Disclaimer: I own no characters presented in this fiction, except one. All characters aside from Ulrike are the property of Sunrise.
"Why have you changed me?"
"How have you changed me?"
"What have I become?"
- Napoleon Bonaparte's first words to C.C. when gifted with Geass; excerpt from The Secret History of Geass, Cordwainer, 1880, Chessboard Publishers (only extant copy)
THE STRANGER, THE SAINT, THE HORN, AND THE WORD
Chapter One – Eyes
Incipio.
The last thing Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald remembered was… fire. Red light burning through his eyelids, and casting his face into a dangerous glow; the space of his cockpit closing in about him as he felt the suffocating heat of the Radiant Wave Surger choke the air out; and finally, the rushing, consuming, roaring explosion –
He woke up abruptly.
Jeremiah had had a lot of dreams like that lately.
He was home, or what he supposed was his home. A high-tech hole in the ground, filled with Prince Schneizel's lackeys and scientists. It took the prize for being the dullest place he had ever had the displeasure to live in. The furnishings were exceedingly spartan, and overall the place had a feel of a disused bunker. The labs were the exception in the monotonous maze of rooms, being distinctly undull and indeed rather sinister. He couldn't leave, as he was certain that no one but the subjects, the testers, and Schneizel himself were supposed to know about this place.
So, other than having tests performed on him, he didn't have a great deal to do, besides sleep, eat, test out the machines that had been installed to "improve" him (if he could use them at all), and simmer about Zero and Infinity.
These last two managed to engage him fairly well.
He fingered the side of his face. No matter it would defend him from the "power" of Zero, and make him the only possible assassin, the new eye – along with the other implants - felt invasive, foreign, as if he had been fused with a Knightmare. It was not a pleasant thought.
He decided to test out the functionality of the "Geass Canceller" yet again, and keep waiting – impatiently - for the moment when he would be able to put his hatred to rest. He looked into the splotchy mirror, and tried to move his right eyelid.
The blank white eye opened, and revealed a perplexing blue symbol: an upside-down horseshoe, perhaps, or a bird flying upside down? Jeremiah could make nothing of it, but this didn't bother him unduly; he just wanted to make sure it still worked.
Feeling rather ridiculous (this was by far the most embarrassing part), he shouted, "Geass Canceller!" Just like all the other times, a sphere of diffuse blue light exploded out of the eye, and expanded until it covered most of the area surrounding the cave, and then winked out of existence. Yes, it was still fully operational… just as it had been when he checked two hours ago.
I am going insane in here!
He didn't like too much time alone.
It let him think.
Think about how he had failed Empress Marianne.
Think about how he had failed her daughter.
Think about how he had failed her son.
Her son.
Lelouch vi Britannia, if I ever see you again in this life, the debt I owe to you and your sisters demand that I become your servant again. I can never repay what is due to your mother, but, if you still live by some miraculous chance, then I will give you my loyalty, for as long as I can stay alive.
But in the meantime, I begin working to serve you by killing those vile terrorists defiling your memory! Surely you cannot disapprove of me eliminating these two – Zero and Infinity!
Schneizel el Britannia, Second Prince of Britannia, Chancellor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, looked at the data in disbelief. His face stayed as impassive and suave as ever, but his eyes betrayed his skepticism.
"You managed to recreate the Geass Canceller?"
The head scientist looked confused at this choice of words.
"Recreate, Your Highness? We did not recreate, we created. As far as I am aware, nothing of this type exists. Using the data that was stolen from the Geass Directorate, we managed to engineer a counter-action protocol. It harnesses wave technology and a miniaturized Yggdrasil drive to cancel Geass Effect waves. It, in effect, resets the subject's thought patterns and energy flows to pre-Geass Effect levels. It is a masterpiece of science!"
He beamed at Schneizel, flushed with his team's success.
Schneizel remained blank at this, then, recollecting himself, congratulated his team, and told them they had been a great help. They walked away, muttering delightedly among themselves.
Schneizel returned to his current quarters, sat down on the bed, and began to marshal his thoughts.
He was impressed with his team's results. It was just… he had not expected this.
Because what had been installed into Jeremiah Gottwald was certainly not original, even if it was a copy.
It was not even the first time he had seen it in action…
Audience Chamber, The Imperial Palace, Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia. 2010 a.t.b.
The doors were opened, and a name was announced.
"Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of Britannia. Here to seek audience with His Royal Majesty, Charles zi Britannia, the Holy Ninety-Eighth Emperor of Britannia."
A low murmur filled the room at this. Schneizel, watching from the back, wrinkled his brow in consternation. Why would his little brother want an audience with Father?
His question was soon answered for him when Lelouch strode in, looking tortured and furious, and challenged, "Why didn't you protect Mother? How could you let them do that to Nunnally?"
Father did not respond immediately, and when he did, his words were filled with contempt.
"We have no need for the weak. Your mother was weak, and so was your sister. The strong destroyed them. Nothing more needs to be said."
"But Mother was your consort! Nunnally is your daughter!"
Schneizel was appalled at Lelouch's lack of courtesy. Even when feelings were strong, this was nothing short of suicide. He was about to leave, writing his brother off, when –
"Daddy!"
A collective gasp rose up from the onlookers as a rose-haired girl ran through the mysteriously opened doors, and stopped beside Lelouch.
It was the Third Princess, Euphemia.
She looked more afraid than Lelouch, but clearly she was determined to confront her father as well.
"Lelouch is right! Why didn't you save his Mommy?"
Schneizel was disgusted that Lelouch would drag Euphemia into this insane scheme. A quick study of his brother's face, however, revealed that he was as surprised as anyone at Euphemia's appearance; he had planned to face his father alone.
Father's eyes widened; it was clear that he had not expected Euphemia. He was only distracted for a moment, however.
"Lelouch vi Britannia. We hereby relegate you to Japan, along with your sister, to serve as a message of political goodwill, and an assurance that we mean them no harm."
Schneizel winced. He knew his father's plans in that direction.
"Take him away, and clear the room of all but the Third Princess," the Emperor ordered his guards.
Schneizel was intrigued enough by the obvious secrecy to put his own skin at risk, and dodged behind a curtain in the back, where he saw his father reveal his purpose.
Father ordered Euphemia to look him in the eye. Trembling with anger and terror at his harsh words, she complied.
What happened next astounded and horrified Schneizel.
Father took Euphie's chin, and suddenly, in both his eyes, there flashed, in red, a birdlike sigil. He began to murmur instructions to Euphemia.
"You will forget that your half-siblings ever existed, and you will forget any charitable impulses toward them. You will forget any memory still outstanding of their mother, and forget as well your time in Aries Villa. This is our will."
"I understand…" Euphemia said blankly, her lavender irises rimmed with crimson.
But as Father turned away, the same sigil – inverted, and changed to blue – flashed in Euphemia's left eye, and the red rims around her irises faded away as an expanding sphere of blue light enveloped the palace.
In surprise, Father turned back to her.
He considered for a moment, then asked her: "Who are Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia?"
"My brother and sister!" she shouted, tears in her eyes.
Father's eyes widened with shock.
He stood stock-still for a full minute, poleaxed.
Then he seemed to reach a decision.
"Euphemia li Britannia. You are hereby relegated to the same duty as your brother and sister, to serve as part of the diplomatic envoy in Japan."
"NO!"
With a jerk, Schneizel was torn out of his fascination with the scene, and saw, with rising disbelief, his sister Cornelia too had hid in the room, and now emerged with rising fury, directed, incredibly, not toward Euphemia, but toward Father.
Has everything gone mad?
"I saw it all! If you banish Euphie, you'll have to banish me too!"
Father looked very disconcerted. Not surprising, as he would have to lose not two, but four pawns today, and had not foreseen it. Schneizel sniggered, very quietly.
"Fine," he said, "join your sister. We have no use for a strong one who only cares about the weak."
"Guards. Remove them."
The guards almost apologetically carried the two princesses out; Cornelia was shouting incoherently at her father all the while.
"Why, Father? Why did you let her die? Why are you banishing us? WHY?!"
Why indeed, Schneizel thought.
If Father heard any of these complaints, he said nothing about them, and the princesses were unceremoniously dumped onto the jet to Japan by the somewhat less apologetic palace guards.
Eventually Father exited the room, looking remarkably discomposed, leaving Schneizel alone to ponder what he had just seen…
That had been the point, the breaking point of Schneizel's actual loyalty to his father. The strange power had been exceedingly disconcerting to him, and rather increased his paranoia toward his father. The poor temper control had also bespoken a weakness, one that Schneizel could use. He desired the throne, he knew he could handle it, and he believed his father was no longer the best for it.
These beliefs had led him to the formation of the Schneizel Research Facility, a group dedicated to countering the power, and its front group, the Schneizel El Britannia Foundation for a Better Tomorrow. The power's name, he had found out eventually, after several attempts at industrial espionage on the Directorate, was Geass. But this was the first breakthrough that called to mind what he had seen…
He shook the suppositions from his head, and went to congratulate his scientists on a job well done.
While Jeremiah tested out his new power, and while Schneizel schemed for the throne, two masked figures watched over a battle…
For now, they shall be called Zero and Infinity.
Elimination of the Shibuya Knightmare warehouse was precisely on schedule.
From within their Command-Type Burais, the two each watched like angels over the battle, jumping on possible problems, and quickly and quietly debating the solutions to the problems facing their small army. These debates lasted no more than a few seconds, with swift conclusions, and more often, one would defer to the other for concern of the time.
A discrepancy in the battle map was noted, and passed to the group in command of that area.
And then, just as the destruction of the Sutherlands was finishing up, Bad News in a White Suit showed up.
"Boss! We got a bogey at North Entrance!" crackled in over Infinity's radio.
"Give me a visual description?"
"It's Lancelot, ma'am! We've already lost – AGGHK!"
The channel had gone dead. Infinity ground her teeth. It could be heard over the radio, even through her black queen's mask.
"Evasive action, all forces within one hundred meters of North Entrance!" she snapped out quickly. After the order was given, she clicked on the private circuit to Zero's Burai.
"Le- I mean, Zero, we've got Lancelot on our backs again."
She heard him curse.
"Send out Kallen, maybe she can stall him enough for us to get out relatively casualty-free…"
Infinity gave the Guren the order to engage Lancelot, while Zero gave an all-frequencies broadcast: "All units, break formation, retreat, and regroup at West Entrance! We will exit from there! Stop what you're doing, and retreat!"
The carefully scheduled raid had turned into a catastrophe. Units scattered like dead leaves before the terrifying aura of that god of Destruction, Lancelot.
Except one.
Before Lancelot reached the Command-Types, a guard all in red intercepted it.
The Guren Mk – II.
Radiant Wave Surger forward, the Guren rushed the Lancelot, forcing it to dodge left, and engage its VARIS rifle to make the Guren back off.
"I've got you now, traitor!" Kallen's voice hissed over the radio.
"Kallen! Evasive action only for now. I am coming to assist," said Infinity wearily; Kallen ignored her, as she had know the girl would.
Well, at least she's got enough of a sense of self-preservation to not try for a suicide bombing…
The Lancelot was letting loose with the VARIS rifle. "Pilot of the Guren: Disengage your Knightmare now, and give yourself into my custody! You are breaking the law of Area Eleven by collaborating with the terrorists known as Zero and Infinity!" ordered the pilot, tersely.
"Ha! You think I'll surrender?" Kallen mocked, dodging around a line of smashed and smoking Sutherlands to get into range with her Radiant Wave Surger. "I'll surrender when Zero and Infinity surrender. And it's not Area Eleven, it's Japan! Why do you think we'll swallow that crap?"
"I hope that every day will bring sense to your mind. Obviously, today is not that day. Prepare for destruction."
The Lancelot was ready for the Guren's attack. Not only did Kallen fail to get in to close-combat range to use the Radiant Wave Surger, she was forced onto the defensive by a wide sweep of the Lancelot's dual Maser Vibration Swords. The pilot began to slowly force Kallen back by guarding his immediate area with sword blows, and peppering the area around the Guren with VARIS shots. Eventually Kallen had been backed up against a wall, with a Sutherland on both sides.
Oh well. It was a good run, thought Kallen; eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the incoming blow that would certainly disable and probably destroy her dear Guren.
It didn't come.
Kallen opened one eye, to see both Command-Type Burais engaging the Lancelot at once.
Kallen laughed out loud. She was having a good day.
She revved up her Guren, and engaged the Lancelot again.
"That was a close one, wasn't it, Infinity?" said Zero idly.
"Very, Zero," Infinity replied agreeably.
The confusion brought on by Kallen's entrance into the melee had allowed first Zero, then Infinity, then Kallen herself to absent themselves from the warehouse, given that the main body of forces had been either rescued or had escaped.
They had accomplished most of their objective – to render a great deal of Sutherlands unusable – and had escaped with minimal casualties.
That was a win in the Black Knights' book; of course, their losses usually occurred only - and with alarming regularity – when the Lancelot appeared.
Zero bit his thumbnail; he needed to figure out who that pilot was, and prepare a trap for him. This raid had been too close for him.
Infinity, apparently having similar thoughts, stated, "We will not get out of a similar situation as relatively unscathed as we were today; the chance of the same level of success, with the same conditions, occurring again is less than one in five. We have to do something about that Lancelot."
"I know, I know. I need to know more about its weaknesses, though. Without knowledge of how it can be attacked, it's difficult for us to even disable it," said Zero, irritated.
"It's okay, I know we'll figure something out. Let's try and work it out at school."
Zero jerked up in his seat. "Shhh! What if someone taps our channel?! We could really be in trouble if anyone overhears something like that!"
"Sheesh. I still don't see why we have to be so secretive on a private channel. Our Knightmares have top-line radio security, and why would anyone want to wiretap anyway? They already trust us implicitly, thanks to your grandstanding. Zero," she scoffed back at him.
"It's just extra security, Infinity." The heavy emphasis on her name was clearly meant as a riposte, but it failed when Infinity started laughing at him.
"Come on! Stop laughing!" Zero said, annoyed. "I mean it! We need all the security we can get!" She continued laughing at her brother's stupidity.
"If you don't stop laughing, I guarantee that the entire school will know about what you do on your Friday afternoons by tomorrow!"
That sobered her up. "Cheater."
"I was always the better blackmailer, sister," he said smugly.
"You're a real jerk, Lelouch."
"Same to you, Cornelia."
Chapter One – Eyes
Consumo.
Author's Note: Many of you may be wondering about the strange title of this fanfiction. It is a result of the (minimal) research I undertook on the main characters' names, which I may explain in greater detail later. Anyway. The main characters, as you have likely deduced by now, are Lelouch (naturally), Nunnally (how could I not?) Cornelia, and Euphemia.
As this is an AU, I have decided to have Cornelia be about five years younger (to lessen the gap between her and her siblings, and, seriously, a sister eleven years older? I think not.), and I decided to make Euphemia's mother the origin of Geass Canceller (more on this in Chapter 2). The purpose of this story is threefold; to give Cornelia and Euphemia a greater role in the story (especially Cornelia, because I feel that not nearly enough was done on her character, and she is painted as an unrepentant killer in the anime), to explore the relationships of characters that would have developed had Cornelia and Euphemia been banished as well (on this, Charles' reasons are not OOC; I will explain them if enough people want me to, but I think I probably will have to work that into the story anyway.), and to see what Code Geass would have been like if Lelouch was not alone in his crusade. This last is likely the most important to me, and the aspect that I think he deserves. Who knows what would have been, if one of those one-in-a-million chances made him stronger instead of slowly destroying him? We shall see…
Also, a warning for those who dislike incestuous pairings: This story will have them. Stop reading NOW if you're going to complain. Lime and possibly lemon could happen as well, but I am not sure how well I can write those, so that will be up in the air until later on. I may explain the title in a later chapter, as I feel I have too many words in this note already. Thank you for reading; and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.