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Ashford Academy, 2:00 p.m. Lelouch was walking towards the small church building that was installed on the school grounds.

Lelouch: (thinking) What's he got up his sleeve, now? What the hell could he be planning? Chaotic Evil son of a bitch... As long as Suzaku's with Nunnally, she'll be fine. In the meantime...

Lelouch opened the doors to the church, and saw Mao, standing next to a small table, covered in a cloth.

Mao: (while clapping) Well, now! The Casanova has arrived! You've got no weapons or strategies, the bomb isn't defused and the Black Knights aren't here, let alone your best pal! (stops clapping) So, what's the occasion?
Lelouch: I'm not explaining jack to you, shitstain.
Mao: Oh! The swearing is real! I like it! Shall we begin the final game?
Lelouch: Shalln't we?
Mao: Alright!

Mao removed the large cloth covering the table, revealing a chess board, and a large scale, behind the table.

Mao: Take it all in. It'll be the last thing you'll ever see.

Meanwhile, at the Britannian government building, Cornelia and Euphemia were resting at the garden, on the roof.

Cornelia: God, this boredom is killing me. No matter where I look, it's utopia, utopia, utopia.
Euphemia: You don't like utopia?
Cornelia: Hell no. Especially, since we took from innocent people, and built this damn thing on top of all those deaths.
Euphemia: Strange minds do think alike. You've been a lot more like yourself, lately.
Cornelia: Got no other choice. (looks at Euphemia) And, you're turning into quite the deadpan snarker.
Euphemia: I learn from the best.
Cornelia: Behaving as our personality dictates. That's proper human behavior. (looks at the sky) The sky never loses its luster.
Euphemia: Yeah.
Cornelia: This world of ours... Why must there be something wrong, at every turn?
Euphemia: It's the madness, sister.
Cornelia: It's like the Mavericks say... This benevolent world is shrouded by madness. We're supposed to fight the madness, not embrace it with open arms. It's so beautiful, in the sky... But, on the ground...
Euphemia: Some places are suffering. Like America.
Cornelia: (sits up) God dammit.
Euphemia: I hate Hawking, too. With a passion. Speaking of which...this garden looks like Lady Marianne's.
Cornelia: Cartoonishly kicking Lelouch to a wall, shrugging off bullets... The guy must be a demon.
Euphemia: His soul, alone, must be an eldritch abomination.
Cornelia: Hawking is an eldritch abomination. In human form. Son of a bitch trolls the world, just by living.
Euphemia: And, his hair is a thing of evil, as well.
Cornelia: It's called a mullet, and he disgraces the mullet. Meanwhile, we're stuck, here, under our bastard father's thumb. We go against his wishes, we are royally boned.
Euphemia: We need an escape, a plan to fight back against our father and free America from Hawking's clutches.
Cornelia: Very difficult, sis. Very difficult, indeed.
Euphemia: I hope that Lelouch and Nunnally are okay, somewhere.
Cornelia: If they're in America, suffering because of Hawking... I'll brain Hawking, with his own jaw.

Back at Ashford, Mao explained to Lelouch the purpose of the game of chess that they were about to partake in.

Mao: You see, Lelouch, the scale functions as both the detonator and cancelation switch, for the bomb, downstairs. The pieces we individually capture go in those bowls. If the scale's in my favor, kaboom. If it's in your favor, the bomb becomes inert.
Lelouch: You really are psychotic, huh?
Mao: The mind games won't work, anymore. That's my specialty.

After only 2 minutes since the game's beginning, Mao had captured 5 of Lelouch's pieces.

Lelouch: (thinking) Shit, shit, shit!
Mao: Not really the kind of guy that can keep his mind empty, huh? You've got that critic part of you, the part that looks at every move you make...then, there's the observer, the one watching the critic. You're pretty much watching yourself. God, that's so weird. (throws another captured piece into the bowl)
Lelouch: Cheap bastard!
Mao: Hello! You just tried to trip me up, by thinking of seven different things at once! Impressive strategy! A for effort! However, thanks to my Geass, seeing your true thoughts...F for result. (throws seventh piece into bowl)
Lelouch: (frightened) I'm screwed. I'm so screwed. I can't win.
Mao: (mimicking Lelouch) "Oh, God! What do I do?" (pulls out coin) "I can't beat a mind reader. I can't do anything, as long as Nunnally's held hostage."

Mao dropped the coin onto the floor, the ringing sound startling Lelouch.

Lelouch: (out loud) Oh, God!
Mao: (normal tone) Whoops. Sorry about that. Do you mind if I pick this up? (leans down to pick up coin) Just a sec, pal.
Lelouch: (under breath) Judas Priest.
Mao: Your move! Time's running low. Cute sister's not gonna make it.
Lelouch: (hesitantly grabs piece)
Mao: Are you sure? Is that a good strategy?
Lelouch: (defeated) Isn't this enough?
Mao: (confused) Huh?
Lelouch: Please, just stop.
Mao: You're kinda quiet, from where you are. I'm not hearing good enough. Probably these freaking headphones.
Lelouch: You've gotten everything you wanted, Mao! Just let Nunnally go! You beat me, I admit it!
Mao: Speaking from the heart! Very admirable, Lelouch! Very admirable, indeed! However...I must decline. (takes another of Lelouch's pieces) And, now...(throws piece towards scale)...checkmate.
Lelouch: (horrified) No, don't!

The chess piece that Mao threw landed in the bowl, and the needle on the scale pointed towards Mao.

Lelouch: (collapses to his knees, crying) Nunnally... I'm so sorry.

Mao was reveling in the moment, when he realized that something was amiss.

Mao: Hold on... The scale's in my favor. So, where's the earth-shattering kaboom?

Immediately, one of the windows behind Lelouch shattered.

Mao: Where the hell did he come from?!

Suzaku landed inside the church, running towards Mao. Mao pulled out a pistol, and shot at Suzaku, but Suzaku managed to evade the bullets and punched Mao to the ground, disarming him of the pistol.

Suzaku: Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi, Britannian military! You're under arrest!
Lelouch: Suzaku?!
Mao: How the hell did you disarm the bomb!? You'd have to keep track of the speed of the pendulum, and match it!
Suzaku: That was the plan. Lelouch even showed me which line to cut.
Lelouch: (confused) I did?
Suzaku: Yeah. You told me to cut the line, then bust in here, when I heard you scream.
Lelouch: What the...? Wait... (takes out phone, looks at reflective side, thinking) God, Alistair would have a field day, with this. (out loud, confident) Well, Mao... Looks like the victory goes to me, instead. You got the checkmate, on yourself. In American football, it's called a "Safety".
Mao: You didn't...!
Lelouch: (thinking) I did. I gave Suzaku the proper instructions, then used Geass on myself, to forget, so you couldn't find out about it. Knowing a person's thoughts doesn't mean that you know everything. Omnipotence is nonexistent, you must realize.
Mao: You bet everything, on this guy!? What if he failed!?
Lelouch: I've known Suzaku for 7 years. He hasn't failed me. Ever.
Suzaku: (talking into phone) Sayoko? Go for it. We're at the church. (closes phone)
Mao: You think you've beaten me, you screwhead!? (struggles against Suzaku's grip)
Suzaku: Stop it!
Mao: Don't you touch me, father killer!
Suzaku: (gasps)
Lelouch: (out loud) The shit are you-?
Mao: 7 years ago, you killed your own father. Do-or-die resistance was called, by him, and you thought that stopping him meant stopping the war. Doesn't matter how you spin it, you're a murderer!
Suzaku: No...! That's not true...! I-!
Mao: Why did no one find out about it? The adults lied, solely to protect you.
Lelouch: I thought the reports said that his suicide was a protest against military action?
Mao: Nope. That was one of the biggest lies, ever conjured.
Suzaku: I-! I didn't have any other choice! If I didn't, Japan would've-!
Mao: Oh, is that your justification? Well, it makes sense. After all, it explains the death wish. You wanna save people's lives, you wanna protect Japan's order, you wanna save the world! Bullshit! You're just a lowly little soldier boy, charging headlong into danger, putting yourself in front of death's door! You're not even a hero, you're just some murderous crybaby, trying to clean the blood off his hands!

Suzaku collapsed onto the floor, screaming in emotional and mental agony.

Mao: I think it's about time someone kicked you to the- What the hell?
Lelouch: (enraged) MAO!
Mao: (looks at Lelouch)
Lelouch: (activates Geass) You will never speak again, as long as you live!

Mao tried to cover up his eyes, but was too late, as Lelouch's Geass command was put into effect. Mao tried to speak, but couldn't only garbling vocal sounds. Mao ran towards the front doors, and opened them, and saw C.C., waiting for him.

C.C.: I cared about you, Mao. I didn't want you ending up like this. (puts suppressed pistol to Mao's neck) I'm sorry.
Alistair: Hold it, C.C.

Mao looked to his left, and saw Alistair walking towards him.

Alistair: You don't have to waste a bullet. I got this.
Mao: (speaks incoherently)
Alistair: You wanna know what's in my head, Mao? Well, go ahead. Take a good, long look.

Mao walked toward Alistair, emitting a strange-sounding laugh, as he looked into Alistair mind. And, Mao immediately began to regret it. Numerous flashes of Alistair's memories appeared before Mao's sight, as well as numerous sounds, including insane laughter cutting off.

Mao: (breathes loudly, frightened)
Alistair: Never seen anything quite like it, in your life...have you? All that death, all that carnage, the purebred insanity. And, yet, you, of all people, haven't experienced it? You never saw your own parents die?
Mao: (continues breathing, immediately screams in pain, clutches left arm)
Alistair: Right to the amputation! Have you ever experienced that!? No? Well, tough crap. I'm not one to bitch and moan, unlike you.
Mao: (quickly crawls towards bush, vomits into bush)
Alistair: Ah, the crater. 75 dead bodies, rotting in the hottest desert, in America. Not the most pleasant smell, is it?
Mao: (screams in pain, again, rolls on the ground)
Alistair: Oh! You thought you could fast forward through that, and not expect pain? You thought wrong! Can you handle the fire!? Can you survive the torment of 10 years of hell!? Can you!?

Mao shivered with pain, as he got to his feet. His eyes went blank, then he fell back to the ground, no longer breathing.

Alistair: (walks over to Mao, checks for pulse) Gone!