As soon as Russia recovered, he led the homages to the victims of the bombing. Massive funerals with the presence of the press, a good number of eulogies, and walls of flower bouquets and candles. However, that morning at the cemetery, it was only him. Silently, he knelt in front of Olga's tomb and left one single white rose on it. He stayed in that posture for a long while, until he slowly got up. Then, he addressed his president, who stood behind him at a respectful distance, with his hands clasped.
"Tell Minister Tarasov to get my weapons and men ready."
President Gladkov nodded.
"But first..." Russia added, turning towards him, "I want to know who that vermin who claims killed in my name really is."
The director of the Federal Security Service had been accused of giving the orders at Russia's cue. But whoever wrote the report seemed to ignore something: director Vasiliev had that pretty wide office because Russia had seen his perfect record back when the FSS was called KGB and trusted him his security, Vasiliev was wise enough not to do anything without his nation's approval, and there was a double checking protocol.
There was a text indeed, but it was not what everyone was thinking. There was a text ordering the murder of Walter Williams, but Russia was sure he hadn't sent it. And since Vasiliev called to confirm before taking action and Russia had no idea of what he was walking about, such attack was never planned.
Like, they did spy America, but they had been doing it for a very long time, and not just America, there was barely any nation in the world who didn't interest Russia.
Did the shooters get instructions from the FSS? From impostors? Or did they act by their own accord?
Russia handed his technicians his mobile phone, so they searched for anything suspicious. In the meantime, he asked Vasiliev to tell him about the murderers.
"Sergei Essen and Isaak Shishkanov." Vasiliev left the files on the table and Russia quickly grabbed them to gaze at the faces of a boney, thin man with barely any hair on his head and a much more corpulent one with a sharp-featured face. "The reports were not lying about them being agents of ours. Indeed, they were agents of the Federal Security Service, in the area of counterterrorism. Just that they didn't include the whole story. Both of them were caught using their influence and the resources of the FSS for their own benefit in 2022."
"I remember. Something involving sexual abuse and lots and lots of money. I wanted to break their heads." Russia muttered. "And why didn't I get the chance to break their heads?"
"Because they managed to escape. They have been missing until now."
"So they hid in European territory, under Lithuania's wings in hopes I wouldn't get my hands on them, huh? I hate to disappoint the one who survived, but he was born a Russian and will be judged as a Russian."
"And I am sorry to disappoint you, but if you are thinking of asking for his extradition, Lithuania's president has already said no to us."
Russia rose his eyes. "No?
"Mhm." Vasiliev nodded.
Russia frowned and made a grimace.
"Lithuania can't say no to me." He replied.
Russia couldn't say he wasn't aware of the impression he caused on everyone he came across. From the passersby to the workers at the Prezidentūra, everyone seemed to freeze at the sight of him. He only needed to turn his eyes at them to feel their souls leaving their bodies. Some even ran away. Funny, for centuries he had sought this kind of reaction from people but now, it bothered him...
But he couldn't stop and explain his situation and suspicions to every person he came across.
The secretary also shrank in his seat when he saw him approach.
"Please tell Lithuania Russia is here to talk to him." Russia calmly said. But the young man didn't seem to trust his manners. After all, the difference of height between them made it seem like a giant talking to an ant.
The secretary hesitated before moving his hand towards the phone. However, he didn't get to pick up the handset. A door opened at the end of the corridor and Lithuania and his president got out.
"Russia..."
Of course, he had sensed him coming. Just look at him, how he trembled.
"Your coming was unexpected, Mr. Russia." President Muskietiene said drily. "I can't say that you are welcome in circumstances like these."
"They have already searched me at the door." Russia smiled. "I left my pipe at home. I just came to talk."
"Allow me to doubt that..."
"Not to you, madame. To Lithuania."
Muskietiene pursed her lips, making her emaciated face seem even thinner.
"It's alright..." Lithuania muttered to her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Whatever he came to say, he must say it in front of me." Muskietiene insisted. "I was elected to protect you from the likes of him."
"Well, you don't bother me." Russia said. "My boss has already told me you guys have denied me the right to judge Shishkanov."
"Our laws are clear: we can deny the extradition if the citizen runs a serious risk of suffering torture or death penalty..." Lithuania said. And Russia noted how he was trying his best not to shake and control his tone of voice.
"I am not going to kill him, or hurt him. I just want to know where that story about me ordering the diplomat's murder comes from."
"I...doubt that..." Lithuania replied.
"Lithuania...You know me...Before becoming my underling, you and I fought for centuries...You really think I would waste my time with America, killing his friends...?"
"It is too much of a coincidence that right after..."
"I didn't kill him."
"Why should I believe you?"
Russia smirked.
"...I bet you are enjoying this a lot...Finally you get the chance to do something to hurt me...after all this time..." He hissed.
Muskietiene stood between him and her nation. Russia turned his eyes at her. This one didn't falter. She didn't avoid looking at him or drew back like all the others. Her hazel eyes filled with freckles held his stare. In fact..., it was Russia who first looked away and drew back.
"I didn't kill him." Russia insisted, talking in low voice. "I will say it all times needed. America lied to you."
"America didn't lie. We all know the orders came from you." Lithuania seemed to be encouraged by his president's bravery, took a step forward and looked at Russia to the face.
Russia went silent and looked at Muskietiene again. She still looked at him defiantly.
"...Perhaps I should come back when there are no friends to defend you..." He finally said.
"Go away, Russia. There's nothing for you here. I don't need anyone's help to kick you out of here if you don't leave." Lithuania said.
Russia was going to say something, but then clicked his tongue and simply turned around and left. The secretary watched him go, but Russia regretted to see in his face that he was glad that his nation and president had given him a good one and wasn't afraid of him anymore.
Alcohol didn't solve any problems but sure helped him see them from a different perspective. Russia hit the bottle at home, with his eyes still lost on the supposed proof of his crime.
He couldn't interrogate Shishkanov...Perhaps he didn't need it, though. He was starting to think that he was the least important of the pieces of this riddle.
There was something which worried him far more than that bastard. The orders to eliminate Williams. That did happen. But he had never given them. Sure that he had been planning how to make America pay for his insolence and Lithuania for involving him in their affairs. But killing? No, that never crossed his mind. He had been thinking of something much more innocent, like helping China overtake him, or meddling in his elections, so he got some awful president who gave him a headache. Killing a friend...Good idea, but no, that was completely out of question.
Around eleven, when he was already in bed, he got a call.
"Pegasus." Vasiliev simply said.
Pegasus?, a half-asleep Russia asked. Pegasus!, he exclaimed, now wide-awake.
Spyware. The favorite tool for nations who wanted to know what their neighbors kept on their phones. A program designed to infect terminals through links, messages and calls, but also found its way in thanks to the system's weaknesses. After taking it over, the user could have full access to everything the phone kept and did, including passwords.
"We fell into a trap. It seems the message coming from your phone infected mine, and there is a register of me contacting Essen and Shishkanov. They stole our passwords and used our credentials."
So officially they did deliver the orders...But Russia was sure he could still convince the world that he didn't actually do it.
"And we've got suspicions that they hacked your phone to plan the bombing." Vasiliev continued.
"Of course they had to." Russia said, getting up from bed to walk around the bedroom. "I never told the press I was going to attend. Olga decided to invite me one day she came here to have lunch with me. They probably peeped through the microphones..."
Sure, he would tell everyone that his phone had been hacked...But who would believe him...?
No. They would believe him when they saw the dirty tricks America had played on him.
«But wait a minute, why would America want to order his own friend get killed?»
He remembered his reaction when frustration drove him to let his tongue loose. He wanted to tear him apart just for mocking his death.
Russia frowned.
Probably someone else killed Williams. He didn't care who. But America set all of this up so it seemed he did it. And then used the same program to plan the ballet massacre.
If America had the program, he knew who could tell him.
No one found it weird to see Italy being much quieter and somber than ever. No one at the European Council was in the mood for jokes. All eyes were on their neighbor Russia. They had already seen the tanks and planes getting positions. One of these days, soon, they would start invading their frontiers and when that happened...
Some had been seeing this coming. Poland could now rub into people's faces that he wasn't exaggerating when he claimed he kept his good old shotgun ready in case he had to defend himself from Russia one day. Finland and Sweden muttered to each other that they had done very, very well joining NATO. Although Serbia was not a member, Belgium and Germany were in conversations with him to see what could be expected from him, though it was very possible that he declared himself neutral, just like Switzerland quickly did. This was not the time to be neutral.
Some couldn't be, much to their regret. When Italy sworn America to side with him in case he was attacked, he didn't mean against someone as big and scary as Russia...Him and Romano meant...like...someone small...Like...
But there was no turning back, right? No, they couldn't do that. That would have been dishonorable. He wasn't such a bad friend.
At the summit that day, they all agreed to stick together. Sure Russia was very strong, was armed to the teeth and had friends who had very dangerous weapons, but all of them together...
But what would they do if Russia used America's special weapon against them?
Italy hadn't stopped thinking about it ever since America told him about it. It sounded so crazy, so fantastic, yet he could totally picture America researching on the power of the brain to unveil its secrets and use them against Russia...He told him, hadn't it been science-fiction to send a man to the moon for centuries until he actually did it.
And now Russia possibly had this information...
America said they had tried to copy them...What if...
He felt he was going crazy, needed to know if he had reasons to panic or not. So he decided he had to ask.
He couldn't ask Russia himself (and he definitely did not want to) but the Soviet Union had been formed by tons of countries...His eyes fixed on Estonia, who was licking the coffee on his lips while working on his laptop at the cafeteria. Italy took deep air and approached him.
"Ciao."
"Hello." Estonia replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Uhm...Do you have a second?"
"Mmm, that depends. Is it Internet or your operating system you're having problems with?"
"No, no, my computer is fine."
"Weird. You only talk to me when you've got some problem with your computer."
"I just wanted to ask you something...about the Soviet Union."
Estonia's fingers stopped tapping.
"I know you don't like to talk about those times..." Italy said.
"One of the worst periods of my life, if not the worst. Yes." Estonia turned his eyes at him with a slight frown.
"But I was wondering if you could confirm to me...if...it's true that...you guys carried out experiments on...telepathy...?"
Now Estonia's whole body turned to face Italy.
"...Did you, really?" Italy insisted.
Estonia took a long while to reply.
"...We used to call it Biocommunication." He finally muttered.
"So it is true? You guys tried to beat America at that, too?" Italy took a chair and sat in front of him to listen attentively.
Estonia felt he was starting to tremble, but managed to get a hold on himself. He adjusted his glasses right when they were slipping down his nose because of the shivering.
"...Yes, Russia heard about that experiment too. And yes, he was afraid it was true that America had that kind of weapon, so he quickly tried to replicate it and improve it to his benefit. The regime found everything parapsychological a fairy tale, just like all kinds of religious beliefs or superstition, but Russia got to convince the Party. It seemed like something worth trying...The mind could do what technology couldn't...What propaganda wasn't able to do...We used it to try to reprogram dissidents. Spy our enemies. Negotiate in our favor...We got to make a woman peel an egg with her mind alone, no hands. This encouraged Russia to create a new army. An army of telepaths. Equipped with the deadliest weapon ever...Victorious without firing a single bullet."
"Did you get to create that army, Estonia?" Italy asked, wide-eyed.
"No. The Union crumbled before we found anything useful. But Russia sure tried. He used thousands of people—children. From our countries. He used us. He made us undergo exhausting and complex tests in rooms smaller than a matchbox, isolated from everything and everyone, to try to guess what was going on in the other side of the world. He had the idea and we were his guinea pigs. It didn't work in the end and he just shrugged it off but we were the ones who sacrificed our population to provide subjects, who ended up lying on the floor with our heads about to explode, and..."
Estonia hushed then, taking deep air while looking away.
"I'm sorry. I understand you didn't have much fun." Italy apologized.
"...No, certainly not..." Estonia then turned his eyes at him. "...Why are you asking, anyway? Who told you about it?"
"America."
"America?"
Italy was about to tell him the whole story but considered that America would get angry if he found out he had told people about his secret papers, so he bit his tongue. "Yeah..."
Estonia's gaze was piercing, and Italy was definitely convinced that he had talked enough.
"Thank you so much for the info, Estonia. And sorry again if I bothered you stirring bad memories..." Italy said, standing up.
"It's alright..."
"Bye."
"Bye..."
Italy noticed Estonia watched him go without paying attention to his computer any longer.
