-28-

Things were not as easy for the American as he made it sound, he always made it sound as if he was in control of everything…when really…he wasn't. The board decided against helping him, it would be way to costly especially as a war was happening with the other country.

"That's it…we just have to let him…end." Arthur sighed.

"Sadly yes." Alfred sighed.

"This just seems wrong." Arthur added in.

"It is what you wanted Arthur." A voice came booming in through the meeting room doorway.

Arthur and Alfred turned back at the door way in surprise. Ivan smiled and knocked " Mind if I join you?"

"Do we have a choice?" Alfred rolled his eyes.

"I don't believe so." He chuckled and entered the room. The two watched as the Russian walked past them and towards the window. It was winter and the snow fell gently in Germany. " Its beautiful isn't it?"

"To each his own." Alfred shrugged scoffing the words in tones of sarcasm.

"A phrase I have not heard in a while." Ivan turned around with a wicked smile.

Arthur closed his eyes cringing at the words. " What do you want?" Arthur barked.

"Why are you even upset Arthur?" Ivan laughed " You were the one who came up with this scheme to end the Prussian," He paused and raised his hands out and began to quote him " You said " We need to dissolve the very source of Nazism." Remember?"

"I get it ok? What was I supposed to do! Our very lives were at threat to this new country GERMANY! Who raised the bloody mongrel! Who was the one who taught him everything he knew! Who!"

"ARTHUR!" Alfred growled.

"It's the truth and you know that!" The English looked back at his son.

"It might be true that he was raised, you saw the two together didn't you? They were happy. No ones happiness should ever be taken from them, Ludwig made some bad choic-

"Alfred." Arthur began to in a dark tone " Some bad choices…some?" He rolled his eyes "that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. That man planned out everything!"

"N-no he didn't."

"Do not be naïve." Ivan laughed.

"Have you even listened to the interrogations I had with him?"

"I was the last to talk with him after the war. No I didn't."

"We didn't send them to the council after Gilbert wrote up a deal with us. I will lend them to you."

Ivan began to clap his hands " You two are so funny." He spoke heavy in accent " Oh Alfred, you are so young and so easily angered."

"What are you talking about?"

"Things are not going well with my sections, and my borders of Berlin." Ivan growled darkly.

"Maybe if you were not a soviet nation things would be different."

"I don't think so. I think if they didn't have a choice and it was mandated then it would be an easy change."

"They would flee the country then."

"They wouldn't really have a choice" Ivan smiled. Coldly.

"What are you trying to say."

"Why don't we draw up a deal?"

"For?"

"Gilbert's sake?"

The two began to talk when in the middle of this deal Arthur spoke " As a member of the allied council, I am laying down the rule that Alfred needs to listen to the interrogation tapes before he decides on any of this."

"Arthur you might be my father figure…but this is a lit-

"Just trust me on this." Arthur whispered " Please." He added.

Alfred sighed, he hardly heard Arthur say please towards him. " Fine, I will allow this and can this wait?"

"I suppose this can wait until, next week?" Ivan asked.

"Deal."

Ivan rose to his feet " this has been exciting has it not?" he laughed " Poka" He spoke in his native tongue saying farewell.

Once Ivan left Arthur rose to his feet " Come now. Lets get this over with."


""Interrogation tapes""

"Ludwig of Germany, I am sure you know who I am but to be formal. My name is Arthur Kirkland."

"I know who you are, just get on with what you want to know." A deep German voice barked with a annoyance. It was Ludwig.

"I will be asking you a list of questions, if any others pop up I will be sure to add them into this interrogation. You are being held as a war criminal, do you understand this?"

A loud chuckle boomed from the other " You are too funny, I have no rights and anything you do in this room is pretty much at your whim." A pause " May I remind you…I am a Nazi."

"So you are" A hint of sarcasm. "May I add that the war is over." Arthur spoke.

"The war may be over but the Nazi's party will still live on."

A creaking noise was heard in the recording, a chair moving. "Ludwig, what was your acts in the Nazi party?"

"I was an officer in the S.S" He paused at each S.

"What was your input in the SS?" Arthur asked.

"That is going unspoken."

"I am afraid you do not have a choice."

There was a moment of silence, the creaking was heard again and the tape sounded as if it skipped to a panting noise, and heavy breathing.

Arthur spoke heavily " Now, what was your input in the SS Commands?"

"I was under strict orders to" He sighed " To search and destroy any of the targets." Ludwig spoke as if he was in pain.

"where did this take place?"

"This took place in five different squadrons. One in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Balts, Russia and much of Western Europe."

"You took part in this?"

"Only the ones in Russia."

Arthur growled "ONLY?-

"Do you know what those fools have done to us in the past? Believe me…they had it coming."

"Your taking what Russians did hundreds of years ago to heart? For christ's sakes Ludwig if I did that I would be beheading everyone!"

"So it comes out." Ludwig chuckled as if he wasn't in any pain any longer.

"Don't use my words against me."

"Why did you stop the tape. You really think people are going to doubt me when I say I was tortured?"

"I didt think they will care to hear you screams."

"Just like I didn't care about your peoples screams."

The tape went silent and ended.""


Alfred leaned back in his chair and sighed, the pile of tapes had just begun…but he didn't want to listen any longer. Already his stomach was sick with the truth and realization. The realization of Ludwig's anger and pride for his country. Would he do the same thing? Would he if he was in the same boat…he reached under his rolled up cotton tee sleeve, he unraveled the pack of Cigarettes. He rarely smoked, but he had to admit, he did. The thick smoke entered his lungs and he loaded the next tape.


"Tape 2"

""

"Ludwig are you ready to cooperate?"

"I don't think I have a choice." Ludwig scoffed.

You could feel the heavy ambience in the room " Do you literally feel no apathy for what you have done. Your country has murdered millions and you seriously feel nothing!"

Ludwig bursted out into what sounded like cries and this continued for only a moment and then he laughed and stopped abruptly " Do you feel bad for all the people you have killed? "

"Why don't you ask Denmark this same question? In fact why don't you ask Alfred this?"

"Ludwig." Arthur spoke softly.

"Every day…I remember what I have done. You do not need to keep reminding me." He spoke " Was it right? No." He paused " If this is ever dubbed correct, then all of humanity is-

"The only reason it isn't correct Arthur. Is because you didn't do it."

"What was your part in the SS again."

"I mind as well tell you. I have no reason to hide it, I have no army supporting me." He laughed sadly "Germany…has fallen." It went silent for a moment again " I was a part of the Einsatzgruppen."

"In English?"

"I dubbed that down for you" He chuckled " The real name is Einsatzgruppen der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD" He spoke thick with pride.

"In English my dear Nazi."

"We were a mobile Killing force."

"Why did you do this?"

"We" He dubbed " We were a force specifically designed to cleanse the lands of the weak and unfit."

"You decided that?"

"Ya." He began to cough. "Arthur?"

There was a pause " What is the plans for my country?"

"…"

"Tell me dammit!"

"Just like you told these defenseless people their fate?"

"You think I had to? They knew."

"Your sick."

"Only the young are sick, the old are cowardly. The sick move and make things happen, they make things mobile and instead of just pushing these undesirables around. We, the sick just dispose of them. In the end we helped them, instead of putting them through the pains of watching us rename and claim their lands we just rid them instead making them suffer."

Arthur was speechless.

"See there is nothing to say. The only reason its so wrong is because you are looking at it from-

"The side that its completely wrong. If I came into your country and destroyed every ounce of culture and history you would be appauled!"

"Your right I would, you know what I would do?" Ludwig paused and his voice heightened " I would destroy you! I would kill every single one of you! I would make sure your blood was on the land sinking into the graves of hell! You wouldn't stand a chance!" Ludwig barked.

The tape then stopped.


Alfred leaned forward and began to switch over the tapes when Ludwig entered the room " What are you-

"You lied to me." Alfred interrupted.

"I what?" Ludwig questioned and before he could even get another question out Alfred played the tape outloud again.

""-We, the sick just dispose of them. In the end we helped them, instead of putting them through the pains of watching us rename and claim their lands we just rid them.""

Ludwig sat up straight and glanced down at Alfred.

"You haven't even finished all these tapes." Ludwig laughed nervously.

"Do I have to?"

"I would suggest it." He swiped his blonde hair back.

"You would?"

"If you want to judge my words of hatred right after the war…then go for it. But I will tell you…the tapes…are not quiet accurate." Ludwig looked into Alfred's eyes. " He stopped it like 63 times to inflict horrific acts on me."

"63...Horrific." Alfred laughed " I don't think that is even fair for you to say."

"Your right." He laughed " They weren't really that bad. I only had a swollen eye socket, torn lip, broken bones-

"I get it."

Ludwig left the room with out saying another word. Alfred looked at the tapes and skipped through the rest until it was on the 4th tape.


"" Tape 4 ""

"We surrender."

"It only took you 7 days and 3 rolls of tape?" Arthur laughed.

"What has been decided?" Ludwig asked.

"We will make sure to put you and Gilbert through the same pains you put others. Even if it consist of-

"Gilbert has nothing to do with this."

"But doesn't he?"

"NO!" Ludwig barked " If you fucking touch him!"

"That is in Ivan's hands."

"I-Ivan?" Ludwig paused " IVAN WILL KILL HIM! Wait you -

"" End of Tape ""


Alfred breathed and sipped on the final cigarette and fell forward and brought his hands to his forehead. A heavy knock came onto the door, this startled Alfred. He spoke clearing his throat.

"Come in."

The door peeked open and Arthur entered " I just wanted to see how-

"Would you have done the same thing if you were in the same situation as he was?"

"…"

"Would you have?" Alfred asked.

"I have…back then…we just were different about it."

"different!"

"He systematically-

"So because he planned it better he is more of a monster then you?"

"…"

"It" Alfred gripped his hair tightly and rose to his feet pushing the tapes off the table " It doesn't make any sense to me! Does that mean technically we are all monsters?"

Arthur was about to answer when a voice spoke " Neither of you are monsters. I can say this because, what I did was wrong. There was no justification about it." Ludwig spoke walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. " Do I feel guilt?" He shrugged " More or less its regret for not doing it better." The two looked shocked " I am not one to take back what I did, nor am I one to cry over what I did. But I can say, killing all of those people was not right."

"Are you saying you wouldn't change it if you-

"Not for instance. Would you change leaving Arthur?"

"If I lost that war I would have lost my chance of ever becoming free!" Alfred shouted and Ludwig smiled. Alfred's eyes widened at the realization of his words.

"Look at the truth of those words…I was so determined." Ludwig laughed turning away from the two, he gestured " I was so ready to win every battle and spread my countries prosperity across the world…and if I lost I knew " He turned back to the two " I would lose all of my freedom. But it was something-

"You had to do." Arthur spoke in an understanding tone.