CODE GEASS: Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward
By Anguirus1955
Disclaimer: Code Geass is the intellectual property of Studio Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.
So, here I am with my first Code Geass fan story. I'd like to get out of the way the fact that Code Geass is one of those shows that I both love and hate simultaneously. It's similar in many ways to Neon Genesis Evangelion in that regard, and it even shares a few similar plot threads, but overall I find the first half of Season 1 to be the most intriguing part of the show. R2 was... it was bigger and flashier, certainly, but it felt both too bloated and too rushed at times.
So... what did I like about Code Geass? I liked a lot of the characters... at least as they were portrayed during the first season. But fuck everyone from the second half of season 2 onwards, save perhaps Rakshata, Kallen, and C.C. Shirley was the only character who I genuinely felt sorry for when she died, and I didn't even really care much for her to begin with. But seriously, fuck Ohgi and Villetta and Tamaki and Tohdoh and... fuck them all. After episode 19 of R2, none of these characters deserved their happy endings. None of them... except Kallen and Jeremiah.
And the ending... holy shit was that the dumbest plan in the history of dumb plans for uniting the world together. Sure, it was dramatic and shit, but... yeah, that world peace is only going to last a few months or maybe a couple of years before everybody starts fighting again.
I also liked the music for the show, and the animation was phenomenal... most of the time. I like the Knightmare Frames in the early parts of the story, but after they started getting airborne, I think things kind of got a bit too... familiar for my taste. I'd seen that before. And the mecha that transform into fighter craft and whatnot... I can just watch Macross or any Gundam series for that kind of thing.
Code Geass was a show that started out with so much promise and a unique premise and then just spiraled into a train wreck somewhere in the middle. Although, it did have an excellent soundtrack.
Well, with that rant out of the way, what am I going to do to make this story of mine stand out from the others? I will admit that reading various Geass fan fiction was what helped revive my interest in the show, with stories such as Ice and Fire and Gambit being among the best and most intriguing stories in my opinion. Well, I guess for starters, I will not be featuring as large a selection of Knightmares in this story as the canon show. I will be sticking with mostly non-flight units, and all flight-capable Knightmares will be rare or experimental types that don't stay too long.
Anyway, aside from that, the Knightmares that are present in this story still have the same physical appearances that they do in canon, and they behave the same way as well, with a handful of exceptions as the story moves along. Sutherlands look like Sutherlands, Glasgows look like Glasgows, the Guren looks like the Guren, etc...
Also, all characters physically resemble their canon counterparts. I've watched both the original Japanese dub of Code Geass and the English dub that was aired on [adult swim], so when I write the characters speaking in Japanese, I imagine them using their original voices, while all dialogue spoken in English (ie most of the story) is imagined with them using the English dub voices. Although, for this story, Imagine C.C.'s English dub voice with a slight French accent to it, because in this version, C.C. is of French descent, although because she has lived for so long, she has an accent that is a combination of lots of different dialects, kind of like Connor MacLeod's "modern" accent in Highlander (1986). Speaking of which, there will be various references to the Highlander series in this story, although most references will be strictly related to the first movie, because... there should have been only one.
As for other changes, you'll have to see as the story moves along. I'd like to keep at least a few things surprising for the readers. For a few spoilers right here and now... Lelouch becomes Zero, the gas canister in the truck doesn't hold any poison gas, and Kallen's truck driver doesn't survive to the end of the first chapter. Everything else is up in the air.
UPDATE AS OF 10/01/2018: I have re-written then conversation with Lelouch and Rivalz regarding Lelouch's chess match.
As with all stories that I write, I listen to music while writing to help myself get into a groove or to help myself capture certain feelings while writing. It can help inspire me sometimes. Music that I listened to while writing this chapter include Code Geass OST 1 - 2 (2006 - 2007) by Kotaro Nakagawa, and Halo 2 Anniversary Original Soundtrack (2014) by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori with new recordings by Skywalker Sound. It is never inappropriate to listen to music from Halo 2 or Halo 2 Anniversary.
Please note that listening to this music while reading the story is not a requirement. I simply provide this as a little something extra to help enhance the reading experience, if you the readers so wish to do so. Most of this music can be found and heard on YouTube or any number of anime soundtrack websites.
Sudden and Suspicious Disclaimer: I also advocate the purchasing and obtaining of official soundtracks through legal means.
Music From Code Geass OST 1 - 2 (2006 - 2007): Zero, Prologue, Strange Girl, Cold Nobility, Invisible Sound, Outside Road, Nightmare, Devil Created, First Signature, Brain Game, Elegant Force, Air Surfing, With You, State of Emergency.
Music From Halo 2 Anniversary OST (2014): Second Prelude, Only a Star, Only the Sea, Moon Over Mombasa, Moon Over Mombasa Pt. 2, Jeopardy, Promise the Girl, Africa Suite, Builder's Legacy, Impart, Stewart, Shepherd, Lonely Soul, Spartan's Regret, Not A Number.
Track Order Listing - All After Opening Theme And Before Ending Theme
01. Prologue (Introduction crawl), 02. Africa Suite (Truck on the road), 03. Moon Over Mombasa (Truck moving again/chased by Army), 04. Air Surfing (Kallen versus Sutherlands) 05. No Extended (Shinjuku Massacre Begins), 06. Impart (Lelouch and Suzaku reunited/Trek to the subway), 07. Nightmare (Suzaku betrayed/Nagata's end), 08. Devil Created (The contract/Lelouch's first orders), 09. Spartan's Regret (Lelouch alone).
Music After Ending Theme
10. Not A Number.
OPENING THEME: Princes Of The Universe (by Queen)
CHAPTER 01: If I Had A Superpower...
INTRODUCTION
In 55 B.C. Alwin I became the founder of the Imperial Family of Britannia, following strong and brutal resistance from local tribes in the British Isles agains the Romans.
The Britannians then initiated the Ascension Throne Britannia dating system, ushering in a new calender system that was otherwise nearly identical to the Gregorian Calendar used by the rest of Europe at the time.
As the centuries passed, Britannia continued growing, resisting fiercely against all invaders, before claiming territory in the continent of North America in the 1770's, where subterfuge by Britannian agents turned Benjamin Franklin against his fellow colonists as they fought against the British, causing General George Washington's Rebellion to fail.
Taking the British colonies for themselves and fending off the French Navy, North America was claimed by Britannia as the new homeland of the renamed Holy Empire of Britannia, with its capital city of Pendragon being built on the East Coast in Virginia.
In 1860, as the Empire expanded, West Pendragon was established in what was known as the state of California, as a secondary location for the Imperial Family. The first Pendragon was later renamed East Pendragon, although the Pendragon Imperial Palace remained unchanged in its designation.
As the Holy Empire of Britannia grew and expanded, it began setting its sights on other nations around the world to claim as its own, and with a Social Darwinist attitude held by the majority of population, Imperial Conquest of their neighbors was considered completely acceptable, with all conquered lands being known as Areas and their peoples known as Numbers in relation to that Area. Eventually, after the discovery of the valuable mineral known as Sakuradite, the Britannian war machine became more advanced than any other nation's military in the world, and when the island nation of Japan was discovered to have some of the largest Sakuradite deposits on the planet, the Britannian Empire launched an invasion of the country on August 10, in the year 2010 A.T.B.
Deploying the first mainline mechanized combat harness known as a Knightmare Frame, the Britannian Empire successfully captured 90 percent of the nation and its resources in under one month with only a few victories on the side of the Japanese, resulting in the death of Prime Minister Genbou Kururugi, who was reported to have committed suicide when faced with the option of surrendering to the Empire.
With the death of their leader, the nation of Japan surrendered to the Holy Empire of Britannia on September 09, 2010, and Japan became known as Area 11, with the nation's people stripped of their national identities, homes, and rights, just as all Areas had been before them...
The Tokyo Settlement, Area 11, Thursday, August 17, 2017 ATB
Speeding down the highway near the Shinjuku Ghetto was a large white cargo truck. Inside the cabin of the truck were two individuals, a young red-headed female of mixed ethnicity and an older Japanese male who were both wearing delivery driver uniforms, sweating bullets as they constantly checked their mirrors for signs of trouble. Unfortunately for them, the military helicopters closing in from behind them were the very definition of trouble.
"Shit," the redhead, named Kallen Kozuki, swore as she saw the helicopters in pursuit of them and their stolen truck. "Nagata, if we take a right turn up ahead, we might be able to shake 'em," Kallen said as she saw a sign for a turn off that would lead into the Shinjuku Ghetto several miles up ahead. Takeshi Nagata shook his head in response.
"If we'd taken anything but that gas capsule, that might work, but... I don't think they'll back off this time," Nagata said worriedly. "Maybe, if Tamaki had actually stuck to the damn plan, we wouldn't have been followed so easily!" Nagata spat in irritation.
Reaching down to her side, Kallen produced a small pistol. She quickly removed the magazine to inspect it before sliding it home and pulling back the top to chamber a round. She then checked the safety before holstering the gun under her stolen uniform. "As long as we can reach the others in time, we should be able to find a place to hide while they draw the Britannians' attention. If not, then I can use my pride and joy to divert attention away from you," she said.
"That's a big 'if' either way," Nagata retorted with a snort as he saw the increasing number of Britannian military vehicles approaching in the rear-view mirror.
Meanwhile, In A Casino Not Too Far Away...
"And... checkmate," a 17 year-old young man with black hair and purple eyes wearing the standard uniform for students of Ashford Academy said with a smug grin on his face. Standing behind him, another 17 year-old young man with dark blue hair and the same uniform, Rivalz Cardemond, nodded his head in agreement, but only because he had actually bothered to pay attention to his friend's strategy this time around. The other teen, Lelouch Lamperouge, watched as the fat and balding nobleman he had played against sputtered incoherently before letting out a sigh of defeat.
"Fine! You win," the nobleman said reluctantly. He then reached down and pulled up a stack of bills to give to Lelouch. Lelouch grinned as he eagerly retrieved the money from the nobleman and handed two wads of the cash to Rivalz. He kept the rest for himself. He heard Rivalz gasp as he counted the money in his hands.
"This is more than I make at my part-time job in a month," Rivalz said excitedly. Lelouch nodded his head in agreement before slowly standing up and nodding his head at the nobleman. "Thank you for playing against me. I hope to see you again in the future," Lelouch said with a smirk. The nobleman paled as Lelouch and Rivalz made their way out of the room and into the hallway. When the door closed behind them, the nobleman began grumbling and swearing up a storm as he cursed his misfortune at having been bested so easily.
Outside in the hallway, Lelouch and Rivalz made their way across the carpeted floor of the establishment, passing by a handful of wall-mounted television sets broadcasting sports and the news. Lelouch stopped by one of them when he saw the saw the face of a blond man with blue eyes. It was Clovis la Britannia, the current Viceroy of Area 11. Lelouch frowned slightly at the sight of the man.
"Oh, by the way, Lelouch? Your time was eight minutes today," Rivalz said as he checked the stopwatch feature on his phone. "That's gotta be a new record for you," he added with a grin.
"Uh-huh," Lelouch said absentmindedly as he watched the news report on the TV. It appeared that some terrorists had attacked a Britannian base earlier in the day.
"We apologize for the delay. Now His Royal Highness Prince Clovis, third prince of Britannia, will address the nation," a female broadcaster said. Video feed of Clovis soon took up most of the screen as the blond-haired man stepped up to a series of hand-held microphones in what appeared to be some kind of ball room.
"To all my imperial subjects! Including of course the many cooperative Elevens who choose to serve the empire of Britannia!" Clovis began in a proud and regal manner. "Do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart! The remnants are filled with rage and sadness! However, as ruler of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one, a virtuous battle to protect the well-being of one and all! Now then, everyone! I would like you to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice, in the line of duty."
Lelouch snorted at the man's hollow words.
"And now a moment of silence," the broadcaster said. Rivalz looked around at the numerous casino patrons who were holding their heads low and looking at the floor around them. Lelouch simply rolled his eyes and shook his head at the TV.
"Uh, hey, Buddy?" Rivalz asked quietly. "Aren't you gonna... y'know, join 'em?" he asked as he pointed to the numerous patrons around them.
Lelouch simply turned to look at Rivalz with an incredulous expression on his face with one raised eyebrow and a frown. "Hm... are you gonna join them?" Lelouch then asked him quietly in return. Rivalz slumped his shoulders and sighed before shaking his head in response.
"Didn't think so," Lelouch muttered. "Besides, shedding tears won't bring anyone back to life," he added before gesturing for Rivalz to follow him as they slowly walked through the halls of the casino and avoided bumping into the numerous other patrons as the 'Moment of Silence' soon passed.
The New Tokyo Convention Hall...
As Clovis walked away from the cameras, one camera operator and occasional reporter, Diethard Ried, carefully let out a sigh of disgust and shook his head as an attractive woman began to walk up to Clovis and shower him with praise. Ried snorted indignantly at the sight, silently wondering just what the hell he was doing with his life. This is pathetic. The viceroy is pathetic. His whole reign is just a pathetic sham, Ried thought bitterly to himself as he looked around the ball room, deciding to ignore Clovis and the young lady speaking to him.
"Oh, that was magnificent, Your Highness!" the bubbly and attractive woman said in adoration to Clovis. Clovis smiled at her in return. "One would never guess that you were attending a party while you said that," she added.
"Well, my dear, the viceroy is the marquee actor of Area 11. I need to be capable of changing costumes quickly," Clovis said with a smirk.
"You're so self-confident," the woman said with a gleam in her eyes. Clovis noticed this and his smirk widened. The woman was very attractive, having a brown bob-cut hair style and sparkling teal eyes. She didn't have much cleavage on display, but she was at least a C-cup if Clovis's math was right. She was also only a few inches shorter than him, and her perfume was rather pleasant to the nose. Having her spend the night with him would result a very pleasant evening for both of them if he played his cards right.
"It's all in the performance," Clovis said. "Since the media want a charismatic prince, I give them one." The woman nodded her head in agreement, lapping up every word he said.
Just as Clovis was about to play his next card, he felt his cell phone vibrate in its holster. Raising a gloved finger to the woman, Clovis reached down and quickly picked up the phone from its spot on his waist and flipped it open, as flip-phones were easier to use with gloves than touch-screen phones due to the presence of actual physical buttons on a flip phone. He looked at the caller ID and saw that General Bartley Asprius was calling him.
Why would he call my cell phone? What could be so urgent that he couldn't use more formal methods? Pressing the TALK button after a few seconds, Clovis held the phone up to his right ear. "Hello, Bartley," Clovis said, only slightly irritated by the interruption of his flirting.
"Your Highness, we have a problem," Bartley said urgently. Clovis could hear the panic in the man's voice. Clovis immediately sensed that something was wrong. What could cause a 57 year-old man with military experience like Bartley Asprius to panic? Please don't let this be related to the terrorist attack, Clovis mentally pleaded.
"What sort of problem, General?" Clovis asked carefully. The woman standing next to him watched as Clovis's expression went from pleasant to wide-eyed and angry in less than twenty seconds. "Asprius, you fool!" Clovis hissed angrily into the phone. He and Bartley were generally on well-enough terms that they both referred to each other by their first names, but when Clovis became cross, he made sure to use Bartley's last name to show his displeasure.
"The police were informed that it's medical equipment, that's all. If we scramble the army there'll be a record," Bartley said worriedly. Clovis groaned at the man's panic and forced himself to take a slow deep breath as he tried to calm himself. It wouldn't do to start panicking and make an ass out of himself while there were still reporters with cameras milling around.
"Deploy the Royal Guard instead. Use the Army solely to fortify and defend any escape routes that they may take. I want Knightmares sent in as well," Clovis said into the phone's receiver. The young lady began to wonder if she should worry.
"I'll be waiting for you with the G-One Command Center," Bartley said over the phone.
"I'm afraid you'll have to fly solo on this one, Bartley. I'm far too busy to join you, although I do expect a report on my desk tonight after you've cleaned up this mess. Is that understood?" Clovis spoke into the phone.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness. I'll have the Royal Guard deployed at once. The route the terrorists were spotted on takes them near the Shinjuku Ghetto. I'll have some Foreign Legion soldiers deployed as well, just to increase our numbers if we have to go in there. I'll have the police barricade all entrances and exits to the ghetto should the terrorists manage to get inside," Bartley replied over the phone.
"Look, Bartley, I don't care how you get it done, so long as it gets done," Clovis snapped before glancing over the young woman looking at him curiously. "You have my permission to use any means you deem necessary to complete your objective. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities and I trust that you will have absolutely no need to call me again until you are finished. Good bye," Clovis said in a more restrained voice before hanging up the phone and putting it back in its holster.
He then held out a hand to the young lady in front of him. "I am... so terribly sorry that you had to witness my... ugly side," Clovis said. "I do feel so very ashamed for letting it out, and in front of a lovely woman such as yourself... I must find a way to make this up to you," he added with a seductive purr.
He briefly glanced down and noticed the woman closing the distance between her feet as her thighs started to move against one another. Bingo, thought Clovis victoriously. He then looked up at her face and saw the desire in her eyes. He smiled at his success.
On the Highway Near the Shinjuku Ghetto...
Sitting in the sidecar of Rivalz's motorcycle, Lelouch reclined with his safety helmet on and his seat belt clipped together as he smiled at the sensation of the wind racing across his face and clothes. It reminded him of his early years living at the Aries Villa back in Pendragon when he would run around with his sister Nunnally and half-sister Euphemia while pretending to be airplanes as his older half-sister Cornelia watched them from afar.
Lelouch then heard Rivalz's voice, breaking the reverie. "Huh?" Lelouch asked him as the boy slowed down the motorcycle. "Sorry, I didn't catch what you said," Lelouch apologized.
"I asked you why you started your match with moving the king. Every time I've played chess, moving the King around just makes me lose faster," Rivalz reiterated, prompting Lelouch to roll his eyes.
"Oh, that? I lured my opponent into a trap. I made an amateur move to make him think that wasn't worth taking seriously. That way, he'd underestimate me," Lelouch replied with a smirk.
Rivalz raised an eyebrow at him from under his helmet. "Huh. Maybe you should think about joining the military after you graduate. I'm sure you'd make a great General or something," Rivalz said to Lelouch earnestly as he took his eyes off the road to look at his friend.
Lelouch snickered in response. "Oh, please!" he exclaimed with a smile. "I have no desire to join the military," he added. "Besides, I don't-RIVALZ, LOOK OUT!" Lelouch suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw the humongous truck barreling towards him and Rivalz.
Rivalz had accidentally cut across the other side of the road while talking to Lelouch.
"OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!" Rivalz screamed as he swerved the motorcycle to avoid the truck. Rivalz saw his life flash before his very eyes, lamenting the fact that he still had yet to lose his virginity. "I'm never gonna score!" Rivalz screamed regretfully as Lelouch shrieked at the top of his lungs in mortal terror.
The bike then sped out of control as the truck swerved to avoid them and went over a rail, crashing down a concrete embankment just a few feet away from the blacktop of another road, one that led to a tunnel that fed directly into the Shinjuku Ghetto several miles up ahead. Miraculously, the truck ended up not tipping over onto its side, although its occupants had received severe whiplash as a result of the crash.
The bike, meanwhile, slammed into a safety rail, giving Lelouch and Rivalz whiplash as well, although not as severely as the truck occupants. As Lelouch and Rivalz both caught their breaths, the engine to the bike cut out and Rivalz began to panic. "Oh no!" Rivalz exclaimed. "I think the bike's dead! The crash must've broken something!" Rivalz lamented.
Lelouch soon took off his seat belt and crawled out of the sidecar after removing his helmet, his legs wobbling as he tried to stand up straight before he fell forward and caught himself. Taking a series of deep breaths, Lelouch forced himself to stand up straight, wincing as he tried turning his neck to take inventory of his surroundings. Nearby, several people walked out of a nearby store to take a look at the crash, both the bike and the truck.
"What happened!?" someone asked with concern.
"Those kids almost got splattered by a truck!" another person called out.
Lelouch ignored the crowd and stretched his limbs before slowly walking over to the broken safety rail that the truck had crashed through. He looked down and saw that the truck had a hatch on the top with a ladder on the side. That's weird, Lelouch thought to himself before he held a hand up to his mouth.
"Hey! Are you okay in there!?" he called out to the driver of the vehicle. When no response was forthcoming, Lelouch frowned and started making his way down the steep incline, before losing his footing and rolling down to the bottom.
"Shit, Lelouch!" Rivalz called out as he leaned over the safety rail above. "What the hell are you doing!? Get back up here!" Rivalz called out to him as the other onlookers all made their way over to look down at the truck. Someone suggested that someone else call emergency services.
Letting out a groan, Lelouch forced himself up onto his knees before shakily standing upright and cautiously making his way over to the ladder on the side of the truck. It was a very big truck, Lelouch noted, almost too big for standard cargo shipping. It looked as though it was a specialized vehicle, espeically when he saw that the cabin was connected to the rest of the main box.
Climbing up the ladder, Lelouch slowly opened the hatch and peered inside the dark interior of the cargo box. He carefully crawled over and dropped inside. As he slowly, stood up, he noticed a large cylindrical canister in the corner of the hold. There were warning signs plastered all over it, and Lelouch quickly realized why this wasn't a normal shipping truck.
Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Kallen and Nagata had begun recovering from their whiplash. "Oh... son of a bitch," Kallen muttered as she looked around the cabin. She soon noticed Nagata holding a hand up to his head. He was bleeding from a cut he had sustained somehow.
"You're bleeding," Kallen said worriedly.
"No shit," Nagata wheezed out. "Check the container," he then said to her. "Make sure that thing didn't crack, or we're both dead," he added. Kallen nodded her head and made her way back to the first section of the truck's cargo hold.
Hearing footsteps, Lelouch carefully made his way over to the side of the canister. Oh shit. Okay, so trying to be a good Samaritan may not have been the best decision, he thought to himself as he remembered the news report regarding a terrorist attack on the TV at the casino.
This truck was probably stolen by the terrorists... meaning they might kill me if they find me. How wonderful, he thought bitterly as he slowly peeked around the canister to see a young red-headed woman around his age inspecting the other side. She... looks familiar. Have I seen her somewhere before?
"The canister looks good!" she called out as she made her way back through the container and into the cabin. Turning to his left, Lelouch saw that there was a thin wall and door dividing the container into yet another section. He then felt a lurch as the truck started moving again, causing him to bump into the wall. He looked around for a means of escape, but soon realized that the only ladder was on the outside.
Of course, Lelouch thought bitterly to himself. Why should ANYTHING go right at this point?
He then carefully crawled around to listen in on the two people up in the front. He faintly recognized the voice of the female. Where had he encountered her before now?
"Kallen, can you get in touch with Ohgi on the radio? Find out if the others made it to the rendezvous point?" the driver asked.
Kallen? Red hair, around my age, mixed-race ethnicity, and a familiar voice? Wait a minute... Kallen Stadtfield!? That sick girl who can't run twenty feet without having a coughing fit and is always... missing... class? Okay, I guess I know why she's always missing her classes then, Lelouch thought to himself. Unless she's got a twin sister with the same name that no one knows about... which is highly unlikely, he added mentally.
But... how does she get that hair of hers to stay in that shape? Judging by how it glistens in the light, I suspect she must use some kind of hair gel to get it into that ridiculous style. It reminds me of that girl from that weird old Japanese cartoon about holographic card games. What the hell was that show called? Actually, that's really not all that important right now, Lelouch thought to himself as the truck continued moving.
Outside on the road ahead of the truck, a Britannian military officer held out his hand as he stepped in front of a barricade blocking the tunnel that led to the ghetto. Behind him were several other officers armed with rifles. He then raised a megaphone up to his mouth. "Halt! I said halt! Stop the vehicle! Surrender now and we will give you the chance to defend yourselves in court!" he shouted. The vehicle kept moving towards him, and he began to feel panicky.
"Stop and surrender at once! Surrender or we will use lethal force! We will shoot to kill!" he shouted. The truck kept coming.
"Great," Nagata spat sarcastically as he kept his foot on the gas pedal. "That's the army up ahead."
"No shit. Just let me get to the back and I can clear ourselves an exit with my Glasgow," Kallen said as she stood up.
"Wait, maybe we should just... you know... use it," Nagata suggested. Kallen's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, appalled at Nagata's suggestion.
"Are you kidding!? That'll cause a blood bath!" she snapped at him with narrowed eyes. "I'll use my Glasgow to distract anyone pursuing us, and you just keep driving to the designated rendezvous point," Kallen growled at him. "And don't even think about setting off that thing back there, because if I die and you somehow survive, my spirit will haunt you for the rest of your life," she added with venom in her voice.
"Right," Nagata said, nodding his head shamefully. He then glanced down at the MP5 submachine gun taped to the floor of the cabin. "Alright... let's do this," Nagata said through gritted teeth as he pressed down on the pedal, speeding up the truck as Kallen made her way through the hold.
"You'd better move fast, Kallen," Nagata muttered as he barreled toward the barricade. "We'll be hitting the barricade in just a moment," Nagata added under his breath as the tunnel grew larger as the truck got closer to it. "Come on, buddy... get out of the way," Nagata muttered as he heard the Britannian officer continue shouting through the megaphone at the truck.
Great, Lelouch thought to himself as he watched Kallen march past the canister, keeping himself out of her line of sight as she disappeared into the next division of the truck. I'll either get shot to death outside or I'll die in a crash. Today really is turning out to be the BEST DAY EVER, Lelouch thought to himself sarcastically.
"I said halt! Surrender immediately or we will... w-we will... fuck it!" the officer swore fearfully as he dropped the megaphone and darted over to the side of the road. The other officers all scattered as the truck pushed through the barricade, smashing through the yellow-painted wood and rumbling down into the tunnel, heading for the Shinjuku Ghetto.
Several Knight Police, which were modified Glasgow Frames, and two Sutherland Knightmare Frames, soon made their way into the tunnel, having been already en route from an earlier order made by General Bartley. The Sutherlands bore the purple and red trim of the Blood Purist Faction of the Britannian military, which was comprised mostly of nobles who traced their lineage back to the original Britannians who colonized North America after Washington's Rebellion had failed. There were a handful of exceptions, but they were mostly zealots who went above and beyond to try proving themselves worthy of the other Purebloods, although in general the Purebloods themselves were also zealots in their own way.
G-1 Mobile Command Center #11-062, Moving Toward Shinjuku...
"Shit!" General Bartley Asprius swore as he put the radio back in its holder. "If they enter the ghetto... we'll never be able to weed 'em out," he muttered, before a gleam entered his eyes. "Any means that I deem necessary? Well... I suppose it can't be helped," Bartley said with a smirk as he picked up the radio.
"Attention all forces, the terrorists are entering the Shinjuku Ghetto. They are carrying a dangerous chemical weapon and must be stopped at all costs. Use lethal force against all terrorists and suspected terrorists you encounter," Bartley said firmly. This, of course, translated roughly into "kill every Eleven you see." As far as the majority of his troops were concerned, this was absolutely fine. The few who didn't appreciate this carte blanche kill order kept their mouths shut, lest they find themselves killed by "stray" bullets and "crossfire" between their fellow soldiers and the terrorists.
"I want Foreign Legion soldiers to go in on foot first, to scout the area and search for terrorists in hard-to-reach locations," Bartley said. The Foreign Legion soldiers, being comprised entirely of Honorary Britannians, or Numbers who applied for Britannian citizenship, were armed only with knives, pistols, and occasionally submachine guns if their commanding officer deemed it necessary to arm them. This, of course, happened only once in a blue moon.
The Foreign Legion soldiers were also given darker colored uniforms than their mainline counterparts, with dark grey fatigues and brown armor sections and helmets. The mainline soldiers received light grey fatigues and dark grey armor plating. They also wielded standard assault rifles and plenty of spare ammo, while the Foreign Legion received one spare magazine per soldier for their pistols, and nothing else.
"Retrieve that canister at all costs, and let nothing stand in your way," Bartley added. At least there won't be any witnesses this way, he thought to himself.
The Shinjuku Ghetto...
Four modified Glasgow Knight Police and two Sutherland Knightmare Frames sped swiftly down the road and out of the tunnel before the two Sutherlands deviated from their course to disappear into the ghetto. Looking in the side mirror of the truck, Nagata swore. "Kallen, we've got four Knightmares riding our ass! If you're gonna use that Glasgow, now would be the time to do it!" Nagata exclaimed into a headset that he had put on after Kallen had departed for her Knightmare.
One of the Knightmares opened fire at the road next to the truck, causing Nagata to swerve as he tried to avoid their fire. Another burst of rounds hit the pavement a few paces ahead of the truck, and Nagata had to swerve to place the middle of the truck over the new hole in the pavement to keep the truck on steady ground. "For fuck's sake, Kallen! They're firing at us!" Nagata screamed into his headset.
As the truck found itself soon surrounded by large buildings on the side of the bridge it was now crossing as it planned to take a ramp, the back doors sprang open and a red-painted Glasgow with various modifications leapt out, drawing the attention of the Knight Police as the truck continued on its journey, taking a ramp to go down into the ghetto proper and lose its pursuers as it entered the concrete forest of buildings and sidewalks. The red Glasgow used its landspinners to maneuver itself backwards while facing the Knight Police, keeping them focused on it as it remained on the bridge. The red Knightmare was armed with a single Knight Pistol, holding eight rounds in its large detachable-box magazine.
Kallen aimed the pistol at the Factsphere Sensors of the Knight Police before shooting out a slash harken to wrap around the legs of one and keep it in line with her as she opened fire, hitting it in the cranium of the sensor suite head where the Factshpere resided. The first two bullets dented the metal covering, but the third one plowed through and smashed the sensor system to pieces.
Detaching the slash harken wire, Kallen forced the Glasgow to evade the harkens of another Police Glasgow as they kept moving on the road. Two of the Knight Police opened fire with their upscaled assault rifles as the third one retracted its slash harken for another go. Eyeing the three Knight Police and their formation, Kallen saw a gap that she could use to her advantage.
Leaning the Glasgow to the left and angling the main body as low as possible without tipping the frame, Kallen shot forward before firing her other slash harken between the legs of one Police Glasgow and wrapping it around the leg of the one behind it. As the third Police Glasgow opened fire, she dodged to her right after using a modified booster and the metal wire of the slash harken cut into the leg of the second Police Glasgow while pulling the first one into it, sending both Knightmares crashing into the ground. She then disconnected the wire cable of the harken to keep herself mobile.
The third Knightmare charged forward, firing at her with its rifle in short controlled bursts to maintain accuracy. At least one round dinged the armor of the Glasgow, causing Kallen to narrow her eyes inside the cockpit at the offending Knightmare on her screen. Moving the Glasgow as swiftly as a fish swam through water, Kallen swerved to dodge the rest of the oversized bullets sent her way while using her Knight Pistol to fire at the ground near the Police Glasgow, hoping to make the pilot try to dodge them as she weaved back and forth to throw off their aim.
Kallen continued strafing the incoming fire of the Police Glasgow, occasionally taking a few more nicks and one hit to an armored part of the hull until she was right nex to the other fallen Knight Police. She quickly leaned her Glasgow down and let go of the Knight Pistol before snatching an upscaled assault rifle, quickly bringing it up to bear and turning her Knightmare to face the Police Glasgow. She waited for the new targeting reticle on her screen to flash red when she had the sights lined up properly before firing burst after burst of large rounds at the limbs of the machine, blowing an arm off and crippling a leg before hitting the Factsphere Sensor. The Police Glasgow's ejection system automatically activated itself as a result of the damage threshold being reached in order to save the life of its pilot.
All four of the pursuing Knightmares had been taken down with only a few scratches on her custom red Glasgow.
"Well, it must be my birthday," Kallen sang with a grin on her face inside the cockpit of the Glasgow. She checked her equipment sensors and saw that she only had two slash harkens left, and her Knight Pistol was gone. She pressed a few buttons to enter a sequence to shut off the alarm for the missing pistol. She wouldn't need that anymore. Speeding back over to the fallen Knightmares, Kallen snatched up some spare ammo for the assault rifle and attached the magazines to a magnetic belt area along the waist of the Glasgow's body and legs. She then tapped the headset she was wearing.
Inside The Truck...
"Hey, Nagata! I've cleared four of our pursuers! Just keep making your way to the rendezvous point. I'm gonna make myself a target, so keep driving until you run out of gas," Kallen said over the headset.
Nagata nodded his head in response as he kept his eyes on the road, scanning for any sign of Britannian military forces. "Got it," Nagata finally said into his own headset. "Just don't get cocky. There are gonna be more on their way soon enough. Make your way to the train station and meet up with Ohgi and the-ah shit!" Nagata screamed as a Sutherland burst out from around the corner of an aging building and slammed into the truck.
The vehicle spun around before flipping over and sliding over into a nearby run-down grocery store, crashing through the glass doors and sending the Japanese shoppers inside scrambling for cover and safety. Even with his seat belt on, Nagata found himself being tossed around and slamming his head into something as he heard a scream coming from the back of the truck.
The scream wasn't from outside. Those screams were muffled by the windows and frame of the cabin. This particular scream came from the cargo hold, where the gas canister was stored.
Unbuckling his seat belt, Nagata fell halfway out of his seat before grunting in pain. Glancing up, he saw his leg caught between the seat and the door. "Dammit," Nagata muttered before he looked around and grabbed the MP5 taped to the floor of the cabin. He had to twist himself around to grab it properly, and even then removing the tape was a chore.
He heard the sound of the Knightmare approaching, and he closed his eyes as he prepared for the end, only to open them when an explosion hit the backside of the machine. The Knightmare turned around and chased after whoever had attacked it, speeding off through the streets in hot pursuit. Nagata let out a sigh of relief. His comrades had found him by sheer luck and were drawing the Britannian mech away from him. He then redoubled his efforts to get free and reach his gun. Time was of the essence.
Meanwhile, in the hold, Lelouch was holding his head in pain and seething with anger. "No fucking padding either!" he spat angrily as he nursed a concussion. "Oh, Milly's gonna have a field day if I decide to tell her about this when I get back," Lelouch muttered as he saw the lights on the gas canister blinking in sequence and turning from red to yellow to green before the side popped open with a hiss as mist poured out, along with some kind of liquid, glowing from the lights within the container itself.
"If I get back, that is," he added with a gulp as he waited for the inevitable death by poison gas to occur. It never happened. Blinking in confusion and feeling himself up, Lelouch slowly crawled over to the opened door of the canister and propped himself up to look at its contents as the mist cleared out. He could soon make out a solid shape in the center of the canister, held in place by some kind of harness inside a broken glass cylinder. Liquid was pouring out of the hole in the glass container, and Lelouch soon noticed that the figure was a woman with lime-green hair who appeared to be around his age, bound in a straight-jacket. She appeared to be unconscious as well.
Well... at first. Soon, the girl's eyes sluggishly began to open, revealing her to have gold-colored eyes. They reminded Lelouch of a cat for some reason. Craning her neck to look around, the bound girl began to struggle until she noticed Lelouch. She regarded him carefully, before a strange look appeared in her eyes, one that Lelouch almost took for... recognition.
But that's impossible. I've never met this girl before, Lelouch thought to himself as the girl began to cough, spitting up bile and globs of the liquid that stained the inside of the glass container. "H-Help me," she pleaded with him in slightly accented English. He couldn't tell exactly, but it sounded... vaguely European, although with how raspy it sounded it was rather difficult to make a proper determination.
Lelouch nodded his head and looked around for something to pry the glass container open, until he heard a grunt and a thud from the cabin, followed by the sound of tape being ripped off of something. Lelouch gulped and watched as a Japanese man wearing a stolen lab delivery truck uniform, with tan slacks and a blue T-shirt underneath, crawled into the back before raising his MP5 in the air and narrowing his eyes at him.
"[Don't shoot!]" Lelouch shrieked in Japanese as he held both of his hands up in the air. The Japanese man tilted his head in confusion. A full-blooded Britannian boy speaking fluent Japanese? Considering how his day had been going so far, it wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Who are you?" Nagata asked him in slightly accented English.
"L-Lelouch. Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch said nervously, his eyes never leaving Nagata's... or the gun aimed at him.
"Lelouch? What are you doing here?" Nagata asked, before he glanced down and saw the opened door of the canister. "Why did you open the container!?" Nagata shrieked at Lelouch. "You idiot!" Nagata shouted in English.
He quickly shot forth and tackled Lelouch to the floor, or rather, the side wall. "You've fucking killed us all!" Nagata shouted at Lelouch as he aimed the MP5 at the boy's head. He was three seconds away from pulling the trigger when a female voice cut through the air.
"Stop!" the girl in the canister cried out.
Nagata and Lelouch both looked over at the girl, with Nagata's eyes widening in shock. "W-What the hell!?" Nagata exclaimed incredulously. "Th-This was no gas canister!" he stated.
"Impressive deductive skills," the girl said dryly, glaring at both Nagata and Lelouch with an annoyed expression on her face. "Now, could either one or both of you please help me get out of this jar? I'd rather not remain Clovis's prisoner any longer than necessary," she said angrily.
"Clovis had you put in there!?" Lelouch asked her in surprise. He knew that Clovis wasn't exactly the greatest guy in world, but there had been a time when the blond man wouldn't hurt a fly. To learn that Clovis had been responsible for someone being stuck inside of... whatever the hell this canister was, seemed just wrong.
Lelouch was snapped out of his thoughts as the faint sound of gunfire from outside reach his and Nagata's ears, following by ear-piercing screams of terror and more gunfire. Lelouch looked at the gun in Nagata's hands. "Hey, will that thing break glass?" Lelouch asked Nagata in English.
Nagata looked at Lelouch strangely. "Just grab a crowbar," Nagata spat at him.
"Do you have one in here?" Lelouch asked him.
"Yeah, it's... up in the cabin. Just stay right here with... um, what's your name?" Nagata asked slowly as he turned to look at the green-haired girl.
"My real name? It's been a while since I've used it. Just call me Cee-Two for now. When I remember my real name, I'll be sure to share it with you," she replied with slight irritation in her voice.
"Right," Nagata said before turning to look at Lelouch. "Just stay here with Cee-Two. I'll be right back," Nagata said before he grumbled something under his breath in Japanese while he crawled back over into the cabin to fetch the crowbar. The faint gunfire and screams drew closer and became ever louder, causing Nagata to start swearing up a storm in Japanese, while Lelouch found himself trying to suppress memories of a one-month period in his youth when he and his crippled sister had been surrounded by gunfire, corpses, and blood-soaked forests and streets.
The Streets of The Shinjuku Ghetto...
Using a pair of binoculars to look over at the smoke rising from several blocks away, Kaname Ohgi gulped as he heard the sound of artillery fire as a building collapsed. "No. No, they..." he trailed off before picking up a radio and calling the members of his cell that were located in that section of the ghetto.
"Iwanori, come in!" Ohgi barked into the radio. "This is Iwanori, Ohgi!" a gruff male voice replied over the radio. "Iwanori, what's going on over there!? I'm hearing artillery fire!" Ohgi asked.
"You're damn right you're hearing artillery fire! Manabe intercepted a transmission on the Britannian radio frequencies. They've ordered an 'urban renewal program' into effect! They're shooting everyone on sight! Everyone, even children!" Iwanori exclaimed over the radio.
"Those animals," Ohgi muttered under his breath as he heard more faint cannon fire in the distance, along with the sounds of Knightmare rifles barking report and report into the air. "Iwanori, lead as many people into the subways and out of the ghetto as you can! I'll re-route Shizuka and Kanazawa to your position. They both have some Glasgows, so they should be able to draw fire from the Britannians until you can get people underground," Ohgi said, just before a loud boom was heard on the radio, followed by static.
Ohgi's eyes widened. "Iwanori? Iwanori! Iwanori, answer me! Iwanori!" Ohgi exclaimed in anguish as static filled the air, before he shut the radio off and hung his head as he slumped over the safety rail lining the roof of the old graffiti marked convenience store he and Nami Inoue were camped out on as they waited for the rest of their cell to show up.
"Iwanori too?" Inoue asked hesitantly as she put a hand on Ohgi's shoulder. Ohgi nodded his head silently before shaking it and glaring at the smoke rising in the distance. Standing up, Ohgi frowned before turning around and looking past Inoue to glare at Shinnichiro Tamaki, who was busy wrapping a new bandage around his left arm as Ohgi marched over to him and yanked him to his feet.
"Hey, Kaname, what the hell's the matter with you!?" Tamaki shrieked as Ohgi threw him against the rail and then shoved the binoculars into his hands. Ohgi then pointed forward, gesturing for Tamaki to use the binoculars and look in that direction.
"You hear that? You see the smoke? If you had followed your fucking orders like I told you to, those bastards wouldn't have realized what was going on, and Nagata and Kallen wouldn't have been followed," Ohgi said with a frown as he grabbed Tamaki's head and made sure that he was looking in the direction of the slaughter in the distance.
"I... I didn't think that they would go this far," Tamaki said remorsefully, lowering his head in shame.
"That's right, you didn't think," Ohgi spat at him before grabbing the binoculars and handing them over to Inoue. "Now... when I give you an order, I expect you to follow it. Is that understood?" Ohgi asked Tamaki, anger and venom lacing his voice. Tamaki nodded his head in response.
"I want to hear it," Ohgi said.
"Affirmative," Tamaki replied. Ohgi sighed and made his way over to the radio so that he could contact Kallen.
Elsewhere In Shinjuku...
Crouching behind the ruins of a wherehouse, Diethard Ried held his camera steady. A grimace marred his face as he watched innocent civilians being slaughtered without mercy. When he had overheard Clovis talking on the phone with General Bartley, he had decided to investigate, pulling several strings along the way before he learned that something big was going down in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Upon his arrival at one of the entrances, he was forced to turn around by the Britannian Police units stationed around a barricade.
Diethard soon discovered that all of the roads leading into the ghetto had been blocked off for some reason. Therefore he decided to use an off-road path, taking his car out to a remote location and then soldiering through on foot the rest of the way with his camera. He was both horrified and fascinated by what he discovered.
He soon saw two elderly people trying to carefully make their way out of an apartment building, only for a group of Britannian infantry to mow them down with their assault rifles. Diethard quickly hid himself and his camera the second it appeared that the soldiers were going to turn around. He knew they would kill him if they discovered him, especially since he had a camera recording everything they were doing.
Back With Lelouch...
Leaning against a shelf holding cereal and canned goods, Lelouch, C.C., and Nagata peered over the side to see a Knightmare Frame run over a small child running through the streets. Lelouch felt sick at the sight, and Nagata's blood boiled. C.C. had seen far gorier things in her long life, but she had to admit that seeing someone get trampled by a giant humanoid tank was certainly new.
"Okay, we can't stay here much longer," Nagata said, holding his MP5 tightly in his hands.
Lelouch nodded his head before looking Nagata in the eyes. "You know how to get out of here without being seen?" Lelouch asked the older male. Nagata nodded his head in affirmation.
"Yeah. I work at this store," Nagata said. "I'm a grocery clerk here, so I know my way around the back rooms where the supplies our dear overlords have seen fit to allow us are stored and loaded. There's going to be a loading dock on the other side of the building. Follow me and keep your head down. I don't doubt they'll be sending in Britannian infantry to clear out the buildings in a more thorough manner. Oh, by the way, the name's Takeshi Nagata," Nagata elaborated as he motioned for Lelouch and C.C. to follow him to the back of the store.
The sounds of gunfire rang out through the streets as Knightmares burst through rotting walls and opened fire at fleeing civilians. Parked cars were turned into fiery skeletons and infantry filed into narrow hallways of apartment buildings before kicking open doors and spraying the interiors of the rooms with a hail of bullets. Blood coated the floors and walls of each room visited by the zealous infantry as they methodically searched each and every room of every apartment they entered for signs of life before ending it, regardless of age or gender.
Back in the grocery store, Lelouch and C.C. quietly followed Nagata as they entered the employee hallways and started running through walls with peeling paint and drab surfaces. They soon stopped to listen as they heard faint boots on the ground in the distance. Nagata grimaced before pulling a map out of his pants pocket and handing it to Lelouch.
"Take this and hold onto it. This girl is clearly important to the Britannians, so make sure that she stays out of their hands," Nagata said in English to Lelouch. Lelouch nodded his head in response.
"Speaking of which," Lelouch said as he and Nagata both turned to look at C.C. "Why were you in that canister?" Lelouch asked her.
"I was being used as a test subject for human experimentation," C.C. replied bluntly. "Illegal experimentation," she added with furrowed brows and venom in her voice. Lelouch and Nagata both blanched at her words. The ramifications of what she had said were not lost on either of them.
Human experimentation was a highly controversial subject, and the fact that Clovis la Britannia was overseeing such a project meant that the violence going on outside wasn't just a result of trigger-happy Britannians going hog wild. It was a direct order from the top to eliminate all potential witnesses. The fact that the canister containing C.C. resembled a chemical weapon canister only compounded the matter, as chemical weapons were among the few things that Britannia had agreed with the rest of the world to ban. Even if C.C. hadn't been freed from her capsule, the fact that the canister resembled a gas canister meant that Clovis was in deep shit regardless, because if the Emperor were to find out about either the experimentation or the cover story that a poison gas canister had been stolen, he would disown and possibly even execute Clovis on the spot.
"Clovis is a sick bastard," Lelouch spat. Nagata nodded his head in agreement.
"Never thought I'd agree with a Britannian on anything," Nagata quipped. He then motioned for Lelouch and C.C. to wait behind him as he opened a door in front of them. He then ushered them inside before carefully closing it shut and turning off the light.
The boots from earlier approached rapidly. "I heard voices this way. Come on, check the second floor. I'll sniff around the back," a muffled voice said beyond the door. All three people hiding in the dark held their breath as they waited for the Britannian infantry to finish their sweep.
Looking nearby, Nagata noticed a small light under a doorway on the opposite end of the room. He quietly motioned for Lelouch and C.C. to huddle closer to him. "Lelouch... use that map and get C-Two over to the others at the train station. Then get your ass out of the ghetto," Nagata whispered firmly.
"What about you, Nagata?" Lelouch asked him.
Nagata glanced over his shoulder as boots approached the door to their hiding spot. "I'll lead them away from here. You stay hidden in the shadows while I open that door and lead them on a chase. After they've all gone through, double back and head out one of the rear entrances," Nagata whispered to him before he carefully made his way over to the door, stopping just as the boots did.
"I thought I heard something in here," one of the soldiers said behind the door.
"Break it down," came another voice, one with sadistic glee evident. Nagata then deliberately opened the second door loudly, making it creak as Lelouch and C.C. both backed up and ducked behind some wooden crates. "There's someone in there! I've got seventeen so far, this'll make it eighteen!" the second voice said gleefully as he grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Nagata quickly stepped into the light of the next room and leapt out of the way as the Britannian soldiers opened fire with their assault rifles. "Shit! He's getting away!" the first soldier said through his helmet as the duo gave chase and exited the room through the second door. Lelouch motioned for C.C. to stay quiet as more boots approached, and the duo watched quietly as five more soldiers ran through the darkened room to assist their bloodthirsty comrades.
Listening for more noise, Lelouch soon deduced that the coast was clear, and he grabbed C.C. by the arm and made his way out of the room, remembering Nagata's instructions. Lelouch and C.C. carefully crept around the hallway, checking for signs of Britannian forces as they made their way through decrepit hallways until finally stumbling upon a door with an exit sign posted above it.
Pushing the door open, Lelouch and C.C. exited the back of the store before Lelouch pulled out the map given to him by Nagata. "Okay, we're gonna make our way to the train station and then... and then..." Lelouch trailed off, not entirely sure of what he was going to do after dropping off C.C.
"You'll return home," C.C. said to him as she scanned the small employee parking area behind the store. Her eyes eventually landed on a narrow space between two buildings nearby. She and Lelouch would be able to go through there without being seen. "Hand me the map," C.C. requested. Lelouch held the map out for her and she looked at it.
"Follow me," she said confidently. Lelouch nodded his head and walked behind her as she made her way to the small alley. The sounds of gunfire echoed in the distance, filling the air.
Creeping through the alley, C.C. noticed a car parked out next to the sidewalk ahead of them. As she reached the end of the alley, she leaned against the brick wall of the building on her right and looked at the streets from an angle. Bullet-filled corpses littered the ground.
Switching to the other wall, C.C. looked out from an angle again, and the same results greeted her. The Britannians had already gone through this area, so they wouldn't need to worry about running into any opposition. C.C. motioned for Lelouch to follow her as she exited the alley and darted across the street, ignoring the stench of blood and smoke. She'd been through it numerous times in the past.
Lelouch, however, had a much more difficult time doing so, but he was holding up remarkably well given the circumstances. Had he witnessed something like this before? Hiding between two parked cars, both of which were remarkably unscathed, C.C. motioned for Lelouch to crouch down and follow her lead. Lelouch wordlessly followed her instructions as they quietly made their way through the city, hiding from infantry and Knightmare Frames by staying behind their path of destruction.
The pair traveled on foot for another twenty minutes before entering a building with broken doors and dead bodies on the ground near the entrance. As they slowly entered the halls of the building, Lelouch had to fight back a grimace as he saw the numerous slain bodies slumped against the walls. As he looked around at the carnage, he failed to notice C.C. stopping her movements. Lelouch accidentally walked into her from behind.
"Oof! Sorry about that," Lelouch apologized. C.C. turned around and glared at him, just before the sound of boots and armor caught their attention. The duo looked around for a hiding place, before C.C. motioned for Lelouch to follow her as she broke into a sprint down the hall before they reach a T-junction in the hallway. Just as they reached the junction, a Britannian soldier with brown armor stepped into view.
The soldier noticed them immediately and brought their pistol up as Lelouch and C.C. turned around and bolted for an open door nearby. "Halt!" the soldier shouted at them through his helmet, his gun aimed straight for them. "Hands up! Both of you!" the soldier ordered.
Lelouch and C.C. froze in place as they slowly raised their arms and hands. "That's good. Now slowly turn to face me. Slowly," the soldier said firmly. His gun was still aimed at them.
The soldier then tilted his head as he saw Lelouch's face. "Wait a minute... Lelouch?" the soldier asked, recognition evident in his voice. Lelouch looked at the soldier curiously.
"Lelouch, is that really you?" the soldier asked him.
Lelouch blinked in surprise. "Do I... know you?" Lelouch asked the soldier cautiously.
The soldier looked around before holstering his sidearm. He then reached up and took off his helmet to reveal a head full of messy brown hair and green eyes. Recognition soon set in for Lelouch as he realized who he was looking at.
"Suzaku!?" Lelouch asked in astonishment. "Suzaku Kururugi!? What the hell are you doing here!?" Lelouch asked his old friend.
"What am I doing here? I'm in the military. Lelouch, what are you doing here?" Suzaku retorted curiously.
"Uh... well, it's a funny story, now that you ask," Lelouch said awkwardly.
"We need to keep moving," C.C. said, interrupting the two reunited friends. "If we stay here too long, then our chances of being found increase dramatically," she elaborated as she began walking away. "And if we are found, the only one who will be leaving here intact will be me," C.C. said darkly. The faint sounds of gunfire could be heard in the distance, along with rising smoke from buildings that were being bombarded by artillery.
"Wait, Cee-Two!" Lelouch called out softly. Suzaku raised an eyebrow.
"Cee-Two?" he asked rhetorically as he ran over to the girl. "Hold on, Miss. It's not safe here. I'm gonna need you to come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe," Suzaku said. "If I can contact my superiors, they can have you and Lelouch taken out of the ghetto to someplace away from the fighting," Suzaku said.
C.C. looked at him with an expression of disbelief mixed with annoyance. "I don't think you fully grasp the gravity of our current situation, Private Kururugi," C.C. said as she noticed the rank insignia on Suzaku's uniform.
"Of course I do, and with a canister of poison gas somewhere in this city, it's important that all civilians be evacuated as quickly as possible," Suzaku said. C.C. narrowed her eyes at him in a glare.
"Civilians? Do you mean Britannian civilians? Because I don't think your fellow soldiers give two shits about the Japanese civilians they've been mercilessly mowing down in the past hour," C.C. snapped at him accusingly.
Suzaku looked away from her with an expression of mixed emotions on his face. "I can't change what my comrades are doing, but I can still do the right thing myself if I try hard enough," Suzaku said firmly. "And the right thing is escorting you to safety. If you don't trust my superiors, then I know a path to a subway station being used by the ghetto's residents to flee underground. I can take you there if you'd like," Suzaku said.
Lelouch and C.C. both looked at Suzaku curiously. "I've already escorted three groups of Elevens down there in the past forty-five minutes. I was searching for more when I stumbled across you guys," Suzaku said. The helmet in his left hand soon came to life as the radio buzzed.
Suzaku put the helmet back on. "This is Private Kururugi reporting," Suzaku said into his helmet's radio.
"Private, have you located the gas canister yet?" the voice of one Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald asked him over the radio.
"Negative, sir. All I've been able to find so far are dead bodies in the streets. Every other truck and car I've found has been destroyed," Suzaku reported.
"Then keep searching. Have you found anything else of interest?" Gottwald asked him.
"Just some warm bodies here and there. I've been moving them out of the way so that no one has to see them," Suzaku replied.
"Very well. But don't take too long with your efforts. Be quick and efficient. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a red Glasgow in my sights and I'm itching for a good fight. Just be discrete in your actions and find that canister as soon as possible," Gottwald said over the helmet's radio before hanging up.
"Okay guys. Follow me," Suzaku said as he gestured for C.C. and Lelouch to follow him through the hallways of the apartment building.
"So... tell me, Suzaku, why did you join the military of the country that invaded and conquered your homeland? Actually, how did you manage to join the military?" Lelouch asked his friend.
"I'm an Honorary Britannian. I signed up for the military so that I could make a difference," Suzaku explained as he navigated the hallways of the building before leading Lelouch and C.C. over to an exit in the back. "Up ahead is a series of alley ways that lead to an old subway entrance. Most of the interior is blocked off, but you should be able to hide in there for a while. Most of the lights don't work, though, so be careful, and I don't have a spare flashlight to give you," Suzaku said through his helmet as he led them through the parking lot and across an empty street before running along the sidewalk to reach the alley.
"So... you two know each other?" C.C. asked quietly as they crept through the alley.
"Yeah. We were friends when we were kids," Lelouch said. "My sister and I were-I mean, we moved to Japan when we were kids, and then we met Suzaku and his family. We hated each other at first, but after a few months..." Lelouch trailed off.
"After a few months of getting to know one another and one horrible night lost in the woods during a storm, we became brothers in all but blood," Suzaku explained. Lelouch could practically hear the smile in Suzaku's voice as he undoubtedly reminisced about their youth prior to the invasion. It helped him temporarily block out the reality of the gunfire and explosions being heard throughout the city.
"For the record, Suzaku was the one who got us lost," Lelouch said defensively.
"Really? Because I recall you deciding that we didn't need to leave any trails to get back to the manor and that we didn't need any maps either. You said your memory was perfect and that you could simply think our way back home," Suzaku said with a chuckle.
Lelouch frowned and narrowed his eyes in a glare at his friend's back. "Well, I could have... eventually," Lelouch said grumpily.
Suzaku snorted. "Yeah. Before or after starving to death?" he asked with a snicker. Lelouch simply rolled his eyes in response as he and C.C. kept following Suzaku to the subway entrance.
After running across the street, they prepared to enter another alley, until the cold steel of a gun barrel pressed against Lelouch's neck. Suzaku turned around after hearing Lelouch cry out. "Wait, he's Britannian!" Suzaku shouted at the other Britannian soldiers standing by the alley's entrance.
"So he is," said the leader of the group, a soldier with Sergeant chevrons on his uniform, as he pulled his gun away from Lelouch. "Private, that girl, who is she?" the Sergeant asked as he noticed C.C.
"She's his girlfriend. They claim they were visiting the ghetto to take pictures for some kind of school project when the fighting started," Suzaku lied.
The Sergeant considered Suzaku's words. "Hm... possible, except that school hours aren't over yet," the Sergeant said knowingly. "Private Kururugi... we'll let your dishonesty slide this once... if you eliminate these witnesses," the Sergeant said coldly.
Suzaku stood stock still in shock. "W-What? B-But sir! They're civilians! Britannian civilians!" Suzaku added, hoping to play on the racial attitudes of the Britannian soldier.
"Yes. That's why it was so tragic that they were caught in the crossfire, isn't it?" the Sergeant asked in response with a chuckle. Suzaku's eyes widened behind his helmet.
Suzaku then reached down to finger the grip of his pistol through a gap in the holster. He couldn't kill Lelouch, not after everything they had gone through together as children. But he could provide a distraction so that Lelouch and C.C. could get away. If I play my cards just right...
"Time's up," the Sergeant said, surprising Suzaku.
"Huh!?" Suzaku asked, just before the Sergeant pulled out a pistol and shot him the waist between the gaps of his armor. Suzaku fell back with a cry of surprise and pain, landing on the ground with a thud.
"Suzaku!" Lelouch cried out in horror.
"Now, I guess we'll have to-" the Sergeant was cut off as gunfire tore through the air at him.
Lelouch and C.C. stepped back and looked over to see Nagata firing his MP5 in short bursts at the Britannian soldiers before ducking behind a parked car next to the sidewalk as they returned fire. "Nagata!?" Lelouch asked incredulously. Nagata glanced in his direction and winked at him before pulling out a small object and removing a pin. He threw the grenade at the Britannian soldiers and it released a cloud of smoke.
"Run, Lelouch! Run!" Nagata cried out as he opened fire at the Britannian soldiers in the smoke cloud, who quickly burst through the haze and focused their attention on Nagata as they opened fire with their rifles. Lelouch and C.C. both darted behind the smoke cloud and ran for another alley, just as they heard Nagata cry out in pain from being shot.
Lelouch stopped to turn around but C.C. grabbed him by the cuff of his sleeve and pulled him along as she ran through the alley. Faint gunfire could be heard in the distance along with artillery and explosions. Smoke rose from buildings in the distance, and the duo kept moving as fast as their legs could carry them.
Meanwhile, Nagata was crawling over to his dropped SMG when the Britannians caught up to him and aimed their rifles at his bleeding body. "Any last words, Eleven?" the Sergeant asked snidely as he prepared to shoot Nagata's head off. Nagata smiled before pulling another grenade out of his pocket. This one wasn't a smoke grenade.
"Y-Yeah," Nagata said in English with a smile. "I'm ready. How about you?" Nagata asked him before pulling the pin and holding the grenade up for the soldiers to see. In five seconds, the soldiers found their world turning white before a horrible heat burned through them.
Running through the streets, Lelouch and C.C. soon found the subway entrance that Suzaku had mentioned. Running to the steps, they soon noticed that rubble from a nearby building had plugged the entrance at the bottom. There was no way to get through. Returning to the surface, C.C. and Lelouch ran across the street and over to a nearby restaurant.
Closing the doors behind them, Lelouch and C.C. turned around, only to see a young Japanese woman run out of a back room before her head exploded. Several Britannian Royal Guards emerged from the back room, one of them smoking a cigarette as he reloaded his pistol. Lelouch and C.C. dove behind a booth as the guards strode past them.
Holding their breath, Lelouch and C.C. waited for the guards to pass, just as Lelouch's cell phone rang. Lelouch's eyes widened in terror and anger as he desperately grabbed the phone to shut it off. The number calling him belonged to a girl at school named Shirley Fennette. Lelouch quickly silenced the phone and hoped that the Royal Guards hadn't noticed the noise.
It was too late.
Seconds later, Lelouch found himself being thrown across the room and smashing into a table, knocking it over as he rolled on the ground, groaning in pain. "My... what high pain tolerance you have," the head of the Guard said with a smirk. Lelouch glared at him from his prone position on the floor.
"Unfortunately, since you've seen C-Two here, we can't allow you to leave," he said. C.C. glared at the man as two of his men restrained her. "Now, we can make this painless... or we can make it look like an accident," the Head Guard said as he took out his pistol and aimed it at Lelouch.
"It's quiet unfortunate, but... we have orders to leave no witnesses, young man. It's nothing personal," the Guard said with a dishonest smirk. Slowly rising to his feet, Lelouch stood up and looked the man in the eyes with a gulp. "But, where do I shoot you first? I gotta make it look like crossfire, after all," he said. The main aimed his pistol at Lelouch's chest. "Eenie... meanie... miney..."
"No!" C.C. shouted before tearing away from the guards and grabbing one of their sidearms after elbowing him in the face. She quickly shoved the leader to throw him off balance before placing herself in front of Lelouch, aiming her stolen pistol at the guards as she switched off the safety with ease. "I won't let you do it!" she snarled at the guards.
The Head Guard grimaced. It was now a stand off. C.C. kept her eyes trained on the man, until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye as another Guard brought up a pistol to bear. C.C. switched her aim and fired once at him.
The Head Guard then opened fire at her. Seven bullets ripped into C.C.s torso as she dropped her pistol to the ground and wobbled on her feet. C.C.'s eyes widened at the pain before she fell back into Lelouch's chest. Lelouch then fell back on his rear as C.C. bled out in his arms.
"N-No! Cee-Two!? Cee-Two! You shot her! You bastards, you shot her!" Lelouch cried out as his focus switched between the Royal Guards and the bleeding girl in his arms.
"Dammit! We were under orders to take her alive if at all possible," the Head Guard said in frustration. "Oh well... I suppose it can't be helped," he said with a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders. He then looked around at his subordinates.
"Alright, here's the story we're sticking with," he began. "We found the girl already tortured to death by the Elevens, and this boy was caught in the crossfire," he stated. The other guards all nodded their heads in agreement.
While the guards were talking, Lelouch held C.C.'s bloody body in his arms, looking down at her with wide eyes. "Cee-Two!" Lelouch sobbed as the girl gasped in pain. She slowly reached her right hand up to his face.
"Would you... like to make a contract?" she asked him. Lelouch blinked at her in confusion. "I can help you survive, Lelouch. But... it will come at a cost. Do you wish to live or not?" she asked him, knowing that the Britannian Royal Guard were mere moments away from shooting Lelouch.
"Yes," Lelouch said as he glanced over in the direction of the guards. They were deliberating over whether or not to use a rifle or a pistol for his execution.
"Accept this contract and you accept its conditions, while living in the 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, however. Are you prepared for this?"
Lelouch gulped. "Yes. I accept your conditions," Lelouch said solemnly as her hand reached up and she spread all of her digits before pressing them against his face. Lelouch's eyes widened as he felt something surge through him. He felt his very soul leave his body before re-entering it, felt pain and pleasure coursing through his veins, and he felt a strange sensation in his left eye that was weird but not unpleasant. When he regained his senses, he saw that C.C. was lying limp in his hands.
Her chest no longer rose and fell. He checked her throat and wrists for a pulse. There wasn't one to be found. C.C. was dead.
Gently laying her down on the floor of the restaurant, Lelouch slowly stood up and turned to face the Britannian Royal Guard. His face bore the grimace of determination as he glared at them. "Tell me, sir? If you are so eager and willing to kill others, are you prepared to be killed as well?" Lelouch asked him with a mirthless chuckle.
The Head Guard snickered in response. "Am I prepared to be killed? By whom? You?" the Guard asked him incredulously with a snicker.
Lelouch then lifted his left hand and spread his fingers around his left eye, causing the guards to gasp as a red bird-like sigil emanated from Lelouch's eye. They couldn't move. They were transfixed by the sigil in his eye. "W-What the hell is... g-going on here!?" the Head Guard asked in a panic as he tried to move his arms and legs, but found himself immobile.
"I... Lelouch vi Britannia, hereby command you, all of you... die," Lelouch said with a vengeful smirk on his face. The guards tried to resist, but they found themselves compelled to draw their weapons and press the barrels of their pistols against their heads, their eyes glowing red as the Geass took over their brains.
"With pleasure, your majesty!" the head guard said with a deranged smile on his face before he squeezed the trigger of his gun. His subordinates soon followed suit and the windows of the restaurant were splattered with blood. Lelouch then felt the power withdraw from his eye and looked around at the room, finally realizing what he had done.
Looking back over at C.C.'s body, Lelouch knelt down next to her and sighed. "I'm sorry... Cee-Two. I couldn't save you," Lelouch said softly with remorse lacing his voice. He then heard a small gasp and saw her eyes begin flutter, while a strange sound emanated from her chest as the bullets from earlier began to fall out of her body.
Lelouch's eyes widened in amazement as the girl began to heal her wounds, finally blinking and groaning before pushing herself up into a sitting position on the floor. C.C. then looked up at Lelouch before looking around and seeing the dead guards. She then looked back at Lelouch and smirked.
"Well... I see you've been busy," C.C. quipped as she slowly stood up. Lelouch raised himself from his kneeling position and gaped at her like a fish. C.C. noticed his expression and giggled in amusement at his bewilderment.
"You're... alive? But... how?" Lelouch asked her curiously.
"It's a kind of magic... called immortality," C.C. explained as she walked over to a dead guard and picked up his gun and holster before adjusted them to fit around her waist. She then grabbed some spare ammo from the corpse.
"So, Lelouch... what do you plan to do now?" C.C. asked him.
Lelouch looked around at the room and the city outside before a smile formed on his face. C.C. had seen this smile on others in the past. It was the smile of someone with a grand scheme, a plan, one that was wild and insane, possibly even suicidal. This was hopefully going to be fun.
"I'm not too sure in the long run, but in the short run... I'm gonna bring the Britannian military to its knees."
ENDING THEME: A Kind Of Magic, by Queen.
PREVIEW OF NEXT TIME
On the next episode of Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward, Lelouch must find a way out of the Shinjuku Ghetto, but with terrorists and Britannian kills squads fighting around every corner, even Geass alone may not be enough for Lelouch to escape alive.
Author's Notes: And this was Chapter 01 of my first Code Geass fan fiction. In regards to my portrayal of Lelouch in this story, Two Steps Lelouch is slightly less cunning than his canon counterpart, but he also has a bit more sense as well, because I intend to avoid a certain... accidental brainwash that occurred in the middle of the canon series. However, Two Steps Lelouch is every bit as focused on vengeance against his father as the canon Lelouch and liberating Japan is simply a step along the way for him.
Honestly, a hero who helps liberate a country simply because it helps him achieve his true goal is far more interesting and entertaining than a hero who liberates a country just because it's the right thing to do. It allows for greater character development as well.
The next chapter will play out very similarly to the canon version of events, with some minor changes, but otherwise the battle of Shinjuku becomes resolved by the end. Oh, and C.C. remains alive and accompanies Lelouch for most the chapter as well.
For those you curious about Jeremiah Gottwald calling Suzaku on the radio, he was using a private channel. As for why the leader of the Purebloods would speak to an Honorary Britannian on a private radio channel... that will be explained in the next chapter.
I, Anguirus1955, command you... to let me know what you think of the chapter in your reviews!