Author's Note- Hey everyone, I hope that the New Year is treating you well! Anyway, before we get into this week's chapter I would like to give a shout out to mofalle, fluffy's lady and bookwormally for reviewing the last chapter. Also a very special thank you to Pruhana for beting the chapter.
Disclaimer- I do not own Hetalia, nor do I have any plans to participate in any of Russia's diabolical plans.
Chapter 16- The Trouble with Firearms
The secure location that the UN sent the nation personifications to turned out to be a windowless room in the subbasement of the building. It was cramped, dank, smelly, and reminded Russia of his office in the Kremlin. As he sat listening to the soothing sound of China and France threatening to tear each other to pieces, the northern nation couldn't also help but overhear the security guards tasked with their safety discussing the mysterious gunman….who was it actually a gunwoman. Most of the reports indicated that the person was in a dress and using a wheelchair. Facts were clicking together. The mysterious gunwoman had to be Alaska. Now the problem was trying to figure out how to get the state out of the trouble she had landed herself in.
"Excuse me, comrade. But does the gunman happen to have long almost white hair?"
"Yes…how did you know?" The man guarding the door looked up in surprise.
"I was just confirming a suspicion."
"Ivan, you think that the gunman is Sam." Canada said clearly concerned.
"Da." Russia replied and the soft-spoken North America swore.
"Who is Sam?" Italy asked
"Samantha Wasilla Jones, the formal territory of Russia America."
"And the current state of Alaska."
"Oh…" Italy gaped.
"And she carries a gun?" Germany asked.
"She has been known to be a bit paranoid." The soviet nation shrugged.
"And that would be a bit of an understatement. She took after you in the paranoia department." Canada gave a small bitter laugh. "How are we going to deal with the problem now that the authorities are convinced that they actually have a gunman on a rampage?"
"I have a plan," Russia smiled like a cat, "but I will be needing help."
Alaska's day was rapidly going from bad to worse. After she had indicated that she was carrying a firearm, the security guard had immediately reached for his weapon and calling for back up on a radio. Not sure exactly what to do, she panicked. As a group of threatening looking men had approached, she pushed her wheelchair down a hallway. When she was finally cornered she acted like any other wounded animal, she ditched the wheelchair fought her way through the mass of people while trying to ignore the crunch of bone giving under her punches.
At the end of her painful walk, she slipped into the first open door she could find. It turned out that door had lead to a small janitor's closet. Trapped, she had used the last of her energy she pushed one of the shelves in front of the door to prevent anyone else from getting in. Then she let herself collapse against the wall shaking uncontrollably.
There was a pounding on the door, and men shouted for her to surrender. Alaska did her best to ignore them. Hugging her knees to her chest she could feel hot, frustrated tears start to form at the corners of her eyes, and then streamed down her checks. As she sobbed, her only thought was I just want to go home…
The gunman had ducked into the janitor's closet at the end of the leftmost corridor. Armed security officers stood in a wide semi circle around what seemed like a locked door. Farther down the hall of group of men in suits seemed to be discussing what should happen next. It was the group of suits which the two arctic nations decided to approach first.
"I am still trying to figure out how a single woman in a wheelchair was able to take out a crew of twenty-three well trained security personal."
"She must have been military trained, possibly an assassin."
"It is a miracle that no one was killed."
"No one has been killed yet, but that might change. A lot of the higher ups are convinced that she might have a bomb. That is the reason we are waiting for a professional team to get here before we try to knock down the door.
The men who worked for the UN were clearly agitated, which allowed the two nations get quite close to them without being noticed. If this had been war, the three of them would have already been dispatched. Unfortunately, Russia mused, this was not war, which meant he couldn't simply remove the obstacle to their current mission. On his right side, Canada was politely listening to the conversation waiting for a moment to interject a comment. The Soviet Nation felt such pleasantries were a waste of time so he decided to act instead.
"You're not authorized to go over there…" The official said, his had reaching out to block the nation. The man stopped as soon as he saw the look icy look in Russia's eyes.
"I am authorized to go anywhere I want in this building." The northern country said coldly as he continued to walk down the hallway.
"What…" The official started to chase after the soviet. "Wait! Come back here. We are currently dealing with a crisis situation we need to wait for the negotiators to get here."
"And who do you think we are comrade?"
"…" All of the UN security personal looked at them in shock and confusion.
"We are one of the UN negotiation teams." Canada stepped in to try and calm the situation. "One of the most senior negotiation teams, in fact, and if our suspicions are correct then the whole situation has been a massive misunderstanding."
"You know who that mad woman is?" The shortest guard asked.
"We have suspicions." The soft-spoken nation admitted, then after a moment added. "Would you please stop calling her a mad woman? If our hypothesis is correct she has probably done a lot more to ensure world peace than ninety percent of the people in this building."
"But…" The leader of the group tried to join the conversation.
"Matheu, would you mind going head, I think I need to have a little chat with these…people…"Russia waited for the quiet North America to nod his approval and walk out of earshot before turning to the three officials. His eyes narrowed. "This situation is a whole lot bigger than you could possibly understand. If the woman in that closet is not successfully set free and allowed to finish her assigned mission it is very possible that the wellbeing of the United States of America could be put into jeopardy. Have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal." One of the men said in shock.
"Good."
The soviet state then allowed himself to turn and check on his companion. Canada seemed to be busily talking to some more of the guards and he seemed to be getting his point across. That meant that all that the only thing left to do was wait. Calmly leaning against the wall, he observed the way that the three men were cowering in his presence. It reminded him of his Baltic states. It was a pleasant comparison, and Russia decided that he was developing a liking for these people. Perhaps he would even put in a request to transfer them over to the Soviets to provide their security at the UN.
"You were right, it is definitely Samantha in there." Canada interrupted his thoughts.
"Why hasn't she opened the door then?"
"Well we have run into a problem.
"Which is?"
"I think that Samantha was probably attacked before she got to the UN building and if the amount of blood that lost in the hallway is any indication, I don't think she will be able to move the barrier she probably pushed in front of the door. We are going to have to figure out an alternative way to get in."
"What can we do to help?" The tall skinny official asked timidly.
"Do you happen to have access to a map of this place?" Canada asked softly.
"I am sure that I could chase one down."
"Well, I suggest that you go find it then." The soviet spoke kindly, but it was still clear he was giving a command.
"What did you tell them?" The Canadian whispered into the taller nation's ear as they watched the three men practically tripped over each their own feet to obey Russia's order.
"That Samantha's survival was critical for the welfare of the United States of America."
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"No." Russia said thoughtfully. "It is very possible that Samantha will be able to successfully convince me not to punch your dear brother in the face the next time that I see him. By definition, that will mean she has improved the welfare of Amerika."
Canada was beginning to wish that the designers would have made the air ducts for the UN building a little bit larger. It wasn't that he couldn't fit in them; the northerly country was able to move through the narrow space with a little room to spare. No, the reason Canada wanted the ducts to be bigger was the fact that he was starting to get claustrophobic.
"Are you there yet comrade?" Russia's voice crackled over the radio.
"For the fifteenth time, no."
"Are you doing alright comrade? I do not have to send in a search party to come and rescue you, do I? Perhaps I should call up Amerika and tell him that you have gotten stuck in the building infrastructure."
"Do that and you may suddenly find out why Germany still has nightmares about me…Hold on, I think I may have gotten to the right vent…" He paused pointing his flashlight up and down the air duct, then glanced down at the building map he had been given. Everything seemed to check out. "Yep, this matches the map, I am going in."
Canada bit the end of the flashlight in his mouth and retrieved a screwdriver out of one of his pockets. He started to remove the vent frame screw by screw until the plate clattered to the ground below. He removed the flashlight from his mouth and pointed it into the gaping hole. At first he didn't see anything, and he wondered if he read the map wrong. Then he saw the missing state huddled in one of the corners of the room.
"Who's there?" Alaska asked, clearly spooked.
"It is Mathew, dear." The nation smiled in relief as he jumped down from the vent hole. "I came to get you out of this place."
He reached for the terrified state, getting a shaky reply in return. "I can't go out there…there are people who were pointing guns at me."
"Ivan is taking care of them right now." Canada spoke kindly. "Samantha, I'm not sure how to ask this… Did you do something that made the security personal feel threatened?"
"I don't know what I did wrong…." The state whispered her voice, haunted. "No one told me what I did wrong."
"Can you tell me what happened?" Canada prompted, gently lifting the state's bloodied hand to examine it.
"When I came in, I offered them my side arm, just like you would do at any other government building and they tried to attack me. I didn't know what to do so I tried to run away but when I got trapped I fought back. I only barely managed to hole up, but I didn't know how long I've been here."
"Samantha…" The northern nation tried to figure out the best way to explain the situation. "Do you remember me telling you not to bring you weapon to Ottawa? Do you remember me explaining to you that not everyone is as comfortable with guns as you are? Didn't I tell you that you don't need to carry guns when you visit a city?"
"There are brown bears and moose in Anchorage and Fairbanks and Juneau. People are attacked and die within the city limits all of the time…"
"Cities like Anchorage are very special places. Most cities are not that close to nature. In New York City, the only place that most people will ever see a bear or other dangerous animals is behind glass at a zoo or stuffed as an exhibit at a museum. In cities like New York, the people who carry guns are usually the people who want to harm others."
"But I would never purposely hurt a human unless they attacked me first…"
"I know Samantha, I know dear, but not everyone has gotten the chance to know you so you will need to try to understand their confusion. The UN is a place of peace and most people who never think to bring a gun here. So the people who guard the UN have to be vigilant and assume that those who bring guns mean the ambassadors and staff that work here harm."
"Am I going to…."
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"Am I going to go to jail?" Alaska said with a choked sob.
"No. You have all the permits you need to carry a gun in the US and you just made an honest mistake. While Alfred may give you a tongue lashing later, the only place you are going is the hospital."
"No hospitals. Please I can't go to another hospital, not now." The state panicked again and pressed her back harder against the wall as though she wanted to be swallowed by it.
"But Samantha…" Canada tried to reason, but then he looked down at the state and got a saw the terror in her eyes. He sighed, crouching lower till she was almost entirely in his embrace. "Alright, no hospital, but we are going to bring you to a doctor… Hear me out, the cut on your hand is very deep, if you don't get it treated now it will heal funny and require a lot more treatment in the future. Do you understand?" He felt Alaska head nod then bury it in his shoulder, she gripped his arm harder. "Good, now I am going to pick you up and carry you out of the closet. Ivan should have cleared the hall of people by now so no one will be point a gun at you."
It took a few moments for Canada to convince Alaska to let go of him so he could move the shelving away from the door, but eventually her grip slipped and he was able to detach himself. He then began the tenacious task of clearing a pathway through the collapsed shelves. Picking through and moving the debris was slow tedious task but the North America country completed the task in silence. When the door was finally clear he moved to pick up the state.
Alaska was surprisingly light. It didn't take a lot of effort for him to lift her in his arms and walk across the closet. It was a bit awkward to open the door, but after shifting her weight he was able to get one of his hands free. As the door creaked open, he could feel Alaska's fingers tighten further on his arm. With the exception of Russia the hallway was completely empty. Canada let out a breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding.
"See, Ivan is the only one here. No one is going to hurt you." The Northern country whispered into his neighbor's hair and her fingers relaxed their vice like grip slightly.
"Matteu, I see you have convinced our lost agent to leave her hiding spot."
"Yes I have. That said we have a bit of a problem." Canada admitted tiredly. "She managed to get herself scratched up during her misadventure and refuses to go to a hospital. By any chance could I convince you to go back to the meeting room and call up Miss Virginia and ask her if there is a doctor in New York City that is familiar with her condition?"
"I have access to a doctor who is familiar with our condition."
"In New York?"
"Da."
Sitting on the in New York's apartment, America could help but fidget. He had been kicked off of the search for Alaska, after being a little too aggressive with one of the possible witnesses. Now he was assigned to stay with Virginia and New York just in case Alaska managed to make her way back to the apartment building. Mentally it made sense that someone had to stay here just in case, but the waiting was slowly driving him insane.
One of his states was missing. He kept telling himself that when a state went disappeared for a few days he usually had no reason to be concerned. After all, there were a whole lot of issues that affected individual states that never impacted the state as a whole. But usually, his mind interjected, when a state went off the radar there was no evidence of kidnapping. This situation was different. It was very possible that Alaska was held by a foreign power and tortured for information.
The thought of one of his state's captured by an enemy power left America unable to sit still. Getting up, he started to pace in front of the large rain streaked window overlooking the city street. The only sound in the apartment was the sound of his feet on the wood floor and the murmur of Virginia on the phone.
He knew he should trust Virginia more. She had always been one of the most experienced and reliable states, that is why he trusted her to guide the day-to-day workings of the nation when he was gone. Sadly, at the moment he didn't know if she had the resources to complete the job. That would change because more personnel would soon be at her disposal. If Alaska wasn't found within the hour then Vermont and Maine would drive down to help with the search, he decided. America was even considering arranging for the president to pull in resources from the FBI and the CIA to help determine whoever was behind Alaska's kidnapping.
"America?"
He glanced up and realized sometime during his reverie that Virginia had finished her phone call and had come back into the main room. She was now looking at him in concern.
"Is there some news?"
"Alaska has been found. She is currently at the Canadian Consulate." The state lips turned up in a slight smile of relief.
"And we have a car on its way to transport you to the there." New York added coming out of the study behind her. "She was injured, which helps to explain why there was blood present at the scene. Hopefully, she can fill in the details of what actually happened."
"Where is this car?" America asked, already out of his seat and heading for the door.
"On the corner of 73rdand Columbus. It should be here in," Virginia glanced at her watch, "6 minutes."
Before the state had stopped talking, America was already on his way towards the indicated intersection at a flat out sprint.
When Russia offered his medical staff to treat Alaska, he never really expected Canada to accept, but the world's second largest nation never ceased to amaze him. He had long considered quiet country to be one of the most reasonable of the capitalist nations. Instead of pointing guns at anything that didn't agree with him, Canada preferred to wield the negotiation table.
Perhaps it was his preference for peace that made the other NATO countries forget that Canada was in the room, but Russia knew that could be a fatal mistake because Canada was one of the strongest military powers in the world. If WWIII did occur, the only nations that Russia felt were capable of successfully invading his lands were Canada and Finland. Out of the two, only Canada would have the resources to successfully occupy the great expanse of Siberia.
"Ivan, a little help here." Canada asked wearily, his frame leaning against the doorframe of the guest sitting room. "Your doctor only speaks Russian and I can't understand a word he is saying."
"Da." He said with a nod, standing to follow his neighbor.
When the two nations arrived in the room where Alaska was receiving her treatment, Russia discovered that the North American nation hadn't speaking the full truth. The doctor was trilingual and cycling through Russian, Ukrainian, and Finnish in an attempt to communicate the list of medical equipment that he needed. Unfortunately it didn't seem that Canada couldn't tell the difference.
"Что быбыть проблема?"
"Наконец кто-тоеще, кто можетговоритьрусским языком." The doctor replied in relief.
"Кто-то еще?" The Soviet nation asked.
"Пациентимеет очень хорошийрусский,немногоформальных истаромодным, но все жедостаточно легкопонять."
"интересный…" Russia opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he had a chance Canada spoke up.
"So what does he need to treat Samantha?"
"I do not know that comrade." He paused, raising his hand to stop Canada from interrupting him. "I calmed the doctor down a bit, and then he informed me he has been able to communicate with Samantha because…"
"She speaks Russian." The Northern America stated in exasperation. "Really don't be so surprised, we both know that she doesn't forget anything."
"One hundred years can be a very long time for a colony." He shrugged.
"But a very short period of time for a nation, and she does act like a nation a whole lot of the time. So what does he need?"
"I do not know yet," Russia said with a smile, "would you mind being quiet?Спасибо."
Russia then put his full focus on the doctor and spent a good fifteen minutes completing a rapid-fire conversation. When they finished, he sent the man to go pack up his medical supplies while he turned his attention back to Canada.
"So?" The younger nation pleaded.
"It appears that she is healing just fine. The cut in her hand was deep, but my physician was able to realign the muscles and tendons so that they will heal correctly. A full recovery is expected and you will be able to remove the stitches early next week, though she should avoid using her hand an additional week to prevent additional complications. The other injuries, mostly bruises and small cuts had already healed beyond the need of his aid. All he was able to do was give her some pain medication to reduce her pain and help her sleep."
"I hear a 'but' in your voice." Canada said cautiously.
"Dr. Chekhov is worried about her possible mental state after such an attack. I tried to explain to him that we nations are resilient by nature, but still insisted that someone should stay with Samantha at all times for the next twenty four hours."
"He doesn't think that she is…"
"He thinks that she is traumatized and that she will rest better if she knows someone is near."
"I can understand that."
"Good, then it is time for me to take my leave. Your brother will probably arrive at any moment, and I do not want you to get in trouble for having to ask for some help in this situation." With a kind nod Russia left the room. Halfway down the hall he was met by a very upset looking America. The soviet nation couldn't resist poking at the fire. With ghost of a smile gracing his lips he approached. "Hello Alfred. If you ever let Samantha fall into that type of danger again, I may have to find her a place in my own home."
"Is that a threat?" America said, his eyes narrowed.
"Nyeht, simply an observation. I know you are dealing with a major natural disaster and a failed world fair, but you also apparently can't even keep one of your own states safe when she is right under your nose. Unless you can get you own house in order, you have no business bossing the rest of the world around or telling your states who they can associate with."
Russia made his way out of the Canadian embassy with calm, measured steps. For a few seconds he could feel America's eyes burning into his back before the younger nation turned and stormed down the hallway. The soviet nation couldn't help but smile smugly at capitalist country's reaction. In the game of rhetoric and diplomacy the two superpowers played, it was always fun to win a round or two.
Alaska was asleep and Canada finally started to relax. Slowly sinking into the heavily padded high backed chair next to couch the state was curled up on, he allowed himself to reflect of the events of that afternoon. Unfortunately the image of his neighbor terrified, bleeding, and clinging to him as though he was the only thing preventing her from being swept off the face of the planet made his breath tighten in his chest. So Canada tried to focus on the present moment.
Alaska was looking a lot better after the blood had been washed away. Color had returned to her skin, and the only hint to the trauma she had experienced was the white bandage around her hand and the way she clung to Canada's polar bear companion. Tomorrow, after a good night's sleep and once her stitches had been removed, he hoped that Alaska would soon forget the frightening experience. Slowly lulled by the even sounds of Alaska's breathing, Canada could feel his own knots that had built in his shoulders to loosen. Unfortunately, the peace was promptly destroyed by America bursting into the room.
"Do you have a phone? I need to call Virginia. I need to tell her to make arrangements for us to go home."
"Why?" Canada asked, as he watched Alaska with the corner of his eye praying that America's outburst wouldn't wake the wounded state up.
"My authority has been undermined at this meeting. There is no point in me staying anymore."
"America, this isn't a game. You can't just walk away from the negotiations because you are embarrassed!"
"Canada, I am tired, I am sick to my stomach, and I am in the middle of a war and a presidential election." His brother seemed to age as he spoke and it tore at Canada's sympathy. "When you are tired you make mistakes. And when a nation makes mistakes, people die."
"I can respect that…" His shoulders sagged in defeat. "Are there any messages that you wish me to tell the rest of the nations?"
"Inform them that I had a domestic emergency which one of my states was unable to deal with on her own." America said bitterly.
"Don't take this out on Alaska. She didn't purposely try to undermine your authority."
"That doesn't change the fact that she made me a laughing stock in front of the entire UN. She is not an infant, you would think that she would actually have common sense…"
"Common sense is place specific. Alaska wouldn't expect you to be able to hunt a polar bear or drive a dog sled, and you shouldn't expect her to have all of the skills to navigate a very large modern city."
"Pray, tell me, what are these skills that are so unique to a city that Alaska would never have a chance to acquire them?" America asked sarcastically.
"Things like driving…"
"Alaska knows how to drive."
"Actually she doesn't." The northern twin chewed on his lip unsure how to explain the situation. "Last time I checked she didn't have a driver's license yet."
"But she can fly a plane!"
"And being able to do one doesn't mean you can automatically do the other." Canada sighed heavily. "For goodness sake America, listen to what I am trying to say. Stop expecting all of your states to behave the same. It does them a great injustice."
"Now you are telling me how to manage my own states…" His twin started to rant.
"Yes. Yes I am." He stated quietly. "America, I am sorry if this offends you, but we share North America. Our economies are inseparable, our histories are just as intertwined. Our identities rely on the other individual. Most of the time I am okay being the lesser party in the relationship, but sometimes I really want to smack you upside the head. Alaska, like many of your states, is an adult. Treat her like it."
"Now that is a ridiculous argument." America countered harshly. "How can we even consider Alaska a true adult? She hasn't invaded anyone, hasn't signed any major treaties, or even experienced a civil war."
"You don't need those things to become a fully grown personification. Alaska and I have participated in a civil war. We both got dragged into yours!" The northern nation paused and took a few deep breaths before continuing. "We are both on edge right now. There are a number of things we could have done better, but it's not like the world is going to end because of a few mistakes."
For a few moments Canada's words hung in the air, then his twin spoke with all of the finality of a superpower. "If you are so concerned about Alaska's well being, why don't you stay and babysit her. I have better things to do than pay attention to the whims of a state who is acting like a two year old."
The southern twin then turned on his heels slamming the door behind him. Left in silence, Canada took a few moments to breathe and calm his frayed nerves. Then he turned and saw his charge watching him. His heart fell when he realized that her face was full of pain.
"How long have you been awake?"
The state shrugged.
"Are you hurting? If you would like I can get you some more pain medication."
Alaska sniffled, but shook her head.
"I guess you were up long enough to hear the conversation."
She nodded.
"I am sorry you had to hear that, dear." Canada tried to comfort as he sat down on the edge of the couch and began to stroke the states hair. "America...well, America can be unreasonable sometimes. He really thinks that he needs to world's hero and he hates when he is defeated at anything. Once his temper cools, he will realize that none of this was your fault."
The state simply squeezed Kumajirou a little tighter to her chest and buried her face into the bear's fur in reply.
Historical Note- Despite the fact both Canada and Alaska were dominions/territories of European powers at the time of the America Civil War it didn't stop both of them from being dragged in. While England, Canada's parent country at the time of the war technically allied themselves with the confederates, the popular opinion in Canada sided with the Union. This was primarily because most Canadian's felt strongly against slavery. By the end of the war, an estimated 50,000 Canadians had joined and fought with the Union Army and 29 of them were awarded the Metal of Honor.
In Alaska, or Russian America as it was know during that period, the territory was officially allies with the Union, but did not provide any troops. It did allow whaling vessels from Union ports to fish its waters to for materials needed to support the war effort though. It was these policies that lead the last shots of the America Civil War to technically be fired in Russian waters. The C.S.S. Shenandoah captured or sank 38 American owned ships in the Bering Strait area; many after the Confederate army had officially surrendered. If you have the time I would look up the story. It is a fascinating piece of forgotten history.
End Note- If you liked this chapter let me know. I love hearing from readers.
Next Chapter-Jet Setting- America promised Italy that he would help find a solution for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In order to do this he must travel to Europe…and after the UN incident he doesn't trust Alaska out of his sight so she is coming too.