Re-published edition!

Thanks to Winter's-Light for the Beta-Reading!

R&R please! Thanks a lot!

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Stage 2 The White Knight Awakens

覚醒の白き騎士 Kakusei no Shiroki Kishi

Imperial Calendar: 2010 a.t.b., August 10th.

The New Britannia Empire declared war on Japan.

Japan, which was unable to mount any resistance against Britannia's newest weapon, the Knightmare Frame, was defeated and had its freedom, rights, honor, and name taken away.

Eleven.

That was the new name for Japanese people.

Lelouch is standing in darkness, with many corpses around him including the mysterious girl who gave him new power.

"Hey, you, what did you want me to do?" Lelouch asks to the unconscious girl. "Giving me this strange power…"

Suddenly, there's a loud noise, then a Knightmare Frame crashes into the wall.

"What happened here?" the Knightmare Frame pilot asks Lelouch, the only person who's standing there. "What is a Britannian student doing in a place like this? Answer me! Otherwise…"

"Cih!" Lelouch sighs.

The Knightmare Frame shoots around Lelouch, leaving holes in the wall.

"Answer me!" the pilot commands again.

"Get down from there!" Lelouch activates his power again; a mark appears in his left eye. "Right now!"

"You…," the pilot says like nothing is happened, "what do you think you're doing?"

Lelouch stops his power activation and thinks, "I see. She needs to see this power firsthand."

"I am Alan Spacer," Lelouch says with his hands up, "my father is a duke. I have an ID card in back pocket. After you check it, I would like to request protection."

With those words, a woman gets out from the Knightmare, allowing Lelouch to silently celebrate. She is holding a gun and warns Lelouch, "Keep your hands up! I will take the ID out myself."

Taking this chance, Lelouch activates his power once again, "Give it to me… your Knightmare."

"All right," the woman says. "The password is XG2. The ID is 2D4."

She throws the key for Lelouch. Lelouch catches the key and replies, "Good."

‡‡‡‡‡

In other place, Suzaku just woke up from his injuries. He isn't dead yet because a pocket watch, which is broken now, had protected his vital points. A woman wearing a soldier uniform hands it back to him.

"Soldier Kururugi, what sort of experience do you have about piloting a Knightmare Frame?" a man with glasses asks.

"No way," Suzaku answers. "A person who is an Eleven cannot become a knight."

"And if you could?" the man shows a Knightmare key.

‡‡‡‡‡

"What kind of thing that makes Clovis-sama need to destroy Shinjuku Ghetto?" Yueria is still running. She almost reaches Shinjuku Ghetto, where she can hear gun shots loudly. Her breath is unstable.

"Please stop!" a woman shouts. The woman is protecting her child from the soldiers.

"Die, Eleven!" a soldier is going to shoot the woman and her child.

"Stop!" Yueria spontaneously speaks. "Don't shoot them! How could you shoot a woman and a child?!"

"A Britannia?" one of the soldiers looks at Yueria. "What do you think you are doing? Protecting Elevens?"

"I can't tell my name," Yueria thinks. "They will report my appearance to Clovis-sama. What should I do?"

The soldier points his gun to Yueria, "You're a Britannia so we will spare your life but if you still disturb our works, you will face a punishment!"

"Now," the soldier faces the woman again, "shall we continue your punishment?"

"NO!" Yueria shouts.

‡‡‡‡‡

"Congratulation!" the man says to Suzaku, leading him to a Knightmare that covered by curtain. "A one-of-a-kind Knightmare awaits you! Riding it will change you: both you and your world."

"Your dreams will be reality," the woman speaks.

‡‡‡‡‡

Lelouch is calling Shirley, who is changing in swimming club room.

"Lulu?" Shirley quickly answers the phone. "Why are you calling now? Where are you? If you keep ditching, you'll be held back a grade…"

"Is there a television there?" Lelouch asks, ignoring Shirley's questions.

"Television?" Shirley repeats.

"Sorry," Lelouch says from inside the Knightmare he stole from before, "it's kind of important."

"Jeez… Wait a minute," Shirley says.

She talks to her friends who are watching television, "Sorry, can I borrow this for a minute?"

"Eh? For what?" Lelouch can hear her friends ask.

Lelouch himself tries to check condition from inside the Knightmare, "The news. Is there anything about Shinjuku?"

"The news?" Shirley tries to check television, "um… There are just some traffic jams, but nothing other than that."

"And the reason for those traffic jams?" Lelouch asks again.

"I don't know," Shirley says clearly. "It doesn't really say here."

"I see…," Lelouch thinks. "So they plan on having the army make an announcement after everything is over."

He suddenly stops his moves because he spots a chessboard.

"Hey, you're doing some weird type of gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley asks. "I told you before: it's dangerous!"

"Yeah, I know," Lelouch answers calmly. "Oh, and tell my little sister that I will be getting home late today, okay? Bye."

He turns off his cell phone quickly.

"As long as the situation is hidden from you, it's difficult to determine the reinforcements that you must send. In other words, these are all the pieces for the board," Lelouch examines the map. "Even so, getting through this many enemies by myself will be difficult. It is also dangerous to approximate things."

He gets out from the Knightmare and watches an attack from one of the terrorists, "How about you pay me back for getting me involved in this?"

Lelouch jumps down to pick up the chessboard. When he is going to pick it up, a girl draws his attention.

The girl is unconscious and her breath is unstable. Lelouch walks to her place and move aside hair that covering her face.

"Yueria?!" Lelouch looks surprised.

Lelouch quickly carries her to the Knightmare. He also picks up the chessboard and continues to control the Knightmare. He brings out the transmitter he picked from truck before and activates it, "The west exit!"

"Eh?" Lelouch can hear a girl from another transmitter.

"Use the railroad and move towards the west exit!" Lelouch commands.

"Who are you?" she asks with curiosity. "How do you know the code?"

"It doesn't matter," Lelouch answers simply. "If you wish to win, believe in me!"

‡‡‡‡‡

The red Glasgow, a Knightmare Frame controlled by a girl named Karen, is following Lelouch's instruction.

"Hey, what should I do now?" Karen asks to the person she doesn't know with a transmitter. She looks at a train in front of her.

"In exchange for believing in me, I will let you win," the voice from transmitter answers. "Jump up onto this!"

"All right!" Karen follows his instruction. She controls her Glasgow to jump on the train, making the Knightmare behind her must stop the train.

‡‡‡‡‡

Lelouch attacks another Knightmare who jumps to chase red Glasgow he commanded from behind ruins of building. After that, he shoots the Knightmare who is holding the train. When the Knightmare prepares to shoot Lelouch, the red Glasgow tries to attack the Knightmare, resulting the pilot of the Knightmare to activate the ejection seat and run away.

‡‡‡‡‡

"I'm saved," Karen says. "But, how did you get the Sutherland… Huh? Where…?"

She realizes that the Sutherland, the Knightmare Frame of Britannian soldiers, who helped her has disappeared.

"Hey, Karen!" a man calls her. "What was the transmission just now?"

"Eh, Ougi-san? You guys heard it too?" Karen asks back.

"Yeah," Ougi answers. "Yoshitaka and the rest will be here soon as well…"

Suddenly a voice heard from Ougi's transmitter, "Are you the leader?"

"Y-Yeah…," Ougi replies, stuttering.

"I will give you those things that are inside of that train as a present," the voice speaks. "They're some tools that you can use in order to win. If you wish to use them and win, enter in under my command!"

They open the train's doors and find a surprise. A row of Sutherlands faces them from inside the train.

‡‡‡‡‡

Lelouch continues his command by a transmitter and talks to the pilot of the red Glasgow, "You there in the Glasgow."

"Yes," she replies.

"You stay in there," Lelouch commands. "That machine is geared towards disturbance tactics."

"Yes!" the girl answers.

"How is your energy filler?" Lelouch asks.

"About 15 minutes left…," she says.

"Then get a new pack," Lelouch tells her. "In ten minutes, I will send you some new orders."

Lelouch turns off the transmitter and sighs, "Phew, this is more tiring than I thought. But I must remain steadfast to see this through the end.

"The stakes of this game are people lives!"

"Ugh…," suddenly Yueria makes a sound, making Lelouch realizes that she is awake.

"Are you awake, Yueria?" Lelouch asks with a gentle smile.

"You…," Yueria still try to regain her consciousness.

"Don't you remember me anymore?" Lelouch kneels in front of Yueria.

"Le-Lelouch-kun!" Yueria looks surprised. She hugs Lelouch with happiness.

"How can I forget about you?" Yueria releases her hug. "It's been 7 years since our last meeting. How are you?"

"Glad that you still remember me," Lelouch pet her head softly. "It's been a long time, isn't it? I'm completely fine but I don't think you are. I found you unconscious."

"Ah!" Yueria looks embarrassed. "I was heading to Shinjuku Ghetto. I tried to safe a woman and her child from soldiers. I remembered I draw a sword I found there and defended them. After that I ran away and I guess I lost my breath…"

Lelouch smiles gently and says, "Your health is still bad, isn't it? Due to your condition, you must stay still and never do too hard activities, you know? Luckily I found you and you can rest well."

"I know," Yueria says. "But, Lelouch-kun, why are you here?"

"Same question for you, Yueria," Lelouch replies with confident. "Didn't you stay in homeland?"

"I was sent to stay in Area 11 for government tasks. Since I heard about terrorists' attack and something happened in Shinjuku Ghetto, I planned to get here to know the truth. Now, tell me, Lelouch-kun. Tell me the reason you are here," Yueria asks again.

‡‡‡‡‡

"D-1, can you move it? The control should basically the same," Ougi receives question from the transmitter again while he is checking the Sutherland.

"Who are you?" Ougi asks the mysterious person. "At least give me your name!"

"I can't do that. What if the transmission is being monitored?"" the person answers simply. "More importantly, if Q-1 is on time, then in 23 seconds, the enemy Sutherlands will be there. Most likely to your right. Just fire into the line there."

‡‡‡‡‡

"Just like your predictions, Lelouch-kun," Yueria praises. The Britannian Sutherlands just been shot by the terrorists who followed Lelouch's instructions.

Lelouch looks at Yueria, "Aren't you going to stop me? I'm sure that I've told you that I'm going to help the terrorists."

"And I'm sure that you know me well, Lelouch-kun," Yueria tries to analyze the map. "We're childhood friends, aren't we? You know that I hate this way of work; destroying a ghetto and killing Elevens are totally not my way to work. Don't worry. I won't report this since I'm actually not supposed to be here either."

Lelouch smiles with satisfy, "The ID signal is a double-edged sword and if the terrorists follow my commands…"

"We've already won," Lelouch and Yueria say together.

Lelouch activates the transmitter again, "P-1, P-4, P-7, move 100 meters to the right and turn the Slash Hawk to the 3 o'clock direction."

‡‡‡‡‡

"R-2, launch anchor!"

"B-7, an UN round!"

"Group N, move forward as you are!"

Lelouch gives command while moving the chess pieces he picked before. Yueria herself examines the condition and tells Lelouch the possibilities of enemy's tactic.

"Now the enemy has five choices," Lelouch speaks.

Yueria watches the map, "Are they going to break the formation?"

"What's this?" Lelouch comment. "They've taken the worst possible approach."

He talks with the transmitter again, "Q-1, the map is accurate, right?"

"Yeah, the old town is…," the pilot of red Glasgow answers. "But without looking at the actual scene…"

"That's enough," Lelouch cuts in.

"Mission number 3," Lelouch says calmly. "Are the preparations complete?"

The map is showing condition where all of enemy troops are surrounding the red Glasgow location.

‡‡‡‡‡

The enemies don't find anything on the location where the red Glasgow supposed to be. The signal suddenly disappeared.

Before anyone can realize what's wrong, the land unexpectedly collapses, making the enemy Sutherlands fall into the hole.

‡‡‡‡‡

Lelouch laughs with satisfied, "It is possible. I can do it! I can do it! Britannia can be defeated."

"Defeat Britannia?" Yueria repeats. "So my thought is true; you want to defeat Britannia?"

Lelouch looks at Yueria, "Of course I want to! Are you going to bring me so I will be punished?"

‡‡‡‡‡

In other place, Clovis is in panic condition.

"Lloyd!" he says to the man with glasses on monitor.

"Oh? Yes?" Lloyd answers.

"Could you win if we use your toy?" Clovis asks.

Lloyd smiles, "Your Majesty, please call it Lancelot."

‡‡‡‡‡

"Cooperative Weapon 301. Activating Lancelot. Hatch is free.

"301, Lancelot, stand-by for activation. Beginning engine rotation."

Sound was heard while Suzaku is wearing the uniform to control Lancelot, the Knightmare that Lloyd mentioned.

"What about the manual?" a woman asks.

"Has it been put to practical use?" Suzaku says.

"As expected of you," the woman praises. "Even if it was a simulator, you still are top class."

"The thing that you just told me…," Suzaku speaks.

"Eh?" the woman is confused for a while but then talks, "Ah, it's possible but the chances are close to zero."

"But they are not zero, right?" Suzaku walks to Lancelot place.

"That's true, but I don't want you to do anything over the top. It's a new system so there's no ejection system implemented yet," the woman tells.

"All right. I understand, Cecile-san," Suzaku replies. He stands in front of the a white Knightmare with surprised expression.

"This is…," he mumbles.

"Yes," Cecile explains. "The Special Dispatch Cooperative Technology Department's secret cooperative weapon, the Lancelot. It's the only 7th generation Knightmare Frame."

"Well then Suzaku-kun," Suzaku hears Lloyd's voice. "How about we begin the deployment soon?"

‡‡‡‡‡

"A little bit more and I can destroy the inspection," Lelouch mumbles.

"This is Group B," transmitter sounds. "Enemy sighted!"

"Hm? Is it back-up?" Lelouch looks at the monitor map. "Real battle is different, I guess… What's the situation?"

"Everyone escaped but four troops were instantly…," the person answers.

"Number of enemies?" Lelouch interrogates.

"One troop!" the person says. "Just one! Is it a new model? I've never seen that type befo… Argh!"

The conversation suddenly cut.

"Hey, what happened?" Lelouch talks. He looks at the map and finds the enemy who is mentioned before.

"What? It can block bullets?" Lelouch is surprised.

"Yeah, what should we do?" another terrorist ask. "Ishida! Argh!"

"These terrorists are so useless," Lelouch talks. "It's only one troop and they can't handle it."

"This is weird…," Yueria mumbles.

"N-4, N-5, hold it off," Lelouch commands. "When the high-speed squad gets there, surround it."

"All right!" two pilots answer and do as Lelouch's command but it is useless because the white Knightmare avoids their attacks and even attacks back.

"Hey, what happened?" Lelouch tries to check the condition but the transmitter is cut off.

"What is it?" Lelouch is shocked. "What's going on?"

‡‡‡‡‡

One by one of terrorist Sutherlands is knocked down by Lancelot, making Lelouch can't believe that there's only one enemy troop.

"If I destroy all of the Knightmares, then the fight will stop," Suzaku thinks while holding his wound. "No matter what, I need to save Lelouch and that girl!"

Then Suzaku is alerted by sign of a hiding Sutherland.

‡‡‡‡‡

Lelouch has no times to think because all of a sudden a white Knightmare appears in front of him with unbelievable speed.

"So this is the guy… The one who's messing with my plan!" Lelouch says. He tries to defend the white Knightmare's attack.

"I've never seen it before," Yueria tries to keep her balance.

"A mere pilot like you!" Lelouch says while his Sutherland is pushed back. "How dare you!"

Both of the Knightmares fall from the top of the building and hit the land.

"It can't be helped. I need to eject here," Lelouch talks.

"I can control it, Lelouch-kun," Yueria speaks. "But I'm not sure this Sutherland can win against that white Knightmare."

Before Lelouch can switch his position to Yueria, they can see the white Knightmare is going to attack again. The Sutherland receives the kick and falls back.

Suddenly the red Glasgow from before saves Lelouch and Yueria.

"Hey, we'll get him back for this!" the pilot of red Glasgow says.

The white Knightmare attacks the Glasgow and making the pilot to eject.

Lelouch, with Yueria, takes the chance to run away from the white Knightmare.

"I guess I must learn that with human, there is no perfect plan," Lelouch mutters. He is alerted because the white Knightmare is chasing him.

Lelouch shoots at the white Knightmare but the white Knightmare avoids the shots perfectly.

"What is that monster?!" Lelouch is confused.

Unexpectedly, the white Knightmare turns around to safe a woman and a child that felt from top of a building.

"Saving a person in the middle of a fight?" Yueria says with surprised expression.

"Hmph," Lelouch grins. "If you want moral victories, I'll give them to you. However…"

Lelouch activates the ejection seat, "Hold on, Yueria."

‡‡‡‡‡

Suzaku puts down the woman and the child he saved when chasing enemy Sutherland. The woman runs away because she scares with the Knightmare.

"Suzaku," Cecile appears on the monitor. "You're tired, aren't you? Should we end it now?"

"I will do it," Suzaku says clearly. "Please let me do it."

‡‡‡‡‡

"Halt!" A soldier who is guiding Clovis' place stops a soldier. "Where is your ID? This is Prince Clovis apartment!"

"Finally, a guard, huh?" the soldier mutters and opens his helmet. "You've become quiet spread out, as I planned."

"Plan?" the guardian soldier doesn't understand.

"Yeah, I want you to let me pass," the soldier commands.

"I see," the guardian soldier puts down his gun. "All right."

"You've done it well, Lelouch-kun," Yueria appears from behind the soldier. "But no one suppose to see me here, remember it."

"I know," Lelouch deactivate his power. "It's surprising that you still want to help me."

‡‡‡‡‡

In other hand, Britannian soldiers find the Elevens who are hiding along with Karen, Ougi, and the other terrorists who survived from previous battle. When the soldiers are going to fire, an announcement is heard:

"To all troops, cease fire immediately. As Area 11's Governor, I command you in the name of the Third Prince, Clovis La Britannia.

"All troops, cease fire! Cease all structural destruction activity. Aid the injured one, regardless of whether they are Britannian citizens or Elevens. I command you in the name of Clovis La Britannia. Cease fire immediately. I will not allow anymore conflict."

‡‡‡‡‡

"Is that all?" Clovis says after the announcement.

"Yes, that was perfect," someone replies.

"What's next?" Clovis asks calmly. "Shall I sing a song for you? Or shall I be your opponent in chess?"

"It brings back memories," a soldier steps forward with a gun in his hand. He throws his helmet across the room.

"Do you not remember?" he speaks to Clovis. "We always would play chess together, even though I always won."

"What?" Clovis is curious.

"Remember? At Allius' Imperial Villa," the soldier replies.

"Bastard," Clovis says with impatient. "Who are you?"

"It's been a while, big brother," the soldier steps forward again, makes Clovis to see the soldier's face clearly and shocks.

"Right now, Empress Marianne is the eldest. I am the 17th successor, the second in line to throne, Lelouch vie Britannia," the soldier kneels.

"Lelouch?" Clovis asks with surprised. "But you're…"

"'… supposed to be dead'?" Lelouch completes Clovis' words.

Clovis stands with shocked face but Lelouch only kneels and smiles silently.

"I have returned, Your Majesty," Lelouch says. "In order to change everything."

I thought it was impossible for a mere student to do something about the world.

It's not realistic.

You don't have to think very hard to realize that.

However, if the ability is in my hands…

Probably, the choice that I should take is…

‡‡‡‡‡

Next Stage:

The False Classmate

偽り の クラス メイト

(Itsuwari no Kuraso Meito)