When Nevada wasn't writing down his train of thought, working in the lab, or hanging out with the other states, he was apparently drinking through Russia's stash of vodka. Russia walked through the double metal doors of the lab. Japan and New Mexico were retesting the evidence they received for the third time. Nevada was hunched over one of the lab counters and sketching diagrams on a blank sheet of paper. Russia reached into his long winter coat and retrieved the bottle of vodka he found under Nevada's bed. The bottle was only three quarters full, so Nevada drank at least a few shots worth of alcohol.
Russia slammed the bottle onto the counter where Nevada wrote. He jolted and his head shot up. Russia tilted his head, "Did you enjoy my vodka last night?"
New Mexico glanced at Nevada in the corner of her eye and smirked, "Busted."
Nevada blinked at him, then shrugged, "You took some of my notes. I took some of your vodka. It sounds like we're even to me." Japan looked up from one of the laptops in the lab. Russia could feel his dark eyes on him.
"When did you take my Vodka?"
"Last night," Nevada answered fearlessly, "I knew you probably had some, so I went through your suitcase and had a few sips. I wanted something to drink. I could have gone to the kitchen, but that'd involve going out into the hallway and having whoever was on watch escort me downstairs. That's more effort than it's worth. Besides, you're a heavy sleeper, so it was easy."
Russia glanced at him with his eyebrows raised. He found these states very entertaining, but also surprising. The states reminded Russia of America in the way that none of them feared him. They didn't tremble in his presence, they didn't seem unsettled by his comments, and they didn't back down when he challenged them. New Mexico stared at Russia, studying his reaction. An empty smile grew on his face, "Well, you won't take any more of my vodka from now on, da?"
"Da?" Nevada cocked his head to the side, "If I didn't know any better I'd compare that tone to the one you use when you're delivering a threat."
"It's a good thing you know better then," Russia said, blinking a few times. These states were entertaining indeed.
New Mexico moved to look over Nevada's shoulder, then pointed at one of the branches of his diagram, "Expand on that thought. There must be a reason why only France and England were bugged, and no other state was." When Nevada glanced down to study the sheet of paper, New Mexico sent Russia a look. He smiled at her and took a swig from the bottle of vodka. The liquor burned down his throat. Russia found the feeling refreshing.
He looked around the lab without much to do. England sent them in the lab again today, but they didn't have any new evidence. Retesting everything was a waste of time in Russia's opinion. England just sent them here because he's desperate for any new leads. "What is in that cabinet?" Russia said, pointing to the large metal filing cabinet that took up an entire wall of the lab.
"That's where we document all of our past experiments. I keep everything on paper, of course." Nevada didn't look up from the paper he was staring at when he talked.
"I also downloaded everything onto our computers," New Mexico said. "It's nearly impossible to lose any of our experiments on file."
Russia studied the cabinet. There had to be at least fifty drawers containing their work as scientists. "Do you have anything on paper that could possibly help Capital?"
Nevada glanced across the room, and New Mexico shrugged, "There's always something to gain from knowledge, but I can't think of a case specifically that could help them. We've been working together for a few centuries after all. It'd take a lot of rifling through to find something specifically to use for their advantage."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Nevada said, "The lab's always locked up when we're not here, and so are those cabinets. The computers are also overly protected."
Japan looked at Russia, then pointed to the camera in the corner of the room, "Do those camera's record everything?"
"Not everything," New Mexico said, "They're manually activated. We don't record unless we're working in the lab. They've been continuously recording since we got to the house."
Japan stepped away from the lab's laptop, "So theoretically, what if someone broke into the lab and stole an important piece of information?"
New Mexico sighed, "It's not like we wouldn't have the experiment on file. We'd be able to figure out which experiment they stole without an issue. However... the cameras wouldn't capture anyone stealing the information. These cameras aren't used for security, they're just another tool we use to record data."
The lab fell silent. Nevada rolled his eyes, "I'll check to see if everything's locked if it makes you feel better. Honestly, why are we here? There's nothing to do but theorize about Capital and retest the evidence we already went through." He slammed his pen down on the counter and walked over to the filing cabinet. "This is a waste of time," he muttered.
"Let's hope it's a waste of time," Japan said. "If Russia's right then we could have a problem on our hands." He turned to Russia, "Do you really think Capital would break into the lab?"
Russia shrugged, "No. It was just an idea. I made the suggestion because there's nothing better to do."
Click. Bang. Click. Bang. Click. Bang. Click. Bang. Nevada held in the metal hatch to each drawer and tried to tug it open. He moved like clockwork, as if he spent way too much time sorting through these files. Japan walked across the room and began to help. While they tested each drawer, Russia glanced at the diagram Nevada was working on. The ink was blotchy, and a few words were smeared by Nevada's hand. The lettering was messy and pressed too close together, but Russia was becoming used to the handwriting.
New Mexico glanced at Russia, "You know, the polite thing to do is ask Nevada if you can see his notes. It's not like he wouldn't give you his permission." She nodded towards the two personifications testing the cabinet drawers, "Did you make that suggestion just to-"
Click. Eeeeeerrrrrrrr. Everyone's attention whipped to Japan when one of the drawers slid open. Nevada froze, "Well, that's unusual."
New Mexico walked towards Japan, "Let me check the lock. Someone could have tampered with it."
"Or the lock broke. Or one of us forgot to lock the drawer. Or-"
"Or someone could have tampered with it," New Mexico interrupted Nevada's counters. "It's a slim chance, but someone still could have broken into the lab." She knelt onto the tiled floor and examined the lock on the open drawer.
Nevada stopped his protests, then walked over to pick up his pen, "Think of the possibilities if someone broke into the lab."
New Mexico paused, "The metal on this lock is scratched. It seemed that someone picked it."
Japan's eyes widened, "What experiment could Capital possibly need?"
"It looks like we'll find out," New Mexico muttered. She slid the drawer all the way out and began rifling through the manila folders. Each folder was stuffed with papers, all except the one she removed from the bunch.
"Which folder is that?" Nevada asked.
New Mexico paused, and glanced at Nevada, "The Black Star."
"The what?" Japan asked. Russia leaned forward in interest.
Nevada knelt beside New Mexico and stared at the folder, "This is a failed experiment. Why would anyone find interest in this?"
"What experiment is that?" Russia said. He wasn't expecting Capital to have actually went through these filing cabinets and remove an experiment. Now he was interested to see what could have possibly caught Capital's attention.
The two states didn't answer. Instead New Mexico opened the folder and looked up in surprise, "This folder isn't empty."
"Did Capital forget to grab something?" Japan asked.
New Mexico stood with the file, and placed it on the counter in front of Russia. Japan and Nevada stood around the counter as well, and stared as she revealed what's inside the manila folder. Inside the folder was a piece of paper that was almost blank. At the top of the paper were two words typed in very small lettering.
I'm trying.
Japan leaned forward with his eyebrows knit together, "Trying what?"
"They left a note?" New Mexico asked.
Nevada studied the paper, "Why would Capital leave a note?"
"Maybe it's not Capital," Russia piped up. So far in the investigation Capital has been nothing but precise. There was no way it was Capital who left the drawer obviously unlocked and left a note for them to see. "Whoever did this was waiting for you to find their note."
"Who would do something like that?" Japan asked.
New Mexico and Nevada paused, as if they reached the same conclusion at the same time. Then they met each other's wide eyes, "The weak link!" New Mexico called out.
Nevada smirked, "New York was right. There is a weak link in Capital's alliance." He grabbed his sheet of paper and began to write, "We have three confirmed states who's involved. Wyoming, Capital, and the weak link. We possibly have four if it wasn't Capital who filled water into New York's gas tank."
Japan looked over his shoulder, "What experiment did this state take and why would they want it?"
"We don't know why they'd want it," New Mexico said, opening one of the laptops. "I'll load the files up now. It's a failed experiment we tried working on in the sixties."
There was a knock against the metal doors. "It's Canada. England sent me," A soft voice called.
"Come in." With New Mexico's permission, he entered the lab. Canada wore his hair in a short tail, and wore a short-sleeved button up and shorts. Russia did admit that D.C. was warm, but he didn't see that as a reason to take off his winter coat. "What do you need, Canada?"
Canada looked at Russia, "France and a few states are going out to get groceries. France told me to get you so that you can watch the rest of the states in his group."
"Me?" Russia glanced at New Mexico, "We're in the middle of something, and I'd like to stay to find out where this new lead is going."
"You can go. We'll just be waiting around anyway," Nevada muttered, "loading the assignment up is going to take awhile. It's years of data, and different parts of the experiment are in different files. Only the paper version has everything together."
Russia felt a hint of annoyance towards France. Not only did he try to pull him from something possibly important, but he sent Canada to do it instead of doing it himself. Russia only turned to Canada after Nevada told him how long the wait was going to be, "Sure, I don't mind."
Canada perked up, "Great, right now his states are crowded in the dining room with the states I'm watching."
"Let me know when the files are done loading," Russia told Japan. He followed Canada into the hall, "Did you leave them in the dining room alone?"
Canada shrugged, "I left them with something to do. I was watching Michigan, and France was watching New York. I asked them if it's better to be an Isolationist or an Internationalist."
Russia let out a small laugh, "That's funny. They're the representatives for both sides, da?" He nodded. As they neared the dining room, he could hear a chorus of voices rising in a heated debate, "It sounds like they're having fun."
The two nations entered the dining room. The dining room table was the division between the two sides. Russia counted seventeen states in the room. There were only four Internationalists on one side of the table, and almost the rest were Isolationists. Indiana, Utah, and Arizona watched them from off to the side, and Russia remembered that New Mexico wasn't the only neutral state.
Russia stopped when he caught a flash of white with patches of gold, black, and brown. Alaska was recognizable from almost anywhere. What he didn't understand was why he hasn't run into him earlier. He stood on the side of New York and Ohio, but he almost seemed indifferent during the debate. He fiddled with the hem of the table cloth, and kept his gaze glued to the table.
Meanwhile Michigan, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Oregon were all more than dedicated to the debate. Every time one of them spoke, the other three Internationalists would listen intently, and jump in to back their argument. Michigan adjusted the white eye patch over his right eye socket and glanced at the two nations walking in, "Maybe your arguments were valid before, but the nations are here, and anything goes. No matter what we do after America returns, there's no going back to exactly the way things were."
Ohio scowled at Michigan's flashy smile. To Russia's surprise, New York didn't react to the comment with anger, but responded with a stern voice, "No. We can't turn back time, but that doesn't mean we're invalid. My point is you shouldn't throw away everything we've been doing for centuries simply because there are a small handful of nations that know about us. We're responding to the situation with caution, and we're considering all possibilities."
"You make a good politician, New York," Russia said. Every state directed their attention to him, "Do you always have debates like this?"
New York's cheeks reddened, and he rubbed the back of his neck, "Not always. We usually save our energy for these kinds of debates during official meetings."
"Official meetings?" Canada said.
Alaska nodded, "Yeah, every once in a while one of us calls for a meeting to decide if we're still not exposing ourselves to foreign nations. It ends up becoming a huge event that lasts a whole day, maybe two. Every state gets the chance to speak, and then we hold a vote. These meetings are usually when our arguments are the most serious. Besides the meetings most of our arguments can be considered immature." He glanced between Ohio and Michigan upon finishing the sentence, and most of the states in the room followed his lead.
Ohio crossed his arms, "I am not immature."
"Course not," Michigan said, but his smirk claimed otherwise. He glanced at Canada, "So, now that you're both here to watch us, do you have anything in mind for what we're doing? Because I have a suggestion."
"I heard your last suggestion to pass time was an interesting one," Russia said with a small smile. Every nation was told about the highlights of each trip, and the state's race with Ohio up ten flights of stairs caught his attention. Especially since they had an alternate motive to ask Canada about the possible existence of province personifications.
Minnesota sent Michigan a questioning glance, but Michigan quickly moved on from Russia's comment, "Yes, but this one is much better." He clasped his arms behind his back, "Did you know we have a gym?"
Canada placed his hand on his chin, "I don't think anyone mentioned a gym in this house. So no."
He grinned at Kentucky, "You showed them the game room, but not the gym? The gym is the best room in the house."
"You think that because you might as well live in a gym," Ohio muttered. "You smell like you do after those boxing sessions of yours."
"I call for a game of floor hockey!" Michigan loudly declared, pointing a finger at Ohio and New York, "Isolationists against Internationalists!"
Canada leaned forward in interest, and Russia watched the scene unfold. "You're on!" Ohio stormed toward the halls, but New York caught the back of his shirt.
"There aren't enough Internationalists. It wouldn't be fair even if we added the neutral states here to your side." Ohio stopped struggling against New York, and he released his grip on the Mid-Westerner.
Kentucky bounced on the balls of his feet, "I'm not much into hockey, but I'm up for any form of competition." He glanced at New York, "We have to play somehow."
Vermont stepped around a few Isolationists and tapped her finger on her lip, "I'd join Michigan's team if it means I can play a game of hockey. Come on, York, have some fun for once."
He rolled his eyes, "Fine. How about I lead one team and you lead the other, Michigan?"
Russia cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but it appears you're missing the most important detail of this plan." He smiled politely at them.
Michigan pushed himself between Canada and Russia and placed his hands on their shoulder, "So, what do you say? It'll only be a small game before France comes back, and you'll be able to play as well, of course." Russia was on his eye patched side, so he couldn't see where he was looking. If he had to take a guess it would be at Ohio who intensely glared at him for involving nations in their competition.
They looked so convinced that Russia was going to agree that it made him want to look them in the eye and say no. He was going to do just that, and see their confident smiles fade, and force them to try harder. However, Canada spoke first, "Well, I do love to play hockey..."
Michigan slapped them both on the back, and Russia was tempted to hit him over the head with his bottle of vodka stashed in his coat. "Great! It's settle then!"
"Da," Russia forced out. His next line came much more smoothly, "I cannot wait to pummel you into the ground."
"That's the spirit," New Jersey said with a lopsided grin.
"Where is this gym?" Canada asked.
Alaska pushed in one of the chairs they must have moved around during their debate, "We'll lead the way. It's on the opposite side of the house from the garage."
They began to file out of the dining room. Russia fell in next to Alaska, who walked with his head down, "So Alaska, where have you been this whole time?"
"Huh?" his head whipped up, and he looked at him, "Oh. Well, I wasn't formed until I became a state. I'm not the first, but it's hard to believe since my people have been around for such a long time."
"Interesting," Russia said, watching the state's gaze flicker on him a moment longer before returning his stare at the ground. Russia didn't know much about him. He noticed that states who have been associated with a nation in the past have tried rejecting the nations here now. He didn't know if it was because Alaska actually hated nations or because the other states convinced him not to talk to any nation. Either way, Russia noticed the state avoided him at all costs.
They walked through the halls of the first floor until Michigan stopped them. He gestured to a metal door with wide arms. "Behind this door is where anything is possible. The gym is the most sacred place in the house, and we should treat it that way." Ohio shook his head, but Michigan continued with an outstretched hand. "As the pastor, I will accept a charitable donation of five dollars as the minimum for entry."
New York walked around him and opened the door. "Sorry, but you're not raising money to add a boxing ring to our gym anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"Because you're the only one who cares, and we don't care about you," Ohio said. He pushed past Michigan and entered the room.
Michigan let out a low whistle, "Wow. That was brutal." He held the door open for the rest of the personifications entering the gym. Russia gave Michigan an amused look as he walked past. To Russia's surprise, he wore his usual bright grin. "Come on, Ohio. You can admit your true feelings for me already." Russia wondered what it would take to break him. He couldn't pinpoint one specific thing that would do the trick for any of these states. That'd be something he'll have to work on. For now he could just focus on breaking these states by winning a game of hockey against them.
Russia's boots sunk into the vibrant blue mat covering the gym. The room was twice the size of the game room. The walls were white with a large blue stripe running down the middle, and covered with posters of people from all kinds of sports. Most of them seemed to be taken either in action or in the middle of celebrating a victory. Against these walls were equipment with shiny metal and slightly worn cushion. There wasn't one of each machine. There were several bench presses, squat stations, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills. One corner of the room was made up of racks holding thick dumb bells, and hanging on the wall in that corner was a rack of barbells. There were three punching bags hanging from the ceiling by thick metal chains. All of them were a faded red. Michigan shut the door and stopped to dance around one of the bags, throwing a tough punch in between steps.
"And he's gone," Ohio muttered. "He looked at a punching bag and lost all form of concentration."
Russia turned New York. "How can we play hockey when we have no room to run?"
New York narrowed his eyes at Michigan. "Good question. I hope you weren't expecting me to move all of this." Michigan sent him a lopsided smile, and jerked another punch at the punching bag.
"I have an idea," another state said, stepping forward and adjusting his glasses. Russia believed this state was Minnesota. He hasn't heard him talk as much as the other states. "North Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia can do it."
"What?" Georgia burst out. "Why us?"
Kentucky swore under his breath, "Let me guess..."
"Fake rat." North Carolina let out a loud groan, and Minnesota smirked at them. "Well? You should get started so that we have a decent amount of time to play."
"I still have to get Mary back for that," Kentucky muttered, lifting one end of a treadmill. He and Georgia lifted the machine as North Carolina held the door open for them.
Most states sat on the mat and talked. Minnesota was retelling Maryland's prank to a handful of states, Michigan and Ohio bickered, Vermont and New York were guessing who would be on what side, and Alaska sat next to Oregon, talking too quiet for Russia to hear. Canada laid his leg on the mat and stretched his hand to reach his toes. "Do you think we'll be on the same team?" he asked.
Russia shrugged, "Most likely not. It will be fun, though. I wonder how these states are going to split up. I think we should pay attention to how these states fight each other."
"Really?" Canada's blue-violet eyes met Russia's, "It's a stretch to try to relate how these states act in a hockey game to this case."
"You're right, but I'll still be watching them all carefully anyway," Russia said with a shrug.
They waited as the three Southern states finally carried out the last piece of equipment into the hall. They returned to the gym to start rolling up the vibrant mat, revealing the white tile beneath. Michigan strode over to a wooden door and walked into a large supply closet. "So, York, how are we doing this?" He asked, carrying a large amount of wooden hockey sticks in his hand.
New York placed his hand on his chin and looked around, "I'll be the captain of one team, you be the other. We'll take turns picking who's on our side."
Michigan punched a fist in the air, and half of the hockey sticks clattered against the tile, "Yes! Everyone line up, 'cause we're gonna pick you off." He let the rest of the sticks drop to the floor and stood next to New York.
"This is fun," Russia said, moving to stand next to Canada against the wall. Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia joined the line once they finished placing the mat in the closet.
"Shall we start with nations?" Michigan asked. New York nodded, and Michigan's star landed on Canada, "Well, of course I'm going to chose the nation who I traveled with. Canada, are you ready to kick ass?"
Canada walked towards Michigan and spoke barely above a whisper, "I don't know about kicking ass, but we certainly aren't going to lose."
"Russia." He looked at New York when he called his name, and moved to stand next to him. "Canada is known for playing well in hockey, but I'm not underestimating you. I know you're probably just as good as him, so let's give them hell." Russia nodded. He didn't like New York, but he liked his competitive attitude.
Michigan clapped his hands together, "I'll pick... Minnesota next."
"Vermont." Russia heard from England that she almost killed New York with a hockey stick when she found out he gave away their secret, and Russia didn't see her as a bad person to have on their team.
"Indiana!" She smirked at Ohio when her name was called before his and joined Michigan's side.
"Alaska." Russia's attention jerked to Alaska as he ran a hand through his colorful hair and stood next to Vermont.
"Kentucky." Michigan bumped his fist against Kentucky's.
"New Hampshire."
Michigan laughed, "You're just picking all the states near you."
"You're the one to talk with Indiana and Minnesota on your team."
He shrugged, "I'm not picking Ohio."
"I wonder why," Ohio muttered with the roll of his eyes.
"Georgia."
"Ohio." The state smirked at Michigan when he joined New York's side. Russia knew that they were going to be fighting each other for most of the game. He didn't know which state to pay attention to since he didn't know these states very well.
"Iowa."
"New Jersey."
"Oregon."
"North Dakota."
"North Carolina."
"Maine."
"Utah."
"Arizona."
"Done?"
"Done." Iowa, Oregon, North Carolina, and Utah joined Michigan. Maine, North Dakota, Arizona, and New Jersey joined New York.
New Jersey grinned, "Wait until I tell Mass what we did over our next meal. He's going to be so jealous. I'm not surprised I'm the only Internationalist on this team. York, did you pick me because you're finally starting to appreciate the New Jersey Devils? I'm impressed."
Arizona pointed two fingers at her eyes, then pointed them towards Indiana, "Let the best neutral state win."
"That will be us," Indiana said, resting her elbow on Utah's shoulder. Utah grinned at Arizona, and she blew a kiss at him.
Russia wore a small smile as he looked around at his teammates. Michigan already fell into explaining the rules to his states, but it was only Arizona on New York's side that didn't know the rules. America's geography was hard to remember, but he noticed that New York for the most part picked states closer to the Canadian border. These states looked like they knew what they were doing, while Michigan must have figured that he's good enough at hockey to be able to explain everything without a problem. North Dakota explained the rules to Arizona while New York studied Alaska, "Are you alright with being the goalie?"
Alaska nodded, "I'm not the best one for the job out of all of us, but I'll try."
He nodded, "Don't worry, Michigan's team won't even make it to you if we can help it." He turned to Russia, "What position do you want?"
"Either the left or right winger," Russia said, knowing that those positions mostly involve offense.
"Got it. I'll make you left winger. I'll be center, because I know for a fact that's Michigan's position. Vermont, you're right winger. New Hampshire, you'll be right defenseman, and Ohio, you'll be left defenseman."
"Why am I on defense?" Ohio asked, glancing over to Michigan's team. "I want to face Michigan."
"You think you won't?" New York asked with a raised eyebrow. "Michigan is going to be on offense for this entire game. You're going to be facing him almost every round." Ohio broke into an excited smile.
Vermont slug an arm around New York's shoulder, "Look at you using your brain for once."
"Whatever," New York said, shaking his head, "I'm just glad the majority of the players in this game are states. I hate having to play with nations." He glanced at Russia, "No offense."
"If you don't like playing with nations then why did you pick me?"
New York scoffed, "There's no way I'm handing Michigan two nations to use against me because of my opinion. Besides, we need someone to balance out Canada."
"I can handle him," Vermont declared.
"We need Russia on the team. He's physically stronger than you." Vermont sent New York a glare and he quickly added, "Only because he's a nation."
Russia lifted a brow, "Are nations stronger than states?"
"We're not getting into that," New York said with a quick dismissive wave of his hand. He glanced over to Michigan, "He seems to be almost done with explaining how to play. I'll give it another..." he glanced at his watch, "thirty eight seconds before he calls for the start of the game." He turned to the states standing around him who weren't placed in the game. "You can switch with us at any time you feel is appropriate. New Jersey, you'll switch with me when you have to. North Dakota, you'll switch with Alaska. Arizona, you'll switch with Ohio or New Hampshire. Maine, you'll switch with Russia or Vermont, but only switch with Russia if Canada's switched out." The four states nodded in agreement.
Michigan looked up, "You ready?"
"Thirty eight seconds exactly," New York muttered, glancing down at his watch.
"You have a problem," New Hampshire said.
He shrugged, "Yeah, we're ready."
"Great!" Michigan bent down and grabbed a bunch of hockey sticks. He held one out to Russia, "So, you think you can beat me?"
Russia wrapped his fingers around the hockey stick, and looked down at Michigan, never realizing how short he was until then. "Da." Michigan moved on to hand New York a hockey stick. He took his time, and said something that made New York's eyebrow twitch, then moved on to Ohio. He edged the rest of New York's team on until each teammate had a hockey stick. Then he returned to his side of the gym. "Let's play," Russia said.
Michigan tossed a black hockey puck in the air and caught it while keeping his eyes on New York, "Are we playing three periods?"
"No intermissions in between," New York said. Michigan nodded, and tossed the puck to him. New York placed the puck in the middle of the room. "Mark the lines and get into position."
North Carolina began to run white tape down the center of the room. Russia wandered off to the left on their team's side of the room. Michigan watched him and whispered something to Canada, then he was sent in Russia's direction. "I'm left winger, apparently."
"Didn't Michigan pick your positions before hand?"
He shook his head, "He said he'd worry about it later and went into telling us how the other states play."
Russia let out a laugh and looked at Michigan, who was sending Kentucky to face Vermont. "He was probably waiting to see where New York was positioning everyone." New York sent Michigan a glare, and the state waved at him while talking to Indiana. "Those two work harder and make more careful decisions when pitted against each other."
"I'm not surprised. They compete against each other in a debate that determines their entire future." He extended his hand, "New York is smart, but I wouldn't underestimate Michigan."
"After the stunt he pulled on you with Ohio, I'm not underestimating anyone." Russia grabbed his hand as tightly as he could and stiffly shook his hand. "Let the best nation win."
Canada gripped his hand just as tightly. "Of course."
"This is an outrage!" Vermont burst out. Her green eye gleamed with anger, and she jabbed a finger at Michigan. "I've been playing hockey for over a hundred years, and you send someone as inexperienced as Kentucky to face me!"
"Hey!" Kentucky called. He swung his hockey stick at an invisible puck, stumbling to the side a little by his momentum. "I catch on easily."
Vermont ran a hand through her hair. She looked at New York and gestured to the Southern state. "He's not even holding the hockey stick right."
"Focus on the game," he raised an eyebrow at Michigan while he spoke. "Minnesota's your goalie? I imagined him to be a winger. You have an interesting placement for everyone. Only one position makes sense." He looked at Canada in the corner of his eye.
Michigan shrugged. "I'm just trying to shake things up." He pointed to Oregon, "You're the ref until you switch in with someone."
"North Dakota, you too," said New York. The two states nodded. Michigan and New York walked to the center of the room and shook hands. "I'll have fun watching you lose."
"Woah. Mary would have called you out on that lie. You don't know how to have fun, and we're not going to lose." He grinned and turned his head to Oregon. "Count us off!"
Russia gripped his hockey stick and bent his knees, ready to receive this puck if New York is the one to hit it. "Three... Two... One..." Oregon whistled, and the two states slammed their hockey sticks against the puck.
The black disk shot towards Russia. It took a split second to bring his hockey stick back and bring it down to hit the puck. Excitement went through his veins, but the feeling was cut off when Canada jumped into his field of vision. He didn't feel the flat end of the hockey stick connect to the puck. Instead it clashed against Canada's stick. He heard a sharp crack and he fell forward. The puck dug into his chest when he hit the floor, and Canada crashed on top of him. Splintered pieces of wood rained over them, and Russia looked in front of him to see a sneaker standing over a sliver of wood. "Are you alright?" North Dakota asked, crouching next to him.
"You see? This is why we shouldn't have included any nations in this match," Ohio called from across the room.
Russia heard Canada groan from above him, and he rolled off of the Russian. "Sorry."
"How did we fall?" He asked, ignoring North Dakota's extended arm and pushing himself to his feet. He picked up the puck and studied two wooden hockey sticks snapped in several pieces. "When did that happen?"
"I have to admit it's impressive," North Dakota said, "but you used too much strength and broke your hockey sticks against each other. You must have lost your balance because of it."
New York's eyes widened. "That was..."
"Awesome!" Michigan yelled. He punched a fist in the air. "I knew you two were going to be fun to play with, but damn. I'll get you some new hockey sticks."
He walked towards the supply closet, and New York narrowed his eyes. "That was dangerous. I don't want to see you two using that much strength on each other again. And don't you dare try using it against a state. Hold yourselves back."
Michigan returned with their new hockey sticks just as North Dakota and Oregon finished picking up the broken pieces of the hockey stick. "First round was a foul, but at least no one got injured."
"Yeah, let's hope we can keep it that way." Russia passed him the puck, and he placed it in the middle of the line. "Count us off."
At the sound of a whistle, the puck flew to Kentucky instead. Kentucky stumbled forward and swung his hockey stick around wildly, and he shot the puck at a diagonal. It flew past Vermont and wracked against New Hampshire's hockey stick. Russia tagged Canada while he ran towards New Hampshire. New Hampshire passed the puck to New York, who made a turn to avoid Michigan and sprinted forward. Russia bypassed Canada when New York made it over the line.
They were now on offense. New York passed the puck to Vermont just as Michigan caught up to him. The puck was only hers for a split second, and she shot it only inches away from Michigan's foot. Russia caught the pass, and Canada jumped in front of him. "York," He lightly tapped the puck, and sent it in New York's direction. Ohio and Indiana ran towards New York, but he already hit the puck. It glided down the tiled floors at an unbelievable speed, and hit the wall past Minnesota.
Oregon whistled, and Vermont jumped up and down. "Great job!" She loudly called. She threw her arms around Russia and New York's shoulders, and pulled them closer. "What do I do about Kentucky? He has no experience, but he hits hard. He's unpredictable. I can't tell when he's going to hit."
"New Hampshire and Ohio are trying to block him as well," Russia said, lowering his voice. He looked past Vermont and at New York. "You held back. Did you not want the puck to go to me?"
"I'll give it to you next time," he said. He removed Vermont's arm from around his shoulder and smirked at Michigan. "The first point goes to us."
"The only point you'll be getting today."
Russia returned to his position. Michigan looked at Canada and gave him a thumbs up. Canada sent the state an understanding nod. The whistle went off, and this time it looked like it was Michigan who purposely moved slower than he could. New York piloted the puck to Russia. Vermont already pushed past Kentucky, and Russia directed the puck, but when he moved to hit it, it was no longer there. "Now, Canada!" The nation jumped over Russia's hockey stick. Russia turned around to see Michigan running past Ohio, who tried to trip him with his hockey stick. Canada didn't hold back. He slammed his hockey stick against the puck. Michigan jumped out of the way, and Ohio followed, leaving a clear path to Alaska. New Hampshire jumped, and Alaska tightened his grip on the hockey stick. The puck was going at too fast of a pace to touch the floor, and it made a low whooshing noise when it flew against the wall.
"Yes!" Michigan burst out laughing, and Alaska's shoulder's slumped.
Ohio slammed his hockey stick against the ground and crossed his arms. "You were the distraction."
"Damn right. What's the point of holding back when there's so much to gain?" He returned to his position. "I don't even think I would have made that shot. Good work, Canada." The states on Russia's team burst out their complaints. "What?" He asked innocently.
Russia turned to Canada, who wore a soft smile as he Watched Ohio and New York shout threats to Michigan. "Did he plan that?"
Canada shrugged, "I told you not to underestimate him."
The tension in the room was almost thick enough for Russia to be able to reach out and feel it. He enjoyed looking at the states' high strung faces Each team was already more than eager to end the tiebreaker and get a head start in the beginning of the game. "Count us off," New York said to North Dakota.
"Three. Two. One." She whistled, and Michigan was the first to hit the puck. It flew to Kentucky. Russia remembered Vermont's complaint. New York didn't Show much concern at the time, but now barreled towards the Southern state, ready to block one of his unpredictable hits. Kentucky raised his hockey Stick.
Crack
Russia blinked, and New York fell to the ground. His hockey stick clattered against floor. New York curled into himself and let out a pained groan. "York?" Vermont gasped. She dropped to her knees and covered her mouth.
Russia glanced at Kentucky, who stood frozen over the New Yorker. The end of his hockey stick was coated in blood. "I-I- I didn't mean to hit him," he stammered, "I swear it!"
Vermont stood abruptly and shoved Kentucky back, "I knew that you'd be a horrible person to play with!"
"Enough," Alaska said, approaching the two from the back wall. "We don't need to start any fights." He crouched beside New York, "Can you hear me?" He asked in a gentle voice, placing a hand on his shoulder.
New York let out another groan, and reached out his hand. "Get me up."
Alaska pulled him into a sitting position. He cupped his hands over his face. Bright blood dripped from in between his fingers and onto his blue shirt. "Where did he hit you?"
"It's hard to tell. My entire face is violently pulsing." His nasal voice was spoken in short breaths. Alaska moved New York's hands. His nose was set at an odd angle, and blood streamed from both of his nostrils.
"That's a broken nose." Russia said. Alaska nodded in agreement.
"Thanks Kentucky. How did you know that I always wanted a broken nose?"
"I'm so sorry," Kentucky said quickly. Vermont glared daggers at him.
Canada looked away when he saw all the blood. "You should sit out for a while. It'll only take about half an hour for your nose to heal."
"Yeah. You'd think that." Alaska helped New York up. New York moaned, "It hurts."
Indiana reached into her jeans pocket and handed Alaska a ball of crumpled tissues. "That's all I got." She crossed her arms and turned to Michigan. "Nice work putting Kentucky on offense."
Michigan tensed, "Hey. Don't point the finger at me. I had no idea this would happen." He helped Alaska walk New York across the room and sat him against the wall. Alaska pressed the tissues against his nose, and Michigan tilted his head. "Are you just going to sit here, or do you want us to quit the game and get you some medical attention? I'm sure Virginia would help you out if she saw this much blood on you."
"Nooooo. Don't get Virginia," New York drawled in a Brooklyn accent that was much more noticeable now that he wasn't paying attention to how he talked. "Just continue the game. I'll heal." He held the tissues against his nose himself and gestured for Alaska to give him room.
Alaska wiped the blood from his hands and looked to New Jersey. "Are you ready to fill in?"
New Jersey picked up New York's hockey stick and pointed it at Kentucky. "Yeah. Don't think you'll get in a hit like that again." Kentucky nodded quickly, his eyes still bulging out of his head.
Russia placed a hand on Alaska's shoulder, and the state flinched. "You handled that well, Alaska. Everyone was frozen and you're the one who took action."
The corners of Alaska's mouth turned upwards, but fell instantly when Maine snorted. "Maybe it's because he's used to people freezing up. It's probably a common thing with his kind of weather." He looked between Russia and Alaska. "That's another thing you two have in common."
"Thanks," the Alaskan mumbled, carefully watching his feet. "Let's just try to win without any more players getting hurt."
New Jersey sent Alaska a sympathetic glance as he walked by and narrowed his eyes at Maine. "That was uncalled for. If you're going to disrespect your teammates, then I can chose someone else to switch out with Vermont or Russia." Maine glared at his shoes and mumbled and apology. Alaska returned to his place in front of the net and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Ay, 'Laska. You can't block the puck if you don't watch your opponents carefully."
He looked up, now wearing the slightest smile. "Are you giving me that advice because you're not skilled enough to keep the puck on Michigan's side of the room?"
New Jersey let out a laugh. "Have you seen me play hockey? I'm sure York kept me out of the game because I'm the secret weapon." He flashed the goalie a grin and stood where New York waited to play. "So, what do you say? Ready to win a few rounds?"
Michigan slung an arm around Kentucky. "You'll have to get through us first."
"I don't see a problem with that," New Hampshire said, slipping his bandanna from around his neck and tying it over his carrot top hair. "What do you say, Vermont?"
"Depends on if I get a broken nose or not," she said pointedly at Kentucky. "Yeah. I'm ready."
Russia turned to look at Ohio, who looked between Michigan positioning himself in front of New Jersey and New York sitting against the wall carefully tilting his head back. "Let's do this," he growled, settling his glare on Michigan.
Michigan raised an eyebrow at Ohio. "Calm down. Like I said, I had no idea making Kentucky right winger would result in New York getting a broken nose."
"Are you sure?" He said, jutting out his chin.
The state adjusted his eye patch. "Yeah. New York and I are political rivals, but we'd never take it this far and you know that."
He could feel Canada's eyes on him while Russia watched the exchange quietly. He couldn't tell if Ohio's exhale was one of relief or annoyance. Ohio gripped the hockey stick and stood in his position. "Fine. Let's play."
New Jersey grinned at the two. "What? No bickering? Fistfights? Pissing contests? I'm shocked, really." He twirled his hockey stick around and glanced at Oregon. "Count us off."
Russia noticed that there was more and less tension in certain parts of the gym. There was less tension between the two center players. New Jersey and Michigan were both internationalists and both loved hockey. Their rivalry in the gym seemed to be purely out of sport. Russia noticed that Ohio didn't tag Michigan as much and instead focused on preventing anyone with the puck from reaching Alaska. However, Vermont lurched forward every time someone passed the puck to Kentucky, and sometimes Russia swore she purposely aimed for his ankles to slow him down. Meanwhile Russia and Canada broke two more pairs of hockey sticks.
Russia whipped his hockey stick back and forth to maneuver around Indiana's precise block. Canada was on his heels. Russia took a sharp turn to the right, and the Canadian barreled into Indiana. They crashed to the ground, and Russia would have stopped to celebrate their collision if Iowa wasn't right in front of him. Stingy strands of silver hair bounced from his face as he ran past her, and his coat was slowly baking his skin. He pushed past the state, and she leaped backwards to avoid him. He noticed that there weren't many states who tried to block him after watching him and Canada slam against each other so many times.
"Hey! Don't think you're getting away with a score this easy!" Michigan called, barreling after New Jersey, who was trying to get close enough to the goal for Russia to send a pass.
He drew his hockey stick back, meeting Minnesota's acute eyes. Russia swung the stick towards the puck.
"Russia!" SLAM. The door to the gym slammed open, and the sound bounced off of the walls. Russia heard wood slamming against the puck, but he didn't watch to see where it went. Nevada stood in the doorway, staring at Russia with a spark of wariness in his eyes. His lab coat slipped off his shoulder, and he still wore a pair of latex gloves. He left the lab in a hurry.
Michigan and New Jersey skidded to a stop. Michigan kept the puck between his shoe and the hockey puck when he looked away to stare at Nevada. Minnesota must have deflected Russia's attack, but at the moment Russia couldn't care less about the game. Canada scrambled up from Indiana, muttering too many apologies to count. "It's fine," Indiana said, rubbing a bruised knee. She glanced at Nevada, "Aren't you supposed to be living in the lab?"
"What happened to you?" He asked looking her over. Nevada closed the gym door and looked to the side. His eyes widened when he saw New York. "What happened to you?!"
The New Yorker sat with a ball of tissues soaked with blood at his side, and pinched the hem of his shirt to his nose. "I think I'm just prone to injuring myself lately. First got shards of glass stuck in my hands, then I got my nose broken while playing hockey."
Russia studied him, "How long have you had that broken nose?"
"It's been about an hour," Canada said, glancing down at a small watch strapped around his wrist. "Shouldn't you have healed by now?"
New York froze. Russia looked down at him while the state sputtered, "W-Well- It's not like- Uh- T-There's a reason why- A-And-"
"States and nations heal differently," Nevada said, his tone nonchalant. New York whipped his head to the scientist, but Nevada ignored him. "Nations heal about 70% faster than states do."
"Really?"
He nodded to Canada's outburst. Ohio crossed his arms, and Nevada shrugged. "What? I did nothing wrong. It's just science. New Mex and I didn't even do all the work on that one. The stripes figured it out themselves."
"Maybe it should have been the stripes' decision on whether or not we should share that information," Georgia called out hotly.
Nevada gave her a look, "Do you want a Stripe to make that decision, or an Isolationist? Because Jersey's a Stripe, and you wouldn't be happy with his decision."
"You're an Isolationist, and we're not happy with your decision," New Hampshire said, placing his hands on his hips.
Nevada waved him off. "Yeah, but I don't let my beliefs get in the way of the facts. What were you going to tell them as an explanation for York's slow healing anyway?" None of the protesting states answered, and he bore a small smirk. "Exactly." He looked at Russia in the corner of his star. "You're needed in the lab."
"Anything fun?" Michigan asked, leaning over his hockey stick.
"Nothing that fits your idea of entertainment. I find conducting research for hours fun, but I'm not sure about you." He glanced around this gym, "This seems fun too. Who's winning?"
"We might as well be winning," Michigan said, grinning at New York. Every state on New York's team burst into protest.
Oregon raised an eyebrow. "York's team is two points ahead."
"We'll get those points back," Michigan said, smirking at Canada.
New York leaned forward, "Oh no you don't! If Russia's out, Canada's out."
Russia walked to the doorway while the two states broke out in argument. He looked to Canada, "Make sure to let France know where you are when he gets back."
"I will. I'll have no problem watching over these states." He placed a hand on Michigan's shoulders and said, "I'll switch with Oregon and play as a referee."
Michigan's shoulders slumped, and New Jersey nodded. "Maine, take Russia's place."
Russia followed Nevada out of the gym. The sound of states re-positioning themselves and preparing for the next round faded as they walked down the hall. "That was bold of you," he said, studying Nevada in the corner of his eye.
Nevada massaged his temple. "I don't have the patience to beat around the bush. I have too much of a headache. Besides, maybe knowing about the difference in strength can help you when it comes to catching Capital."
"Do you think we'll have to fight him?"
"He's not going to surrender. None of us would if we got as far as him." Nevada met his eyes. "I think you'll have to do whatever it takes to take him down."
Russia thought over Nevada's words as they walked into the lab. Every laptop and TV was on displaying nothing but small lettering that was hard to make out. "What's this?"
"This is the Black Star," came New Mexico's voice from behind a laptop. She crossed her arms. "This case was shared with every state and America while we worked on it. The only thing that wasn't shared and that Capital could use to his advantage is a short footnote Nevada made decades ago."
"That is if they actually succeeded in putting this footnote into practice," Japan added, glancing at Russia. "You look like you've been running around."
Russia nodded and sent Japan a smile that was famous for being seen as unnerving. In all honesty, it was just a small smile. They haven't seen a truly unnerving smile from him. "I was watching a very energetic group of states."
"Leave it to Michigan to start a game of hockey in the gym." Nevada muttered with the roll of his eyes. "I don't know if it was the footnote they were specifically looking for, but I think they thought of the footnote and needed the details of our study to put it to practice."
Russia tilted his head and stared at one of the screens. "What is this study?"
Japan turned to the two states. "Do you mind if I share? You explained so much while we looked for what Capital wants with this case that it was hard for me to grasp it all. I think Russia would be appreciative if the explanation was in simpler terms, and teaching it to someone else will help me understand a little better as well."
"By all means," New Mexico returned to studying the screen in front of her while Nevada moved to a large pile of paper on the counter.
His dark brown eyes met Russia's, and he asked, "Did any state mention what a white star is?" Russia shook his head. "A white star is when they share memories through their star. That's what they call it."
Russia pinched his chin and narrowed his eyes at Japan. "So the black star is..."
"Telepathy."
He paused, then tilted his head back and let out a cold laugh. "You're funny, Japan."
His eyes showed no amusement. "I'm serious. These states are telepathic. The black star can share thoughts." Russia glanced at New Mexico and Nevada, who both watched his reaction carefully.
"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" He asked them, now actually considering that this wasn't a joke.
"We can't control it very well," New Mexico said. "I never thought it'd be something that would actually come up in this case."
Japan nodded. "It's telepathy in a sense. They can share thoughts, but it takes a severe amount of concentration, and the thought is shared with every star."
"So..." Russia began slowly as he processed the new information, "you can share a thought with fifty personifications at the same time?"
"Yes," New Mexico said with a tired voice. "We first discovered the black star in the sixties, and we started experimenting with it. We discovered that we can only share a thought with fifty personifications at once. We can get maybe a sentence or two shared before the strain is too much."
"Why do the stars turn black?"
Nevada rubbed his eye, "Our best guess is mutation. It happened a few times throughout our history. It wasn't until the war of 1812 did we lose our ability to cross any borders, and we couldn't share with another state until we reached the west coast." He crossed his arms. "My point is that it's very much possible that this developed for the specific purpose of communicating between two personifications. The issue is that the black star needs an excessive amount of energy, and shares with every state at the same time. The black star is barely used, and we never had much of an opportunity to completely grasp this concept."
Russia let out a laugh. "So, whoever took your research wanted to learn how to control this power?"
"It's not a power, it's-"
"Yes," New Mexico answered, cutting Nevada off. "We believe Capital is trying to use the black star to communicate with his allies without having to use any form of communication that would raise suspicion."
Japan studied the sheet of paper in front of him. It was the supposed message from a weak link in Capital's alliance. "Whoever sent this message wanted us to know that they're trying. Are they trying to learn how to make the black star function at it's fullest potential?"
New Mexico pointed at him. "That's a possibility. Since there's no way to determine when this note was left, there's also the possibility that this state already learned how to use it."
"How can a state learn how to focus the black star to just one or a few states?" Nevada asked, pacing in front of his stack of paper. "The black star is too physically stressful to be perfected. We tested this ability on dozens of states, and not a single one of us could send a message longer than a sentence to all of us without passing out, let alone focus that message on just one state."
Russia planted a hand on Nevada's shoulder, abruptly stopping his pace. "Give us a list every state you and New Mexico involved in this experiment. It doesn't matter how impossible you think it is, because this experiment wasn't pulled from the filing cabinet for no reason. Someone on Capital's side is either trying to perfect the black star, or already has perfected it, and there's a good chance they're one of the states you tested on."
"I'll pull up the list," New Mexico said, moving to one of the computers and typing violently.
Her eyes were glued to the screen, while Nevada's were glued to the floor. "If someone perfected the black star... there's no stopping Capital from planning against us directly under our noses."
Russia squeezed his shoulder, and he felt Nevada tense up. "If we figure out who this state is, we can cut Capital's source of information. This situation will be even better if Capital is the state who controls the black star."
The state took a deep breath. "Let's get to work, then." He moved to stand next to New Mexico and studied the screen in front of them.
Japan walked over to Russia and watched the two states. "What do you think of all this?"
Russia clasped his hands behind his back. "I think that Capital can try to outsmart us, but he won't be as smart after I bash his head in with my metal pipe."
He was expecting to see the usual expression on Japan's face when he said something gruesome, but instead Japan had a dark gleam to his brown eyes. "Let's hope you get that opportunity." Japan walked away and grabbed a remote to switch the TV screen to the computer files Nevada and New Mexico were looking through.
Russia let himself frown once everyone in the room had their eyes off of him. Well played, Capital. There was no telling how many times this black star was used, and how many important messages Capital sent out without them knowing. A list of names appeared on the TV screen, and Russia looked up. There was still the questioning, and this list determined who Russia was going to send to be questioned. The nations were losing, but Russia knew that somehow they were going to turn it around. He fit on a pair of gloves and went to work.
XXX
Author's Note: I HAVE RISEN FROM THE DEAD. Remember when I said I wouldn't take as long to update this story? I Am A Liar. I'm so sorry! Second semester was much more intense than my first semester. I had so much work to do, and I tried really hard to keep my grades up. I did pretty good! But I didn't have much time for this chapter. Alright enough with the excuses. Anyway I went to this huge anime convention in Atlantic City in the beginning of June and it was my first large convention ever! I loved everything about the trip and when I got back I got a review and I was completely inspired to finally finish Russia's chapter. Next update WILL BE ON THE 4TH OF JULY! I have updated every fourth of July and I refuse to miss it. I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer! It's pretty hot but I'm enjoying the time off and the time I have with my friends. What's your favorite thing about summer?
We FINALLY have Russia's chapter up, so what did you think? I can guarantee you that Envoy would definitely get their ass kicked if Capital knew about the note they left in the lab. Next chapter we will get into the questioning a bit and we are going back to France's POV. I'll make sure to respond to all of your reviews and I will see you on the Fourth of July!