Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, if I did Lelouch's ascension would have been twice as cool

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"I see," C.C. said looking at the special-forces squadron, "It looks like he is well prepared. I suppose I should be impressed."

"Confident aren't you?" the captain of the squadron said as he ordered the rest of the squad to secure her, "Too bad you aren't going to…" The captain's words were cut off when a giant knightmare hand appeared and crushed him, and then quickly scooped the ground below C.C. up.

One of the remaining special-forces members immediately called in, "The red machine has been located, send in the Lancelot!"

C.C.'s expression changed immediately, she had been impressed, "We're really underestimating him; this Knight of One. He keeps having back-up plans." She then smirked and mused aloud, "He's truly their son."

"I've been ordered to guard you," Karen's voice came from the Guren as she backpedaled away, into a tunnel, "We're escaping from this battle."

"Don't bother, you're the target," C.C. said loud enough for her to hear it, "I'm a secondary target it would seem."

"What?" Karen asked as the Lancelot came barreling into sight, its MVS swords out while it worked on closing the distance between itself and the Guren, "I don't believe this. Is the Knight of One really this fearsome of an opponent?"

"The answer is yes!" Monica's voice came as the roof crumbled down above the Guren, barely missing it as Monica's Sutherland appeared, lance and rifle in hand, "Tch, missed. Kururugi, after them, I'll join the main battle."

"Yes my lady," Suzaku responded as he sped past her after the Guren.

Piloting his way inside the tunnels leading reinforcements Lelouch watched the battle issuing orders as needed, narrowing his eyes he watched the location of Kururugi Suzaku. "They're heading into a dead end according to these maps…a trap. Continue on to the battle, I'll back up Kururugi in the capture. That red machine will be a handful," he ordered and changed directions than an intercepting path.

Suzaku charged after the Guren and C.C. batting away any frame that tried to intercept him. Eventually finding himself in a large cavern with a drill machine pointing upwards in it. "Lancelot pilot cease this instant unless you want me to collapse the section of the city above us," Zero ordered Suzaku, standing atop the machine holding a trigger in his hand, "Exit your Knightmare, I wish to look at you before you're killed."

Suzaku gripped the controls of his Knightmare controls tightly at the order, he slowly complied, opening his cockpit and standing up. "I am Kururugi Suzaku, the son of the late Kururugi Genbu. And I won't surrender this frame to you," he said holding his own trigger up, "I'll destroy it first."

"A noble sentiment, but ultimately pointless," Lelouch yelled as he knocked the Lancelot out of the way knocking Suzaku back inside his cockpit, charging towards the machine Lelouch lance raised high prepared to spear Zero with it, "Zero I call your bluff!"

"I don't bluff boy," Zero said as he pressed the trigger as the machine kicked in and its drill shot off into the ceiling, connected to a thick line

"And I always have a plan b," Lelouch replied as he used the lance to stab into the machine's core, stopping the drill before it could get anywhere. Then aiming his rifle at the Guren that had just placed C.C. on a nearby ledge, he opened fire to force it back, "Kururugi get that Knightmare."

Suzaku got the Lancelot ready for battle again and engaged the Guren in combat, eventually forcing it out of the room. "Come out Knight of One, or are you afraid to face me?"

Lelouch laughed as he opened his cockpit, and came out with an opaque pair of goggles strapped on tightly, "Oh I'm not, I'm just not fool enough to make myself vulnerable to you. Now I'll have you removed your mask," Lelouch said leveling a gun at Zero.

Zero laughed and said, "Unobstructed connection is not needed for my Geass!" he said as his mask opened up around his eyes revealing bright red hawk sigils in them.

"I figured that might be the case," Lelouch said, "I need to be able to see you straight ahead for your Geass to work. But if I have to see you through a projected image," Lelouch continued tapping the goggles which looked to have a small camera on them, "Then your Geass loses its power doesn't it? That's why you've never used it on Knightmare pilots before."

Zero was taken back, finally realizing he was completely outclassed by the young man before him, "I am glad you weren't important seven years ago. Had you been there it would have truly been a complete loss for us," Zero said as he removed his mask and tossed it on the ground, revealing a very old looking man. A regal and confident, but worn out man, "I salute you Knight of…no Prince of…no that's not right either, I salute you Lelouch. You have beaten me truly and fully."

"You're supposed to be dead, Kururugi Genbu," Lelouch said looking at the man standing before him.

"A great many things were supposed to be true that aren't. I survived thanks to Schneizel El Britannia. A plan of his to take the throne, and then I was informed of C.C. by a small boy claiming to be the brother of…" Genbu continued to speak when he began to cough up blood, clutching his chest he could feel blood starting to pour out slowly.

Explosions began to sound out all across the room causing Lelouch to grip unto his Knightmare's cockpit, trying to grasp what was going on, "You know too much," a single voice said through Lelouch's communication system, V.V.'s voice, "Its too bad nephew, if only you took me up on my offer."

Lelouch ducked inside his cockpit as gunshots began striking against it, closing the hatch he lurched forward as his Knightmare began falling into a cavern below him, "V.V. you…" was all Lelouch managed to say before he blanked out, hitting his head against the side of his cockpit.

Lelouch slowly woke up several hours later deep underground in an caved in cavern lying down, his Knightmare heavily damaged with him having been dragged out of it, "V.V. that bastard," Lelouch grumbled to himself as he slowly sat up, "Wasn't I in my Knightmare?"

A weak laugh came from nearby, "Yeah, you were," Genbu stated, his shirt completely bloodstained, "I was waiting until you got up. But you took so long, I can't even activate my Geass now."

"So you were waiting, to kill me when I was awake," Lelouch said with a laugh, "Not that it matters now. I'm good as dead anyway."

"I suppose that's true. The man who destroyed the resistance in only a few days, and you're going to be thrown away by your precious empire, all because I said something your shouldn't have heard," Genbu said, a smile on his face.

Lelouch frowned, "You planned that."

"Japan may fall, but Britannia will lose its greatest asset," Genbu said, a great amount of spite in his voice as he spoke, "It can still be beaten."

Lelouch laughed, a glare in his eyes, "You think I'm unique amongst my family? Schneizel alone would be enough to take the world. I'm just the most visibly active member. You've done nothing but nicked Britannia while I broke your resistance's backbone."

"Perhaps, then again. I nicked Britannia's shining example, the Knight of One. You are a symbol, if you are seen as fallible and wicked then how will the rest of them appear?" Genbu asked Lelouch, "Britannia will begin to fall to internal strife. That boy acted in response to me revealing that information, but failed to consider the implications of his actions."

Lelouch laughed as he looked at Genbu, "Perhaps you're right. Then again, I think I have all the tools I need to get out of this situation." He stood up and walked over to something near one of the caved in walls to pick up something, Genbu slowly closing his eyes as he saw the Zero mask get picked up.

"I see, if Britannia denies you, you'll use Nippon," Genbu said, "Too bad you won't succeed…" And with that Genbu stopped breathing.

Lelouch chuckled as he removed his cape and the identifying portions of his uniform, and began to place the on Genbu. "Oh I don't think so." He placed the Zero mask on and turned to his Knightmare, "Now you better work."

A few hours later, a drill pushed through the cavern's wall as several of the Japanese Burai appeared inside the cavern, to find their Zero inside waiting atop the Knight of One's Gloucester, yelling out in Japanese they immediately asked, "Zero! Are you okay?"

Zero replied in Japanese, "Yes I am. What's the situation?"

"Britannia has routed off. Ever since the Knight of One was…speaking of which, where is…"

Zero pointed to a nearby wall where the Knight of One's cloak could be seen, "Fell out and got crushed. Whose still with us?"

"Toudou is still unaccounted for but no news of his capture at least. We still have Kouzuki and the Guren though. Most of the command is in shambles. Everything is falling apart. But with you here we might be able to survive,"

"I'll need a Knightmare, I'll begin planning our escape. For now this battlefield is a deathtrap," Zero stated, "This thing is no good anymore. I'd be lucky if it could get out of the cavern."

"Yes sir," they replied, one of the pilots quickly bringing his Burai over to him, allowing Zero to take control of it.

Zero closed the hatch and was now alone inside of the Knightmare now, and began to turn off any cameras inside the machine, removing the helmet Lelouch sighed, "Now to unravel my own plan," he sighed taking a look at the remaining troops the terrorists had, and began analyzing the command structure still left in place, he placed his helmet back on and ordered through his communication system, "Kouzuki this is Zero, take a left turn followed by a right. You're going to back up our soldiers their and then lead them down this tunnel," and with that he transmitted coordinates, the switching lines he said, "Ougi, back up ten feet and hold the enemy down in that cavern with suppressive fire. You'll be receiving backup shortly. I want them pinned down and paying attention to you." Switching to a general line, "Toudou if you're there respond now with your position."

A private channel opened up, Lelouch accepted it after closing his general channel, and was greeted by a simple, "Who are you? You're not Genbu."

"Nobody of importance. Toudou-san please keep quiet about this, it'll only cause confusion in the ranks otherwise," Lelouch asked.

Toudou was silent for a moment, "Agreed. I'll talk to you after this is over," he responded and shut the private line off.

Lelouch sighed, "Figured he would probably know. Things are naturally going to be tough here." Lelouch began inputting information into the Knightmare's computer, hacking his way into Britannia's communication system, multiple signals appearing on his map.

"Have we located Lelouch yet?" he heard Monica's voice ask over the Britannian channels, "The terrorists are picking up their resistance."

"Not yet, we're still looking he was last seen confronting Zero. And then he just vanished in that explosion," a Britannian Soldier reported.

"I'm hearing reports from above, some ridiculousness that the Knight of One was collaborating with Zero all this time," someone else reported, likely a communication officer, "That's impossible. Not after what he did today."

"Who's saying so?" Monica demanded.

"…Reports say Schneizel El Britannia is stating so,"

"Don't believe it, I'll bring it up with his majesty myself. Even if he was seemingly doing so it would only be part of one of his plans….is it just me or is this resistance much stronger than before?" Monica asked.

"They have Zero back likely. They seem more confident,"

Lelouch smiled and said, "I appear to have allies still. So let me review this, I have to convince the Black Knights to get me out of here and help me. I have to stop Schneizel and V.V. from whatever their real plan is. And I have to clear my name…not exactly easy to do...any part of that. What should I do first?"

And that's where I'll end this chapter. Sorry it's been a while folks, I've been a bit depressed lately so I really haven't felt like writing much. I'd go into it, but really I doubt anybody wants the extra drama (that's what certain other sites are for). Why am I picking this fic up again? Well it's apparently my most popular so I figure it's the one people want to see the most. With that said, I'm rusty obviously, and I forgot where I was originally going with this fic (truthfully I think it was originally going to be pretty short). So I only have one question this time round…

1) How well did I do after my long hiatus?

And with that said please review and ciao for now

Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos