STAGE 01
*ATJ = Ascension Throne Japan*
2017 AD/2677 ATJ
At the New York Settlement, Suzaku Suzuki, and his friend Genji were on their way to Takeda Academy, formerly known as Columbia University. But first, they had to help an old friend win a game of Shogi.
"Yesterday, the Los Angeles Settlement was struck by terrorist bombings. In total, 59 people were killed." said the news reporter.
Suzaku and Genji entered the building.
"Well what do we have here, schoolboys?" said a nobleman.
"Would you look at that, a nobleman," said Suzaku.
"And your name?" said the nobleman.
"Suzaku. Suzaku Suzuki," said Suzaku.
Genji took a look at the Shogi board and saw that the match was virtually impossible to win. Suzaku sat down and continued the game.
Meanwhile, 2 Americans named George and Kallen were driving a huge truck that carried a stolen Japanese weapon. They believed it was poison gas.
"Perfect. Right after we steal this goddamn thing, the Japanese are hot on our tail. And all because Gino couldn't stick with Naoto and Milly's plan." said George.
Back to Suzaku and Genji...
The nobleman had lost the game to Suzaku. Suzaku and Genji then walked away from the shocked nobleman.
"I love playing against the nobility! When they lose they always pay out of pride. By the way, 8 minutes 32 seconds is a new record!" said Genji.
"He also didn't have much time to move, either. And as opponents go, the nobles show a lack of passion towards Shogi. They're just overprivileged parasites, that's all." said Suzaku.
"Well then, why not challenge one of the Elevens. They're nothing like us Japanese!" said Genji.
Meanwhile, a national broadcast was showing attacks on the Los Angeles Settlement.
"What are they trying to prove by killing innocent people?" said a man.
"Those Elevens terrify me." said a woman.
The screen then changed to the Hinomaru flag with red sun rays.
"We apologize for the delay. Now Prince Hideki, 3rd Prince of Japan, will address the nation." said the news reporter.
The screen then fades to Hideki.
"To all my imperial subjects! Including of course the many cooperative Elevens who choose to serve the Empire of Japan!" said Hideki.
"WE'RE NOT ELEVENS, WE'RE AMERICANS!" said Kallen.
"Do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart! The pieces are filled with rage and sadness! However, as Viceroy of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one, a virtuous battle to protect the well-being of one and all! Now then, everyone! I would like you to join me in observance of those who died for justice, in the line of duty."
"A moment of silence, please."
After the Japanese took over America and renamed it to Area 11, things changed for the worse for the American people. The U.S. Constitution was immediately annulled after the war ended. Americans were now rebranded as Elevens and their civil rights were taken away. They couldn't sing the Star-Spangled Banner and they couldn't criticize the Japanese Empire lest they wished for the immediate deaths of themselves and their families. This pissed off many resistance groups throughout Area 11. But against the more powerful and well-organized Imperial Japanese Army, all they could do was resort to acts of terrorism against the empire.
After the moment of silence ended, Hideki walked out of the camera.
"You were great, your highness! One would never guess that you were attending a party while doing that!" said a noblewoman.
"After all, the viceroy is the marquee actor of Area 11. I need to change costumes soon," said Hideki.
In the corner, a media broadcaster named Akira was quietly criticizing him.
"His reign is a pathetic sham." thought Akira.
A general named Josui Kusakabe then came to inform Hideki about the stolen gas. In response, Hideki ordered that the Imperial Guard and the Akumus be deployed ASAP. The 4th, 7th and 8th rapid reaction companies led by Kaname Ohgi, Naomi Inoue, and Takeshi Nagata, and the 31st air assault team were deployed to stop the terrorists. The army was now after George and Kallen. While Suzaku and Genji were driving to school, the truck honked the horn and Genji changed lanes.
"You idiot, watch where you're going!" said George.
George makes a wrong turn.
"NO NOT THAT WAY!" said Kallen.
The truck crashed into a site. Suzaku ran to the truck to help. He soon got on board but accidentally fell inside the truck. The truck drove away, and the army opened fire at the truck to stop them.
"Shit, that's the army!" said George.
Kallen took off her hat.
"Did you forget, that's why I'm here for!"
Kallen walked to the Akumu parked in the trunk. She gets on board the Akumu and uses the harken. The Akumu jumped out of the truck and begins its attack on the army.
"Crap, these guys are real terrorists!" thought Suzaku.
"You fellas know full well what this badass motherfucker can do!"
Kallen took out 2 VTOL and now she faced Naomi. Naomi's Akumu was a Sutherland. It easily outranked Kallen's Akumu. George continued to drive but was stopped by Ohgi shooting. The truck drove into an old subway station.
"Hmp, simple-minded Eleven!" said Ohgi.
Suzaku tried to make a call but there was no cell phone reception. The truck destination was the ghetto. Where the local resistance was hiding.
"Looking at a man who blundered... Am I right?" asked Rakshata Chawla while she was looking at Kusakabe.
"You really screwed this one up. The terrorists came along and stole whatever it was that you and Prince Hideki were secretly working on. Retrieving it is simple, but you want to sweep up all of their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go and you can find their hideout, too."
Rakshata turned around to Nagisa Chiba.
"Congratulations! Your reasoning was spot on!" said Rakshata.
"It was nothing. I just thought it was strange" said Chiba.
"But what in the world did they steal anyway?" asked Chiba
"Chemical weapons. In other words... poison gas," said Kusakabe.
Meanwhile...
"The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to locate the weapon that they've stolen. Investigate the old subway system that runs through the Eleven residential district in the Brooklyn Ghetto. Report to us at the moment you spot them. Recovery of the target will be handled by us, the Imperial Guard. You people may bear the honorary title of Japanese now, but you were born Elevens! Therefore the stench of these Yankees oughta be a familiar one! If you want to earn the right to carry arms, then show some results! This is your opportunity to show your loyalty to Japan!" said the leader of the Imperial Guard.
"Yes, my lord!" said the Honorary Japanese soldiers as they entered the ghetto subway.
George is too injured to move the car, He has no choice but to call Milly Ashford, the leader of the resistance.
"Please Milly, find me!"
He pressed the wrong switch. The truck showed the poison gas. As a Japanese soldier spotted it, he saw Suzaku climbing it, and he kicked him off and he forced him to the ground.
"Are you Japanese?!" said Suzaku
"That's enough mindless murder!" said the soldier.
"Wait! I'm not one of..."
"Planning to use poison gas! Don't play dumb with me!
"Get off me...! I'm not here by choice. And if that's poison gas, it was made in Japan, wasn't it?!" said Suzaku.
The soldier jumped back and immediately recognized Suzaku. He then revealed himself to Suzaku.
"You... you became a Japanese soldier?" said Suzaku.
"Yeah, I did," said Lelouch.
The soldier was none other than Lelouch Bretan, an Honorary Japanese citizen. The device then opened and instead of showing poison gas, it showed a girl inside with a straight jacket.
Meanwhile, Kallen had safely made to the sewers and reunited with Milly.
Back in the subway station, Suzaku untied the green-haired girl, but then the Imperial Guard appeared.
"Fucking Yankee! Being an honorary Japanese won't excuse you. However, in light of your outstanding military achievements I'm going to be lenient. Private Bretan, take this and execute the terrorist." said the Imperial Guard commander.
"But he isn't a terrorist! He's a civilian who got caught up in all of this!" pleaded Lelouch.
"You defiant little...! That's an order. Didn't you swear your loyalty to Japan?!"
"Yes, but... but I can't. I won't do it. I won't shoot a civilian, sir." said Lelouch.
"Very well." said the commander as he shot Lelouch.
"LELOUCH!" yelled Suzaku.
"Well, Japanese schoolboy, not a good day to cut class. After you've secured her, kill the student!"
George, on the other hand, had no other choice. He was fatally wounded and surrounded by the Japanese. He needed to blow up the truck to save everyone.
"Death to…. Japan, God Bless... AMERICA!"
The truck exploded, killing George and separating the Imperial Guard from the green-haired girl and Suzaku.
Meanwhile, at Prince Hideki's transport...
"They got away?! And you call yourselves the Imperial Guard?" said Kusakabe.
"Forgive me, my lord! We'll continue the investigation." said the commander.
"It seems the plan has moved on to the next phase. Should any knowledge of her get out, I'll be guaranteed to be disinherited. Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here. As Hideki, 3rd prince of Japan, I command you! Destroy the Brooklyn Ghetto! Leave no one alive!' ordered Hideki.
Akumus were deployed to the ghetto. They killed countless innocent Americans. Man, woman, child, young, old, none were spared.
"The enemy is complete trash that it can't even be hoped that they can become even honorary Japanese! Wipe out every last one of them!" said a commanding officer.
Back to Suzaku and the green-haired girl...
Suzaku and the green-haired girl made it to the surface. He was horrified of seeing innocent Americans, including that of a 5-year-old girl getting brutally killed by the Imperial Guard. All of a sudden, his smartphone began to ring, he was being called by one of his classmates. He quickly hung up, but it was too late. The Imperial Guard seized the girl from Suzaku, while the latter was forced to the wall at gunpoint by the guards.
"What a nice location for a terrorist's demise." said the commander.
"You bastards!" seethed Suzaku.
"Nevertheless, you did surprisingly well for a student, but that's to be expected. You're Japanese. Unfortunately, my friend, your death is today." said the commander as he was about to shoot Suzaku.
But before he could pull the trigger, the girl freed herself from the guards and got in the way.
"HE MUSTN'T DIE!" said the girl as she was shot in the head by the commander.
"You shot her!" said Suzaku in utter shock.
"We were ordered to bring her back alive if possible. Oh well, what's done is done. We'll tell Prince Hideki that we of the Imperial Guard found the terrorist hideout and disposed of them. Unfortunately, the female hostage had already been tortured to death before we could rescue her. What do you think, schoolboy?" said the commander.
"This can't be happening. First Lelouch... then, this girl... Now I'm next. Before I've had a chance to actually start my life. It's gonna be gone in a heartbeat... Mayumi...!" thought Suzaku.
Suddenly, the dead girl took Suzaku's hand and he was taken to into his subconscious.
"You don't want to end here, do you? You appear to have a reason for living." said the girl.
"What? The girl, that's impossible!" thought Suzaku.
"If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal. In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions, while living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?" asked the girl.
Suzaku started to have several visions. One of which was that of his father.
"A convergence with the Mokushiroku Connection? So the myth is beginning once again?" said Genbu Kururugi, the 128th Emperor of Japan.
"Yes, I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" said Suzaku as he was given the power of Geass.
Suzaku then left his subconscious and returned to the real world.
"Say...how should a Japanese who hates his own country live his life?" asked Suzaku.
"What are you, some kind of radical?" said the commander as he found himself hesitant to shoot the schoolboy.
"What's wrong? Why won't you shoot? After all, your enemy is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized that the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." said Suzaku.
"What's happening here...?"
"I, Suzaku Kururugi, 11th Prince of Japan command you...now all of you...die!"
Suzaku's Geass immediately took control of the entire Imperial Guard.
"Happily, your highness! Ready, FIRE!" said the commander as he and the rest of the Imperial Guard shot themselves in the head.
"That was the turning point. Since that day, I've lived a lie. The lie of living. My name too was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair. But now this incredible power... it's mine..." thought Suzaku.
"Well then..." said Suzaku.
END OF STAGE 01
Author's Note:
Well, that's Chapter 1 (or should I say Stage 01) for you all. I hope you enjoyed it. But before I go, there are some things I need to address:
1. The story will be somewhat of a role swap but some characters will retain most, if not all of the roles they had in the show. For example, in this story, Kallen goes by the name Kallen Stadtfeld, rather than Kallen Kozuki like in the show. Her mother is an American maid named Susan Stadtfeld and her father is a rich Japanese nobleman named Kentaro Kozuki. At Takeda Academy, she goes by the alias Keiko Kozuki, taking her father's surname rather than her mother's. Like in the show, she fights against an evil empire, the only difference is that it's Japan she's fighting against instead of Britannia.
2. As previously stated, ATJ stands for Ascension Throne Japan. The calendar uses the year 660 BC as its epoch. According to legend, this was when Japan was established. As a result, the Imperial Japanese Calendar is ahead of the Gregorian Calendar by 660 years.
3. The story will be similar to the original source material, but I will do my best to add points of divergence from the original source. Should any of you have any ideas as to how I can make the story more creative and interesting to read, I'd appreciate it if you would add that to your reviews.
4. I'm currently making a timeline for this story, but it'll be totally different from the original Code Geass timeline (Ex: Great Britain wins a battle that prevents Britannia from coming into existence). I'll give you, however, a sneak peek as to how my timeline goes:
1570 AD - Queen Elizabeth I of England makes her childhood friend Edward (a former peasant and one of England's finest soldiers) the 1st Duke of Britannia for his outstanding service to the crown, establishing the House of Britannia in the process.
1575 AD - Elizabeth I has a son named Prince Henry despite being a virgin. Nevertheless, Parliament and countless nobles recognize Henry as the heir to the throne in order to continue the Tudor Dynasty. Edward, Duke of Britannia, is seen as a potential candidate for being the father of Prince Henry and therefore gains much more influence in the royal court that he could ever imagine.
1603 AD - Elizabeth I dies of natural causes and a 27-year-old Henry is crowned Henry IX. However, the Scottish Stuarts refuse to recognize Henry as king, and therefore Scotland demands that King James VI of Scotland be crowned King of England. To appease Scotland and prevent civil war, Henry IX promises to have his daughter and heir Elizabeth (born 1600 AD and named after her grandmother, Elizabeth I) marry Henry Frederick, Prince of Scotland. Henry IX also assures the English nobility that the future descendants/heirs of Elizabeth would still go by the name Tudor instead of Stuart.
And that's the sneak peek for you. Leave a review if you liked this chapter. NO hate comments, please. This theonering3434, signing off. Peace!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Code Geass. It belongs to Sunrise. I'm just a fan.