"Geass: the power to make anything possible. Through this power Lelouch vi Britannia gained the abilities of absolute obedience and immortality. For those who wield Geass it is both a gift and curse, forcing its users to exist on a separate reality from those around them. And for one who can fully master the power of Geass, they will ascend the power of the King…and will become a god."
TWO MONTHS AGO, FORMER "AREA THIRTEEN"
"Surround them now!" The order came from the general aboard the stolen G-1, as a collage of Britannian and Black Knights Knightmare Frame models swarmed their prey. Ever since the installation of Empress Nunnally as the hundredth liege of Britannia the various Areas had been returned to their natural governments. This decision had not gone over well with some of the nobles and military however, resulting in an indecent amount of revolts amongst the Britannian forces and the revolting parties forcefully occupying the former Areas they had desired. The United Federation of Nations, still on the fence about allowing Britannia to join their ranks after Lelouch's assault, agreed warily to create a temporary unit with Britannia. This unit was composed of both Britannian and Black Knights elites, including the infamous Knight of the Rose Gino Weinberg and Zero Squad ace Kallen Kouzuki.
Despite superior machine specs the small ten-man unit was on the defensive at the moment, the Treize League (as the occupying military had so named themselves) having out-manned them thirty-to-one. Even with the Tristan Divider and Guren-SEITEN repaired there were simply too many enemies to face with so few numbers. Add to that the large surplus of anti-air missiles and the low ammo count for the Guren's Radiant Wave Surger, and things were beginning to look almost bleak for the small squad. Not for the first time Kallen found herself missing that bastard Lelouch; he would have already figured out five different ways to win and still considered it no big deal. But Lelouch had died five years ago, leaving plenty of unfinished business behind when he was killed by Su…rather, by Zero.
As if in response to her thoughts the Friend-or-Foe indicators, more commonly referred to as IFF, began to light up with an incoming frame. The system could not receive confirmation of the frame's association however, and marked the incoming dot as a green unknown. The frame flew overhead too fast for anyone to see any details aside from the black-and-gold color scheme. Finally the frame slowed down to a halt right in the center of the enemy forces. "T-That's…the Albion Kuro" the general shouted over the communication lines. "That can only mean…Zero!" The Lancelot Albion had been rebuilt and painted as per Zero's instructions, but its power was no less immense because of it. Kallen smiled within her cockpit; at the start of the battle they had been outnumbered fifty-to-one, and with the Lancelot on the scene they were assured victory. "I will give you one final warning" Zero shouted over the frame's speaker system, his voice firmer and more solemn than when he had delivered world-famous speeches to the UFN and Black Knights. "If you surrender now you won't waste your lives in vain."
There he goes again Kallen thought with a sigh. Always trying to save his enemies, always thinking about the common good first. Then again, that had always been Su-er, Zero's style in the past few years. On occasion that ideal had come in handy for negotiations, but in the middle of a conflict it was less than helpful. As expected the enemy forces were surprised by Zero's offer, but they were in no way prepared to surrender to the Black Knights. With a single order from their general the Trieze League split in half, as well over a hundred Knightmares began to rush the Lancelot en masse. Even without the monitors Kallen could still hear Zero's sigh, as the Albion's energy wings began to glow a brilliant green.
They never stood a chance.
In a flash the wings shot out a barrage of spear-shaped energy bullets, shredding the Knightmares until all that remained were a few ejection pods. The Knightmares who had avoided the assault activated their own weapons, be they the Black Knights' Katen Yaibatou or the Britannian Maser Vibration Swords. In response the Albion merely spread its hands, its own wrist-mounted MVSs extending to face the oncoming horde. Leaping forward, the Albion began to spin midair so that it became a steel whirlwind that shattered the enemy Knightmares with swift strokes. Taking advantage of the turmoil Kallen reactivated the Guren, sending its claw tearing through the battlefield while firing sparse widespread Radiant Wave shots to keep the enemies scattered. Following her lead Gino put the Tristan back into action, its dual-tipped sword both attacking the enemy and blocking attacks aimed at its allies.
In only a couple of minutes since the Lancelot's arrival the tide of battle had turned, so that the captured G-1 was only guarded by a small set of Gekka and Glasgows. Out of fear the commander ordered a full retreat, but their escape was cut off by a powerful Hadron Cannon blast which irradiated the terrain. "That's far enough" a voice called out from above, as both sides looked up to the immense shadow of the Ikaruga Zwei. The rebuilt flagship of the Black Knights had gone through some serious improvements over the past few years, including a more refined Hadron system and a series of arrays along the ship's port and stern for defensive purposes. Kallen was the first to come back to her senses at the sight of the new flagship, as she broke out into a wide smile. "Ohgi!" Kallen called out, glad as always to hear the voice of the man who had become more like a father to her than her real one. Having fully accepted the role of Black Knights CEO Kaname Ohgi was just as kind-hearted as ever, but his responsible side had persevered and allowed him to make some cold decisions since his promotion. Zero had willingly stepped down and committed himself to being a soldier and a symbol, nothing more.
The Ikaruga Zwei began deploying troops, though at this point it was mostly moot to do so. The Akatsuki models were mixed in with Vincents and Gareths given to the Black Knights as a sign of peace from Britannia, though all the incoming units followed the Zangetsu in unison. With Li Xingke working to reorganize China's government as Tianzi Jiang Lihua's personal advisor there was no contest as to who would become the Black Knights' military commander other than Kyoshiro Tohdoh. Despite using a mass-produced model Kyoshiro was easily able to subdue the remaining enemy units in mere seconds, while those who followed after him surrounded the G-1 with weapons aimed at the control booth. At this point the renegade soldiers finally conceded with over ninety percent of their forces in ruins. Kallen's unit had suffered a few proverbial bumps and bruises, but nothing life-threatening.
"Man, that was a close call S...Zero" Kallen told her former leader once they had arrived on the I. Zwei once again. Man, what is wrong with me today? Kallen thought to herself as she blessed the oblivious nature of her allies at the near-slip. Lelouch has been dead for five years now, GET OVER IT! Try as she might Kallen still couldn't get that final image of the original Zero and her former classmate out of her mind. The way he had tumbled like a ragdoll in the end, his own blood becoming a sign of the old Britannia's defeat as he literally spilled his guts over the entire ramp of his G-1. How Zero had held the Britannian sword up high before discarding Lelouch's blood with a swipe through the air. How despite everything Lelouch had done to all of them, all of his betrayals, that it was his gentle and charismatic role as the Black Knights' leader that flowed through all their minds. It had taken Kallen over ten minutes to realize that she had been crying, her cheeks turned raw through the screams and tears.
Now they had Suzaku, their former nemesis, wearing Zero's attire. Nobody could truly blame him however, because it would be suicide for the so-called "Knight of Zero" to show his own face to the world. Indeed, just like Lelouch Suzaku had never once removed the mask in the presence of others...though it hadn't been hard for those who knew the old rivals to piece together most of what had happened. It was probably Lelouch's fallback plan, his last resort in case the Black Knights turned on him. Nobody could figure out if Suzaku had double-crossed Lelouch in the end or if there was another reason for killing the Demon King however. Whatever the reason that single assassination had become the turning point for the world, so the Black Knights could let Suzaku keep up the charade...if only for a little while longer.
"Tell Prince Schneizel we said thanks, okay?" Kallen turned to face another rival-turned-ally, as the former Knight of Three began to head back towards the Tristan. "Don't forget Kallen, we've still got a spot for you in the Knights of Rounds!" Kallen gave Gino a happy shake of the head; now that he was promoted to Knight of Two Gino had been increasingly stubborn about Kallen joining the elite Britannian ranks, but Kallen's place was with her friends in the Black Knights first and foremost. Gino shrugged in response, his foolish grin wider than ever as he jumped into his control unit and prepped his Knightmare for launch. The other Britannian members had followed his lead, making it verbally clear that they did not wish to discomfort their allies. The Black Knights squad members waved them off, a kindred spirit formed which had transcended nationality. With the mission complete Tohdoh began to retrieve feedback and mission reports from the other squad members, but as Kallen watched Zero walk away she followed after him.
When they had reached Zero's private room he tried to lock Kallen out, but she was able to jam her foot in the door and close it behind her. Once the room had been sealed Kallen let herself relax as she watched Zero slump on the bed. "C'mon Suzaku" she started, rolling a chair over to the bed at straddling it. Zero tensed at his true name, but otherwise remained motionless on his bed. "You've been wearing that thing for five years now, and we all know it's you under there. At least in here you can be yourself, and if you don't be yourself at all you'll lose it...trust me, this is coming from experience." Zero tilted his head towards Kallen and paused for a few moments, before sitting up on his bed and placing his gloved hand on the helmet. Kallen heard the familiar ihiss/i as the helmet's gears worked to fold up the famous mask, and finally Suzaku slid the mask off his face.
Kallen had been far too used to seeing the arrogant, raven-haired Lelouch under the mask that seeing Suzaku take it off had felt wrong somehow. His ruffled brown hair, always just as messy as Lelouch's, had been grown out a little in the back to partially resemble his old sword-master's style. His eyes were also different, the emotion-filled brilliant green dulled by fatigue and a crimson lining which had most likely been a by-product of his overuse of his own Geass command to "live on" during Lelouch's time as Emperor. Suzaku sighed, and for a few minutes Kallen could make out the same proud yet gentle teenager who had tried time and again to have her defect to Britannia. The moment was shattered however, as another feminine voice pierced the room.
"Who would've guessed you two were together?"
Both pilots cringed at the voice and shared a knowing look as they tilted their heads towards the origin of the voice. There was only one person who could be that annoying, one person whose very presence had been the cause of migraines for even the level-headed Lelouch, one person who had the impressive knack for entering a room without a single person ever noticing she was there. Sure enough the two saw the once-familiar face besieged by flowing green hair, now wearing a normal civilian uniform instead of her bizarre clothing choices. "C...C.C!" Kallen finally shouted out, as Suzaku just looked around the room for whatever entrance she could've gotten through without their notice. "How long have you...wait, we haven't set down in months! How did you even get aboard?" The immortal witch smirked as she turned to Kallen, and before a single word left her lips Kallen knew C.C would make some snide comment. Sure enough, all she said was "How else? I walked through the door" before getting up from her own seat and sitting next to Suzaku on the bed. "I was getting bored and figured I'd stay here." Kallen had begun to fume as she realized C.C still knew exactly which buttons of hers to press, but Suzaku just turned himself bodily so that they formed a triangle. "C.C, I know you wouldn't just come here...what happened?" C.C gave Kallen one last brief smile before looking at Suzaku. "You're just about as perceptive as that other brat" she started, causing both to tense up at the mention of Lelouch. "Alright, here's what I know..."
CURRENT DAY, TOKYO...
Shinji looked up to the video of the former prince and back to Lelouch, knowing with his newfound memories just how deep their blood feud had gone. The other two weren't as gifted, as both Seiei and Rysuei looked from the balloon to Lelouch and back again with confused looks. "I'll explain later" Shinji told the two, finally breaking their cycle and locking their eyes on himself with even greater bewilderment. "Right now we should probably get going, right?" Pointing to the distance Shinji saw both his friends and Lelouch follow his arm and turn their eyes to the horizon, where a large contingent of Knightmares were flying in towards key locations in the city. They all carried the familiar color scheme of the Black Knights, but over eighty percent of them were Vincents and Gareths. "Good idea" Ryusei responded, regaining his composure and grinning as he put his hands behind his head. "But how are we gonna do it?"
To answer his question Shinji pointed towards the academy forest. A small group of four Knightmares had broken off from the main force and landed in the woods, their pilots outside with assault rifles raised. While the three teens were transfixed on the machines Lelouch's mind was already moving ahead to the planning stage, so that before the three could stop him Lelouch had broken out into a run straight for the trees while using the rubble as cover. Still so bothersome Lelouch thought to himself, his breathing not quite as heavy from the brief sprint as it once would have been. Being unable to ride public transportation Lelouch had taken to more classic modes of travel such as walking and biking. These once impossible tasks had grown easier over time, though reaching the point of decent fitness had left Lelouch with multiple bruises and a few good tears in his clothing. Again his left eye burned, as Lelouch thought about the circumstances surrounding his rebirth. Had C's World somehow altered the rules of Geass? From what he had learned from CC and his father Lelouch had believed the code of immortality would overwrite his Geass. Instead it had only diminished the power, once more allowing Lelouch to have control over its activation. The Code had likewise weakened, keeping him invulnerable yet still allowing him to age. CC had given him no answers for this, and had left him to his own machinations roughly a year ago without any warning.
Moving so that the pilots would not hear his approach Lelouch prepared his next move. While he could have easily rushed them the gunshots would alert their allies. Besides, he had a greater plan in store than just killing them. Creeping up behind them he coughed to gain their attention, and before any of them could begin firing Lelouch sprang his trap. "Give me your Knightmares" he commanded the soldiers, motioning the three teenagers to come over while he spoke. The guards went slack at his command, their sidearms pointing down as they offered him their keys and startup passwords. Handing off three of the keys to the teens Lelouch instructed them to climb into their respective machines after handing the guards' weapons over to the three as well. Ryusei and Seiei both climbed aboard the two Gareths while Shinji climbed into one of the Vincents, as Lelouch drew his sword. No sooner had the guards come out of their stupor than Lelouch slashed through the four with a horizontal slash, beheading all four in a single movement. Wiping the excess blood off his sword with the guards' clothing Lelouch turned an entered the final Vincent, his fingers ablaze as he started up the control sequence. The system finished engaging just as a hailstorm of radio chatter came through on the comms system. Although he could barely make out most of it, a few lines of information came through clearly. Lelouch did a double-take at the broadcast, before switching the radio to a private line. "You three...N-1, B-1 and B-2" he started, as within the three machines the three teens looked at their radio with perplexed looks. "Switch over to Line C-106-P and tell me your names." The three did as instructed, while Lelouch went over his new plan. "Alright then, Shinji is N-1, Ryusei is B-2 and Seiei is B-1. Address me as K-1; it's best we don't let them hear our names in combat. Follow my signal, and stay in formation!"
ONE HOUR AGO, SOMEWHERE OVER JAPAN...
"Move it Suzaku!" The once-masked young man ducked as another shot flew over his head, as Kallen threw a smoke bomb behind them. The two had decided to stay behind to give the others time to escape, while Tohdoh had led the other pilots to the hangar to get their Knightmares ready. Kallen was still in shock from the sneak attack; it was less than an hour ago when everything had seemed normal, but in that time everything had changed. Now they were being attacked by their own, Black Knights ordered by Schneizel to attack them for treachery. Tohdoh had been the first to encounter them, but when Suzaku confessed everything they knew the war hero returned to being their ally. The other core members had gathered soon after, with Ohgi and his beloved Villetta at the helm of the group. Suzaku had unmasked then and there, though the reaction was more of grim understanding and less actual surprise. Quickly they had devised an escape plan, using a recently upgraded version of the Avalon to hold their noncombat personnel while the pilots gathered their machines and guarded the Avalon.
For once Kallen genuinely wished that CC had been there. True she wasn't much help in a fight, but her immunity to death would've been a very helpful asset at the moment. But CC had left soon after arriving, merely passing on rumors about a new military group and the rebirth of the Geass Order before leaving once again. Still, as Suzaku used his trademark spin-kick to knock out a pair of guards in their way Kallen smiled as she knew how decent their chances were. An explosion rocked the corridor, sending everyone on their backs and causing a few unlucky soldiers to shoot the lights or their allies. The two pilots exchanged looks and bolted for the Knightmare hangar, using the last of the smoke grenades to obstruct the soldiers that followed. They pulled out their Knightmare activation keys and raced through the hangar entry door to be pushed back by a strong rush of wind. Apparently the others had been unable to open the bay's outer door, and had instead blown the entire thing off to save time. With the wind buffeting them the two could not even shout to be heard, instead giving each other a thumbs-up and dashing to their machines as easily as they could.
Suzaku got to the Lancelot first, inserting the key as the familiar boot-up sequence engaged. The Lancelot Albion came to life, its green energy wings lighting up as it walked towards the opening. The Guren-SEITEN soon followed, its own brilliant red wings offset by the golden claw's constant flexing and unflexing. Looking out below the two could see the others holding formation, the Avalon's shields holding firm against the Zwei's machinegun turrets. The two machines leaped out into the open air, cutting down a few of the other Knightmares that had just begun their pursuit in the process. The two took flanking positions on the Avalon, allowing the Zangetsu to take point while the Akatsuki units spread out. Turning around in midair the two unleashed their own attacks on the Zwei's Hadron Cannon, Kallen's Radiant Wave Surger mixing with the stream of energy released from Suzaku's energy wings. While the cannon had been improved with Blaze Luminous shielding the shields could not hold up to the constant barrage, which allowed the Albion to swoop in, dual MVSs ignited, and slash through the cannon repeatedly until it would take weeks to repair.
Satisfied the convoy began to accelerate away from the Zwei and head inland. When they had finally gone outside the Zwei's radio range Kallen signaled the others to turn on their comm systems. "It's a cout!" Kallen shouted, her voice strained with the shock. "Schneizel's trying to take over the Black Knights" Suzaku interjected, his voice full of remorse. "I guess Lelouch's Geass on him wore off or something..." The original Zero's name had been taboo, but considering all that had occured nobody minded the slip. "Head for Tokyo" Ohgi instructed, causing both young adults to show expressions of confusion. "It's a highly-populated area, and we have plenty of people there. It's the best place to hide until we have a plan." The others solemnly agreed, and the convoy adjusted its course to make a beeline for the Japanese capital.
TWENTY MINUTES AGO, KNIGHT POLICE BARRACKS...
The gunshots echoed through the hall as police officers fell one by one. Rivalz had ducked behind an open doorway and was looking back to shoot the oncoming enemies. Since his acceptance into the Knight Police Rivalz had been keen on becoming the best, showing everyone what he could do. To that end he had taken up some sharpshooting lessons to improve his aim with the Knight Police concussion rifle, and had spent thousands of hours doing various Knightmare combat simulations in the training rooms. Now that training had been scaled to a human size, as Rivalz used his months of training to shoot down three of the enemy troops. The other officers around him converged their own firepower on the enemy, shooting down the remaining four with ease. Leading the small group of six police officers Rivalz raced down the hall, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. What was going on? The barracks had just seemed to erupt with gunfire in an instant, putting everyone into a panic. The Knight Police were scattered all over the compound, with Rivalz and his newly-formed squad the closest to the Knightmares.
Turning the final corner that would bring them into the hangar Rivalz ducked back behind another wall, as one of his men raced past him and got blasted by a barrage of gunshots. "Why are you doing this, Captain Heinz?" The police captain's voice echoed through the hall, a small detail of sarcasm and arrogance in his voice. "Sorry Officer Cardemonde, but I don't have the time to explain everything to you. You just have to ask the others in the afterlife!" With that last sarcastic comment a machinegun echoed through the hall, as another approaching squad of officers fell to the ground. Rivalz took a quick glance around the corner and pulled his head back instantly, as the area his head had been shattered with gunfire. Pulling out his own handgun Rivalz motioned the others to gather behind him and whispered his insane plan to them. Rivalz then dashed through the corridor to the hall straight ahead of him, shooting his gun in the direction of the police captain as he did so. The former officers trained their weapons on him, and Rivalz switched out firepower for speed as he turned and barreled towards the unoccupied hall as fast as his legs would carry him. His squad put their plan into action, and with all the enemy firepower trained on Rivalz there was no challenge.
Soon all the enemy officers were either dead or mortally wounded, as Rivalz raced ahead and removed their weapons. Checking for any surviving threats he then motioned the other five to join him in the hangar, switching out his pistol for one of the assault rifles in the process. Once in the hangar it was idiotically simple to obtain access to the police Knightmares; they had an actual key hook like those found in hotels, in which existed both the Knightmare's key and an access code. "Johnson, Gabrielle, Mitchell" Rivalz summoned the three over to him first, keeping the other two on guard duty. "You guys take the Sutherlands. Samson and Delia, you're with me on the Gloucesters." Rivalz was happier piloting the close-combat machine left over from "Cornelia's age", when a Gloucester represented the pinnacle of ability. With the mass-production of the Vincents they had been handed down to the Knight Police, so that the original purple color scheme had been replaced by the K.P.'s classic white-and-blue one. They were still fierce fighting machines, extremely useful against the random Glasgows and Burais that various crime groups had somehow acquired.
Racing over to his own Knightmare Rivalz could hear a series of explosions ripple throughout the city. What the hell was going on?, Rivalz thought to himself as he powered up the Gloucester. The city goes into a state of emergency, just as the Knight Police start their own little civil war? Rivalz looked to the wall beside him, where various weapons were kept. Holstering one of the concussion rifles behind the frame Rivalz grabbed a pair of MVS swords and attached them to the Gloucester's "belt". He then grabbed a riot shield off the wall, before finally retrieving the seldom-used lance which had been a favorite of great knights like Cornelia and Guilford prior to their disappearance. Rivalz had always wondered why the Knight Police had been given a few of these, but now he was more than grateful; with the city under some sort of attack having a powerful weapon would definitely help Rivalz protect those he had sworn an oath to. For a brief moment he wished Kallen or even Suzaku was there to help, but Suzaku had died years ago. As for Kallen, as soon as they graduated together she had gone right back into the Black Knights. Rivalz hadn't been sure what he had wanted to do with his life, and with the sobering effect of all his friends either dead or gone Rivalz had finally decided on becoming a Knightmare pilot so that nobody would ever have to face what he faced.
Hitting the hangar toggle switch built for rapid Knightmare deployment Rivalz raced out into the streets with his squad close-knit behind him. They had all picked up an assortment of special ordinance, ranging from Delia and her twin machineguns to Mitchell and his oversized anti-air rocket launcher. They had just cleared the Knight Police secure zone when Rivalz caught a glimpse of what was attacking them: three Black Knights frames had rounded the corner and fired upon them. The six scattered, though Johnson was unlucky as his frame was singled out and perforated by the three enemy units. They were made up of two Akatsuki frames and a Vincent, all three of which had been equipped with assault rifles to add to their already-impressive arsenal. Delia moved first, firing her machineguns in perfect rhythm to each other, catching one of the Akatsuki off-guard and blowing off its arm. Gabrielle finished what Delia had started by using the giant mortar-launcher she had grabbed on the way out to lob an explosive over her cover and onto the damaged Akatsuki. Samson moved in to attack the other Akatsuki with his own MVS, which forced the Akatsuki to activate its Float System...and fly right into the crosshairs of Mitchell's rocket launcher. With only the Vincent left Rivalz thrust the shield out in front of him and barreled forward, blocking the Vincent's infamous Elbow Pulse counterattack and skewering both pilot and frame with his lance.
Turning back Rivalz could see Johnson's Sutherland still smoldering from the assault, the ejection pod torn to shreds by the oversized bullets. Rivalz bowed his head in remorse within his frame, announcing on the private Police channel that Johnson had died with honor during a firefight. Looking to the sky Rivalz could see more Black Knights descending from above, as they began to split off towards different targets. As he watched Rivalz noticed the direction in which the assault team closest to his squad was heading...and he felt a lump in his throat as he knew where they were headed. "The broadcasting stations! They're going to take over and keep us from getting help!" The other officers proclaimed their shock and rage as the five tried to cut off the incoming Knightmares, but there was only one thing on Rivalz's mind. Hang in there Milly, I'm gonna come and save you!