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 1: The Raid

Satellite Nation "Area-11" - One month before the Shinjuku Incident

A desecrated tomb. That was one of the many ways to describe Japan once the Pacific War ended that faithful summer of 2010.

As many of the countries conquered before, the island nation had mostly maintained a semi-neutrality between the major superpowers at the time; Britannia had been steadfast in its modern era of manifest destiny, but it was clear they were geared to take over with the increasing rise in Sakuradite, and similar the Chinese and E.U were ready to fight tooth-and-nail for their home.

The thought they could keep themselves occupied back then was as far-reaching as the idea was at the time. But in the end, Britannia won out and, in an unironic twist, the same country that had carved out Imperial Japan apart was the same country that now ruled over with an iron fist.

And like all the countries before, they marched through their homes and towns, their cultures and beliefs, and stomped them down until even the basic meaning of "Japanese" was ripped away. And like grave robbers, the Britannian Empire colonized their island nation, reducing it to pieces over and over and over until even the land was no longer an exception.

But let it not be said that the Japanese were less than resourceful.

Amidst the shining monument of Britannian colonialism that was Tokyo-sorry the Tokyo Settlement, there existed several "Ghetto" districts left untouched by the Empire. It was here deep in the night that the Naoto Resistance Cell readied themselves for a journey taking them across the Settlement. Several small groups of men wearing matching headbands checked over firearms, going over the long and short travel routes with one another, and prepping their transportation for anything that could get flagged.

Small talk filled the warehouse they operated from, mainly between anyone able to repair stuff and those heading out. "How are we looking here?" A man with long black hair asked, stepping inside once he finished slipping into a uniform too.

"Trucks are fueled and ready to go!" A mechanic called out.

"We sealed up whatever cracks and holes were left from last time, and the windows had been reinforced. Just try not to crash or ram through anything major!"

"And the plates?"

"Plates are solid; they're clean!"

"And we're positive the information we got is accurate, right?" Nagata asked once he finished changing, entering the makeshift command room of their base. "We can't afford for this to be a slip-up!"

"Positive. Akeji and Tamaki watched the Britannians start clearing out the port staff the night before! Right now they've got a skeleton crew running the site, so we should be plenty enough to get them by surprise." Another member, a man with teal hair - Sugiyama confirmed it back.

"So long as it's accurate. I don't wanna see us traveling up to meet a whole squadron or worse."

"I wouldn't be sending you out if it wasn't-" Movement came from the side, revealed to be from two men also geared - as geared as rebels could be - for combat. One was red-haired with blue eyes while his companion was brown-haired with grey eyes. "The informant's confirmed our information with his own. Now is the best time to get in there and grab whatever they're trying to ship out." The leader, Naoto, firmly answered. "And besides, you won't be going alone either."

"Naoto, are you sure we can trust this source of yours? We still have no idea what the looks like!"

"YEAH! That fucker could be setting us up to get gunned down by those Britannian bastards!" Another member, a very… enthusiastic man by the name of Tamaki, shouted from across the hall, irking several glances over or irritated looks.

"His information has been accurate up till now, even if he prefers his privacy." Naoto reasoned with a tight smile. "Don't worry, I'm not putting all my faith in him. Gotta save some of it for us, after all!"

"Why doesn't that fill me with reassurance?" Nagata groaned, shaking his head from the few laughs of his compatriots. It was no surprise to them Naoto had some of the worst luck known to men, even if he made up for it in his leadership skills and ability to plan out their movements. "By the way," He added. "I'm noticing your plus one is not among us…?"

"Nope. No, she is not." The redhead stated with an immediate look of ease. "She tried to convince me, but this isn't an effort I want her to be a part of. Especially given how far we're heading out."

"Isn't it only an hour and a half drive?"

"It's also Port Yokosuka," Ohgi, Naoto's second-in-command, perked up. "Regardless there's no telling how this could end."

"Yeah, that goes without saying…" Naoto grimaced, thinking already of some of the more recent set policies by the Settlement government.

"So long as we stick to the back roads and remain out of sight, we'll be good," Naoto told them both firmly. "Yoshida's group will follow close behind, so we move in fast, and get out even faster."

"Let's just hope it goes that well."

"Oh come on, have a little faith in me! You got the second-best Knightmare pilot and some of our best gunmen among us here!" Naoto called as they split up, their trucks roaring to life as they began the journey beyond the ghetto. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Military Port Yokosuka, Tokyo Settlement

The area surrounding Port Yokosuka was silent, with only the cool breeze and sound of water splashing against the concrete walls. Unlike in the common day when the site was typically buzzing with small or large cargo ships bringing in new supplies or carrying equipment to the Palace, the port had been put on lockdown after recent orders sent out by High Command.

Now the only ones working there were the security staff and an additional group of Britannian Army soldiers who patrolled the area. "Man, sure it is quiet tonight." One man said to his friend.

"Yeah."

"Sky is dark out,"

"Yeah."

"It's nice and cool out here,"

"Yeah."

"Peaceful as shit, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You gonna do anything else than that?" The soldier snarked, gesturing to himself. With all the sarcasm in the words, his friend looked back at him. "I've been talking to you for the past hour!"

"Yeeeeeaaaah." He chuckled, turning the corner. "Now hurry it up, ain't getting paid by the hour to hear you star-gazing talk-" A back end of an assault rifle flew at his helmet fast, and with a hard crack the soldier fell back, unconscious.

Before his friend could react he was slammed into the nearby wall, suffering the same blunt force trauma to the head. "Sleep tight, Brit." The rebel snarled, shoving him out of sight before waving the other to follow. "Come on, let's go!"

They moved fast, keeping behind the warehouses as other small rebel groups moved further into the Port. Like clockwork, they took their time to ensure nobody would sound the alarms. Small crew or not, this was still a military base, and Naoto was not interested in getting them swarmed before they found whatever this thing was.

"Remember, our time window is no less than 2 hours. We know the Port layout thanks to our friend, and we have a solid idea as to how the patrol routes work." Naoto explained over the radio feed, with each member listening keenly. "We cannot allow anyone there to see us, so stick to the walls and stay out of camera sight. Stick to groups of two or three, and DO NOT make any sound. Talking to you, Tamaki."

"One last thing," He added, his voice sharpening. "As you're all aware, our main focus is grabbing the prototype device but there may be civilians on site too, and even if there aren't, we cannot allow any traces of us to remain behind."

"So we unless we have to, we. Do. Not. Kill."

And Kami, wouldn't that be the biggest challenge for the resistance cell? With all the itchy fingers they have over the years, all the shit said and done to them? Their homes, people?

Stop, Naoto shook his head hard. You can worry about that later. Just focus on getting everyone out with the machine.

So he moved fast, with Ohgi and Inoue close behind as they moved between the warehouse. With the sounds of distant running and heels clicking against the stone pavements of the power, Naoto led the charge as Yoshida's team joined them, stopping only when they were right by their destination, Warehouse 3F.

Coming up from the left was Nagata, who had joined Tamaki's team. "Huh. Glad to see you made it." He greeted. "Figured this would be like last time."

"Funny, I was thinking the same." Naoto smiled back, turning his head to the massive doors before them. "The machine should be somewhere inside here. Remember - keep on guard, don't shoot unless you have to." He ordered, looking through the large group before going further. "Minami, Sugiyama: your on watch. Radio in if anything comes up."

"Right!/Got it!"

"Tamaki, Nagata your with me. Ohgi, stay by the doors with Inoue and Yoshida."

"Fuck yeah, let's grab this thing!" Tamaki growled once the doors opened, courtesy of the rebels prying it open themselves. The inside was what you'd expect of a warehouse, filled with cargo boxes as well as catwalks to give an overhead view. It was also incredibly dark so they'd have to rely on flashlights too. "So what the hell are we lookin' for anyway?"

"A prototype Knightmare Frame of some sort," Naoto summed up. "Our informant says it's currently a test model, but once the data has been gathered it'll be shipped to the Britannian Mainland."

"And mass-produced by the bastards," Nagata added darkly.

"Exactly. But if we take it first, we slow that machine's production down by years. And we might stand a chance against those new Sutherland units." They continued through, passing by several now-opened crates along with several more ahead. Some looked simply damaged or from sitting there too long, while others had been actively opened over the years. No doubt also by rebels or maybe those rich snobs trying to hide their dirty secrets. Either way, it wasn't till they reached the middle where Naoto froze. "Oh boy..."

Surrounded by many moved crates and open space stood what looked like a KMF repair station, larger than their makeshift one around the prize. The Knightmare was larger and weird-looking than they'd seen before, sleek-ish and partially more refined than the robust look of the Glasglow or Sutherland. It was set in a crouching position, with the arms resting atop the legs as if waiting. Any color it had was worn out and faded, leaving a dead-looking appearance on the frame.

Tamaki whistled, "Wow. What a piece of junk."

Nagata looked on in a mix of awe and caution.

But Naoto? He was speechless.

Up till now, he'd been expecting something like an upgraded Sutherland or one of those bizarre Knightmare-tank things made by the Chinese of the Middle Eastern forces. And he'd heard plenty of rumors from the few meetings he was forced to attend by his father, about how Britannia was already working on the "ideal 7th Generation war weapon".

This had to be it. It had to be something along the lines, and if not, this had to be something they could use to fight back!

But how would they get it out? It's not like they could take it apart, now with their time window shortening.

Before he could ponder further, the sound of movement reached them. It was coming from behind several large crates to the side. Immediately all three men turned, weapons partially drawn when Nagata moved forward. He came to the side and leaned his head out, nearly jerking it back when he saw the outline of a Britannian transport sitting right across from them. 'Where the hell did that come from?!' He asked himself, looking back and giving a warning signal to the other two.

And it was right after this that the side door of the truck opened up, with what appeared to be a scientist stepping out. Nobody special, just a Britannian man in a lab coat looking at some clipboard in his hands.

The next thing he knew was a hand slamming into his mouth, and another yanking him back into the truck. "Don't move!" Nagata growled in English when he shoved him to the floor, gun raised to stop the man from getting back up. "I said don't move!"

"Wait, wait! Please stop!" The guy yelped, eyes wide as saucers when he noticed the rebel's attire. "Oh shit, please don't shoot me!"

"QUIET! Keep your mouth shut." He ordered, glancing at Naoto and Tamaki who looked around. "Who else is with you? Is there anyone else in this warehouse?"

"N-No!"

"Bullshit!" Tamaki shouted, pointing his rifle at the man. "There's never just one of you Brits lurking! Who the fuck else is with you?!"

"No one! No one else is here! Please, I-I can't say anymore!" The scientist managed out.

"The hell is all this…?" Naoto whispered, catching their attention. The inside of the truck looked like a makeshift laboratory cluttered by all sorts of equipment. Crates lined the walls, either half-hazardously left open revealing mechanical tools, welding equipment, what looked like science, and even medical tech all around them. It was a mess, not to mention the odd smell that was hitting their noses.

He glanced at the scientist who looked at him with pure fear, and his expression hardened.

"Alright, talk: what are you doing here?"

"I-I was assigned to look ov-over the Merlin."

"That Knightmare out there?"

"Y-Yes."

"Why?"

"I-I'm not allowed to s-say-"

"Then you won't mind us snooping. Nagata," Naoto turned to his friend. "Keep an eye on him." He ordered, looking back at the tables and swiping another clipboard from one.

'High-Grade military KmF prototype Merlin… subject for enhancement and system rearmament… The subject is to be transferred to the Code-R Research Facility for further test study and analysis…' Code R? Subject?' He asked himself, glancing back. 'What the hell is this?'

"Naoto!" Tamaki called out from the far back room. "Naoto!"

"What is it?"

"Get over here!"

"Hang on-"

"Trust me, you need to see this," He called again, more urgently. With a frown, the rebel leader followed, Nagata keeping his weapon pointed at the scientist while his comrade opened the door. The room made up the truck's cargo hold, mostly empty save for Tamaki and some sort of crate he was standing beside. Coming up to it, Naoto saw it wasn't a crate at all: It was welded to the floor, for one. It also has several pipes connected to it and a large medical apparatus of sorts, displaying a heart rate of some sort. But the most noticeable feature was the clear glass, revealing what looked like…

"Oh."

Oh, fuck.

"Naoto? Tamaki? What's going on over there?" Nagata's voice called.

But Naoto couldn't say a word. His voice was lost in a mix of confusion, horror, and disgust, with only one thought coming through his mind. 'This just got complicated... really complicated.'

A/N: Wow, hey it's been... a long time since I last appeared huh?

2 years, hell almost three in a few months at that!

And what a time to be a fan of... anything. Seriously, these past few months have been crazy, followed up only by last year with AoT's ending (And no, don't worry, I'm not writing an AOT Fanfic.)

I mean, what can I say? Writer's Block truly is the chopping block for stories, ideas, and then some. And now that I am sort of getting back into my rhythm, I can say that YES! IT IS I:

KnightOfZ3R0 is back from the graveyard of chopped OC ideas, bizarre stories, and college studies (Dear God, the studies...). And on that note of writer's block, I do want to apologize for that, for coming and going when I said I'd stay and finish EVA. At the time I hoped to start writing when I had more leeway with class time but man, those classes bit me hard, along with overall FEELING like all my good ideas were going down the drain.

But I powered through them, and the ones after, and now that I'm in a sort of better time in my life, I feel like putting out some of my writings again, even if they are short-planned or only a few chapters long. That said, I do want to say this story will be a bit more...

Drama/Psychological drama-driven?

I dunno how one shifts from the insane conceptuality and end-of-world conspiracies regarding semi-organic titans covered in metal armor to tree-branch Lelouch and his Glowey Eye Powers, but I did want to delve a bit more into the darker slices of Code Geass that only really get brushed over in R1, 2 and then some. I won't go into details just yet since I have ZERO idea how this will turn out, but hey! We'll see how it goes from here!

Here's to hoping I'm back and getting into my writing groove again!