"Time to review the plan!" Germany shouted at his troops. Japan and Italy straightened up and saluted.

"Yes, captain," said Japan. "The plan I have devised to spy on the Allies is to put a sound transmission device into their meeting room. The device will pick up everything they are saying, and we will hear it on this machine." Japan opened his hand toward a small wooden box with a dial and two speakers on the front of it.

"Good," said Germany. "Italy, is your part of the mission complete yet?"

Italy looked up from a piping-hot plate of spaghetti. He slurped in the last noodle, letting it flick his face and leave a streak of tomato sauce along his cheek.

"Ve?"

"Dammit, Italy! Are you paying attention at all?"

"Yes, Germany," said Italy. "But then I was distracted by this pasta, so maybe you could explain it again for me."

Germany sighed. He wanted to yell at Italy again, but what good would that do? Italy would just smile back at him like always, with his eyes squeezed shut in his permanently carefree manner.

"Alright, Italy. I'll explain it one more time. First, you are going to get the device that Japan described to you."

"One that picks up sound, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. Then, you will sneak it into the allies' meeting room and turn it on so we can hear what they are saying. Understood?"

Italy saluted.

"Don't you worry, Germany. I can take care of it. In fact, I already did that before I made my lunch."

Germany blinked at Italy in disbelief.

"R-really? You... you completed your part of the mission?"

"Uh-huh."

"Without screwing it up or anything?"

"That's right," Italy said, grinning. "At least, I think so."

Germany's smile faded. Feeling the familiar uncertainty creep back, he listened as Italy babbled about what he had done.

"So, I found one of those things that Japan was talking about. It's long, like you can hold it in your hand, and it has a black ball at the top of it, like an ice cream scoop. And there's a cord coming from the other end. I got one of those and I put it right on the Allies' meeting table, so that means we can hear them talking now."

Germany and Japan exchanged nervous glances. A large sweat drop formed above each of their heads.

"Italy!" shouted Germany. "Not only did you botch your mission, but you gave our secret plan away!"

Startling, Italy leapt into the air. In doing so, he spilled his plate of spaghetti. He stumbled back, and a slice of pizza fell from somewhere under his uniform.

"Wah, Germany, what did I do wrong?"

Germany felt like he wanted to smack Italy upside the head. He folded his arms to prevent himself from doing so.

"Idiot," Germany said. "That was a microphone, not a secret listening device."

"But I hooked it up properly and everything," Italy argued. "Not only will we hear it on Japan's funny radio thing, but we can also get it in stereo because I set up speakers all around the Allies' meeting room."

"That's the problem!" Germany shouted. "Don't you think that the Allies will know exactly what it is that we are trying to do? Don't you think they'll know a microphone and speaker system when they see it?"

Italy burst into tears. Japan raised his hand.

"Captain," said Japan. "Perhaps Russia won't."

Germany facepalmed. The Axis stewed in silence for a moment more. Well, relative silence, because Italy was still sniffling. Then Japan spoke up.

"If I may interject, there is a chance that the plan may still work."

"How's that?"

"The Allies will only know that there is a microphone in their meeting room," he said. "They will not know that we put it there or what our intentions are."

"Even so," said Germany. "There is no way they will let us listen in to their meeting without questioning it. No one will walk into their secret meeting room, see a sound system mysteriously set up, and carry on as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Nobody is that stupid."

But Germany was wrong.