Suzaku watched as Nunnally took her seat, before briefly scanning the other UFN representatives, including Kaguya, who was enamored with the girlish atmosphere her Chinese counterpart managed to cause, and Oghi, who kept rereading his notes, memorizing all that needed to be done so that, at the very least Japan, as well as the other alliances, have fair say in the meeting. He folded his hands onto his lap and sat back against his seat, while his brain raced ahead on a hundred other matters.

Both Euphie and Cornelia were waiting outside, seated in one of the newer Knightmare Frames which surrounded Buckingham Palace, blocking any reporters that tried squeezing through. He could feel her magic radiate even from here, along with the protective charms used to disrupt the senses of any perceived foe in the event Arthur decided to attack here. Though her barrier won't work against her previous soldiers, it'll help her detect enemy Knightmares more easily, and will thus, give them an edge should there ever be a full on assault.

He tensed when the very thought came to him. He never knew Euphie was so talented in battle. She destroyed him mercilessly when he tried interfering with her militarily, and it's very clear that Lelouch's own prowess had rubbed off on her. If this plan worked, then both Euphie and Suzaku would gain the resources necessary to find Lelouch, from economic records to top political lobbyists to even small, run of the mill rumors that were evoked from every secret society present. Moreover, they would've indirectly secured international alliances that would alert them the moment something concerning Arthur appeared, no matter how clueless those allies were.

That prospect alone was daunting enough, but what troubled Suzaku more was the fact that Lelouch would be playing a part he sought to avoid from the very beginning. He knew full well that his best friend would rather die than do anything that resembles that of being a political pawn. However, this was more or less a stalemate; both Arthur and Euphie are expending resources, all for the sake of a man who might not take whatever bait they might lay out. And he started to wonder that, should Lelouch be found, if his friend's opinion would even be considered in the matter.

If only he could determine the timeframe in which Arthur lost his Lelouch…

"Right," he heard Nunnally say.

Carefully, he removed himself from his concerns and concentrated on the meeting. Everyone fell silent at an instant, with a quiet reverence falling across the room. "I believe we all know why we're here. The Chinese Federation, as well as the new Babel Tower site in Japan, were attacked. I've also received reports that Alfheimr is planning on making another big debut. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Kaguya answered. "A majority of the UFN's budget has been reestablished to deal with Alfheimr. Military funds have been sent to the major superpowers, Britannia included."

"Which brings up a very big concern," one man stated, leaning over her desk with analyzing eyes. "I've heard that Britannia has refused such aid."

"Britannian military is strong enough to handle Alfheimr." Nunnally replied. "We've more than enough soldiers in our homeland, and as of this point, I feel it of more importance to develop our remaining colonies rather than concentrate on building up one main army."

"But you were shot," Oghi reminded. "And the enemy managed to slip in as men who were personally escorting you. Also-"

"The new Knightmare frames are ready and waiting," Suzaku intercepted, throwing a dubious look at the prime minister. "In two days time, every superpower will gain these Knightmares according to the size of their army. Any vulnerabilities one nation might possess will be covered by other nations through secret trade routes and communication lines."

Whispers erupted from the room then. Nunnally stared at the room collectively, and silently ordered that they remain to their own thoughts. Finally, one of the representatives spoke up. "Are you suggesting, Zero, that we form a coalition against these terrorists? Isn't that a bit much?"

Suzaku closed his eyes, knowing the obvious doubts that kept popping up across the room. He took one look at Nunnally, and was slightly perturbed at how calmly she was handling all of this; in truth, he felt a bit inadequate. "The reason behind these actions is to prevent these incidents from resulting in catastrophic consequences. Think about it for a moment; when Alfheimr attacked the Chinese Federation, the world's leaders were meeting for a simple party to celebrate our unity. The multicultural fair that took place at Babel Tower served for the very same purpose."

Oghi bit his lip. "Are you saying the terrorists don't accept the new order?"

"There's not enough information for a definitive conclusion. However, if the person leading this organization is brazen enough to come and do this much damage, you can't help but wonder how much pride they have in toppling this society. Who knows? Perhaps causing mass chaos wasn't even their goal; it was just an intended, merciless side-effect that came with trying to reach their objective."

Nunnally nodded solemnly. "And I agree; whatever their motive, they aren't doing it for attention. If they had, they would've used the hostage situation to bargain with international communities, rather than just retreat. If they objected to the new era, then they wouldn't have attacked Babel Tower. Civilians of every nationality were there, and from my experience, it's easier to mobilize when you have the people on your side. All they've done," she added darkly, "is scared those 'supporters' into running away."

"If they're trying to undermine our authority, then we've already got countermeasures in place," one representative stated. "Then again, they should know that-"

"So what is it then? What's their motive?" another asked.

"Could it be related to the Demon Emperor's demise?"

"Impossible! Zero put down all the remaining uprisings!"

"And our policies are geared towards promoting prosperity…"

One of the politicians leaned toward Suzaku. "Is this the same Alfheimr group you fought?"

Suzaku slightly turned toward the woman. "No," he answered, before going back to the now panicked group. "This is not the same Alfheimr. The group I knew was too scared to do anything, and relied on political blackmail to get what they wanted. Someone new has taken center stage, and has resumed the name of a former threat; it seems we're dealing with genuine extremists this time."

Nunnally frowned slightly, but brushed aside whatever was troubling her and continued. "Kaguya-"

"In my opinion your Highness," she replied seriously, "we should send out a warning to these terrorists and continue with the reconstruction efforts in both areas. If they attack anywhere else, we will not hesitate destroying them."

Oghi's eyes widened. "Hold on! Is there any chance these people can be reasoned with? Maybe before declaring war, we should at least-"

Nunnally shook her head. "That's no longer a viable option."

"What?"

"One of the officials from the terrorist group contacted me. They stated that-"

She was interrupted by a Black Knight, who came rushing in, panting as he struggled to make his presence known. Suzaku stood alarmingly. "What's happened?"

"It's Alfheimr! They're attacking the Palace!"

Why here, of all places?

Euphemia steadied the Knightmare and surveyed the screen carefully. She scoffed when she activated the black energy wings, taking to the skies with the radiant wave shields ready and waiting. She positioned herself in the front of the Palace and took in the fact that Arthur was using Lelouch's same assault position. She narrowed her eyes at the center of the army.

Strange, how the center was just…empty like that.

And they way they were all just charging at her too…

Euphemia huffed and thrust open the radiant wave surger. She flew at them, willing the machine to move faster and faster, until finally, she took charge of their twisted labyrinth. With the VARIS's special functions, she fired the barrage of missiles at whoever was in her way, and sliced the remaining Knightmares in half with the energy wings. Two of the Knightmares aimed for the Knightmare's head, but fortunately, were stopped by the Hadron cannons the Earl Asplund so happily gave them. She dodged an upcoming slash from one of the enemy pilot's swords, and blasted it away.

She thrusted the Knightmare forward, and slashed open the cockpit. From there, she removed the unnecessary pilot from the seat and used the enemy Knightmare as a shield against the ongoing onslaught. When she felt them encircle around her, she dropped the enemy Knightmare and, once again, moved the thrusters to full speed, taking them out in less than a blink of an eye.

She gritted her teeth. "You're so predictable…"

Again, the Knightmares were beginning to aim for her. She released the energy wings and fell immediately, before looking up and engaging the thrusters once more. She led them away from the Palace and began attacking openly, activating the slash harkens and yanking the enemy toward her own Knightmare. She removed one of her feathers and almost stabbed the Knightmare's abdomen when she was interrupted by a violent jolt from the back. Angrily, she turned.

That unit was different from the others.

She blocked out the transmission signals coming from Ella's forces, and concentrated on her own predicament. She destroyed her captive and kicked the enemy pilot away. It avoided the attack and dodged an upcoming slash harken, before spinning away and regarding the pilot evenly. She clutched the controls and stole a look down at the monitor; it seems Ella was doing a good job fending the Palace from the upcoming attacks. As long as Euphemia didn't take too long, there's a chance her sister will make it out.

She looked up, and zoomed in on the enemy Knightmare. The design reminded her of the Lancelot in a way, but it was also similar to the Samuel prototype. It was dark green, with black shields wrapped around its legs and arms. There were a three skeletal wings on each side, along with what appeared to be white energy wings, which took the shape of broken feathers, all of which seemed to contain what looked like material fished out of the mines.

They almost resembled Sakuradite.

Shit.

The Knightmare began charging at her with unprecedented speeds. Euphemia tracked its movements and adjusted her own machine accordingly, preparing the radiant wave shields, all the while ripping out the energy wings and grasping them tightly. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the Knightmare make the first attack; a sword. She moved to block it when she felt another hit on her own Knightmare's side. Something latched onto the side then, and started shooting down the machine's legs.

A VARIS?

And it won't come out?

Euphemia's eyes widened, as she lifted the Knightmare's legs to knock off the pilot's cockpit. She grimaced at the warnings popping up on her screen, as she grabbed both the VARIS and destroyed it with the radiant wave surger. The shields managed to crush the pilot's sword, and she lowered the thrusters in order to shoot the Hadron cannon. She held the Knightmare in close range with the radiant wave surger, and proceeded to divert all energy to that one attack, all the while keeping up her defense mechanisms.

Euphie!

Euphemia winced. "Suzaku! This isn't the time right now…! What?!"

The Knightmare broke it.

And shoved an active Sakuradite bomb into her core.

She flew away from the Knightmare, barely managing to stop the Hadron cannon from firing as she struggled with the unwanted interferences the radioactive core from the bomb was causing. She bit her lip, and proceeded to dig out the cannon from her Knightmare, knowing full well she was going to have to eject. She looked down at Ella's forces, and narrowed her eyes. If Euphemia can draw them away from her sister and get them to follow her…

That special unit cut her off before she could get any farther. She gritted her teeth and distanced herself once more, before firing at the Sakuradite bombs.

"Suzaku," she muttered, "jam the communication lines."

They've already been disabled.

She blinked, before stopping and turning around, the Sakuradite bomb already in the claws of the Knightmare. As expected, there were enemy Knightmares charging at her, all with the intent of killing close range. She threw the bomb at them just before it was going to detonate, and watched them burn. "What'd you mean?" she demanded.

No one can get contact us. We're offline.

"When were they disabled?"

A few hours just before we were attacked! Listen; Nunnally and I-!

His thoughts cut off after that.

Kallen nervously looked behind her shoulder, trying to do whatever it took not to worry herself to death about Naoko's constant wonderings and stares.

It'd been a miracle that he hadn't been noticed for this long, but by now she's noticed that his luck was beginning to wear thin. Multiple classmates kept staring at him for a long period of time with those disgustingly disdainful eyes, as they taunted him, berated him, doing what they pleased in order to make him more submissive (not that he cared, or noticed). Many times over this week, she's had to put down a few rumors, and though the gossip had instantly turned to her, as well as the unwanted stalking and hate mails, she didn't mind it.

She smiled when she saw him sitting there, diligently taking notes without the slightest discouragement. She turned back and merely shrugged. Well, as long as the professor wasn't complaining about it, then everything was fine, right? And no one even knew he was there, especially in her Diplomacy class, so bit by bit, she found herself relaxing. Maybe she and Naoko could compare notes after class.

And in that split moment, her happy mood was ruined when the professor was suddenly on the ground, bleeding from what appears to have been a gunshot wound.

The men burst into the room with guns in their hands. "Get down!" they all screamed. "Get down or you'll be shot!"

Kallen narrowed her eyes and stood, when they fired one round of bullets, which broke all the windows in the classroom.

She rapidly turned and saw Naoko standing as well, trying to figure out what exactly what was going on. Her eyes widened, and mouthed, Get down. Surprisingly, he obeyed.

She breathed a sigh of relief, before turning back to the men in question. "What the hell do you think you're-?"

"Shut up!" one of the men screamed, as they closed in on the writhing professor. "Cooperate and you'll be spared!"

Begrudgingly, Kallen joined her classmates, and regarded them evenly. She stole a glance at the desks in the corner, which did a good job at hiding him. She placed herself protectively in front of her classmates, and looked up.

"No one move!" another man screamed. "We've got the entire university surrounded, so don't even think about trying to escape!"

"What'd you want here?" she asked tentatively.