Summary: What if Lelouch wasn't sent back to the Academy with no memories of Nunnally or being Zero? What if, instead, Schniezel suggested that Lelouch be made his servant? What if Lelouch was out of C.C.'s reach? Instead, Jeremiah Gottwald must make good his loyalty. Alternate Universe
Disclaimer: Don't own Code Geass.
A/N: This story starts either at Canon time, causing all canon events to occur 5 months later, or 5 months before normal. Reader's choice, doesn't affect how it reads.
A/N 2: We don't know much about Luciano Bradley, except that he was a psychopathic, bloodthirsty vampire prior to getting toasted by Kallen. Insert some humanity, and a background with Orange and viola.
Prologue: Resurrect a Demon
" Lelouch Vi Britannia was once the most feared rebel in all the world, though the people would know him better as Zero. He lived in Japan for seven years, after his exile, as Lelouch Lamperouge. Zero led the closest thing to a successful rebellion the world has seen in years.
The Black Rebellion, as it came to be known, was originally started as a small resistance group commanded by the deceased Naoto Kouzuki. After his death in the raid that secured the product of Code-R, the small cell's leadership passed to Kaname Oghi. This Cell became Zero's first command team, and best warriors until he acquired Kyoshiro Toudoh. For documentation of the detention areas for all Black Knight Members, see folder Five. For potential whereabouts on Kallen Kouzuki, see page 4 of this report."
An imposing man with a bright orange cybernetic eye and short blue hair muttered, " Tell me what I don't know. Come on, V.V finally decided to let me get my revenge, so I need to know where he is!"
Jeremiah Gottwald, also known as Orange, flipped through the folders on the Geass Order Database until he reached the last folder. In that folder, he found what he was looking for: " Rather than be returned to his Pre-War status, the Emperor decided to go with his best son's suggestion. Instead, humiliate Zero and all who knew he was Zero, by making him the basest servant of the very Empire he fought against. Thus, Lelouch Vi Britannia/Lamperouge/Zero ceased to exist. He became Servant Daniel Vi instead. Vi currently is stationed onboard Avalon, serving the Knight of Rounds and Second Prince Schniezel. Report last modified by Kururugi Suzaku, Knight of Seven."
Gottwald smiled to himself, " I guess this means I get to pay a visit to my old friend, Luciano then. Been awhile since I visited the old blood-sucker anyway, he'll be happy to see 'that blue haired Orange bastard' as he so affectionately calls me. To think we both used to serve as Marianne's Body Guards is shocking. The Vampire and the Orange of Britannia on the same team?"
A day later, he had his authorization from V.V to go after Lelouch and kill him. Or so that's what V.V. thought he was going to do. In reality, Jeremiah had something much different planned out. Jeremiah had sworn his absolute loyalty to Marianne and her children. Once he found out that Zero was Lelouch, he was torn on what to do. One, there was his oaths to Britannia and hatred for Zero ruining his career. Second, there was his oath of absolute loyalty to anyone of the Vi Britannia line, and that he once knew Lelouch personally.
He snickered as he thought about that. It wasn't very surprising at all that Lelouch was Zero. He had always known the boy now raging Teen harbored no love for Britannia. This was even before his mother was ruthlessly gunned down by someone she trusted. And with Nunnally thrown in? In hindsight, Jeremiah should have just followed the boy and joined his Rebellion before he even started it, for it was inevitable that he would find some way to fight Britannia.
That was what he planned to do. To use this nice little gift that V.V. and the other morons of the Geass Directorate had put in his cybernetic eye called a Geass canceller. He would undo the Emperor's Geass, and revive the demon known only as Zero. He would bring Zero back to the world, and allow him to desecrate and remake it as he so pleased. But to do so, he would have to bring his Siegfried with him to the Avalon.
V.V. had already informed him that preparations were made for his transfer to the Avalon. V.V himself probably had some idea as to what Gottwald's real purpose was, though he didn't show it if he did. That was shockingly out of character for the little immortal who could only be called a " Devious, immature little bastard" on a good day.
He walked into the hangar, ignoring the curious glances and fearful glances sent in his direction by the rest of the Geass teams. He clambered up into the Siegfried and into its cockpit. He leaned into the command chair and felt the Neural connectors connect to his spine. With that, he willed the orange with green spikes, ship into the air, and out.
( A few days later…)
Gottwald climbed out of the Siegfried and into the hold of Second Prince Schniezel El Britannia's Flagship, the Avalon. He was immediately greeted by his former squadmate and now Knight of Ten, Luciano " The Vampire" Bradley. Bradley shouted, " Jeremiah Gottwald. You masked, blue haired, Orange bastard. How's life in the Geass Directorate?"
Jeremiah nodded solemnly, " Luciano, you stiff necked, blood sucking maggot whore! Boring. Sitting around in a desert awaiting Master V.V's ' Pleasure' is duller than sitting around waiting for Zero to attack back during the Rebellion."
Bradley gave a sadistic smile, " Heh, I would have liked some of that Eleven blood myself. Heard about that red haired bitch. Kouzuki I think?"
Jeremiah huffed, " Yeah, Kouzuki. Or Stadtfeld. I remember how torn up Baron Stadtfeld was when he found out his daughter was a terrorist. She was talented though, you have to give her that much."
" Oh, the things I would to her if we ever captured her…" Luciano trailed off in his perverted and sadistic thoughts. He shook his head as though trying to exorcize such thoughts, " Either way, she wasn't captured. And I heard that the Geass Directorate was up in arms about this C.C. woman. Any idea?"
Jeremiah shook his head, " That's OSI territory right there. Surprised you know much about it yourself."
" Knight of Rounds, old friend. I get to know things others don't. Doesn't help that that damn Gino runs his mouth about every damn thing. I mean, he's younger than us, but he outranks both of us!"
Jeremiah shrugged, " Guess it's the stigma that comes from being a member of Marianne's Guard then. Most of the other Guards didn't even make it to Knightmare pilot. And as you probably recall, Marianne chose the best pilots and fighters to be her guards, not just for protection, but because she liked to spar us as well."
Luciano frowned, " Hah, I remember. She kicked my ass. Every single fucking time. No matter how hard we tried. No matter how many of us. Remember that time she took on the entire squad? All fifty of us?"
Jeremiah chuckled, " Yeah, that's what convinced me to swear my loyalty to the Vi Britannia Line completely. By the way, Luciano, have you seen a man on this ship by the name of Daniel Vi?"
Luciano immediately stopped in his tracks, " Yeah, I thought he was a little odd. Why?"
Jeremiah paused for a moment, and looked around. He whispered, " Come with me, Lucy."
Luciano scowled, " I thought I told you years ago to stop calling me Lucy!"
" And I told you to stop calling me Orange but you never did."
Jeremiah pulled the Vampire into an unused storeroom off of the main hall. He pulled out papers, switched on the lights, and made sure there weren't any cameras in the room. Luciano eyed his old comrade with apprehension, " What's the problem, Orange?"
" Lucy, you must swear that you will not kill me for what I'm about to tell you. These papers contain information that is extremely….sensitive." Jeremiah said as he held them out. Luciano frowned as he took the papers, " Fine already. What's this about? Hmm, ' Zero Chronicles' What's this about? Everyone already knows this story."
" Flip to the back,", Jeremiah instructed.
Three pictures fell out. One was of a man in a mask. One was of a student. And the last was of that student wearing the masked man's costume, but without the mask. Luciano looked at the captions, muttering, " That's impossible. No way!"
Jeremiah scowled, " How different we are, yet we still have the same reaction, eh Luciano? That's exactly what I said when I stumbled upon it. Zero is Lelouch Lamperouge, a student of Ashford Academy, who attended the Academy with Kallen Stadtfeld, Milly Ashford, Shirley Fennette, and Kururugi Suzaku. There is another student I think you will find interesting as well."
Luciano scowled as he read the name, " Nunnally Lamperouge. It makes sense now. Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge are in reality, the missing Vi Britannias! That means…."
" Lelouch Vi Britannia is Zero." Jeremiah finished calmly, " Really, we should have seen that coming. He never liked the court to begin with, and with his mother's assassination?"
" His resentment finally became outright hatred. He decided to do something about it! Shame he didn't have real soldiers with him, just those foolish Elevens." Luciano declared, somewhat joyously. Jeremiah smirked, " But that'll be different for his Second Rebellion. You know what this mask is right?"
Luciano shook his head, so Jeremiah informed him, " A Geass Canceller. Read the section at the very bottom. The part that says: ' OSI only.'"
Luciano did so and dropped the folder. He said, " Jeremiah, nothing ever surprises the Vampire anymore, but you've got to be fucking kidding me. Not only is Lelouch Vi Britannia, the very man who's mother that you and I once swore to serve for life, is Zero, but he is also onboard this ship?"
" Manservant Daniel Vi is Lelouch Vi Britannia. He is Zero. And I am on my way to undo the Emperor's or whoever's Geass this is."
Luciano scowled, " As Knight of Ten, I should be of the mind to have you arrested right now. Hell, outright kill you myself. But for some reason, I feel this inkling within this cold, sardonic, sadistic, voyeuristic mind of mine, that this is the proper course of action."
" Because, somewhere within that twisted mind, is still the quiet, stoic noble who was once the Valedictorian of Colchester Academy, class of 1993."
" Heh, I remember those days. Back when I actually had morals." Luciano commented with a feeling of nostalgia, " So, what's the plan?"
Jeremiah cocked his remaining eyebrow, " You're agreeing already?"
Luciano smirked, " We swore to serve Empress Marianne didn't we? Plus, I've taken more towards Britannian Blood than Number Blood. The Britannians can fight back. Most of these numbers can't."
Jeremiah scowled, " Agreeing for all the wrong reasons, naturally, oh great Vampire of Britannia. So, I believe that Vi serves the Rounds who are housed on this ship, which unfortunately include…"
" Suzaku,", Luciano practically spat the name out, " Filthy bastard that one is. As much as I hate him though, he does deserve his Knight spot."
" Yeah, he's good. And he's no doubt part of the OSI detail here to make sure that the Prince doesn't get his memories back. One thing I know about Geasses is that they are only 'Absolute' for a certain amount of time. The longer the time between casting, the more likely it is to mess up or lose power. If what I've researched about this Geass is correct, then it is most likely a Geass that rewrites memories into falsehood as though they were truth."
" Absolute Truth." Luciano remarked, " Such powers are rather frightening, even for one as myself. What is the Prince's power?"
" Absolute Obedience. I'm certain you can see where the problem might come from that right?"
Luciano smirked, " If the Black Knights found out about it, then they would wonder whether they were truly in this by their own will. They would turn on their leader and strike him down."
" Or try to. I seriously doubt Lelouch would fall for something like that. If his deeds as Zero are any indication."
" Now, are we going to get this done or what? I happen to know of a nice little room just above the KOR ( Knight of Rounds) Hall that is unbugged and unpatrolled. It would be the perfect place. I've used it before."
Jeremiah muttered, " Dare I ask how you used it?"
" Monica, you know, the Knight of Twelve….?"
" Enough, no more. Last time I asked about your life, I was treated to how amazing Kewell's sister is." Jeremiah interrupted in annoyance.
" Hey, you asked."
Jeremiah scowled, " Either way, here's the plan. We need to incapacitate Kururugi. I have tranquilizers…."
( Later that Day…)
" Hey, Kururugi! How's your love life going? Find yourself looking for a little pink haired princess?"
Naturally, no sooner did the words come out of the Vampire's mouth, was Kururugi advancing upon him to take revenge over yet another joke about Euphemia. Luciano led the irate Knight of Seven out into the hall, where Jeremiah hit him in the back with a Horse Tranquilizer. Gottwald muttered, " That'll keep him out for at least five hours. Now, dispose of his body."
Luciano commented, " Dispose of his body? Come on, we haven't even killed him yet!"
" Just move it damn you." Jeremiah cursed as the two moved the unconscious body of Suzaku into a storage room. A few moments later, Suzaku was resting soundly in a box of oranges with the words, " Orange-kun was here!" written on his chest. He would wake up five hours later with no clothes, his hair shaved, and his face painted black.
Meanwhile, Luciano chuckled, " Hah, good times that brings back. We should do that to him again."
" We won't be here when he wakes up. Now, go summon Lelouch so that we can get going."
" So impatient." Luciano muttered as he went back into the lounge. Five minutes later, he was followed by a thin man with amethyst eyes and raven's black hair. The kind of person you never forgot so long as you lived.
Jeremiah motioned for them to go to a new room above the Rounds Lounge. Once inside, he said, " Stand back Luciano. Don't know how he's going to react to what I'm about to do." With that, his cybernetic left eye flickered into life, a blue upside down set of wings appearing.
( Lelouch)
" Wha…." Was all Daniel Vi could say before he was enveloped in the blue light. Suddenly, he was trapped within the recesses of his mind. Images flickered all around him. Jupiter hung in a theater like sky, the Great Red Spot glaring down upon him like the eyes of God himself. A female voice spoke out, " Do you remember, oh great king of Elevens?"
" What? Remember what? My name is Daniel, I've never been to Area Eleven!"
It is time for you to return to your Crown, Lelouch Vi Britannia.
" What crown? I've never had a crown!"
The images became clearer. He saw a girl in a wheel chair with closed eyes and light brown hair. He saw a woman with green hair getting shot in front of him. He saw a woman with the same hair as his own laying on the ground with the wheelchair girl under her, riddled with gunfire. In the far background, he could see something that looked like a mask. It was drawing nearer. It was then, that Daniel realized who he really was.
" A fabricated life. A false life, a host of lies! They've taken everything from me, and now they dare take my pride as well? Serve Schniezel? What sort of fool dares do this?"
As though in response, an image of the imposing Charles Zi Britannia appeared. The teen narrowed his eyes in disgust, " Ah. My father. Of course he would have a Geass."
Images of a bloody massacre floated up. Images of other women appeared. Then, it appeared. A mask. A black mask who's visage resembled that of a hawk, with a purple orb as it's center. He recognized what that mask was. What he planned to do with it. How he planned to do it. Everything is clear.
" I….I…..I….Am…I AM ZERO!"
The voice of Lelouch Vi Britannia awoke within his mind and screamed out this proclamation of defiance to the Empire. This declaration of his own independence! This declaration that had once inspired thousands….nay…Millions of people to flock to his support! The entire nation of Japan was about to be reborn! But then it happened.
"I won't forgive you, Lelouch. We are friends, after all."
Lelouch grimaced, " Ah….So that's your answer, eh Suzaku?"
"This is why I have felt this thorn like irritation every day. This is the reason why I complain all the time about my orders. The reason….is that I am Zero! I have no master! I am the one who will destroy this world and create a new one! Suzaku, you took me to my father to be humiliated. Traded our friendship for status. Schniezel, you were the one who suggested this. For that, you shall both pay! You shall pay with the only currency measured by kings! Blood!"
Lelouch snapped out of the synaptic lapse he had been in, and looked up at the only two people in the room with him. When he saw who they were, his Geass immediately flared into life, and made ready to order their deaths. However, Jeremiah Gottwald surprised him by kneeling before him, and declaring, " Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, swearing his service to Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia and Lord Zero."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes, actually closing his Geass eye, " I've been awakened, but not by C.C. as would be logical. Why exactly, Jeremiah Gottwald?"
It was at this point that the fire-orange haired man answered up, " Me and Orange-boy there were once Empress Marianne's top Guards, second only to Princess Cornelia. We were part of the Lifers group. We were to serve the Vi Britannias for life, but with her assassination and your exile, we moved on."
Jeremiah, still with his head bowed, answered, " I went to Japan, became the founder of the Purist faction, because I knew that Marianne had been assassinated by terrorists."
" And I dedicated myself to become Knight of Rounds, which I succeeded in only a year later." The orange haired man with the darker skin remarked.
Lelouch cocked his right eyebrow, " That doesn't explain things. But I believe I can sort everything else out. This is Avalon, meaning that I am probably somewhere in Europe right now. That means I am well out of the reach of C.C and the Black Knights. No doubt, this is what my cursed father planned. But he could not have planned on two of his best soldiers turning on him. I recognize you now, Vampire. Luciano Bradley, Knight of Ten, better known as the Vampire of Britannia. What are you doing here?"
Luciano raised his left hand and brushed it back in forth, brushing Lelouch's question off, " The same reason as Orange over there. Only I want blood too. Lots of it. And there are a lot more Britannians nowadays than EU fools."
Lelouch chuckled, " Well, the Black Knights always need pilots. Since there….aren't exactly any Black Knights for thousands of kilometers, we will have to do. I acknowledge you, Jeremiah, stop bowing already. I see you have my notebook."
Jeremiah pulled out a large notebook, which as Lelouch had said, was his Idea Book from the Black Rebellion. Knightmare Frames that he had come up with to counter the Britannians, but mostly didn't get built due to lack of resources, or time, usually both. Jeremiah explained, " I believe that the idea for the Knightmare Frames Infinity, Hector, and Draconis are most promising. However, it is the Gunship that surprises me. Normandy, I believe it is called."
Lelouch smiled as he flipped open to the very last design he had made. A small cruiser that carried the fire power of a Dreadnought, but flew with the speed of a heavy bomber. Unrealistic, yes, but in the day of Knightmare frames, anything was possible. He had made the design specifically to counter the Blaze Luminous Shielding of the Avalon. In particular, the main weapon was called the Rail Cannon. The Rail Cannon used Ferro-Uranite Rounds that were magnetically charged to destabilize the Luminous and pass through it. Similar to the VARIS rifle, but as a Solid Munitions Weapon rather than an Energy Weapon. Essentially, those Rounds literally shattered the Blaze Luminous upon impact.
Luciano commented, " I bet you could get that Pudding Bastard to make this stuff for you, Highness. If you can get his attention away from the Lancelot for more than two seconds. I swear, I was on the repair docket for two freaking weeks while they upgraded that damn thing."
Jeremiah chuckled, " His Highness will not have to get his attention. He will merely "convince" him to do it."
Lelouch smiled. So Jeremiah was implying he would use his Geass on Lloyd eh? Not a bad idea after all. Lelouch began planning it out. He ordered, " We will fake my death tomorrow. No one will question the death of a small time servant except the people who know who he really is. This will also allow the Vamp over here to join us. It will be the Percival that blows up, after all."
Luciano sneered, " Heh, never liked the old Percy that much anyway. Question though, this will take a few months. How will we get pilots for the Normandy?"
Jeremiah pulled out a name from his folder, " Alexander Wallace. He's an old friend of mine from before I joined the Military, and is a Captain in this fleet of a Caerleon Cruiser. His entire crew is well known for being a tad rebellious by nature. Wallace actually prefers a Frame to his Cruiser. It's his second in command, John Sheppard, who actually pilots the thing."
Luciano's sneer deepened, " Come now, Orange. Do you really believe that fool will fight with us?"
" Naturally. Wallace has always hated Britannia after his wife and kids were killed in a Recruiting Raid. I'm sure you remember those, it's how your cousin ended up in the Military."
Lelouch cut in, "Background stories are nice and all, but we have more important things to be worrying about right now than histories. After all, the motto of the Black Knights is that we will accept anyone, regardless of race or heritage or history. Though I do think it will take a significant amount of explaining to satiate the others about Luciano though…"
So the three plotted and planned. All three left the room knowing what they would do tomorrow. Meanwhile….
( Five Hours Later… In a Storage room, in a Crate Full of Oranges)
" Ugh….. What the hell happened?" Kururugi Suzaku grunted as he woke up from being tranquilized. He tried to sit up, only to sink further into the round objects upon which he was laying, and to bash his head on the top of something. Suddenly, there was light as the crate opened, revealing the smiling face of Gino Weinberg.
" Ugh…Gino, can you help me out here?"
Gino smirked, " Sure thing, Orange-kun."
Suzaku bristled, " What did you call me?"
Gino pointed at the marker writing on Suzaku's chest and filched out a mirror for him to read it. In big, black letters, were the words, " Orange-kun was here!"
Suzaku also noticed that he didn't have any clothes on at all. He fumed, " Gino, can you go up to my room and grab me some spare clothes? Mine seem to have…err…disappeared. And I'd rather not have to take any of Lloyd's crap for this."
" Recorded and uploaded." a dull voice said from behind Gino. The pink haired, effete Knight of Six, Anya Alstriem, held up a picture showing the exact situation they were currently in. Gino laughed, " Bye-Bye, Ms. Reputation. It was so nice knowing you."
Suzaku tilted his head back, " Can my life get any damn worse?"
Anya commented, " This is going on Youtube and my blogs."
" I just had to say something…."
( The Next Day…. Jeremiah)
Jeremiah sat with a smile on his face listening to the Earl give Suzaku a load of shit about that little prank he and Luciano had played yesterday.
" Hey Suzaku. How was those oranges?"
Suzaku scowled, " Lloyd, I really don't want to have to kill you right now."
" OOOHHH! Scary! Kind of like a load of oranges wouldn't you say?"
" Please, not today Lloyd. Even Prince Schniezel was giving me hell about it. He invited me up for breakfast with him. We had orange flavored cereal with orange juice and orange slices on the side. He even had the tablecloths painted orange." Suzaku said with a down sort of voice.
" Well, I guess it's just an orangey sort of day."
Jeremiah watched Lloyd's purple haired assistant, Cecile, walk in with rice cakes. He had to keep himself from going green at the sight of them, but Kururugi didn't have that problem. Suzaku exclaimed, " Finally, something that isn't orange!"
Boy he is desperate. Cecile's cooking is enough to raise the dead. Fucking radioactive that stuff is. Jeremiah thought as he waited for the two the clear out. He knew that Lloyd always worked later than everyone else, so he was simply waiting for his opportunity. Lelouch was currently en route, making sure to avoid the directions that Suzaku always used.
Shortly thereafter, the two left. Lloyd was all that remained in the office. Lelouch sent a message to Jeremiah that he was in position. Jeremiah stepped out and into the light, " Hello, Lloyd."
Lloyd spun around in his chair, " Oh, Jeremiah! How've you been?"
" Never been better. You?"
Lloyd laughed, " Just having a little fun with old Suzaku. Him and those oranges."
The doors opened, causing Lloyd to spin towards them. In the doorway, shrouded by the light, was a dark figure. The dark figure of the man who was going to overthrow the world. He lifted his arm and made an action that looked like he was removing a contact. He entered the room, allowing the door to close behind him. He declared, " Lloyd Asplund. Pudding Earl. Lelouch Vi Britannia Commands You! You will build any Knightmare Frame or other design I give you to the exclusion of everything else! You will also recognize Zero in this manner, and allow us to sabotage the Lancelot!"
Lloyd stammered for a moment, but he simply muttered, " Yes, Your Majesty. What is your will?"
Lelouch threw the four designs down, " Build these ships to the best of your ability."
" Yes Milord. It will take three months at most."
" Good. Get to it. You will inform Jeremiah Gottwald of their completion."
( Three Months Later…)
Lelouch was so angry he could barely stand it. But he knew he had to keep on acting as Daniel Vi until Jeremiah came through with the completion of those ships. Utilizing his power as Geass Crusader, Jeremiah had already gotten the Crew for the new Normandy ready. It was odd, that the Gunship/Carrier/High Performance Air Superiority Ship was finished before the three Knightmares, especially considering how….unrealistic the ship certainly was. There simply wasn't a way for them to power a ship that needed an Anti-Capital Ship weapon, several Anti-Knightmare weapons, as well as a state of the art Point Laser Defense System, and a new form of energy shield called the Force Shield. While being as fast as the Lancelot in combat.
When Lelouch saw the pictures of the vessel, he was surprised. It was sleek, yet packed eight dedicated Anti Knightmare frame turrets with Druid Targeting Systems. The main weapon, the Rail Gun, was under the bridge and would form when called. The PLDS ( Point Laser Defense System) was evidenced by tiny spheres throughout the ship. It was a strangely formed ship, with wings, but highly maneuverable. However, it was simple to tell that nearly half the ship was dedicated to power supply. There was only room for four Knightmare Frames in the hold and a small landing ship. Luckily, that was all the space they needed. Lelouch also noticed that Lloyd had added an experimental Stealth System to it as an added bonus.
The Draconis Knightmare Frame was the first Knightmare to be finished. Unfortunately, it was still highly experimental, given its use of wings. Lloyd had put his top secret, first prototype Energy Wing on it, but the ship only flew half the time if you relied on the Energy Wing. So, until perfected, the wings were just aesthetic. The Draconis' main weapon system was a combination type of weapon. A VARIS and Hadron Cannon. The mode could be switched, so the cannon fired both types of particle beam. Naturally, energy was a huge concern given this thing. It would be awhile before it saw significant action.
The Second Frame finished was the Hector. It was a massive black frame that was modeled after the Gawain, but much more heavily armored and carried some more weapons for defense. It also had a Core Luminous like the Lancelot, but otherwise, it was the Gawain just remade. The melee weapon was a massive blade that Lloyd had called Amnell.
Finally, the Infinity was a unique Frame. It had been finished only the day before, and it was similar in design to the Tristan. Or so Lloyd said, although Lelouch was fairly certain he had come up with the idea for it before the Tristan had been conjured up. The main weapon was a scythe that fired waves of electrical energy. Otherwise, he wasn't particularly sure what the Earl had done to it. He was busy getting himself in position for them to self-destruct the Percival.
Lelouch smirked as he watched Luciano act like he was getting the thing, only to position himself so that the detonation wouldn't do heavy damage to him. He would still be injured, but not badly. Lelouch, on the other hand, needed to make sure that damage was done to him so that the idiots would believe that he was really dead so he could escape. Jeremiah was standing by so that they could swoop in, grab him, and get out.
Lelouch watched Marika Soresi, Kewell's sister and most recent addition to the Lelouch Slave Brigade, prod the small explosive placed on the leg of the Percival. The explosion would cause the Frame to collapse in Luciano's direction. Lelouch was position just within Shrapnel Dispersion Range for the bomb itself. He smirked as the bomb exploded and he lost consciousness to the concussive blast.
Jeremiah, stationed on the same side of the room, saw the plume of orange engulf the left side of the Percival. He saw it begin to fall on Luciano, who deftly used the smoke from the explosion to escape unseen. He saw the rest of the Frame explode loudly as the fire reached the Conductors and Sakuradite within. That was his signal. He ran full tilt at the downed Prince. He immediately scooped him up, noticing the wounds from shrapnel.
He carried the Prince out, and stopped at the medical bay. A Geassed Doctor performed an examination, ignoring that the subject was still breathing. He proclaimed Daniel Vi dead on sight from injuries. Gottwald nodded, picked up the limp teen, and made a mad dash for the other Hangar where they were keeping the Normandy. The little bug in his ear buzzed, " Jeremiah, this is Wallace. Do you have the package?"
" Package secured. We are inbound. Is Vampire there?"
" Vamp is secure as well. We are making final launch preparations. Better hurry, Orange!"
Jeremiah ran into the Launch bay where the Transit shuttle was preparing to take off. The Normandy was too large to be built within the Avalon, so it was instead, being built in a captured shipyard near Barcelona. Which was only a five minute flight over in this small ship.
Jeremiah entered the ship, and put Lelouch on a small bed. The Black Prince's right eye opened, " Did it work?"
" We're about to take off, Your Highness."
With a lurch, the VTOL lifted off. Shortly, they were at the Shipyard. The entire crew began to disembark. This was when Lelouch decided he wasn't hurt too bad, and walked himself over to the ship. He grabbed a makeshift trigger that was designed from a Black King Chess Piece. He muttered, " I hope you like my present, Schniezel." He pressed the button and turned to look at the looming Avalon.
The ship shook with an explosion, fire blooming from the same Knightmare hangar that they had blasted earlier. Then the secondary hangar went up too. Sections of the top of the ship exploded. Showers of sparks and metal flew out, striking the ground around the captured Shipyard. Finally, the Float System exploded, taking most of the lower decks with it. Lelouch laughed as he walked onto the Normandy.
Luciano greeted the two. He said, " Nice little present we left for the ole Prince, isn't it?"
" It'll take them awhile to replace the Avalon for the frontlines. It did lead the charge after all. Not to mention all the Knightmare Frames on board. Tristan, Mordred, and Lancelot. Who bets they all got blasted?"
The engines of the Normandy roared to life, and the trio got to see their Captain for the first time. Alexander Wallace had dark brown hair, with no beard or stubble. His eyes were the same dark brown color, and they seemed to glimmer with understanding. He wore a typical Britannian Officer uniform. He extended a gloved hand in greeting, " Hail, Your Highness Lelouch Vi Britannia. We are your humble servants, to follow you unto the ends of the Earth."
" More loyal to me than the Empire?"
Alexander glanced at Jeremiah, " Couldn't refuse my old friend, Jeremiah. Yes, we're all in this until the end."
" Then put us in stealth and plot a course for Area Eleven. From here on out, you shall refer to me as Zero,", Lelouch pulled out the perfect replica of his old Zero mask that Jeremiah had secretly obtained for him. The men on board didn't even flinch. Jeremiah smiled, he had done well. He had picked a crew that wouldn't mind rebelling against the Empire, and wouldn't mind who they served.
Luciano wasn't so sure, " So, are we certain that these guys aren't just leading us into a mass ambush? I mean, as much as I like the Draconis, the Hector, and the Infinity, I've never piloted any of them. So, I would be going in cold, and no pilot likes cold turkey."
Jeremiah chuckled, " You forgot, I snuck the Siegfried onboard as well. And Alex here is a better pilot than Zero is."
Lelouch glared at Jeremiah, but admitted that Orange had a good point. He would need to rectify that shortly. He recalled all the times his own ineptitude in a Knightmare Frame, succeeded only by Tamaki's in uselessness, had either cost the Black Knights a valuable victory or valuable lives. Generally both. Granted, at long ranges, he was pretty good. But when Suzaku's coming at you in a Knightmare Frame that makes everybody else look like slugs, complete with flips, spin kicks, and other assorted martial art moves, range doesn't matter much.
That was another problem. Yes, the Lancelot was probably destroyed during their Sabotage of the Avalon, but if Lloyd survived, then he was going to build another. Hell, he'd build an army of the bastards if he could find an army of Suzakus. If the Vincent Prototype was any indication, he WAS building an army of Lancelots.
Lelouch's thoughts were broken by the appearance of Alex's second in command, John Sheppard. He looked like a character from one of Rivalz's video games, with a scar running down his left cheek. He had brown hair like the captain as well. No doubt, the two were close in age. Sheppard extended his arm in greetings, " Hail, Lord Zero. I am Commander John Sheppard. Normally, I just handle our landing crews and the such, but Alex is talking about passing me the ship so that he can fill one of your Frames."
Lelouch nodded, " Tell him that I appreciate it. Until we reach Japan, we won't have any pilots besides myself, Luciano, and Jeremiah. Even then, our pilots will mostly be imprisoned. We will have to free them. Speaking of Japan, how long until we reach it?"
" Two months, milord. Use that time well, but we'll have to keep quiet. Don't want to get blasted by the Euros do we?"
( Two More Months Later….Lelouch)
" This is Normandy SR-2 requesting landing from its test flight at Tokyo Airbase."
Lelouch sat in a chair beneath the monitor, watching as Wallace worked his magic, securing them a landing zone so they could get refueled. And assuage the fears that, to Lelouch's amusement, had sprung up when it had disappeared during the strike on the Avalon. Meanwhile, Lelouch was going to use the Babel Tower much in the same way that OSI was going to use it on his two fake brothers.
The Twins Rolo, as they were known, with one posing as Lelouch, were the OSI's puppets to try and snare C.C. into a trap. Somehow, using Lelouch's DNA, he had been cloned when he had been born. Rolo Vi Britannia was an exact copy of him. Only thing he was probably missing was Geass. Rolo Lamperouge was a younger fellow, a little older than Nunnally, but still younger. Both were experienced assassins who specialized in hard to reach targets. He guessed that C.C. counted as a hard to reach target, because you could never find her unless she wanted to be found. Or you had pizza, but it seemed like the OSI idiots didn't know that.
In fact, it was her love for pizza that Lelouch had originally planned to use against her, and find her, but when the Normady's Long Range Scanners had intercepted a call between her and someone called Code Red, he immediately shifted strategies. He determined that Code Red was certainly Kallen, and that they were planning a strike on Babel Tower to kidnap Rolo Vi Britannia. Unfortunately, only C.C could have known that this Vi Britannia was NOT Lelouch. In fact, C.C. had probably known where he was, and was trying to cause a commotion to get his attention.
Luckily for her, he needed a Grand Stage to bring back Zero. His plan was already well in place. Using the OSI registry that Jeremiah had acquired from the Geass Directorate Database, he had already ascertained that the two Vincents currently deployed in Japan were for his two " brothers" to use in the even he returned. It simply amazed him how much trust his father had in his uncle to allow a database of such potentially volatile information to be made.
Lelouch was going to deploy himself in the Hector with Luciano as the pilot. The Hector was Two Seat just like the Gawain, so that wouldn't be problem. Yes, Luciano complained about not being able to go on a bloody rampage, but he would get over it. After all, Lelouch was letting him control the blades and everything but the Hadron Cannons.
Jeremiah would go out using the Infinity. They couldn't risk V.V. recognizing the Siegfried just yet. That would certainly blow their cover. The Infinity was the most combat ready Frame besides the Hector anyway. Without the assurance that the prototype Draconis Energy Wing would work, they couldn't risk it. Or, at least until Alexander volunteered to pilot it.
The Draconis would be an X-factor in the battle. If the Wings worked, then it would be the fastest Frame in existence. If it didn't, then it would really be another Gawain like frame. Either way, Lelouch had his targets for the Hybrid VARIS Hadron Cannon to destroy. Namely, the enemy G-1 Mobile Command Base. General Calares was the Viceroy of Area Eleven now. He was a pompous bastard who would be easy to entice into battle.
Luciano looked at the Exiled Prince with a look of curiosity, " I wonder where the hell you come up with some of these plans, Highness. Not even Schniezel would have something like this."
" I beg to differ. But for now, keep in mind that you are to get me into the building and down to the basement. C.C. and Kallen will handle everything else from there."
" And then I get to kill?" Luciano asked hopefully.
" Yes. We will decimate the Britannian Ranks here once we have rendezvoused with our allies. And then we will reveal our continued existence to the world! That Zero, the man who destroys to create, still exists, and that he has come to claim vengeance." Lelouch clenched his fist emphatically.
Luciano smirked, " You know, it looks like Jeremiah wasn't so brain dead as I thought he was when he first got me on this venture. Now, shall we adjourn ourselves?"
" Fire up the blades, Vampire."
Lelouch and Luciano both punched in their passcodes and activated their stations within the Hector. The Float system kicked in, and they lifted off. They glided out of the Normandy's hangar, with the Infinity at their side. Jeremiah buzzed over the radio, " Milord, what are our orders?"
" Orange, you will cover me when the terrorists strike Babel Tower. You will eliminate any Britannian force that opens fire on us. I will advance to the lower reaches of the Casino, and await my fake brother and C.C. to appear. Orange, I must give you this absolute order. If a red Knightmare Frame with a claw like appendage attempts to engage you, you will withdraw. The same goes for you, Luciano. I will bail out, and go on foot if it comes down to it."
Jeremiah nodded his acceptance. Luciano smirked, " Ah, so the Red Demoness is going to be here eh? This will be good."
" Remember that she is one of ours, Lucy." Lelouch smirked as the Vampire bristled under Jeremiah's mocking nickname for him. Lelouch gazed at the orange Britannian Farms blimp hovering over the Babel Tower. " Remember your orders. Now, let us make our approach. The bomb should go off right…..about….NOW!"
Sure enough, an explosion went off over the Babel Tower, and the order went over the radio to engage the Terrorists. Lelouch smirked as Luciano took them towards the tower. He could see the machine gun fire coming from the bottom of the blimp. No doubt, it was modified. Lelouch knew they were losing valuable time, so he punched the key for the Float Booster to initiate.
Luciano chuckled as the Hector sped forward at nearly double its previous flight speed. The Infinity came behind. He saw pink mist descend from the airship. He ordered, " Vamp, our Insert point is there, just below the mist."
" Yes Milord."
Luciano guided the Hector into the tower at Lelouch's behest. The power was cut. Lelouch smiled as he saw the familiar sight of a Gekka amongst the Black Knight forces, and the familiar Burais. However, they were too few, and being lured into a trap. But Zero was about to save them. He pulled a communicator out, and punched in the old Black Knight IFF radio signal. He ordered, " Order all units to the basement floor One. Once there, eliminate the OSI units stationed within."
An infuriated voice, one that Lelouch recognized as Urabe, answered back, " Who is this? How did you get this code?"
" Do as I say, and you will win. Stand by me, and survive. Stand against, and die. Your choice."
The man stammered, " Im…Im….Impossible! Zero! But, where are you? Major Kouzuki and C.C said you would be here with your fake brother!"
" Ah, so C.C. has purposefully fallen for the OSI trap then. I am Zero, and am transmitting from the large, black Knightmare frame approximately ten meters from your location, at a bearing of 55 degrees North East. You may meet me there, as I am on my way down."
" Yes, Milord!"
Lelouch ordered Luciano to tether them to the walls using the shoulder Harkens, and lower them down into the basement. They reached the bottom, and crashed through the roof. The Hector landed between C.C. and a horde of men wearing the OSI uniform. Lelouch recognized one as the man who had organized the spy parties. Surprisingly, his clone brother was standing alongside of C.C. Lelouch opened his cockpit, and stepped out. He smirked as he removed the contacts given to him by Jeremiah. He flung his arm wide and bellowed, " Lelouch Vi Britannia Commands You! Die!"
The Baron atop the Knightmare had time to mutter, " Impossible! You were on the Avalon!" Before the Geass took effect. The soldiers all chanted, " Yes Your Highness!" and gunned themselves down.
Lelouch turned to the green haired witch, " I see you haven't missed me very much, C.C."
" So you did get the message then. I had hoped you would."
The clone muttered, " So, we meet, my….brother."
Lelouch cocked his eyebrow, placing his contact back in, " You are Rolo Vi Britannia. The one that Jeremiah has told me is naught but a clone of me. A clone that the Emperor made because he was dissatisfied with myself."
R1 bowed, " Yes, milord, that is the reason. I was sent here to cover up your shipping to the Avalon. Lamperouge was sent with me to make sure I did not turn, as well as to take you out if you reappeared. Tell me, how did you deal with Kururugi?"
Lelouch smirked, " Using bombs, you might say. Now, Rolo, do you have a Geass?"
" I do now, thanks to C.C. here. I am…unsure exactly what it is though. I haven't had time to test it out, but I believe it is some type of performance enhancer."
" Good, take this man's Knightmare frame, and get in it. Now, our allies should be appearing in 3…2…1." Lelouch counted down, and sure enough, the red Guren and a bluish grey Gekka crashed through the floor above. They knelt before Lelouch in their frames, with Urabe saying over the radio, " We await your orders, Lord Zero."
Lelouch shouted, " I am the man who will create worlds! Destroy the world! It can change! It will change! And we shall be the catalyst that facilitates the change! Now, to battle my Black Knights! We need to get out of here."
Lelouch closed the cockpit of the Hector, with Luciano chuckling inside, " I can see why they look up to you. Blood thirsty, yet subtle. Intelligent, yet idealistic and optimist. Sadistic, yet compassionate. You have your own breed of insanity that far eclipses my own, Zero. For that, you have my respect."
" Thank you, Vamp. Now, we need to get to a vantage point where I can finish off C.C's plan and get us to the Chinese Federation Embassy. Tell Jeremiah to get ready."
" Yes Milord."
Meanwhile…..
( Pendragon….Suzaku)
" Kururugi, Knight of Seven. Do you accept this responsibility?"
The recovered Suzaku, who's hair had finally regrown, declared from his bow, " Yes, Your Majesty. I shall be the one who slays the demon known as Zero. This duty will not be shirked from me to be given to someone else."
" Very well, Kururugi. You shall be deployed to Area Eleven as well as the new Viceroy, next week."
Gino asked, " Pardon, Your Majesty, but I thought Calares was still alive?"
" I have a vague feeling that something will happen to him today. Know that I already have his successor picked. Kururugi will know of the effect it will have on Zero."
Suzaku rose from his bow, " Yes, Your Majesty! You are infinitely wise in this decision. It will make Zero more susceptible."
" Be wary, my Great Knights. Though he has not officially returned, Zero will be a formidable adversary for any of you. Do not scowl like that, Lord Weinberg. Zero is a master of deception and planning. He will tax all, even the glorious Schniezel. Unfortunately, we are not able to spare my Second Prince at this time. You have your mission. You will not allow Zero to take back Area Eleven. You will kill him at all costs. Make an example of him as necessary."
They all shouted, " Yes, Your Majesty!" but Suzaku shouted the loudest. Suzaku clenched the pen that signified his Knighthood from Euphie. He knew that Lelouch hadn't died during that accident, despite very authentic reports that suggested otherwise. When V.V. informed him of the Geass Canceller, he had drunk himself into a stupor. He had " gotten pissed" as the Brits call it. Very pissed at that, causing Cecile to have the medics pump his stomach due to alcohol poisoning.
Suzaku couldn't believe that fortune's winds had once again turned to Lelouch. Schniezel himself had suggested the Servant life because it almost completely eliminated any chance of C.C. getting to Lelouch to unlock his memories. Being a servant on the Avalon, whilst being halfway around the world from C.C's last known location would make it taxing even for her. But they hadn't counted on Jeremiah, not even V.V. had foreseen his treachery. Now, Suzaku would have to face his best friend turned worst enemy once more.
Suzaku doubted he would ever be able to forgive Lelouch for the SAZ massacre. Especially when all of the Japanese would still flock to him in droves, KNOWING that Lelouch was the reason for Euphie's death and slandering was torturous. Knowing that Lelouch was the very reason that one of the few things he had managed to gain in eight years had been snatched brutally away from him was enough to force him to the targeting range to exert frustration.
This sort of in depth thinking was what caused Suzaku to not sleep at night. Because, it inevitably led to the dreaded question: Has our friendship really fallen this far? So far that we are willing to kill each other despite the fact that we both want the same thing? A freed Japan and a crushed Britannia?
Suzaku couldn't stand it when his sub-conscious decided to fling that one at him. It was like Lelouch himself was trying to convert him to the Black Knights. Yes, Suzaku knew that, had he joined the Black Knights, it was very likely that the Japanese would be laying siege to Pendragon rather than stewing in torment. But he simply couldn't coexist with the sheer ruthlessness that Lelouch brought with him. The sheer will to kill, no matter the consequence. The sheer will and audacity needed to challenge the most powerful kingdom in the world. The absolute frozen heart needed to kill one's own family, even the ones who had never done anything!
What really galled Suzaku, was that Lelouch claimed it was all done because of Nunnally. Suzaku knew Nunnally every bit as well as Lelouch himself, and he KNEW that the sweet, kindhearted girl wouldn't respond very well to the absolute ruthlessness that Lelouch employed. The callous nature of his attacks. And his one excuse, the one reason he claimed to do it all, was for his little sister? His innocent, wheelchair bound, blind sister? The very audacity made Suzaku snort in anger.
Lelouch could have changed the world from within Britannia. Instead, he chose to the destroy it. In the process, he was going to get thousands, even millions, killed. Millions of civilians, people who didn't want anything to do with this vendetta. People who didn't even know why. Lelouch could have become Emperor! Even Schniezel said that he would have been hard pressed by the headstrong Eleventh Prince. But such a method would not have worked for Lelouch. No, it had to be jarring and dramatic.
Lelouch was going to see the world in flames. And that was why Suzaku existed to stop him. Yes, his cousin, Kaguya, had once said that he and Lelouch were unstoppable together. But, with their ideologies, they simply couldn't work together. Not anymore. Suzaku crushed the wine glass Gino had given him by accident, getting him a few stares from the nearby nobility.
( Lelouch)
" Orange, intercept the forces on the 32nd floor. Vamp, take down the troops at the 53rd. Kallen, clean up the 21st floor. C.C, how is your sector?"
C.C. answered, " Give me ten more minutes."
" Ten will be all I can get you. But alright…." Lelouch was cut off by the door opening behind him. He spun around, hand to his own pistol, only for an ancient pistol to be shoved into his own face. Lelouch held his cold demeanor, " Kallen, I thought I ordered you to the 21st floor."
" I have questions that need answering."
Lelouch smirked, " I'll answer them if I can. But I'm fairly certain your questions involve the Geass. You want to know if you are under its effect. Rest assured, you wouldn't be up here questioning me about it if you were."
Kallen ground her teeth, " Then tell me what you asked of me that one time then! I'm no fool, Lelouch. Using what C.C. told me, I can tell that you put me under the Geass back at Ashford."
Q-1 for a reason I see. Lelouch continued to smile at her, " I asked of your involvement in the Shinjuku ghetto accident. It was then that I decided to use you and your resistance faction to found the Black Knights. If it makes you feel better, every decision you've made has been made with your own heart's desires."
Kallen frowned as if pondering Lelouch's words, " I cannot take your word for it. But I feel that I want to trust you. Know that I follow Zero, not Lelouch Lamperouge."
" We are one and the same. It is up to you to discriminate between the two. Although I can firmly say, Lelouch Lamperouge ceased to exist last year. There is only Zero for now. Now, come, Kallen. We have work to do, a world to destroy. By the way, do you fully intend to stay in that bunny suit? Not that I'm complaining." Lelouch commented with a raised eyebrow.
Kallen attempted to cover herself up, " Pervert."
" Don't worry about it." He pulled off the black jacket with the Black Knight insignia on the back he had been wearing, and draped it around her shoulders, " There, shouldn't get too cold now."
Kallen blushed about as red as her hair. Lelouch motioned for her to follow him.
Later, he jumped back into the Hector with Luciano, who was now wearing a mask similar to Zero's but with three horns on top and being blood red. Lelouch took control of the Hadron Cannons and ordered for Luciano to begin Floor Sweeping. That was also Jeremiah's cue to join them. The silver and blue Knightmare crashed through the outward facing wall to their left, it's scythe aglow with blue energy.
Lelouch ordered over his direct link to Jeremiah, " Energy wall, twenty degrees in two seconds."
Jeremiah complied by slicing the Thunder Arc Scythe towards the area, a wave of electrical energy surging forward along the curve of the blade. The squad of Sutherlands that came through the corridor, glided right into the wave. They crackled with blue energy for a moment, and then exploded as their electronics experienced Critical Failure.
Lelouch began ordering the others, " Q-1, advance five meters, and wave surge at the wall. P-3, P-4, P-5, advance and fire Anti Armor rounds at fifty degrees. B-1, keep them occupied. C2 are you ready?"
C.C replied, " We've just finished!"
Lelouch had just picked up his King Detonator when R1's radio blipped in, " Zero, I can't pick up on my brother. I bet he left to pick up his Vincent."
Lelouch frowned, " We will handle that."
" Be careful! His Geass allows him to manipulate time!"
Lelouch's eyebrow shot up. Geass? That would be a problem. Lelouch then got an urgent message, " Zero, this is P-4, something's coming! It's fast, and it is teleporting around…ARRRGH!"
The LOST signal appeared on his screen. Then more appeared. A small, red dot appeared sporadically. It seemed to be teleporting indeed. Lelouch ordered, " Kallen, the rest of you, get away from that thing! Let me handle it."
Lelouch had noticed that the Vincent seemed to be on its way for him. So he armed the Hadron Cannons, and took up a position where there was only one way in or out. Yes, this could end badly, as Luciano and the others pointed out, but what is war without risk. Lelouch tracked the Vincent until it was just about to round into his corner. He fired his Hadron cannons, filling the corridor. A LOST beacon appeared on the Britannian version of his map. He smiled, and had Luciano dash past the smoldering hulk of the Vincent.
But Rolo Lamperouge had not died, though Lelouch didn't know this. He had used his Geass at the last moment to gain himself precious time to eject. He had expected Lelouch to pull such a trap, so he used the Geass at the moment before his Vincent rounded. He had autopiloted it in.
Back with Lelouch, he pressed his King Detonator, and watched the fireworks roll.
( Calares)
" What are they doing?"
Calares leaned forward in shock as the Babel Tower's midsection detonated. " Are they attempting suicide?" Calares muttered in awe. His awe soon turned to fear, as the Tower was about to fall on TOP of his Command base!
He shouted, " Pull us back!"
" Sir, we can't!"
His scream went out over the radios as the Tower fell on the G-1 base and the base exploded along with all the Knightmare Frames guarding it and the road.
( Moments Later… Guilford)
" What about Lord Silver?"
" He was with Calares!"
" Is a civil officer going to take over?"
A bespectacled man with a long ponytail of black hair walked into the room, " I will be taking command of this operation. I swear by the honor of my Princess!"
One of the officers muttered, " Lord Guilford! He must be talking about Cornelia."
The men all stood and saluted, " Yes Milord!"
Guilford turned to the Glaston Knights, " I will head down to command the Search and Rescue. Bart, contact the police. Alfred…."
Alfred, the blonde Glaston, muttered, " That's…"
Guilford turned to the monitor behind them, " What's wrong?"
The monitor had cut off the incident, and was now displaying a very fuzzy and grayscale picture. That picture began to clear, and a figure began to emerge. Guilford felt his heart tightening within his chest. There was only ONE man who matched the profile of whoever was in that picture. He could feel the shock, even awe, of the Glaston Knights behind him. Claudio muttered, " Impossible…."
The image suddenly cleared, and a man wearing a black cape, black uniform, and an unmistakable mask appeared.
" I am Zero."
A/N:
Timeline note: I'm aware that at the beginning of R2, the frontlines for the EU war was the El Alamein Front. However, with Lelouch's sabotaging of the Avalon, all the KOR Frames within, as well as the injuries sustained from it, would set back the Britannian invasion by quite some time.
Battles: Besides the obvious differences, this story won't go Total AU until after Lelouch tries to capture Nunnally.
AU Notes: Since Lelouch wasn't at Ashford, he won't have to pretend he's Spinboy's best friend, nor will he have the little Nunnally call to test him. He will have this intel from others.
Tech Sheet and origins
Normandy: The ship and its crew has been robbed from Mass Effect. Given that William of Normandy ( The Conqueror)was an important figure in English ( thus Britannian) history, it isn't unlikely they would name a ship that. This is based off the Normandy SR-2 model from ME2.
Knightmare Hector: Looks like the Black Knight from the Fire Emblem Radiance Series, who's uniform goes extremely well with the Black Knight Color Code of Geass.
The Brothers Rolo: R1 is Rolo Vi Britannia, who is from Nightmare of Nunnally, where he's supposed to be Lelouch's long lost twin brother or something like that. Here, he's simply a clone. R2 is the Rolo that we all know. Rolo Lamperouge the Geass Assassin.
Energy Wings: At this point, they're just prototypes, but this is the first really big AU alteration. We'll see them on the Lancelot a lot faster.
Knightmare Profile: The Infinity
Codename: Infinity
Specialization: Infantry Combat
Armament: 1x " Thunder Arker" Electronic Warfare Scythe. 6x Slash Harkens ( 2x shoulder, 2x thigh, 2x Wrist Mounted)
Defense system: Sakuradite laced Atomic Lattice Armor. 1x Core Luminous Generator.
Designer: Lelouch Lamperouge.
Manufacturer: ASEEC Britannian Military Corp AKA Camelot Drive Systems.
Pilot: Varies.