Alfred was hunched over the keyboard, the blue light spilling onto his pale face, deepening every shadow, every texture of his skin. Behind him Kiku watched anxiously, dark eyes quickly comprehending the lists of integers that scrolled across the screen.
"What's going on, what's 'e doing?" An impatient voice asked from behind.
"We're almost through the last Firewall. Here, let me…" The Japanese man murmured, leaning forward and pressing a button on the keyboard. Suddenly, the desktop flashed; the numbers stood still before fading away. For a moment the screen was completely black; then, slowly, gradually, a fuzzy picture faded into view. And then it began to move. The nations jumped back, staring, horrified, at what they now realized to be a video.
And then the music blared from the speakers, a familiar tune to many, and a male's voice carried across the stifled, cramped room.
"Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you…"