Author's Notes: Here's something a bit different to get 2015 into gear. A new multi-chapter story made in collaboration with AuFiGirl on DeviantArt. It's based on an ongoing Hetalia RP between myself and her that combines my old but still ongoing RDNA-verse AU and her multiverse Agency. This one in particular is a polished-up version of an earlier fic called Through Board Director's Eyes: Outside RDNA-verse, itself taken directly from snippets of the RP.

The story itself is largely from the view of one of the human OC characters: Logan Herz, a senior Agent hailing from a retro-universe Austria. At the same time however, it's about the origin of sorts to another OC named Jonatan Herz: a young, talented Agent with a much darker and peculiar past involving two Nations along the Danube. And yes, Austria and Hungary are involved in this. Without spoiling anything, expect a very bittersweet tinge by the end.

As a disclaimer, I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Through a Board Director's Eyes: A tale beyond the RDNA-verse.

Or, a snapshot from within the Agency.

Chapter 1 - Forgotten Worlds

Deep inside the massive underground levels of the Archive Vaults of the Agency; the Hub Sanctuary.

Exiting through the elevator doors, Logan Herz, an elderly senior veteran operative of Austrian background, wasn't entirely sure why he decided to come down to the closely-guarded underground Archive Vaults. As Head Board Director in this secretive Agency's management department, he was presently in charge of overseeing operations in one particular universe codenamed "APH-RDNA-05." Some of the braniacs nicknamed it the "RDNA-verse," if he recalled correctly. Not really an operation, at least not officially.

Adjusting his necktie and suit jacket, he walked towards the large wide desk at the edge of the platform floor, overlooking seemingly endless rows of ginormous building-like blocks. Each one shaped to the exact same size, crude black with fluorescent lighting running through them from the floor down below all the way to the high ceiling above in perfect order. All showered under a nigh-mystical blue glow, giving an atmosphere so alien and artificial, yet still recognizable. It dwarfed most living beings that ever set foot into this secretive sector of the Agency. And this is just one of many. To think I used to see this stuff in pulp rags back home, he smirked wearily to himself. Back when my home still existed anyway.

Each of these towering blocks were essentially storage spaces for materials and sources that the Agency kept in digital format, a massive data bank of information and intelligence that's constantly flowing in from the organisation's million-strong operatives that were active across the multiverse. Something that powerful entities across the multiverse would envy and kill for, Logan noted as a blue holographic screen materialised from the desk in front of him. I don't blame 'em.

A circular robotic probe approached the elderly Austrian operative. It was one of hundreds programmed to maintain the Vaults and their endless source of precious knowledge.

"[May I be of assistance?]" the machine greeted in crisp if stilted German.

"Ja. May I have all documents under the name 'L. Herz,' bitte. I don't got all day."

"[Of course.]" The hovering probe immediately went away.

Setting his fedora hat on the desk, Logan scanned through the seemingly endless series of data slates and manuscripts on the holographic screen. Despite his attire and mannerisms being "straight out of some Humphrey Bogart movie" as one of his fellow Agents put it, he had been long enough around here that the Agency's highly advanced, chrome if alien technological aesthetics were a piece of cake. Nearly half-a-century to be exact. How time flies.

The hovering probe soon returned to the senior operative with piles and boxes of documents among other things and settling them down on the desk.

"[Here are all the documents under the name 'L. Herz', sir.]"

Logan nodded to the hovering probe, "Danke." His wrinked face tightening, he looked over to the neat piles of folders, each filed with papers and reports of his previous decades of service. His hands filtered through until he picked up one particular folder.

"[Ah, Report APH-0987-45. A fine choice.]"

"Find someone else to bugger on." The aging Austrian groaned as the probe paced away to resume its programmed duties.

Sighing, he returned back to the folder in his hands. In those decades when he was still active on the field, he had traveled and documented many different worlds and all of their strangeness and wonders. The people, their history, culture and legacy. Their glories...and horrors.

As well as mentoring newer recruits, it was expected of highly ranked operatives to do "undertaker" missions: the documentation of dying or dead worlds. These were not for the faint-hearted or not-so-mentally resilient ones. He had undertaken a few of these missions towards his later years before retiring from the field.

This report on the world designated "APH-0987-45," was one of them. And one that still haunted his mind to this day. Gott, it had to be this.

Other than his own documentation of its dying days and his subsequent report, little information was known of this now dead world. Logan opened the worn folder's yellowed files. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the text on the top corner:

UNDERTAKER REPORT

DESIGNATION: 00450987-DNU4-A9H-W25R-NHI09-Q2-BD-88 (APH-0987-45)

STATUS: [DESTROYED; post-nuclear apocalypse]

CAUSE(S):
Thermonuclear war
Possible external interference of timeline by powerful forces

IMPACT:
Premature total destruction of timeline
Extensive destruction of associated or parallel timelines

SURVIVOR(S): 1

He sighed grimly as he read through his hand-written report on the dying world. This was his last "undertaker" mission and as much as he regretted it, he was the only one in the original expedition to even associate with that long-gone timeline. Compared to the official database, his actual folder contained information that proved to be too sensitive that it had to be classified. And for good reason...

Some of the yellowed files were his own papers while others were taken from that very world. He put each one aside once he briefly skimmed through them. Before long, he soon came across an old, crude photograph, yellowing and faded in parts. One of a seemingly young family. Picking it up gently, Logan couldn't help but feel his stomach sink as he looked at it more carefully. Them.

In the nearly colorless photograph, there was a tall, bespectacled man who looked weary but still had the composure of a proud nobleman. His glasses cracked on one lens and a peculiar strand of hair stuck out to a curl. Next to the man was a frail-looking young woman with long wavy hair an an odd flower sniffled over her left ear that had since withered away. Their faces aged and frail, despite their apparent youth. Both wore the tattered remains of their uniforms, which covered their scarred skin. Their worn eyes however, still glimmered with life. Especially in the blasted hellhole they lived in. At the center of the photograph was the couple's young son. Smiling, despite the unseen hardship in the photograph, his eyes shining up brightly with hope. Until those warlords took that boy away from them...

By then, Logan's weary eyes became heavy. "Gott," he muttered aloud to no one in particular. "If only I came sooner." He could have saved the family. The parents especially, and not leave their child orphaned. Carrying the burden alone with the tragic legacy of their world. But that left open an entire world of possibilities. Would the kid's true parents have survived the journey? And for how long?

He put the old photograph back down onto the desk, sighing heavily as memories came back. There was much work to do. Though one thing was for certain: their son loved them so much. So much that even now, it broke him.

"It's been 15 years now. Hasn't it, Jonatan?"

For some added information:

The Agency, as it's known in human tongue, is an interdimensional organisation crossing between the multiverse. For those-in-the-know, its main objective is knowledge and intelligence with the largest database in existence. The organization employs millions of operatives across its operations from different worlds and backgrounds, both human and alien. It also hosts the largest refugee center in the multiverse for the "displaced" within its domain: the Hub Sanctuary, which itself is a world of its own. Due to its abundance of precious data and network of outreaching contacts, the Agency remains "invisible" and officially under a neutral stance for those aware of its existence. Allegedly. Many however believe that it does not exist at all.

The Royal Dominion of New Austria is one of the major "Free Nations" in the so-called RDNA-verse. Essentially, this is the result of the Austrian Habsburgs rather than the Spanish settling and raising up what our world would call Mexico. By the 2010s of the AU though, it's long since become home to the Habsburg Throne-in-Exile, their Austro-Hungarian homelands lost to the "Terror."