Oh I know your kind...

You'd kill your kin for the right price...

Another threat? Son of a bitch... Alfred pushed himself through the stark white walls, ignoring the armed guards on either side of him. Another attempted attack on his mother and father, more confusion. More hate. He thought it was supposed to end! There had to be someone who would listen to him! His heart raced hard in his chest making it harder to breathe with every step he forced to echo through the grandiose manor. More violence, more near misses against his children. This had to stop! Someone had to listen to him!

He skidded to a halt, all the lost breath suddenly coming out in heavy pants. Sky blue eyes fell upon the taller man before him, the second in line. He wasn't exactly who Alfred wanted to speak to but right now, any ear that would lend to his plea was appreciated. He cleared his throat and stood tall before the Vice President, trying to mask how hard he'd run to get here.

"S-Sir... I need to talk to you."

"I don't have the time right now, Ame-Alfred." It stung the young man's heart to hear them refuse him his title. He respected them as the truth sayers and the one who were to be revered and respected, who his very existence depended on. Yet they refused to acknowledge Alfred as who he truly was. Was he.. not good enough? Had he somehow proven himself to be un-American?

"Please , sir! I won't be long i just need to ask about th-"

"Look, Alfred." The man smiled but Alfred knew he was being brushed off. "With the midterm elections turning against us I have no time to be idle. I'm sorry but I have to meet with the President immediately. Certainly you understand?"

"...Y-yes sir..."

"Good." he patted the boy's shoulder. "I'll make sure we meet later."

Oil and water

Thicker than blood

Oh I know your kind...

Alfred turned and walked to the threshold, listening to the heavy doors of the Oval Office slam shut behind him. Closing off the pleas of their nation. Doing whatever they wanted no matter how bad it was against their people. His people. The people's screams and cries that echoed in his nightmares. His stomach churned, wriggling and constricting forcing the boy to his knees. Everything hurt... Why wouldn't anyone listen? His parents, his children, his friends, his people... everyone was suffering. Everyone was aching and crying and hurting.. Forcing himself upright he took one more look to the heavy oak doors before turning off and marching down the shining hallway. She was next in line and he was running out of options.

It was amazing... Simply amazing. Amazing how people could talk and talk and somehow completely avoid the issue. Ignore that there were bombs and explosive traversing the skies aimed at the heart of western civilization. They were trying, she said, trying their hardest to end the war on terror. He scoffed, walking out onto the grand lawn to watch the Virginian sunset. War on Communism, war on drugs, war on terrorism. It was all just one grand line of bullshit after another. All he had to do, she assured him, was continue to believe in the United States and support their decisions.

"Support their decisions...?" A grin spread across his face. A fresh wave of pain pulsed through his body. "Trust in the United States...?" Another hot wave crossing over his chest. "Ahaha.. But you forget... I -am- the United States..." He drew into the pocket of his bomber, pulling on the leather gloves. The chill of the evening disappeared almost instantly. His heart pulsed, drumbeats mimicking the steps as he crossed the courtyard back for the marble steps.

The guards approached him, freezing the instant his eyes met theirs. Something was different about him, they knew it, but their throats wouldn't say it. Alfred casually smiled, a shudder running through the human before him. This wasn't right, their bodies screamed, this wasn't how he was supposed to be. They didn't know how they knew, they simply just did. Knew they were being faced with something so much greater than themselves. Something that was not to be trifled with. Opposing him was opposing liberty and freedom and justice. Grinning, he moved within the chamber. The eagle's talons were sharp.

He had no concept of distance and time. His feet moved and he obeyed. Waves of bodies parted for him, staring in dumbstruck horror as the young man moved down the aisle created deeper into the manor. Eyes commanded hearts, the hammer of God in their chests pulling them aside to watch.

Oak. Heavy and solid stood before him. Even it trembled in his eyes, reaching out a hand to brush the sturdy frame. A laugh softly rose to echo, a shivering and quiet sound. The eagle's talons were poised. Pushing hard, the door gave way.

Dark eyes lifted from the glow of a computer screen. It was still odd to see something so modern in this ancient room. It was out of place and it made the eagle's feathers ruffle. Even in the man entrusted to guide them fear cracked like a million volts. Lightning fell with every hungry step. Those eyes.. those haunting, clear blue eyes. He could see wings on the shoulders of the beast before him, spread full and waiting. One mighty beat and all scattered on the desk would flurry into a cloud of confusion. If he listened he could hear screams, screams of parents and the impoverished, of children and teenagers bleeding in bathrooms.

Lying to yourself

And to everyone that knows your name

Play the part of the fool so well...

Oh I know your kind.

"W-Who are you...?" Silence fell over the drums that thundered in his head. The beast before him leapt onto the desk in a single bound, rising high over him. His fingers flexed, the eagle watching its prey below. Suddenly it struck, a great clatter raising over the horrible thunder of hearts in his head. Pulsing faster and faster as the eagle sanks in its great claws drawing tighter and tighter until the light flashed before his eyes. Lips curled into a dark smile as it leaned in to his ear.

In the heart of the thunder, it made only a single answer.

"The United States of America..."