Disclaimer: I do not own anything written in this fan-fic with the exception of my OC characters.

Author's Note: Reviews and comments on how to further improve are appreciated. There will be no yaoi nor will there be any lemons. Please don't try to debate about historical accuracy in this fanfic - Code Geass itself is already ASB when it comes to historical accuracy. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Shinjuku Ghetto (Yellow Zone) - Present Time

"So, are we having a bad day?" a voice said in an unusually cheery manner, bringing Suzaku back to consciousness whose eyes snapped open. "Looks like you've missed the chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi."

'I'm not dead?' Getting up, Suzaku found himself on a bed in a room filled with medical equipment.

He was not alone; there was a man dressed in a white lab coat and a woman with blue hair who was holding something in her hands.

"W-Where..."

"Ah, we are still in Shinjuku Ghetto. No need to worry; with Prince Clovis nearby, we are probably in the safest place of the entire area," the man explained. "You must be wondering what is going on. Allow me to explain everything that had happened while you were unconscious."

For the next few minutes, Suzaku was quiet as he listened to the man who updated him on the latest situation. Apparently, he had survived the gunshot thanks to his father's watch which he had placed right just where the bullet had struck him. As for the 'poison gas', it had been released, killing many Elevens in the process. Suzaku shook his head at this. Everything about the poison gas had been a lie but he decided not to mention that to the two other occupants.

His thoughts went to that of Lelouch and the girl.

With the man saying that they had found no one else but him, it was possible that the two had managed to escape from the royal guards.

The next piece of news however horrified him.

"What!?" Suzaku gasped upon hearing about the ambush. "How is that possible?"

The man raised his arms and shrugged. "Hard to say for sure. From what little information I've gathered, it looks like the terrorist group was far larger and organized than what command had believed it to be and had lain in wait for the army all this time. Seems to me that the poison gas was only meant to act as a bait to lure the military into their trap."

'This isn't good.' Suzaku thought. If Lelouch and the girl were still in there, things had just gotten much more dangerous for them. And the civilians, who knows how many must had been caught in the ongoing battle. [1]

Noticing the distressed look on the private, the man grinned.

"Tell me Private Kururugi, do you have any experience with piloting a Knightmare?"

"No," Suzaku answered, confused by the man's obvious question. "We auxiliaries aren't allowed to pilot any Knightmares or undergo any sort of Knightmare training." [2]

"A pity, I was hoping it would be otherwise. Guess it was too much to hope for," the man said with a look of dissapointment. He turned away and made to leave, giving little chance for Suzaku could ask him anything else. "Well then, if you excuse us, Cecily and I have to tend to the rest of the wounded. You're free to help us though I would recommend that you get some rest instead with that state of yours."

Meanwhile ...

This was ridiculous.

He knew that command was incompetent but to give intelligence that was completely out? Damn those in command! Damn them all! He should have known better than to believe that they were only going to face a simple terrorist group! But he had to give the Elevens their due. They had somehow managed to snuck up on him and his men undetected until it was too late.

The Britannian captain glared at the enemy who were shooting at his men from the buildings before looking back at his own forces.

Surprised and attacked from several directions, they had become easy pickings for the enemy. He saw the left eye of one soldier burst from his socket as a bullet tore right through it, the man's mouth opening to ask him for orders only to end in a shocked gasp. Another whose left arm became a bloody stump, his body mutilated by shrapnel when a RPG struck the spot close to him. Men all around him fell: some he knew by name, others he knew only by sight. Gunfire struck the cover of a nearby private, sending bits of earth flying and causing the young soldier to instinctively flattened himself in a crater created by an IED explosion which had taken out a Sutherland.

An action which drew a terse reprimand from him. "What are you doing? Get up and start shooting!"

Mustering whatever courage that he had, the private brought his rifle to bear and started firing in controlled burst fire.

Satisfied, the captain darted from spot to spot, restoring order and relaying precise orders to the rest of his men.

His efforts showed; more began to take positions and fight back, their training kicking in as the shock that had gripped them faded away with their officer's commands. Suddenly, the captain heard heavier burst of machine gun fire that tore large chunks of concrete from the buildings where the terrorists were positioned at. Two Sutherlands had arrived, bringing with them the heavy fire that no terrorists could ever hoped to match.

Their arrival marked a change in the tide of the battle as the Britannians began pouring more and more fire at the enemy.

He was changing to his third clip when artillery shells struck the building, causing it to collapse.

That did not stop his men from shooting at the crumbling building.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!"

He had to shout a few times before the last of his soldiers stopped firing.

The battle had lasted only for minutes, ending as quickly as it had started.

"All sergeants report to me now! I want a list of casualties!"

He was about to move out when he heard something in the distance. For a moment, he wondered what it was when it clicked in his head and he hurled himself to the ground, dragging a soldier down with him just as the first mortar round exploded behind him.

Flattening himself, the captain heard shouts of alarm before they were drowned out by a loud explosion followed by the noise of gunfire once more.

Turning his head, he was shocked to find one of the Sutherlands down with the terrorists now attacking them from behind in another building which had been deemed to be empty before this. Activating the communicator in his helmet, he tried to contact other nearby forces for help only to be stunned upon learning that the same had occurred for the rest of the military in the other sectors. It was then that the Britannian captain realized that things had just become real bad for them.

Jeremiah scowled as he listened to the reports coming in from the Britannian forces throughout Shinjuku Ghetto.

Moving about the ghetto, he twisted his Knightmare just in time to avoid an incoming rocket from some ruins, sneering as he unloaded half of his Knightmare's assault rifle in return. Cowards, it was no surprise that the Elevens would resort to such craven tactics to fight against the empire. Satisfied with his retribution, Jeremiah was about to head on to engage other nearby opponents when a helicopter above him exploded in a ball of flame by a Slash Harken.

Tracing the harpoon attack, he spotted an enemy Glasglow, the very same one that had escaped from him back at the highway.

He launched his own Slash Harken at the Glasglow only for the enemy Knightmare to dodge the attack and flee.

Jeremiah smiled.

It seemed that he was going to get his chance to finish his fight with this worthwhile opponent.

The leader of the Purists engaged in a chase with the Glasglow whose pilot put up a challenge though it was a futile attempt in the end.

"Pathetic Eleven. Where do you think you're going?" Jeremiah scoffed as the Glasglow made a sharp turn at a corner. Following the Glasglow closely, his face of triumph turned to that of horror when he saw what awaited him. Several Elevens were waiting for him, armed with RPGs that were all aimed at him.

'I have been lured into a trap!' he realized.

The Sutherland pilot made to shoot but it was too late as four rockets came flying at him.

He managed to dodge three of them, only to have the last one take out his legs. As his Sutherland crashed to the ground, Jeremiah quickly activated his eject pod which carried him away to safety just in time as the Glasglow he had been chasing charged at him. 'To be beaten by Elevens, I will remember this.'

Kallen gave a cry of victory as she watched the enemy pilot flew away.

It had been almost too easy to lure her pursuer into the trap.

"Kallen, what's your status?" Ohgi's voice came from her radio.

"Doing well Ohgi. I've managed to lure a Sutherland into a trap and take it out," she answered. "My battery's getting low but it should be enough to continue the battle for a while. What's the situation?"

"Not as I had hoped. We've got them hurting Kallen but they're not giving ground. The battle's going on longer than we can afford so we got to step it up or we'll have no choice but to retreat." [3]

"Understood, Ohgi. Kallen out!"

G1-Base

"Send Sir Conall's squad to sector 2 to reinforce the troops there immediately."

"Yes sir."

General Bartley watched as the officer dispatched his orders before staring back at the command interface in front of him, sweating profusely.

How did it came to this?

Was there something he was unaware of? Had he made an error somewhere?

And the Elevens, how were they able to appear and disappear anywhere in the ghetto?

His thoughts were interrupted by Prince Clovis.

"What is the meaning of this general? You assured me that we would not be having any problems in dealing with this terrorist group. Instead, not only have you lost the experiment, you are allowing these Elevens to make a mockery out of me. Need I remind you that failure will not be tolerated!" the prince stated, speaking the last few words in clear anger.

"Y-your highness! There is no need to worry my lord. I assure you that the situation is still well under control. It's just a small mishap that we're facing here," Bartley stammered in reply. Turning to face his officers, he barked another set of orders. "Inform our forces that they are to fight harder. Their failure to bring a swift end to the rebels is an embarrassment to both our imperial prince and the empire! And bring in the remaining forces in the outskirts of Shinjuku Ghetto to aid them now!"

There was still time for him to get himself out of this mess.

'Yes.' the general mentally assured himself. 'It is just a setback, nothing more.'

These were Elevens that he was up against, they shouldn't be able to hold against his army for much longer.

Yet, as the battle continued on, the general found his beliefs proven wrong and his worries grew as casualties mounted with no victory in sight.

Lelouch gritted his teeth as he turned the Sutherland just in time to avoid smashing into a building.

He hated to admit it but he was having trouble with the Sutherland - its controls and abilities were completely different from the outdated Ganymede he had practiced with back at Ashford Academy. [4]

It was fortunate that he had yet to encounter any Britannian forces or terrorists or things would have been real ugly.

In spite of this, Lelouch could not help but chuckle.

This power of his that he had gained back at the warehouse - it was everything he needed to carry out his goals. After all those years of hiding, he could finally strike back at Britannia and more importantly find those who had killed his mother and made both his life and Nunally's a mess. Granted, there were things he would have to do before he could carry out his revenge. There was his Geass; Lelouch knew little about its capabilities other than the recently discovered fact that it needed direct eye contact to work. He would have to spend some time learning its limits first. Not a problem considering he had all the time he needed back at the academy with more than enough people to test his powers on.

He also had to create an army of his own, one capable of going up against Britannia's military.

An interesting challenge to say the least.

But first things first, he will need to find a way out of here.

Having found himself a safe spot for the time being, the ex-prince brought his Knightmare to a halt before activating the IFF system.

It took several minutes for him to examine the chaotic battle before the teenager frowned.

It was clear that this was no simple terrorist group that the Britannians were facing here. Their attacks were coordinated, their numbers many and the weapons used while outdated were something that no simple terrorist group could get their hands on. He remembered hearing rumours of an organized Japanese resistance that was growing larger with each passing day back at the academy.

No doubt this was the organization the rumours were referring to.

Currently, neither side held the upper hand in the battle.

The freedom fighters had hit the Britannians hard and keeping them confused but they were still outnumbered and lacked the firepower that the Britannians possessed. The latter on the other hand were holding out against the resistance fighters but they were spread out and too disorganized to launch a counter attack.

Based on what Shirley had told him minutes ago, it was safe to conclude that the Britannians could not afford to bring in any reinforcements if they wanted to keep this incident as low as possible. As it stands, all it takes was a mistake or a small advantage on either side to turn the tide of the battle.

Lelouch leaned back on his seat and considered his options.

The Britannians were occupied but there were too many of them for him to make his escape.

He considered seeking sanctuary from them but discarded the thought immediately.

Too risky considering his experiences with the royal guards back at the warehouse.

That left him with only one option. He would have to lend the Japanese rebels his help.

With his tactics and all the information on the Britannian military in his hands, he could easily help the rebels win the battle. Besides, they had to pay him back in full for getting him involved in this. His mind made up, the teenager pulled out the rebel communicator which he had brought with him. Turning it on, Lelouch listened to the chatter between the Japanese rebels, took a deep breath before speaking fluently in Japanese. "This is an ally of the Japanese resistance speaking. I wish to speak with your leader. I have useful information regarding the Britannian army and I wish to share this with your leader."

As soon as he said those words, the entire channel went silent and Lelouch wondered if he had made a huge mistake.

Then, came a reply, "This is the leader of the resistance speaking. Who is this ... and how did you get this frequency?"

30 minutes later...

Looking at his surroundings, Ohgi found himself looking at a familiar scene, one that was common during the Second Pacific War. Only this time, it was the Britannians that littered the field and not his fellow Japanese people. He should had been exhausted but the cheers of his men and the knowledge of what they had accomplished here today were sweeping any fatigue away.

They had done it.

They had defeated the Britannians and forced them out from Shinjuku Ghetto. Yes, they had suffered some losses but they had achieved their goal. After all those years of humiliation and injustice, the people of Japan have successfully claimed a victory against their conquerors.

The victory had came as a surprise to everyone. When the last GLA soldier had stopped firing, a brief hush had fallen across the entire ghetto. He remembered blinking his eyes as he and his men watched the Britannians retreat in disarray. Nobody had reacted at first; all were surprised at what they were seeing. It was Tamaki who broke the silence, the man had clasped a hand on Ohgi's shoulder while shouting out in disbelief, "Ohgi, we've did it! We've defeated those bastards and showed them whose boss!"

As soon as he heard that, new sounds broke the silence: the cheering and disbelieving noise of everyone at the realization that they had won the battle. Some looked at him as if he was some kind of hero to them even though it had been the collective efforts of everyone that the battle was won.

Ohgi nodded and smiled at the cheers and acclaim but on the inside he was already thinking about his next move.

The battle was over but there was still a long way to go before Japan is liberated.

And there was the poison gas.

Gesturing for his men to quiet down, he began snapping orders. The wounded must be seen to immediately. Every weapon, armour and useful equipment were to be scavenged from the battlefield. Food and drink for his men. Any surviving Britannians or Japanese traitors found were to be sent to Izumi at Saitama Ghetto. More soldiers were dispatched to search for the Nagata and the lorry.

"P-1, do you copy?" his walkie-talkie crackled to life.

Ohgi frowned as he answered the call. "Zero."

"Congratulations on your victory P-1, you have claimed an important victory today."

"Perhaps, though the information you've provided contributed to that."

"Yes, my information and advise did prove useful did they not? Though you would have achieved more had you listened to me from the beginning." A hard look formed on Ohgi's face. Who does this Zero thinks he is? The mysterious caller had tried to order him and his men around as if he was in charge and not Ohgi. Even after deciding to trust the information given by Zero, he had ignored the stranger's strategies for most of the battle unless they coincided with his own. [5]

"Let's be frank here Zero. You came in from nowhere, refusing to give us your identity and you expect me to trust you? For all we know, you could have been on the Britannian's side trying to trick us into making a mistake. I needed to know whether I could trust you and I wasn't going to stake the lives of my men immediately or for one of your suggestions. You have my thanks for helping us out but if you want to gain my trust, the first thing you can start with is by answering my questions," Ohgi said. "So who are you? And how did you get this channel?"

"You need not worry P-1. All will be revealed in due time. I understand your suspicions but I assure you that I am not your enemy. You and I are no different; the both of us have the same enemy and are fighting for the same thing."

"And what is that?"

"Why, to defeat the Holy Britannian Empire and the injustice that it practices. In any case, thanks to you and your men's efforts, I was able to deal with a certain matter ... one that will aid us in our cause."

Ohgi did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean by that? Hey, answer me. Hey-" he demanded but communication with the stranger broke off.

'A World In Flames' by John Howard, Monash University Press, 2051 a.t.b

-Aftermath of the Battle of Shinjuku Ghetto-

The Battle of Shinjuku Ghetto would be remembered as one of the worst military debacles ever to occur in Britannia's military history. The first major engagement between forces of the empire and the Global Liberation Army, it ended in disaster for the empire.

By the end of the day, GLA forces suffered relatively light casualties with only 57 soldiers officially confirmed killed and they did not leave a single casualty on the battlefield. Following the battle, the Japanese rebels went on to take full control of Shinjuku Ghetto, expanding their base area and influence as a result. [6]

Unlike their adversaries, the Britannian military in Japan suffered heavily in the battle. The Britannians lost a total of about 162 personnel killed in action, 181 wounded and 28 missing, not accounting the many vehicles, helicopters and Sutherlands taken out during the battle. In just a single day of fighting, several Britannian infantry companies had suffered terrible losses while a Knightmare battalion was rendered ineffective as a fighting force. Despite attempts to keep it a secret, news of the defeat soon became public, causing panic among the Britannian populace and a plummet in the morale of the military forces stationed in Japan.

Another casualty of note was the Viceroy Clovis la Britannia who was assassinated during the chaos of the battle though the perpetrator behind his death is still disputed by historians today.

Indirect consequences of the battle were however much more severe.

The implications of the defeat cannot be understated. For the first time in history, a rebel force was able to hold against the Britannian army and maul their regular units in a large set-piece battle despite being heavily outgunned and outnumbered. The GLA demonstrated that when properly-supplied with military supplies and prepared, they had the ability to defeat the greatest military in the world, a fact which was not lost on the leaders of the violent non-state actor.

Gone now was the perceived superiority of the Britannian military and the fear it used to strike into the hearts of the various resistance elements of the Global Liberation Army. Throughout the empire's territories, many took the Battle of Shinjuku Ghetto as a form of inspiration and began stepping up their activities. The first step towards a third world war had been taken...

-Explanations-

[1] Suzaku is unaware that there were no civilians present in Shinjuku Ghetto when the Britannians came.

[2] Let's discuss this for a moment. How does Suzaku, a simple auxiliary soldier able to pilot Lancelot like an expert pilot in the anime? It makes no sense. I do not agree with the idea that he had Knightmare training before this. As far as I am aware, he barely had any contact with the JLF so he couldn't get any training from there and Britannia giving Knightmare training to auxiliaries also does not make sense. Why would you want to give such training for auxiliaries whose loyalty is in doubt? If the empire did so, imagine the auxiliary pilots suddenly going AWOL one day and joining the JLF or getting hold of some Knightmare, outdated or not and starting their own rebellion. That said, Suzaku will still remain the pilot of Lancelot, just not for this battle and a proper explanation of how he got to this position will be provided.

[3] Some might wonder why Ohgi does not pull back his forces when things aren't looking his way. This is because he is desperate to strike back at the Britannians. Hurting them isn't enough, he wants to claim a victory. As a result, he decides to take a risk and hold back from ordering a retreat from Shinjuku Ghetto. Ohgi may be competent but he like everyone else can make mistakes too.

[4] This is another thing that bothers me, Lelouch being a decent pilot in the anime. Sure, he had pilot a Knightmare before but it was Ganymede, an outdated model. He sure did not had a Glasglow or Sutherland which if you noticed is completely different from Ganymede. Because of this, I decided to make Lelouch have some trouble piloting a Sutherland although with time, he will learn how to properly pilot it.

[5] Ohgi and the rebels weren't in a desperate situation to listen to Zero's orders. Furthermore, considering the GLA are extremely suspicious of those who aren't from their ranks, it's more likely for the situation to play out like this and not like the one in the anime. Also, some of you might notice that the GLA forces did not have Lelouch gift them with Sutherlands. To be honest, I didn't like how a train filled with Sutherlands just came out from nowhere. Even if it did, I dislike how Ohgi and the others in the anime did not have to key in some code. As for Kallen, there will be an explanation of how she came to pilot a Glasglow.

[6] If you're wondering how the GLA suffered such casualties, remember that although their guerilla tactics were working, they did not have the luxury of Lelouch informing them on the Britannian military movements until later. And remember that they did not use any Knightmares at all save Kallen. With that, I felt that having the GLA suffer no casualties is a bit unfair for the Britannians. The latter do have a military that is competent to a certain degree. That said, the casualties suffered by the Britannians is higher than in the anime.

-Author's Notes-

Chapter 2 is complete.

As previously mentioned, I've decided to skip through most of the anime parts and the battle in this fanfic. No need to show Lelouch picking up chess pieces, criticizing the Britannians for their strategy or him killing Clovis as we already know it. The next chapter will be the effects of Ohgi's victory at Shinjuku Ghetto, more on the GLA leadership and them escalating their activities on both the EU and Britannia. I do not know if I've just made Lelouch OOC or not but do notify me if I did.

Being sick, I did not revise this chapter for I just want to get this story out. Otherwise, I would have been delaying this update forever.

If there is anything that you readers feel that you do not like about the way this fanfic is being written or have any questions to ask, feel free to mention them.

Thank you for reading this story and I hoped you enjoyed reading it.