Disclaimer
Author: Luke Stafford
Fandom: Code Geass
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or Bleach (minor Bleach reference) or any associated characters. Any OC's are mine.

A New Power Arises

***Luke ***

I remembered a blinding flash of white light, and a sort of dull pain in the back of my head. I was still wearing my black t-shirt and my dark blue shorts, as I had been in my house. I was moving. Or rather, I was on something that was moving. I could feel cold metal beneath me as the dimly lit container raced along. It appeared to be the back of an 18-wheel truck. There was an open slit several inches tall that ran the width of the back of the truck, and was about halfway up the height of the back of the truck. In front of me, there was a large, dark red capsule, with metal bars sticking out at various points, like a locking mechanism. The side wall of the truck was on my right, and when I looked to my left, I could only stare. There was a crouching red robot, humanoid, and with some kind of container attached to its back. It also had roller blade-type things attached to the back of its mechanical feet. I could tell that it would be over 10 feet tall when standing. A metal door sealed the way to the truck's front cabin.

What's going on? How did I get here? What is that thing? It looks like a war robot. No one on Earth has that technology, though…right? And what's in that capsule? A weapon? Questions raced through my mind as I struggled to understand what was going on.

Green light shimmered in front of me, in the direction of the capsule, before vanishing. I heard a girl's voice say, It's you; finally, I have found my-. I glanced around, looking for the voice's origin, before realizing something. The voice hadn't been audible; it had been inside my mind. I stood up, ran toward the capsule, and began looking for a way to open it, as well as any indicators of what was inside.

The truck's horn flared twice, and from the front, I heard a man's voice say, "You idiot! Watch where you're going!"

From the same direction, I heard a girl, different from the one I heard in my head, shout, "No! Not that way!"

The truck veered sharply to the left, and I was thrown to the side of the truck, my back slamming against the wall. "Agh!" I yelled. Pain flared through me and tears sprang to my eyes, but it didn't feel too serious. I blinked away the tears and felt my back ache. The truck's container shifted right as the truck tried to turn, and I was thrown forward, before the vehicle slammed to a halt, flinging me against the capsule like I was no more than a doll.

"Shit," I muttered. What the hell is going on?

Most of my body felt numb; the parts that didn't throbbed. At least the robot and the capsule hadn't moved to hit me. They seemed secure. Likely, their owners didn't want any damage to come to them.

I heard the girl again. "Nagata? Nagata?"

A word in a foreign language? Or is it the man's name? Japanese?

The truck jolted backwards, and I was pressed firmly against the capsule. I held on to some of the capsule's metal bars with all the strength I could muster, not wanting to be tossed around again. We began moving forward again, after turning slightly to the left. The truck ran over something, bouncing a little, and I felt glad that I was holding on to the capsule, as it lessened the impact of the bounce.

The truck picked up speed, and it felt like we were moving more smoothly. We must be back on the road, I thought.

I could hear the whirring of helicopter blades. It sounded as if there was more than one. A voice called out over some kind of loudspeaker, above and behind us. Must be from one of the helicopters.

"Stop the vehicle!" the voice shouted. "Surrender now and you'll get the chance to defend yourself in court!"

Multiple helicopters? Defend yourself in court? This can't just be because of that crash. Especially because helicopters that launched after the crash couldn't have possibly reached us by now. Something else is going on. Is this truck carrying something illegal? That robot? Are there bombs in this capsule?

"Stop, and surrender at once!" the voice demanded.

Surrender? Is this truck part of some rebel military? Terrorists?

Gunfire erupted. It sounded as if it came from the helicopters. The truck began swerving left and right to avoid the bullets.

We're being shot at, I realized, panicking. I can't die. I haven't done anything wrong. I don't even know where I am!

The gunfire paused. "Stop now or we'll shoot to kill!"

The man in the front of the truck spoke again. "What do we do now? That's the army!"

"Have you forgotten? That's what I'm here for," the girl replied.

The army? These are definitely some kind of rebels or terrorists.

Lights on either side of the door to the front cabin turned green, and I heard gears buzz. Someone's coming back here. I hid behind the capsule, my back against the right side of the truck, and glanced around the edge of the capsule to see who it was. The girl came through. She was young, with bright red hair and vibrant blue eyes. She had a dark red headband on and a white jacket that ran down past her waist. She was very pretty.

She called to the man who was driving the truck. "Can you enter the subway via the Ozabu route?"

Definitely Japanese, I thought.

As she walked toward the back of the truck, she unzipped the white jacket and took it off, revealing a sleeveless brown and red top, brown shorts, high red socks, and brown boots. I edged around the capsule after she passed me, watching her. She was walking straight toward the red robot.

"Kallen, let's use it here, why not?" the driver shouted.

"Because that would mean a bloodbath!" the girl, Kallen, responded.

"You're right," the driver said, dejected.

The girl climbed into the container on the robot's back, and it sealed shut behind her. Lights came on, and it stood up. So she's about to use some kind of war robot, and she's worried about something else causing a bloodbath? The only other thing here is this capsule, so… It really must have some kind of weapon. And it must be pretty dangerous. Maybe that was what the military wanted.

Something launched out of the robot's right shoulder, and went through the slit in the back of the truck. I could see that it was still attached to the robot by a metal cable coming out of its right shoulder. A second later, I heard an explosion behind us. Interesting. This robot took out a helicopter with a single shot from a multi-use weapon. What other armaments does it possess?

The weapon retracted back into the robot's shoulder, and snapped into place as the back of the vehicle opened all the way. I held onto the capsule even tighter, knowing I would likely die if I fell out. That is, if I survive whatever is going on with this military-thing.

The robot leapt out of the truck, its mechanical feet crashing into the highway we were driving on. It cracked the concrete where it landed, but remained upright. It instantly began moving, the wheels attached to its feet spinning rapidly, as it continued to follow us while in reverse, never turning away from the three pursuing helicopters. Then, the back of the truck closed completely, blocking my view of the robot.

I heard gunfire behind me as the helicopters fired at the robot. Or was the robot using its own guns? Maybe, but the helicopters are definitely firing back. There was another explosion. Guess that's another helicopter down. That leaves one left. Looks like the military pursuit wasn't capable of handling one of these robots. They must not have expected these guys to have one.

A different voice than the one before came on over a loudspeaker. It was male. "You guys back off; I'll take this guy. I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic off of some scrap heap," he said smugly. "An over-the-hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland!"

So the red robot is a Glasgow. The other guy has a Sutherland, which is apparently superior. He called the Glasgow an obsolete relic, but it was capable of taking out two choppers like they were nothing. How powerful is a Sutherland?! Are all of those war robots that strong? Or is it the thing's pilot, that girl?

"Not to mention a filthy Eleven that spurns the compassion of our glorious emperor!" the man exclaimed.

Eleven? What does he mean? Is he talking about that girl? And he mentioned an emperor, but there are no emperors left on earth who would have the kind of power and technology that these machines possess. Am I even on Earth? If not, which seems increasingly likely, then how the hell did I get here?

There was more gunfire behind the truck. He told the helicopter to stay back, so it wasn't that, which means those robots definitely have guns, and on machines that big, they're probably .50 cal or something. Japan, I remembered, metric system. Well, they're definitely high caliber guns. The questions is: who's firing? The Glasgow or the Sutherland?

"Kallen, we should both split up!" the truck driver shouted. Probably using some radio, I figured. "Both of us can't risk being killed! Run for it!"

Can't risk being killed…she's losing. Sutherlands really must be superior, not just some boast he made.

The gunfire stopped and the truck rushed ever forward along the highway. A few moments later, gunfire erupted again, this time in front of us. I heard glass shatter. The truck turned hard to the left, and I continued to cling tightly to the capsule, so as not to go tumbling around again. I could already tell my joints would be sore for the next few days.

We're being shot at again? Is it the same guy? I thought he was chasing the girl; can those things even move that fast? It has to be someone different. The glass shattering sounded like the windshield. Has the driver been shot? That'd be just great, I thought grimly.

The firing stopped, and the truck began to bounce more as we drove. We must be off the main road. I glanced at the girl's discarded jacket, and saw what appeared to be a walkie-talkie sticking out of one of the pockets. I edged over to it, picked it up, and turned it on. Now I can listen to what they say. Maybe I can figure out just what the hell is going on.

There was a loud crash, and I felt a jarring pain as I clung to the capsule. The truck must have crashed again. The driver probably did get shot earlier. The truck had stopped moving, but I could still hear the wheels screeching. We must be stuck in a ditch or something.

From the radio, I heard a man gasp. I figured it was the driver. He might be seriously hurt. But then, isn't he a terrorist? Should I even try to help him?

I resolved to see if I could help, and decide whether or not to stop him after I had talked to him. Almost immediately after I decided this, a green light turned on over on the left side of the truck. Then, half of the left side slid open, revealing some kind of abandoned, underground room, like an old subway station. Have we been driving along old subway routes? No wonder we crashed and got stuck. Having an injured driver definitely wouldn't have helped.

I stepped out from behind the capsule, and walked towards the still closed door that led to the front cabin. I heard running feet, and glanced toward the now-open side of the truck. A figure in plastic combat armor wearing a helmet with goggle-shaped eyes came hurtling toward me. He kicked out as he leapt, and I raised my arms to block. His kick smashed into my arms, and knocked me backward onto the ground. I grunted from the pain.

"Wait, who are—" I began, as he grabbed me by my shirt and yanked me up.

"That's enough mindless murder," he growled, after the mouth piece of his helmet detached.

"I'm not one of them! I—"

"Planning to use poison gas? Don't play dumb with me!"

"Hang on!" I shouted. "Just listen! I'm not one of them. I don't know what's going on or where I am! I woke up on this truck with military helicopters pursuing it!"

"Huh?" he looked confused. "You certainly don't look like a terrorist. Are you a Britannian?"

Britannian? Like the British Empire?

"I'm from America," I told him. "Please, I'm not a terrorist. Here, the one in the Glasgow left this."

I handed him the radio. He pulled me to my feet. "Stand still, raise your arms, and spread your feet apart," he commanded.

I did as he said, and he patted me down. All I had was my wristwatch.

"So you don't have any weapons," he said. "Maybe you aren't a terrorist. Do you object to being taken in for questioning?"

"No objections," I replied, realizing it might be my only way out of here. "I have nothing to hide; take me into custody and you'll know I'm innocent. My name's Luke, Luke Stafford."

He nodded, and grabbed me by the arm. He gave me the radio back, and told me to give it to the officers who questioned me. Green light appeared, emanating from the capsule. The locking mechanisms began unlocking. He pulled me outside the truck and covered my mouth as the capsule opened, revealing a young girl with green hair, gagged, and bound in some kind of straightjacket. "That's not poison gas," the soldier said, sounding very confused.

"What's going on?" I asked him. "Why is there a girl in there?"

"I don't know; they told us it was poison gas."

"Well, come on, we should help her. She's been in that capsule for a while."

"Right," he agreed, and we ran to her, picked her up, and carried her outside, before setting her down. I noticed that the soldier was unarmed, and wondered why that would be.

As the soldier started taking the straightjacket off of her and I began undoing her gag, she looked up at me. Her eyes shone a brilliant gold, and I noticed just how pretty she was. Suddenly, two flashlights came on in the direction the soldier came from. We looked up, and 20 feet away we saw nine soldiers armed with what looked like assault rifles, and another man standing in front of them. They all wore dark red military uniforms with black boots, and the man in front was wearing an officer's hat.

"Stinking monkey," the officer growled, glaring at the soldier. "Being an honorary Britannian will not excuse you!"

The soldier ran up to the officer. "But sir," he said, "I was told this was poison gas."

"How dare you question orders!" the officer barked.

"However," the officer began, handing the soldier a pistol. "In light of your outstanding military achievements, I'm going to be lenient. Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist."

I gasped, and my eyes grew wide. They're going to kill me.

"But sir!" the soldier exclaimed, not taking the pistol. "He's not a terrorist! He's just a civilian who got caught up in all this!"

"You insubordinate little—" the officer seethed. "That's an order! Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia?!"

"Yes, but…I can't."

"What?" the officer growled.

"I won't do it, sir" the soldier, Kururugi, said, turning to look at me and the girl. "I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your orders, sir."

"Very well," the officer said, and the sound of him cocking the pistol was apparent.

The soldier glanced back at the officer just as he fired. The soldier collapsed to the ground, eyes closed, unmoving.

"Well, kid, not a good day to cut class. Collect the girl. After you've secured her, kill the kid."

"Yes, my lord," the red-clad soldiers said in unison.

As they readied their guns, the truck exploded. There was a deafening roar and a pillar of flame and debris shot upward. The soldiers shielded their eyes and dove for cover. I pulled the girl to her feet and dragged her down one of the tunnels, moving quickly and quietly in order to escape.

We ran for several hundred yards, until the girl tripped. I helped her to her feet, and finished undoing her gag. We could hear explosions echoing in the tunnel, but they sounded like they were coming from above ground.

"Who are you?" I asked, fear still prevalent in my voice. "What's going on?! Please, I don't know what's happening!"

She stared at me, but remained silent. Her eyes looked a little sad, although, there was no fear in them.

"Not talking? Come on, then. We have to keep moving."

We ran a few hundred yards further down the tunnel, until coming to a stone staircase. I could see light at the top. We climbed halfway up the stairs before I stopped and turned to her.

"Wait here," I whispered to her. "And stay quiet."

I got down on all fours, and crawled up the remaining stairs. I peered around the top of the staircase into some kind of dilapidated warehouse, with several holes in its roof, and saw six soldiers armed with assault rifles. The soldiers were gunning down a group of civilians. After the last civilian fell, the officer from before strode to the front of the group, followed by two more red-clad soldiers.

"Report," he said.

"We found only Elevens here, sir," one of the soldiers responded.

The officer scowled.

"You're sure of it?" the officer asked. "That exit comes out here."

"Yes, sir," the soldier answered. "It matches up with our map of the old city."

I heard a young girl start crying. There was a burst of gunfire. The crying stopped. I grimaced. I began inching backwards. I had gone less than two feet when the radio fell out of my pocket. The sounds of it falling down the stairs reverberated throughout the warehouse and the tunnel. Everyone heard. I scrambled to my feet and rushed toward the girl, but two soldiers grabbed me by the arms and dragged me up the stairs, into the warehouse. Two more followed, holding the girl.

They shoved me against the back wall of the warehouse and went to join their comrades several yards away. The two soldiers who had the girl let go of her and pointed their guns at her, the threat obvious. The other soldiers aimed their rifles at me.

"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end," the officer sneered.

"I'm not a terrorist," I told him. "But I don't think you care. Your own soldier told you I'm just a civilian, and you shot him."

"You did well in evading us," he told me. "But you appear to be a Britannian, so I would expect nothing less of you, even though you are a kid. Unfortunately, my clever young friend, you have no future."

The officer cocked his pistol and aimed it at my chest. The girl ran past the soldiers and stood in front of me. She shouted, "He mustn't die!" The officer fired. The bullet struck her in the forehead, a fatal wound. She collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the bullet hole and pooling around her.

"You bastard!" I yelled, full of fear and rage. He grunted.

"Our orders were to bring her back alive, if possible." He said. "Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors that the Royal Guard found the terrorist hideout and killed them all. Regrettably, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think, kid?"

I glared at him. My hands were curled into fists, and quivered with rage. The girl's hand moved and grabbed my leg, but with little strength. I heard a girl's voice in my head, the same voice as before. It was her, I realized. But how did she move her arm? And how can she talk? She should be dead.

You don't want it to end here, do you? The voice asked. You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power, can you go on? I propose a deal: in exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you 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. Are you prepared for this?

Yes, I answered, within my own mind. If you give me this power, I will do everything in my power to make your wish come true.

I felt something surge within me. Knowledge. So much knowledge. It flooded my mind. Knowledge of The Holy Britannian Empire, Area 11, Knightmares, the entire history of this world. This world, for I was now certain that it was not mine. I knew of Ashford Academy, and my role as a student. Wait. I have never attended Ashford Academy. Yet, I knew the place, and the people there. I had memories of it, memories I did not have before. What is this? She didn't mention this happening. There will be time to sort it out later. For I also felt what she had promised me: the power. I know this power. Or at least, something very similar. I grinned.

***Randall***

The girl's arm moved and touched the kid's leg. She should be dead. Well, then. Maybe we can still bring her back to headquarters. She must be very valuable for the Royal Guard to have been mobilized. Maybe worth a promotion for the one who finds her. The boy's blue eyes flashed. He grinned. The stupid kid is about to die and he grins? He looked right at me. Something was odd. He didn't look afraid. In fact, there seemed to be defiance in his eyes. A red sigil appeared in his left eye, and was gone, instantly, as if it had never been there. The girl remained on the floor, unmoving. Guess it just didn't kill her instantly.

"So," the boy began, "you intend to kill me?"

"Of course," I replied. "All terrorists must be executed. It is His Majesty Prince Clovis la Britannia's royal decree."

"And your soldiers, they will do as you say?"

"They have sworn to obey Britannia, and will do whatever Britannia requires of them, without exception, and without mercy."

"I see," he answered. "So you have no qualms about killing innocents in the name of Britannia? You would gun us down like you did those civilians over there?"

He gestured toward the dead Elevens.

"They are nothing but pathetic parasites, leeching off of the Holy Britannian Empire," I told him. "Death is better than they deserve."

"I have no more questions," he said.

"Very well," I began, "Soldiers, prepare to fire!"

My men glanced down their sights, making sure they had good shots.

"Fire!" I shouted.

There was a roar of gunfire as a hail of bullets erupted from the muzzles of their rifles. Dozens of bullets ripped through the boy's body, blood spraying outward and gushing from his wounds. He collapsed on the floor, obviously dead. I counted nine bullet holes in his head alone, all gushing blood. His expression was blank, as if he could not believe what happened. I smiled.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu," a voice whispered from behind me. My eyes widened; it was the boy's voice. Instantly, the boy and girl were gone from in front of me, as were all the bullet holes in the back of the warehouse. I glimpsed the girl out of the corner of my left eye, slumped against a crate. I could see two of my soldiers out of my left eye as well. Both were dead, lying in pools of their own blood. A double-tap to the forehead had done it for each of them. Pools of blood near my feet led me to believe that the same fate had befallen my other men. There was something pressed against the back of my head. It felt like the barrel of a gun.

How? How can this be? How did he get behind me? How are my men dead? How is he even alive?!

"Who are you?!" I demanded, fear creeping into my voice.

"Who I am is irrelevant," he replied calmly. "My purpose is what matters. And my purpose…is to bring peace and justice to this world. To do this, I will crush those who would kill and oppress the innocent. I will root out tyranny and corruption, man by man. I will bring an end to injustice, and protect all innocent people. You have slaughtered innocents personally, and many more have died at your command. You willingly follow orders of butchery, and in fact go beyond the parameters of your orders and commit further atrocities. I have made my judgment."

Luke Stafford fired the LA-26 semi-automatic pistol that he had taken from one of the dead Britannian soldiers at the back of Randall Saunders' head. The bullet went straight through his head, ripping through chunks of flesh and brain, and shooting right out the other side of his head, from between his eyes, killing him instantly. He collapsed to his knees, a surprised expression on his face, and then landed face-down, blood pouring from the hole in his head. Finally, Luke thought, I can bring justice to the world, and make it the way it should be.