A Game of Chess

East Berlin, East Germany

October 31, 1950

6:48 AM

A peachy light colored scarf flew behind a man who was leading a group of soldiers to the grassy field. His thick furry boot splashed into a murky dull puddle as he and his men surrounded the totaled plane that almost seemed as if it had sunken into the ground. But based on the pool of mud they were standing in, that might as well be the case. Soft murmurs of debate and questions encircled the area as the thick smell of smoke and softened dirt due to the rain mixed together. Ivan inhaled the chilling air, closing his eyes as he thought of how to approach this situation. A cold, blunt expression appeared onto his face, as he reopened them again, one that his soldiers were all too familiar with. They rolled lazily upwards, a puffy white mist escaping from his sigh. Even though it had just rained, the sky above them was still a light diluted grey. There wasn't a sign of sunlight, not even a small ray broke out from the impenetrable clouds. He took a step closer to the entrances of the plane that were left open, a pool of rainwater formed on both sides of the cockpit. From there, he could spot umbrellas floating aimlessly in there, left from the two who had been inside the plane.

A wide, almost amused smile appeared on his face suddenly, chuckling to himself as he picked up the small flimsy umbrella from the radio operator's side. It swung from his finger pitifully as pallid droplets on the thin plastic slowly dripped down. How funny it would've been to see the panicked American rush off into the rain, soaked from head to toe with nothing to protect him. 'Hopefully, he hasn't caught a cold due to this.' He thought to himself, shaking the water off the umbrella. It would be a nice gesture to return this to him, especially since he had left it here so carelessly for Ivan to find.

Slowly, he brought the umbrella up to his face, staring at it as if in thought. It wasn't like he had expected this plan to go flawlessly. Of course, there were definitely large chances of it failing and it could've gone south if he wasn't careful. But he definitely didn't expect this outcome of events, not as if he was complaining though. The umbrella made a small pop sound as he unfolded it, visibly seeing that he was far too large to fit under it without getting partially wet on one side. 'At least I'll get to see him..' He said to himself, picturing the American's face in shock, to see him standing there at the door. A dark smile grew in his expression, some sinister shadow laying below it.

'How fun this will be.'

---------------(Meanwhile..)---------------

East Berlin, East Germany

October 31, 1950

6:53 AM

"You what?" Alfred yelled, causing the German to wince before him. His eyes looked like they were bulging from their sockets, as he tightly gripped onto the edge of the table, sounds of cracking wood reaching Gilbert's ears.

"Hey, that's my only table! Don't break it!" He yelled from across the kitchen, ignoring the ruckus between the two younger countries. He huffed softly to himself, turning back to the sink as he brushed off the outburst.

The American begrudgingly spared it's already nonexistent quality from his wrath, but his anger was still as lively as before. The malice that stood behind the American almost felt similar to the tone in his voice from the airplane landing incident. "How could you not have thought of a plan? How the hell are we supposed to get to the meeting?" He seethed. Was he seriously talking to the Ludwig he talked to only a month before? The one who gave him a lecture on health and carrying weapons? "We've probably already missed our flight, and now you're telling me that you don't know how you're going to get us back?"