How is everyone doing today? Yep. I got another one. You can thank my muse. Or tell it to fuck off. Either one really.

Despite being pretty wrapped up in Code Geass ideas for the past couple of days, I was pretty hesitant on actually putting this one down on paper, as it were. As I'm sure some of my readers will know; while I can and will write some pretty dark shit on occasion, I'm not really the kind of person who enjoys angst. And boy, is Code Geass chock full of it at times. Despite loving the series when I was younger, there were a fair number of things I could have done without. Euphemia's death for example. I would have been perfectly fine with it had it been done for a reason. I don't shy away from the subject, but I like it when it's for something.

Had it been done as an assassination just as she and Lelouch succeeded in creating the Administrative Zone, it would have had a pretty big impact. Lelouch could even have spun it in such a way that revealed a Britannian as the one who did the deed, or perhaps evencaught the suspect. V.V. definitely would have sent someone to try it. Instead, it was done solely to FUCK with him. His Geass just so happened to evolve just as he happened to be joking around with his precious sister that he could order her to murder innocent, hopeful people. Specifically worded in such a way that she would have had to exterminate an entire race down to the last child for the Geass to end, which left killing her the only option. He could have said anything! He could have been joking that he could get her to flash him, or pretend to be a dog! But no, it was joking about genocide, right next to the sea of Japanese thinking their humiliation was at an end.

And don't even get me started on the ending of the series. I honestly hate Zero Approval Gambits. Sure, maybe there's peace for a couple years…maybe a couple decades…then what? What happens when all those alive at that time are gone and those that followed forget the lessons of the past? And hey, not a fucking week after I started writing this, we get confirmation of a direct sequel. Guess Zero Requiem didn't quite pan out the way they planned it, huh?

So yeah, I was kinda hesitant on starting this fic, because I know some purists will likely end up not liking it and flaming it. In the end though, I want to write what I want to write. This won't be unicorns and rainbows, but I'm not putting my characters through wholly unnecessary humiliation/trauma conga lines. Now that I started writing it though, I'm pretty happy that I did. I do love this series despite my gripes, and as I was writing some other ideas started coming in. I already know what I want to do with the sequel for this.

Pairing: Harem.

WARNING: Lelouch has a pretty different personality compared to canon. Call it the Milly Effect for that one. Chapter 2 will go into much more detail on the reasons for this, though it's hinted at in this one.

ALSO WARNING: Don't be too attached to canon. I'm derailing this train sooner rather than later.

I'm also taking some liberties with the Code. If Suzaku's "Live" could turn him even more superhuman than usual, then I'm pretty sure the regenerating immortals could overcome their human limits too.

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This was only one of two ideas I had for a Code Geass fic. I'll describe the second idea, and ask you all to chime in on it. The basic premise of the second idea I had is that Geass and Code are NOT the only mystical forces in the world. Spoiler warning: DEFINITELY inspired by Doctor Strange.

When Lelouch is carrying Nunnally on his back after the invasion, she realizes that he's lying to her about what the smell is. Unable to lie to his sister, Lelouch breaks down and tells her everything. Later when they're safe with the Ashfords, Lelouch and Nunnally discuss and fear that the Ashford family will be prime suspects in hiding them. This causes them to ask Sayoko to flee the country with them, at least for the moment until the heat dies down. Over a period of time, they travel to different places until they come to Kamar-Taj, where they are accepted as disciples. (Nunnally far more easily than Lelouch.) Over time, they both become sorcerers, and in the process Nunnally regains the ability to walk (as well and her eyes and memories). Then when the time comes for the Rebellion, there will be two vi Britannia to contend with, and neither of them will have Geass. And quite obviously, their enemies will not only be Geass users either.

Very basic setup here obviously. I also say inspired by Doctor Strange, because I do not want to turn this into a full out crossover. Or at least not for the main story.

So, let me know what you all think of it. Looking forward to your feedback! I'll probably just end up turning this one into a challenge if you guys like it at all. I kinda want to focus on only one code Geass story.

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Turn 01: The Destruction at Shinjuku

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"He mustn't die!" The young woman wearing a white prisoner's outfit screamed as she dove in front of him, arms wide in an attempt to protect him. Her hair parted revealing a strange red symbol on her head just as the small caliber bullet pierced through her skull with a quiet hiss, right at the center of the symbol. She crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut, and collapsed to the floor.

"Damn it!" The boy cursed as he collapsed to his knees next to her. He was a handsome boy with violet eyes. He wasn't a bulky boy, but neither was he scrawny. His black hair was a little messy, likely from his time down in the old tunnels. His hand was clenched into a tight fist next to her head, even as he saw her blood ooze out from behind her head. "You bastards…!" He cried out angrily. What a time for him to be caught with his pants down.

"What a shame." The mocking voice of the Captain before him oozed out of his enemy. The boy – named Lelouch – growled. He would kill all of these bastards. "We were ordered to retrieve her alive, but it appears we were too late. It seems she was tortured to death by the terrorists. How does that story sound, Mister Student?" His right hand was behind him, ready to deploy his high-tech, retractable blade. He was fully prepared to charge forward and end all of these sadistic men.

But he never got the chance. Before he could do a thing, he got the shock of his life as the dead girl in front of him reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. His gasp of surprise was muffled as she sealed her lips over his. Immediately the world dissolved in a whirl of color. It was as though he had stepped into an acid trip, as the world turned blue with lightning whirling around him, before being replaced by sheer white. Then he appeared to be travelling through what appeared to be a wormhole, if he had to guess. "What is this?"

He heard the girl's voice, "You don't want it to end, do you? You appear to have a reason for living." It rang all around him, not coming from any particular point. "If you had power, could you live?" Black and white images of the girl started flashing in and out in front of him, before what appeared to be two planets close together appeared, with the sun rising in between them. "In exchange for power, you must make my wish come true. Accept this contract, and while you live in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence. A different time. A different life." More images. A field of people with the same mark she had upon their foreheads, standing with their heads down. Then it was back to the whirling wormhole.

He then heard the voice of the man he hated most in this world, "The Ragnarok Connection? So the myth begins again…"

She might have gone on, but Lelouch had already made up his mind, "I accept your contract!" He threw his arm to the side. And then he was back in the real world, the girl as unmoving as a dead girl should be, her golden eyes staring lifelessly at him. Lelouch looked no different, but he felt different. "Tell me…how should a Britannian who hates his own country live?" He stood, holding his hand over his left eye. The previously confident guards sucked in a small amount of air, suddenly feeling intimidated for some reason. It was as if an aura of menace was emanating from the tall boy.

"What, are you some kind of radical?" The Captain asked.

Lelouch was in no mood for games as he uncovered his violet eye, revealing that red, bird-like symbol flapping in it. "Why not shoot? I'm only a student, aren't I? Or have you realized that only ones who should kill are those willing to die?" The gun in the captain's hand started trembling. He tried, but it was as if he could not pull the trigger, "Now… Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…all but the Captain…die!"

The rest of the regular members of the Royal Guard chuckled as their faces became dazed and a red circle surrounded their eyes, "YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!" They roared as one and placed their guns under their chins. With a smattering of gunfire, they all collapsed with blood flying from their heads.

"Now… Answer me!" Lelouch said, stepping gently over the girl and jerking his right arm slightly. With the sound of sliding metal, a large blade extended out from under his uniform. It was white in color, with red designs inlayed, "Why are you after this girl?"

The Captain droned, "Prince Clovis demanded it."

Lelouch frowned, "Why is he after her?"

"She is an experiment. Should she be discovered, the Prince would be disinherited." The guard's voice was flat and monotonous.

Lelouch's expression turned even more severe at the confirmation of his fears. His brother was performing human experimentation, an even worse crime than the production of poison gas being fed to the masses, "Why was she being experimented on?" To his surprise, the guard was utterly silent, " Can you not say or do you not know?" The response he got was for the latter, "I see. So this power will not work as an interrogation tool if you don't know the information I seek." He muttered to himself, "Are you privy to any other vital bits of information that only you know, barring Clovis himself?"

"Yes, your Highness!" The droning of his voice was actually getting rather irritating. He pulled out a drive and handed it to Lelouch, "The code is ZMFA-8041-9823."

"Are there any traps or tracking devices on it?" Lelouch smiled, pocketing the device.

"No."

Lelouch thought for a moment, "Will there be any surprises on the battlefield, should things not go Clovis's way? Additionally, is there anything else I must know?"

"Yes your Highness! There is an experimental Knightmare Frame in the reserve being tested by Camelot. It is not part of the regular chain of command, and is not field tested, but rumors state it to be a Seventh Generation. Camelot's head – a Lloyd Asplund – won't shut up about it."

Lelouch cursed as the man went silent. That was not good at all. Generational leaps in Knightmare technology almost always resulted in the previous generation being rendered obsolete, or at least heading there. The sixth was the only exception, as far as he knew. "Then I release you."

Lelouch smiled as the man regained himself, almost falling in shock as he saw Lelouch far closer than he should have been. "What the!" He could not move a single muscle before there was a flash of light, and his world went sideways. In the last few seconds of his life, he watched as his killer turned around and swiped his blade through the air to clean it. The blade retracted into his sleeve, and the dying Royal Guard idly realized that it should have been impossible for it to hide inside the boy's sleeve. Lelouch stepped away, not getting a drop of blood on his person. He wasn't even paying attention as the head of the guard hit the ground with a thump, following the larger thud of his body.

He walked back to the girl, a thoughtful look on his face. She had definitely done something. The voice he had heard was no doubt hers. Yet she didn't look as if she had moved at all since she was shot. He knelt and brushed the green hair off her forehead, after closing her eyes gently. She had saved his life with her sacrifice, as unneeded as it probably had been. He was fairly certain he would have been able to win here regardless. Only perhaps it wasn't much of a sacrifice after all. He watching in growing disbelief as the wound slowly, but visibly closed in front of his eyes. He then noticed something else that was rather odd. Her green hair wasn't being stained red. The clothes he could understand. They could have been made with that new hydrophobic fabric someone had invented a few years ago. But her hair? That made no sense. 'She's regenerating.' He grit his teeth, "Clovis you bastard. This was why…"

A roaring from outside had him on his feet in a hurry. Sparks flew from the metal doors as they were shredded and a giant purple Knightmare drove in. The 'face' opened, revealing a radar-like device. The pilot inside – a woman – roared out, "What happened here?! Why is there a Britannian student in the Shinjuku ghetto?" She grit her teeth, "Answer me or I'll fire!" Lelouch stared blankly at her. Her gun roared, giant bullets cutting a ring around Lelouch. He didn't even flinch as his hair whipped in front of his face.

"Come out of there, at once!" He commanded, his eye lighting up with his power.

The woman in the Knightmare growled, "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Lelouch clicked his tongue, 'Must require eye contact.' He put his hands up, "My name is Alan Spacer. My father is a Duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. I request your protection once you have verified my identity." There was no way a mere Knight wouldn't jump at the chance. Most of them were whores for more prestige.

There was silence for a moment, and then whirling of servos. A hiss of gas filled the room as the cockpit of the machine opened and a woman dropped down on a retracting rope. She had a gun in her hand, "Keep your hands up. I'll take your ID out." She was a dark-skinned woman with silver hair tied in a single tail hanging to the side of her head and a gorgeous figure. She was wearing a purple outfit with a golden emblem covering the front, with a small hole showing a bit of her cleavage.

"Now…Obey me!" Lelouch commanded with a grin.

"Yes, your Highness!" She said in that monotone voice he was starting to dislike. Her eyes took on a bright red ring.

"First, hand me your Knightmare and tell me your name and position!" He smirked victoriously.

"Understood!" She dropped her gun down and threw him the key to her machine, "The code is XG21-G2D4. My name is Villetta Nu. I am a member of the Purebloods."

"Good, now answer my questions. What is your mission in this ghetto?" With this beautiful woman not being a part of the Royal Guard, he would see what she knew. Her orders were bound to be different than those of the Royal Guard.

"We were to search for the poison gas capsule, but our primary mission is now the extermination of the Elevens in this ghetto, as well as the destruction of the city." Lelouch clenched his fist. What had happened to the gentle boy he had known as a child?

With a small twitch of his eye, he answered his own question. Britannia had happened. "Kneel now." She did as she was commanded. He kept their eyes locked, thinking about whether or not he wanted to release her yet. Suddenly, his face lit up as he had an idea, "Stay here and await further orders."

"Yes, your Highness!" Villetta saluted.

Lelouch went up into her Sutherland and started taking in information. He grinned viciously as he noticed an oncoming train full of brand new weaponry inbound. So that was how they were supposed to resupply. He left the Sutherland and walked back to Villetta, "There is a train inbound with new weaponry. You will wait until I have supplied the rebels and then take the last remaining Sutherland there. You will remain hidden with your IFF off the entire time. I've been warned that there is an experimental Knightmare frame being kept back. Should it appear on the battlefield, I will try to cripple it in some manner.

Your mission is to be performed with absolute stealth! Do not get caught! You are to take any pieces of this experimental frame we manage to destroy and hide them somewhere in the tunnels. Make sure that they cannot be found without being told where to look. Afterwards – or if the machine never appears and/or we never manage to injure it – you are to come back to the ghetto on foot. Leave the Sutherland there. Find a damaged Sutherland or ejection cockpit and injure yourself enough to acquire a slight concussion. You will not remember anything that happened in this warehouse or my face, and will attribute your difference in location once you return to normal to your injury. Afterwards, you may return to your normal self. However, in one day, you will securely send me the location to the hidden parts. The best times would be between seven and two at night. Make sure there is zero chance of being discovered. After my confirmation, you are to destroy the evidence and remember absolutely nothing of what you have done for me. Only when all of this is done, may you return to normal. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your Highness!" Villetta shouted.

He felt victory course through him. Lelouch turned from her back to the gorgeous green-haired woman. He glanced at her forehead again and saw that the wound on the front had entirely vanished. The bullet itself had been spat out neatly, and was lying beside her in the puddle of hair and blood. He picked her up in a bridal carry and walked with her over to the Knightmare, quickly getting her settled inside and then racing out of the warehouse. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with her behind him, but he could manage. Villetta walked out of the warehouse with her eyes ringed in red and began her mission.

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Milly Ashford was currently sitting outside of Ashford Academy with Nina Einstein and Shirley Fenette, eating her lunch. Milly had blonde, wavy hair, crystal blue eyes, and probably the curviest body on the entire campus. Shirley wasn't too far behind in looks, with her exotic orange hair and yellowish-green eyes. She was looking pretty annoyed, "Are they gambling again? It's like they don't even know they're on the student council! Lulu may be smart but he sure doesn't apply himself properly." She had a pout on her full lips. "If he'd study hard, his grades would be amazing!"

Milly had a small, barely-hidden grin on her face, "Oh, I'm afraid Lulu has never cared much for his grades." She smirked lightly, "After all, he can make far more money with his gambling."

"Madam President!" Shirley squeaked, scandalized.

"I know you only want the best for our dear Lulu," Milly started, but had to cut herself off when her phone began to ring, "Oh bother." She reached into her pocket just as the second ring ended and fumbled with the device. The phone rang a third time just as she pulled it out, and then the phone went silent. She eyed the name on the caller ID, and just barely kept her eyes from widening. Three rings from Lelouch. He needed to talk to her privately, immediately, "Sorry ladies. I'm going to have to run. I need to take this call now."

"Madam President!" The two girls asked in surprise as Milly closed her lunchbox and stuffed it into her bag before almost running away.

Nina – a more petite girl with dark green hair and indigo eyes – blinked in shock, "I wonder what has her so riled up…" She said quietly.

Milly made it to the clubhouse in record time and shut herself in Lelouch's room, already bringing out her phone. But this time, a second device followed it. She hooked it up to the phone and a light on it lit up. The phone hadn't even finished ringing once when he answered, "Lulu!" She cried, "Are you okay? Where are you?"

His voice was calm, which did a lot to ease her, "Of course. I'm in Shinjuku." His next words did not, "Our schedule has moved up."

Milly's heart stopped, "Wh-what?"

"Clovis has ordered every single Japanese in this ghetto to be exterminated to hide his mistakes." Lelouch told her, and she let out a strangled sound, holding a hand to her mouth, "Actually, it would be more specific to say that he ordered every civilian in this ghetto to be exterminated, Japanese or otherwise." Milly swallowed and clenched her trembling fist, "I'm going to take command here."

"But we're not ready!" She hissed at him, "You know we're not ready! We don't have any functional Knightmares and none of the next-gen prototypes are ready! You promised Lelouch! You promised you wouldn't throw your life away when I swore to help you! You swore to l-live!" Her voice broke at the end.

"I'm not, and I will." She hated that confidence in his voice right now…that confidence she fell in love with, "I'll tell you everything when I get home, Milly." She bit her lip, "Now, turn on the TV and tell me what they're saying on Shinjuku."

Milly did as requested, "Nothing." She said finally, after a few seconds, "They're just saying that there will be some traffic restrictions."

"They're not saying why, I'm guessing." She gave him the confirmation he was looking for, "So they're planning on doing as they wish and then releasing whatever story they want afterwards." He tutted, "How…uninspired." He said blandly.

"Lelouch please…" She didn't want to, but she was terrified for him right now. There was no way he could just take command on foot. She said as much to him.

He chuckled lightly, "Who said anything about being on foot? I'm currently in a very nicely equipped Sutherland."

Milly's eyes bulged, "Excuse me?!" She sounded utterly flabbergasted, "But how!"

"Like I said, I'll tell you when I'm home. I have to stop this before even more innocent people lose their lives." Lelouch said, "I'll talk to you later Milly. I need to focus now."

"Please be safe Lulu…" She begged, tears in her eyes, "I couldn't bear to lose you."

Lelouch smiled on the other end, "See you tonight, love." He hung up.

Milly clenched her fist as she fell back onto his bed, "Tonight." She whispered to the silent room.

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"Damn you Britannian bastards!" Kallen Kōzuki had a look of rage on her beautiful face and tears in her eyes. She had vibrant red hair spiked up at the sides with two bangs over her face. She had a thin, red headband on her forehead as well as a red sleeveless top which left her midriff bare and leg warmers which went up to her thighs. Her shorts were connected to a strange vest with a hole at her chest, which did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that she was a voluptuous woman. "How could you! They're innocent!" She fired her Slash Harken into a tank which had just mowed down three fleeing Japanese men.

"Kallen! Are you alright?!" Her commander yelled into the communicator, "Can the Glasgow still move?"

"I'm fine!" She yelled back, "I can play decoy! You get the people away from here! We have to make sure that the only ones caught are us!"

"I know that!" He told her, "But they've got us surrounded!"

"Shit!" She yelled as her console beeped, "Only 30 minutes left!" She cursed as two Sutherlands appeared behind her. She quickly pushed her one-armed Glasgow to the brink to escape, dodging around fallen buildings and concrete pillars.

"The west entrance!" She gasped as an unfamiliar voice came through the communicator.

"What?!"

"Use the tracks to head towards the west entrance!"

She growled, "Who are you?! How did you get this code?"

"Does it matter who I am?" Lelouch loosened his school's uniform at the neck, "If you desire victory, then trust me!"

"Victory?" Such a foreign concept truthfully hadn't even entered the gorgeous redhead's mind. After the barest moment of hesitation, she jumped onto the tracks and aligned her Knightmare's Landspinners with the tracks. Her Glasgow raced forward, practically screeching at the effort, "Now what?" She asked irritably, knowing she was being chased. A loud horn in front of her caught her attention. She was careening right towards a train!

"Since you trusted me, you get to win here." The voice told her, "Jump onto the train!"

"Gotcha!" She clenched her teeth and did so. She heard the Sutherland behind get hit, and knew that the horrendously loud screeching was the train slowing down, not the pursuing Knightmare being crushed.

The Sutherland's pilot was a man named Jeremiah Gottwald. He was a fairly tall man with dark blue-green, coiffed hair and a well-built physique. "It's no fun if you just run." He sounded quite bored. "You can't escape like that." He chided Kallen. "Go after the Glasgow!" he ordered his current wingman.

"Yes, my Lord!" The man yelled as he forced his Knightmare to leap over Jeremiah's head, only for two Slash Harkens to rip right through his Sutherland.

"What!" Jeremiah's eyes widened, "Friendly fire?!" He cursed, "You there! What's your unit?!" He roared furiously through the Sutherland's speakers, "The enemy is the one-armed one!" But the Sutherland hiding in the building merely raised its rifle and started blowing holes into his frame. "It can't be!" He yelled, "How could a terrorist acquire a Sutherland!?" His Landspinner started driving him back, before it exploded from a stray bullet, which blew his Knightmare's entire leg off, "You son of a!" his attention was caught by Kallen, who was charging at him with a battle cry. He grit his teeth and yanked his armrests upwards. His Knightmare's cockpit ejected and flew him to safety, as the frame fell to the dirt.

"You saved me!" Kallen said happily, "How did you get a Sutherland?" She turned, only to find her savior gone.

"Kallen!" She heard her fellows coming up to her, "What was up with that voice?"

"Huh? He contacted you too?" She asked as she brought her Glasgow to a knee.

The radio started acting up, "You're the leader?" Lelouch's voice sounded through the radio. "The contents of that train are my gift to you. They're the tools for your victory! If you wish to use them and win, then you will follow my orders! This is important; you must leave one in there, understood?!"

Kallen opened the train's compartments and a gasp ripped itself out of her, "HOW!" Every single compartment was filled with Sutherlands. "Let's hear what he has to say!" She yelled in excitement.

"Woman in the Glasgow!" She answered quickly as she heard his voice, "What is the status of your energy filler?"

"Fifteen minutes tops." She told him.

"Switch out your filler then. You'll be running decoy for us during the upcoming battle."

"Got it!" She said, and went about completing her task.

"I'll contact you all within fifteen minutes to assign code names and give you your next set of instructions." Lelouch told them, and then the radio went silent.

-]|[-

"I'll contact you all within fifteen minutes to assign code names and give you your next set of instructions." Lelouch clicked off the communicator and let out a sigh as he leaned back slightly. He hadn't expected the actual act to be as tiring as it was. Still, this was what he had spent the last seven years planning for. He was beginning far earlier than he had scheduled, but he wasn't about to allow this opportunity to go to waste.

He was absently enjoying the feel of the green-haired girl's breasts on his back when she caught him by surprise, "My, my, how forward of you." Dainty arms wrapped around his waist and she squeezed him from behind, "Not even a first date and you're already getting familiar. Did you enjoy my breasts, boya?" She asked him playfully. She felt quite surprised to have woken up in something other than a puddle of her own blood, 'Hmm? What's this.' She smirked lightly as she felt him up, 'Well I'll be... Mr. Exercise-Is-For-Plebeians actually has some muscles.'

'Odd,' Lelouch mused, 'Up until she grabbed me she had no heartbeat. Can she control that?' Lelouch delivered his response in a perfect monotone, "Well you did steal my first kiss." He turned around, looking entirely serious, "Please take responsibility."

She couldn't help but snort, "That was as much your first kiss as it was mine." She smirked lightly, "So, planning on defeating Britannia with some stolen Sutherlands are we? That red Glasgow over there-" She eyed the camera displaying Kallen's unit, "looks like it's held together with duct tape and hatred."

Lelouch smirked back, "Duct tape and hatred can work miracles you know. It's not every day that obsolete, mass-produced garbage manages to hold out against a battalion's worth of next-gen units with nothing but the pilot's skill and some subterfuge. She's lasted by herself with one arm and a single unbroken Slash Harken long enough for her energy filler to have run almost dry. Unless I very much missed my guess, she lost both even before we got you out of that capsule. That was more than two hours ago at this point."

The verdette blinked, "…Not bad." She admitted dryly. "You're not quite what I expected, boy. When I wake up from death people usually freak out." Her voice got even drier, "They most certainly don't carry me into Knightmares and use me as a pillow."

"You were certainly comfier than the seat." Lelouch replied airily, "And I stayed in that warehouse long enough to see your wound start to close. Even if I hadn't, the kiss made me suspicious." She smiled slightly, "Lelouch vi Britannia. I usually go by Lamperouge in public though." He introduced himself formally, "And what were you expecting? Cold, dark, and perpetually serious perhaps?"

She blinked again, "You may call me C.C., and frankly, yes." She remembered him back in the Aires Villa. Seeing his mother gunned down had changed the boy, and even before that day he hadn't exactly been the life of the party unless it involved a chess set.

He chuckled, "Those days are long gone. Life is worth so much more when you actually have something to look forward to. My partner in crime, as it were, makes sure I don't turn into an angsty little shit. Blame the Milly Effect, I suppose. If we're to be partners you'll meet her sooner rather than later." Ah, Milly Ashford. She certainly remembered that precocious little thing. So she'd sunk her claws in had she? She was about to respond when he once again caught her off guard, "Don't be too surprised if you end up in bed with her either." He chuckled lightly, "I swear, that girl could talk a nun out of her clothes." C.C. couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He couldn't possibly understand the irony of that statement. But this was interesting. Young Milly turned into even more of a little devil than she had been in her younger years, and had corrupted little Lelouch on top of it. This contract was already looking to be far more fun than any she'd had in decades at least, "But alas, we only have a few minutes left before I need to contact them." He turned around and faced her, smirk gone, "What exactly did my brother have done to you?"

C.C.'s face immediately closed off. She had been trying to avoid thinking of what she had suffered under Code R's tender mercies. But now that it was out in the open, her mind couldn't help but revisit it. And for the first time in centuries, her emotions started bubbling out of her once more. And at the head of it all was a combination of two emotions she had only felt once; sheer, unadulterated rage mixed with the sting of betrayal.

When C.C. had met Charles, Marianne, and Victor she had been living as she had lived for ages; listlessly and exhausted of life. Marianne was the one who managed to get her to feel every once in a while, and she had come to even look at the woman as a friend. It was for her that C.C. had originally travelled to Japan, so that she could keep an eye on her kids. She had been wary of their plan when told of it, but went along with it as it offered her the death she so dearly sought.

Now though, her desire had changed. Over the centuries of her life, she had thought she had experienced all of the pain the world had to offer. But Code R? Oh no, Code R had shown her the folly of that. There was something special about having acid injected into her veins. Or perhaps it was the time they covered her in Bullet Ants.

And the worst part of it was…she should have been able to escape. One of the actual benefits of her Code – though most of the time she regarded it as a curse – was the regeneration it offered as a consequence of her immortality. Humans were limited. Their bodies had limits because if they didn't, they would constantly tear themselves to pieces. Stories of desperate mothers lifting cars off of their children held that grain of truth. Desperation could temporarily unlock those limits. Bearers of the Code could ignore them. There was no risk of permanent, debilitating injury. Quite the opposite. She could control her rate of regeneration to the point that she healed just as quickly as the injuries came. The only times injuries stuck around on her body – except for the damnable scar on her breast – were when she allowed them to.

And when she was recovering from being drugged for years. That too, she supposed.

The second Clovis's Code R let their guards down, she should have been able to break them. She should have been able to crush their minds with her telepathy. She should have been able to escape without suffering for a single second longer than she needed to. Instead, she was kept in that container which was too thick and strong for even her to get out of. She was constantly kept on drugs when she wasn't being tortured for the secrets of her immortality or being screamed at by Clovis to give him a 'power.' That he even knew of a 'power' was one of the most telling signs of all.

Victor had likely told him about her and how to seal her away. Even if Marianne was ignorant – which she truly doubted with that woman – Charles was likely just as complicit in her agony as the blonde midget himself. Betrayal was not something she was unfamiliar with, but it stung nonetheless. With something other than lonely, unfeeling exhaustion fueling her for once, she made her decision. Even if it would get her what she desired, she would follow those three no longer. Even if it meant she would have to go another lonely century, she would see them fail. She eyed Lelouch with her jaw set, "I've lived for centuries, boy." She didn't use his name. She knew it would annoy him. "I've been shot. I've been drowned. Decapitated. Burned at the stake." The narrowing of his eyes told her that her words had made him angry on her behalf. "I've been put into an Iron Maiden. I've been drawn and quartered. I've even been stoned. I thought nothing could phase me, and yet, the past few years have given me a new definition of pain."

She caught the movement of his jaw tightening, "Then my dear C.C…" She blinked again in surprise, "How would you like to be the one that kills him?"

Her eyes widened in shock, before a feral smirk almost split her face in half, "Oh, it would be my pleasure." She purred.

Lelouch smirked back, "Now, what can you tell me about this power? I've already learned that it requires eye contact in some form. Cameras don't work."

"That is correct. Geass manifests itself differently in each individual, based on their personalities and inner desires." It was for this reason that she would never offer a child a Geass again. A child's desires were far too mercurial to be trusted with power like that. She only made that mistake once in her centuries of life, and it was one she was not keen to repeat, "As it is a line-of-sight Geass, you will also likely be able to bounce it off of reflective surfaces. However, anything blocking it such as a pair of sunglasses will render it ineffective." Lelouch frowned at that knowledge, "Additionally, it will likely have a range you will need to discover. You will have to discover the rest yourself. Being your contractor does not give me intimate knowledge of exactly how your ability functions. I can only make very-educated guesses based on others like it." C.C. shrugged her shoulders with a little smirk on her lips.

Lelouch pursed his lips, "I see." He thought for a few moments, "That Royal Guard did not look as if he expected me to be as close to him as I was when I killed him. I guess my Geass also damages the memories of my victims."

C.C. looked contemplative, "That is fair to assume. I've seen Geass in the same vein as yours before and they tend to have that effect."

He nodded and turned back around, "We can talk more later. For now, I have a battle to win."

C.C. smiled appreciatively at his confidence. The rage and betrayal she had felt were making the rest of her emotions bleed out as well. She so rarely allowed herself to leave her barriers that her emotions were hitting her far harder than they otherwise would have. It was like someone born blind and deaf being able to experience those senses for the first time. "Alright. Will you need anything of me?"

"I have more questions of course, but those can wait until later. The men I put under my… Geass was it? Anyway, I was told that there might be a potential Seventh Generation Knightmare on the battlefield. If Clovis gets desperate he may deploy it, whether it's truly ready for battle or not." C.C. was frowning. She was well aware of how big of a leap that would be in terms of power if it was a true generational leap, "If it appears, I'd like your help in analyzing it. Also let me know if anyone is sneaking up on us. Other than that…relax and enjoy the show!"

-]|[-

Close to the Settlement, a giant purple mobile headquarters named the G1 was surrounded by Sutherlands as well as medical tanks. Inside, Prince Clovis was receiving info from his staff, "The terrorists are hiding amongst the general populace. They're mounting a small resistance against us. However, our superiority is overwhelming. They've done little more than scratch the paint on our Knightmares."

"Of course." Clovis said blandly, looking bored, "Ignoring that for now."

General Bartley – a bald bad with a monocle and darker skin – bowed, "Of course Prince Clovis. The gas capsule will be -"

"Just as the public thinks." Clovis adjusted himself.

"Indeed. In the meantime, we'll keep looking for her."

Clovis rubbed his forehead, "Dead or alive, she must be found!" Of course, he and Bartley knew that there was no 'dead' for her, but the others in the room did not.

-]|[-

Tamaki – a redheaded Japanese man – appeared on Oghi's monitor, "These Knightmares have all had their IFFs disabled! What if this is just a trap?!"

Kallen snorted, "Why would they bother?" She taunted the other redhead, "Use that head of yours Tamaki. We had a single Glasgow that was barely holding up even before this started. Why the hell would they waste the resources to give us all of these Sutherlands."

"Kallen is right Tamaki. They hold all of the cards in this war." Oghi told him before Tamaki could build up a head of steam, "So they have no need to trap us. Now, all of you must get to your assigned-"

Lelouch's voice came through the radio, "P1, are you ready to move? Those machines should function like the ones you're used to."

"Who are you? Can't you at least tell us your name?" Oghi asked him. He was really curious about this voice, as were his comrades.

Lelouch snorted derisively, "I acquired your signal fairly easily. They're not exactly well encrypted, if at all. What's stopping the enemy from doing the same? I won't be giving them information that could lead them to me, if someone happens to be listening in. That you all weren't already using code names doesn't exactly speak highly of you." Every single person in the Kōzuki cell blushed in embarrassment. Of course, Lelouch left unsaid that the reason he reached them so easily was that he had acquired one of their radios from his time in their transport truck. Behind him, C.C. had to stifle a giggle.

"Ah…roger." Oghi was rubbing the back of his head in mortification.

"But if you must call me something, it can be K1. Now, if Q1 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands – two of them – will reach you in 23 seconds. Shoot them through the wall!"

Tamaki grumbled, "This guy is out of his damn mind!"

"Double-check you weapons!" Oghi ordered.

"Oi! You can't be serious!" Tamaki yelled at him with an incredulous look on his face.

-]|[-

As Kallen's Glasgow rolled to a stop, Clovis was being briefed in the G1, "Enemy spotted at point F 31!"

Clovis's bored look hadn't changed. He sighed, "A feint? How pedestrian. The monkeys are playing at being human." He said derisively, though his tone of voice didn't change in the slightest.

Bartley's commanding voice came as the giant screen at the head of the room changed into a map, "Tell Lazlo's squad to go straight in. Have Eugen and Valerie strike from the rear!"

-]|[-

"3…2…1…FIRE!" Oghi roared, and pressed down on the trigger ball on his arm rests.

All around him, gigantic bullets flew from the muzzles of the Sutherlands' rifles. They screamed through the air and pierced straight through the broken wall separating them from their enemy. "What the?!" Eugen screamed in shock as his machine started trembling. His partner hadn't escaped either, and both of their machines were absolutely shredded into metal confetti. Neither of them were able to eject.

"That worked?!" Tamaki screamed in disbelief.

-]|[-

"Sir Eugen and Sir Valerie were both lost." The tone sounding from the computer as LOST appeared over two of their units was almost deafening,

Clovis's eyes widened, "An ambush?"

-]|[-

Lelouch chuckled lightly, spinning a black King chess piece he had found in his fingers, "An IFF is a double-edged sword, isn't it big brother?"

"They can follow orders, at least." C.C. commented, "Most resistance cells I've encountered in my life have been made up out of angry, bitter people who spend too much time getting drunk and not enough time fighting or preparing to fight. You've lucked out, if we don't count the loudmouth."

Lelouch frowned slightly at that information. He sighed, "Well, I guess I can't expect the same success if this happens elsewhere. I may end up recruiting these guys permanently if that's the case. I'll need a strong base." He shook himself, "But that's for another day. For now, I'll be happy with these guys. The conditions for our victory will be cleared if they can follow orders."

"And if they can't?" C.C. arched an eyebrow, not that he could see it.

He smirked lightly, "Then I'm not responsible for their failure. I have no interest in polishing a turd." She wrinkled her nose, "P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meter to the right and fire your slash harkens toward 3 o'clock!" He commanded sharply.

-]|[-

"Do as he says, people!" Oghi ordered as he took off.

Tamaki growled, "How often can blind luck work?"

"Are you not moving yet, P5?" Lelouch reminded him. As he turned off the radio, he mumbled, "Bloody idiot."

Tamaki stiffened, "Stop calling me that!" He roared and his cockpit slid back into the Sutherland.

The sound of metal groaning and snapping filled the air as the dark-red Slash Harkens pounded and pierced the enemy Sutherlands, lifting them clean into the air and dismembering them.

-]|[-

General Bartley had a good nervous sweat going. His skin had a shiny sheen covering it, as he saw the battle suddenly turn against them, "The enemy's moving towards G 28." One of the aides yelled.

He was clearly already panicking, and had Lelouch been there he would have wondered if the man had bought his commission, "Send Lazlo's squad – no, Glaube's squad after them!"

Clovis, for the first time, displayed interest. He was sitting forward on his throne and eyeing the proceedings with the lightest amount of concern. 'It can't be possible.' He thought in shock, 'Can these monkeys have gotten their hands on our equipment?'

Elsewhere, Kallen used her single Slash Harken to hoist herself onto a building. A lone Sutherland was standing there. It whirled around, its face opening and revealing a Factsphere – which pinged once as it took in new information. Unfortunately for it, the new information was Kallen's Glasgow's fist. The Knightmare crashed to the ground. Kallen whirled to a stop and fired her Slash Harken at the fallen machine, cutting it clean in half. The entire Sutherland exploded.

"Sir Glaube has ejected!" He hadn't, but they didn't know that.

"They must be intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley roared, spittle flying from his mouth, "Change the codes!"

"We already have!" The aid yelled in panic, "We've already changed them four times!"

"Well do it again!" Bartley blustered. Helplessly. Perhaps he had bought his commission.

Clovis's eye twitched and he stood, "This failure is unacceptable!"

Bartley flinched, "Forgive me!" He began saying as he turned his head, but he was interrupted before he could go on.

"Hello, hello!" The overly-excited man who was currently taking up their screen-space was a skinny-looking man with glasses and lavender hair. This was the head of the Camelot Research Division, Lloyd Asplund.

"What do you want?" Bartley growled, "We're in the middle of an operation here!"

"Then…" Lloyd said happily, "I believe it's time to deploy A.S.E.E.C.'s special weapon, no?"

"This isn't the time for your antics Lloyd!" Clovis roared as he began walking forward.

-]|[-

The hole punched into the Britannian AFV showcased just how huge the bullets fired out of Knightmare rifles really were. It lifted the vehicle clean off its wheels before the entire vehicle detonated.

Lelouch moved a Rook forward on his chessboard, "War isn't a game you know. You can't equate it to chess." C.C. told him, slightly disappointed in him. perhaps he was just a child.

"Oh I know that well." Lelouch said, "But my brother and his forces have proven to be incompetent. If I was against Cornelia I wouldn't dream of wasting time and attention like this. I've yet to even be surprised. They're doing exactly what I predicted. Now, R2, fire anchor. B7, use UN ordnance. N group, you'll continue your advance." Each of his orders were punctuated by Britannian losses. R2's anchor took out a helicopter as he moved another piece. Another AFV was destroyed by B7 as he moved his Knight.

A quartet of damaged Sutherlands were backpedaling rapidly from gunfire as N group advanced, screaming in victory. "You damn Eleven monkeys!" They roared, before gunfire erupted from behind them. More stolen Sutherlands ripped them to shreds and they never even knew they had been surrounded.

-]|[-

Instantly, four of their Knights found their defeat as more LOST symbols appeared, "We've lost Lazlo's squad!"

Clovis reached them, "Bring up Quincy's squad! Now!"

"But your Highness!" Bartley protested, "If we do that we'll break the encirclement!"

"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me." Clovis ordered, "We know for certain is that enemy forces are here." He pointed to a certain spot on the map.

-]|[-

Lelouch was eyeing the map, utterly relaxed for the moment. He was bored if he was completely honest with himself. He hadn't expected things to be so easy. He hadn't even had the paint of one of his units scratched. "They have five options." He said almost lazily, "I wonder which they'll pick."

He watched as units began to move and he actually dropped his King. His eye twitched, and then he facepalmed. C.C. raised an eyebrow behind him, "Something wrong?" She said slyly.

"Correction." Lelouch said dryly from behind his hand, voice slightly muffled, "There were six options. I just hadn't thought they could possibly be stupid enough to use the last one." He dragged his hand down his face, "I can't even claim that this was a valuable learning experience anymore. Any intel I gain here on the might of the Britannian Army is probably useless with how utterly brain dead the enemy Commander is. I'd say that a monkey would do better, but that would be an insult to the monkey." He watched as their area was swarmed with units coming in a closing ring of death towards his units. C.C. saw what he saw and began to laugh openly.

-]|[-

Jeremiah had a dull look on his face as he watched several units – Knightmares and land vehicles both – raced past him further into the ghetto. He had been hiking back to the G1 after being forced to use his emergency eject, "What idiot ordered them to break the formation?" It was probably a good thing that he would not find out the answer to that question, because he might just have keeled over in shock.

-]|[-

"Q1, how accurate is your map of the area?" Lelouch's voice came through Kallen's radio.

"It's an old map. Sorry K1. It has no current landmarks."

"It'll do." Lelouch had a dark grin on his face, and Kallen was pretty sure she could hear it. Slowly, a dark grin of her own split her face as Lelouch filled her in.

-]|[-

"Excellent!" Clovis had a relaxed grin on his face, "Now send in Bertz and the others in as well. Surround them and concentrate our forces there! The enemy's main force is where the red dot is! Destroy them." They watched as the mass of friendly forces converged on the enemy, only for the dot to vanish. The wave of fear that rose in the room was almost a palpable thing, "What?!" Clovis began to tremble, "They're not there? HOW ARE THEY NOT THERE?!"

-]|[-

A line of Sutherlands and a single Glasgow were whirring gently through the dark tunnel. Kallen turned her machine around and fired her Slash Harken at the ceiling. It began to crumble as her anchor retracted and then they all slammed on the gas and hightailed it out of there. The ceiling behind them began to crumble and an ever expanding sinkhole opened up as they fled. Dozens of land vehicles and Knightmares were swallowed as if a beast had awoken in the earth and devoured them.

-]|[-

Lelouch sighed, "I can't even join in the celebration. This was just sad. I suppose my brother must have taken command himself. This idiocy was just like him. Last time we played chess I beat him in four moves and he flipped the table."

C.C. blinked, "Please tell me you've never Fool's Checked him."

Lelouch froze for a second as long-forgotten memories arose, "Pfff," and this time he started cackling.

-]|[-

Clovis's transport was filled with the high-pitched tone of hundreds of machines turning into LOST symbols. Clovis took a few shaky steps back. 'This…what is… Who in God's name am I up against? What if he's even better than Tōdō?' The panic which had been striking Bartley was now in full effect inside Clovis, "Lloyd!"

"Ah? Yes, Your Highness?" Lloyd said.

"Can it win? CAN YOUR TOY BEAT THEM?!" Clovis was coming very close to spewing spit himself.

"Your Highness," Lloyd smile wasn't any different, but to Clovis it had become even more insufferably smug, "Please call it the Lancelot."

-]|[-

Kallen and the rest of her resistance cell had massive smiles on their faces, and the radios were filled with the sound of their cheering. "We…we did it…!" She let out a shaky breath. Japan had not won a single victory against Britannia since Tōdō's Miracle victory years prior. And now they of all people had succeeded? There was a damn good reason for their celebrating, though it was marred by all the unnecessary death of the day.

Only apparently one amongst them disagreed. Lelouch's voice snapped through the radio, "That is enough celebration!" He ordered calmly.

Oghi gasped, "But…but we won!"

"Not yet." Lelouch said grimly. Kallen's blood ran cold. There was more coming? "Listen carefully. Before I took command of the battle, I came across a vital piece of information." The entire Kōzuki cell waited with bated breath, "There were rumors amongst the soldiers that Britannia's R&D has managed to create a prototype of a Generation Seven Knightmare Frame." Kallen choked.

"What's the big deal?" Tamaki sneered, "What's one unit going to do?" Kallen honestly wanted to get out of her Glasgow and strangle the other redhead.

"The big deal…" Lelouch ground his teeth momentarily, "Is that you've forgotten your damn history. The Glasgow Q1 is piloting is a Fourth Generation machine, and if not for her skill as a pilot it would have been reduced to scrap by just one Fifth Generation such as the Sutherland." Kallen now had a rosy blush on her cheeks, "The Sutherland renders the Glasgow completely obsolete, and it is a mass-produced, cookie-cutter unit only one generation ahead of it. What is a custom prototype machine three generations ahead of it going to do?" Tamaki had curdled.

"What are your orders, K1?" Kallen cut across and silenced all of the worried chatter.

"With how utterly we destroyed their forces just now, it is likely that Clovis will launch this new model as a last resort, whether it is fully operational or otherwise." Lelouch said calmly, "This is now primarily an information gathering mission. I want all of you to turn on your cameras and feed it to this unit. We must learn what our enemy will be capable of. If it is possible to destroy or capture it, we will do so. If not, then we shall take our victory as is." Lelouch gave them the code for his machine, and almost immediately he started receiving feeds from his forces. His left monitor started displaying video, and he used his number pad to flick through the different streams he was receiving, "Excellent." He smirked confidently, "If any of you see something strange, immediately yell out your code name so I can switch to your feed. Now, be cautious and pick off any stragglers! Rescue civilians from these animals. Additionally, Q1, I want all of the video your machine has recorded saved and downloaded somewhere safe. Britannia will not hide the atrocities it has committed here! Any of you who have taken additional video, make sure you save it as well!"

"Yes sir!" The feral grin tearing at Kallen's lips – amongst others – was positively bloodthirsty.

-]|[-

"Did you read the manual?" The woman asking the question over the radio was one Cecile Croomy, the second in command of the Lancelot project. She had bright, ice-blue eyes and indigo hair falling around to her neck. She wore and orange and black uniform with a long skirt and black, knee-high boots. She looked pretty concerned for the subject of her questioning. Who wouldn't be? She had seen the slightly-red bandages he was wearing earlier in the day. The poor boy had been shot and now he was about to pilot a Knightmare that most others hadn't even been able to move!

"Pretty much." The boy in question was fairly tall. He had messy brown hair and green eyes, with a slim but sturdy build. He was just zipping up his new pilot suit, which was white with black stripes and golden embroidery. He had a white and red device on his face that acted as a phone.

"Well done. You scored at the top of the class in the simulator." Cecile commented, though to be honest that was more than just an understatement. Suzaku's scores were so high that his name wasn't even in the same conversation as all of the others.

"About what you said before." He walked out of the trailer he was in and towards the much bigger trailer that held the machine he was to pilot.

"Ah…It's possible for sure, but not very likely. The possibility is close to zero, actually."

"But that means there's still a chance, right?" Suzaku kept his optimism high.

"Yes, I'm that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."

"Got it. I understand, Miss Cecile." He stopped in front of the trailer, where he could just make out the white and golden legs of his machine. The tarp covering it blew off and floated away. Suzaku stopped to admire the Lancelot. It was a streamlined white frame with shining gold highlights and a single red gem at the center of its chest. It was every bit the shining Knight that one would have expected for a Frame called the Lancelot. "So, this is it huh?"

"That's right." Cecile smiled lightly, "The advanced weapon developed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps; Z-01 Lancelot! The world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame." She and her immediate superior Lloyd were behind the Lancelot in their trailer.

"Well, if you're ready, Suzaku, then we shall proceed with the initial startup." Lloyd's cheerful, if smug voice came in on the line.

Cecile stared hard at her console, "I'll start from phase 20. Equipping energy filler!" A mechanical arm whirred to life and inserted into the machine.

Another voice sprang up, from a technician performing diagnostics, "Confirm pre-start. Energy filler now at full output. 30 seconds to reach critical voltage. Core Luminous, shifting phase. Confirming entry of Devicer into Z-01. Individual ID registration confirmed. Confirm man-machine interface. Engage. Yggdrasil Resonance confirmed. Rejection Response: weak. Devicer's Stress Response: weak. All readings: nominal..."

"All going according to the data, so far." Lloyd said calmly as the rest of the medical trucks got the hell out of the Lancelot's way.

One of the Lancelot's hands did a full 360 spin before the platforms it was standing on separated and spread its legs, with the machine's right arm coming out in front of it and resting on one of the metal parts. It looked like it was ready to pounce as wires detached and its Landspinners – which had been in a retracted position, landed on the platforms behind it. "Lancelot… LAUNCH!"

Suzaku gripped his controls tightly, "Lancelot… ME Boost!" Inside the machine, a floating pink cube of Sakuradite began to spin rapidly and pulse with light. Its Landspinners screeched underneath it and threw up smoke, before the Lancelot shot out like a rocket.

The force blew Lloyd off his feet and he began to cackle, "HAHAHAHA! Full speed right out of the gate huh?!" He had the biggest grin on his face as Cecile lay beside him with her head covered.

"This is way better than the manual said!" Suzaku was elated, "With this I…grk" He grabbed his side with one of his arms as he grimaced in pain. He powered through the pain with a look of extreme determination on his face, "I'll stop them. I'll stop them all! I'll save you, Lelouch!"

-]|[-

Lelouch was calmly flipping through the channels when he heard the idiot's voice, "Huh, what's that?" Lelouch immediately switched to Tamaki's feed and his eyes shot open.

"It's fast!" He exclaimed, just barely able to keep up with its movements. If it wasn't for his constant training with Sayoko – his maid/bodyguard – he wouldn't have been able to. As it was, he did better than Tamaki's targeter, which failed on every level to keep up with the brilliantly shining white-and-gold machine.

"Extremely agile too." C.C. commented from behind him. "So, what will you do now, boya?"

Lelouch switched to another one of his Sutherlands and watched as it was blown backwards off its feet. The feed disconnected as the pilot ejected. He continued watching, as the machine revealed two Slash Harkens on its wrists which it was using as blades, as well as two on its hips. "It only appears to have those four Slash Harkens. I don't see any other offensive weapons. That would make it a close-to-medium range machine. I can work with that." He then watched in dumbfounded shock as the damn thing fired its wrist harkens into the ground and propelled itself into the air. It whipped the weapons about and sliced the heads off of two more Sutherlands and then god damn somersaulted and kicked another into oblivion. "That whole thing is a weapon!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

"It has deflector shields too?" Even C.C. couldn't contain her gasp of shock as the machine started deflecting gunfire.

Lelouch analyzed the shield closely, "It doesn't cover its entire body!" He shouted in elation, "All units! Aim for the legs when you encounter it!" That strategy had marginally more effect, but the white knight merely dodged the fire. "Its speed is absurd. What the hell did they put into that frame?" Lelouch mused with a bead of sweat running down his face, "I need to find some way to get a hold of it, or at least a part of it."

"That shield can't be easy to maintain. It must drain its energy filler very quickly." C.C. commented seriously.

Lelouch's eyes widened and a smirk split his face, "Oh, I could kiss you right now." He shouted into his radio, "Lead it to this location!" Immediately, all of his remaining Sutherlands started moving to a location directly in front of the tall building he was hiding in, "Pull out Chaos Mines! Throw them into the air in front of it so that the shrapnel falls on it from an upward angle! Make sure it's not directly facing this building! Hit it from both sides! Make sure the shields aren't facing this building!" He pinged his location on the map. With that, he urged his Sutherland to move. He dropped his standard issue assault rifle and picked up a very different rifle from the ones his forces were using. It was almost thrice as long as a standard rifle and had a very long barrel. He grinned, glad that he had taken supplies from the train before sending it on the rest of its journey. He set up his sniper rifle and calmed himself, waiting for a good shot. His monitors were throwing data at him from the scope at a rapid rate as he calculated trajectories in his head.

Down on the ground, the Lancelot had just blown through an alley by wall-running and destroyed another of his machines. But now it was in his sights and the last two appeared out of the smoke, Chaos Mines in hand. They threw them, and Suzaku shouted, "Chaos Mines?! ARE YOU ALL INSANE?!" His Blaze Luminous shined into existence to either side of the Lancelot. Not even a second later, the glowing green shields started getting pelted with a molten shower of shrapnel. They all deflected off his shields and pelted the surroundings. Buildings around it were chewed through to the point they resembled Swiss cheese, as did the pavement. "Damn it!" Suzaku cursed, "It's eating through my energy!"

"Suzaku!" He head Cecile's voice in his ear, "What's happening? Your power is draining way too fast!"

Suzaku groaned, "These bastards threw Chaos Mines!" He spat furiously, "I'm using he Blaze Luminous to block them!"

"That's understandable. You'll have to finish things quickly or come back for another filler!" Cecile said, "One Mine you could have handled, but two is too much. You've drained hours of charge in seconds."

Lelouch took a deep breath and lined up the shot. It was hard to make out where exactly to shoot. The shrapnel was making a mess and visibility was low. He could just barely make out the edges of the shields, which were pretty close to the machine and therefore covering most of it. Finally, he squeezed the trigger. The cockpit shook lightly as the dull roar of his gun firing filled their ears.

The Chaos Mines finally finished discharging and fell to the floor. The Blaze Luminous shields thrummed with power to either side of the Lancelot, but that left parts of it exposed. It hadn't even had time to lower its arms and retract the shields before Suzaku's bad day got worse. Lelouch's massive bullet – more of a howitzer shell than a bullet really – pierced straight through the Lancelot's right knee and blew the entire lower leg right off of the main body.

-]|[-

"MY LANCELOT!" Lloyd screamed, almost flinging himself off the command trailer. He wanted to run and console his baby himself, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LANCELOT?! SUZAKU!"

Cecile and three others had to restrain him as he practically started frothing.

Suzaku's panicked, furious voice came through the speakers, "It was a trap!" He roared, "The entire situation was a trap! The enemy commander must be a genius! They created a situation where I'd be unable to move and would have both my Blaze Luminous occupied!"

-]|[-

The Lancelot started falling with the groaning of metal. The two remaining Sutherlands cheered and one of them surged forward to finish the job. Oghi was closing in on it when the damn machine sprang to life again. It fired its right wrist Slash Harken at the floor which jerked it into the air, before its hip mounted harken speared through Oghi's machine and destroyed it. The man was cursing as he ejected.

Lelouch's mouth was open. C.C. wasn't too much better behind him. "It did that with one leg?" he whispered in awe. He clenched his fists with a supremely irritated smile on his face, "Shit… and I thought we were farther ahead. That damn monster outclasses every single prototype we've been able to come up with so far." He took another shot with a vindictive amount of pleasure, which blew off its left arm just as it landed. Even with the insane advantage he was giving them, the last remaining Sutherland was unable to finish the job. But the beast had definitely been crippled now. It was extremely off balance and nowhere near as mobile. Only the quality of its gyroscopes and the fact that Lloyd had planned for every eventuality kept it on its feet. But now the pilot had cottoned on and had vanished into the buildings. He no longer had a shot so they wouldn't be able to take it out.

The last Sutherland took off after it like a moron, and seconds later he was rewarded with a SIGNAL LOST on his console. He cursed, "Q1! This battle is lost. That damn machine is too good even as injured as it is, and its pilot is just as good. You may end up facing it in the future so I want you to get a feel for it. Engage it as best you can but immediately eject if things get hairy. Do not get yourself injured, understood?"

"Yes sir!" Kallen said, "What will you be doing?"

Lelouch smirked as he aimed his cockpit in a certain direction, "I have a mission of my own. Stay safe." And with that, he shut off his radio entirely, "Hold on tight C.C. This is going to be rough." The girl squeezed him from behind as he jerked his armrests up. The rocket motors fired and the cockpit ejected off towards the G1.

-]|[-

Kallen walked into their base with Oghi. Several people there were crying or yelling at her fellow resistance members, "It's your fault. This is what happens when you oppose the Britannians!" A man yelled at Tamaki.

"Why you gutless coward!" The redhead grit his teeth.

"How many people were killed because of this!?" A tearful woman screamed at him, "My husband and son are dead because of you! You brought those murderous bastards here with your idiocy!"

"Shut up! Do you know how many of us were killed or captured? Do ya? Stop crying!" He yelled back. He had less sensitivity than a pea.

Kallen's head dipped as tears prickled in her eyes, knowing that they were indeed at fault. They had no idea the sheer lengths Clovis would go to, all in the name of recovering the gas. She had been fully prepared to die for her cause, but she never wanted this. She never wanted her unarmed, peaceful people to get gunned down like they were worthless.

Oghi's voice caught her attention again, "-doesn't answer when I call so maybe he died."

"K1 you mean? He told me he had a mission of his own before his radio went silent." Kallen told him.

"Kami damn it!" Tamaki spat, "I knew better than to trust a damn voice." Kallen gasped as her ears caught the sound of treads behind her. She whirled around as the reinforced doors blew out. "Instead of following somebody we don't even know, we should've use the poison gas!" Tamaki cried out as smoke and grit filled their base.

A tank and a company of soldiers walked in, "So this is where you Eleven monkeys scurried off to. Prepare to fire!"

Kallen closed her eyes, "Onii-chan!" She braced herself for death…only it never came.

Clovis La Britannia's voice rumbled through the entire ghetto, off of every loudspeaker and every Britannian radio, "Attention all forces. Cease fire at once!" The Prince's voice was loud and clear, "I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you; all forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You shall cease destruction of any buildings or property! All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice! In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are here by ordered, cease fire at once!
I shall allow no further fighting!"

"We…we're saved?" They all goggled as the baffled soldiers just kept staring at each other in shock.

-]|[-

"I shall allow no further fighting!" Clovis turned the intercom off and then the lights went off, "There, are you satisfied?" He put on a show of strength, but Clovis was terrified right now. A soldier had walked into the room and ordered the rest of the men inside to get out. And the men had done so, like zombies, ignoring his calls. Then he'd been held at gunpoint. Still, he was a Prince. If nothing else, he was a valuable hostage. He wouldn't be killed. He could still get out of this.

"Yes. Excellent job, your Highness." The disguised Lelouch said, "Not even a quiver in your voice despite the gun pointed at your heart." Clovis's heart predictably beat a little faster.

"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?" Clovis sneered, trying to keep his princely cool.

"My, doesn't that bring back memories." Clovis blinked in surprise, "Don't remember? We used to play chess as boys. Of course, you always lost. You're the only opponent I ever faced who allowed themselves to get Fool's Checked." Clovis's eyes widened and he jerked forward in his chair, "At the Aries Villa, if you recall."

"L…Lelouch?" Clovis stood up after letting out a choking sound.

Lelouch walked forward, "It's been a long time, big brother." Lelouch mockingly bowed, as a knight would to a royal. His left knee touched the ground and his left arm was held over his chest, "The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and seventeenth in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch vi Britannia, at your service."

"Lelouch! But how?! I-I thought you were-"

"Dead?" Lelouch's smirk widened, "I'm afraid that rumors of my demise were grossly exaggerated." He stood, "You were wrong, and I have returned, your Highness. And I've come back to change everything."

Clovis was trembling lightly, "I'm overjoyed, Lelouch! They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back! We should depart for the homeland immediately!"

Lelouch tutted, "Oh big brother, have you forgotten?" Clovis stiffened, "I have no interest in being a diplomatic tool once more. Last time didn't exactly end well, did it? And perhaps you've forgotten the reason for it." Clovis shook his head, "That's right. Mother was killed, right in front of me. She was killed on top of Nunnally. Mother held the title of Knight of Honor but was a commoner by birth. No doubt the other imperial consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I'm no fool."

Clovis shook his head rapidly, "It wasn't me Lelouch! I swear it wasn't!" His voice started to stammer as he lost his self-assurance, "I-I-I was barely older than you were! I never would have done it! I never could have done it!"

Lelouch smiled lightly, "Oh, I doubt you did. But just to be sure… Answer my questions!" His eye flashed as his Geass activated and Clovis's expression went calm and serene. "Now…tell me…who killed my mother?"

"I do not know." Clovis told him.

Lelouch sighed, not having expected anything different, "Do you have any information about the murder?"

"I do not."

"Who would know and why?" Lelouch's jaw was beginning to clench.

"I do not believe it was either of them, but second prince Schneizel and second princess Cornelia may know more. Cornelia idolized your mother and searched tirelessly for an answer after her death. Schneizel was the one ordered by the Emperor to remove her body."

Lelouch's eyes widened. That was some valuable information. With his questioning regarding his mother's murder finished, he turned to other questions. "How were you able to so readily justify the extermination of this ghetto? Do you feel any remorse?"

Clovis answered, "I thought they deserved death. You and Nunnally were supposed to have died in this area to these sub-human monkeys. Of course not. They were only Elevens."

Lelouch almost forgot his promise to C.C. and killed him on the spot, "And what of the green-haired girl. Do you feel any remorse for what you did to her?"

"I do not. Britannia would be unstoppable if we could harness her powers. It wasn't like she could die from any of it." Clovis answered again, and rage filled Lelouch.

"But she could feel pain you son of a bitch." Lelouch snarled. Clovis did not answer. It was not a question. "You will download all hidden data you can access onto this drive. Afterwards, you will delete the log of your access. You will also give me any and all passwords and data for any hidden accounts where you have personal money that cannot be linked back to you. You will then await further orders." Clovis took the drive from him and inserted it directly into his chair, which was linked to everything in the G1. A screen came out from behind the throne. Being a royal had its perks. A few minutes later, Lelouch had the drive in hand. "Does this hold any information regarding the experiments on the green-haired girl."

"Everything is there." Clovis replied.

"What of information on that white and gold Knightmare?"

"Few specifics, as it is the work of Camelot and they are largely autonomous. It only contains specs they bothered to send to me. Some of it may be incomplete or out of date." Clovis replied, and Lelouch stopped to think.

He couldn't think of much else, so he did as C.C. had ordered him to, "Delete all of the recordings there are of today's events and stop all further recordings. You will forget ever seeing me. We did not talk, nor did you ever see my face. You will remember nothing from the point that you finished ordering the ceasefire. You will awaken from this Geass in thirty seconds." C.C. walked into view as he turned, "And why did I have to do that?"

"I will tell you later." Her eyes were burning with hatred, having heard every word the Prince had spoken. She put the helmet on her head and took Lelouch's place.

Clovis slumped over slightly and groaned, before focusing in on the soldier holding a gun towards him, "There, are you satisfied?" He put on a show of strength, but Clovis was terrified right now. A soldier had walked into the room and ordered the rest of the men inside out. And the men had done so, like zombies, ignoring his calls. Then he'd been held at gunpoint. Still, he was a Prince. If nothing else, he was a valuable hostage. He wouldn't be killed. He could still get out of this.

C.C. walked forward, dropping the gun on the floor, "Not quite." Her tone was sinister, and Clovis's eyes bugged out as he recognized her voice. She ripped the helmet off of her head and dropped it to the floor,

"No!" Clovis breathed out in horror. He squirmed back, trying to escape. But he only met the back of his throne.

C.C. grabbed his head in an unbreakable grip, and held his jaw shut. Clovis feebly tried to get away – grabbing at her wrists and trying to kick out – but he may as well not have tried at all for all the good it did, "For all you did to me…burn." The mark on her forehead began to shine with an angry red light. And then Clovis was far away. His mind was experiencing every excruciating second of agony he had put C.C. through under Code R first hand. Now he was the one getting covered in bullet ants. Every bit of torment they put her through was turned on to him. She held him for over five minutes as he thrashed and tried to scream, before he fell silent. She stepped back, sweating heavily.

Clovis slumped over drooling insensately, his mind utterly shattered. He was no more than a vegetable. C.C. tiredly leaned down and picked up the gun, "Enjoy hell you son of a bitch." She pulled the trigger.

Lelouch was waiting there for her, his face expressionless. That had been…harder to watch than he had expected. "W-what did you do to him?"

C.C. was swaying slightly, "I turned the torment he inflicted on me, onto him." She started to fall, and Lelouch caught her, "Sorry." She mumbled into his shoulder, "I'm a little tired."

Lelouch lifted her up in a bridal carry, "I've had enough of this place for the day. Let's get out of here."

-]|[-

Milly was laying down on Lelouch's bed. The day was long gone and night had long-since fallen. Milly hadn't left her beau's room all day. She was worrying herself sick over him. It had been hours since his call. It was well into the AM now, and there was still no sign of him. She hadn't dared call him, in case he was trying to hide. She had tossed and turned for hours, almost gnawing on her fingers as she watched the news. Now the TV was off and she was working her up into a panic, "Please be safe Lulu…" She whispered, "Please don't die…"

"I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?"

She gasped and sprang up. He was standing there. He was slightly dirty and scuffed up, but he was standing there. A small smile was on his face. A tear slipped down her eye as she leapt at him from the bed. He caught her easily as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her arms were around his neck and she pulled him in, squeezing him as if he would vanish if she didn't. Their lips connected for a hungry, needy kiss. "You're safe…" She whispered happily. He kissed her again and they dropped onto his bed, her fingers already working at the buttons and zippers on his clothes.

"My, my, you didn't tell me I'd be getting a free show, boya." Milly froze and stopped kissing her man to regard the newcomer. A green-haired girl wearing a sort of prisoner's outfit was sitting on his table, swinging her legs back and forth gently. She had a coy smirk on her face.

-]|[-

And done! Hope you all enjoyed this opening. There were a few small diversions here, though other, much larger ones were implied and outright confirmed. Next chapter is where the diversions really start coming in hot, and I'd say that the canon timeline will be derailed sooner rather than later. I already have a lot planned, and I can pretty much guarantee that R2 will be pretty unrecognizable. Next chapter will also have some of the explanations for why Lelouch's personality is different.

His retractable blade is basically the same on that Jeremiah has in R2, just with a different design. More details on it later.

Now, this is really important!

I need your ideas on Geass for other important characters! I need ideas for other important characters such as Cornelia and Euphemia, Shirley, Rivalz, Suzaku, etc. I'm not promising that they'll get Geass here – I can actually guarantee that at least one person on that list isn't – but I need ideas just in case.

Remember, Geass is about granting wishes, and has to do with your desires and personality. As I stated in-story; that is why giving a child a Geass is so dangerous. I want things that would fit their users, which is why I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with ideas for some of the characters.

To those celebrating, Merry Christmas! To the others, Happy Holidays!

Vortex out!