Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon
Phase 1: Birth of the Monsters
Reuben Ashford was not having a good time. A lot of money was riding on this match, and while the Ashford accounts were by no means destitute, they were low for a noble house. In fact, much of the Ashford's income was provided by tuition from their academy, a fact that wasn't something to be very proud of, considering their background.
"You're out of time." His opponent's bodyguard announced, startling Ashford. "Make your move in twenty seconds." His opponent, a noble, grinned at this.
Then, the double door entrance to the mansion opened, revealing two people in Ashford Academy uniforms. The noble arched his brow.
"Your substitute?"
"Thank goodness! I'm saved! How are things at school?" Ashford cried, practically dancing over to the duo. They looked almost exactly the same, black hair, purple eyes, and thin builds.
"Oh? Students?" The noble commented.
"Hm. This looks difficult, even for you Lelouch." The one on the right said. His hair was a shade lighter than the other, his build was more muscular, and a scar slightly lighter than his skin stretched from his brow, across the bridge of his nose, and ended at the upper part of his left cheekbone.
"Nonsense Learme." His twin chided him, taking Ashford's seat. "By the way, how long till we have to leave in order to beat the bell?"
"About twenty minutes."
"We leave in nine." The noble scoffed at this.
"You have twenty seconds a move!"
Lelouch grinned at him, picking up his king.
"The king first?" His opponent asked incredulously.
Learme smiled slightly, a bare millimeter of rise of the right corner of his lips.
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About eight minutes later, the two left, leaving Ashford to collect his bet while the noble scrutinized the board in unbelieving shock.
"Almost too easy." Lelouch mused, setting himself in the side-car of a stream-lined motorcycle painted black with golden highlights, picking a helmet colored the same out of a compartment while Learme plucked his helmet off of the main body's seat before sitting down and starting it up.
"The good thing about these nobles, about the only good thing, is that they're too proud not to pay their debts." Learme said, driving the motorcycle down the road.
"They're all so soft. Parasites, preying on the rest of us." Lelouch said venomously. Learme grunted, agreeing. At that moment, a large television screen mounted on the side of a building flickered to show the Imperial seal, a crowned shield emblazoned with a lion and a snake, on a background of a red cross on a blue field.
"And now, a message on the recent terrorist bombing from Clovis La Britannia, third in line for the throne." The screen flickered again, showing a blond man dressed in fancy robes.
"My friends and fellow citizens of Brittania, and of course, the Elevens who have joined our glorious empire! My heart aches at the sin these ingrates have commited! Join me in a moment of silence for those lives lost."
"I don't suppose you're going to join in?" Learme queried, keeping his eyes firmly on the road.
"Of course not. The dead are dead. You can't change that no matter how much you wish." Lelouch shot back, annoyed. Learme just nodded.
All of a sudden, there was a large honk from behind them, causing Learme to swerve. Behind them, a large truck suddenly swerved to the right when they didn't move, crashing into a development area.
"Damn idiots!" Lelouch snarled, when something caught his eye. Above the truck, near a ladder, there was a glimmer of what looked like green and white dust. Eyes wide, he turned to Learme. "Did you see that?" Learme nodded. Moving fast, both twins moved to the truck, picking their way across the sandy ground while bystanders looked on, taking pictures and mocking the scene in low voices. Lelouch just ignored it, not without difficulty, but Learme's eyes narrowed and his hands flickered to his waist as though in search of something before the clenched into fists.
Reaching the truck, the brothers called out to the driver. When there was no response, they climbed the ladder, looking for an entrance to the cab. All of a sudden, the vehicle jerked, sending the two falling into the container.
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Kallen snarled as the Britannian helicopters ordered them to surrender. The helicopters fired, purposefully missing the truck, although Nagata still swerved.
"Shit, the army's here. What are we going to do?" Nagata swore.
"That's why I'm here!" Kallen snapped, taking off the cap that disguised her face and heading to the back of the cab, through the door to the container. Passing the spherical object she and Nagata had stolen, she discarded her jacket and the radio attached to it, stripping down to her piloting outfit. As it landed on the floor, the radio calle dout.
"We can get into the underground if we go through the ghetto." Nagata suggested.
"That would mean a massacre!" Kallen retorted, climbing into what looked like a large box. She didn't notice the two pairs of lavender eyes watching her.
Behind the truck, the helicopters' guns levered to aim at it. However, a large blade-like object on a very thin wire lashed out from a slit in the back of the truck, stabbing into the leading helicopter and neatly piercing it in the cockpit. As the weapon withdrew, the slit opened further.
"A-a slash harken?" One of the surviving pilots gasped, as a red machine emerged from the back of the truck, an eye-like orb on its head retracting and being covered by four metal covers as its feet slamming into the ground and wheels attached to its heels via metallic bars lowered, reversing and dragging the machine back.
"Shit! It's a Knightmare!" Another pilot cried, his helicopter swerving as his shaking hands jostled the control stick.
"You guys know how powerful this thing is, right!?" Kallen cried, swerving the Knightmare, a RPI-11 Glasgow, around the shots the aircraft fired in panic, as the Knightmare's two slash harkens lashed out at them, with the same effect as the first victim. As two of the three helicopters exploded, an aircraft with a blue Knightmare ensconced in its center accelerated through the debris cloud.
"You pull back." Ordered a commanding voice. "Let me handle this." With that, the Knightmare, a more advanced RPI-13 Sutherland, lowered itself to the ground by its slash harkens, one detaching immediately, sending the machine into an uncontrolled looking spiral. Kallen, nervous, launched one of her harkens. The Sutherland's free anchor shot out, parrying the blow.
"I don't know where you're from, but an old Glasgow will never defeat a Sutherland!" The blue frame's pilot announced, as the Sutherland's landspinners met the ground and continued the spiral, with the pilot expertly correcting it. "And neither can some damned Eleven!" The pilot roared, levering his frames rifle and firing a shot from its top-mounted grenade launcher. The grenade impacted on the Glasgow's right arm, Kallen using it to shield her mecha from the majority of the damage, losing the limb in the process.
"Kallen, this guy's good!" Nagata warned, through the Glasgow's radio. "We can't both die! You try and get away!"
"But-" Kallen protested.
Below them, another Sutherland ascended, its landspinners revolving against one of the bridge's supports and a building. Flipping as it ran out of 'road', the Knightmare positioned itself directly in the truck's path. Swearing, Nagata swerved the truck to the left, avoiding the burst the mecha fired.
Behind him, Kallen tried to fire her Glasgow's right slash harken. Instead of launching to stab into the Sutherland in front of her, it clicked uselessly.
"What? Jammed?" The Sutherland accelerated, bringing its arms up as the attached metal tonfas flipped into place below the hands.
"Second-hand crap!" It's pilot cried, bringing the right-hand tonfa down to smash the Glasgow. Acting quickly, Kallen ejected the frame's useless right shoulder, a volume of smoke from the launch mechanism billowing out as the Sutherland blocked the flying piece. While the Britannian pilot was distracted, Kallen swerved the Glasgow around, accelerating away.
Inside his Sutherland, Jeremiah Gottwald complimented the Eleven.
"Not bad. But...."
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Back in the truck, Lelouch and Learme contemplated their situation.
"Judging by the darkness and the feel of the road, I guess we're in the old subway tunnels." Lelouch postulated. "We don't know where we're heading, so it wouldn't be wise to leave. The situation is quite clear." Learme lifted his head from his examinaton of the sphere next to them. "We'll have to try and get help from the army." Learme's furious scowl declared just what he thought of that plan.
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"The terrorist are in the subway system." The commander explained. "Our goal is the recovery of the chemical weapon the terrorists stole. Search the entire Shinjuku ghetto. Report in when you've found them. Group CA will apprehend them." As the briefing went on, soldiers descended on ziplines from VTOL troop carriers, spreading out. " You may be Honorable Britannians now, but you were once Elevens. Cleanse their monkey stench from this land! Your heroism in this operation will greatly improve their standing! Now is the time for you to prove your loyalty!" In a VTOL command aircraft above the area, the commander, a Royal Guard, grinned as he lied.
"Yes my Lord!" Came the chorus of Japanese-accented english.
On solider proceeded past a group of people gathered around an entrance to the underground, proceeding down the tunnel. As he looked, he heard a whirring sound, like a wheel caught in a hole. Looking towards the noise, his visor scanned the site. There was a truck deeper in the tunnel, its wheels actually caught in a hole. As the soldier watched, the side of the truck opened up, revealing the same spherical container he and his comrades had been told to look for. Getting behind some rubble, the soldier tapped twice on the right breast of his riot armor, sending a signal to his superiors.
Above the area, in the command VTOL, an operator reported the Royal Guard commander.
"404 has found the target."
"Right! Prepare to move out!"
Back in the tunnel, the soldier watched as two men dressed in some kind of black uniform stepped out from behind the container, running their hands over it.
What the- they aren't trying to activate it, are they!? Deciding not to risk it, 404 sprinted out from behind his cover, running for the two. The one on the right heard his approach, turning to face him while the other continued to mess with the sphere, oblivious. As 404, reached them, he kicked off the ground, spinning into what would be a kick.
Or, what would've been a kick, if the one on the right hadn't slammed his hand into 404's helmet, hitting him away. Recovering quickly, 404 sprang to his feet, his gas mask dropping, saying:
"Don't kill anymore!"
"What are you-" interrupting the terrorist, 404 continued.
"Poison gas! you must be insane!" The other terrorist stepped forward, a snarl on his face.
"Britannia made that poison gas, didn't it?"
The soldier was shocked as he processed their appearance. "You-"
"If you want no more deaths, then destroy the Britannian Empire!" The terrorist cried out, his fellow covering him from any further attack. They were shocked when the soldier said:
"Lelouch? Learme?" Pulling his helmet off, the soldier revealed an Asian face, with brown hair and, unusually, green eyes. "It's me, Suzaku." The two were taken aback, as memories flashed unbidden through their minds.
"You became a Britannian soldier?" Learme asked bitterly.
"Well, what about you?" Before any more accusations could be exchanged, the container glowed as the seals began to open. Suzaku dashed for Lelouch, tackling him and Learme to the ground as he covered both their mouths, one with a gas mask and the other with his hand. The sphere continued to open, the upper two thirds splitting into four and lowered. In the golden light, a feminine form uncoiled, yellow eyes gazing at the trio before the shape collapsed, green hair falling around her.
Astonished, Suzaku let the Lamperouge twins up, and they all stared at the girl for a few seconds before moving to assist. Lelouch cleaned her face of the strange liquid inside the capsule, while Learme and Suzaku unbound her limbs.
"Well Suzaku? Does this look like poison gas to you?" Lelouch demanded.
"I don't understand.....they told us it was-"
"Hey you! What are you doing, touching what even genuine Britannians shouldn't touch?" The call came from the front of the tunnel, where the Royal Guard stood, the commander at the front. Suzaku got up and ran over, leaving the two Lamperouge siblings with the girl.
"Sir....I don't understand. They told us-"
"Shut up monkey! There's only one way to redeem yourself from this sin.....kill the terrorists!" The commander ordered, shoving a pistol at Suzaku.
"But...I couldn't do that! They're just civilians!" Suzaku said, turning to glance worriedly at Lelouch and Learme. The commander flipped the pistol around in his hand, pulling the trigger. The shot, at close range, penetrated Suzaku's riot armor, causing the Japanese teen to feel a brief flash of pain before everything faded to black.....
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"Damn it...." Learme hissed, moving in front of Lelouch and the girl. That bastard...he just shot Suzaku!
"I hate to do this boys.....it looks like you're only students that got caught up in all this....but my orders are to kill anyone who's seen this~" the bastard told them, aiming his gun right at Learme's head.
Then, for no reason either of the teens could discern, the truck exploded, causing a tremor that brought the ceiling in between the twins and the soldiers down.
"Learme! Help her up and come on!" Lelouch ordered, beckoning his twin towards the direction the truck had been heading. Nodding, Learme pulled the girl up, tugging her along as he and Lelouch fled down the tunnel.
After about half an hour of running, the group came to an exit. Learme took the lead, shoving Lelouch back with the woman while he crept up towards the exit. Peeking above the ground, he saw the same group of soldiers, standing before a literal pile of corpses, all Japanese.
"Are you sure that exit came out here?" The commander snapped, glaring at one of his subordinates.
"Y-yes sir. It matches up with the old city maps perfectly."
"Feh. They must have-" At that moment, Lelouch's cell phone rang. Cursing, he switched it off.
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At the entrace of Ashford Academy, an orange-haired girl blinked incredulously at her cell phone.
"Damn that Lulu! He hung up on me!" Shirley Fenette swore, completely unaware of what she had just done.
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The twins grunted as the soldiers shoved them against the back wall, the strange woman encircled by other soldiers.
"Well, I must commend you for making it this far. But, you are Britannians, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised." The commander grinned. "Unfortunately, your lives are now forfeit." Learme glared hatefully at him, while Lelouch grimaced. When the Royal Guard lifted his handgun at them, Lelouch closed his eyes. All of a sudden, the woman ran in front of them, shouting:
"Don't kill them!" The pistols shot sounded like the blast of a cannon, the bullet shooting straight in the center of her forehead, dropping her down to the ground.
"Well. That was unfortunate. I'd have liked to take her alive...." As the commander continued on his little speech, Lelouch dropped down next to the women, who was certainly dead. Reaching for her hand, he thought, completely in synch with his twin: Is this how we're going to die? Helpless to the very end? A vision of their sister appeared in their minds.
All of a sudden, the woman's hand reached for his, grabbing his wrist. Both twins were thrown into a mental storm, hearing thoughts.
Hmmm. Interesting. I've heard about the connection between twins, but this is the first time I've ever had any proof. Well, anyway, you two don't want it to end do you?
What's this?
What the hell!?
It seems you have a reason to live.
That girl? Impossible!
She was shot in the head!
if you two had the strength, you could live. This is our contract, made between us three: In return for my gifts of power, you must grant one wish of mine.
A vision of two planetary objects appeared in their minds.
If you two enter this contract, you will live as humans, but also as completely different existences. Different rules, Different time, Different lives...... The power of kings will make you lonely indeed. If you two are prepared for that then.....
Out of nowhere, a vision of a man with coiled hair appeared, saying: "We will join with the Ragnares! The legend begins again!"
The twins minds were set.
"Very well. We hereby enter this contract!"They said harshly, together.
Back in the material world, the woman's hand dropped back to the cold ground, as the twins leaned slightly forward, before:
Lelouch stood up his hand covering his right eye, Learme stepping back as he took center stage.
"Hey, how should we live, as Britannians who hate Britannia?" The commander scoffed.
"You some kinda philosopher?" grinning, he nodded to one of his men. The soldier smiled, raising his rifle.
Learme's right eye glowed red before he blurred out of existence, before suddenly appearing before the Guardsman, hitting his rifle high as the trigger was pulled, before blurring again and appearing back behind Lelouch in seconds.
"What?" Lelouch chuckled. "Can't shoot us yourself? You're up against students. Or have you finally learned that only those willing to be shot can shoot others?" taking away his hand, he revealed his left eye, which glowed red with the image of a V-like sigil, like how a child would draw cranes viewed from a distance.
"Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you: All of you, die!" The commander took an involuntary step backwards, before stopping and giggling madly, his eye rimmed in red.
"Yes, your highness!" Grinning madly, he and all his subordinates pressed their guns to their head, pulling the triggers. Blood from a nearby soldier splatted on Lelouch and Learme, causing Lelouch to look fearfully on the bloody scene, while Learme assumed an expression of shock.
After a few seconds though, their expressions shifted, Lelouch becoming sly and dangerous, while Learme etched a bloody grin onto his face.
"Well then...." They intoned.
000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Author's Note - 000000000000000000000000000000
Well, that's the first actual, full-fledged chapter to my first Code Geass Fanfiction: The Demon and the Dragon. Now, I can take a guess at some of the questions you guys may be asking.
What's Learme going to do? What is his Geass?
How will this change the story? How will it end?
The only thing I can say is: read and review!
Knightmare Gundam of Ni
Oh, and if text encased in quotation marks "" and parentheses () appears, that's not me.