I own no portion of this series.

A/N: Just to let you know ahead of time, this chapter will pan out very much like the first episode up to a certain point, and then things take a rather radical turn. This is my very first fic, I hope you enjoy it.

Awakening

Lelouch was riding in the side car of his loyal quirky friend, Rivalz. He was returning to school after his routine chess match. He assumed the black pieces as always, they just had a certain suiting to him. Eight minutes and thirty two seconds, that was all it took for him to turn the tide from utter defeat, to astonishing victory. The nobles he played against always had that same look on their face. Granted, the money was definitely worth it, but it was the look on their face, that was the true prize for his gamble. It was the only reason he played against nobility, he didn't need the money, but how he loved crushing the pride of the high horses.

Still he wasn't a man to gloat aloud, merely in his thoughts, which he kept to himself all too well. Currently reading a book as the wind blew through his hair on the highway. Despite the noise he was able to maintain a perfect focus; he always had a knack for tuning out static.

"Hey Lelouch, what was with that first move back there? Why did you start with your king?" Rivalz asked after giving it little thought.

"If a king doesn't lead how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch responded quickly.

This wasn't the only reason, although it did have a certain ring to it. Lelouch's main strategy was to always make the enemy underestimate him. An enemy caught off guard at the first blow was usually met with a second fatal one. The element of surprise is the most vital piece in any battle. At that point you are precisely two and a half moves ahead of the enemy. It will take half a turn to recover from the surprise, another turn to attempt to save the losses and the last to return to a proper striking position. At any point during this time, a second unexpected blow will cripple the enemy. By then, they are so caught up with scrambling to bolster defenses that they fail to make even the simplest of counter attacks. Their mind goes into a state where they simply lose the will to achieve victory… Check Mate.

A blaring honk pulled Lelouch out of his day dream, realizing the large truck behind them, it appeared to be military. It couldn't have been there for very long, because they didn't have time to apply their breaks. It was probably a response to a terrorist attack of some sort.

"Oh god, we're gonna die!" Rivalz squealed as he jerked the bike to the right side to avoid a collision. He squeezed the breaks with all his might as they headed toward the guard rail. They screeched to a halt, although now the breaks were glossed and the power line to the bike was cut. Because of the incredible friction and heat, the breaks no longer grabbed at the tires, they simply slipped when the handle was pulled. There was no way could they drive this thing before they got it fixed.

Lelouch looked out over the highway with adrenaline pumping through his system. He saw the crashed vehicle on the off ramp and examined it momentarily. *This isn't good, if that is military we could be in some serious trouble. Perhaps we could run.* Off to the side a large crowd was gathering like a heard of sheep to gawk at the wreck, taking pictures and calling friends. Lelouch looked back at Rivalz inspecting the bike. *Clearly something is wrong with the bike. Even if we could get away, what if someone could identify us? Damn it! With Clovis calling the shots, we could be facing some jail time. That just won't do, not with Nunnally waiting for me. Best course of action would be to ensure the well being of the driver and passengers. In the worst case scenario it would show compassion for our mistake and possibly lessen tour punishment.* With that thought in mind Lelouch made his way down to the wreck. The trailer was exposed while the cab of the truck was buried in the building.

"Hey are you alright?" Lelouch called. No response. Lelouch spotted a ladder on the side and climbed up still calling out to the people inside.

*Finally, I found you.* A soft voice penetrated his skull, coming from all directions at once, it was a little disorienting.

"What?" Lelouch asked, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from. The top was open, did it come from inside?

The terrorist driver heard someone outside and panicked. He switched gears into reverse and slammed on the gas, quickly pulling the truck out of the building and turning around to see the quickest way to retreat.

With the quick force he wasn't expecting Lelouch was thrown into the back of the truck. It was his turn to panic now, "Stop! I'm in here!"

*Get a hold of yourself Lelouch!* He scolded himself mentally. *Just look for a way out. At the current speed, injuries would be minimal.* He looked around to find only him and a large metal container in the middle of the trailer, but no ladder. "Guess this will have to do, hope it's stable." He sighed as he began to climb up the awkward device.

"Stop the vehicle!" a voice was heard through the loudspeaker behind them.

"That voice?.." Lelouch thought for a moment before coming to the realization that he wasn't an accidental military passenger, he was a terrorist hostage. Apparently they were involved in some kind of chase. *By the sound of it I'd say it's a helicopter, I'll assume that's the only pursuer. After all ground forces would have a longer response time. There's no way that we- what am I thinking 'we'? They, won't be able to outrun anything in this scrap heap... But that doesn't make my situation any better.*

"Surrender now and you'll get the chance to defend yourself in court!" The military shouted, immediately followed by gun fire.

*That wasn't much of a chance.* Lelouch thought. *No, if they wanted hit us they would have. There was little chance to dodge bullets on a highway with such a bulky vehicle; that was a warning shot.*

"Give up now or we'll shoot to kill!" The military continued.

*As predicted, clearly we show no intention of stopping, which means they will retaliate. But how? Escaping at this speed is no longer safe. If I jump now I'd have the choice of breaking my neck or getting shot. No, this has gone on too long, I will be assumed a terrorist if they see my face now. My life is in the hands of these terrorists. I hope they know what they're doing.*

Bullets continued to rain down on the truck, some were penetrating the trailer. Lelouch ducked behind the container, luckily it was strong enough to deflect bullets. Ducking under the container, Lelouch spotted a butterfly trying desperately to escape from a spider web beneath the container. It was trapped; all that it could do was lie in wait until the spider came for its meal. *That's it! If I can trap one of the terrorists..*

"That's what I'm here for!" A crimson haired woman shouted to the driver as she opened a way into the back.

*Perfect, here comes the retaliation. Now's the time to strike, if I can get my hands on her.* Lelouch waited for a moment as the woman, rather a girl for that matter, passed him. By the looks of her small frame he couldn't have been luckier, he actually just might be able to pull this off. She looked incredibly familiar but he could figure that out later. He lunged at her from behind, quickly wrapping his arms around her.

"What the- who the hell are you?" she roared. The girl was much stronger than Lelouch first anticipated, he went to reach an arm around her neck to subdue her but she dug her chin to her chest preventing him from getting a strong hold on her. With that established, she reached up grabbed his wrist and twisted hard. Lelouch had no choice but to follow where she pulled, it felt as if his hand was going to be twisted clean off. With him in front of her she delivered a single kick to the side of his head, dazing him and rendering him unconscious. She didn't even bother to look at him as she hurried to get into her Knightmare.

At this point the ground troops had arrived, multiple Knightmares and more helicopters reinforced the first. Bullets continued to rain down on the truck as several pierced through the cab, some finding their mark in the driver's flesh. He screamed in pain as he swerved down into the subway.

"Damn it!" the red haired woman shouted to the driver. "You couldn't wait ten more seconds? This subway is too small for me to deploy my Knightmare." On the plus side the Britannians couldn't fit theirs in either.

"Report their coordinates! Get some man power in there now!" Jeremiah screamed into his communicator.

"Right away sir," The helicopter pilot responded, punching in the coordinates of the subway to high command.

The driver clutched his chest as he already lost a large amount of blood.

Lelouch started to regain some consciousness after the blow to the head, although moving was a little too difficult at the moment.

"Guess this will have to do," the red head said as she pulled out a rocket launcher from their limited armory. "Just try following us in here!" She shouted in what seemed to be her normal tone, firing the rocket launcher at the mouth of the subway collapsing the entrance before the helicopter could navigate its way inside. "Britannian bastards." She spat out as she dropped her weapon. She rushed back towards the front of the vehicle where the driver was dying. "Are you alright? Say something!"

"I-I'm finished Kallen, this is the end for me. Jus- just promise you'll realize your brother's dr-dream..." His breathing became erratic as his teeth clenched until he felt the release of the grave. His entire body went limp. Kallen smashed the side of the truck with a clenched fist. Her senses were numb from the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Kallen?" Lelouch asked to himself, that name also sounded familiar. Still, this was hardly the time to play guessing games. He looked up and noticed that she was preoccupied in the front of the vehicle. *Now's my chance to escape.* Lelouch pulled himself out of the truck and into the large opening where terrorist vehicle had stopped. Moments after stepping out he found himself staring down the barrel of a Britannian soldier's rifle. "Please don't shoot!" Lelouch begged.

The soldier quickly examined his attire. "A student?" He pressed his comm unit to inform high command that he had the terrorist vehicle in sight. The poison gas chamber was in no more than 50 feet from him. "Hands up, show me your face! What are you doing here?"

Lelouch did as instructed, "I'm not involved in this, I was abducted. You have to believe me!"

The soldier's face tilted for a moment, he recognized the student. "Is that you Lelouch?" The soldier asked, removing his mask. It was Suzaku Kururugi, a long lost friend of Lelouch.

"Suzaku? You became a Britannian soldier?" Lelouch asked surprised. *This is perfect, I can use this to my advantage. With Suzaku on my side, I'll be cleared of everything.* Lelouch smirked.

"Two Britannians, I can kill them both with the explosive in the back of this thing." Kallen spoke softly to herself. As Suzaku came closer to Lelouch she quickly hit the explosives button and ducked for cover. Fortunately, the cab was reinforced with extra armor to survive the blast.

Suzaku heard a slight hiss and a click, two horrifying sounds that he had come to know. "Lelouch!" The soldier screamed as he threw himself in front of his friend. Lelouch had no time to react as the undeniable roar of the explosive knocked him back nearly 10 feet.

Lelouch looked up from the ground, with the wind knocked out of him he tried to scream with only a gasp escaping. He crawled over to Suzaku, his armor was charred and smoking. Suzaku was unconscious from the concussive blast of the bomb. Lelouch could only shed tears over his friend.

Kallen looked out to observe the damage she'd done. It seemed that they weren't quite close enough to the explosive. "Damn it, I'll finish you myself." Kallen grabbed the drivers' side arm and exited the now demolished truck, the mid section was destroyed. Seems like the bomb was meant to explode up not out. That would explain why they survived. "Alright you Britannian scum," Kallen said calmly her aim fixed on the student whose' face was covered by his matted hair. "Stand up and-"

"Freeze!" The military shouted. It seems they arrived just in time.

"Command we've spotted the target, it seems the gas hasn't been released yet."

*Gas, as in toxic gas? Were those terrorists really planning on using it, or was it just a bluff?* Lelouch asked himself.

*Shit, I gotta play my trump card already?* Kallen scolded herself. Her head full of 'if onlys'. She dove to the cab once more, bullets piercing the cab, she reached up quickly and flipped the switch releasing the poison gas. The container hissed and released pressure.

"It's been released, take cover!" The commander shouted.

Lelouch could only look up in horror as the container opened to reveal- a girl? *Did the terrorists take the wrong container? Low probability, more likely it was a bluff. But then how would the military know it was supposed to be a gas? Are the Britannians ones responsible for the creation of this? More likely. Did the terrorists know it wasn't gas? No they couldn't have, otherwise releasing it wouldn't do any good. So it did come from Britannia. Who's the girl?' Lelouch's mind was racing with probabilities and improbabilities.

"A girl? That wasn't what Intel told us, guess I'll have to improvise a bit." Kallen jumped out behind Lelouch and held him up with her side arm to his head. "You're going to let me out of here otherwise this kid goes down with me."

"We've got the target in our sites; take her back alive if possible. Kill the others."

"What? I'm a Britannian, don't shoot! I didn't do anything wrong!" Lelouch pleaded.

"We have no proof of that commoner." The commander stated nonchalantly.

*This is it, I'm stuck. I could tell them I'm royalty but they would never believe me, playing that card this late. Either I get shot by Britannians or by this girl… Goodbye Nunnally, I'm so sorry.* Lelouch made his final preparations and closed his eyes. *I never thought it would end like this.*

Kallen's mind was racing as well. *How did this not work? They'd sacrifice one of their students just to kill me? That doesn't make sense! It's not like I'm infamous or anything!*

*You cannot die here.* This time the voice echoed through both of their minds. As the soldiers let loose their volley of bullets towards them both, the girl trapped in the container suddenly appeared in front of them, taking every bullet to the torso and neck. Kallen's eyes widened as the girl fell limp in front of them both.

*What was that? Did she think they wouldn't just shoot us after she died?* Lelouch's cursed mind continued. He couldn't stop himself if he tried. It was the little anomalies that plagued him so. He simply couldn't grasp why this girl would throw herself in front of two complete strangers at no personal advantage.

"What a pity, seems that the terrorists already killed the target before we were able to neutralize them." the commander shrugged. The soldiers went to reload their fire arms to shoot again.

The limp girl reached out and grabbed Lelouch and Kallen. *You don't want it to end here do you? You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power could you go on? I propose a deal, in exchange for this power you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you except its conditions. While living in a world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?*

What was she saying? What did any of that mean? There was no time to weigh pros and cons. Besides, there wasn't any harm in trying now…

"Yes I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" Lelouch replied.

"Yes I agree to the terms of the contract!" Kallen responded.

Suddenly everything made sense, images flashing before them both. Images they'd never seen before, were these memories? Did they belong to the mysterious girl?

They were given a new power now. They understood what it was and in a limited way how to use it. Lelouch stood up with the same arrogance that he's always known. Laughing at the line of soldiers as they were busy reloading.

"Gone insane, have you?" The commander questioned with an arched brow. "No matter, shoot them at once!"

"I Lelouch vi Britannia command you all, die!" The power of the king filled his body and screamed out of his left eye, it was truly a remarkable feeling. The command reached the soldiers and they were doomed. Bound by the limitless power of Geass their bodies were no longer their own to command.

"With pleasure my lord!" They shouted in unison as they raised their firearms to their necks and pulled the trigger. The echo of gunshot was nearly deafening.

A wicked smile crawled across Lelouch's face, he'd done it! All by himself, he single handedly killed all those men. "Yes, now I have all the power I need! Now I am unstoppable!"

Kallen merely looked up at Lelouch. *Who is this guy, what is this power I-we have? Is he my enemy? But he just saved me, he can't be. Only one thing is for certain we cannot remain here.*

"I now have the power to bring Britannia to its knees!" Lelouch spouted with ecstasy as he clenched his fist and raised it above his head. "This nation will fall!"

AN: Hope you like it so far, sorry if the thoughts in their head seemed a bit overdone, the characters just didn't really have people to talk to, don't worry it begins to settle. Just need to develop a little before I can start throwing all the fun twists in there ; ) If you have a spare moment I would treasure some feedback.