A/N: Faced with the dilemma: make the chapter longer and release it later, or find a good stopping point halfway and release it earlier. I chose to do the latter. Enjoy~
"What happened to your hands?"
England raised eyes, red from lack of sleep, to look at the concerned nation. He then looked at his hands, which were heavily bandaged. And recalled the previous day.
"It's nothing, Italy. I just scraped my hands when I fell."
An obvious lie, but England wasn't in the mood to create a better excuse. Thankfully, Italy didn't question further and left the tired nation in peace. He watched Italy walk over to Germany before letting his eyes wander around the room. Most of the members of the G8 were present, though Canada and Japan had yet to arrive.
After the stream ended, France, the previous host of the group, had called for an emergency meeting in his country. Demanding that all members attend. Not that any of the members declined. Everyone knew the reason for the unplanned meeting. What had started as a suicidal attack had turned into a crisis of global scale. Each of them realized that they were dealing with a dangerous enemy. An enemy who was clearly powerful. Clearly insane. What made it worse was that they weren't sure how much power the man truly possessed. For all they knew, he could destroy every single nation in the world. And most likely with that creepy grin stretched wide on his face.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and all heads turned as Japan entered. "Good afternoon. I apologize for arriving so late."
France came forward and patted the smaller nation's back. "I should be the one apologizing for making you travel halfway around the world. Still, I'm glad you were able to come."
"How…how could I refuse when…" A momentary pause. Unable to finish. Instead, another burning question. "Were you able to communicate with the U.S. Government?"
Head shaking in hopelessness. "Nothing's going through, no matter how many times we've sent the transmission. We can't even get satellite image to survey the damages after…after the reactors exploded."
Japan nodded with understanding. He remembered Fukushima. How he had to endure the agony caused by the damaged nuclear plant. At the same time recovering from the devastating earthquake, from the death and destruction in his land. But that was a single plant, caused by a natural disaster. America had faced the meltdown of all of his plants, caused by a single human. But…
"America is strong. I have faith that he will recover from all this somehow."
"Well he certainly won't be able to get back up by himself." Both nations were startled by the sudden insertion from Russia, who was smiling at them. "He's certainly in a bind at the moment."
Narrowed eyes. "You seem too happy about the situation. A little suspicious, if you ask me."
"You're too paranoid, then. I never said I was enjoying America's pain."
"Your mannerism says otherwise. Are you sure you don't have a hand in all this?"
The smile dropped, almost as if a switch had turned off. A cold glint emitted from those violet eyes. "Rest assured. I am your ally, not an enemy. I have no connections to that man, and he is just as much an adversary to me as he is to you."
"Can we trust you? You who had clashed so strongly against America?"
"Oh France, every one of us has fought with everyone else at least once in our long history. You should know that. You who had controlled a majority of Europe at one point."
Air growing heavy. Tension rising. Adding to the already present stress. Every nation remained wary. On guard. Constantly analyzing the others' actions and statements. Perhaps it was the fact that they were facing a foe that seemed impossible to defeat. Or maybe they really were worried about America's safety, as crazy as it seems. But, no matter the reason, any confrontation would be unnecessary. Absolutely pointless.
England was the first to break the silence. "That's enough, France. The man already admitted that he has no affiliation with the nations in our world. He views everyone as inferior beings, so I doubt he would ask any of us for assistance. Hell, he even managed to stop technology and prevent communication from going in and out of America. All without help."
"You have a point…"
A brief nod before a sneer was aimed at Russia's direction. "Besides, the man is so out of his mind that Russia seems sane in comparison."
"I shall take that as a compliment, comrade."
The door opened again, though this time there was no knock, no prior warning, to reveal the last member. All conversations ceased once more as they took in the appearance of the young nation.
Pale beyond description. Heavy bags under clouded eyes. Hair unkempt. In short, Canada looked horrible. It was shocking to see him so exhausted, looking as if he would collapse at any moment. France went over and guided him to a chair that Russia pulled out while the other nations crowded around him.
"Canada, are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine, France. Just a little overwhelmed."
"You aren't nauseous? Dizzy?"
A shake confirming the negative.
"There…was no radioactivity in your country?"
"No." A thick swallow. Voice trembling slightly. "There weren't any traces, not even at my borders."
They stared at him, unable to hide the surprise etched on their faces. But Canada remained oblivious to their reaction. Staring at the floor. No attempt at making eyes contact.
"I have no idea what's happening in my brother's country. Phone calls don't go through. Any vehicle that crosses that border immediately breaks down. Nobody's willing to fly into America because the risks are too great." Raising of head. Watering of eyes. "I don't know what to do. I can't send anyone into the country because we still don't know how much radiation is present. But…I can't just abandon my brother's people. Not when they don't even know where he is…"
Fear for his brother's life. Concern for the suffering people. Frustration for being so useless. It was all too much to handle. And they could see he was breaking down in front of their eyes. It was a miracle that he had even made it to the meeting.
The nations tried their best to soothe him, eventually convincing him to get some air out in the terrace. Italy volunteered to join him, so they waited until both were outside before discussing the troubling news.
England crossed his arms and frowned in confusion. "Something's not right. How is it possible that the radiation is contained inside America?"
"Perhaps the reactors were too far from the borders?"
Russia shook his head at Germany. "There are plenty of reactors in his northern states. And as…the incident of Chernobyl has shown us, the actual spread of radiation is far and destructive if it remains unchecked."
"Then is it another one of that man's power?"
Every nation remained silent after Japan's inquiry. At any other time, they would have dismissed such a suggestion. But they were dealing with someone who was capable of doing the impossible. Kidnapping America. Firing nukes without permission. Stopping technology and electricity. And, perhaps, even containing radiation within a specific area. Clearly, the word impossible was absent in the man's vocabulary, or at least extremely limited.
"But why has he targeted America? Does he have a grudge?"
"I'm not sure, Germany. I was actually confused when I watched the stream. The man seemed to show some affection towards America for one second, then contempt in the next."
"Are you suggesting a love-hate relationship, Japan?"
"Oh please. Don't use your way of thinking to describe that bastard, France."
"You never know, England. Maybe America rejected him as a lover without realizing that he was an invincible lunatic."
They all frowned, and Germany placed a sympathetic hand onto France's shoulder. "You never cease to amaze me with your lewdness."
"Hey, it's possible!"
"If you say so…"
His retort was cut short, as Canada returned, breathless, with Italy at his side. And a package in his hands. The other nations could only stare wordlessly, moving from Canada's face to his hands. As they all asked the same question. How the hell did the bastard get past the security, which was patrolling the entire perimeter of the building, and then some.
"We…found it…on the ground…near the outer corner." Breathing starting to steady. "But it wasn't there the first time we circled the terrace."
France quickly pulled out his phone and used the speed-dial to call the leader of the security team. When he finally got through, the anger was apparent in his voice.
"Were there any sightings of an intruder? …Are you sure that your men aren't incompetent? ...Look, a package just appeared on the terrace…I don't know how it got there…it's your job to find any suspicious individuals who come near this building…I don't want to hear your excuses. Stop wasting my time and find the man!"
He hung up and stuffed the device back into his pocket with more than the necessary force. He then turned to regard the package with the rest of the nations. It was a medium-sized box sealed with clear tape. Plain brown cardboard. Seemingly harmless. No one had a clue about the inner contents, though it was obvious who the sender was.
England made the first move by using a pen to tear through the tape. Germany responded by sharply grabbing his wrist, stopping him. Distrust shining in his eyes.
"Don't be so rash. What if it's a bomb?"
"I doubt it. The man's too creative to use such a simple tactic. No doubt the bastard wants us to see America suffer."
The pen snapped as England shoved his hand out Germany's grip and across the box. The tape tore down the middle. The sides giving way as he ripped opened the flaps with his bare hands. The box opening for the nations to see inside.
A black tablet, covered in bubble wrapped, remained buried in a mass of Styrofoam pellets. At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary. But when England removed it from the box and held it in the air, the nations realized that they had never seen the make before. No such model existed in any electronics company. Completely custom-made.
The aesthetics of the device was simple. A thin prism. Power button on one side. USB port on the opposite side. Opening for camera lens on the one of the longer edges of the screen.
While the other nations continued to study the tablet, Japan looked back into the box and noticed an envelope sitting at the bottom. With slow, controlled motion, he pulled the item out, the rest turning their eyes to watch as he opened it. He saw their eyes watching him, but didn't stop until the unfolded letter was in his hands. After a few seconds, Japan cleared his throat and read the contents aloud so all could hear.
"Well, it seems like the audience has come together in one location. Things just got much easier for me, which I am thankful since this is the final act. And, you can discuss the performance amongst yourselves afterwards. Exchanging opinions, especially about the future, and all that good stuff."
"But I digress. It should be easier for you too. Simply turn on the tablet to start the video chat. If you want a larger screen, make sure to connect the USB before pressing the power button. Oh, and no need to worry about using microphones. You will be able to hear us, and we will be able to hear you. No need to thank me for this extra feature. My only request is that you place the tablet so we can see all of you at once. We'll be waiting."
"Okay, we need to find a USB cord…" France raised an eyebrow when Japan pulled one out of his suit pocket. "I won't ask why you carry that around. Now, time to hook this thing up an meet our deranged host."
They managed to settle the tablet on top of plasma screen, stabilizing it so it would not wobble and fall off. With the USB connected, France pressed the power button, then joined his fellow nations around the table. Both devices whirled to life.
And it wasn't long before they were looking at that familiar smile.
The man was also sitting behind a table, staring straight at the nations. His smile widened, indicating that communication had been established. That the video chat was in progress. Hands appeared on the table and folded in front, as if he was ready for business.
America was also present, seated next to the man. But every nation could see that he was in no condition to be there. Deadly pale skin exemplified the bluish-black bags under closed eyes. Beads of sweat covered a creased forehead. Lips devoid of color, set in a tight grimace. Head resting on the back of the chair. Suggesting he was asleep. Or, more likely, dead. Even Canada looked healthy compared to America's state.
A low growl. "He'd better be alive…"
"My, my. So eager to begin are we, England? But since that sounded like a statement, I won't count it. Anyway, welcome to the Q and A session! As I mentioned before, each nation gets to ask one question, which I will answer to the best of my abilities."
A growing smile. A mischievous glint in the eyes. "I'm feeling a little generous today, so I'll give a freebie. To answer England's not-question, yes, America's still alive. However, he's been moving in and out of consciousness. And as you can see, he is currently passed out. But don't worry, I'll bring him back once we conclude the session."
Silence hung in the air, no nation willing to ask what would happen after the session.
"Then without further ado, the floor is now open! Don't be shy, but remember to be respectful when someone else is talking. We don't want to act like uncivilized brutes, do we?"
Anger rising, England bristled in his seat. But before he could give a biting remark, Japan initiated.
"I believe this is an appropriate question to start us off. Who are you? You have yet to give us any insight to your identity."
"Cool-headed as ever. Very impressive, Japan. That's actually a very vague question, but I understand your implications. It must've been difficult to refer to me as 'that man' or as 'that insane bastard.' Doesn't concern me too much, but I understand that it is rather inconvenient to everyone else…"
Purple irises suddenly cold. The mocking glint consumed by something darker. Expression turning sinister. More intense.
"My original identity is one that you do not need to know, since I discarded it long ago in the past. Even if you knew, there would be no difference. So, for the time being, you may call me 'Ace'."
Shocking as this change was, the nations were left completely speechless when the expression reverted in an instant. Ace was beaming back at them as if the previous animosity had never existed. Was it a slip of his mask? A mistake that briefly showed his true persona?
"Well, that was question number one."
Grin widening. Teeth flashing. Eyes sparking.
All hinting madness.
"Who's next?"