"Liechtenstein, stay ducked!" Switzerland hissed softly in her ear, his eyes portraying protectiveness and worry. Liechtenstein gulped, nodding. Gunshots were ringing out from seemingly every direction and they were running low on ammunition.
She was scared. Switzerland sighed, giving his younger sister a one-armed hug. "Don't worry, I'll get you out, if it's the last thing I do." He whispered softly, causing Liechtenstein to stiffen a bit. She didn't want her Bruder to die trying to keep her safe!
Ignoring Liechtenstein stiffening up, Switzerland decided to dare a peak over the overturned table, letting his head appear above it. Quickly, he sat down again, reloading his guns.
Liechtenstein curiosly tapped on his shoulders, looking at him with worry, asking silently "What's the matter?" Switzerland frowned.
"We've gone and gotten lost... And those dam- Er... Those humans are blocking our way back... Assuming going in that direction's the correct way..." He muttered, holding the two machine guns somewhat closer to his body. Again, he looked out, but this time he fired a few shots, grinning when the bullets hit their targets.
He quickly dropped the grin, not wanting Liechtenstein to think he was pyschotic or trigger-happy. Forelornly, Switzerland looked around, in search for a way out. He stared down the hall, knowing that there was no way the two could run down it without being shot down.
"Liechtenstein, you're going to have to be brave for me..." Switzerland suddenly announced, holding his sister's hands comfortingly. Liechtenstein looked back nervously, but nodded.
"I want you to run to the stairs and then run straight up. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you escape..." He said. Liechtenstein blinked in surprise, before Switzerland's words finally settled in. She frowned. No way was she leaving Switzerland behind! If he stayed here, he'd be hurt!
"This is no time to act like this Liechtenstein." Switzerland said sternly, having guessed what the younger nation was thinking.
"As much as I'd like to escape with you (and not get hurt), my mission was just to help you out as far as possible. If I manage to escape with you... It's just a bonus, so to say. You need to concentrate on your own mission Liechti." He said, caressing her cheek tenderly.
She frowned, but leaned into his hand, as if to say "OK, OK, I agree with you. Even though it's still stupid."
"I guess this is goodbye for now then..." Liechtenstein nodded, hugging Switzerland tightly, not at all pleased with the idea.
"On my count, OK?" Again she nodded affirmatively.
"3... 2... 1..." He counted down. He then jumped out and started firing like a madman. Liechtenstein quickly ran down the halls, praying for no bullet to hit her. She threw the door to the stairs open and rushed up them.
She paused momentairily, turning back, wondering if she should go back to help Switzerland, when he called "Run!" Immediately, she jolted up the stairs, deciding not to think about how she was currently abandoning her brother.
As she rushed up, she spotted gunfire higher up. Knowing that there was fighting just a few floors above her, she quickly left the stairs. She ran down the hall, it being surprisingly empty. She didn't have any weapons with her... Where were some weapons again?
She opened a door and entered. There was a loaded gun lying conveniently on the desk. She sighed, closing the door and sat down, taking the gun. Although she was supposed to try to escape, she wanted to take a moments break. She was still upset with/about Switzerland and she was very worried about him right now.
She jolted, looking up when she heard the door open. She heard someone muttering as well.
"Bloody hell, where is that git..." England muttered, using a cane he'd found to find out where he was. He had been experimented on recently and the effects of blindness still hadn't worn off (unfortunately).
He was supposed to escape with help from Scotland, but the idiot had pretty much done the same thing as Switzerland had earlier (although neither England, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or Scotland know this).
Liechtenstein walked up to him, wishing she could speak. He heard her and straightened up.
"Who's there?" He demanded. Liechtenstein quickly grabbed his hand and patted it comfortingly.
"Oh, it's another nation..." England assumed, knowing that someone working for the HCS wouldn't have been so gentle. "Erm... Who?" Liechtenstein frowned. She was unable to speak... How was she supposed to talk to him?
Then she remembered. Morse code, DUH! She started tapping on his hand.
"L. I. E. C. H." England voiced, having quickly understood she was morsing.
"Oh, it's you Liechtenstein. Right, of course you can't tell me... Where's Switzerland? Isn't he with you?" England asked, concerned about the neutral country. Liechtenstein tapped "No here." England sighed.
"I've lost the guy supposed to be helping me outta here too. He's somewhere a couple levels downwards and I can't get very far blind... Well, I'm sure you know some exits..." He suggested nervously. He wasn't comfortable with asking a child (no matter who old said person really was or.. How he treated some colonies in the past...) to do something dangerous and without any security, but she seemed to agree, after patting his back comfortingly.
She, much like England, felt uncomfortable with the suggestion, but what else could they do? Everything was in chaos, and it'd be hard to tag onto a group that isn't busy fulfilling their own duties...
The two left the room, Liechtenstein had a firm hold on England's wrist, as they started looking for a way out.
Luckily, the floor they were on was empty, as if abandoned. She remembered finding an exit nearby, and since barely anyone was around, it was a good idea to take it. Then they heard it. Footsteps.
She quickly pulled herself and England into the nearest room.
It was an office. "Who is it?" He whispered to Liechtenstein. "N for Nation, anything else for HCS." She tapped on his hand once. HCS. England frowned and closed the door.
"Find somewhere to hide." He whispered.
She tugged at his hand, as she lead him to a large desk. They hid underneath it. They listened, as the footsteps became fainter again. Obviously, they weren't searching for them. The two got out of their hiding place after they were sure the coast was clear.
"Well, let's carry on." England said, feeling Liechtestein tugging at his wrist again. The two ran upstairs and that's when things started getting bumpy.
Liechtenstein sighed, subconciously rubbing the back of her head. She had gotten a concussion while escaping. She and England had run straight into a large group of HCS soldiers (or something similar) and that group had attacked without hesitation.
Liechtenstein put up a good fight with the shot gun she found at first, especially since it was hard not to hit anyone (though, to this day, she still heavily regrets spilling blood. It haunts her and will probably never stop), but they had a problem. When an HCS soldier shot at them, nothing could protect them. There weren't any furnitures around to overturn and use for protection and only one of them was fighting (Though England is a good fighter, blinded, he's next to useless).
And then that stupid gas started being released. Luckily, Russia's team found them, having heard the gunfire. Sadly, by the time he had reached them, the damage had already been done. They'd been injured by quite a few bullets already.
England could still walk, but Liechtenstein had had a harsh bash to her head, when one of the soldiers threw her against the wall (the soldier was stupid enough to try and get close and was lucky that Liechtenstein's ability to heal fast stopped right at the moment he gave her the blow and that Switzerland wasn't around). The concussion made her unable to stand, let alone run.
Russia had gotten Belarus and Estonia to carry her, while he supported England. They ran outside to the nearest exit and Russia put England down (no one knew quite how, but at some point England ended up getting picked up by the taller nation...) and handed Liechtenstein to him, telling him to nation-hop away before that ability disappeared too.
England had been about to hop right there and then, but another HCS troop found them and started shooting them. Though the bullets miraculously missed Russia, Belarus and Estonia, it unluckily hit England and herself. She saw a dart peaking out of her hand, which hurt a lot. She immediately tried to pull it out, although that only ended up with having a small injury on her hand, that was bleeding a lot.
Everything seemed to move in slow-motion after she and England had been shot with... Something... She couldn't tell what, she was too out of it to realise. But then they were shot at again, this time the darts only hitting England. He lost balance and toppled off the base...
It seemed that they had found an exit that lead to a steap hill. Russia had let out a furious cry and Liechtenstein, some how in the panic she felt while freefalling to the ground beneath her, managed to be thankful, that she wasn't the one having to deal with Russia's anger.
She wasn't quite sure what happened after that. Well, she remembered waking up briefly in something smelly (later revealed to be a large bin), but otherwise, nothing. She sighed, her head resting on her knees.
She hoped Switzerland was OK... How were those who didn't escape anyway? What had happened to them? Had they all been killed?
No, Switzerland told her that the HCS was made of a bunch of scientists, so they would keep some of the... "samples" alive...
She sighed. She missed her Bruder so much...
"We have evacuated the facility as best we could, sir!"
"Good, have the spies checked in?"
"No sir. We lost contact with those in Liechtenstein just a few moments ago and those in the USA still haven't responded."
"They've been caught then. I knew I couldn't trust that stupid group. ... Destroy the top two floors of AB1. Those spies are going to spill everything they know, including where we are."
"B-but sir! We've only got the most valuable information, we haven't got everything!"
"I'd rather lose that information than risk getting caught. Do as I say!"
"Y-yes sir!"
"Yo, Robinson!" America called out, waving to a pilot by the name of Robinson. He turned around, surprised.
"Oh, hello Mr. Jones, sir! I wasn't expecting you to show up... Ever again..." Robinson greeted, as he stopped working on a plane he was currently repairing. He was a rich man, his (expensive) hobby being aeroplanes. He had a whole private collection and after America found out, he regularely visited him (sort of).
"What do you want?" He asked demandingly, cleaning his hands, as he came over to greet the fellow American, who was accompanied by an Asian man (Chinese? Korean?*) and a... Um... Well, somewhat scary, tall blonde man.
"Aw~, don't be like that. Can't I just visit a friend once in a while?"
"... You haven't visited me in a little over a decade... Strange, you haven't aged much..."
"OK, OK, I admit it... I kinda hoped you could lend me a plane?"
"... A plane?"
"Well, yeah..."
"What sort of plane?" He asked, rubbing his head.
"Oh, you know, a normal one. Capable of flying to the artic and back without trouble..."
"Look Jones, you can't just simply stop even talking to me for ten years, then turn up ten years later and demand I give you a plane!"
"But I'm not demanding! I'm asking, just like a friend would!"
"Last I checked, friends don't abandon you after a year."
"Bitte, we need the aeroplane... For some very special research." The tall blonde man begged, interrupting the American's conversation. However, his plea came out more like a demand and a very scary one at that.
Robinson, being half Italian, felt his skin jump into the air, as he took a step back.
"Fine, fine! Take anything you need!" He cried, as he cowered.
"Wow... I didn't know American's could be that generous too." Germany commented, smiling. Japan sighed, deciding that no matter which century, Western countries would not only always be a mystery to him, but also weird.
Liechtenstein smiled at the people around her. It was strange... Some of the people were citizens of Vaduz, most were part of the Swiss Guard that still thought that personifications of countries existed.
They had rescued her from the HCS, then gotten her cleaned and fed and now it was evening. She knew she should leave, but this was the first time humans... No, her own people cared for her in a long time and it was very, very pleasant.
A nation isn't usually cared for by their people, so this was a pleasant (and welcomed) change. Also, for the first time in an endlessly long time, she felt safe. And not just safe, but really safe. She was sharing a room with two Swiss Guards, who noticed that she felt like the HCS would come and... Well, kidnap her again.
She hadn't said much since the rescue (that's roughly a century late, but better late than never, huh?), most of the time they just comforted her and spoke to her softly.
She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. She was now wearing some PJ's that someone had kindly provided. She was more than grateful and she quietly felt what it was like to be a nation again. A whole year of not feeling... This was horrible and painful.
Now she was more or less safe and secure... She gently bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. She felt guilt at feeling so.. Happy while people she cared for were who knows where, probably being abused if not already dead.
She then felt someone pat her hand. She looked up into the caring eyes of Lukas Friedli, the guy who found her. "Relax Miss Liechtenstein. Everything'll be sorted out tomorrow. We need you to get a goodnight's sleep so you can help us tomorrow though, OK?" He said, as if talking to a child.
She smiled back politely, closing her eyes as she relaxed into the large bed. If Friedli knew she could very well live without a night's sleep... But since they obviously don't know nearly as much as they should about nations, she just agreed to it.
She thought it was funny, how they treated her as if she really was the age she appeared. She was far older than them, yet they still treated her like a little girl. Then again, it sort of reminded her of Switzerland, so it was OK.
Sighing deeply, Liechtenstein finally drifted to sleep, as she hoped to sort this whole mess out in the morning.
China, in summary, was feeling absolutely crappy. He had no idea what time it was or where he was and quite frankly, he didn't care.
All he knew, was that he was feeling absolutely crappy and was suffering from severe jet-lag. He slept a bit on the plane, but now he was absolutely knocked out from journeying from China to the USA and then to the UK.
... Wait, he went to the UK, but he hadn't stepped inside that country in years...
Why'd he go there then? ...
He cracked open an eye to see England lying on a single bed opposite him, sleeping deeply, a relaxed expression on his face.
Ah yes, he returned to the UK in hopes of restoring England back to his "normal" self. How could he have forgotten something so important? I hate jetlag... China thought in his mind (naturally in Chinese) and looked at the clock. It claimed that it was 9 a.m.
But he still felt so tired... When had they arrived anyway? How much sleep had he gotten? China frowned, deciding that he must have been too out of it to remember. It was best if he got up and got a nice, strong espresso...
Coffee... Espresso coffee... Thingy... He was too tired to give coffee-types the right names and use them currectly. Exhausted, China forced himself out of bed, dragging himself to a kettle that the hotel he and England were staying in provided.
He made the coffee, then decided that maybe he should make some tea for England. His generous side agreed and he started making tea as well. England started stirring as the kettle boiled and when the tea was finally made, England some how managed to end up standing next to China, fully-dressed, waiting for the tea to be handed to him.
"Cheers." He said, as he took the cup and went to sit down on his bed that hadn't been made a couple seconds ago, but now was... English sure are weird when it comes to tea...
China sat down on his own bed after making it, sipping the strong cup of coffee. England turned the TV on, watching English (well, actually, British) people for the first time in a long time, that meant him absolutely no harm.
After both finished their hot drinks, China decided that they needed to tour London, although (much to China's disappointment) not as tourists, but as... visiters.**
They both left the hotel, England surprised at how... Not-cold the weather was in England. Just windy.
"You've gotten used to colder temperatures then?"
"Well, yeah... But I prefer this weather. It's more pleasant than those below-zeros in Northern USA."*** China nodded, as they trod down the streets of London.
"Just tell me when you think you recognise something." He told England, as they walked past Buckingham Palace.
*This is sort of referring to how people can be around foreigners. You know, when they see you and assume you're from some place you aren't from (Like someone assuming a Canadian is from the USA or assuming someone from China is Japanese) and then ask you for information and traditions about either your own country or the one they think you come from. It's really annoying when you grew up with their cultures, rather than your own ones. (although it's not like they mean to annoy us).
**Have you ever gone to a different city within your country (duh you have). Well, when you're visiting a different city-within-your-country for a day, you're not really a tourist... Just a visiter, you know what I mean?
*** A - temperature-wise probably completely wrong statement, but whatever, it works...
I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I'm a terrible updater. For a while, it was cause of writers-block, not it's not just that, but also laziness and... well... I'm planning the story I'll be writing after this is finished and I got a bit caught up in it... TT^TT
Oh yeah, before I forget, I recently reread the whole story and realised I never thanked you guys for the reviews, favouriting and subscribing, so here it comes:
Thank you littlemsbookworm, iii, maple lover, HonestLiar33, TheBadlyNamedUser, CopperMinted, Blue Wallpaper, NONAMESWEREAVAILABLE, Aunsa, alexdemyx, LunesWraith, Star Anise, , Thebigfoot021, Blah blah blah and MissAleatory for reviewing throughout the chapters! They encouraged me and in my moments of despair (coughcoughwritersblockcough) made me continue writing (to an extent...).
Also, thank you everyone who has either subscribed or favourited (or bothed) this fanfiction. It's amazing how many did it~.
Question: What do YOU think HCS stands for?
Review plz! (and sorry about updates and thank you for review :3)(and sorry if this chappie's not so good. I only reread it once)