"What is going on here, Mortimer? Who is this man?" Natalia demanded, attempting to subtly move away from the old man. When his grip on her arm didn't ease up, she turned her head to glare at the American, though he didn't seem very interested in her at the moment.
"You...A-All this time?" Ivan breathed out, shifting his grip on his gun in agitation. His mind was racing through everything he could remember of his time in The Foundation, trying to find a memory where he had ever actually seen the Commissioner. This isn't right...How could I have not known, how could he have fooled me for so long?! he thought, his mind starting to short-circuit as he failed to come up with anything to show that there was no connection between the Commissioner and John Mortimer.
"You thought that you had escaped me, but you will never be free of The Foundation," the Commissioner spat, his fingers digging into Natalia's arm slightly, making the younger woman hiss in discomfort. "I never lose track of my agents, and even when they defect, they are always of some use to me. Take yourself, for example...You left The Foundation and joined that weapons smuggling ring without a second thought, never once questioning the information that was put out about the group itself. Maybe if you had looked into it closely, you would have noticed several discrepancies. It wasn't part of my original plan for you, but it turned out quite wonderfully, all things considered. You had isolated yourself from the world so much that you couldn't even tell the difference between a drug lord and a politician, killing as indiscriminately as a rabid animal. All of the jobs you did over the years were funding the very organization you sought to destroy," he chuckled darkly, scooping up a small remote from his desk and pressing a button.
A screen on the wall lit up to show black and white footage similar to that of a security camera, showing Ivan torturing the man from the last job he had carried out, the man's screams piercing through the small room. The footage changed to another mission, one where he was much younger but still very capable of slitting a woman's throat without blinking.
Ivan couldn't look away from the screen, remembering each kill like it had happened only moments ago. He swallowed thickly, trying to keep control of himself as the unwanted memories hit him like a brick wall. He forced himself to look away from the screen, aiming jerkily at Mortimer. "Turn it off...," he growled, his entire body shaking as another scream erupted from the stereo system in the walls to correspond with yet another grisly death on the monitor screen.
"Why so shy, agent Russia? These are some very impressive accomplishments, take pride in them, there's no need to be so humble," Mortimer said, disregarding the Russian's demand.
"I said, turn it off!" Ivan yelled, his grip tightening on the weapon in his hand as he applied pressure to the trigger.
"Ah, ah, ah...I wouldn't get too carried away, if I were you. Wouldn't want to accidentally hit your delightful sister, now would you?" Mortimer chided, as if he were speaking to a child.
"Coward! Stop using others to shield yourself!" Ivan snarled, though he lowered his gun a bit as his eyes shifted to glance at Natalia.
"Mm, yes...People such as yourself would see this as cowardice, not smarts. But, even you can't deny that it is effective. You haven't killed me yet, have you?" Mortimer hummed, placing the remote back on the desk. He reached further back on the desk to retrieve his own gun, aiming it at Natalia's side. "Drop your weapon and kick it over there. If you don't, than I'll shoot her," he ordered, pressing the muzzle of the old model firearm into the young woman's left side.
Natalia stared down at the weapon in slight shock, her eyes widening fractionally. "You lied to me...," she whispered, her expression morphing into one of anger.
The Commissioner tsked at her in disapproval, his watery eyes boring into her sharp ones. "About some things, yes, but not what you are referring to. You've been searching for your long lost brother, and I offered my aid. Now, here you are, and there he is; were you expecting something...different?" he asked, smiling in mock concern for her possible disappointment. Turning his attention back to agent Russia, he said, "I'll shoot her, but I'll make sure to not kill her right away. I'll make you watch her die slowly, painfully, if you don't do what I say."
Ivan hesitated to give up his weapon, his jaw tightening as he clenched his teeth in frustrated rage.
"Now, agent Russia," the Commissioner ordered, his tone terse.
Ivan lowered his gun completely from the older man, letting out a slow breath. He carefully eased the weapon down to the floor, kicking it off to the side. "She has nothing to do with this, it's just between you and me," he growled, edging closer to the other two.
"Ah, ah...You stay over there; there's no need for us to get up-close and personal, wouldn't you agree?" Mortimer chuckled in an unnerving way, moving his gun up so that the muzzle grazed against Natalia's cheek. "Now...I think we should all take a walk, clear our heads a little, hmm?" he sneered, gesturing towards the door with his gun.
"Hm? What's this...," Eduard Von Bock, agent Estonia, murmured under his breath, looking over The Foundation's security camera footage. His eyes widened behind silver glasses, the computer monitors reflected in the lenses. "Not possible...There's no way..."
A younger boy, still in training, glanced over from his little corner of the control room. "What is it, Mr. Von Bock, sir?" Raivis asked, confused by the usually unflinching man's shocked tone of voice. He made a little sound in the back of his throat, remembering that agent Estonia had told him to not call him by Mister, saying that he was not married nor was he all that old, so the title did not apply to him. Raivis found it odd, but he really didn't want to get into any trouble with the older agent; he really wasn't any good with confrontation of any sort.
"I thought I told you to call me by my name, Raivis...I've known you since you came here, no need for such formalities," Eduard muttered, furiously typing on the keyboard in front of him. What's going on here? The security cameras for escape tunnel twenty-nine are offline...but how could that have happened? he thought to himself, his blue eyes quickly scanning through the information that came up on the screen.
"O-Oh, sorry! I just - well, I thought...I mean, what I mean to say is...you have seniority over me, so I just sort of figured you'd prefer it if I didn't act so...informal with you," Raivis stammered out, trying to compose himself and calm his jittered nerves. Oh...I'm never going to get through my training alive, am I? Even if I don't go out into the field, I might just have a panic attack and keel over! he worried, his small body starting to shake with anxiousness.
Eduard glanced over at the younger male for a brief moment, noticing the fifteen-year-old's anxiousness. He was never very good at reassuring people or making them feel safe, that had always been Toris's realm of expertise, but he was the only one there with Riavis at the moment. "Don't get so worked up over nothing, Raivis, you're doing fine. You've still got five more years of training left, I'm sure you'll find something that you're good at by the end of it all," he said in as warm a voice as he could muster, having a semi-difficult time splitting his mind between the technological problem in front of him and the emotional one next to him.
Raivis felt his face color a bit at the mention of his re-assignment to this sector; he had already been put into three different training programs before being pushed into the security sector, and he still hadn't found anything that he could excel in well enough to continue in the program before they transferred him to something else. "I...guess. If you say so, Eduard...," he mumbled, not sharing whatever confidence his friend had in him.
"Alrighty! This is the place!" a distinctively cheerful voice suddenly broke through the awkward quiet of the room, a group of three people entering through the usually locked door.
"Feliciano, we're supposed to be sneaking into the control room, that requires us being quiet!" a frustrated blonde man bellowed, his voice carrying a German accent.
The third man was exceptionally silent compared to the other two, his dull brown eyes scanning the room emotionlessly. "Agent Germany, I believe you are contradicting yourself," he said, more to himself than to his companions.
"Ack! W-Who are you three?!" Raivis squeaked, jumping at the sudden intrusion.
"None of you have clearance to be here, I must ask that you leave at once," Eduard demanded in a calm tone, spinning in his chair to face the three intruders.
The man with the German accent slowly approached agent Estonia, his expression very serious. "And I'm afraid you don't know what's going on here," he replied in turn, slamming a hand down onto the bespectacled man's shoulder. "You are going to empty out The Foundation's headquarters for me."
Eduard's eyes narrowed, a thrill of fear and uncertainty running up and down his spine. "And why would I do that?" he inquired slowly, weighing his options as he could see Raivis shivering in a corner of the room, pretending he wasn't there. He had a low caliber gun in a drawer to his left, but there were three of them and only one of him; Raivis didn't have his own weapon yet, and Eduard didn't think that the younger boy could shoot one off, even in a situation like this.
"If you want to be one of the good guys, then you'll help us," agent Italy chimed in, smiling at the two.
"One of...the good guys?" Raivis questioned shakily, edging further against the wall.
"We don't want to harm you," Ludwig said, lifting his hand from agent Estonia's shoulder, "But we will do what's necessary for the greater good, so I suggest you don't stand in our way."
Agent Japan remained silent, his gaze flickering to one of the many monitors that flashed eerily in the room. His mouth tightened into a thin line as he saw something that went unnoticed by the others in the room, the footage from the camera flickering to a different position as the three figures exited the Commissioner's office. His presence mostly forgotten for the moment, Kiku slipped out of the control room, his gun at the ready as he ran down a different hallway to intercept agent Russia and the Commissioner.
"Now, set off the emergency alarm and announce the evacuation of all agents from the headquarters' premises," agent Germany ordered, gesturing to the computer in front of agent Estonia. "Do it without alerting anyone to your predicament, and we'll leave you to your evacuation unharmed and free to go where you choose without my gun to your back."
Agent Estonia swallowed, hesitantly turning back to his keyboard. He shot a glance back over to Raivis, knowing that he had to go along with the rogue agent's threats. He quickly accessed the internal speaker system that went all throughout The Foundation's underground headquarters, setting off the alarm that was used only in the most dire of emergencies. "This is the control room speaking, all agents are ordered to evacuate immediately. This is not optional. All agents must evacuate through the escape tunnels as per emergency protocol. Do not panic, this is merely a simulated test at efficiency," Eduard spoke into the microphone, thinking of the most logical way of playing this off as something normal so as not to garner suspicion.
Agent Germany nodded his approval, and agent Italy gave a happy cheer.
"Alright, you two should leave as well. This place is a ticking time bomb, and you don't want to get caught in the blast," Ludwig said in a stern, yet caring, in his own way, tone.
"Wait...You mean this place is rigged with explosives?!" Raivis whimpered, biting his bottom lip hard.
"Ve~ Yes, but it's for the best! This place shouldn't survive for someone else to use for their own gains," Feliciano chirped, trying to ease the short boy's obvious fears. "Isn't that right, Kiku?" he asked for confirmation from his friend, stopping abruptly when he didn't see the quiet Japanese man behind him, as he thought the other was. "L-Ludwig, Kiku is gone!"
The Commissioner's head shot up as the emergency alarm went off, an explanation for the alert being voiced by one of the control room operators. "Ah...Quite clever of you, agent Russia," he hummed in an almost impressed tone, glancing thoughtfully at the Russian walking a few paces ahead of him and Natalia. "I have to ask, though, was it you or agent Winter who thought this up? Nikolai always was one for planning things out and trapping his target...You, well, you were more for following orders rather than thinking on your own."
"You seem to have answered that for yourself," Ivan growled over his shoulder, keeping as close to the older man as he was allowed, waiting for an opening.
"Well, I've learnt that intelligence doesn't always come as a cut jewel; sometimes, you have to polish it to see that you've actually found a diamond in the rough," he replied, a corner of his mouth turning up in a wrinkled smile. "So, how many of my agents have you convinced to join you in this foolhardy attempt to destroy me, hm? I'd like to know if I should be impressed...or offended," Mortimer inquired in a snide tone, sneering.
"Why don't you wait and find out? You seem to enjoy playing games," Ivan replied, refusing to answer the Commissioner's question.
"Hm...I'm always up for playing cat and mouse, agent Russia. Let's see just how many mice I can find scurrying through my walls," Mortimer chortled, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled widely.
Natalia remained silent as the two went back and forth verbally, like a game of chess visible to only their eyes. Whether or not this...agent Russia is my brother, he's my safest bet at the moment. All I need to do is wait and watch, she thought, readying herself for any opportunity to present itself.
Amelia couldn't help wincing at the loud wail of the emergency alarm as it went off, shaking her head to dispel the slight ringing in her ears. "Alright, guys, this is it. There's no need to worry about dodging cameras or other agents, 'kay? Every agent in here is going to be heading out through the escape tunnels, all we have to do is find that sick fuck, Mortimer," Amelia said, hefting her bag of ammo and prepping her gun for use. She hoped that they wouldn't run into any other agents and end up in a fire fight, but she wasn't going to be caught unprepared if it did happen.
"Who has the explosives?" Arthur asked, wanting to make sure that whoever was carrying them knew to protect that bag from any gunfire or excessive jarring.
"I do, aru. If anyone is going to be hauling these around, it should be someone who has gone through the majority of their lives," agent China spoke up, carrying the duffel bag close to himself.
"So, where are we heading? If all has gone according to plan with agent Russie, than he has already gotten into the Commissioner's quarters," Francis murmured, looking serious.
Madeline stepped closer to Arthur, a thoughtful expression on her pale face. "Well, could you hack back into the system and try to find Mortimer by using the security cameras?" she wondered aloud.
"Whoa, Maddie, that's awesome! Great idea!" Amelia cheered, grinning at her twin with obvious pride.
"Can you really do that?" Katyusha piped up, sounding slightly awed.
Arthur flushed a bit from all the attention he was suddenly being thrust into, not being one for frolicking in the spotlight. "Ahem, well, yes...I suppose that would be the most intelligent course of action at the moment. No use in charging around without any clue as to where we should go. Quite brilliant of you, Madeline," he said, clearing his throat as he dug through his pack to retrieve the laptop computer that he had used to previously disable The Foundation's cameras.
Madeline didn't even try to hide the blush that spread across her face like a wild fire, making a quiet squeak, which drew Amelia's attention.
Oh, my God! Maddie's got a crush on Iggy! she thought to herself, her face breaking out into a gleaming smile. How did I not notice this?
"Stop giving me that look, Melie!" Madeline whispered to her twin sister, fussing with her glasses as she sucked nervously on her bottom lip.
"No way! When this is all over, I'm going to give you such a hard time about this," the sandy blonde giggled, trying to regain her composure as the others started to give her looks.
"Alright...," Arthur muttered slowly, drawing everyone's attention away from the two sisters, " I've found agent Russia, and he's with the Commissioner...But, who's that girl?"
"Girl?" came the confused murmur of the others, all crowding around the laptop.
Katyusha let out a stifled gasp, a hand flying to her mouth in absolute shock. "T-That's...That's my sister...W-What is Natasha doing here?!" she whispered out in a horrified tone, her light blue eyes wide with fear for her youngest sibling.
Amelia's breath hissed out between her teeth as she made a noise of frustration and anger. "That bastard...He's using her as a hostage, so Ivan won't be able to do anything to him without the threat of his sister getting hurt in the crossfire," she muttered, clenching her hand into a tight fist. "We gotta get ahead of them, cut 'em off somehow...Iggy, is there a way we can take that'll get us ahead of where they're going?" she asked, turning to the golden blonde Englishman.
Arthur glanced down at the laptop for a brief moment, accessing a layout for the entire headquarters. "Yes...This way!" he said, opening the door that led out of the weapons room and gesturing down the hall.
Kiku waited silently for the approaching footsteps to get closer, his back pressed up against the cold, metal wall as he raised his gun up just so that its muzzle was grazing the edge of his jaw. He breathed in deeply through his nose as a warbly voice said something in an amused tone, the footsteps practically upon him now. Smoothly stepping away from the wall, he calmly raised his gun to aim at the old man that was walking a few steps behind agent Russia, the trio coming to an abrupt halt at his appearance.
The older man barely seemed fazed by agent Japan's sudden appearance or the fact that there was a gun being aimed right at him.
"Release the woman, and hand over your weapon," Kiku demanded in a soft voice, his dull brown eyes hard as he slowly approached the Commissioner.
Mortimer let out a rasping laugh, not complying with agent Japan's orders.
"What are you doing?" Ivan hissed, narrowing his eyes at the Japanese man.
Kiku didn't take his eyes off of the Commissioner, his mouth held in a thin line. "You clearly could not handle this by yourself, and I have my own reasons for wanting this man dead," he replied bluntly.
"Ah, yes. Agent Japan, I presume? Or, would you prefer Kiku Honda? I honestly don't care what name you go by, as you shall have none once you are dead and buried, you traitor," Mortimer coughed, his breath wheezing through his chest.
Ivan's eyes widened a fraction in surprise as he noticed three other figures quickly coming up behind Kiku, agent Japan still unaware of them. "Behind you-" Ivan tried to warn him, but it came a split second too late.
Kiku's eyes shot open in shock as he was shot in the back, the pain rushing in a few seconds after the fact as he crumpled to the ground.
"Are you alright, sir?" an older woman with vibrant red hair asked, lowering her older model gun as she bent down to check if Kiku was still conscious.
"Yes, of course," Mortimer replied in an almost irritated tone, waving off the woman's concerns. "Agent Russia, meet agents Summer, Spring, and Fall; the last remaining of the four Seasons, since Winter was eliminated," he said in a smug voice, indicating each agent as he introduced them.
The youngest of the three, agent Spring, let out a soft gasp, her dyed green hair flowing around her round face as she jerked her head in surprise. "Nikolai's dead?" she asked, her big, golden yellow eyes standing out brightly against her dark skin.
"You did not inform us of this," agent Fall drawled out, turning half-masted grey eyes to the Commissioner in what could have been an accusatory look, but it was hard to tell when he didn't have much of an expression on his pale face.
"He was a traitor; he got what he deserved," Mortimer spat, giving the three agents warning looks. "Now, I want you three behind me; I have a feeling we're about to have more company," he ordered, sliding a contemptuous look at Ivan.
There was only a hint of hesitation as the three agents got situated where the Commissioner wanted them to be, only agent Spring glancing down to where Kiku was collapsed on the floor, a pool of blood steadily eating up the pristine floor underneath him.
"Now, you two, on your knees with your hands behind your head," he ordered harshly to Ivan and Natalia, motioning for agents Summer and Fall to take aim at agent Russia, while Spring was to keep her weapon trained on Natalia.
Natalia glared at the Commissioner as he pushed her into place, almost barking an insult at the older man, but thinking better of it. She lifted her hands to lace them behind her head, her dark blue eyes wandering over to the man next to her. He...looks like he could be the boy in the pictures...And he knew my name...So, unless this was all rehearsed by that poor excuse of a man, he might be telling the truth about being my brother, she thought to herself, her attention deviating from Ivan as another group of people charged into the hallway.
Amelia came to a sliding stop as she saw agent Japan lying in a pool of blood on the floor in front of her, her blue eyes raising to see Ivan and his sister being held at gunpoint by the Commissioner and several other agents she'd never seen before. Damn it! We got here too late...
"Kiku!" Yao screamed, running to his younger brother's side, quickly checking for a pulse as he looked at the wound in Kiku's lower back, a relieved sob escaping him when he felt that his brother still had a pulse.
"I suggest you throw down your weapons...Unless you want to face the same fate as agent Japan," Mortimer hummed, a wide smile on his face.
"You won't kill us, that doesn't serve your purposes...Don't listen to him, stand your ground!" Ivan shouted, baring his teeth in anger at the Commissioner.
The old man whipped his gun around, slamming it into Natalia's temple.
Katyusha let out a short cry, tears spilling down her cheeks and over her fingers as she covered her mouth with her hands.
Ivan resisted the urge to catch Natalia as she hit the ground, his entire body tensed as he was reminded of the two guns aimed at his head.
"I don't like being underestimated, agent Russia," Mortimer hissed, his eyes blazing dangerously. "Disarm yourselves now, or I will actually shoot her next time."
"Amelia...What do we do?" Madeline asked in a hushed tone.
Amelia clenched her teeth as she tried to think of a way out of this, only one thing coming to her mind. "Alright...Alright, we'll drop our weapons, but you have to send her over here first," she demanded, hoping to gain a better opportunity for Ivan to strike at the Commissioner as she bought some time.
Ivan narrowed his eyes, seeing that Amelia was buying time for him; otherwise, he knew there was no other way she would give up so easily.
The Commissioner scratched at his chin in thought for a moment, nodding his head slightly and gesturing for the three agents to go along with what Amelia had proposed. "The three of you have cuffs with you, yes?" he asked agent Summer as he brought his gun over to aim at Ivan, making sure he didn't try anything.
"Yes...You told us to bring some when you contacted us," she replied in a hushed tone, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Once you've handed over the girl and they've given up their arms, cuff them to that pipe over there," he muttered in a low tone, moving his head to indicate a pipe that ran along the wall to their right. "But, leave agent America free...I still have some use for her at the moment," he added.
Agent Summer gave a hesitant nod, following after agents Fall and Spring as they carefully brought Natalia's limp body over to the group of rogue agents.
"Now, uphold your end of the deal," Mortimer barked, pressing the muzzle of his weapon harder against the side of Ivan's head.
"You can't be serious about this, Amelia!" Arthur hissed, trying to make eye contact with the younger woman.
"Just trust me," Amelia whispered back, dropping her weapon and ammo without another word.
The others hesitated for a moment before following suit, all eyes watching Amelia for some hint as to what she was thinking.
Katyusha immediately rushed over to Natalia, worriedly fluttering about as she tried to wake her sister.
"I'm sorry for this, but we must handcuff you now. Please, don't resist," agent Summer said in a sympathetic tone, pulling out a set of handcuffs from her jacket.
"What? You can't expect us to-" Francis started to retort, but was cut off by a sharp look from agent Fall.
"This is in your best interest, do not interfere," he stated bluntly, roughly cuffing Francis to the pipe.
"We're trying to help you," agent Spring whispered, gently cuffing Madeline next to Francis, apologizing the entire time.
"Why should we trust you? You're the Commissioner's personal agents," Arthur huffed, not listening to agent Fall's advice to not resist.
"Agent Winter was one of us; his death, and why he was terminated, is something we care about deeply. You have no reason to trust us, but you have to if you want this to work," agent Summer said, looking intently at Amelia.
When the three agents finished handcuffing the rest of the group, they remained where they were, awaiting further orders from the Commissioner. Amelia was surprised when she wasn't cuffed as well, but she didn't dwell on it long when Mortimer forced Ivan back to his feet, pulling another gun from a holster by his right hip and shoving it into the Russian's hands.
"Now, prove to me that all your training has been a success! Kill her," Mortimer ordered, lowering his own weapon as he waited for Ivan to act.
"No, Amelia!" Arthur shouted, struggling against the handcuffs that were restraining him, ignoring how the cold metal bit into his wrists. He couldn't remember if Amelia had gotten a vest, he hadn't seen her put one on.
Ivan's amethyst eyes shifted from Mortimer, to the gun, and then to Amelia; his jaw clenched and his hand tightened so hard against the weapon that it shook.
"Did you hear me?! I said, kill her!" the Commissioner yelled, a crazed look in his eyes.
Amelia looked desperately at Ivan, their gazes locking for a split second. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Do it, she thought.
Ivan's face remained blank as he aimed the gun at Amelia, only a flash of hesitation showing on his face as he fired.
The shot echoed through the hallway, and the group watched in stunned silence as Amelia fell backwards. She didn't get back up.
Madeline stared at her sister's limp body in horrified shock, tears running freely down her face.
"How could you do that?! She trusted you, she - she loved you!" Arthur yelled, his voice cracking slightly. He continued to try and free himself from the handcuffs, his face flushed with unbridled rage. Unshed tears stung at his emerald eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"Amelia...," Francis whispered under his breath, unable to look at her unmoving body.
Katyusha let out a sob, hiding her tear-stained face.
John Mortimer grinned, a dry chuckle rising in his throat. His bony shoulders shook as his laughter built in hysteria. "Perfect, perfect! You are ready! I can finally carry out my plan...I will finally be in control of this broken and corrupt country, finally be able to fix it, and be acknowledged as the hero of the people that I am!" he crowed, his milky eyes sparkling with the feeling of finally accomplishing his dream.
Ivan turned to face the Commissioner, his face still an emotionless mask. He shifted his aim to the old man, pulling back on the trigger. He smirked. Got you.
Ivan froze as another shot tore through the hallway, not coming from his gun, and stumbled back a few steps.
The Commissioner turned his dark smile onto Ivan, his expression one of disappointment. "Did you really think that I couldn't see through you? My, my, my...You certainly have lost your touch, agent Russia. It's awfully unfortunate; I do hate to throw away such a...helpful weapon," he tutted, as if to a child.
Ivan stared wordlessly at the growing patch of red on his stomach. He dropped to his knees, clutching at the wound in silent pain. He struggled to comprehend what had just happened, the gun slipping from his lax grasp. His vision flashed into black as the Commissioner slowly walked over to him, and he collapsed onto his side.
