Hello everyone! I've been meaning to get this off the ground for a while, but life comes first. I know I'm juggling a lot by working on now three different stories at the same time, but I promise to work on all 3 as much as possible. Should I ever be compelled to write a fourth or more, I will be sure to finish at least one of my present stories.

This was something I wanted to do with Code Geass for a while; it just seemed like an interesting concept, and I'm excited about where this is headed. This first chapter will play out very much like the first episode of R2, but if you will bear with it, it will change drastically after that point.

Also, for pairings…I'm a little bit indecisive right now. I'm leaning towards LuluKallen, but I'm not 100% sure. However, both Kallen and CC will play very important roles in the story.

So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Code Geass is owned by Sunrise and Bandai. I commanded them to hand over the rights to me…but they laughed in my face. Bastards…

"And your permit states that your purpose here is commercial, correct?" a Britannian officer asked on the line

"Yes. That is correct." A young woman replied.

"Very well. You may proceed."

The woman then tapped a communicator in her collar. "Come in Q1; do you read?"

"…stupid bunny costume…" a red haired woman muttered elsewhere.

"Q-1?"

"Yes, I read you, damn it!" Kallen learned to put up with C.C's antics over the year, but she was in an especially foul mood today.

"Having trouble fitting them in again?" C.C. loved to tease Kallen about her most distinguishing features; Kallen used to think she was jealous, but during their time together Kallen learned that C.C. was more familiar with what men wanted and put it to good use, despite her comparatively modest frame.

Now, Kallen was forced to put up with this undercover job for a month, and she absolutely hated it. If you put a gun to her head and forced her to choose between this and facing the full force of Britannia with nothing but her pistol, she would definitely chose the later. She didn't think it would be this bad, but once this was over she vowed to never do it again. "Just tell me he's finally taken the bait. Black King has been here for quite some time already, and I'm getting sick of this game."

"What am I, an oracle? You can't make a fish take the bait; you just have to be patient."

"I'm a soldier, not a whore…" Kallen muttered under her breath.

"Just keep doing what you're doing. All sources confirm that Lelouch still frequents underground gambling. He'll arrive soon enough, I'm sure."

Kallen sighed, and prepared to walk out of the locker room where she changed. "Roger. Over and out."

Kallen began to walk out, but C.C got in one last thing "Oh, don't forget to shake your hips more. Those melons on the front aren't the only things that make men turn their heads when you walk by, so take advantage of it."

"C2!" Kallen screamed. Kallen stepped out and composed herself once more. Her thoughts turned to someone else. "Lelouch…Zero…we need you…." Not to mention, she had to ask the boy an important question…and for his sake, his answer better be good.

"Why do this?" the boy named Rolo asked his older brother. "I mean, you're not even doing this for the money, are you?"

"Need you ask?" Lelouch replied as he made his way towards the garage elevator. "It's because I want to battle more challenging opponents."

As they ascended in the elevator, Lelouch thought "That's a lie…I do this out of sheer boredom."

For the past year, Lelouch felt something in his life was missing, but he couldn't figure out what. It felt like there was something he had to do…something vital was missing that he couldn't live without. But what? Family? Though his parents died in an accident, Rolo was able to help him keep going, and in taking care of him, Lelouch began to feel like a father himself. Besides, his friends at Ashford felt like a family in of itself. Girlfriend? He thought about it, but found he liked his personal space; besides, as he learned from Milly's ridiculous contests, all the girls who were into him were only interested in his looks, not to mention most of them were intellectual dead weights. So, no, he didn't feel the need for a companion of the opposite sex. Maybe he felt he could do better in school? Except for PE, he was getting good grades. If he was concerned about his GPA, he wouldn't be doing this. "What is it then? What is it I'm missing?"

Finally, they arrived on the floor where the casino was staged. The casino was sprawling with mafia and nobles alike, all gambling their money with nothing to lose. At the same time, several elevens were being ordered as indentured servants, doing everything they could to please their masters. And ungrateful masters they were. He would always see them blame all their problems on their servants and have them beaten. And those were the men; he hated to imagine how the women were treated.

"Today's brutal even is a match between brothers! Which sibling will win, the younger one or the older one!"

The two brothers looked down to the ring below, seeing the two brothers the announcer was referring to brutalize one another. With no referee or protective gear, it was guaranteed that one of the siblings would be crippled or worse.

Rolo was feeling increasingly uneasy, feeling he shouldn't have allowed his "brother" to do this. "We don't belong here. Let's go." he told the older teen.

"It's simple to figure out; just relax." the avid chess player replied. Before Rolo could ask what he was referring to, Lelouch said "Look over there." Rolo looked across the balcony to where the Britannian spectators were enjoying the bloodbath. "The Britannians like ourselves are laughing and having fun. The ones who are being laughed at are the elevens. You pretend not to notice, but in the end-"

"But then why?" Rolo asked, playing along with his act. "It seems despite the artificial memories, he still seems to harbor some sympathy for the elevens."

"I know, but it's the truth." Lelouch replied. "The elevens lost twice. First with Prime Minister Kuurugi and then with Zero." Lelouch and Rolo walked into another room as the automatic doors opened for them. "How could they rebel when they don't have the strength-"

As if on cue, Lelouch felt a metal tray against his chest, followed by something cold and wet spilling down his uniform. "Oh great." he thought.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" the bunny girl exclaimed, immediately bending down to wipe him clean.

As annoyed as Lelouch was he only said "No, it's fine, don't worry about it." If he complained, the repercussions would be severe for the poor girl.

"But I'm an Eleven, and you're a Britannian student. This is inexcusable." the girl replied with a touch of fear in her voice.

"All the more reason to excuse you. I hate having our social class held over you like a sword.."

The eleven girl finished wiping his leg, and said "It doesn't matter. The powerless have no choice but to bear their lot in life..."

Then, the girl raised her head, causing Lelouch to blink for one second. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place from where; the only Japanese person he really knew well was Suzaku, and because of his position in the Britannian Military, he wasn't exactly the most popular among the natives. Not to mention while for the most part she looked Japanese, she did seem to have some Britanian blood in her; if she wanted, she could simply say 'I'm Britannian' and most would believe her. Though Lelouch tried to put it in the back of his mind, he also noted she was quite beautiful, especially her red hair and blue eyes; of course he couldn't help but quickly scan her figure. If Rivalz were here, he would exclaim out loud that she was a living wet dream.

"…regardless if their oppressor is wrong." the eleven finished. She flashed him a quick smile, although the motive behind it he could not figure out.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't push your values on me. I'm not interested" Lelouch replied. The elevens' status was not something he was proud of, but what could a commoner like him hope to do about it, especially in an absolute monarchy?

"I beg your pardon…" Just as she was about to get up and hand him a napkin, someone suddenly grabbed her by the back of the head, hard. A dark skinned man with blond hair inspected her as she struggled, and smiled with smug satisfaction. "C'mere, let me take a good look at ya." The girl closed her eyes in humiliation as the man looked over her like livestock. "Mmm. Nice goods you got here."

"Yes, Mr. King." the casino owner said, eagerly awaiting the sale. "We have an especially large cache of bunnies today." indicating 3 other eleven women handcuffed behind him.

Lelouch then focused on the man harassing the waitress. "That's him. It has to be."

"You're wrong, sir, I'm not for sale." the red-head protested.

"Ah, but you are for sale." He smiled wickedly at her. "You should know by now losers don't have any rights." He forced her on her knees and said "Curse your own wretched birth for not having been born with power. That's what His Majesty always says, isn't it?"

"His Majesty?" Lelouch whispered out loud. For some reason, that name made his gut twist and made him feel like he wanted to destroy everything. That did not go unnoticed by Rolo.

"The strong devour and feed upon the weak." the man referred to as Mr. King continued. "That's the rule, kid."

Rolo, fearing that this could be a bad situation for both of them, especially if he was forced to take action, whispered to Lelouch "The guy's mafia, Lelouch. Let's get out of here."

Unfortunately, his plea went unheard. Lelouch had it hearing the large man's drivel, and decided it was time not only to do what he came here to do, but perhaps prove a point as well. "What an arrogant display." he exclaimed.

"Hmm?"

"Feeding upon the weak, are you?" he asked rhetorically.

The man looked at him in disbelief. Obviously, he wasn't talked back to often, especially by teenagers. The girl also seemed to be a bit surprised at him standing up to the man. Finally, smirked, obviously viewing Lelouch as a naïve boy, and replied "This is a grown-up's world in here, school-boy, so get lost."

Lelouch simply smirked and replied "Well then, will the adult world devour the student, or is it the other way around?" He then displayed the open contents of the briefcase for him to see the chess board and pieces inside. "Let us find the answer with this." His proclamation was full of confidence, not a single trace of doubt.

"With chess?" the mobster asked.

Rolo knew this was going to turn bad. "Idiot! I should have just taken him back to school. I better rectify this now!" He ran up to Lelouch and tugged his shoulder. "Big brother, don't!"

"Too late, fellas." the mob boss replied. "Right, boys?" His flunkies simply laughed as if on cue. "Students don't really know much about anything, do they?"

"That's not true…" Lelouch replied. "…Mr. Black King." Now, the mobster actually paid attention to him. "You're quite the famous chess player in the gambling arena, aren't you?" Once more, that question was rhetorical.

"So…" the Black King smiled and clenched his fist. "…you know who I am, huh?" He then smiled and released the girl. "Alright. I suppose I am impressed. But I doubt you'll be a worthy opponent."

"Scared, are we?" Lelouch continued to attack his ego. Now he would have no choice to accept the match. Refusing would only prove his point; something powerful men hated.

Rolo tugged harder and nearly yelled "Lelouch this is crazy!"

Lelouch, calm as ever, replied "Don't worry, I have this completely under control."

"Very well." The Black King said. "I accept your challenge." He then turned to the owner. "You! Clear a table for us! And get the girls to serve drinks to my friends there!" The red-head tried to sneak away, but the Black King grabbed her and nearly threw her in with the others. "Same goes for you, you stupid bitch! After I'm done teaching this little boy a lesson, I'm going to make sure you get it for talking back to me!" Looking utterly defeated, the bunny girl bowed and ran off with the others.

Kallen's POV

I found him. Now all I have to do is get him out of here and to C.C. She said she could possibly erase the Geass curse from him and bring him back to normal…

Geass. That's the power Lelouch was granted by C.C. that allowed him to make us, the Black Knights, what we were. Even though we lost, we never came closer to getting our freedom back on the day of the Black Rebellion. But…was it of our own free will? If not, then our rebellion had no meaning.

What plagued my mind more was if I was under his spell. When the Black Knights formed, I was amazed by Zero's miracles, how he motivated us in ways none of us ever could before, and gave us the means to fight back. Especially with the Guren, my own Knightmare. As the leader, by all means he should have been allowed to pilot it. But no, he gave it me, claiming it deserved the best pilot, me. When he assigned me as part of the Zero Squad, his personal guard, for the first time since I was child I never felt so proud. I promised to myself that no matter what, I would stay by his side and help him fight not only the empire he vowed to destroy, but oppressors everywhere. But that all changed during the Black Rebellion.

I got word that Zero was heading to Kamine Island, and except for Todoh Kyoshiro, none of us had the military mind Zero had to organize and fight the Britanians. I had to find out why, as I had the only means of getting over the ocean. I reasoned to myself that something must have happened that forced Zero to abandon us. After all he did for us, it just wouldn't make sense for him to just leave, right? I had no idea how wrong it was.

When I finally got there, I found Kuurugi Suzaku pointing his gun at Zero. I drew my pistol at him as well, but suddenly Suzaku shot Zero's helmet, expertly avoiding where any part of his head would be. The helmet split in two, and my knees weakened as I found out Zero's true identity: my own classmate, Lelouch Lamperouge. I knew beforehand Zero wasn't Japanese, he told us after we gained his trust. But this didn't make any sense; Lelouch was aloof, arrogant, and accepted the world's flaws as law. The only thing he cared about was his sister. But then the look on his face…nothing but hate and anger. Evil. And then I saw what I later would learn was the Geass. Even then, I knew it was something that mankind wasn't meant to possess. And then when I asked if he was using us, weak as the question was, he only sneered and said 'yes'. When Suzaku pinned Lelouch down, my instincts temporarily took over and I rushed over to help him. But Suzaku, pointing his gun at me, reminded me how it was Lelouch who used the Japanese, instead of the Zero I thought I was following was helping us. Confused as I was, I ran away. I stood hidden as I saw Suzaku take Lelouch away, and took off in the Lancelot. I then spent the whole night crying; not since Dad divorced Mother for a Britannian noble woman had I ever felt so betrayed.

Kallen's mind returned to the present as she passed out drinks to the spectators between Lelouch and Black King's duel. Kallen knew the rules and the goal of chess, but not being an avid player herself, she couldn't see the possibilities before them as the other two could. Even so, she watched intently. Both took their time with their moves at first, trying to figure out each other's styles. Soon, the timer went off, and both players were only allowed 20 seconds a move. Something Kallen would imagine would be quite unnerving in a game that requires anticipation and concentration. As Kallen continued to watch, she realized something. "It's…It's just like Zero on the battlefield…" The Zero she knew would always lure the enemy into an unfavorable environment, and study their movements when doing so. Then, he would have the Black Knights strike. "…just like pieces on a chess…" she thought with a brief feeling of distaste

"And that's checkmate." Lelouch declared, calm but proud as always.

"Impossible." The Black King whispered, as the spectators were awed at the young man's keen intellect.

Lelouch took further jabs at the Black King's ego. "Looks like you're the one who's been devoured here."

Almost as if accepting his defeat, the Black King relaxed and smiled. "Damn. That's inconvenient. How am I ever going to show my face in public if word of this gets around?"

"I would never spread rumors." Lelouch replied, showing he had at least some humility.

"No, schoolboy, not that." the Black King said, his sneer reappearing again. "What I was saying is that others will hear how you cunningly cheated me."

"I what!" Lelouch shouted.

"Such a naughty little man."

"Now wait a minute!"

" Cheat! But in chess, how could you?" Kallen said.

"Grab him and hold him." The Black King ordered his thugs. "Now to whip up a little evidence against the kid."

"You filthy lying adult!" Lelouch yelled.

The Black King pulled out a pistol, effectively shutting Lelouch up "Fair play doesn't win the game, remember that, school boy!" As his thugs pinned Lelouch against the table, the entire building suddenly shook.

"Finally!" Kallen thought.

The Black King looked up in the ceiling in amazement. "Terrorists!"

Kallen took the moment to finally let out her anger on the mob boss, knocking him out with a well place kick. Before the flunkies could attack, she flipped into the air, and took them out without breaking a sweat, all the while Lelouch looked in awe. The tremors increased, causing the Britannians to panic and run for the stairway.

Suddenly, Kallen grabbed Lelouch and pulled him forward. "Come on! This way!"

"Hey, wait!" The student winced under the girl's surprisingly strong grip, as Kallen dragged him away. Still, he struggled in vain.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Kallen shouted.

"No! My brother is-"

"Lelouch, that is not your-" The next thing Kallen knew she felt herself pushed down to the floor, and the boy named Rolo was taking Lelouch with him. Somehow, he had gotten one hell of a head start. "Hey, wait a minute!" Kallen got up to pursue them, but a pile of rubble fell in front of her. Not wasting anytime, she tapped the transmitter in her ear. "Damn! C2, come in! I lost the target! I repeat, I lost the target!"

"Okay, I'll see if I can catch up to him, Kallen! We're bringing the Guren inside right now! Get inside and help the others while I awaken Zero!"

"Roger!" Kallen responded.

C.C. got inside Lelouch's old Burai custom and leapt into the skyscraper; an outdated antique, barely able to take on one Sutherland, but it would have to do. She brought up the schematics of the building, using Kallen's position as the starting point. Since Kallen failed to slip the tracking device on him, C.C. had to take an educated guess on where he would wind up. "If I were a panic-stricken student…" C.C. thought as she began plotting where to go. "The mall! Plenty of space there!" She blew the floor open, and leapt down into the mall, right in front of Lelouch and Rolo. "Perfect." She opened the Burai's visor, activated the sensor camera to signal her peaceful intentions, and held its hand out. She could see Lelouch was obviously confused and frightened. "No. That's not Lelouch. That's not the one I made my contract with." she thought. Suddenly, she felt the Burai take shots from behind. "Shit!" C.C. moved the Knightmare to protect Lelouch, engaging the other soldiers. However, she was quickly overwhelmed, and as soon as Lelouch and the strange boy ran away, she retreated as well "Persistent. But I will reawaken the demon." She shot her harken towards the ceiling, carefully tracking Lelouch's heat signature as he ran up the stairs, no doubt fueled by adrenaline. "Definitely not the Lelouch I used to know."

Lelouch, exhausted as he was, managed to get himself and Rolo away from the chaos. But he kept thinking about that knightmare. It wasn't trying to hurt him; in fact, it seemed to be asking him to come with it.

"Lelouch! What do we do now!" Rolo asked, clearly frightened.

Lelouch, remembering what he should really be worried about, put on a fake smile, and answered his little brother "Relax. We'll be alright, I promise you. I'll get us out of here." Lelouch wasn't confident at all, but all he could do was assure his little brother.

Rolo seemed to calm down temporarily, and smiled. "Yeah, I-I'm sure. We'll be fine."

Lelouch then heard a gun magazine click, and saw a soldier taking aim at Rolo. "Rolo!" Lelouch ran forward and pushed him out of the way. The soldier fired, and grazed the student's arm. The force was enough to knock him towards the shaft, and from there everything happened in slow motion. His brother's hand reached for him, as did his, but gravity was not so kind, and Lelouch could only go with it as he heard Rolo call out his name. Lelouch feared the worst, but then felt something soft cushion his landing. A tarp! "Thank God. Rolo must be scared out of his mind." Lelouch called out to him, and pulled out his cell. But he was too far down to get a signal. Despite his exhaustion, Lelouch ran up several flights of stairs, hoping to find Rolo. Instead, he came upon the corpses of several Japanese.

C.C rounded the corner, and came across the massacre. "Trying to silence the witnesses. Typical of Britannia….or was this your doing, V.V?" Then, she spotted Lelouch. While the Lelouch she knew would not have reacted well to a massacre like this, it would only strengthen his resolve to destroy Britannia. The Lelouch before her was on his knees, looking like he was about ready to pass out. "Ugh. It pains me to see you like this, Lelouch. It's time to rectify that." Finally, Lelouch saw the knightmare in front of him, and looked like he was about to make another run for it. C2 decided now as a good time to show herself, and stepped out of the cockpit. Soon, Lelouch saw her and she spoke. "I came to get you out of here Lelouch. I'm on your side, an ally; and your sworn enemy is Britannia." Lelouch looked at her, clearly confused. "We have a contract; you and I are both accomplices." Finally, Lelouch managed to stand up. "Good. Just a little bit more coaxing…" "I'm the only one who knows you; the real you." She held out her hand, and slowly, Lelouch approached her. It seemed she would get him back when a sharp pain burst through her chest. "L-Lelouch…" C2 realized that she had been shot, what would be a fatal wound for most, but for her it just shut down her body for a few seconds.

She felt herself falling, and the next thing she knew, she was in Lelouch's arms. Realizing where she was, she woke up and realized he was about to die if she didn't do something. Quickly, she kissed him, and felt herself enter his mind.

"Power!" She heard Lelouch cried. "If only I had power! Power to escape this place! Power not to lose the world!"

"You desire power?" C2 asked. "You already possess the power you seek. It's merely imprisoned within a cage of amnesia." She could feel the confusion in Lelouch's mind, and clarified. "Remember. Remember who you really are…The Power of the King." She could feel Lelouch's subconscious reach out to her, asking her to show him the power he was speaking of. "Now…let the seal…be BROKEN!" She could feel the Geass within Lelouch leaking out, regaining control. "Yes, now the memories…"

Just as she was about to reach them, the entire world seemed to go black. "What…" CC could see that whatever light was in the area made her appear black and white as well.

"Trying to awaken Zero, are we?"

CC looked to her side, to see a young boy with long hair dressed regally looking at her intently. CC's eyes widened as she recognized him. "V.V?"

"Quite resourceful of you, C2. For a whole year, you planned on this reunion, knowing he was being watched. I initially suggested to Charles that he should kill this boy, but like always, he was too soft to do anything to what he considered his real family. However, to his credit, he did have a brilliant idea. If Lelouch were to have died right when Suzaku brought him before the emperor, we would have never found you, and our plan would all be for naught. But I know you too well; you want your own wish more than anything. And ever since you've met Lelouch, you don't trust anyone else to do it, do you? That's the reason you chose him, isn't it? To bestow the Power of the King on someone with the mind and heart to destroy Britannia, and once he accomplished that-"

"What are you getting at?" CC asked, feigning ignorance. "Answer me, VV!"

"We used him, C2, just as you have used him. We used him to lure you out. Once we apprehend you, I'll have this mortal disposed of so you can't pass on your code, and we will begin Ragnarok. "

He smiled wickedly, and C.C. began to feel herself pushed away from Lelouch's mind. "No! I won't let you!" C2 struggled, but she felt herself slipping. "I may not be able to restore his memories as Zero. But if the world is to have a fighting chance…" With all her strength, she made a crack in the memories Charles had implanted. "…I only hope as he is now, he will be able to use it…"

"…Now, time dispose of you, bait." The commanding baron said. The soldiers raised their guns and waited for his orders. "Ready…aim…"

Lelouch, panicked, and held out his hand. "No, wait! Please stop! I beg you!" Then, something happened that Lelouch could not have foreseen: they did as he said.

"Yes. Of course, sir." the Baron said in an emotionless voice.

Lelouch, still in disbelief, stood up, as did C2. Lelouch noticed all the soldiers just stood there as if they were waiting for him to leave. He could also see a faint red glow in the commanding baron's eyes, even from where he was standing. "What happened…what…"

"That is the power you possess; the Power of the King." C2 stood up, which shocked Lelouch even more…

"…what…"

"I'm sorry, Lelouch. I was able to restore your power, but not your memories." CC stated, not bothering to answer him about her immortality.

Lelouch's mind was spinning, but before he could ask, two knightmare frames crashed through the roof. They were not Britannian military, which meant they could only be the Black Knights. The Britannian Soldiers did not react, still standing in position like statues. "Well, C2?" a voice from the red Knightmare asked.

"Wait, that's the eleven girl!"

"I'm sorry Kallen. It didn't work." CC yelled.

The red knightmare's cockpit opened, revealing Kallen. "What! You mean we all came out of hiding….for nothing!" Kallen leapt down to the floor, ignoring the burning bodies and ran towards C2 and Lelouch.

"I wouldn't say that. I may not have been able to restore his memories, but he has his Geass back." the immortal replied. Kallen took a look at Lelouch, and visibly froze upon looking at his left eye.

"What are you talking about!" Lelouch screamed, unable to take it anymore. "Why are you after me! Why did they try to kill me!" Lelouch cringed as he could no longer think straight. "What the hell is happening!"

CC, calm as ever, approached him. "Lelouch…by now you have surmised who we are. It has been exactly one year since the Black Rebellion. Although we caused enormous damage to the settlement and the Britannian forces at the time, in the end we lost. The majority of our members are imprisoned, and Zero is reported dead."

"I know about the Black Knights, but what does this have to do with me!" Lelouch lashed out.

"However, the Britannian Empire lied about Zero." CC continued. "He's alive and well, and right now, the Black Knights need him once again. And that is the reason why we are here for you."

Lelouch was about to yell again, but then he started to get her drift. It was absurd, but why else would the Britannian military be observing Lelouch? "No…that can't be…"

"I'm afraid so, Lelouch." CC did not break eye contact with him as she said "You are Zero."

Till next time!