A/N: Where did I get the idea that this would be the Social Media chapter? I can't believe I forgot this chapter existed, geez. It's actually the next chapter (I got it right this time).
An anonymous reviewer, Gabby pointed out last chapter that Atomic secrets were leaked out by spies in the Manhattan Project, and yes, that's correct, although I wasn't exactly known for my good memory in school... I was thinking about Julius Rosenberg in particular, mostly because he's the last case I'd read about, so it was fresh in my memory (although his case is quite controversial I'm not here to argue about that, yet). There were plenty of spies around that time, and some were American, and one Klaus Fuchs was German-born British... Well, blame that misunderstanding on my faulty memory and habit of not triple-checking my stuff. Meh.
Anyway, if anyone thinks of anything important to mention, or if I write anything that was proven wrong by facts, please don't be afraid to tell me, I tend to correct things even after publishing the chapters, mostly because of future readers.
No flames, though. I absolutely despise the lack of minimal respect when it's not warranted.
EDIT: Rewrote the chapter without changing any plot aspects, keeping the same general direction it was going, keeping things the same here and there, and adding some stuff. It looks much better now…
News Feed
Chapter 7
Brilliant Ideas
Washington D.C – White House (UTC -4) 11:43 p.m
" So, this whole thing really surprised me, but it did stir my creative spirit. If we had to imagine what the embodiment of America would look like, we have a few options here. He could be a fat guy, always with a huge Big-Mac full of grease in one hand and a Starbucks coffee in the other, waltzing around Walmart on a motorized chair, and be the one most likely to promptly shoot you if you disagree with his political views,"
Laughs, lots of laughs.
" Or maybe a shady suited guy wearing sunglasses at night, with a penchant for eavesdropping on other people's conversations and who could be behind your door or tapping on your phone at any given moment, but don't worry, he's with the government... ,"
More laughs.
" Or maybe... We've always seen him, because he's always been very famous, just like we suspected, as if 'Captain America' wasn't enough 'in your face', he's been looking suspiciously young for a while now..."
Laughs, but this time with a lot of applause and whistles.
" Oh, yes, but in all seriousness, we don't need to guess, because it's obvious. We all know... that the embodiment of America... is yours truly."
"HA! Hahaha!"
"Please pipe down, Alfred."
"Holy shit, sorry!" America sat up on the couch, breathlessly trying to recover from his fit of laughter as he muted the TV. "Do you have any idea how much I wanted someone like Steven Colberts to make a joke about me like this?! Finally got that squared away!" He shot his fist upwards. "I gotta thank this guy somehow! Send him a 'thank you' letter!"
America had finally found the time to rest after a whole day of spy-hunting, and there was no better relief than laying down under some thin but comfy covers and watching TV. Which is the very first thing he did.
His boss, the man who America had casually nicknamed O-Man, smiled at his enthusiasm, but looked back down to the papers he was reading. Ah, work. America happily excluded himself from working, as he was busy with something else. That is, resting from his stressful day. "The Senate wouldn't be too happy about that. Although, I'm glad you're in such a better mood now. Mr. David will have nightmares."
America huffed, laying down as he laid on his side, hand supporting his head. "As he should! I had to check everyone, and it took me all day long! Can't believe I actually found some shady people, lurking around Homeland Security personnel and in the CIA's headquarters like a bunch of cheap lackeys. And we don't even know if one of them is the whistleblower! Johnny's taking care of that…" The CIA Director had assured him that most likely, the Nation's intervention wouldn't be necessary.
O-Man had, after all, explained to Johnny why he didn't want America anywhere near those activities. The man gave him a cautious look, stopping his work. "You're not helping them out with the questioning, I hope...?"
America stopped as immediate guilt struck him, then he answered with a shaky sigh. "No, I… I don't do that anymore, remember?"
He could hear the man letting out a huge breath, in relief. "That's good. You might not notice it, but you sound much happier these days, compared to six years ago. That time in college did you well."
America hadn't felt happy or proud for a long time after that fateful attack, nearly 15 years before. Understandably, he was in a dark place, and what followed it, the wars and the hunt for the one responsible didn't leave him any better off mentally.
The fact that he'd been pulled out of Iraq's territory, forbidden from working directly with the CIA in questioning suspect terrorists, and confined to 'Vacation from War' despite the 'War on Terror's' ongoing campaign, turned out to be a great relief to him. He was told that maybe relaxing and studying in a calm, safe environment would be the best thing for him.
"I know, I know." America felt some body-tremors hitting him, although it had nothing to do with his country. Back then, the war couldn't just stop. But America felt much better now that fewer soldiers were dying and less money was being wasted, it actually seemed to lift some strain from his mind and body. Even his allies stopped giving him cautious and asserting glances, as if expecting him to snap.
America had been so focused on his war that he'd lost touch with his own people, ignored them, ignored their cultural shifts, ignored his country. Guilt and self-loathing was all he had left once he was back home, after years of warfare. His newly elected boss wanted to 'fix' that, in a way. So America was left alone in a college to study and learn with his young citizens.
He thought that maybe he should just focus on his own people for a while… He did, he focused on them for the first time in years. With this new development, with his name on news, maybe he would finally be able to help his citizens personally, even more than he was already doing. Now, he could finally address his growing cultural problem.
His young… He worried a lot about the little snowflakes…
He sat up, drawing his knees up a little, and tapping his chin with the remote. "Well, anyway… Where could these people be coming from? It's almost like a cult cropped up out of nowhere..." As if he needed more of them.
"They must be spreading online. Can't say that was never one of our worries... Or maybe it's coming from an already existing group?"
America shuddered, rubbing his arms dramatically. "Scientology…? Goddamn, those guys scare the crap out of me..." Finding a way to get rid of them legally was always a New Year's Resolution of his, these days. Creepy people...
"We didn't rule them out, yet, but I have a feeling we're dealing with something... ah,"
"Something less psychotic, demented, delusional?" America responded with a deadpan.
O-Man only shrugged, indicating he had no better words himself. "More organized."
America groaned, rubbing his eyes. "So, an organized group, spreading online, using the WikiLeaks as a primary medium, since there's no way WikiLeaks folks managed to break in here, so they're out..." They're a bunch of hacking nerds, after all. He nudged his chin in thought.
Information about Nations tended to be left in private servers that could only be accessed manually, not hacked from the outside, but while there were other important things hidden in there too, intel on the Nations was the only thing stolen, as far as they were concerned.
America feebly cursed his huge territory. If he were smaller he would have noticed illegals with ill-intentions sneaking in. As it is, his senses can't reach everything at once.
It seems the more space and people he has, the harder it gets to keep an eye on trespassers. America guessed it was worth the sacrifice in the big picture, but still...
He laid down again, facing the ceiling. But still... he can't ignore the fact that it would have been easier if whoever did this had done so somewhere else. "Hmm... Why me...?" He contemplated as he stared at nothing in particular. "Why not go somewhere where it's easier to break into...?"
Why risk it with him?
"It would be a stronger political blow to the American government. Isn't that why you're usually the target?"
America groaned, covering his face with one of the cushions, muffling his voice. "Then it's not just about us, Nations... There's more to this. It's like they think I'm the antichrist…!"
"I thought that fell on me?"
America laughed out loud. Yes, the O-Man has been accused of being the devil more than once. But his laughter faded and turned into a long whine. "...Why do they hate meee...? I know my record is not the best, but I just wanna help and I'm trying-!" The rest of his monolog was muffled and nigh incomprehensible.
It was good to blow off some steam.
He didn't mind sounding incredibly childish in front of his boss, too. Fortunately, the man didn't try to placate his stream of gibberish, he was venting after all. With a tired sigh, after running out of curses, America looked over at the TV again, and after a few seconds, slowly, his eyes widened as something… popped into his head...
He stayed eerily silent for a full minute as his mind worked. "...A 'thank you' letter, huh...?" It was that feeling of a sudden realization, hitting you so suddenly that it was liberating, it felt like an epiphany. So America sat up, hugging the cushion. "Idea." A grin slowly stretched across his face.
O-Man gave him a cautious frown.
"Idea, idea, idea... I just had a great idea!" He threw his arms up with the enthusiasm, along with the cushion, which nearly hit a shelf and a vase near the door. It wobbled on the spot before settling.
A few seconds of silence. "...I can see that... Care to enlighten me with your brilliant plan?"
"Nope!" America's smile stretched in a way that most people might describe as 'wicked', maybe downright 'menacing'. An old habit his boss really didn't like. "But it would be great if you could keep the Congress and the Senate off my back for a while…"
"Alfred, I don't think-" The man's tone was hesitant.
"Also, I gotta Hop back home and get some stuff out, for safety..."
"Alfred." Now it was a warning.
"Just for precaution!"
"Does this plan of your include you or your apartment getting attacked?"
America hesitated for just one second, raising a finger up then pointing at his boss like a gun. "You gonna have to trust me here...!" He winked.
"Maybe if you weren't trying to keep it a secret, I would feel more inclined to do so."
Maybe if his boss didn't have so many rich friends who hated his guts, he would be more inclined to do so. "No, no, no! Just trust me! I know what I'm doing! Pleeease!" America pleaded, approaching the desk with his hands clasped together, as if begging.
The man still looked skeptic, arms crossed and eyes narrowing.
"C'mon...! Just this once!" So America tried his old tactic, the classic wide doe eye and lip biting that always caught England unprepared. Admittedly, it worked better when he was a little kid, but it still works wonders with his own people. It got him to hesitate. Perfect. America continued with an even more extravagant dramatic flair. "You never do what I ask you to! Just listen to me once, please!"
O-Man sighed, relaxing a little. "Is this one of those moments that made George Washington describe you as an 'utterly brilliant child' in his journal...?"
America stopped with the theatrics and nodded with a grin and a blush. "Oh, totally!" Kinda awkward, but still really flattering to remember that Georgie thought so highly of him.
"...Really?"
"Yeah! Sometimes, I just amaze myself." America smirked smugly, rolling his eyes. "I'll be using my usual room downstairs, mum's the word!" With that, America ran back to the couch, turned off the TV and ran outside before three seconds had passed.
Taipei – Presidential Office Building (UTC +8) 9:26 p.m
Crouched by the window in her room – a special one made just for her – Taiwan watched her citizens walking to and from places curiously, but had yet to see anyone looking up at the windows.
Not that she expected it. She really, really didn't...
However, the amount of time she's spent mingling with internauts wasn't for naught.
She took many pictures to show people, but also wrote a lot, spreading some nationalism and spurring protests whenever China managed to piss her off somehow – but always kept her face hidden – and now, she knew exactly what was going on.
Honestly, her bastard of a stepfather was probably panicking! He's been in the shadows for so long, that he probably couldn't even imagine this scenario.
Or maybe the information didn't even reach him at all!
The thought made her snicker.
He uncle, Japan, though... Taiwan's mood quickly turned somber, her lips curled at the thought as she turned away from the window, sitting with her back facing it. Japan certainly knew about this already. She wondered if he was panicking... He's always been prone to hiding his emotions, but he's been rather expressive lately, especially compared to years ago.
Back when she'd first met him officially, he was much less prone to any kind of expression.
She didn't really like thinking about him during those years. Well, he might have been a terrible authoritarian on her land, but he never mistreated her, and he's much kinder nowadays...
Her other uncle, Korea, wasn't treated as well as she was, so maybe she should count herself 'lucky'. The thought made her scoff. Japan had just fallen for the imperialistic urges – something China described as a natural urge for any Nation powerful enough...
But nevermind that, it was in the past, and as much as Taiwan abhorred those memories, humans are happier when Nations forgive each other. So she did, and found herself with a loving uncle, better than any other older relative.
Taiwan sighed, standing up and sitting cross-legged on her bed with her phone, where she browsed what her followers were saying. These particular followers were very nationalistic, and that alone made them very special to her.
'What does Mei-Mei think of this?' There it was, the cute nickname they gave her.
'Has anyone ever even met this personification nation thing?' Taiwan huffed. 'Thing'? How rude...
'We're not totally independent yet, so maybe we don't even have one? In that case, do we get independence if we get one? And in that case, how do we get one?' She cupped her chin. Now that was a bit more complicated… They already had her, but there was still no independence, because China was a mother-hen who wouldn't let go of her, much less treat her like an adult...
She pursed her lips in thought.
With this huge change coming, their citizens would undeniably get involved in their business. They would ask questions, they would see the truth, and they would know what happened in the past in a whole different way.
All of that... unnecessary anger and grudges and past conflicts that were still fresh to some Nations would be under the spotlight soon.
Taiwan winced and looked away from her phone. Honestly... maybe this was better. Maybe those old geezers would hold back if their citizens' eyes turned towards them, for once. Any Nation would care about what their precious people say.
It could be a powerful leash.
The more she thought about it, the better it sounded in her head. Maybe if they knew… maybe... She blinked. A lightbulb could have popped over her head, because she had an idea. A coy smile was on her face.
A trigger… She needed to do something that would make sure she would be heard, in a way that would encourage others to do the same, but at the same time, get a good image on her. She needed her supporters!
Yes, this was perfect...! Her smile became a grin. She needed to check with her boss, but she was sure he would love the idea of showing the world how truly independent she is.
There's no way people wouldn't absolutely love her. She's adorable, she knows it, and she doesn't mind using it to her advantage.
Her smile was bright and excited, as she bounced off her bed. In front of a dresser with a mirror, she adjusted her looks with a comb quickly, then pointed a camera to herself. There was a flash. Perfect...
Taiwan grimaced lightly when looking at it. Well, maybe a second shot would look better… She sat down in front of the dresser to get dolled up. She needed to look perfect for this.
Either way, this week would be a great time to go out there and express some thoughts… Yes, it's time for her to be Taiwan. No more Chinese Taipei nonsense.
She could smell independence and international recognition in the future.
A/N: EDIT: SO, you can see I kinda rewrote this chapter. Not entirely, there were plenty of stuff I wanted to keep, but I felt that it was jumbled and messy before, and I was never quite satisfied when rereading this chapter.
So there you go. Finally, it looks like something more coherent.
So anyway, points of interest:
As soon as the 9/11 happened, the US kind of went into this campaign of War on Terror, invading countries, toppling governments so that they align with Western interests, and as my history teachers puts it, 'strangling the autonomy of the people, both at home and abroad'. I don't think this whole process was mentally healthy to America, not to mention the catastrophic damage caused to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.
I think that after 9/11, America would have been nearly obsessed with finding the culprit, and certainly would have done many horrible things to find answers and get vengeance. The American government was more and more criticized for their acts, as it grew more and more controversial and violent in the field, and other Nations could have seen it as America finally snapping and deciding he wanted to rule even more, if only to keep him and his country safe.
From my perspective, the Obama administration of these foreign issues with the war, seemed intent in fixing the US's 'good image' with their allies at first, drawing troops back home and using more drones (less risky for American soldiers' lives, less costly as well, but also very quiet), but that on its own has its fair share of controversy, because drones are scary, terrifying to the people who could end up hit, because it can easily hit civilians, and it has already. I think the people controlling the drones are much less likely to think of the actual human costs of shooting the wrong target. It's just a little dot or blob on the screen. I want to go over this later as well. So the president pulls back, uses more drones, and in News Feed, keeps the Nation in a safe and calm area. EDIT: This idea with college came much later, and I just HAD to add it, I couldn't leave it out, too important to the way the story developed the months after this chapter was originally written.
Whatever opinion you have of Obama, use it to interpret what his intentions with this were. It can be either good of bad, to be honest.
With Taiwan, well, Taiwan is in a way, China's territory, and they insist on calling them Chinese Taipei. The Chinese government wants unification, and all of its 'allies', that is, anyone who wants any ties with them, have to abid by this, that is not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.
Taiwan itself has had many conflicts of pro-independence nature, and I'm assuming Taiwan herself would really want real independence as well, to be treated as an actual sovereign Nation. Before the WWII (I'm not sure if I can remember if it was the second or actually the first), the country had a very brief period of time where they were independent, but Japan came and took over… It was a very violent time, but it was definitely no worse than Korea, they suffered a lot. Although, I can't see Taiwan as one who holds grudges against anyone other than China, who she disavows as a father because Chinese weren't the ones who founded the colony (although, most of her people are Chinese descendants, so he certainly is her father), although it's more out of childish spite.
The Portuguese visited the place long before that, though, calling the island Formosa, which means beautiful in a formal way, but the first actual colony was founded by the Dutch! There were already Han Chinese people from China there, though, along with the natives.
So, in a way, Netherlands was Taiwan's first 'guardian' or 'father-figure' at some point in history. Kinda weird, but funny…
Well, anyway, I hope this version was better than the last. It's certainly a much longer chapter, though. :)
