So for this chapter, I was originally going to put up a disclaimer about how some of the content in this chapter might be somewhat politically inflammitory, but then I figured, hetalia basically does that in every episode. So if you see something in here that disagrees with you, feel free to tell me, but be warned. I'm totally an asshole when it comes to political debates. I mean, a TOTAL ASS. -3-
Honestly, I don't think there's anything that bad in here, but one of my friends who i proposed the ideas (of how America would fall in this chapter) got really really worked up. And then we ended up yelling at each other for the rest of the period. It was great. :D
Anywho, hope I don't offend anyone. enjoy!
Ch. 2: The fall
Matthew was nervous. He couldn't sit still, and kept moving around; drumming his fingers on the table, standing up to pace back and forth between the door and his seat, thumping his leg up and down… Ludwig sent him an agonized glare, and he smiled apologetically, sitting down and trying to keep still. He glanced at the clock for the tenth time in five minutes and nearly tore his hair out in frustration. Arthur had called five hours ago, telling them that he was boarding the plane back to Canada…that meant he should be here soon. The blonde nation looked around at the meeting room they were currently in. Almost all of the countries, with the obvious exceptions of most of the Middle Eastern, African, and South American countries were present. They all looked nervous, and some, such as Kiku and Francais looked especially worried, though none were quiet as fidgety as Matthew. The ticking of the clock was the only noise in the otherwise completely silent conference room, and it only seemed to increase in volume as the minutes dragged on. Matthew leaned over and grasped his hair in his hands. Al…when was the last time he had seen his brother? When had he last heard that obnoxious laugh, seen that stupid grin? Almost 15 years now…The smile, the laugh, the spring in his step, the light in his eyes…they had all been the first to go…When Al's social security system had finally collapsed in 2035, it sent the country into a depression that rivaled, if not surpassed the Great Depression. Matt shook his head, remembering Al's uncharacteristically weary face, "Don't worry, Mattie. I've been through this before…remember? 1929? It's ok. My people are strong. We'll get through this somehow…"
However, from the collapse of social security, things only got worse. The following year, Hurricane Jess, a level 5 hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, annihilating the area, and most importantly, destroying the center of American energy. Oil prices suddenly skyrocketed, and with the depression, many workers were unable to pay for gas, and unable to perform daily tasks. The energy that the American public had come to rely so heavily on was no longer available, and mass chaos ran rampant in the nation. People were laid off, and vehicles and other motorized possessions were no longer worth anything. The President at the time had desperately tried to implement a sort of "New Deal", similar to the one FDR created during the Great Depression, but it, like its predecessor, failed miserably.
Around 2038, things were clearly getting desperate for the young nation. The economy was dead, the leaders were incompetent, and the people were restless, poor, and miserable. Such conditions had been seen thousands of times in history, and each time, they resulted in the same thing; revolution. The second American Revolution began in 2039, and was nothing like the first. Instead of a confederation of colonies working together to turn their ideals into a reality and create a new kind of nation, the second American Revolution was a bloody, barbaric affair. It was more like France's first Revolution, marked by the country overthrowing its elites and tearing itself up from the inside. During that whole period, nobody had seen Al, and nobody had known what had become of him. The second revolution only lasted 3 years, and by 2042, a new body of government had been established. The leader still went by the title of "president", but everything that America had stood for had been burned and destroyed in the first few months of the new regime's rule. The victorious party, The People's Equality Liberation Front, PELF, had decided that everything America had been built on, that the American creed of a laissez-faire economic structure, of individualism, of egalitarianism, of liberty, and of populism was sick, perverse and wrong. Matthew could only imagine the shock and horror his brother must have felt when DC was stormed…the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence…the great works of his founding fathers, all gone. Burned. Destroyed. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean. The fire had wiped away what America had once been, what America had stood for. Matthew gripped the sides of his chair, his vision blurring as he remembered that bastard's inauguration (how dare they have the gall to call it that!) speech…
"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against…"
And thus began "The Golden Age of Equality", as the leaders put it…Matthew was shaking by now. It wasn't equality, it was oppression of the worst sort. The kind of oppression that killed the mind, not the body, the kind of oppression that didn't spill blood, but reduced man to little more than animals… Books were banned. The Library of Congress had been raided and all authors deemed "evil" had been burned. Rand. Gone. Orwell. Gone. Bradbury. Gone. Every author and work that opposed the ideals of the new order, that suggested, even implied that perhaps there was a better way to live life than just acting as mindless slaves, following the whims of the government… And Alfred knew. Alfred hadn't been broken, he was still America and he still remembered when America was the land of the free, of the individual, he still remembered the time when the American Dream was still a possibility, and nobody could tell you what to think…what to do….when America was a beacon, and when Lady Liberty stood proud, her crown high, her torch erect…That fire had gone out now though. Consumed, devoured by the ever-growing greed of his own government…
And then, in 2048, six years after that tyranny had been established, Al had appeared again. He came to a UN meeting, shocking everyone with his somber and broken appearance…
"The United States of America will now be withdrawing from the world stage and focusing on domestic rather than international issues."
And that was that. Al had pulled out of the world stage. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. America slipped into a period of such extreme isolation, it rivaled North Korea in its obsession on who could come and who could go from the country. Beyond that, Matthew had no idea what was happening in his brother's lands. He hadn't heard anything, hadn't seen anything…there was nothing to indicate how the United States of America was faring, how it was doing. He didn't know how the people felt, how they lived, if they liked their new government (which he highly doubted) or if they hated it. The only things allowed into the country anymore, it seemed, were the illegal drug dealers, who still managed to find some way to slip past the border control. Matthew stood abruptly, too wound up to sit down…he was about to resume pacing, when finally, finally, the doors to the meeting room flew open and there stood Arthur.
"Arthur!" Matthew cried, rushing over to the man and dragging him into the room. "Well? Did you get any news? Were you able to see Al? How is he? They haven't done anything to him, right? I mean, he's ok-"
Arthur held up his hand effectively silencing Matthew. When he spoke, his voice was tired and heavy, "Alfred is…alive." He rummaged into his front pocket and pulled out a couple of sheets of paper. "Here", he said, proffering it to Matthew, "It's a transcript of our rather…brief conversation."
Matthew grabbed the paper from Arthur and started reading it. Once he had finished, he turned back to Arthur, his eyes full of questions. "What the hell…?" he managed to get out. Francis snatched the paper from Matthew as the other nation continued to stare at Arthur.
"What was that Arthur?" Matthew continued, beginning to become even more confused. "Hunting rabbits? Since when has Al been into hunting rabbits? And that rambling…what was he trying to say? Was he rejecting our help? What was up with that stuff about the environment? I mean, everything about that, the wording, the context it made no sense!"
"It's a code" Arthur responded, looking over to Francis, "Francis" he addressed the nation that held the transcript, "Starting with "Please" in the sentence following me saying "What?" in response to Al's comment about hunting rabbits, read every fifth word."
Francis looked up at Arthur and nodded, before turning his attention back to the papers, "Please…" he read aloud, his hesitant voice echoing through the silence of the meeting room, "help…my government…has…captured me…and…refuses…to…let me…go…they plan…to…launch…nuclear war…against…Europe and Asia…soon…and conquer…as…much land…as possible…you…have…got…to..get me…out…of here…so we…can stop them…bugs…under…ears."
A tense, shocked silence hung over the meeting room as the various nations stared at each other in dumb silence. Arthur was the first to speak, "When Al was still a…colony under my care, he passed through a strange stage where he became obsessed with espionage. He developed this primitive code. The key words were "hunting rabbits". When Al was going to speak, or more commonly, write, in this code, he would use the term "hunting rabbits" in a sentence, and the first word in the following sentence would be the start of the code. From there, you would just read every fifth word. The end of the code was marked with the same words that had indicated the start of the code, "hunting rabbits". He developed the code such a long time ago…I can't believe he still remembers it…I can't believe I still remember it…"
"So…" Matthew had seemed to somewhat regain control over his senses, "Al's being held…against his will, by his government, who plans to launch a nuclear attack on Europe and Asia?"
Arthur nodded grimly. The younger nation bit his lip and sent a worried look to Francis, who was still staring, slightly open-mouthed at the transcript. "A…Angleterre.." Francis said, "What was that last part about bugs? Do they have any relevance?"
"His government bugged me when I went to go visit Al." Arthur responded, "He just thought it would be wise to tell me where they had hidden the mikes and cameras on my person. Under my ears."
"Oh." Francis nodded woodenly.
"Veee…" Feliciano suddenly spoke up, his usually cheerful face marred with concern, "S..So Alfred's going to…kill us?"
"Not Alfred", Arthur shook his head, "His government."
"Well then" Ivan stood up, his face warped into a rather insane grin, "It seems to me that the solution is obvious!"
"And what would that be?" Arthur asked, his voice guarded.
"We attack America." the Russian replied calmly, the insane smile stretching further, "Destroy his lands with our nuclear weapons before he destroys ours."
"We can't" Arthur said, through gritted teeth.
"Sorry England, but Ivan's right, aru" Wang Yao looked over to where Arthur had slightly risen in his chair, "I personally don't like the idea of destroying America either…many of my children live there, and he still owes me quite a bit of money…but if it's to save myself and my people, I will do it."
"You imbeciles, we can't." Arthur was standing up now, his green eyes blazing dangerously, "How many of us have the technology to compete with Al's military? None. As much as I hate to admit it, even after that goddamn revolution of his, Al's military has not weakened one bit. I think it's actually safe to say that he's grown militarily stronger…his new government has really invested into it…"
"He can't take on the whole world though…if we can nuke him first…"
"It's not that simple." Arthur responded slowly, "How many of have nukes? 7, officially, not including Al. Myself, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. How many of us have governments that are unstable enough to just randomly attack another country? North Korea. We can't ask him! He's crazy. Plus, knowing the level of technology he's developed, he's more likely to injure himself with the nuke then actually harm anyone else…."
"It is not randomly attacking. We have evidence that America is trying to attack us."
"Evidence from who?"
"You!"
"Exactly! And as far as the public is concerned, I don't exist"
"-What? Of course you exist, aru!"
"Does my public know that? Does your public know about you?"
"…No."
"Exactly." Arthur sat down now, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, "Our governments can't just go and nuke someone else…without any solid evidence backing us up. Especially with a country as powerful as America , out people are going to be very hesitant about attacking…the people…they will want proof, solid, undeniable evidence that America plans to wage war on us. Not just the word of a person who the government claims does not even exist."
"Then what do we do!? Just sit here until he nukes us, then go after him!?"
"No." Ludwig had stood, looking over to where Arthur sat, "Herr England ", he addressed the nation, "Are you saying that we must…give ourselves up, so that you can inform your government, and subsequently, your people about this?"
"Are you a complete dumbass?" Romano had jumped up, his face livid, "I know you have potatoes as brains, but we can't do that! Humans can't know about us! It'd be complete chaos!"
"Would you prefer out countries nuked, our children slaughtered?"
"They're going to be slaughtered if we tell everyone who we are!"
"Well then, what do you propose we do?!"
By now, everyone was screaming. Nations took sides; get nuked and keep their identity private, or give up their identity and attack America before they were attacked themselves.
"THIS IS AMERICA!!! EVEN IF WE DO ATTACK HIM, HE'LL BE ABLE TO RETALIATE AND HURT US VERY BADLY!!!"
"Hey…."
"HE'LL RETALIATE, BUT HE WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE US ALL DOWN!
"Hey! Let me talk!.."
"THE HUMANS WILL TRY TO KILL US IF THEY FIND OUT ABOUT THE TRUTH! YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR PEOPLE IF WE'RE HURT! THEY SUFFER AS WELL!!!"
"I said, let me talk…!"
"NUCLEAR WARHEADS AREN'T EXACTLY THE BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN EITHER!!!!"
*BANG!!!*
There was a gunshot, and abruptly, silence filled the one chaotic room as the nations looked around for the source of the bullet. It really wasn't hard to locate, as the one who had fired the gun was standing atop the table, smoking weapon in hand.
"BLOODY HELL YOU FUCKING ARSES CAN YOU TRY SHUTTING YOUR TRAPS FOR FIVE SECONDS AND LETTING ME TALK!!!"
There was a silence, and then a sudden scramble for their seats as Arthur glared down at all of them, his green eyes filled with piercing contempt. "Now that you're all acting like civilized blokes again", he said through gritted teeth, "I have a wonderful announcement for all of you. There are not only those two options."
"Well then what?" Denmark called out, a look of supreme annoyance on his face, "Are you suggesting we do something like America's president proposed? That Star Wars shit? Cuz I'm tellin' you. That was a total waste of brain cells. I mean, they called it Star Wars for-WHA!!"
The nation was suddenly cut off as a bullet buried itself into the wall, missing Denmark's ear by mere inches. "Shut the fuck up", Arthur growled through his teeth, "All of you just shut the bloody hell up and listen to what I have to say."
He glared around at the nations, all who had fallen completely silent and then lowered his weapon. "Like I was saying before that dunce so rudely interrupted me, there is a third option. It is risk, horribly dangerous, and has an extremely low rate of success…" Arthur paused for a second, inspecting the gun in his hand before he looked up, his face twisted in a wild and feral grin, "It's quite simple, actually. We just invade the white house, bust Al out, and use him to rally his people into revolt against the current regime."
"What would you say the chance of success is?" Denmark spoke up again, apparently recovered from the bullet that had nearly been embedded in his brain.
Arthur turned on him, the same dangerous glint in his eye. "I'd give it a 5% chance of success. Highest."
Denmark smirked, matching Arthur's. He reached besides his chair and grabbed his battle-axe, hoisting it over his shoulder, "A simple, straightforward plan, with a high chance of failure and a low chance of success." He said, meeting Arthur's green eyes with his own. "Alright. I'm in."
Ok, so that part about the "American creed" I GOT STRAIGHT OUT OF MY AP GOV TEXTBOOK, in case anyone disagrees. (altho i do agree with it....)
XD and congrats to all those ppl who solved the code...i got the idea from Lemony Snicket's (the guy who wrote The Series of Unfortunate Events) fake biography. *fails*
And the quote from last time was "If you're going through hell, keep going" -Churchill. a lot of ppl got this one so congrats!
there are two quotes this time, but they're from the EXACT SAME BOOK. it's on of my fav. books...and it's kinda classic, so hopefully you'll recognize it...it's an awesome book srsly. i love it. now I'm going to shut up before i end up going off on a rant about how much i love this author. whoever gets these quotes i will love forever :3 btw, the author is awesome. and american! :D
plz review! they really mean a lot to me!