Zero has the power of Geass or not is irrelevant to our plans. What matters is that we eliminate him as a threat even if we don't necessarily kill him, in order to push forward with the project. The other target we must either acquire or neutralize is C2. Have you located her yet?"
Madd seemed nervous. "Not as of yet, sir. We've whittled down the area she's in to somewhere in the Russian Federation, presumably with Zero, but so far there has been no confirmation."
"Confirm it, Colonel," the masked man said in a cold tone. "We need to ensure that only our forces have the power of Geass before we can proceed with the final step."
"Yes, sir," Madd bowed in salute. "I will put more effort into it."
"See that you do," the masked man said. "I'll speak to you again soon."
The masked man's image vanished as Madd considered his words and turned to his helmsman. "Set course for the Russian Federation."
"Aye, sir," the woman replied obediently.
Madd walked up to the front of the bridge with his hands behind his back in military fashion. "With C2's genetic code in our hands again, we'll soon have an army of Geass users and the world will be ours."
