Disclaimer: Code Geass is written and owned by Ichirō Ōkouchi and Gorō Taniguchi, and produced by Bandai Namco's Sunrise studio. I own no characters, locations, or elements from the Original Series, Manga (Yes, there IS a manga), or Movie Trilogy/Resurrection Timeline. I own only my OCs and their respective Knightmares.

With that said, Please Enjoy The Show!

Normal Speech: "Hello"
Radio/Comms: "Hello"
Thoughts: Hello
Geass: "{Hello}"
Knightmare/Loudspeakers: "Hello"

Chapter 2: Waken, Lost Lost Knight

Flashback, two weeks ago

"I have to admit I wasn't expecting you to call so soon again," The cool voice of Naoto's informant answered. It was the middle of the day, with Naoto looking out to the ghetto district from a park not far away. "Am I to assume you've been satisfied with my latest intel?"

"I've been satisfied with everything up till now." Naoto corrected, leaning on the railing. "The information you've provided us has saved our asses as is, and that's not even counting the weapons you scrounged for the Glasglow... How'd you even get those? That tech's military-grade hardware!"

"Money tends to talk when it goes to the right places. And the right people."

"Bribes." Naoto deadpanned.

"I prefer calling it 'Good Business', friend." The informant scoffed. "Now what do you want? You wouldn't be making a house call this early evening."

"Wanted to see if you got any new leads to follow up on - preferably ones involving Knightmare Frames."

"Oooh, somebody's hungry for more~" The man's voice taunted over the phone, and Naoto could practically hear the smirk on the bastard's face. "I must have spoiled you a lot in providing that Glasgow in advance."

"Maybe, but it's not like we can rely on small firearms forever-" Naoto paused, glancing around so nobody was close. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what you provided. But we can't exactly go toe-to-toe with rifles and rocket launchers against something like the KnightPolice, never mind those Sutherland units."

"Ah yes, the latest model of Knightmare. Not quite as advanced as the Gloucester, but a solid upgrade of the framework."

"Yeah, and a literal nightmare to deal with," Naoto growled, clenching his fists.

Well then!" The informant said coolly. "I might just have something for you to look into after all." The redhead listened intently. "A guard stationed over by Port Yokosuka tipped me off about a soon-to-be shipment bound for the Mainland."

"You sure this is legit?"

"You think I pay people to give me false word of mouth?" They growled. "I double-checked with my source. They've assured me this is no falsehood."

"Alright then, what's the cargo?"

"No idea. But whatever it is, it's enough that Clovis himself went out there to supervise its arrival." Now THAT piqued Naoto's interest. It was no surprise to anyone how much the Viceroy detested the Japanese and the idea of leaving his private Palace. And to have him willingly show up at a military port? It was unheard of. "Interested?"

"How long ago was this?"

"Two days."

"What-How the hell have we not heard anything about this?!"

"That's not important," The informant answered, cutting Naoto off before he could argue. "But what IS important is that the cargo is classified as a prototype device. How many weapons made by Britannia do you know of that are designated under that category?"

"Very few," Naotor murmured.

"Exactly. You and I both know there aren't many tools or devices of the type." They agreed. "Whatever is at that port is valuable to Britannia. And to that extent, you. The question now is are you interested in the job? Or not?"

Port Yokosuka, Tokyo Settlement

The inside of the truck was quiet, more so than the outside as the Rebels kept their guard up. "Great Kami, that is this is fucked up," Tamaki growled, staring at the sleeping person behind the glass panel. "I mean FUCK! What is this?!"

Naoto didn't respond, instead marching back to the scientist and dragging the man by his lapels. "What. In the HELL. Is that?" He demanded, pointing to the metal box.

He paled. "I-I don't know what you're talking about-!"

"That mummified corpse you have in the cargo!"

"Th-Th-It's nothing! It's merely part of-of the experiment unit-!"

"No, no, no. That is not a 'simple test subject'," Naoto countered angrily, throwing the scientist back. His head snapped towards Nagata, "Get on the radio, tell the others we found what we're looking for." He ordered.

"Got it," Nagata nodded, glancing past him to the glowing box-thing. "How bad is it?"

"Very," He sighed, turning back. "Just give us some space, please."

Nagata nodded, stepping back. Naoto turned, looking at the scientist. "Talk. Now." He ordered sharply before gesturing to Tamaki. "Or so help me, my friend here will be more than welcome to make you."

"Please, you don't understand! I can't-"

"NOW!"

"ALRIGHT, Alright!" The man relented in a panic, raising his arms in a gesture of surrender. "YES! Yes, it-it's a person! Some-Some experimental soldier, I don't know! They came with the Knightmare Frame!"

"'They came with the frame'?" Tamaki repeated, glowering. "You mean the guy is a pilot or something?"

"Well-Yes, yes, and no. It's-it's hard to explain..."

"Try." Naoto pressed.

"Look, all-all I know is that the subject was a former Knight of some commoner family! They were brought to Area 11 several weeks ago by order of His Highness. They were put under medical supervision for injuries and-and then they were transferred to the military branch."

"Why?!"

"Pr-Prince Clovis wanted to push for repairing the Knightmare!" He shouted frantically. "So-Something about handling urban development? Mass production?! I-I don't know that information! We didn't even know what we were working on till we were brought in! I swear that's all I know!"

"Urban Development...?"

"I-I-I don't know anymore- please don't hurt me!" The scientist cried, cowering.

Naoto's glare seemed to intensify, if not at the man then at that little blonde coward hiding away in government. "Well, that's just fantastic…" He muttered, glancing at the open door. He could barely make out the side of the machine, the Merlin. "You said it was a Knightmare right, that means it can be piloted?"

"Y-Yes, it can. But-But only the subject can properly operate it!" The scientist sputtered out. "It's some sort of failsafe built into the system; it has to connect to the subject's augmentation for the system to activate fully or-!"

"Augmentation?"

"I-I-I don't know! They were like that when they were brought to us! I swear!" This was going from bad to worse, and honestly, Naoto was certain he knew where this was going. If the universe had been laughing at his back luck before, it must have been cackling now. The reality of what they'd stumbled upon finally set onto him with the realization that, unless there was a way to tow the damn thing, the Knightmare they wanted was not going anywhere without a pilot.

And the only way that was happening was if he opened whatever was inside that coffin.

It was human from the vague outline he could make from the glass paneling and their heart rate was steady through the device. But still… He couldn't have known, could he? For a brief moment, Naoto's mind wandered to when their informant offered him this job. Did he know the Japanese rebels would find this? Was he hoping that they'd find it and see what Clovis was doing behind the public's back? It's not like we can simply leave now, anyhow. We know too much, we've SEEN too much. And that blonde twerp would certainly not let that slide. With a deep, frustrated exhale Naoto looked back with a scowl.

That'll be a fun conversation to have when we get back.

"Here's to hoping they'll prefer us over you bastards then," He muttered, walking over to the coffin.

"What are you… Wait. No. NO! Y-You can't!" The scientist screamed when he realized Naoto's intention, only to be pulled back harshly by Tamaki. "The containment chamber is the only thing keeping them stable! If you open the chamber, there's no telling what may happen!"

"If they live, they live. If not, they die then." Naoto answered bluntly, earning another cry from the man. "Kami knows it's probably better than whatever the hell Clovis has planned for them. Besides, I didn't come all this way just to return empty-handed."

"NO, NO! I won't allow you to do this!" The scientist screamed, only to gasp in pain when Tamaki grabbed his neck, slamming him against the wall.

"DON'T EVEN TRY IT, YA BASTARD!" He snarled, already looking set on killing the man.

Naoto meanwhile took a very deep breath, turning the yelling out and looking at the sleeping prisoner. He hated how peaceful it looked. Hated how disgustingly wrong this all felt. And yes there was a great part of him that wanted to grab Tamaki and Nagata and bail out with the others. But it did boil down to whether he was willing to let this go, and regardless of who or whatever was underneath those wraps, they needed that Knightmare.

If they do it on their own, imagine what they'd do to non or half-Britannians.

With a hard swallow, the redhead touched the release button.

Almighty Kami, please forgive me for whatever evil I may unleash upon this Earth. He prayed, pressing the button and silencing the room. A hissing sound immediately filled the room as the smaller pipes disconnected or flew off their connections, and the heart rate began to climb steadily. And then the panel split into, opening fully. For a moment nobody moved.

Slowly but surely a very low groan could be heard from the metal prison; it was ominous, like something dead coming to life again.

Then, as the smoke cleared, the prisoner's body slowly arose. The entire head was covered by old, worn-out medical wrappings thick enough to hide any distinct features of the face. From the neck downward they were further wrapped, going underneath some sort of Britannian uniform of sorts. It looked similar to the Knight uniform most pilots wear nowadays, only way less refined and more akin to an old Air Force pilot's suit. It was withered and torn up, badly burned with several large cuts showing even more faded bandages underneath.

But it was the collar that got Naoto the most.

Some sort of metal, triangular-like piece hung around their neck, attached by small poles to a metal collar with a bizarre lock-like panel on the front, along with several smaller cables and wires hung off the figure's back and shoulders, and a few connected to the device itself.

Nobody moved. Nobody looked away, nobody did anything as the figure rose and set one long, thin-looking leg out of the coffin. A soft groan escaped the hidden face, but their head remained upward, fixed towards each of them.

"Holy... Shit…" Tamaki tried to speak, his voice failing and his grip on the scientist slipping.

"Great Kami..." Naoto inhaled sharply when the figure let out another sort of hissing sound of air. He felt his nerves rattle tremendously when their eyes - and yes, they did have eyes, glowing red ones at that - met. If they hadn't moved before, Naoto was certain all three had stopped breathing when they stared. Those eyes looked so dull and empty, yet there was something very unsettling about how the figure looked at them. Like a rage stirring underneath those wraps.

With hands covered in older wrappings, they grabbed the edges of the panel and rose out of it entirely. And as if they weren't distressing enough to look at, the figure was also taller now; maybe 6'0 now facing upright, compared to the 4'6 in the coffin they were placed in.

The scientist screamed and scrambled away when the figure turned towards him. "ST-STAY AWAY!" He'd finally had enough; from being taken prisoner to seeing this thing monster being woken up without its chains, he lost it. Tamaki barely had time to let him go before the man ran off, screaming in a panic. Unfortunately, he didn't get past the door as the figure shot past Naoto and Tamaki, their movements a blur.

The prisoner suddenly lunged, their hand shooting out and grabbing the man by his throat. Naoto and Tamaki watched in silent horror as the man screamed, his legs kicking as the figure lifted him into the air. Then, with a swift movement, they slammed him against the wall, causing him to choke and cough painfully. The figure let out a series of hissing sounds, as though growling or snarling, their grip on the man tightening.

"… You..." The voice was hoarse and weak, barely a whisper. But there was so much fury and hate behind the tone. The prisoner spoke again. "You… did this..."

"Wh-what? W-What did-?!"

The man didn't get the chance to answer. The figure reared around and, with terrifying strength, threw the man into the coffin, which promptly snapped shut. The scientist naturally screamed in terror, but his voice was cut short as the containment coffin was sealed closed.

"Shit!" Tamaki shouted, staring at the figure with a mixture of shock and horror. He was quickly silenced when the figure snapped back to them, causing him to raise his rifle. Naoto however raised his arms, letting his rifle go slack at his side. "Naoto what the hell are you doing?!"

"Oi! What the hell's going on in there?" Nagata's call was left unanswered.

"E-Easy, easy!" The redhead exclaimed in Britannian English, trying not to shudder when he felt the gaze of this thing glide over his body. "We mean no harm! We aren't with him! We're not here to hurt you."

The figure didn't say anything at first, though their eyes seemed to glow brighter.

"W-We just came here for the Knightmare. We're not with Britannia. Not at all!" He tried again, this time the figure's attention shifted. And normally Naoto never felt so unnerved or bothered unless it was the Purists or some Britannian bigwigs, but sweet Kami! This put all of them to shame.

"Jap..anese." The figure's tone shifted with the word, along with their dialect. Now their words were laced in the native tongue, almost fluent as the figure stared at them. "You... Speak. Ja…panese?" They asked slowly like they were still figuring out how to use their vocal chords.

"We-we do, yes," Naoto confirmed, nodding his head as well. "You're actually in Japan right now, w-well "Area-11" is what the Britannian government calls it now."

"Japan." The figure repeated the word slowly, carefully. Almost like a child.

"Yeah. You're in Japan."

The figure's gaze shifted, looking back at the coffin before returning to Naoto. "Why?"

"Uh, well, you see, uh..." Naoto tried, but couldn't think of an answer. What exactly were you supposed to tell someone like this anyway? 'Sorry for waking you up and letting you murder your experimenters? Welcome back, Japan has been conquered and Britannians are still super racist jerks!' After what felt like forever, he finally managed to speak, "My friends and I, we-we were looking for a way to fight Britannia. We want to try and liberate the country from the Empire's grasp. We heard about a Knightmare that could help us, but um... well… We didn't know what we were looking for was well... a person, too."

"You... wish. To fight... Britannia?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Fight... Britannia." They repeated.

"Look, I know, this is pretty crazy right now, and you're probably still confused but-" And suddenly without so much as a word, the figure stumbled out after, catching Naoto off guard. "What the-!? HEY!" He called, chasing after. Again, no response, they weren't even fazed by Nagata - who'd turned in time to see this walking thing step into the darkness of the warehouse - as they stalked across to the Merlin.

"Hey! HEY! Stop right there!" He barked, raising his rifle, and was utterly ignored when the person(?) moved past and came up to the Merlin. "Who the hell are you?! Where'd you come from?!"

"..."

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"..."

"I swear if you don't turn whatever is under those wraps around right NOW-!"

The figure suddenly turned their head towards him, and Nagata froze. They were staring him down, like a predator staring at its prey. A pair of red eyes glowed, and as soon as Nagata felt his grip on his rifle tightened, a bloody cough fell through the wraps. "Rrgh…" The person coughed again, painfully as they collapsed to their knee, shaking somewhat.

He didn't move for a minute.

But when he did, he didn't raise his gun. Instead, Nagata just barely lowered the barrel, eyeing them with a mix of suspicion, concern, and anger. "What the hell?"

"Nagata!" Naoto's voice called as he and Tamaki came out, stopping when they saw the mummified person's new state. They were still coughing, the sounds becoming more painful the longer it went. "I see you… met them."

"'Them'? That's a person?!" Nagata demanded, eyeing the figure. "What the hell happened in there?"

"You don't want to know," The redhead deflected. "The point is we have a way to get this Knightmare out of here by having them pilot it." He clarified. "Given the chance, I'd very much like to take this chance to get us out of here before anyone catches wind of us."

"I-You-Are you fucking.." A series of several emotions crossed Nagata's face before he forced himself to exhale. "Fine. Fine! But you ARE gonna explain when we get back." He warned, fixing his rifle and turning with Tamaki. "We'll let Ohgi and the others know to get ready."

Naoto nodded before turning to the kneeling figure, their coughing dying down as they breathed steadily. "You're... Rebels... Freedom fighter..." The figure's forced out of their last cough, looking right up at Naoto. "We… share... the same... enemy…"

Naoto blinked. "Uh, come again?" Instead of responding, however, the figure's collar began to hum.

Naoto felt his rifle nearly jerk up, expecting the worst when the device clicked and created a flash of light. But, to his shock, it had created a pair of pointed red extensions made up of light or Sakuradite. Or something of the sort that now hung over the figure's shoulders, sort of like a glowing symbol. As if they didn't look horrifying enough, this red glow around their neck only added to their menacing presence.

"You... freed me..." The figure stood back up, looking at Naoto directly again. "For that... I offer my loyalty... to you."

Naoto wasn't sure how to respond, though the figure didn't seem to notice, or care. Instead, they stepped around him, moving towards the Merlin. "If you wish to defeat Britannia... Then I am yours... to command." They declared(?) before climbing painfully up to the Knightmare. They pulled some sort of lever, and a low hiss escaped the machine as its upper body shifted, with paneling moved forward, allowing them to climb inside. Naoto watched in faint awe as the whirling of components and the sound of the Knightmare Frame came to life, watching as the machine creaked and groaned loudly.

The rebel leader swallowed hard, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to feel relieved. But he really didn't. After what he had seen, Naoto did not want to get on this thing's bad side.

He just hoped the feeling of possibly selling his would pay off now. "Thank Kami." He breathed, looking at his radio as it crackled.

"Naoto, it's Nagata - we got a problem!"

"Attention Eleven scum!" The speakers of a Knightmare Frame called from outside the warehouse, loud and clear. And much to the man's distress, he could hear the sound of vehicles and shouting coming from outside too. "You are trespassing on military grounds! Surrender now and we will humble your meaningless lives with merciful deaths. If not, we will use force and drag you out one by one!"

Naoto tensed, eyes widening as the speaker continued, "This is your only warning!"

"Everyone clear the area, now!" The red-haired man barked. "I'll stay with the Knightmare! It should be able to cover us and get us out of here!" He paused, ignoring the frantic shout of his companions and turning to the Merlin. "You can still pilot that thing, right?"

"Move." Was the only response he received once the Knightmare began to rise, and with it, the fury of whatever monster had been unleashed onto the Empire.

A/N: Sorry for the slight delay - my courses reared their heads back, and I've had everything from quizzes to exams back-to-back recently. Quite the experience, to say the least heh. Anyways I'm hoping to work on the next chapter, so let me know what you think so far!

With that said, This is the KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!