I do not own Code Geass or Red Lantern. They are properties of Studio Sunrise and DC Comics, respectively.

Enjoy.

Can't You Hear Me Knocking

"This might be tedious" Atrocitus muttered as he sat back in his seat on the command deck. He rubbed his annoyingly painful wound.

"Computer!" he yelled. "Bring up two holo-screens with Rankorr and Dex-Starr's vitals. I want to make sure they are all right throughout their mission."

"At once, Lord Atrocitus" L.A.M.O.S responded as he pulled up the screens. At the moment, their vitals on the screen were normal. That calmed Atrocitus, though he still had his worries.

This whole mission was the result of Rankorr finding the Kryptonian ruins. It's success laid in the hopes that it wouldn't end with their discovery. That would not only be embarrassing, but it might also jeopardize the safety of the universe itself. No one needed that.

He needed a distraction to prevent him from panicking.

"Computer. Do you know the music that Rankorr listens to?" he asked.

"Yes. All of the music Rankorr has heard is stored in my memory" the ship responded.

"You have a psychological profile for all of us. Correct?"

"That is correct."

What would you recommend for me?" Atrocitus asked.

"A moment please" was the response. A moment later the ship's internal speakers went off.

The first sounds Atrocitus heard were some very good guitar and drums.

Yeah, you got some satin shoes

"Interesting" Atrocitus said as he leaned back in his chair and heard the songs.

Rankorr and Dex-Starr flew across the clouds towards Japan. Dex-Starr had a serious face. He was ready to please the master.

Rankorr was... not quite as ready. While he was determined to please his master, he still was anxious about where he was heading. He was going to have to face the loss he felt eight years ago all over again. Could he do that? What if...

"I remembered a pain I can never truly heal from. But that reminder is what fuels my rage. It is what makes me get up every day and keep fighting. I swore I would destroy all evils that I encountered, and the memory of my family strengthens my vow!

You must do the same."

I have to do the same.

"Dex-Starr, you go ahead of me. There is something I have to go deal with."

Dex-Starr shoots me a confused look. "What?"

"My past."

His confusion becomes understanding. He keeps flying forward as I deviate towards another course.

It doesn't take me long to reach it. The place is just as barren and lifeless as I left it so long ago.

No one ever even bothered to get rid of all the dead bodies. Their skeletons lie around, a reminded of how little they meant to their killers.

But just like before, the bodies of his sister and best friend were forever gone. He would never even have the chance to bury them.

Most would expect a scream of rage. A declaration of fury. An explosion as the ring would convert his hatred into energy that would lash out around him.

But that didn't happen at first. He was angry, but that was expected. He was a living Red Lantern, so he was never without rage. But now he was just... sad.

The same empire that he and his sister had been raised was also responsible for her death. The family that he thought he could believe had abandoned him and stolen what mattered most to him.

Nunnally was gone.

And it was all their fault!

Their aggrandizing and self-worshiping way of life had cost him his chance at happiness. And not just him.

The world was suffering, all because of one man and his mindless offspring.

Charles Zi Britannia. The man who had once been his father. The man whose ambition tore nations of their name and pride. The man whose apathy led to the deaths and suffering of millions around the world. The man whose funeral would be held as a celebration.

As Lelouch felt his rage rise, his ring increased in power, before expelling much of it. An explosion of blood red that decimated most of the land, destroying any corpses and plants that had been laying around.

When the dust settled, Lelouch levitated above the ground, eyes glowing crimson with hate and determination.

He would save this world. That he swore.

Dex-Starr was waiting on the top of a building overlooking a building. He didn't wait much longer as Rankorr flew down next to him.

"Took you a while" Dex-Starr complained.

"Forget it. Let's just focus on the mission, alright?"

The cat nodded.

"Good. What have we got here" Rankorr asked as he began surveying the warehouse. The sign of the building identified it as the Royal Research Facility. The place where all the interests of Viceroy Prince Clovis himself were stored and studied. If the disgustingly pristine condition didn't inform you that it belonged to the flamboyant prince, the overcompensatingly large symbol of the Empire branded on the roof of the building would.

"Smell ten guards. Scattered" Dex-Starr said before using his ring to pull up a holo-display of the building. A blinking dot was in the middle of the whole display. "Energy source in the center."

"The center, huh? That might be a little bit more difficult to get to" I mused.

"Yes. Perhaps... Wait! Look!" Dex-Starr exclaimed. The dot began moving. Now it was at the left-center of the facility.

"It moved. What for?" I asked Dex-Starr. The shaking of his head informed me that he didn't know.

"Let's go see then. The roof should have windows" I said. Dex-Starr nodded.

We both flew off of our building and landed on the roof of the facility. There was no security up here. Probably never expected to attack from above. If attacked at all. As I studied the guards, I realized none of them had firearms. They were only armed with spears. They were only here for the ceremony. They would be better prepared for the unexpected otherwise.

"Here. Come" Dex-Starr said as he directed me towards one window on the left side of the roof. They were able to look inside from it.

We could see some scientists working on something. The subject of interest seemed to be someone who was on a chair, with some sort of helmet obscuring their face. The scientists seemed to be monitoring vitals and brainwaves, but what for? One of them walked over to the subject and pulled off the helmet. The subject had very long green hair. Wait...

"Is that a girl? Why is she there?"

"Look" was all Dex-Starr said. He bought the holo-display back up, and I saw the dot and the girl were located in the same spot.

"She's the energy source? But how?"

"Not sure," Dex-Starr said.

I looked back down. "In any case, the fact that they are studying her can't be good. We can't let them find out about the alien origins" I said. "We need to break her out."

Dex-Starr looked up in alarm. "No! Master ordered us..."

"He ordered us to not be seen" I interrupted. "If we can get her out without being spotted, then there won't be an issue."

Dex-Starr had an apprehensive face. "It is risky."

"So was the mission on Rand. We survived that" I told him.

"We were almost decapitated. Twice" he reminded me.

"As I said, we survived. You in?"

"Fine. What is the plan?" he asks.

I survey the area. Trucks are entering and leaving the area. Inside, the building, their scientists working on other projects as well. The guards in the area were al positioned around the building, each one covering an entrance or an exit. One exit had a fire alarm.

"I'll take out of the trucks. After that, go behind that guard there" I point to the guard of the alarm "and pull the lever. I'll sneak inside and grab the girl after that" I tell him.

We each take our positions. I stand ready over the truck line, waiting for one to leave. Dex-Starr silently floats above the guard, outside his point of view. He creates a tendril construct with his ring, and wills it down over the lever. He's ready to pull once I finish.

One of the trucks is turned on. It's about to leave. I ready my ring.

"3."

The truck starts moving away.

"2."

It starts picking up speed.

"1."

I shoot.

Dex-Starr pulls.

"How go the experiments?" General Bartley, a fat, balding leader of the Britannian military, asked his top scientist.

"About the same as yesterday I'm afraid. We've analyzed the blood from the subject multiple times, but we have been unable to replicate the effects that allow her healing abilities. No one is really sure what we're missing."

Bartley frowned at the news. His prince would not be pleased to hear this. "Keep at it then. The last thing we need is..."

"Those were the only words he could get out before the alarms went off. Red lights started flaring inside the entire building.

"What the devil is this?" Bartley exclaimed.

"There's a fire inside. A big one. Probably an explosion. We need to leave."

"R-right. Of course." Bartley moved to leave with everyone when he remembered something. "Make sure to take the subject back to her pod. We can't afford to lose it."

"Yes sir!" Two nearby guards. They ripped the girl from the chair and proceeded to move out into the hallways.

"Perfect" Rankorr said as his ring scans the building, looking for the best way to kill the lights.

"Here we go." He allows energy from his ring to trickle out, and it rides the wires inside the building until they reach the fusebox. It blows it all up when it arrives.

"Good. Dex-Starr, get up here" Rankorr says as he eyes the building go dark from the window. The blue cat floats down beside me. "I'm going in to grab the girl. If it looks like I'm going to get caught, cause a distraction. Maybe blow something up. Ok?"

"Yes."

"I'll be back," I say before opening the window and jumping in.

"Who killed the lights?" She heard one of the guards ask his partner as they both held a firm grip on her. Not that she would even try to escape. There would be no point.

"Don't know. It doesn't matter. We have our orders. We need to... UGG!"

Suddenly one of the grips on her side vanished.

"Hey? Dave? What happened... UGG!"

Then the grip.

"I think that does it" a new voice suddenly said. She turned around to face it, and she was surprised by what she saw. It was someone young (relatively, by her standards) who was wearing what looked like a black bodysuit with red linings. His face was covered in a domino mask, though she could make out a sharp chin and dark hair.

And he was smirking at her.

"Gotta say. You look more attractive up close than you do through a window."

She could only raise an eyebrow at him. Was he really flirting with her right now? Did he really think he had a chance?

But before she could decide whether or not to respond to him, he aimed his right fist at her. A ring on his hand began to glow red.

Then all she saw was black.

"Got her," I tell Dex-Starr as I close the window behind me.

"Seen?" The cat asks me.

"Don't worry I killed the lights before going after the guards. And I made sure to have the ring scan for any security cameras so I could destroy them. The only one who saw me is her" I refer to the girl I'm carrying, "and she's knocked out, and coming with us."

Dex-Starr still looks uncertain about something, but he decides not to speak on it. "Fine. Let's go back."

The two of us don't waste any more time. We soar back to the island before anyone can even think of checking the roof.

"I don't think we can go through with the mission anymore."

"What makes you say that?" Kallen sarcastically replies through grit teeth.

"Well, the truck we were going to steal is on fire. And the whole place looks like a shitshow. I don't think we're stealing any poison gas today."

Kallen sighed, almost considering hanging up on Tamaki. He could be fun sometimes, but even she had a limit to the level of idiot she could deal with.

Instead, she just stayed she would go back. After making it through the shitshow.

"Any more songs?" Atrocitus asked the computer.

"You have listened to Rolling Rocks entire history. Would you like me to find another musical group?" Lamos responded.

"Yes. Perhaps you could..."

Atrocitus is interrupted when the main monitor begins flashing. The map shows two incoming bodies.

"Finally returning I see," Atrocitus says as he stands from the chair (with a little difficulty) and moves to exit the ship.

"Master Atrocitus. I would not recommend leaving the ship. Your injuries..."

"Will not stop me from crushing you if you continue to bother me."

"Very well master."

Satisfied that the computer will not bother him, Atrocitus opens the back of the ship, and he walks down. When he stands on the sand, he is immediately aware of the softness. He ignores that in favor of watching his two best agents descend towards him.

"Rankorr. Dex-Starr. How did...?"

Atrocitus's question dies when he sees what's in Rankorr's arms. A human female. One that seems to be around the same age. And one that seemed to be attractive by her species' standards.

Atrcitus frowned. "Boy! What have I told you about suppressing your desire to mate while on a mission."

Rankorr's expression changes from shock to horror at the realization of his predicament.

"No! No Master! That's not what this is about!"

"Then what, rage tell, is she doing here? I sent you to find an energy source."

"I know that master. And I did." Rankorr walks forward with the girl. "This is her."

Atrocitus only raises a brow. "Explain. Now."

And I am back. I decided to revisit this story. As for the other story I have printed under the Red Lantern name, I am going to use that for backstory. Every chapter in that one will focus on Lelouch growing up under Atrocitus' guidance.

The next chapter will see C.C waking up, and possibly, maybe being surprised at what she sees. We'll see how strong her poker face is.

Anyway, just leave me your opinions and I will see you all when I return to this. You can check out any of my other writings until then.

Bye!