PHASE FIFTY-ONE

Ludwig rocked his head back and forward, feeling the world spin around him. He knew that he was under some kind of drug, he couldn't move, he couldn't use his strength to break out of his restraints. However: he could feel it… he felt the sharp knives and scalpels scrape against his skin, and he could hear the doctor's curse when they failed to cut him.

"Fucking hell! This is a complete failure, he's starting to wake up and our strongest scalpel can't even scratch him!" The doctor hissed, slamming the metal scalpel onto a metal tray, shaking the trolley from the force. "We'll need to push forward the other operations even more now! Is F.V secure?"

"They're collecting him now."

"Any word from security?"

"I haven't heard an—"

"Well fucking hell, have someone go and check on them!"

"Everyone who's here is either guarding or performing surgery. The telecommunications and internet are out because of the fire set by A.K."

"I can't wait to have that shit on my table; I had a lot of important stuff up there. In fact… He's number four isn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have him prepped for surgery; he'll go under right after the Italian. How's K.H?"

"Still in recovery, he hasn't woken yet."

"As soon as he stands: take him to his isolation cell and run a routine check on all of them."

"Sir… are you ok?"

"Those two that are missing are getting on my nerves… the militia hasn't come back yet… I'd understand that if it was the Italians, who ran away, but it was the American and Russian… they shouldn't have gone too far. I'm honestly still angry that they made it past the fog."

"Don't worry, sir, I'm sure they're on their way back with them now."

"They fucking better be."

Ludwig grumbled something incoherently, slowly regaining some form of consciousness; he rolled his eyes as he saw a woman walk by him and cup his head in her hands, keeping him still.
"He's dilating, he's waking up."

"Get him back into his restraints and take him back to his room, and give him another dose: just for good measure."

"Yes, sir."

"Fucking hell, he's going to destroy my drug-supply…" the doctor mumbled, "And I'm going to need a fucking butcher knife if I'm going to look past this skin."
Ludwig's face tensed with fear, visualising the horrible image that the doctor implied.

"He can hear you." The woman cautioned, only for the doctors chuckle to echo through the operating theatre.

"I know."

PHASE FIFTY-TWO

Feliciano grumbled and groaned as he felt hands on his back push him to sit up, he felt the cool breeze of fresh oxygen pass through his lungs, instantly making him more alert. His vision blurred, in reaction to the powerful light as his head spun.

"Feli, can you hear me?" A familiar voice asked, the Italian opened his eyes to see a familiar pair of narrow green eyes staring at him.

"Lovi?" Feliciano asked, lazily blinking and registering what was around him, and what just happened, he frowned as he pulled the oxygen mask off of his face, and welcoming in the fresh air. "What?"

"You're being rescued," Francis chirped, as he and Lovino helped him out of the gurney, with Lovino letting Feliciano use him as a crutch, as the Italian slowly regained the movement within his legs.

"They didn't take me?"

"They couldn't even make it out of the room." Lovino chuckled, overwhelmed with joy; Feliciano pulled his brother in for a tight hug.

"Come on, we need to hurry. They could be taking Gilbert next," Matthew pointed out. "If you guys need some time I can—"

"You're not going alone." Francis pointed out, "We need to all stick together; with no communication between us, splitting up is a terrible choice. We could get caught and no one would know."

"Right…" Matthew sighed.

Suddenly the room quietened and tensed as Francis stared at his mental victim, the doctor who still stood by the gurney with a blank look on his face. However, only Francis could hear the man's anguish and pain, as well as pleas to let him go unharmed: but… he and Francis both knew that this wasn't a possibility.
With another strong command, Francis closed his eyes as he heard the man lift his gun, before pressing it to his head, and pulling the trigger.
Feliciano screamed in fright and clutched onto his brother's arm, tears began to form in the younger Italians eyes as he begged his brother to explain why that just happened.

Lovino looked to the Frenchman for some kind of guidance, desperate to find a way to explain why a man just killed himself, and yet not villainise the Frenchman.

Nodding, Francis answered, "Feliciano, I learnt a new skill that allows me to control someone else's body."

"So you…?" Feliciano gasped.

"Yes. I did. And it is a thing that I am going to live with for the rest of my life. I hope that you can forgive me, we are in a serious situation here."

Despite not replying, Francis knew that Feliciano understood perfectly well.

"Right. Feliciano; we need to explain a couple of things first." Francis pointed out as the small group ran out of the room, with Lovino managing to keep at an easy pace for his recovering brother to keep up at.

"We need to get Gilbert, because he's trapped in a room and is staying there because he believes that if he doesn't move: those doctors aren't going to hurt Ludwig." Matthew explained, "However, we found out that they were planning to operate on Ludwig so…"

"Ok…" Feliciano muttered, "Then we go and save Ludwig?"

"Yes, we do." Francis promised, "We're not going without him, without anyone."

"Good…" Feliciano mumbled.

"HERE!" Matthew pointed out, appearing in front of a door, and staring into the porthole, "Gilbert!" Gilbert appeared on the other side of the glass, staring at the group on the other side with a terrified and confused face, as though he wasn't sure to fear the worst, or expect the best. "Come out! They're lying!"

Gilbert mouthed something, however, the sound failed to make it through the door.
Francis pushed himself to the front and pressed his gun against the keyhole, "We don't have time for this!"
Francis pulled the trigger, and shot a bullet through the wood above the keyhole, effectively making a hole in the door.
Matthew bent before the hole before talking.

"They're lying to you! They're going to operate on Ludwig!" Matthew explained.
Suddenly, a black mist appeared behind the group, before Gilbert emerged from that mist and stared at the group with furious eyes.

"They're … doing … what?"

"They're liars." Francis announced, "They're operating on us all as a means to find out what gives us our power and how it can be replicated. Ludwig was one of the first on the list. I take it that wasn't a part of your agreement, non?"

"No way in hell." Gilbert grumbled, "I will destroy them all."

Matthew smirked, allowing a new awakening of confidence to flow through him and show itself within his eyes, "Glad to have you on board."