Are You Crazy

IMPORTANT! Note: In this chapter everything not spoken in Russian will be written in "Italics"

Spelling…Grammar…and stuff.

Familiar Strangers

England did not see either Latvia or Estonia the next day. He instead spent the day with little to do but worry about the sudden change and whether he had slipped up and somehow revealed himself.

At a loss he oscillated between planning his escape- he was still unsure on whether he should travel east or west- and rearranging and examining the little information he had gleamed over the course of his stay.

The main difference he had noted was the difference in dates for the Second World War... 1939-1951 Poland had said. That alone would change a lot. It would change troop movements, battle plans, supply routs and a whole assortment of other things that would lead to vastly different outcomes. But…was a different Second World War enough to lead to all the changes he saw around him? Together the ridiculously powerful Russia, militaristic Latvia, nervous Estonia, lethargic Lithuania, sick Poland, Unclothe Austria all seemed too much to be a result from Germany winning the Second World War. Not to mention Italy ran an empire. How in gods good name had that happened? Certainly, it was not something that had come about after the Second World War. To take the position of a World Power was centuries in the making. It was a result of decades of hard work and a decent amount of luck. That right there was enough to hint towards the conclusions that the differences between this world and his reached further back than the Twentieth Century.

World War One would have had to be different as it directly affected the Second War. Great Britain still being an Empire would change a lot and signaled a very different history. So much of historical events relied on chance, luck and the coming together of many different factors.

As far as he could tell Europe had been divided into two territories the USSR and the Italian-Germanic Empire. However, this universe's England had been left out of this arrangement. So Great Britain was either neutral territory, allied with one of the two or a significant power in his own right. The way in which Poland had talked about him, "no one really hears from there anymore," suggested that they were not on close terms but it did hint towards familiarity. Which suggested an Alliance? Additionally, Russia had yet to broach the topic of returning him home. If Great Britain were allies with the USSR surely they would return, what they perceived to be, a Splinter of one of their allies. So Great Britain was, probably, in some form of relationship with Italian-Germanic Empire, while maintaining independence. He tossed the thought around for a bit wounding how he could incorporate it into his act. Maybe he could show a vague recognition at the mention of Italy or Germany…if they were even mentioned. But he should probably limit it to that. He did not want to mess up his clueless persona.

He ended up dropping the line of thought, realising he did not have nearly enough information to make any sound conclusion about this world's history. The changes he was seeing began far enough back to change the dates of a major War and completely rewrite Europe's power structure.

Estonia did not return until the evening of the next day.

England was even slightly relieved to see the fidgety country. Though Estonia did look at him with a lot more hesitation than he had before. So something had changed but nothing big enough to prevent Estonia from coming at all. He went over all his interactions with the other, trying to pinpoint where he might have slipped. Unable to identify anything major he put the matter to one side. There was no use worrying about circumstances out of his control, especially when it might not even have anything to do with him.

Estonia, giving an uneasy smile, spoke, "Ah, you're supposed to come with me."

He seemed restless. England could not decide if it was because of him personally or the due to the orders bring him somewhere.

England faked a nervous gin, asking, "Where are we going?"

He would have to be even more carful with his performance in order to assure Estonia of his genuineness. Estonia hesitated, holding the door open for him. He seemed to be weighing his options on some matter England was not privy to.

"To, ah, a meeting,"

"Why?" He responded with genuine confusion. They had yet to show any interest in involving him in politics. Why start now?

Estonia gave him a sideways glance.

"Mister Russia thinks it builds good relations to meet together sometimes."

"I think he wants to introduce you to the others," Estonia said more confidently, shooting England a concerned look. That probably meant he would be seeing the other members of the USSR. Probably not the best situation. The more people who saw him the greater the chance of someone realising something was wrong. Was Russia was going to be there as well? Probably.

"That sounds kind of scary," he intentionally mumbled the words, waiting to see how Estonia would respond.

Estonia shivered, appearing severely uncomfortable, even nodding slightly at the 'scary' comment.

"You'll be, err, fine as long as you follow what people say," Estonia reassured, "and, ah, as long as Mister Russia is there, um…" he trailed off, looking more uncertain.

"Mister Russia is very strong and protects us," Estonia said after an elongated pause and with the air of someone who did not quite believe what he was saying.

England focused on his boots as if letting the information sink in. One thing that he could safely conclude was that Estonia was terrified of Russia. So it would be best not to mention Russia from now on as it made Estonia clamp up and worsened his stutter.

"Russia is very strong," he agreed, trying to sound compliant, and cringing internally.

"You, ah, you should call him Commander," Estonia hurriedly instructed while seaming more at ease upon his easy acceptance of the 'fact.'

Internally, England grumbled, not to pleased about having to refer to anyone as Commander. When had been the last time he had deferred power and responsibility to another? Not for a hundred to years or so. He wondered why Estonia did not have to call Russia 'Commander.' It was probably unimportant.

Estonia, who seamed to be struggling to say something positive, continued, "I guess it's good because you get to meet some of the others."

England looked at Estonia curiously to see if he would elaborate but Estonia seemed to have exhausted his conversational ability, becoming distracted by several human soldiers passing them. This would be a perfect time to attempt an escape. He could knock Estonia out before he even realised what was happening. Unfortunately, he was still trying to get a handle on the mansion's layout and Russia's aura still clung to him like a disease. He would have to wait another three or four days before he could be absolutely sure of his ability to overpower it.

From what he had seen so far he could guess that there were around 150 soldiers stationed in or around the mansion at any given time. If this mansion followed a standard layout then vehicles should be kept in the left wing. He had been seriously considering attempting to seal a vehicle. Usually, he would be able to move faster than a standard car but, with his being enemy territory, his abilities were limited. Unfortunately, sealing a car would make escaping the compound unnecessary hard. A few more days would give him more time to plan.

The choice was made for him when they rounded a corner and Estonia became visibly worried. The cause for this change was the short form of…Finland? He was leaning up against a wall, gazing at the ceiling with disinterest. Estonia fidgeted, glancing around, probably looking for an alternative rout. Finland was wearing a uniform similar to the one his own Finland wore, only coloured a deep red. He also wore a militarily jacket, similar to Estonia's, which he hung loosely around his shoulders. Finland appeared to be having a conversation with the empty air next to him. That did not bode well.

"Estonia," Finland acknowledged even as Estonia attempted to sneak England past.

"Um, hello, ah, Finland… this is England… he's, uh, he is here on Mister Russia's command," Estonia responded in Russian and in a polite manner.

Finland then went back to nodding at the nothing next to him, shifting his gaze to England and giving him a look of dislike.

"Um…England...um, this is Finland and…" Estonia took a moment to look extremely uncomfortable, "Sweden," he continued, gesturing to the empty air beside Finland.

Finland examined him with a completely flat expression before turning away again.

"Hmm, I know," Finland answered an unheard question, "It's odd,"

He paused as if listening to a response, his expression of dislike transforming into one of interest. Estonia seemed to become doubly nervous at this new attention and quickly gripped his shoulder, drawing him away.

"I'll see you later, haha," he said as he corralled England along. Once they were out of earshot Estonia relaxed.

"Finland thinks Sweden is following him around….he gets really upset when you correct him so, ah, best to go along with it," Estonia quickly explained at England's questioning expression.

England, now doubly curious, asked cluelessly, "Can that sort of thing happen?" hoping to get more information.

Estonia's troubled expression spoke volumes, "Um, no. At least, I don't think it's possible. Last I heard Sweden was in his own country."

The concern led England to believe that there was more to the story. Estonia was terrible at masking his expression. He was definitely leaving something out, allowing England to conclude that some misfortune had probably befallen Sweden. England marked Finland down as another person to avoid if possible. A country Personification that talked to empty space did not a stable country make. It was also odd that Finland should he loitering in that particular hallway especially when if there was a meeting due to start. Almost as if he had been waiting for them. Which was odd because they were about to be formally introduced. Perhaps he was over thinking it.

After that sudden and rather unexpected encounter they continued on without interruption until they came an ornate set of doors, which seemed to have been replaced recently, probably a replica of the original. Instead of entering Estonia drew him into an adjoining room. He first poked his head in nervously and, upon seeing the cost clear of anyone unsavoury, opened the door fully.

The room beyond was empty save for a set of shelves and a table. Together they waited in silence. Estonia fidgeted, glancing regularly at the clock and England worried, preparing himself. The meeting, as Estonia had said, would be his introduction to the other members of the USSR. England wondered how many would be there. At its height there had been 15 members of the USSR that he was familiar with. Surely not all of them would be present as it took time to organise such things and he had barely been here a week. He hoped for less of an audience because giving a set of unfamiliar Personifications a chance to examine you was never a good idea. And they were definitely unfamiliar. He had been here long enough to realise that. It made him doubly apprehensive. It had been such a long time since he had been faced with so many unknowns. England pushed, what may have been panic, back down. The situation was reminding him of his younger years of expansion and he did not appreciate the comparison. There would be time to confront those fears at a later date. Preferably when he was alone.

He glanced at Estonia who seemed concerned. But Estonia seemed concerned about a lot of matters. Though it was nice to have someone seem to generally care about his well-being.

England's contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of Latvia who strolled into the room carrying a stack of folders, which he damped on the table. Estonia continued to shuffle nervously and Latvia cleared his throat motioning to the stack. Estonia slunk past, shooting England a glance before gathering the folders and hastening out the door.

"England," Latvia intoned, scanning him seriously. Latvia looked very windswept, there was a light crusting of mud on his boots and specks of dirt on his uniform. He had obviously been elsewhere and just arrived back.

England blinked at the overly large gun strapped to Latvia's back. It was not a model he was familiar with. Which was odd. It was obviously some sort of sniper rifle, judging by the scope and the elongated barrel but the firing mechanism was all wrong. He had never seen anything like it, which was concerning.

He was sure that technology here had not developed like it had back home, putting this dimension behind in most counts. However, this gun did seam awfully advanced. Perhaps more advanced. Which caused him no small amount of apprehension. Just when he thought he had a handle on something he was proven wrong. Distracted in his attempt to get a better look at the rifle he missed Latvia's next question. Not good.

"Oh, sorry, could you repeat that" he rubbed the back of his head, grinning nervously.

"That's a big gun," he pointed out rather obviously when he was met with silence. Once again he conjured images of America.

Latvia raised a brow.

"How have you been enjoying your stay?"

Obviously, this was some sort of trick question to garage his adjustment and judge how well he was assimilating. He wasn't quite sure how to play it. Should he be dissatisfied, which would be more realistic, or amiable, which would be more endearing.

"Ok, I guess," he said cautiously, aiming for a combination of the two.

Latvia nodded, "How have you been progressing with the language?"

"Good," he replied in Russia, giving another smile.

"No problem understanding complex sentences?"

"I'm, ah, good at understanding…better than speaking," he said haltingly. It was surprisingly hard to fake not knowing a language. Latvia was more observant than Estonia so he had to be more carful.

"Very well. You are not to speak English or any other language. Not to me, not to Estonia and definitely not to the Commander."

He almost scowled at the command. What right did Latvia have to order such things!

"Is that clear!" Latvia snapped when he failed to respond fast enough, shifting form accommodating too hash. England eyed him and the unexpected change. He had almost forgotten that Latvia had a more threatening side.

"Yes," he responded sullenly.

Latvia gave him a searching scan, glanced at the clock and spun around, walking to the door.

"Follow me,"

Apparently, that was the end of the conversation. They did not have to walk far as they paused that the set of wooden doors him and Estonia had passed earlier.

Latvia pulled him forward, pushing him into the room and following close behind. Nine pairs of eyes locked onto him. England faltered, guardedly taking in the scene. A table stretched down the center of the room lit by fluorescent overhead lights that failed to chase away the gloom. Along one wall stretched a large screen. England eyed it with interest, it being the first bit of familiar modern technology he had seen. He shifted, uncomfortably aware of the sudden increase in hostile intensity. It was very disconcerting to be at the center of so much hostile intent.

He deliberately avoided eye contact with Lithuania, who was slouched over, leaning heavily on the table and giving him a look of distrust. If anyone were going to see through him it would be Lithuania seeing as they had met before he had developed his fake persona. Then there was Estonia, sitting next to him, hunching low in his seat and attempting to blend in with his chair.

Finland had an empty chair on his right, probably to accommodate his delusional Sweden. He was examining England with the careful disinterest of someone taking notes for future use.

Someone who he could only assume to be Ukraine – it was hard to tell-was glaring at him with undisclosed hatred. Then there was a blond woman he did not recognize at all and a younger child, who was watching with a purposeful intensity.

To top it all off Russia was sitting at the head of the table, leaning forward, hands clasped under his chin, eyes dark and scrutinizing.

For several seconds he drew uncomfortable parallels with the USSR of his own dimension and various uncomfortable meetings he had witnessed between Russia and America. All hatred and violence stuffed into one small room with no escape. Unconsciously, he reached within him, intent on challenging the feeling of entrapment. In times of uncertainty one could not show weakness.

He realised with a panicked jolt that he had drawn himself up defensively and had positioned himself subconsciously into more challenging and confident position. In other words, he was in the process of ruining all his hard work at presenting himself as weak and malleable.

Scare tactics. Introduce a Personification into an unknown and threatening environment and they would automatically react in the way best suited to protecting or serving their country. And it had almost worked.

He had long been of the opinion that playing down ones strengths and being on the defensive was a tactic used by lesser Personifications. It was not something he did often. Him, being a major world power, lent himself to an opposite strategy. A strategy which consisted of playing up his strengths, posturing and projecting confidence and power. Not that being subversive was bad, in fact, it was quite the opposite…but, when challenged or in the company of others, he had a reputation to uphold. An important reputation that presented a projection of his nation, telling others that he was hearty and strong.

It was this sort of mindset that would give him away.

He quickly crushed down his pride, reminding himself that, no, this was not his dimension and, no, he did not have to hold pretenses. It was not like they could feel any such projections anyway, them being unable to sense his energy signature. He should act just as helpless as he probably was, surrounded by foreign Personifications and with only a shaky connection to his own land to back him up.

So he turned his offensive stance into an awkward back shuffle and retreated defensively only stopping when he bumped into Latvia. For good measure he also tried to appear as frightened as he should be under these circumstances.

No one gave any inclination that they caught his slip.

"That's it," Ukraine remarked scathingly, "The way you were going on about him I'd thought he'd be more impressive."

Latvia, ignoring the comment, pushed him forward to the empty chair on Russia's left. He eyed the larger nation cautiously. He was not sure he wanted to sit next to Russia. One his other side sat the blond haired woman, which he had initially dismissed because, apart from Estonia, she was the only one not giving him a suspicious stare-down. Now that he was closer he could conclude that she was Belarus. To see her so mellow- and smiling!- was probably almost as unnerving as seeing Ukraine glare like she wanted to rip his spleen out. Latvia took the position directly opposite him on Russia's right and remained standing.

"I don't see why we need him. Just kill him. With no energy signature he can't be very stable so it shouldn't be hard,"

Latvia purposefully pulled out a large folder that he recognised from his three days of questioning.

Ignoring Ukraine he addressed England, "You like being addressed as England correct?"

"Yes…"

Latvia shot Ukraine a meaningful look.

"That proves nothing," Ukraine huffed.

Latvia turned back to England, "And you definitely consider yourself connected to the land of Great Britain?"

"Yes?"

"Lies," Ukraine snapped, "This is all too convenient."

Silence met the comment and Ukraine glowered at the rest of the table.

"Finland," Ukraine prompted rather forcefully.

Finland glanced to the side, appearing nonplused at being included in the argument.

"It does seem strange that we have not heard about another England before now," he volunteered, glancing at the empty space next to him as if seeking confirmation.

"But a direct line to the heart of the enemy could be worth the risk."

Ukraine scowled, "He came with the traitor. Any advantage is useless. He could be a part of some plot to infiltrate the Union,"

She was now eyeing up Lithuania like a shark that had set its sights on another, smaller, fish. Lithuania seamed more fatigued than anything else, returning Ukraine's attention with a tired glare.

"So insecure," Latvia said lightly, " do you not trust the Union's strength,"

Ukraine narrowed her eyes. England did not need the ability to feel energy signatures to know that there was tension in the air.

Russia shifted.

It was a small movement, barely a twitch, but it had everyone's attention almost instantly. Even England, more in reaction to the sudden change in focus than anything else, looked to Russia. Whatever tension had been in the air vanished and Ukraine immediately settled down, apparently having quelled her need to argue whatever point she had been making. Latvia also calmed, turning his attention back to his papers.

That…was a lot of influence. The ability to hold and control a room of nations with little outward effort spoke of large amounts of internal control and skill in manipulating energy.

The meeting returned to its original course: Latvia questioning England. Obviously he was trying to make some sort of point because he had already answered these questions several times.

Latvia turned back towards him, "How much does Great Britain know about you?"

England did not enjoy the focus that was once again directed at him.

"I have… never met him," he answered haltingly, ensuring his Russian was properly askew.

Lithuania frowned minutely at his poor pronunciation. England spared him a brief, worried glance.

"Great Britain is unpredictable and his motives are almost impossible to guess but he is curious and will be interested in an apparent Splinter of himself," Latvia addressed the table, staring down at him, expression unreadable.

"Maybe," England offered in the pause, which seamed to be directed his way. He really knew nothing about his counterpart or whether he would be interested in his apparent Splinter. Most nations were weary of them.

"You said previously that you have little in the way of connection to the British people. You also do not remember much other than your connection to the land,"

"Convenient," Ukraine snorted from down the table.

"You are not very old then are you?"

England frowned internally. Where was this going?

"Whatever the case I think we can all agree that the connection in undeniable. "

Latvia shuffled his papers, "Would you say that's correct?"

England was properly confused. Were they planning to give him to his counterpart? Use him as a bargaining chip? If so, then for what purpose?

"I…" he had barely registered that he had accidentally began his sentence in English when he was suddenly being slammed into the table. He hit with enough force that the table shuddered upon impact. More stunned then anything he winced. What?

Russia slowly retracted his hand from where it had placed against his head.

He gritted his teeth, forcing his body to relax. It would be no good if he suddenly moved to defend himself. He was lucky to not have accidentally retaliated or dodged. Once again his inability to sense his surroundings had saved the day, giving him no warning to the threat and thus reducing his ability to react.

"Thank you Latvia," Russia addressed the table, "I think we have all seen what we need to."

Why had Russia done that? Was it because he had spoken English or because he did not want England to answer any further questions? Maybe he was just being sadistic. England straightened slowly.

Silence once again weighed oppressively down upon the table. Once again all eyes where on Russia and there was a thread of anticipation and expectancy in the air. It felt like he had missed something important in the moments he had spent pinned to the table. They all waited. Russia turned his attention back to England, eyes calculating. For a brief terrified moment England thought he had realised that the energy signature lock had weakened.

Finally, after more uncomfortable silence, he was whisked away by a trembling Estonia. Obviously, the whole meeting had been orchestrated to some extent in order to gauge his reactions and responses when confronted with a hostile environment. It was a classic interrogation technique. Get you subject, throw him into an unknown, stressful situation and see if anything slipped. Now that he was no longer present the real meeting would probably start.

Instead of taking him back to his room Estonia took him to a balcony that overlooked the same empty courtyard with the water feature. England did not have the energy to question his motives. He did appreciate the fresh air though.

It took England a while of standing and vacantly staring at the sky before he gathered himself enough to detense his muscles. He let out a stream of air in an attempt to relieve himself of some stress.

To the see the night sky so different provided him with immense relief. Because there had always been that nagging doubt that somehow his reality had been erased and that there was no way home. However, it also greatly unnerved him.

As a country personification he favoured predictability and patterns. They allowed him to plan his reactions and response to the occurrences in day-to-day life. With the reputation and even future of his country depending upon him, reacting right became very important. An uneventful day meant nothing was going wrong.

The people in that room and the countries he had met… None of them had been familiar. They had been different just like everyone else he had met so far. Even the meeting had left him more confused. Why had Russia interrupted Latvia? Who had been the younger Personification that he had not recognised? He had remained silent throughout the meeting so England had no other clues to go on. There was obviously some tension between Latvia and Ukraine. Was it important? How would it affect him?

Everything was different here. He could count only the barest amount on the information he retrained form his dimension. Understandably, this new line of argument caused him no small amount of unease. The panic returned with a vengeance.

"The stars are different," he said it before he could help himself, using it as a focus to retain a sense of calm.

Estonia looked at him oddly before his eyes widened in realisation, "Oh, yes. Um, because you're from far away the stars will look a bit different here."

"There are some that are the same though like Oasis," he pointed to an odd circle formation, which did not exist on any of the star charts he had memorised.

"My favourite is the Romanie, a warrior, and his spear points north. See. So if you're ever lost at least you will know which direction you are traveling."

"That sounds helpful," he smiled. He had never known a Personification to not like or enjoy watching the stars. They all had their stories about the constellations and how they formed, attaching importance to the various patterns. Maybe it was because, for as long as he could remember, his people had been looking to the sky in wonderment, for answers, for guidance. It was an engrained passion. That, at least, appeared to have remained the same.

Unfortunately, these were not his stars. And this was not his world. And without them he felt even more lost then he had before. Everything here was so very foreign. And that made it all the more dangerous.

"Are you OK," Estonia asked obviously picking up on his depressing line of thought.

England mustered up the motivation the act his usual clueless persona.

"Good. Well… I guess. Just missing home is all,"

"Don't feel bad. You'll get used to it and I'm sure Mister Russia will let you return some time," he said as an encouragement.

Estonia turned back around, giving him an awkward pat on the back.

"You probably won't see the others much. They tend to keep to themselves unless you annoy them."

At the physical contact England got the light impression of Estonia. Right, he had almost forgotten that physical contact allowed some ability to feel energy signatures.

England smiled. It appeared that Estonia was generally a nice person, sure he was flighty and ridiculously nervous but he did seem to care somewhat about England and his feelings despite only meeting a few days ago.

"Maybe you'll be positioned in Estonia," Estonia continued encouragingly though they both knew it was unlikely to happen. It was one thing to act as a guard on a base full of human soldiers, Russia and an assortment of other Personifications. It was another to take full responsibility for a captive nation. But England took the reassurance for what it was, an attempt to make him feel better.

Had the Estonia from his dimension been like this? They had never been close nor had they had a lot of contact so it was impossible to say. Estonia had always been reserved and business-like so England had treated any interactions more like business meetings. He had been a small European nation and those were dim-a-dozen so England had thought little of him.

This Estonia seemed more human than anything. Almost like who he was talking to was not Estonia the nation but Estonia the person.

A country's humanness was an odd thing in that was both advantageous and disadvantageous. Advantageous because it gave them some autonomy from the 'will of the nation,' allowing for some personal individuality and a capacity to make their own decisions. Abet, these decisions were heavily influenced by the their people. It was disadvantageous, in that, along with this human form came its weaknesses. The weakness of bias, of emotion, of a separate personality. The continuous exchange between him and his people made it hard to separate what was him and what was not and that was how it should be.

And when the Personification and the Human became disjointed or, extreme circumstance, one rose above the other there was the very real danger of losing oneself. Worst-case scenario: instability and insanity not unlike that caused by revolution.

Was that an explanation for what he was seeing? Was that the source of the differences here? Was Estonia more human or was it something else? Once again a lack of information forced him to put the idea to the side.

Whatever the case may be England could not help but feel somewhat guilty for his deception. Perhaps, if circumstances were different, he and this Estonia could have been better acquainted. Unfortunately, he needed to leave. It was too dangerous and unpredictable here. Ukraine had already made her distrust known. All it would take was one world from Lithuania and his whole act would come crashing down. He could not falter from his goal to get home. Yes, with so many other Personifications on base it would be hard to escape. However, he had a responsibility to his country to do everything in his power to return.

While he contemplated this realisation Estonia continued to look at the sky, a slight frown of concern on his face.

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