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Krystal Kikat—Thank you for your review; it really made my day. I never thought I would come across someone who's actually seen the original videos. And yes, we need more action-adventure, non-romantic Hetalia stories. Don't get me wrong, the other genres are great, but I can count the amount of these kinds of stories on one hand.
Names:
India—Rana Jindal
Nepal—Amisha Yadav
Somalia—Rihana Tesfa
America—Alfred Jones
Ethiopia—Merille Tesfa
New Mexico—Manuel Jones
February 14, 2031; 11:00
Elba National Park, Egypt
New Abyssinia—Safe: Addis Ababa; Djibouti; Mogadishu In Danger: Asmara, Port Sudan Fallen: Libya; Egypt; Algeria; Tunisia; Mauritania
Front Lines: Elba National Park, Egypt; Sudanese-Libyan Border
Allies—Safe: Washington DC, USA; Moscow, Eurasian Union; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China In Danger: None Fallen: None
"Duck!"
Rana Jindal, also known as the Republic of India, immediately did as his subordinate ordered, throwing his hands over his head as a deafening bang of a bomb sounded overhead, bringing down a truck behind him and sending shrapnel and sand flying everywhere. Several pieces of metal and rock smashed into his body armor, where they would probably leave bruises, though they would heal by morning. As soon as he recovered, however, he grabbed ahold of his rifle once again and fired at the enemy in front of them from his position behind the half-destroyed tank.
Cursing to himself and spitting dirt-laced saliva out of his mouth, India drew back again as the Abyssinian super soldiers returned fire, the bullets ringing off of the metal covering of the tank in a high pitched tone.
India took a deep breath, casting his eyes about the elite soldiers that had joined him on this mission, and then at the enemy fortress ahead of them. Truly, if their enemy weren't firing at him at the moment, he would've marveled at how quickly Abyssinia had been able to build this fortification wall along the Egyptian border. In little more than two and a half years, he'd managed to build a twenty-meter high walled fortress along the border, fully equipped with guns and retreating men from Egypt.
"Rana!"
India looked up to see Nepal duck under the same tank as him, fumbling slightly with the gun in her hands as she did so. His recently acquired territory certainly had many ill feelings towards him, but now certainly wasn't the time to manifest them.
"When's the airstrike coming?" She cried over the noise, brushing several strands of her brown hair out of her similarly-colored eyes. "We're pinned down!"
"They've been caught up by Abyssinia forty-five kilometers from here!" India shouted in reply, both of them covering their ears a millisecond later as their tanks and the guns on the wall began a brief volley at each other. The cannon shots lasted around three minutes before each side stopped to reload and regroup. India risked another look over to the wall to see significant cracks on it and grinned. The mineral bullets were working. "But I don't think we'll need them. We seem to be doing just fine; the heavy bombardment should be fading soon and we'll have our first breach through the wall."
"I see that my minerals are helping quite a bit in the war effort," Amisha responded, and Rana sent her a 'Don't test me' look. She was already here because India couldn't trust her to not start a revolution while he was away, she didn't need to cause more trouble while she was at it. The girl might be shy and quiet on the outside, but like most nations, she was fiery and patriotic on the inside.
"Prepare for the next heavy bombardment!" One of the generals shouted. "The wall will be falling in moments!"
Abruptly, India's phone vibrated, and he groaned, pulling it out while Nepal took the time to shoot at the enemy fortifications. Another bombshell sent a jeep flying into the air as the Abyssinians took up their last stand on the wall. Blowing more sand out of his mouth—after this he was going swimming in the Indus[1] and never coming out—he answered the call, a 15-centimeter hologram of Romano springing up into being, military uniform, rifle and all.
"Ah, so you still haven't broken through the Sudanese border?" He snarked. India rolled his eyes.
"Last I checked I've lasted longer in this war than you," he responded. "I died four weeks ago. When did you, last Tuesday?"
"Not important!" Romano snapped, cheeks coloring even through the hologram, and India smirked. "Just when exactly are you planning to break though? We're still hung up on the Libyan border wall and you are supposed to have the bullets that disintegrate their targets on the spot."
"You called at the right time; we're breaking through as I speak," India responded. "Just keep the Abyssinians busy on your front. Before I go, I've been meaning to ask: have the South Africans made a push through the southern border lately? There's been a drawback of troops from the battle these last couple days."
"No," Romano shook his head. "I'll look into it." There was a shaking on his side of the transmission as a deafening thunder sounded on India's side. "And there's the next wave! You couldn't wait five more minutes, Abyssinia?! I need to go."
"You read my mind. See you soon. Hopefully." India hung up and pocketed his phone as Nepal ducked under the tank again.
"We've broken through!" She cried, face now streaked with dust and dirt from the explosion. "Come on; we need to go!"
No more words were said as the two nations ran out into the field, guns blazing as they rushed through the debris-laced field. All around them, their soldiers followed their example and ran out into the open as well, firing at the New Abyssinians.
A large portion of the border wall had crumbled from the force of India's disintegrating bullets. A large dust cloud had been thrown up into the air as the stone crumbled. A large volley of tank shells thundered over them as they raced to the ruins of the wall. Shots fired in every direction, almost deafening.
A good portion of the super-soldiers on the wall seemed to have survived the fall (no surprise there), and a melee firefight almost immediately sprung up into place as both sides took cover behind large chunks of the ruined wall. India himself took a position close to several other of his soldiers, having lost Nepal in the chaos. He risked a glance over the piece of debris, firing at the enemy before ducking under again. Rana cursed under his breath as he did so. This wasn't going so well; the Abyssinian soldiers were recovering much too quickly for his liking. At this rate, he was probably going to die in the battle before they made any more ground, and that would mean the rest of his men would be endangered without their nation to stand with them.
All of a sudden, though, there was a chaka-chaka-chaka sound, blasting bullets—normal bullets, so the new volley must be coming from Abyssinia—overhead. India held back a gasp of surprise and risked a glance over his cover to try and figure out how to get out of this pinch. Even with the super-soldier's strength, he was almost certain that they didn't have this many guns. But the dust cloud was still up in the air, obscuring any long-range sight. Ducking back behind the slab of rock, just barely missing another bullet heading straight for his head, he grabbed his phone and clicked a call into the army's national frequency, trying to reach Nepal.
"I'm pinned down!" He cried. "What's going on? Can you see anything?"
There was static for a moment, then his territory's voice filtered through the comm.
"Yeah!" Her voice was pierced every couple moments by static, but it could be made out if India concentrated. "It's a bit hard to tell, but it seems that we're getting a third party!"
"A third party?!"
"They're Africans, shooting at the Abyssinians!"
"What?!"
India peeked over the stone again, but the cloud was still up, and he could only make out blurry shapes in through the dust. However, the enemy fire coming at him was beginning to lessen considerably. Was there a third party? But who else beside the Allies would be fighting Abyssinia?
"I'm going in," He announced into the phone. "If you see me, cover me!"
"Don't get yourself captured!"
"I'll take that as a 'good luck,' then!"
India took a deep breath, let it out again, and then burst out his hiding spot, firing at the shapes in the cloud at he raced towards them, staying low to the ground to try and prevent himself from getting shot at. A body fell while another dodged the shot, and Rana focused on the one he had missed. He clipped the soldier on the arm, disintegrating the limb's lower half. That gave him the opportunity needed to shoot the soldier down.
Two more shadows came into view, and India quickly turned his rifle on them, just barely missing them as the one crouched to the ground, taking cover, and the other rushed forwards and into sight, almost without concern for his own life. Rana paused once he saw the soldier, who was dressed in old, dented armor and carrying an outdated AK-47.
"Allies! Allies!" The man coming towards him cried in heavily accented English, throwing up an arm. An explosion sounded only a hundred or so meters away, and in unison they threw themselves on the ground and covered their heads to protect themselves from the shrapnel.
Rana could hardly believe it. These men weren't super soldiers! And they looked much too ragged to be a NATO or Eurasian Union member, so…
"Who do you fight for?" Rana cried in English once the bomb had cleared off a bit, rushing over to the man as they met in the rubble. He could tell now that he was in his mid-to-late 30s, probably from East Africa. The man grinned.
"Somalia!" He laughed. India gasped, then returned the grin and the words processed, patting him on the arm as he looked around. Abyssinia was quickly beginning to be overrun as they were attacked on both sides by the Indians and who he now could identify as Somalis. There had to be hundreds of new arrivals here, and India couldn't help but be in awe. Finally, he grabbed his phone and turned it on to Nepal's frequency.
"Amisha!" He called, laughing as he did so. "Don't shoot the third party! They're Somali rebels! They're on our side!"
February 14, 2031; 22:00
8 Miles South of the Sudanese Border
For rebels, the Somalis seemed to have pretty high morals and a good supply line.
That was easy to see as India waited from his place in an old military tent. He sat near the entrance, flap open, as a large fire blazed in the center of camp. Nepal watched beside him, the two of them still in their military uniforms, though they had been switched for a cleaner set from the ratty ones they'd been wearing while fighting. The Somali forces had all relaxed after a long day of near-constant fighting, and had set up camp in a small valley around eight miles inside the Sudanese border. India and Nepal's own army was only a couple hundred meters away, and both camps were celebrating the breakthrough into Sudan.
The Somalis had gathered around the fire, men and women alike, and had started singing a song. A man and a woman—husband and wife, India realized, since they were standing so closely[2]—had started dancing together as the other soldiers played music and sang, only slightly off tune. One had taken an Oud[3] and was strumming it almost professionally, and a few others drummed on old percussion instruments.
"I wonder what they're singing," Nepal wondered off-handedly. India shrugged, not knowing the Somali dialect needed in order to translate. Still, the two nations found themselves entranced as they listened to this song, sung by a people who had gone through so much. As they listened, the first verse began.
"Dulkayaga, dulkayaga! Waw dimanaynaa, dulkayaga! Dulkayaga, dulkayaga!"
Just as the first line ended, a young woman in a light green and blue Dirac[4] stepped into the tent, flanked by two protective-looking soldiers. The woman smiled warmly at them, and dismissed the two soldiers with a wave of her hand and sat down on the tarp-covered floor.
"Namaste, Somalia," India greeted, taking a moment to bow his head to her. Somalia's eyes twinkled as she returned the motion.
"Fiid wanaagsan[5], India, Nepal," she responded. "It's been a good day for the both of us, I presume. How are your countries?"
"I am only a territory to India now," Nepal replied curtly before India could respond. He sent her a sidelong look, but the younger nation ignored him and India himself dropped the matter quickly.
"And my people are doing well, both economically and in the war effort," Rana continued as best he could. "As I'm sure you have seen, we've discovered a new mineral that's capable of disintegrating whatever it hits at a high velocity. It's helped even out the playing field, as you can see. And your people."
Somalia's features darkened. "Most my people are still suffering in Abyssinia's hands. Several of them we fought here today as super soldiers. For those of us who escaped, it's been tough going, but Chad and Central Africa have been smuggling supplies to us from South Africa and the black market."
India blinked. "Really?"
"Yes," Somalia responded. "It was a surprise to us as well, but a welcome one. You see, back when Abyssinia first came to power almost eight years ago, it was only Ethiopia who was able to escape, and only because Abyssinia isn't half as strong on the inside as he is on the outside. It's really how we were able to survive at all, actually. Ethiopia was the one who started the rebellion. I managed to escape and help out Eritrea when she was annexed, but Djibouti is still in his grasp. As you can probably infer, finding recruits hasn't been hard."
"We're glad to hear that you're safe," Nepal put in. "After we lost contact with Abyssinia, we feared the worst."
"Well, we live. And ready to fight, as you see. This victory today has been a great one for us. We've been fighting up the coast of the Red Sea for close to a month now."
India nodded. "Your people, certainly, are celebrating still. What are they singing?"
"It's an old freedom song, back during my first republic years in the 1960s." Somalia laughed, but there was a glimmer of longing and pride in her voice as well. "The end of first verse—the one we're hearing right now—goes 'For it we have been born, And now we have the courage. Evil and difficulties we will not accept for our own Land. Not all agree with the many, For some are like the dumb, And some are like the deaf. We will die For our own Land.'"
Nepal nodded to herself, humming along as the chorus launched into its second run.
"It's appropriate," India commented. Somalia nodded in agreement.
"After such a long period of civil war and poverty, it's a wonderful feeling to have my people united and strong."
"Are there any other rebel groups? And how many of you are there?"
"Oh, several. You'd be surprised how many have come to join our cause, even if it's as sleeper agents waiting to be called. I have perhaps seven hundred thousand here and in the immediate area. Ethiopia's brought a little over a million to help out NATO in Libya. Kenya has around two hundred thousand down in Tanzania."
India balked and Nepal gasped.
"That much?" She exclaimed. Somalia grinned.
"What, do you really think Abyssinia going through this war is making him popular on the home front? Or were the brainwashed super soldiers not enough of a clue? My brother came into power with an elite force with almost no popular support. Of course most of the population was a little ticked off. When Ethiopia came to them, hardly anyone said no and even fewer reported us."
Nepal nodded, but India frowned.
"You said when Ethiopia came to see them. What did you mean by that?"
Somalia's upbeat expression fell, and India's stomach dropped.
"You have to understand," she murmured. "That we were going to be with the same amount of people for a long time. And we had no real mortal leaders as well as low morale. It was best, really, that we revealed the secret of the nations to our people."
Nepal and India stared.
February 17, 2031
Mellit, Sudan
"So, we'll be pushing through the heartland of Sudan for the next couple of weeks," Alfred announced, pointing at the location on the digital map they had put up for the meeting. "Most of our forces will push down to Al Fashir, to the southwest. It will be critical that we take the city before continuing onwards; not only does it have access to the B26 highway, but it's a major source of water in the area. We take that, we force New Abyssinia to look elsewhere for supplies. As for you, Ethiopia, you'll be taking your force and a few divisions of the Allied armies east to Umm Badr, where we can flank them once we've captured Al Fashir and moved eastwards ourselves. From there we'll move for En Nahud and then to the border of South Sudan, cutting the Abyssinian forces in two. Any major concerns?"
The nations crowded around the table gave no objections, but Alfred looked over each of them one by one for confirmation anyways. Venezuela looked determined and willing to go the extra mile as always, South Korea was examining the map closely, and Romano was starting to look a bit bored. Ethiopia, their newest addition, was nodding along seriously.
"Then we'll move out in the morning?" Venezuela asked. America nodded.
"Tomorrow morning, 0600 sharp."
Venezuela nodded, and raising her hand in farewell, pulled out her phone and called someone, most likely her commanders, to relay the orders. Romano muttered something related to logistics under his breath, then left the tent, probably to call Veneziano. America himself ducked out of the tent and entered into the sweltering heat of the Sudanese afternoon. They would need to hurry if they wanted to get their allies out by 0600 tomorrow; moving several million men was always a large operation no matter what the circumstances.
Several days had passed since India had managed to break through the Sudanese border, and things had been extremely hectic ever since. With the Allied powers learning of the extent of the African rebels' manpower and their subsequent breakthrough into Sudan, the last three days had been a whirlwind of fierce fighting, marching, and planning. Ethiopia himself had joined them two days ago.
"America! Do you have a few minutes to spare?"
Alfred turned around to see Ethiopia striding towards him.
"If it's important enough," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "What's up, man?"
"I have someone with my troops who you must meet," the African declared seriously. "It's a matter of upmost importance. I've been trying to get you for a couple days, now, but we haven't crossed paths until today."
America blinked.
"Yeah, sure," he shrugged. "Who is it?"
"You'll see." The African rebel turned, beckoning him to follow. Together, the duo strode towards the Ethiopian side of the camp. The military bases of the Allies had always been huge, but with the addition of the rebels, who had brought a mass of civilians in tow, it had basically become a moving city. As America strode just behind Ethiopia, he watched as they passed by the first rebels in Ethiopia's army. Some of them straightened as they walked past, whispering to their companions as they watched the two nations pass in awe. Others outright waved, which America returned awkwardly and Ethiopia energetically.
These people really did know who their personification was. And they seemed to like him. The realization comforted America a little bit. In the last few days the revelation of the nations by the rebels had spread like wildfire around the world. Thankfully, the Allies were distracted by the war and America, by proxy, had been affected minimally as of yet. Yet he'd worried, both for his children and himself. He knew what it was like to be the President. Now his and the states' safety would be in danger as well. Yet seeing Ethiopia's people treating him so well helped him hope that this change wouldn't be life-destroying.
"Izīhi ga! [6]" Said nation called out in Amharic, drawing America out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a jeep swinging over to meet them. The man at the helm, an African who looked to be in his mid-thirties, saluted to the two as Ethiopia climbed into the passenger seat and motioned for America to get in. The New World nation jumped into the back, and then they were off again, this time at a much faster pace.
"Sorry for the long trip," Ethiopia apologized as they drove past a small clearing, where a couple middle-aged women were distributing soup to some infantry soldiers. "The person I want you to meet is over on the civilian side of camp."
America shrugged. "At this rate, I just want to see who it is that I'm supposed to meet."
Ethiopia shot him a knowing smile, then spoke to their driver in Amharic, who nodded easily and turned the jeep down one of the many sandy roads that organized the camp. A group of children playing some form of soccer stopped in their game as they drove by. One preteen girl's eyes lit up in recognition, and she exclaimed something in her native tongue, which brought the other kids into a flurry of activity. They shouted at them, and a couple even chased the jeep for a few minutes before falling behind. Ethiopia shouted something at them jovially as they turned a corner and the kids fell out of sight.
"They really love you, don't they?" America commented.
"Yes, I suppose they do," Ethiopia replied as the jeep slowed to a stop by some old trucks and a large tent. He turned on the young superpower, brown eyes flashing. "I'm sure your people will feel the same when they meet you, America."
America didn't ask how Ethiopia could sense his nervousness. When it came to the more ancient nations (and Ethiopia had existed since at least 500 B.C.), he'd learned that some things they just knew. But, then again, there were a lot of things they didn't know, too.
Like England and his cooking.
Ethiopia hopped off the jeep, and America followed, waving goodbye to their driver as he sped off once again. Looking towards their destination, he spotted a group of men and women in white lab coats conversing near one of the trucks. Ethiopia seemed to have followed his line of sight, for his eyes landed on the group as well.
"Fräulein Bekele! Ich habe jemanden, den du gerne treffen würdest[7]!" He called out in German, causing America to blink in surprise. Who in Ethiopia would know German, of all languages? But the name sounded familiar…
One of the scientists, a young woman in her mid-twenties, looked up to see them. Her eyes widened once they landed on Alfred, who in turn froze as it all clicked together.
Layla Bekele. The young Ethiopian scientist who had saved him that day in the Abyssinian jungle. She was here.
"Layla?!" Alfred exclaimed, shocked.
"Alfred?! Ich kann dich endlich offiziell treffen[8]!" The scientist exclaimed in German, just as surprised to see him there.
"Du bist ein Rebell?" He just couldn't believe that she had joined the rebels, especially after working for the Abyssinian government. How had she managed to escape?
"Ich habe mich nach dieser Begegnung mit dir verbunden. Es war ein Weckruf." Layla laughed, delighted and caught a bit off guard. "Was bringt dich hierher?"
"Weißt du was," Ethiopia put in, shooting her a knowing look and tilting his head to indicate that they were heading towards the tent. America blinked, confused. If they weren't here to meet Layla, then who exactly was this mystery person?
"Wir sind nicht hier, um sie zu treffen?" He questioned. Ethiopia shook his head and waved a farewell to Layla, who smiled before heading back to her companions.
"Nien," he replied, excitement tinging his voice as he opened the flap to the tent. America ducked inside, taking in the interior of the temporary shelter.
Several white folding tables lined the center of the tent, supporting several microscopes and laptops. A cluster of scientists were grouped around one of the microscopes, talking rapidly in Amharic as they worked. Alfred's eyes, however, were drawn to a particularly young-looking scientist, with paler skin than his companions and lighter brown hair. The others seemed to defer to him, waiting for his approval before they moved one with the next phase of whatever they were doing.
No. No way.
"Manuel?" He whispered, voice barely above a murmur. Nevertheless, New Mexico seemed to hear his voice, because he looked up from where he'd been conversing with a scientist and towards the newcomers. Their eyes locked, and for a second that seemed an eternity, they just stared at each other.
"Daddy!" Manuel howled, dropping all previous pretenses of maturity. He shoved the scientist he'd been speaking to out of the way to rush at him, and in two long strides Alfred had caught him in his arms, swinging him up and about in a bone-crushing hug.
It didn't matter that there were a dozen other people in the room. It didn't matter that Ethiopia was right behind him. The war didn't matter reputation didn't matter nothing mattered except that Manuel was safe and here and sobbing into his arms.
And maybe Alfred shed a couple tears as well.
His legs felt as if they were going to give out, so Alfred knelt, feeling Manuel's body shake as he clutched at Alfred's uniform. Alfred himself said nothing, content to run his hands through his son's hair and just be with him.
"How did you get here?" He murmured after some time had passed. Manuel sniffed and made to pull away, but Alfred just held him tighter, refusing to let go in fear that he'd just disappear again.
"Merille and Rihana found me," Manuel replied. "Wandering in the desert. I've been here ever since."
"Oh, thank God."
"I'm afraid you may have to fight Rihana and Lebina in order to get him back," Merille commented with a smile. Alfred looked up, having forgotten that he was there. "They've fallen quite hard for him, I'm afraid."
"Thank you," Alfred replied sincerely, voice thick with emotion as he locked eyes with the African nation. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."
"Manuel's already taken care of that. He's headed our research divisions. Thanks to him we were able to replicate and reproduce your Vipeaira vaccine. Even though we couldn't smuggle him across the border, he's been very willing to aid our cause. A lot of my people owe him their lives. You should be very, very proud of him."
Alfred nodded, clutching at Manuel even tighter. He was.
Oh, he was.
[1]- A major river in India
[2]- Most Somalis are Muslim. While their nations do not usually affiliate with one religion (done purely so that I can avoid a religious war in the comments over whether America is Puritan or Lutheran or something like that), I do my best to represent their people accurately.
[3]- An instrument shaped like a small, circular guitar that makes a sound that's in between that of a harp and ukulele. It's common in the Middle East, North Africa, and Somalia.
[4]- A traditional loose-fitting Somali dress
[5]- Good Evening in Somali
[6]- እዚህ ጋ! or "Over here!" in English
[7]- "Miss Bekele! I have someone you would like to meet!"
[8]- "I finally get to formally meet you!"
"You're a rebel?"
"I joined after that encounter with you. It was a wake-up call." … "What brings you here?"
"You know what."
"We aren't here to meet her?"
"No."
World News (September 4, 2030 to February 1, 2031):
1) India breaks through a heavily fortified wall on the Egyptian-Sudanese border
2) The American-Italian invasion of Sudan through Libya failed
3) There have been a growing number of ransomware attacks infecting systems in India for some reason. Mostly in areas near Nepal. It seems to be targeting miners.
4) Another ransomware attack hits Brazil for unknown reasons.
5) More than ten million Ethiopian rebels have linked up with the Allies and have pushed through Sudan.
6) New Abyssinia is caught by surprise, and accuses Chad and Central African Republic of aiding them.
7) Chad and Central Africa join the Allied Powers
8) 700,000 Somali troops have come to India's aid on the Red Sea
9) The Ethiopian rebels claim to be led by the "personification" of their country, a man named Merille Tesfa
10) Namibia and Botswana declare their allegiance to New Abyssinia and begin harboring Abyssinians in their countries
11) Tanzanian forces have joined up with the Somalian forces against New Abyssinia
12) The rumored existence of "personifications" has been confirmed. These "nations" are slowly beginning to make public appearances