Cut and dry intro notes: Usual ambitious plan to write the world of Code Geass, but with changes and a different focus than the anime took. This includes a male OC, so if those aren't your cup of tea, please try to read on anyway, or have a nice day. Chapter 1 is largely episode one, but for those fics that don't change the entire history of the Geass-verse, that's actually common. " ZZZZZ" = scene break, sometimes a perspective change

ZZZZZ

"I understand."

Lelouch's voice was light, almost glib, as he briskly strode down a hallway, a small cell phone pressed to his ear. The fact one of his benefactors on the other end of the line sounded both frantic and despairing didn't bother him at all. If anything, as the old man who introduced him to gambling chess continued to explain the situation, Lelouch felt boredom creeping back in. Chess against pampered nobles was fun, but only to see them break down once a 'mere schoolboy' shamed them.

"Survive for another thirty minutes," Lelouch murmured into the phone. Thirty minutes was plenty of time for him to find Rivalz and get on the road. "I will be there soon, sir."

He ended the call and turned to take the stairs down to the garage. It was between classes, and Lelouch knew Rivalz would spend any free time not in Student Council business working on his bike. All it'd take was the simple offer of letting Rivalz bet on his victory and yet another simple objective would be met.

A blur wearing the Ashford Academy uniform crashed into him before he even made it to the garage, though. "What…" Lelouch groaned from the pain of having his tailbone shoved into a railing, but pulled himself to his feet to glare at his attacker. "Watc-Rivalz?"

"Oh! Hey, Lulu!" Rivalz grinned, in that I'm-probably-at-fault-but-don't-I-look-sweet way Lelouch never could. "What's up?"

"Rivalz…" Lelouch sighed. "No matter. I need a ride to a chess game. You can make some easy money, so-"

"Oof! Sorry, buddy. No can do; my bike's at the shop! I had to run just to get here now."

Of all days, today? Lelouch scowled at Rivalz, even though he knew it wasn't Rivalz's fault, already thinking of any way he could make it to the match on foot in time. Of course, there weren't any, but without Rivalz's bike, the only options belonged to students he didn't know, which would take far too much time and I don't have the time to guarantee they'll do it for money or-

"Geez, Lulu, you keep scowling like that and your face will get stuck. Your fans would be heartbroken!" Rivalz hooked his arm around Lelouch's neck and marched them both back up the stairs. "I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to you! Shirley told me her boyfriend's got a bike, so just go ask her to ask him to give you a ride. "

"Shirley's boyfriend?" Lelouch repeated, already trying to bring the guy to mind. He didn't have much; Shirley had started acting less awkward around him once she'd started going out, which was what Lelouch did remember best, and she'd mentioned once that he was part of some club.

Still, if he had a way to get to the chess match, he was just what Lelouch needed. The small details didn't matter as long as he still got what he wanted. In the end, Lelouch groused, eyes flicking to Rivalz's back as the bluenette lead him to Shirley. Results are the only things that matter.

ZZZZZ

The sound of a fist finding its home in someone's flesh echoed through the room, making a few of the younger club members wince while one of the older ones sighed in disgust. The violent sound repeated two more times before a yelp was followed by the sound of someone being thrown onto the ground. The room stayed quiet for a few moments, until another student still in their uniform peeked into the room, holding a ringing cell phone in his hand.

"Hey, Wolfgang! Your girlfriend's callin'!"

The student in the middle of the room who was still standing pulled his opponent to their feet, then jogged over to get his phone. "Thanks, Smith," He grumbled, wiping sweat from his face with a towel. He waved the other student away and turned around to talk into his phone. "Shirley, you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little hungry," Shirley replied. She sounded like she was distracted, so he waited for her to continue. "Oh, right! I wanted to ask for a favor, Evrard."

"Mm, alright. What is it?"

"I just need you to give my friend a ride into the city." She actually seemed happy about asking. "He needs to pick up some medicine for his sister, and he reeeally needs a ride, so..."

Evrard snorted, but chuckled. "Sure, fine. Quick ride'll be fun, anyway. Tell 'im to meet me in the garage."

"Thank you, Evrard! Oh, Lulu, he said-"

Evrard snapped his phone shut and tossed it at his bag on the floor. After catching the eye of one of the senior members and waving, he changed clothes and started for the garage. Helping some rich kid fulfill their karma mission for the day wasn't his dream job, but if Shirley wanted him to do it, he'd play chauffer. It wasn't like he didn't want to get out of Ashford's stuffy halls and relax, anyway, so 'Lulu' was a convenient enough excuse.

ZZZZZ

To his relief, Lelouch didn't have to wait in the garage long. Barely two minutes had passed since Shirley had called her boyfriend—Evrard Wolfgang, his mind supplied—before the boyfriend in question walked in and waved him over to one of the bikes. He took in the basics to commit to memory—taller, more built, bit of a thug—and accepted the helmet he was offered.

"Just so you know," Lelouch waited for them to be already off the school grounds before he spoke up. "I'm not after medicine. I need a ride to a chess match, through the ghetto."

Evrard glanced down at him once, but turned his eyes back to the road. "…didn't tell Shirley 'cause?"

"This chess match in particular has quite a bit of money riding on it. Shirley happens to disapprove of my…" Lelouch paused. "…choices to indulge, and I needed a quick, no questions means to get to it."

"For the future, don't fucking lie to Shirley again." Evrard growled, but didn't turn off the road or stop. "Let me know when, and I'll drive you."

"That's…awfully charitable of you."

"You're arrogant and you know where we're going for a match. You obviously don't lose, so you're easy money. "Evrard chuckled. "I get out of Ashford every so often and get money to take Shirley to nice places, while you get whatever you want from this. We both win."

"I see." Lelouch murmured, glancing at Evrard from the side of his eyes. Shirley's boyfriend being such an unscrupulous, rough person hadn't even been a possibility until now. He'd just figured it was another, less awkward Rivalz that Shirley had hooked up with, but the only similarity between Rivalz and Evrard was their bikes.

ZZZZZ

By the time Evrard finished securing his bike, Lelouch and his opponent, some smug, overconfident-looking noble with a weasel's mustache, were already making their moves. Evrard took a few looks at the noble's guards, then at the man himself before he stood opposite the guards on Lelouch's left.

He tried to watch the board, but the seemingly meaningless movement of the pieces was boring. He'd never been interested in mind games like chess. The only thing more boring than playing was watching it, though.

"I must say," the noble shifted in his seat, hand moving to his pocket and pulling Evrard's attention from the game to him. "For a schoolboy, you play decently."

"I wish I could say the same," Lelouch smirked. "Mate in four moves."

"What?" Again the hand moved to the pocket. Evrard shifted and glanced at the two guards. Both of their hands were out in the open. "You've got a loose mouth, boy."

The game continued, and like Lelouch claimed, the game was over in four moves. Any other time, Evrard probably would've laughed at the shocked look on the loser's face, but now wasn't the time for it. Once the shock faded, he saw the anger growing in the man's eyes. The noble's hand shot into his pocket again, but this time, Evrard stepped forward and loomed in front of the man's chair, glaring down like the noble was a bug.

"You even think about pullin' that out," He sneered, noting that Lelouch and the old man who'd let him in were watching. The noble froze, staring up in shock and a bit of fear this time. "…just try it, and I'll break both your hands before you even touch the trigger."

"You lost, asshole; pay up."

ZZZZZ

"That was rather dangerous of you, wasn't it?"

Lelouch and Evrard were outside the game parlor, Evrard unlocking his bike while Lelouch absently watched a news report on a billboard. Though he'd eventually won the money he'd earned from the chess match, Lelouch was still feeling nervous. Evrard's threatening the noble had been a shock, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to repeat itself anytime in the future. Still, as nervous as Evrard might make him, Lelouch owed him for keeping the game parlor from turning into a bloodbath.

"I admit I didn't notice the gun, myself," Lelouch continued. Evrard tossed him a helmet, but kept listening. "but was it necessary to make that comment about his hands?"

"The slug was a coward, plain and simple. The gun was just a crutch he's probably never even used before." The bike's motor came to life with a purr and Evrard swung his legs over it. "I know the type who'll shoot and who won't. He wasn't going to shoot."

That got Lelouch's attention. So far, he'd been fine just considering Evrard a tough guy, but that kind of comment was just too suspicious. What kind of guy is Shirley dating? Lelouch sat in the sidecar and glanced at Evrard. Before he could bring it up, though, the billboard above changed to an image of Prince Clovis.

An irritatingly familiar speech about justice and terrorism spewed from Clovis' mouth, with just enough fake empathy for Lelouch to want to punch his brother's face in. Clovis had been tolerable as a child, playing chess upon demand and being entertaining when he lost, at least, but as a man and Steward of Area Eleven, the man was insufferable. A strutting peacock who profited off the struggles and abuse of the Japanese, and a disgustingly perfect example of everything Lelouch hated about Britannia.

To his side, Evrard spat on the ground and pulled onto the road before Clovis could finish. Lelouch glanced at him, but wasn't prepared for the look of sheer anger and hate clouding his face. The low purr of the engine erupted into a loud roar as they raced down the road, the bike seemingly sharing its rider's foul mood. Why is he so upset?

"…Decided not to mourn?" Lelouch ventured, keeping his voice neutral.

"The fuck good would it do?" He hadn't expected a snarl in response, let alone one that violent. "Mourn and pray all you want; tears don't bring the dead back to life! It's just a fucking sham!" Evrard swerved onto an exit and joined a highway path. His voice got lower as the anger faded. "All it does it make the responsible feel less guilt. It's pointless."

Woah…

They rode in silence for a few moments. Lelouch couldn't find any words to say to that, and somehow, he felt that Evrard didn't want to feel better. It was a familiar anger to Lelouch, one of helplessness and rage against the unfairness and cruelty of the world. It was the same anger he'd felt when he'd cast aside his royal status in front of Charles zi Britannia when the man refused to investigate his mother's death. It was an anger that refused to go away until vengeance had been obtained.

"…hey, Lelouch." Evrard was looking at him now. The road ahead looked clear. "Don't tell Shirley about that, and I won't tell her you lied about helping your sister, got it?"

"That's fine. I didn't plan on telling her an-Look out!"

A huge truck pulled up behind them out of nowhere and nearly smashed into them, if not for both Evrard and the truck's driver swerving at the same time. Lelouch grunted as they skidded to a stop along the side rail. To the side, the truck crashed through a barrier and groaned to a stop in the open court of a construction building.

"Shit…What the hell was that?" Evrard pulled Lelouch out of the sidecar and started pulling parts up from his bike. Smoke hissed from the engine. "Argh, now wh-Lelouch?"

Lelouch had already taken off to help the drivers once a crowd of typically useless Britannians started taking pictures with their phones. Their continued apathy and lazy disregard disgusted him, enough that he couldn't help but actually help the crashed driver. He groaned and tried to heave a steel girder off the truck, but it was far too heavy for him to move.

"Lelouch!" Evrard stood by the ladder leading up the truck. "We can't get past that shit, so try here."

Together, they climbed the ladder, but before they could call out to the driver, the truck shifted into action and sped forward. Lelouch fell into the truck first, and when Evrard tried to grab his arm to pull him up, he was also thrown inside. They tumbled against the walls and a strange, spherical object anchored to the floor as the truck groaned and pulled onto smooth roads again, but eventually were able to find their feet again.

"…Shirley isn't going to be happy." Evrard grumbled, body tense and looking around the room.

Really? "Is that all you're concerned about right now?" Lelouch asked. Seriously, they were kidnapped by some hit-and-run driver in a truck, and now he worried about his girlfriend's feelings? Evrard was impossible. "Let's try to find a way out of here."

"And do what? Honest, law-abiding citizens don't do hit-and-runs, then race off from the scene this fast, Lelouch. Whoever's driving this car probably isn't gonna just let us off." Evrard paused and glanced at the back wall. After a moment, he frowned. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear wh-"

"Surrender!"

The military? What in the world are they chasing this truck for? Lelouch glanced at Evrard, then at the strange device in the truck with them. Could it be that?

Lelouch groaned as Evrard suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back against a wall, just as a door opened and a red-haired girl stepped into the room. Lelouch struggled quietly against Evrard's hand over his mouth at first, but quit when the girl touched a panel, and one of the walls of the trailer turned into the entrance to a-

A Knightmare?

"Kallen!" The girl paused at the voice from her radio. "The military is sending more! Should we use that?"

"No way! If we use the poison gas now, it'll be a massacre!" Lelouch paled at the implication of what the strange device they were trapped with was. Meanwhile, the girl finished her preparations and started entering her knightmare. "Just leave this to me; you get away through the subway tunnels!"

With that last remark, the knightmare ejected from the truck and soon filled the air with the sound of explosions, leaving Lelouch and Evrard trapped once again in the truck, along with what Lelouch now knew were terrorists with poison gas. Evrard let him go and as he slid down the wall of the truck next to Evrard's feet in momentary shock, Lelouch's mind raced.

Actual terrorists? They stole poison gas and the military is after them, which means the military likely views anyone even near this canister as a terrorist. So much for explaining the situation to them and getting home. He glanced at the poison gas container, then at Evrard. I can probably rely on Evrard to help get us out of here, but can the two of us really get away from this without trouble? What if the terrorist has a gun, or the military really thinks we're terrorists? What if one of us is shot and the other-

Lelouch choked as the implications of that thought sunk in. If he was shot, it wasn't a matter of whether or not Evrard would drag him along. If he was shot, he could die, leaving Nunnally all alone. That couldn't happen. First their mother, gunned down by someone their father refused to punish, then her brother? After everything she'd gone through, he'd be leaving her all alone-No!

I don't have time for this. Lelouch bit his lip and focused. He could panic later, once he was safe. Now, he and Evrard had to get out and get away. That's all that mattered.

"Evr-"

"Lelouch, get down!"

Evrard tackled Lelouch and forced him into the floor of the truck, just as bullets tore through the side of the truck's walls. He felt his own head being tucked between the floor and Evrard, then the shaking and tumbling of their ride crashing and scraping through the subway tunnels. For a few minutes, Lelouch stayed in the cocoon of safety Evrard had made, until the truck lurched one last time and came to a stop.

ZZZZZ

When the truck continued to remain unmoving, Lelouch let Evrard pull him to his feet. After everything that had happened and was still happening, he was tired, and letting someone do physical effort for him was not something he was currently above. One of the walls collapsed, revealing that they were indeed underground, in the subway tunnels long abandoned since the war.

Lelouch stepped forward, using the poison gas canister for support to peer out into the tunnels, only for a booted foot to come flying at him out of nowhere. Oh god not the face! He raised his arms and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow to land, but the only thing he felt was a forceful grip pulling him back, followed by a grunt. He opened his eyes in time to see Evrard standing in front of him, in the middle of throwing a masked soldier by the leg at one of the truck's walls.

"Stay behind me, Lelouch!" Evrard hissed, holding his forearm in pain. He snarled at the soldier, who was rising to their feet.

"…Lelouch?" The soldier asked. He tugged off the top of his mask, revealing brown hair and hauntingly familiar green eyes. Green eyes that Lelouch remembered looking at him with scorn, and later, friendship, when he was younger.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch started forward, but was stopped by Evrard's outstretched arm. Evrard was still glaring at Suzaku, clearly distrusting. After a moment, Lelouch's mind caught up, and he shared that distrust. "You…became a soldier of Britannia?"

"You're a terrorist, Lelouch? I know you were upset with Britannia, but…"

"Idiot!" Lelouch spat, feeling a welcome annoyance building up inside. He'd forgotten how dense Suzaku could be, and seeing that it hadn't changed was one of the few good things happening. "Of course I'm not-"

As though it had grown bored of Lelouch's reunion with one of his first true friends, the poison canister suddenly burst to life, splitting open with a barrage of bright light and steam. Lelouch brought his arm up to block his mouth, but for what had to be at least the third time, he felt Evrard seize him and literally throw him forward into Suzaku. Suzaku, being another one of the physical freaks, caught him and slapped a gas mask over his mouth, then joined Evrard in forming a barrier between him and the canister.

All in all, when the smoke faded, revealing not poisonous gas, but a green-haired woman in a tacky-looking straight-jacket, Lelouch was far from appreciative.

"Get off me!" He ripped the gas mask off and moved past both Suzaku and Evrard, kneeling by the woman to investigate. She was bound by straps around her limbs and mouth, and further constricted by zippers over her bindings. "Does this girl really look like poison gas to you, Suzaku?" He fumbled with the straps over her mouth. While Suzaku stood, staring at the girl with a confused look on his face, Evrard helped unbind her legs.

"You goddamn wretch!"

ZZZZZ

Evrard tensed and turned around. There, standing nearly thirty strong, equipped with standard Britannian elite assault rifles, were Britannian soldiers. At the head of the group was an officer, his face taut with anger and cruelty, who yelled at Suzaku once more.

"You dare to lay hands on that which even average Britannians are forbidden to know of?"

The situation was bad, but it wasn't impossible. Evrard took note of the unused gun at Suzaku's side. They were outnumbered, but maybe with the right cover, he could unload Suzaku's gun long enough for them to make a run for it. The girl might be dead weight, but he could handle carrying her along long enough for them to escape from the soldiers. All that mattered was getting the right distraction, and they'd be home free.

Suzaku ruined that plan, though, by leaving them behind and returning to his superiors' sides. Should've known. Fucking soldiers always stick to their own! Evrard cursed. He looked around again, looking for something, anything, that would help them escape. There was nothing, which meant…

We're just going to have to run for it. He glowered. It was a terrible idea, the ultimate of terrible, probably suicidal ideas, but with Suzaku's gun impossible to reach, and both Lelouch and the girl to keep from getting shot, it was the only way. He crouched down in front of Lelouch and the girl, and motioned to Lelouch with his hands. "Get her on my back, Lelouch. We're gonna try to run through the tunnels."

"What?" Lelouch actually looked away from the soldiers to fix him with a shocked look. "We can't just leave Suzaku here!"

"He's a goddamn soldier, Lelouch; he's already chosen his loyalties, so let's just g-"

A shot rang out, echoing throughout the underground chamber, followed by the thud of Suzaku's body hitting the stones beneath their feet. The officer of the soldiers looked down on him, the smoke from his gun still hissing in the stagnant air of the tunnels.

"I suppose that's all you can expect from a filthy Eleven," The officer shrugged, his men pointing their guns at Evrard and Lelouch now. The officer smiled cruelly, a mocking, fake thing of fake pity. "It's bad luck for you students. You likely are indeed Britannians, but our orders are all witnesses must die." He raised a hand to the air. "Men! Capture the girl and kill the students!"

"Yes, my lord!"

As the soldiers drew closer, their rifles pointed straight at them, Evrard's mind began to race in time with the rapid beating of his heart. It wasn't fair. All he'd been doing was helping a friend of his girlfriend do some shitty gambling match, and now they were both about to die? It wasn't right! It was supposed to be a quick, easy match and he'd drop Lelouch off and take Shirley out to a good restaurant with the money he'd won. It wasn't supposed to end with Lelouch and himself on their knees underground, waiting for their deaths to take them at the hands of fucking soldiers!

If I just had more power…Evrard snarled, eyes darting back and forth from soldier to soldier. Their emotionless visors stared back, infuriating him even more. If I could just…If I had the power to stop them, we wouldn't die! Damn it! He glanced at Lelouch, then the girl behind him. I don't want those military bastards to take another life! Damn it, damn it, damn it! I refuse to die here!

Evrard rose to his feet, not thinking, but prepared to charge the soldiers in his rage, when the world around him flared, then faded to white. The soldiers, the officer, Lelouch, and even the tunnel faded in the blinding, white light, until he was alone in a world of endless white and movement and a horrific, deep sensation of life surging from endless currents, a formless, unspeakable sea of mankind and the sensations that manifest in their hearts that left him breathless.

Do you so truly wish to survive? A woman's voice, calm despite the unsettling sea of energy and inaudible voices spinning around him. Is the life you live truly so precious to you?

I…

It seems you do. Very well. The voice changed, becoming more commanding and ancient, brimming with power and knowledge and horror despite losing none of the tranquility from before. Then this shall be our contract. In exchange for the power to survive, you shall grant me my wish.

A wish…?

The voice continued, either unhearing of his question, or uncaring. This power shall change you. You will exist as a human, but something different entirely as well. A different life, bound by different rules and different truths, this power of the King will lead you down a life of loneliness. Are you prepared for such a fate?

I…

Without warning, a memory burst to life around him, replacing the pure whiteness with crumbling, burning buildings, pitch black smoke, and the screaming barrage of tank shells and bullets. A man was gunned down in front of him, his blood splattering on Evrard's cheek. A soldier, masked and grinning, kicked the man onto his back, then fired another barrage of bullets into his face.

"Sorry, General." The soldier cooed, a grin on his face that filled Evrard with more hate and rage than he'd ever felt. "Orders are orders."

I accept! I'll endure anything, fulfill whatever wish, so long as I survive!

The world erupted again, the burning house disappearing and the tunnel filled with approaching soldiers replacing it. Evrard stood, covering both Lelouch and the girl behind him, as he glared at the soldiers once more. The panic from before was gone, replaced by a cool, simmering hatred and the sensation of pure power begging to be released from within. He could feel it, the power the girl had spoken of, ancient and primal underneath his skin, and as the soldiers paused and stared at him, he knew what he had to do.

However, before he could act, the truck behind them suddenly burst into flames as an explosion tore through the driver's cabin. A multitude of smaller, still dangerous explosions followed, causing the ceiling of rocks above them to shake and loosen. The soldiers looked up and started backing away from the falling rocks, which was all the distraction Evrard needed.

"Lelouch, let's go!" He roared, grabbing the green-haired girl and hauling her on his back. Lelouch hesitated, still staring at Suzaku's body, but Evrard seized him by the arm and dragged him along, away from the falling rocks, the fallen soldiers, and the Britannian military that had nearly killed them all.

ZZZZZ

Explosions from tank shells shook the ground around them as they fled down a tunnel. Lelouch paused before an opening leading to another tunnel, and Evrard stopped as well until Lelouch motioned for them to continue. It had been the same thing for the past ten minutes; with Evrard carrying the girl on his back, Lelouch had taken to making sure they weren't running into another den of soldiers. It was all he could do to try and keep from thinking about Suzaku.

About Suzaku, who had always been brave, and warm, and just good, who was just a corpse, cooling underground with a bullet in his back, with none of his family even knowing he was dead. About Suzaku, who had said "If we're together-

"-then we can do anything." Lelouch murmured, trying to break free from the thoughts again. Evrard watched him carefully, as did the girl on his back, but Lelouch stayed firm and continued down the tunnel, leading them to a set of stairs that would hopefully lead up to an escape path.

Lelouch peeked over the edge of the stairs, only to stare at a Japanese man's body as it fell to the ground before him, body full of fresh bullets from the soldiers standing at the only doorway out. He fell back to the surface of the stairs and tried to crawl back as quietly as possible, flinching when a little girl shrieked, then silenced by another rain of gunfire. He held his breath. If they just waited a little longer, the soldiers would lose interest and move on, and they could-

Riiiiii-zzt

Lelouch mashed the end call button on his cell phone as quickly as he could, but within seconds, all three of them had been hauled from the stairs by soldiers. Three of the ten soldiers surrounded the girl, while the remaining aimed their guns at Lelouch and Evrard, who were forced against a stone wall. Lelouch glared at the officer, who smirked smugly at them, his pistol aimed casually at the ground.

"Truly, you two should be commended for getting this far, but you are Britannians, so it's to be expected." The officer sneered and lifted his pistol to aim at Evrard's face. "You look like the most trouble, boy. You get to die first!"

"Don't harm him!"

The green-haired girl tore free from the soldiers around her and leapt forward, before the officer could stop his shot. The bullet tore through the air silently, then slammed into the girl's skull with a sickeningly moist sound. She stood, frozen in time for a moment, then slumped to the ground, just as Evrard howled with rage and darted past her, towards the officer. Lelouch tried to pull him back, but he missed, and Evrard made it to the officer and smashed his fist into the man's face.

The officer fell, and Evrard leapt on top of him and started pummeling the man, a foul, horrible aura of hate all around him. He'd barely landed three more blows before the butt of a rifle slammed into his face and knocked him off the officer and onto the stone floor.

"Damn brat!" The officer stumbled to his feet, then lashed out and drove his boot into Evrard's side. "That's it! Men, take aim!" The soldiers around him pointed their rifles at Evrard's back. "And…"

Lelouch stared in horror. He tried to think of anything he could do to stop them from killing Evrard, but nothing happened. No brilliant plans came to mind, no cunning tricks to get them out of here. It was just the impossibility of the task in front of him; it was him being unable to do anything to save Evrard, just like he'd failed to be able to save Suzaku, and just like he'd been helpless to save his mother! This…it can't happen again! I can't lose someone else to these bastards just because I'm so helpless!

If I just had power… He reached out to the dead girl's hand. She didn't even know them, but she'd thrown herself in the way of a bullet? What the hell is this? First Suzaku, then this girl, and Evrard next? Damn it! Will Britannia take everything away from me? An image of Nunnally, smiling and gentle in her chair, flashed in his mind. No…No! They can't! I refuse to let them-

The soldiers' guns drew closer, but as the officer raised his hand to command them, time began to slow. Lelouch stared at the Britannian soldiers, who froze in place, locked in time, then down at his wrist, where the green-haired girl's hand had tightly gripped him. The hand around his wrist squeezed, and the world erupted into a swirling torrent of white light and voices all around him.

Hm. Two in one day is something new.

The girl? Lelouch started, but the voice continued, overpowering his own thoughts entirely.

I will offer you the same offer I extended to your friend, Lelouch vi Britannia. I will grant you power, the power of Kings, to combat your helplessness in the world, in exchange for granting me my wish. However, the path of Geass is the path of loneliness; you will be a human, but something else entirely. A being that follows a different life, with different rules. It will be a great struggle, but-

A scene, faster than even a second, but lasting in Lelouch's mind for what felt like minutes, cut through the girl's voice. It was of several men in robes standing before an immense series of pillars, and at their head stood a gigantic man, dressed in fine robes and wearing a great, curled wig atop his head. It was a familiar man, one that Lelouch had cultivated years of frustration and rage towards.

"Once again, Ragnarok looms before us!" Charles zi Britannia, Emperor of Britannia, roared. "Let us welcome it, and prepare once more!"

I accept! No matter the consequences, I accept! Lelouch howled in his mind. Even seeing that man again, even as an illusion, was enough to remind him. To remind him of the pain and suffering that man had caused. Of the rage that had propelled him for years to seek his vengeance! Give me power and I will grant you whatever you want!

Very well.

The world of white and voices twisted, then blurred away back into the dungy warehouse with the soldiers and the dead bodies. Lelouch blinked, feeling power, pure and exhilarating, filling his core. It felt so good, as though as long as he had the power just waiting to burst free, he could do anything, with no one to stop him! It felt so good that he had to laugh, and he did, openly and joyously, even as the soldiers stopped and turned to stare at him, and even as the smug officer turned his gun on him.

"What's the matter, schoolboy?" The gun waved up and down a bit, mockingly. "Lost it, have you?"

"Tell me, oh noble soldier…" Lelouch smiled, staring up at the ceiling, where sunlight and dust had combined to form a halo of light. He held his hand over his face, shielding his left eye from sight. "As a Britannian who hates Britannia, should I truly live the life of a Britannian?"

"What the hell? Damn br-ugh!" The officer froze as a chilling wave of dread washed over him, as though the room itself danced with static energy. His men around him shared his fate, frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at the schoolboy and his horrifyingly magnetic charisma.

"Gentlemen. Proud soldiers of Britannia." Lelouch smiled and lowered his gaze to them all. His smile slowly grew twisted, and he removed his hand from his suddenly vibrant, glowing, crimson eye. "Who are so loyal to your royalty…"

"I command you; Obey me!"