Episode 01: Welcome to the Future

Chapter 02

19 hours prior…

After ten unsuccessful minutes of trying to convince his brain to fall back asleep, Sea regretfully shoved aside the blankets to sit up on the mattress. As cold as the metal was, he couldn't help but sigh in relief as his naked feet touched the floor. Contact with their larger manifestations was a comfort to Nations that no human could ever comprehend. Humans couldn't exist separately from other parts of themselves, not that it was disadvantageous to them. For one, humans could settle wherever they wanted, but a Nation would always feel the overwhelming drive to return home.

It was for this reason that Sea could not return to the land of slumber. Today, the reconnaissance group sent out to what used to be France was returning. While this didn't necessarily signify good news since it probably meant that they had failed in their latest mission, Sea couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and excitement. It had been two weeks since he'd last seen her, after all, and though she wasn't returning to her own lands, he did hope she maybe considered this to be home now.

Rising from the bed, he shuffled along to the attached bathroom, grabbing some clean clothes on the way. He had to look official today, so standard issue Guard uniform it was. Sans power armour, of course. Though, he briefly considered arming himself, at least with one handgun or a small knife. Then again, the Prince didn't appreciate weapons at meetings. Well, one wouldn't hurt, especially if it was hidden. After the near assassination of Prince Roger fifty years ago by a Gargoyle right in the middle of negotiations with Triax, Sea didn't go anywhere without a means of protecting his royals. Bringing along his swords would be too flashy, but one well-concealed laser pistol he could do.

Due to the positioning of the room's furniture, Sea couldn't help but glance at himself in the mirror and smirk. It was the same face he'd worn for two hundred years, but every time he re-met another Nation, an incident that didn't happen often, unfortunately, he was reminded of just how much he'd changed, for better and for worse. The determined eyes and carefree smile of that kid from long ago were still there, but the mask of a hardened nineteen year old had slipped overtop. Not to mention the soon-to-be-removed stubble and neatly trimmed eyebrows (unfortunately, the Curse of the Eyebrows dictated that they remain a bit bushier than normal, much to Sealand's ire).

More than just his face had changed, but Sea didn't need a mirror to ponder such things. Stepping into the shower, he remembered tracking his height as he grew older after the Great Cataclysm. It was how he kept his memories of the other Nations fresh as he first surpassed Latvia, then Finland, and even England. By the time he'd stopped growing, he assumed he was probably on par with America, and Canada by default. If only he'd been this tall ages ago, his retrospectively childish plan to impersonate the quieter North American might have worked out. Still, he was nowhere near as tall as Sweden, the closest thing to a father he'd ever had (since everyone knew Finland was totally the woman in the relationship, the leader of the household who kept everyone in line). Were they even still alive out there? Would they ever be able to see how much their little boy had grown up?

Then again, maybe it was better that they'd never know about all the things he'd had to do up until this point in time…

Turning off the water and passing the towel over his soaking mop of hair, less depressing thoughts resurfaced in Sea's mind. Decades upon decades of training, fighting, and, in general, working had transformed his new, awkward, gangly teenaged body into a much more toned but still rather thin version of the same thing. All in all, he supposed he was kind of handsome. This going off of hearing a group of high school aged girls deem him 'oogling material' as he walked past them (rather awkward, but, questionably, still flattering), and being hit on once a week at least. Any other male probably would have jumped at the opportunity, but not Sea. He only had one girl on his mind.

For now, though, he had to push away all distractions. With every article of clothing he put on, he worked on focusing his concentration like the Druids had taught him. First, he'd greet the team as they returned, escort the leader to the meeting room, and sit in on the conversation. He had to be ready for an attack at any angle of any sort from any creature. As a member of the Sealand Guard and as a Nation, his duty was to protect. What came after would be dealt with when the time came.

Leaving his quarters, Sea headed down the hall without a moment to spare. Had he followed the wishes of nearly every single one of his Princes, he'd have moved all his junk down to the lower levels ages ago. He hadn't, of course, because being on the lower levels didn't afford him as many advantages. Up here on the Platform, he would always be one of the first to repel an attack, and few things worked better to boost the Guards' morale than to see their Nation living and working alongside them. Besides, the Main Complex was far too crowded for his liking. He'd been born from war, raised by soldiers, abandoned for years with little company but what the sea afforded him, and the first one hundred some years of his existence as a true, albeit still unrecognized, Nation had been with fewer than ten people at any given time. He belonged topside under the open sky.

"Sealand! Good morning!" Called a man likewise dressed in the navy-coloured Sealand Guard uniform, that black, white, and red striped flag proudly displayed on his left shoulder. The buff blond had been reclining in his chair looking rather bored behind bullet-proof glass when Sea had arrived, but stood to greet his Nation.

"Morning, Hall," Sea replied, grinning as the two exchanged firm handshakes through the slit beneath the glass that marked off the Coat Check from the rest of the corridor. Well, it was called the Coat Check, but it was for holding and inspecting the personal effects, mostly weapons, of visitors. Theoretically, one could still drop off their coat here, so it wasn't a complete misnomer. Tilting to look around the bulky Guard before him, Sea shouted into the room, "Morning, Moore!"

Without looking away from the computer screen, the second Guard, who was of Spanish descent, nodded before resuming his typing. It was the most he was going to get from the workaholic.

"So, here to see your girlfriend?" Hall teased, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Even after ten years of teasing, Sea couldn't help but blush a little at the implications.

"I swear, Hall, one of these days-"

"You'll finally get laid? Halleluiah, motherfucker!"

"You are so lucky showing up to a meeting in blood-splattered clothing is considered rude," Sea said, smiling all the while. Just as he was speaking, a small orange light attached to the wall lit up. It signaled new arrivals on the Platform, and there was only one they were expecting.

"There's your girlfriend. Better go get yourself some, Sea, before I tire her out tonight."

"In your dreams, Hall," he responded before heading towards the door once more. As an afterthought, he shouted, "See ya, Moore!" and was rewarded with an unseen nod.

Unlatching the heavy, metal door, Hall's final statement was nearly drowned out by the rush of wind brought on by the helicopter powering down outside on Helipad B. "Sometimes, man! She is pretty hot."

Out on the deck, Sea began to approach the recently landed helicopter even as the doors opened and four men hopped out. Before the helicopter's blades had even stopped spinning, they began to unload boxes of equipment. He would have recognized them even without the Guard field gear. They looked to each other, nodded, and one of the men, a dwarf with an intricately braided dark beard, smiled knowingly as he motioned back towards the cab of the helicopter.

He briefly considered face-palming at the sight, but instead was forced to keep his jaw from falling open. Whereas Sea tried to distance himself from the past, Wy made it her goal to never forget. She looked pretty much like a taller version of her old self, but with a few noticeable differences. Wy had also grown to look about nineteen, and with that came a womanliness that she flaunted with ease. Her khakis were nothing less than booty shorts, and her cropped tank top sported significantly more cleavage. The pink smock did little to hide anything, open as it was and stopping at mid-thigh.

Not even her hair had changed, though it did seem a little longer from what he remembered. The only things that seemed different about Wy were her shoes (now a set of military grade boots, though the tops had been left to droop down) and her missing ascot. Whenever he'd asked her about the ascot, she always changed the subject, as if hiding a painful memory.

The thing that had changed the most about Wy was her personality. When they'd been younger, she'd always tried to be the most mature of the micronations, scolding them for getting into trouble, and trying to take care of them whenever someone got scratched up. Sea wasn't sure what had done it, but it was now as an adult that Wy decided she wanted to be a kid. She still took things seriously when the time called for it, but for the most part one would describe her as bubbly.

Jumping somewhat gracefully onto the helipad, Wy noticed him, shouted "Sea!", and ran up to him to give him a firm hug, nearly bumping her forehead against his chin in the process. As politely as possible, Sea attempted to pry her off without making it seem like he didn't want the hug. He was pretty sure everyone was watching them by now. Unsuccessful as he was, he settled on patting her on the back instead. A glance over Wy's shoulder revealed several of the Guards giving him thumb ups. In return, he gave them the finger.

"Hey, Wy. Uh, what happened to your protective gear?" He asked as they pulled away.

"Oh, that heavy, uniform stuff? It was getting kind of hot, and you know how I like my freedom of movement, so I took it off." Looking up to his shocked face, she must have interpreted it as horror. "Don't worry, though! I didn't lose any of it. I treat borrowed stuff with care." Her smile was bright enough to make the sun jealous.

I just had to fall for this one girl, didn't I? thought Sea, shaking his head at her antics. Regardless of her actions and his feelings, they had a meeting to go to. As the leader of the expedition, she was to be debriefed on the latest happenings in France. Speaking of which…"You didn't find him, did you?"

She shook her head sadly. "No. There's no trace of him anywhere, but…it doesn't mean he's gone. Probably locked up in some Gargoyle castle dungeon, or something."

"Yeah," Sea agreed, though he didn't share her weak optimism. France had probably died long ago, maybe even before the Cataclysm. They'd be lucky to find a body, but at least even a body provided enough evidence to put their minds at ease. There were just so many Nations left unaccounted for after the Apocalypse. "Come on, let's get going."