Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, Nunnally would have stayed dead. She's a great character and all, but her and anybody else caught in the big-pink-explosion-that-doesn't-really-kill-anybody-with-a-name should have died that episode.

IMPORTANT! The previous chapter has been edited and reuploaded, slightly changing the time in which it takes place. This is due to a continuity goof on my part. Turns out that having a simulated duel with Kallen after the conquering of the Chinese Federation would have been impossible, seeing as she was in the clutches of the Britannian military at that point. This slip up is entirely my fault, but you regular readers should be ashamed as well for not calling me on it! The only difference is that 24 and his companions arrive at the Black Knights after the Tianzi was kidnapped, but before the Shen Hu shows up. And now, back to the story!

The door to 24's assigned quarters had barely slid open when a massive rumbling rippled through the ship. An alarm sounded and voices began shouting over the intercom. Urgent thoughts began pouring in.

…the hell was that…

…an attack?

…forward most Knightmare Squad…

This is strange…

…disappeared…

It should have been another hour…

…should retreat…

…before we engaged enemy troops.

…bad…

…read our plan?

One thing was clear, an enemy had shown itself and it had not been accounted for. 24 followed a crowd of several other soldiers onto an observation deck, looking out towards a smoke filled horizon. Out of the smoke floated a vision that could only be described as the beauty of death incarnate. The purple figure of the Knightmare Frame simply hung in space, arms at its side. The golden face and red accents seemed designed to inspire awe and fear in those who gazed upon it.

Shen Hu

The thought drifted from nearby. Obviously at least some of the crew had known of this weapon, though they knew not of its current allegiance.

At the head of the crowd 24 mingled with, the red-haired pilot gasped and ran inside. A small squadron of Knightmare raced to meet this new thread, only to be easily cut down by a wrist mounted slash harken. Almost immediately after the final unit of the Knightmare squad went down, a flash of red launched from the Ikaruga, shouting out (whether in a battle cry, or the name of the enemy 24 could not tell). With a start, 24 recognized the design of the Knightmare as being identical to the one he had just faced in simulation.

…idiot…

…damn that girl!

…being to reckless…

…hasn't been refueled yet…

24 took all these thoughts in as he gazed at the battle. The two pilots seemed evenly matched, and it was no question that the Knightmares were top of the line. They exchanged blows countless times, dodging in and out of range, avoiding missile fire. The Gurren's hand glowed with an awesome power, as if the burning grip was telling the pilot to defeat the enemy. The Shenhu's chest cavity opened, revealing an equally daunting glow of suppressed energy. Each combatant let loose, their forces colliding and, for a moment, the entire world seemed to stand still. A sudden shockwave swept rocks and debris towards the Ikaruga and the entire craft shook in response. 24 had to duck inside to avoid being hit by stray chunks of earth.

From a window, he witnessed as the massive purple mechanism shot out a cable and ensnared the Gurren's leg. It's over, he thought to himself. Either the Gurren would fling herself towards the Shenhu or the Shenhu would send her crashing to the ground. As that terrifying right hand glowed once more, the red frame dove forward… and faltered.

…hasn't been refueled yet…

A second cable shot out and completely ensnared the Gurren, now drained of energy and in the hands of the enemy. I can help her. 24 thought to himself. I can defeat this guy. Abruptly, a series of gunfire came exploding from the rear of the Ikaruga, impacting the ship's shields and targeting a squadron of frames sent in an attempt to retrieve the Ace who had become trapped in her frame. Shit.

...captured…

…no way…

…damn Chinese…

…Kallen…

From what he could tell as he rushed towards the hangar, an argument was occurring on the bridge as to whether they should pursue the enemy or retreat. Apparently, the enemy frame was of Indian make and India was to be their allies. It seemed as though they had been betrayed. The argument for pursuit won out.

Upon reaching the hangar, he was halted. "Hold it rookie; you're not cleared for combat yet. You only joined us today, after all." 24 sighed as he tried to figure a way out of this. He couldn't use his Geass without possibly alerting those onboard who were sensitive to such things. But wasn't he the enemy? What reason did he have to assist the Black Knights in retrieving their best pilot? He was a spy after all, not a loyal soldier.

With little else to do, he went back up to the operation desk. One would think that Zero would want all the help he could get to win this. Even the smallest pawn can make or break a game of chess.

"Something stinks about this whole battle." The woman in his squad who had identified herself as Xia Yu Lan had approached him from the side. Her eyes glowed a soft red, indicating her subtle, non invasive Geass was in effect. She was a curiosity. In the past year, a new form of Geass had developed, labeled Type D. This form of Geass had no immediate effects on other people, but provided something for or enhanced the user in some way. Yu Lan's Geass gave her heightened perception of her surroundings, allowing her to detect subtleties where others would see nothing.

How do you mean?

"The Chinese practically let themselves become surrounded, and there is something peculiar about the way the ground sits and reacts when disturbed, almost as if it had once been sloppily prepared for farmland and then forgotten."

What does the ground have to do with anything?

Yu Lan shook her head. "I'm not sure but…" She cut off as a steady flow of brown water swept into view, covering a good portion of the battlefield except for those places where the Chinese Forces waited. "Oh. Oh, that's clever."

24 was about to inquire what she meant when he himself noticed. Those Knightmares that remained on the ground had begun to sink into the mud, some as far as waist deep. The main body of the Black Knight's land forces was effectively trapped. That is clever.

The Ikaruga's sides bellowed open as two massive canons extended from the ship's hull. Gargantuan beams of red light shot forth from the twin artillery guns, sweeping across the battlefield and obliterated the Chinese forces flanks. Flight capable Knightmare Frames launched to rescue the trapped comrades while the Black Knights' flag ship began to come around in retreat.

Zero had been outwitted.

The Tiandi's 88th Mausoleum was both a tomb and a monument to the long dead emperors and empresses of China; a sacred artifact of culture and history. It was here that the Black Knights fled to, hoping that their pursuers would not be as bold as to fire upon one of its national treasures.

We lost.

…captured…

…Kallen…

…the red knightmare…

Everywhere 24 turned his mind's ear, the thoughts he heard were the same. Depressed and defeated, the gaze of the Knights turned often towards the Mausoleum's entrance. The mobile fortress of the Chinese Federation sat in the distance like a giant turtle, eyeing its prey.

Standing beside him, Xia Lu Yan stared out towards the night sky. "Britannia will not allow them to attack, not while they know that we are still here."

Don't fool yourself, 24 chided. Officially, we don't even exist. Only two Britannian officials even know about the Directorate, and one of those it the Emperor himself. As valuable as we may be, the death of Zero is by far the greater priority.

That didn't help.

But it's true.

Xia jumped as the thought entered her head. "Sorry, I'm not used to my thoughts being public. Can you… turn it off?"

No.

"But can you filter different minds if you wanted to, block them out?"

Not unless I concentrate, but even that leaves little room for much else.

"Wow, the boss really handed you the shitty end of the stick when he gave you yours."

24 didn't bother correcting her, what was there to say? That he didn't get his Geass from V.V.? But then who did he get it from? These were all questions that he didn't have answers for, nor did he feel any particular need to find them.

A flash of something passed through his mind, the half remembered smell of a meadow by a stream and the sun streaking through green hair.

Snapping back to reality, 24 sighed and shook his head. We should take shelter in case they decide to attack. I hate to admit it, but we are at the mercy of Zero now.

Their faith in their enemy was well placed, as Zero turned the situation around in a spectacular fashion. Both revealing a new Knightmare frame with terrifying defensive capabilities and single handedly turning an entire nation against their leaders in the space of half an hour, the leader of the Black Knights yet again proved his brilliance and resourcefulness as China was swiftly brought under his control.

24 sat on his bunk, listening to the steady hum of the mobile fortress when he heard footsteps approaching outside. Extending his mind's ear, he probed the thoughts of the one approaching and found them to be startlingly familiar.

The door slid open. "Private Pi, your test results showed exceptional promise in the field of Knightmare combat. Upon being notified of your positive marks, Zero has personally requested you take part in a special mission." The boy looked up from his clipboard. "This mission is absolutely confidential, but then I doubt I have to worry about you disclosing it to others."

24 stared in stunned silence at the person before him. Rollo.

Author's Note: Oh boy, I have some explaining to do. First off, I want to apologize for going a YEAR without updates. My schedule has been really been packed between dealing with school and trying to find work. That and this chapter was a pain to write since it's pretty much just recapping two episodes of the main series… which is boring for me, since I'm not really adding much originality to the work.

On a completely different and really happy note, I have recently happened upon another Mao-centric fan fiction that I think is really well written, to the point that I will be referencing it as the canon in this AU. Code Geass: Mao of the Deliverance by kleptographer of alternates is a great piece detailing the life of Mao from when C.C. left him till his "death" at her hands. It's still in progress, but it's getting pretty close to wrapping up and I would definitely recommend it. Check it out here on and be sure to look at its entry on TV Tropes!

With any luck, updates will start coming more regularly (although fall term is about to start), so see you next time!