Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 161

Libya and Eritrea jumped when they heard the sound of the emergency alarm. They exchanged looks. They'd heard the announcement that there was a chance that they would be attacked again that day, and unlike the previous time, there weren't prisoners to soften the deal. And it would seem that they were in fact attacked again.

Normally, the two of them would be more than happy to engage someone in battle, but they were both still weak after having their capitals destroyed and being attacked by Libya's brothers. Their countries were nothing more than pieces of land at the moment, and until order could be restored, it would remain so. They were both vulnerable, and they both realised how much danger that meant.

"We need to get out of here," Eritrea said, grabbing the device that Requiem used for quick travel. And promptly realised that there was something wrong. "There… there isn't any fuel."

"What?" Libya asked, before he grabbed his own. He sighed in relief when he saw that it still had some fuel. He grabbed Eritrea and pressed the button that would take them to the Vatican headquarters, but nothing happened. "What? Why won't it work?"

The two were still for a moment before they slowly looked up. The panic they each felt was mirrored on the other's face.

"I think… we need to find Egypt," Libya said. "Hopefully, he can use his magic to get us out of here."

…

In another room, Ethiopia and Somalia were faced with a similar issue. They couldn't use their devices to get them to safety, and they also discovered another problem.

"I can't get any signal," Ethiopia said, staring at his phone.

"Neither can I," Somalia said. "I don't think it's just some sort of tech issue. I can't reach out to anyone by any other means."

"But… Then we need to find Egypt. The question is, where? I-I mean… He could be anywhere here, and we could also run into the enemy."

Somalia didn't immediately answer. Instead, he looked up. Since this was a residential area for Requiem's members, there weren't any cameras inside the rooms themselves in order to give their members privacy. But there were cameras outside.

"Let's see if we can get Greenland's attention," Somalia said. "And hopefully, she'll help us get to Egypt."

Ethiopia grabbed Somalia's hand, squeezing tightly. Somalia looked down, but didn't say a word. He understood the message. They were both vulnerable, and there was danger where they were supposed to be safe. There was a chance that the two of them would fall to the enemy.

Somalia squeezed back. If they fell, they fell together. Somalia had no intention of abandoning Ethiopia, and Ethiopia wouldn't abandon him.

…

"I cast a spell that would keep them from escaping," Norway said. "It's the same I used against Denmark and Switzerland. I also made sure that their communications wouldn't work."

"Good job," Russia said.

Norway gave a small smile, before he swayed on his feet. Kyrgyzstan, who was standing right behind him, grabbed his shoulders to stabilise him.

"Sorry," Norway said. "That just took a lot out of me."

"Thank you for your help," Russia said. "You said they can't escape, da? Then you would need to get outside. You are weak now, and we do not want you to be harmed by the enemy."

"Considering he's our way out of here, I think it's wise to keep him out of harm's way," Saudi Arabia said. "We appreciate your help. Now, rest and recover."

Norway had to stifle a yawn but nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Good luck to all of you."

"We appreciate it," Iran said. "Now, get going."

Norway nodded, before he turned around and went back outside. He hoped that the others would be able to manage. Fortunately, they were still able to escape, so if they needed to, they could retreat. The biggest obstacle would be the interior of the place. Based on the size, Norway was sure that it was almost labyrinthine in nature.

…

Egypt had rushed to the control room as soon as he heard the alarm, and he watched the group over the screens. He'd heard what Norway had said about them not being able to escape or communicate with anyone outside. And, according to Greenland, they couldn't even communicate with anyone inside, since the microphones didn't work.

The other four Africans were trying to get their attention. Unfortunately, they couldn't let them know that they had it. They couldn't let them know that they needed to barricade themselves in their rooms, because with the spell in place, there was no way to get them out. Egypt would have to work on a counter-spell first.

"There's still some time," Egypt said. "Faroe, I need you to go to Libya and the others. Tell them to barricade themselves in their rooms. Tell them… We can't escape until the spell is lifted. Which means that I'll need to work on lifting it. And if you find any of the others… tell them about the intruders, and… If they want to engage, they can. But let them know that the numbers are against us."

"You want me to go out there?" Faroe asked, staring at the screens.

"Everyone is in the residential area," Greenland said. "It would take a while for the enemy to reach that area. You have time, and when you're finished conveying the message, you can barricade yourself."

Faroe stared at Egypt for a moment too long before he turned around and walked out. Egypt could still hear the muttered phrase as Faroe left.

"I should have left with the others."

Just in case, Egypt had sent a few people to the Vatican base. Now, he thought that he should have sent some of the more vulnerable nations to what was now clearly safety. He realised that everything that happened there now was on his head.

Greenland threw her brother a look before she turned back to the screens. She didn't want to admit that she agreed with him. Not in front of Egypt. And if not for all the data they had, she would have left sooner.

"I'm sorry," Egypt said. "I should have realised that they would be coming here. I should have thought about placing some more protective spells."

Greenland didn't immediately respond. She kept staring at the screens with progress bars filling too slowly. Eventually she groaned, before turning back to Egypt.

"I don't blame you," she said. "There wasn't enough time to react. Besides, if not for you, then we wouldn't have known that there was an attack coming. Also, I know that you've pretty much exhausted your magic. So, even if you were able to help us escape, you wouldn't have had the energy." She turned her attention back to the screen. "Do you think they would believe that no one's here?"

"If we'd thought of cutting the power earlier, then we might have been able to convince them," Egypt said. "Unfortunately, now it isn't an option. We just need to get the data secure as soon as possible, and then get away. I won't leave you until you say we can go."

"Is this even worth it?" Egypt noted the crack in her voice. "Even if I can get all of this backed up… If we can't escape, then they could leave with it anyway. And we'll just have wasted all our time!"

Egypt watched her for a moment before he walked towards the back of the room. He knelt down in front of the wall.

"Greenland," he said. "Come look here."

He heard her chair scrape before she walked closer. When he sensed she was behind him, he reached out his hand.

"Watch closely," he instructed.

He tapped on the stones in the wall and floor in a pattern, and once the pattern was finished, the ground rumbled. He moved away as a hidden stairway became obvious.

"This is a sort of panic room," Egypt said. "It's small, but if you feel in danger, you can hide in here. The pattern is simple. If you look closely, you'll see that there are a number of dots on the stones. Tap them in the order of one to seven, and when you're down there, you'll see a red stone. Press it to open or close from inside."

"Why did you make it more complicated outside?" Greenland asked.

"This is a hiding place. Unless someone knows what they're looking for, they're not going to find this. The same precaution isn't necessary inside, and it also has a video feed that would allow you to see what's going on in this room."

Greenland didn't respond, but suddenly, Egypt felt arms encircle his neck.

"Thank you," Greenland said. "I really appreciate this."

"Of course," Egypt replied. "Let's just hope the others would be safe."

…

Algeria heard the alarm, but she didn't move from her spot on the bed. Her head hurt, and she kept getting sounds and images that she was not supposed to be getting.

She kept seeing Morocco and Tunisia. They were smiling together, and for some reason, Algeria felt… happy. She wasn't supposed to feel happy. Seeing them like that was supposed to fill her with anger. They were the enemy! Why did she feel happy?

She also got other snippets. Snippets of being locked up. Of her allies speaking about her as though she wasn't aware of anything. Of them mocking her. Of being…

Of being in a Washroom.

She was remembering things that she had no recollection of experiencing. And she felt… odd. One bizarre memory that popped up was when she was still France's territory, and he took her to the marketplace. He bought her favourite hairclip for her.

She reached up and pulled it off, ignoring the strands she pulled along with it. The clip was a green crescent moon, not too large, and not too ostentatious. But it was still a gift, and France claimed that he bought it because he wanted to see her wear it. He said that it wouldn't have looked beautiful on anyone else.

And then came World War Two, followed by the Sétif and Guelma massacre, followed by the Algerian War.

It wasn't just her siblings that earned her hatred. She also remembered France and Turkey, and everything that had happened to her. But, ever since meeting Xhosa, she kept remembering the good times, and they were almost powerful enough to make her forget about the bad things.

Tears streamed down her face when she remembered something else. After the massacre, France had given her a golden ring to apologise for what had happened. He said that he had nothing to do with it, and the actions of his people didn't reflect his own thoughts on the matter, and that he would try his best to bring justice. The ring, like her hairclip, had a crescent moon design. Even before Islam came to her country, she had always adored the crescent moon. As a child, she said that the sky was smiling, and France had actually laughed when she told him that story.

The ring had gone into the trash.

And another time, Turkey gave her a lot of sweets while she was suffering from a cold. He told her that they would make her feel better, but not too much at once. He told her that it was something he enjoyed.

She also remembered that one time she joined forces with Norway after a few pirates raided Iceland for slaves, and accidentally brought the nation with them. She'd made a mental note to not do anything to directly antagonise Norway. That was the first time she really got to know what ice was. And it wasn't the magic that he used.

Those eyes were scary when he was angry.

All of these things filled her mind, reminding her of the times that went by. And she also remembered that meeting, where Requiem and Alvora made themselves known. She remembered that she was taken and locked up, her mind shredded apart. And she remembered… Tunisia's taste.

She was led to believe that she enjoyed it. She was taught to be a cannibal. But Xhosa… he reminded her that it wasn't the case. Not always. Before the war, she thought the act repulsive. And before the war…

She was not the same. She knew that she was different. And she had no idea who she really was now. She didn't know who she had to be. She was terrified.

Algeria jumped up when someone knocked on her door. She didn't have enough time to recover before it opened, revealing Faroe Islands.

"You need to barricade the room," he said. "We have enemies here, and we can't escape or communicate with anyone outside."

He closed the door again, and Algeria could only stare at the door. They had enemies there. Was it Alvora, or someone else, like France or Turkey? She could already feel the anger and hatred, before she felt horrified. It came unbidden and almost instinctual, and it scared her that she could react so quickly. She didn't even have control over her emotions.

She had no idea how long she was staring at the door before she stood. She walked towards it, her mind not entirely aware of what she was doing. She walked out. Faroe Islands was no longer there. She then went towards the entrance. Algeria knew that there was a chance that she would run into the enemy the closer she got to the entrance.

Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't move to wipe them away. She could barely even understand what she was doing, but she knew that she had to do it.

…

"What is she doing?" Greenland mused, watching Algeria on the screen.

She knew that Faroe had reached her, and had told her about what was happening. So, why was she going towards the enemy and not staying in her room?

A thought occurred to her, and Greenland shook her head. There was nothing that she could do now. Egypt had already left the room to see if he could do anything about the spell that blocked their escape. And if she wanted to stop Algeria, she would risk her own life.

She just needed to figure out what went wrong.

…

"This place is pretty impressive," Turkey said, looking around. "I wonder when he got something like this. It's like a combination of ancient and modern engineering."

"I get that feeling too," Iran said. "And I wonder how much constructing this place cost, and how those same resources could have used."

Turkey grunted in agreement. He knew that Egypt would have been able to improve his country based on what he saw, but he allowed himself and his people to live the way they did. Turkey wondered what went on inside Egypt's mind, and how similar the rest of Requiem was.

They'd already encountered a few branching paths, and every time, a group of three would split off and explore the hallway. None of them were allowed to be alone, just in case they ran into a Requiem nation and had to fight. They were going to fight to kill, and they assumed that Requiem would do the same.

Asides from Turkey and Iran, Panama was also with them. It wasn't a conscious decision, but none of them complained. So far, they were working well together.

They froze when they heard the sound of someone approaching. They quietly drew their weapons, preparing for a battle. Turkey gritted his teeth when he saw the person that rounded the corner.

"Algeria," he said.

He knew what happened to her. He knew that she had been brainwashed by Requiem. He actually felt guilty that he would have to fight her now. He also felt guilty of anything in their shared history that Requiem could use against her.

Algeria's face flashed with hatred for a brief moment, before her eyes widened. Turkey took a step back when she screamed, grabbing her hair. They all remained silent, not sure what to do about this.

After a few seconds her hands fell to her side and she looked up. Turkey noticed the broken look on her face, and his heart clenched. There was something wrong.

"Please," she whispered. "Please… Just kill me!"

Turkey froze when he heard that. The other two were also surprised. Algeria sobbed, before she fell to her knees.

"I'm not me," she said. "I don't know what's happening inside my mind. I can't… I need to die. Before… Before things get worse. Please, kill me!"

Turkey stared at her for a few seconds before he walked closer. She tensed briefly, but he could see that she was unarmed. She didn't even wear shoes at the moment. He stopped right in front of her.

"What did they do to you?" he asked.

Algeria laughed bitterly before she looked up.

"I hate you," she said. "They did that. I hate France. They did that. Morocco, Tunisia… I hate them, but I know that I didn't. They did that to me." She sobbed. "I ate part of Tunisia. They made me do that too. A-and I-I… I c-can't… I-I d-don't know… w-what's inside m-my head. A-and I know… they're g-going to t-try to fix me. B-but they b-broke me. P-please… d-don't make them d-do that again." She then laughed, and Turkey was pained by how broken the sound was. "I-I thought I-I l-loved Myanmar, b-but they d-did that too. H-he's supposed t-to be scared of me. I-it's gone. A-and w-we… It's not normal. P-please… J-just kill me."

"…Alright," Turkey said, raising his sword.

"W-wait." Algeria removed her hairpin and held it out to Turkey. "G-give this back to F-France. H-he should… g-give it to someone better. A-and tell M-Morocco a-and Tunisia… I'm s-sorry."

Turkey took the pin from her, before he plunged his sword into her chest. The sound she made was like a small bird, and Turkey reached in to grab her heart. He shivered when he saw her smile, just before he crushed her heart.