Author: MercurialLily
Fandom: Hetalia
Title: Iris
Rating: T
Pairing: None

We'll meet some new characters in this chapter.

October 6, 1993, Warsaw

Natalya shouted and dropped to the ground, curling up into a ball. Her heart was pounding, and she trembled slightly.

"Toris, what the hell?" she heard Feliks say. She looked up.

A tall, dark-haired young man was the one holding the gun. Natalya found him somewhat dull, even though she'd only just encountered him. He seemed absolutely shocked as he lowered his gun.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you," he apologized. "I heard that Vlad and Tino were coming back tonight, and -"

"It's all right, Toris," Katya said. She bent down to talk to Natalya. "This is an exercise we do. Sometimes when our workers return, we like to surprise them by giving them a little challenge, like holding them at gunpoint. They're tested on how quickly and efficiently they're able to diffuse the situation."

"Just what the hell have you dragged me into?" Natalya demanded as she stood up, dusting off her clothes.

Katya gestured to the building. "We train assassins here."

Natalya was dumbfounded. "I'm sorry, what?" she said.

"Assassins. Highly trained individuals who are assigned to various places to remove potential threats," Katya explained. "It's a difficult career, but we do what we have to. You understand, what with your experience on the streets."

"You brought me here so you can teach me how to kill people?" Natalya shook her head. "No, sorry, but I don't want to do this. I'd rather go back to where I was." She took a step back.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Katya warned.

"Why?"

"We have designated marksmen on the roof of our building." Katya pointed. Natalya couldn't see anything, but was there any reason for Katya to lie? After all, this was a place where killers were trained. "All I have to do is give the signal, and you'll be shot dead in a matter of seconds. It's up to you."

Natalya stood still, weighing her options. She was fast, but there was no way she could outrun a bullet. She glanced at the three people standing near here. Toris was still holding his gun, Feliks was reaching behind his back, and Katya had her arms crossed, a calm yet commanding expression on her face. They likely wouldn't have any qualms about killing her.

"Have you made your choice?" Katya asked.

With a slow nod, Natalya replied, "Yes. I'll stay."

"Good." Katya gestured to Toris and Feliks, who moved forward and grabbed Natalya's arms. They dragged her down the gravel road to the front doors of the building. Feliks pulled a card from his pocket and scanned it, opening the doors. Once they were inside the building, Natalya observed her surroundings. Directly in front of her was an elevator. To the left was a large staircase. The tiles of the floor may have once been clean and shiny, and now they were worn and dull. The air was musty. Before she could look around more, she was pulled down the hall to a small room. Two women, both of plain appearance, greeted her.

Natalya had no idea what to expect. Once the door was closed behind her, one woman got a clipboard while the other stripped Natalya to her underwear. They poked and prodded her, lifted her arms over her head, made her reach down to touch her toes. After several minutes of this, she was made to stand on a scale. One of the women muttered in Russian, "Forty-four kilograms. Too skinny." Natalya was offended, but kept her mouth shut. The other woman got a tape measure and held it up to Natalya. "One hundred sixty centimetres."

Why are they doing this? And why did they have to take off my clothes? It's freezing in here! Natalya felt a shiver run through her body. She was extremely uncomfortable and anxious. She stifled a cry when the cold metal of a stethoscope was pressed to her back. Having grown up on the streets, she was unfamiliar with medical examinations. She decided that she didn't like them.

Her absolute least favourite part was when her mouth was forced open and a wooden stick was stuck down her throat. Her eyes watered, and she choked. It was oddly reminiscent of when she plied her trade in Minsk. She hadn't enjoyed it then, either.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the examination ended, and she was given a sweater and pants to put on. The clothes were rough and scratchy, but she tried to ignore it. "Can I go now?" she asked.

The women spoke to each other in rapid Polish, gesturing to both Natalya and the door. It was a while before one of them nodded and pointed to the door. "You may go," she said.

"Thanks." Natalya moved toward the door and turned the knob. She hoped that the hall would be empty. That way, she could attempt an escape. She didn't know the layout of the building or the surrounding area, but she had to give it a try.

But she wasn't so lucky.

She had barely stepped out into the hall when her arm was grabbed and she heard a Polish-accented voice say, "Come on. We're going to the conference room." She glanced over her shoulder and saw Feliks. Making a noise of protest, Natalya struggled and tried to free herself from his grip. But when she heard a click and felt the muzzle of a gun against her head, she stopped putting up a fight. She didn't like this place, nor did she enjoy being threatened with guns, but she didn't really have many other options. Bowing her head, Natalya let Feliks take her down a long hallway. They paused outside a pair of large doors. "This is it," Feliks said. "You'll meet the rest of our team here." He opened the doors and entered the room, pulling Natalya along with him.

The room was huge. Natalya had never seen anything like it before. The ceiling was very high, similar to that of a church or grand cathedral. Hung on the walls were incredibly detailed paintings of various landmarks, though with Natalya's limited knowledge of the world, she recognized very few. The floor was a deep blue carpet. There were no windows. In the centre of the room was a large table. Six people were sitting at this table.

Natalya recognized Katya and Toris, but the other four were unfamiliar. Feliks directed Natalya to a chair on the closest side of the table. Then he went to sit at the far end between Katya and Toris.

Natalya slowly sat down, feeling slightly uncomfortable being the centre of attention in front of all these people. The seats on her right were empty; everyone sat to her left.

One woman and three men. These people regarded her with varying degrees of curiosity.

The woman directly on her left had an attractive, youthful face, but her expression was one of disdain. Her long brown hair was bunched over her shoulder, and her arms were crossed. She tapped her foot against the floor. Natalya stiffened when she saw the pistol holster attached to the woman's skirt.

One man was small, with dark hair and a face distinctly different from anyone Natalya had ever seen. Natalya had heard of a country called Japan that was far away in the ocean. The people there reportedly looked very different from Europeans. Was he from that country? He kept his eyes down, his hands folded on his lap.

The man beside him was young, seemingly around Natalya's age. He wore glasses and a puffy brown jacket. Based on his expression, which was bright and curious, he seemed to be good-natured. Natalya sensed that he might be energetic and rambunctious, since his legs were bouncing under the table.

The next two seats were empty. Natalya wondered who sat there.

The last face was very youthful and also wore glasses. This man - more like a boy, really - was fiddling with a radio that sat in his lap. He was humming to himself and appeared completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Natalya, this is our team," Katya said. "You already know Feliks and Toris. And these are the other people who make up our team." She gestured and continued, "From my right, Eduard, Kiku, Alfred, and Elizabeta. Vladimir and Tino should be in later this evening."

Natalya nodded. "Okay. Now what?"

"Now..." Katya smiled and leaned forward so that her elbows were on the table. She rested her chin on the tops of her fingers. "Let's tell you just exactly what it is we do here."

A/N: What do you think of the story so far? I hope you enjoyed this chapter!