Episode 01: Welcome to the Future

Chapter 08

Judging by the steady beeping that was going off just over his shoulder, Sea deemed it safe to assume he was in the medical bay. The sickeningly clean whiteness of the room and all its contents assured him of this fact as he opened his bleary eyes. Damn, something bad must have happened if anyone had thought it would make a difference putting him in here. Nations usually healed too fast for medical aid to fully kick in. Though, his left shoulder was aching a little, so maybe a little rest was a good thing.

Sitting upright on the cot, he noticed that someone had had a little sense. He was still in his clothes from the mission (screw those hospital robes), though all traces of weapons were gone. As an added bonus, someone had used Forcebonds to chain his wrist to the cot. Great, he thought sarcastically, falling back onto the mattress. If he really wanted, he could just tear the cot from the floor, and bring the darn thing with him. But…Chris would probably skin him for the damages…

"Oh, you're awake," Gilbert stated blandly, walking into the room with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. It was a little odd to see him in casual clothing, considering they generally only saw much of each other in formal situations requiring their respective military or formal attire.

"What are you doing here?" Sea snapped, not too impressed that he didn't even have the choice to walk away from the impending conversation/lecture. He sat up as best he could without having his arm stretched out awkwardly behind himself to keep an eye on Gilbert while the other Nation sat down on the only chair in the room.

"I think the better question is: why are you here? I didn't give you that information just so you could go risk your life." Prussia did not sound impressed in the least. The pair stared each other down for a few long seconds, steel-edged blue-green versus unwavering red, before Gilbert sighed. "Yes, I admit. It was a terribly senseless war. I'm sorry for what my officials made you do, Sea, but I did not give the order to shoot."

"You didn't do anything to keep it from happening, either."

"And what was I to do? How many times do I have to explain to you that nothing I could have said would have done a damn thing? It didn't work in 1939, and it wouldn't have worked a hundred years ago during the Bloody Campaign, either."

"You didn't even try."

"No, but you didn't either. You could have walked away from the battlefield. Instead, you pushed on with your forces," Gilbert counteracted.

It was Sea's turn to sigh. They'd gone over this conversation a dozen times since the Campaign, but no amount of excuses or apologies could ever make right the wrongs of the past. "Had I left, my soldiers would have gone with me. And then Triax would have attacked here next. It wasn't my place to risk the lives of my citizens."

"But it's okay to kill someone else's citizens? Someone else's people?" Gilbert asked with mild venom as Sea looked away. "You were young back then, but I hope you understand now. War brings out the worst in Nations, because it forces us to choose our own over all others. You have to let it go, Sealand, because that won't be the last war you'll have to fight in."

The room fell silent for an unbearably long while as Sea fought against himself. It wasn't fair to all the innocents he'd killed if he just let go, just forgot about them. But it wasn't fair to the living to stay stuck in the past. Seeking escape from this train of thought, he asked, "Why did you tell me, if you knew I might've done something stupid?"

"Because I didn't think you would honestly be this reckless. You're not a dumb kid, but your heart gets in the way sometimes." Gilbert took a sip of coffee before continuing. "I understand that you want to protect her, but had you included Wy in your plans, together you might actually have been successful." Sea wasn't sure whether to feel angry over the scolding, or embarrassed over the implications of his feelings for Wy. "It's thanks to her that both of you made it out of there. Though, I deserve some credit, too, for flying her all the way out there. Anyways, you asked me to keep tabs on England, and the state of affairs on the island, so I was really just doing my job. Things do not bode well when Mrrlyn is making trips to key nexus points. Your little stunt could have just saved thousands of people, or, at least, a bit of time."

"Things rarely bode well when Mrrlyn does anything. Hopefully, we put a dent in his plans tonight, though." Sea looked at Prussia questioningly. "It is still night, yeah?"

The gray-haired Nation checked his watch. "I'd say not really. It's about 6am."

"I've been unconscious for a few hours?"

"Yup. The Doc figures whatever spell you casted just sapped all the energy out of ya. Also, your body's been trying to heal that nasty wound."

"What nasty wound?" Gilbert pointed to his left shoulder. His shirt was tattered there; half shredded half torn to make room for the bandages. Using the opposite and not tied down hand, he unwrapped the linen to reveal three gashes resembling claw marks. Unable to contain his shock, Sea exclaimed, "What the fuck?!"

"Curious, isn't it?" Gilbert inquired, completely calm. "It's not healing like normal wounds should on us. Doc says there are traces of energy that could be effecting your ability to heal, but it's not a kind of energy she's seen before." Changing to a completely serious tone, Gil lent forward and spoke more softly. "What happened out there, Sea?"

The sight of the gashes worked to jog his memory. Of the actual experience of inter-dimensional travel, there was very little Sea could organize to form a logical series of events. The fourth dimension was as indescribable to denizens of the third dimension as the third dimension was to denizens of the second. The little he could recollect took the form of basic sensations and emotions.

The outside world practically disappeared as the voice of the Millennium Tree flooded his mind. It was a wondrous sound, like a powerful song sung by a myriad of voices that were neither masculine nor feminine. Child, We can break the spell that holds your magic captive, but the outsider, Mrrlyn, will not be distracted for long. It will interrupt most of your spells, but there is one it cannot stop. You know of what We speak.

Indeed, Sea did know, but he'd never used the spell before. It was dangerous, complex, and rather risky. Still, the Tree was right. There were few other options, and, as long as the spell succeeded, it would eliminate the threat of having to deal with Mrrlyn. There were worse beasts that existed between dimensions, but his chances of meeting one were much slimmer than the chances of defeating Mrrlyn.

Sensing his acceptance, the Tree continued. Very well. The spell will be broken as We sever our connection. Cast quickly and without fail, young one. And do not use this spell again until you are ready.

An instant later and he was back in his own body. He didn't even have time to fully register the chaos of the ley line storm before Mrrlyn's spell snapped, and magic returned to him in a rush. Drawing in all the power from the ley line he needed, he cast Fourth Dimension Transformation, and was promptly shifted into the next dimension.

Everything became blurry after that. He remembered being temporarily confused with his new surroundings, before the intentions of the beings around him were made clear. Mrrlyn, furious, was aiming at Wy as she mentally pleaded for help. Phasing halfway back into the third dimension, he had reached out and touched her shoulder. Whispering to her, Sorry I'm late, Wy, he had used Sensory Deprivation to virtually knock her out before teleporting her back to Sealand. Suddenly arriving in a new area was usually pretty frightening. Allowing her senses to ease into it had definitely been the less psychologically damaging option.

With Wy safe, Sea had shifted back fully into the fourth dimension, but not before witnessing Mrrlyn scream his anger and frustration into the night sky. For a split second, he could have sworn he had seen something else where Mrrlyn had stood, something with meat-hook claws and knife-sharp teeth. After that, he recalled travelling a distance that was short in the fourth dimension, but decidedly not in the third. It had been almost serene, and not unlike flying, sensing forests and cliffs and ocean pass somewhere far, how to say, below? The whole thing could best be described as someone in the third dimension walking across a huge, 2D map, and yet the explanation would still be missing so many pieces.

And then, there had been pain, and fear, the sensation of being chased. Something, some fourth dimensional creature, must have hunted him down and attacked him. The wound was proof enough of this. Nations, themselves third dimensional beings, were not nearly as immune to the perils of the fourth dimension as they were to their own, it would seem.

There was something else, though, something he was just barely able to grasp. A shriek of pain, a furious roar, and then…the sensation of tearing beneath his fingertips. Sea looked to his hands, but they were completely uninjured. Had he had to fight something in there? He must have passed out soon after either in the fourth dimension, or in the process of shifting, because he couldn't remember arriving back home.

Of course, he told none of this to Gilbert. Instead, he replied, "I don't know. A lot of it is still fuzzy…"

The older Nation eyed him suspiciously, but didn't push for the truth. Luckily, Wy chose that moment to walk into the room. Her worried expression lifted into one of ecstatic relief when she saw Sea was awake. She practically jumped onto the cot trying to seat herself on the edge. "Sea! Oh my gosh, are you okay? How do you feel? What happened to your shoulder? How did we get out of the countryside? Do you need anything? A glass of water, maybe?"

"Whoa, Wy, calm down," Sea politely commanded, lifting his one free hand up in a gesture of surrender. Once she got going, it was hard to stop Typhoon Wy. "I'm fine, see? Just a few scratches." His tone became more serious and concerned when he noticed the bruise on her forehead. "You're hurt."

Wy placed careful fingertips to her bump, wincing slightly at how tender it still was. "This? This is nothin'. It looked way worse earlier, not to mention the internal bleeding. But it's all good now."

"Fuck, Wy, I'm so-"

"Don't apologize. You did what you needed to do to get us out of there, and I did, too. It could have been worse, and I'm sure we've both been through worse, so don't worry about it." Her luminous smile put his worries at ease. They'd heal, and she didn't blame him for what had happened despite how much he deserved it. She wanted to put the incident in the past instead of letting it come between them, so he would do that for her.

"So, is Chris mad about the whole stealing a heli and nearly getting us both killed thing?" Sea asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Wy nodded vigorously. "Oh, he's furious. You're pretty much screwed."

"That's…encouraging."

"Well, I'm just going to leave you two to catch up," Gilbert announced, rising from the chair and strolling out of the room without bothering to wait for a reply. He didn't even glance back as the two remaining Nations watched him leave.

"You know," Wy began soon after Prussia's departure. "Without Gil's help, I wouldn't have been able to get to you on time."

"Don't worry, he made that perfectly clear," Sea grumbled, not thrilled that the conversation had turned to the German.

"He even stuck around in case we needed an immediate extraction, too."

"How kind of him, but we made it out just fine."

Wy leveled him an unimpressed glare. "You guys might have your differences, but we're all Nations. We may be some of the few that are left, also. He was just looking out for us, Sea."

Sighing, the blond acknowledged his defeat. He rarely won arguments against Wy, anyways, as stubborn as she was. "I know, but that doesn't mean I like him any better."

"Good enough," Wy admitted. "Now, I'll go find Doctor Deng so she can get these bonds off of you."

The trip to Prince Christopher's office was nothing short of stressing for Sea. The summoning itself had involved a clipped e-mail from the young monarch on Sea's smartband, technologically advanced versions of smartphones that could project holograms and which looked more like thin strips of fabric than the watches they emulated, demanding more than requesting his and Wy's presences immediately. Despite this, he hadn't been allowed to leave Dr. Deng's sight without her first tending to his shoulder. It was only after she had forced his arm into a sling, quite against his will, that she permitted the two Nations to leave her ward.

"So, he's a little mad. It's not like he's going to lock you up for a decade," Wy tried to rationalize. She'd never seen Sea so nervous. "Can you slow down a bit, Sea?" She was practically jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"Hmm? Sorry," he muttered, as if distracted. He did slow down, though, much to Wy's relief. His head had been too full of worries to notice the change in pace. Why else would Chris call upon them so soon if it wasn't to rebuke him? What was his punishment going to be? How badly had he disappointed his monarch? Was there anything he could do to regain this lost trust?

Before he knew it, they were standing in front of the large oak doors that marked off the office from the outside. Sea paused, not quite prepared to handle the repercussions of his thoughtless actions.

"Come on, Sea. There's no way it's going to be that bad," Wy whispered, nudging him forward a little. He wasn't so sure, but he had little choice. The brass knob was cool, and the door swung open easily.

"Ah, Miss Thompson, Mr. Kirkland." Sea internally winced. "Welcome. Please, seat yourselves." They did as they were bid, seating themselves on the two Victorian-style chairs before the large oak desk behind which Christopher himself was seated. The entirety of the room, which was arrayed in floor-to-ceiling shelves mostly covered in books, held a certain Victorian quality to it except for the wall behind the desk that was completely transparent, showing a magnificent view of the ocean most days. "We shall commence the briefing with your account first, if you don't mind, Wy."

"Yes, sir." She began with the party, and ended with her arrival in the medical bay. Afterwards, it was Sea's turn. He decided it would be better to tell the story truthfully than lie in the attempt to spare himself some punishment, though he kept certain details to himself concerning the fourth dimensional trip. Chris was silent for quite some time after he'd finished, standing up to gaze out across the still somewhat dark ocean floor, a view that the window-wall allowed.

"You've done some pretty reckless things in your life, Sealand, but running a suicidal solo mission to rescue England without even half of a plan? Not to mention fourth dimensional travel…" Christopher Bates finally commented, pacing before the glass and making it a point not to look at his Nation. His tone was simultaneously cool and terrifyingly vicious, a cold fire to be sure. "This is probably one of the worst choices you've ever made, and during my reign as well…"

Stopping his pacing, Chris sat back down heavily in his chair with a sigh, face in his hands. More than anything, it was that sigh that really made Sea feel ashamed of his actions. He'd really fucked up this time, and apologies alone wouldn't fix anything; they had to be backed by actions.

"I can't blame you for wanting to do what you did, but did you even stop to think what would happen if you were captured, or killed? The effects could have been monstrous on the principality."

"Well, I can't really die, so it probably wouldn't have been that bad…"

Sea quickly shut up as his monarch fixed him with a stare. Looking his Nation dead in the eye, Prince Chris's expression was a mixture of unrelenting seriousness and hurt: his worry extended further than just the principality. He must have been able to see the shame and regret in Sea's eyes, because his countenance softened. "You have to start thinking ahead more, Sea, for everyone's sake."

"Yes, sir," he responded, sounding a little more downhearted than he had planned, but not any less sincere. Sitting up straighter and gathering a professional air about himself, Prince Chris decided he had berated Sea enough, and it was time to dish out the punishment.

"I'm sending the both of you to North America on an assignment. You are to stay under the radar. If I hear about you causing any trouble…" He stared pointedly at Sea who shrunk back just a little.

Clearing her throat, Wy asked, in a soft voice, "Where exactly, sir?"

"According to the intel we received from Triax, you'll be dropped off in the Lazlo region." Chris paused, ensuring he had their complete attention. "Canada's whereabouts have been discovered, thanks to Triax's efforts." This had both Nations sitting on the edge of their seats. "He's been spotted alongside an unidentified woman, so you may have to exercise caution before disclosing your status as Nations. I have the file here for you to review before you go. You are to assess Canada's situation, and determine whether he should be retrieved or not, and that's it. You'll have two weeks, as per usual. And you'll be going alone, just the two of you."

"What?" Sea couldn't help but exclaim. Surely he was joking.

"This is a clandestine mission. The more people are involved, the harder it'll be to keep it that way. Besides, I'm sure you'll encounter few problems, being superhuman and all." Again, the Prince made use of pointed glaring once again by indicating Sea's injured shoulder. "Wy, you'll be in charge out in the field. I expect daily reports on your findings."

With the last two sentences, Sea had been shocked out of his ability to speak. Not only was he being forced into a boring reconnaissance job, but he was going to be babysat. By Wy, no less!

Then again, just the two of them, alone for two weeks …

"I'll provide more details later in the week," Christopher continued. "You guys are still pretty banged up, and I hear your shoulder is going to take some time, Sea. Once you're both in peak condition, we'll set a date for the mission to begin." As an afterthought he added, "And we'll decide what will happen with the NRP when you return."

"Yes, sir," the Nations responded in unison, sensing the dismissal. Outside of the office, Sea grimaced as he adjusted his injured shoulder in its sling. He made no move to comment on what had just transpired.

"Hey, at least he didn't ground you from missions," Wy affirmed, earning an unreadable glance from Sea as they walked down the hall. "You and me, huh? This is gonna be fun!"