Firstly: AUGH! I am an idiot! DDDX I posted the last chapter without mentioning that it was not directly tied to the chapter before it...and now I am kicking myself, because in my opinion, that completely ruins the mood and takes away the suspense of not knowing who the mystery nation is at first. So I am VERY, VERY SORRY if anyone was confused by that. DDD': Thank you, ExtraPenguin, for bringing that to my attention. I will say it right now, just so we're clear: this chapter, like the chapters before it, is an exposition all on its own and involves different characters than the ones before it. The next chapter, however, will not be like this.

I'll be honest: I'm a bit disappointed with myself. ;_; I was really looking forward to writing this particular chapter, and I think it just turned out sort of...BLEH. DX I feel like I could have done a lot more with it, but the plot sort of took on a mind of its own, and I guess I sort of backed myself into a corner. That and I was having a bit of writer's block...^^' Basically what I'm trying to say is: it's too short! *shame*

That being said, this chapter does include several of my favorite characters, so it was still quite fun to do. :P I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

PEOPLE WHO PWN: The Dino that writes- Rawr, ExtraPenguin, Cree Stal, NONAMESWEREAVAILABLE, Howl's Owls, IdiotFromOsaka, and HELLO MY NAME IS -RANDOMNESS.


The gang member hurried down the series of barren, unfriendly hallways. He silently prayed that he would not be spotted, that no one was around to hear the clatter of his shoes smacking against the floor as he ran. He was late to the meeting, and he knew his boss was bound to be less than thrilled by the time he showed up.

Of course, it wasn't as though he hadn't been punished for such an offense before.

After what seemed like an eternity of wandering through the hideout's maze, he reached the gray double doors and burst through them into the meeting room. To his immense shock and relief, it was entirely dark and devoid of people. Not bothering to spend time groping for the light switch, he found his way through the blackness and located his usual seat.

He was attempting to catch his breath when the cold fluorescent ceiling bulbs suddenly sprang to life, filling the room with a harsh illumination. It blinded him for a moment before he recovered and saw the one thing he wished he didn't have to, the scene that created a sinking feeling in his stomach like an anchor of dread.

The leader of the gang sat at the head of the table, surrounded by all of his underlings. Though his mouth was partially covered by a tattered, off-white scarf, it was still easy to see that he wore a smile: serene, innocent, welcoming, and utterly horrific.

"Why, hello, Lithuania," he greeted cheerfully.

Said country tried to will himself not to tremble in fear. He swallowed nervously before forcing a timid, wavering reply out of his mouth. "I-I'm very sorry, Mr. Russia…y-you see, I w-was preparing for your plans to—"

"Oh, no, no need to apologize now," Russia said sweetly, in an almost sing-song way. "After all, you'll be much sorrier later."

Again Lithuania gulped, and again he felt a shiver slither rapidly up his spine and spread throughout his body in a terrified tremor.

And again his boss grinned that grin which was so lovely and mocking and insane all at the same time, that grin which was such a beautiful mask: so perfect for shielding the grotesque, demonic face that hid behind it.

Lithuania recalled previous beatings that he'd received from his crazed master. They were terrible and all-too-familiar visions, memories bathed in the shadows of a dim, dirty room and accompanied by the music of the lash against his pale, bare back, over and over and over again.

Whip. Whip. Whip.

Pain. Pain. Pain.

Smile. Smile. He was forced to smile through the hurt.

He would rather be anyone else in this entire damned world than a participant in this gang, the one called the Iron Curtain. It was run with a sort of twisted organized chaos, and it was controlled by the most chaotic and yet the most cool and calculating among them.

As it said in the gang's slogan: "Once the Curtain is closed, there is no escape."

Russia turned to the other members, who up until this point had kept in an uneasy silence. "Now then, Estonia…why don't you tell us again about your plan for our next attack?"

The clever nation nodded and pushed his glasses farther up on his nose before speaking. "Well, there is a group of affiliated government-run banks centered around this area here." He drew a circle around a rather vague cluster of red spots on a slightly faded map. "They are heavily guarded, of course…but I believe it shouldn't be hard to find a weakness in their defenses. Once we accomplish that, we could easily attack them all at once."

"Hmm," Russia mused. "What do you think, Latvia?"

In response, the small country whimpered and cowered with all the terror of a mouse that had just come face-to-face with a cobra. As usual, Belarus stood protectively behind Russia, knife in hand. Ukraine simply nodded obediently, causing her breasts to jostle against each other rather obnoxiously.

"It's settled then!" Russia announced jovially, as his mask began to slide slowly but apparently off his face. His charming little smile was beginning to give way to a maniacal countenance; his lavender eyes were almost glowing, as though Hell itself burned inside them.

He brought a hand up to his face, as though he could already see and feel crimson liquid running through his fingers. The money wasn't the most important thing to him. He simply wanted the sheer power that came from possessing ten thousand or so Auros. He always wanted more power, always more power. "And then, after we slaughter everyone there, we'll-"

He stopped abruptly and spun his head around towards the door, clearly having heard something beyond it. The followers of the gang copied his reaction.

The maddened eagerness seemed to rush through Russia as he mumbled, "I think we have a visitor, ladies and gentlemen…and I think it's our usual friend."

He sped out the door. The thief had already heard his footsteps and started running, but Russia would not let that deter him. With the other five behind him, he gave chase until finding himself outside in a dead-end street where no one was to be seen. The only sound was the sweeping wind, the only movement that of a lone rat scurrying across the asphalt and out of view.

Russia chuckled at the nothingness. "I know you're here, and you know I know you're here. Why don't you come out, now? Russia won't hurt you."

The hidden intruder gave no response.

"We could use your skills as a robber. Just the fact that you've managed to evade me this long impresses me more than you know. Come now—start putting those abilities to good use and join us, why don't you? We could do great things together, all of us."

Still no response.

Russia laughed softly again, then pulled out a machine gun from under his long coat and began firing wildly and at random into the night. Sadly, no lead-filled body fell prostrate into the street before him.

"I'll be waiting," he whispered gently before walking away, the rest of the gang trailing behind him.

Several minutes after she was sure the last of her pursuers had left, Hungary cautiously emerged from her position crouched behind a trash can. Her sharp emerald eyes scanned her surroundings to ensure that she really had escaped before she looked to see how much she had gained from her latest plundering of the Iron Curtain's vault. It wasn't as much as she'd hoped to gather, since she'd had to rush out so quickly, but it would have to do for now.

She skulked off through the streets, the maniac's echoing words haunting her with every step. She wondered why he continued trying so hard to get at her and make her unite with his cause. She was a competent criminal, yes…but she was still just one other country trying to scrape by a meager day-to-day existence.

Either way, she would never for a moment consider joining the gang. She had tried trusting other people before. All they'd ever done was try to take away the freedom she'd always desired.

TERRA…that's what they'd done.

And she was better off on her own anyway.

Suddenly she felt one burly arm come from behind wrap around her body. Another went her mouth so that her ability to bite or scream was taken away. She hardly had time to struggle before she was dragged backwards into a darkened building.