Chapter two of the story I'm still not quite sure about the direction of yet, but it makes me happy that there are people who are interested in this little unfleshed idea that I've got, so thank you to you guys. :3


Feli and Arthur both exchanged puzzled glances. The room went deathly silent as the man's image flickered in the light. Alfred's body began to shake ever so slightly as the man who looked like a much older, more mature version of Alfred looked up at him, a tired smile on his face. Dirty blond bangs covered his left eye and the projection flickered more with Alfred's shaky hands.

"Son, I don't know when you'll be seeing this message… I hope it isn't too long. I don't know how different things will be for you when or wherever you are, but don't let the sudden change shock you."

Alfred's father paused, pulling on his army fatigues. His gaze went to something unseen in the projection; Alfred held his breath and waited, pulling the projection closer to his face. His eyes followed his father's, desperately seeking out what pulled his father's attention away from whatever it was he was saying. The distraction was fleeting, as Alfred had his attention again just a moment later.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there… But nobody told me until it was too late. I feel terrible; you must have been scared even though you wouldn't have shown it. You're my brave, reckless boy, after all…" Alfred smiled. "Mattie was there… You remember, don't you? When it was over, he came all the way out here to see me and cried for days. I'm still not sure how he managed to get on-base; he won't tell me." His father let out a rich, hearty laugh. "I Skyped with your mother; she sends all her love."

Feli and Arthur both looked at each other. "Skype…?" Feli mouthed silently, tilting his head. Arthur shrugged, never having heard of it before.

Alfred sniffed, rubbing furiously at his eyes before the tears could fall. He held the projection disc so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white. Alfred's eyes widened as the image of his father flickered in and out and he silently screamed at the device, unsure of what was happening. There was panic and sadness in those blue orbs and Feli put a comforting hand on Alfred's back, rubbing small circles to calm him down.

"And kiddo, don't forget what I always tell you. Keep your head up because you'll never see the sky if you're looking down." Alfred nodded, mouthing something the two men couldn't quite catch.

"I made this video so that you…" His father flickered and Alfred squeaked pathetically when the sound cut out. He hoarsely screamed and squeaked at the disc, begging for it to work properly. "…shouldn't have to be… Remember they… I wanted to say…you…at…"

Alfred's eyes widened as the room went silent and he shook the disc furiously as the projection of his father disappeared. He hit it against his hand, gripping it so tight it was a wonder it didn't snap in half. The tears he was holding back fell freely, staining his cheeks. When he realised he couldn't get the projection of his father back, Alfred hung his head and curled up on the bed, holding the disc to his chest. It was a fleeting comfort, but a much needed one.

"Alfred…?" Feli tried gently, keeping his voice soft to not startle the blond. Alfred buried his head into the sheets and didn't make a sound save for the occasional sob. He put his hand lightly on Alfred's back, making soothing motions as he murmured in Italian. Arthur, on the other hand, looked slightly guilty as he watched the scene, shifting slightly in his seat.

"I'm sorry, lad. That's all I could recover off that old tape. I didn't think those were even real until I saw it mixed in with your personal effects. The tape was much too old and some of the film was damaged over time; I got everything I could off it. That was a lot of work, too, I'll have you know…"

Alfred curled up more; Arthur's words only made him feel worse. "Ve!" Feli hit Arthur lightly on the shoulder. "Don't say that!"

Arthur's emerald eyes dropped. "S-Sorry… You can keep that if you want; it's yours, after all." With a sniff, Alfred lifted his head slightly to look at the older blond. "You can have your, uh, game thing when you're feeling up to it." Alfred nodded slowly, looking at his disc again. He pointed to it a few times and shrugged, looking between the two men.

"Um… Are you trying to play a game…?" Feli asked cluelessly, not catching onto the frustrated look that Alfred was giving him. The disc was promptly shoved in Feli's face with a huff.

"Oh for heavens' sake! Yes, you can watch the video again whenever you want." Alfred's face lit up and he held the disc out toward Arthur, mouthing 'How?' Arthur's hands moved to the side of the disc, feeling around for the small button. "Here. Press this and then it will open again. If you push it closed, the message will stop."

Alfred nodded and stuffed the little disc into his pocket, wiping the trail of tears off his face. He wanted to be alone and didn't all at the same time and wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Seeing his father again made him happier than he could've imagined, but with the projection and the strange disc, he realised what a different world he was brought back into.

"Al?" Feli asked, snapping the blond out of his thoughts. Alfred tilted his head as the Italian gave him a kind smile. "You want to go meet everyone else? I'll show you around more."

Alfred brightened and nodded, hopping off the bed. Arthur sighed and walked toward the door, shaking his head. "I've got work to do. If you want to see me, come by my lab." Alfred pouted as Arthur left, but that didn't last long as Feli was already pulling on his arm to lead him out. His legs had given out several times in protest of being forced to move again at such a quick pace and after he nearly faceplanted—saved by Feli's surprisingly quick reaction time—the excited Italian slowed down their pace.

"What to show you first…? Oh! I'll introduce you to Yao! You might like him. He's the guy in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly. He runs the control room and oversees the equipment. He can make lots of useful things! He's also in charge of all the supplies."

Alfred was brought to a room with a lot of electronics and flashing screens. Rows of colourful buttons flashed along one wall and he jumped as something started beeping loudly. A sharp "Ai-yah!" could be heard from inside the room and the dark rolling chair glided across the floor. Yao's slender hands flew at the keyboard, pressing buttons so fast that Alfred couldn't keep up.

"Yao!" Feli chirped cheerfully, leading Alfred deeper into the room. "Remember that kid we were talking about? Well this is Al—"

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something, aru? At least wait until I finish before trying to show me somebody!" Yao didn't look away from his screen as he spoke, glancing at what appeared to be an inventory log. Alfred and Feli exchanged puzzled glances as they tried to follow what the small Asian was doing, eventually giving up in defeat. Yao turned to them when he was finished, brushing dark bangs out of his eyes.

"Now that that's finished, you're the kid they were looking for all this time?" Yao stood and Alfred blinked at just how tiny the man was. His slender frame and small stature was a surprise compared to some of the others he had seen already. The two shook hands, Alfred nodding slightly.

"Wang Yao. You can call me Yao. It's good to meet you. I've been around here for a while and even I didn't think it was possible, but here you are, aru." Alfred tilted his head and opened his mouth to squeak his response but was interrupted by the cheery voice of his Italian doctor.

"That's Alfred Jones, but he likes it when you call him just Alfred. He can't really talk right now and shouldn't be straining his vocal chords too much… But I'll help."

"So Feli said you handle supplies…?"

"That's right. I do a lot of that work. I oversee a lot of the stuff that happens around here. I've got to make sure we've got everything we need to keep this place running." Yao sighed. "Leave it to the old man to have to run around the room all day."

Alfred blinked. Old? Yao didn't look any older than him. "Surprised?" The Asian man asked with a chuckle. "I'm actually the oldest one here, believe it or not. How old? Well that's an ancient secret."

"Dude, no way!" Alfred squeaked miserably, rubbing his throat. "You're only like twenty! If that!"

Yao shrugged. "Okay. I'll be twenty, then. And you're, what, nineteen, twenty?"

"Counting or not counting the years I've been asleep? Because counting them, I bet I'm as old as you are," Al said with a playful smirk. "But if not, uhm, what's today's date?" Alfred tapped at his wrist in hopes they'd understand in case his squeaks weren't enough.

"June 30th, 2148. 17:50."

Alfred's eyes went wide. The room seemed to start spinning all of a sudden and Alfred wasn't sure what was happening. He didn't respond to the first call of his name by either man and Feli placed a gentle hand on Alfred's shoulder. Yao watched curiously, ready to catch the boy if he fainted.

"What's wrong, Al? Are you feeling sick again? Do you need to sit down?"

Alfred kept the deer in the headlights look for another minute, his brain in overdrive. "I-Is that really today's date…?" No, surely it was a joke. Somebody was messing with him; they had to be.

"Yeah… Why?"

"That can't… F-For this long…?"

Yao and Feli exchanged nervous glances. Was Alfred having a mental breakdown…?

"Tomorrow… Tomorrow will be my 120th birthday…"

A big smile played out on Feli's lips. "Ve! Your birthday is tomorrow? We should celebrate! I'll cook pasta special for the occasion; have you ever had pasta? Eh…? Alfred…?"

The blond's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went limp under Feli's touch, sinking to the ground. Feli's eyes widened and he kneeled down beside Alfred's unconscious form, shaking him lightly. "Al! Wake up! Oh no… Fratello! Francis! Somebody help!" Feli's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as Yao tried to comfort him, but the longer Alfred stayed unconscious, the more frantic the Italian got.

Lovino burst through the doors a few minutes later, eyebrows furrowed. He rolled his eyes as he took in the sight before him, shaking his head at his younger brother. "I told you not to overwhelm him, didn't I?"

"F-Fratello..." Feli sniffed, rubbing at his eyes. "Alfred just..."

"Shut up," Lovi snapped, crossing his arms. "You did what I told you not to and look what happened. Get the potato bastard to carry him back to his room."