The Hetalia Global Warming Crisis; Get Out Alive
05—The Stranger
"Bravo," the stranger praised, and stopped clapping. The twelve battered countries stared blankly at the newcomer. Arthur stirred in Alfred's arms, but did not wake up.
"I didn't think you would all live through that," continued the young woman. "After all, the goal was to destroy you all. It ended up being the other way around. You should be proud."
Matthew's soft, whispery voice broke the following silence.
"Who are you?"
Amusement rippled through the group. Never before had any of them expected Canada to say that. They fell silent as the stranger began moving closer to them, trampling carelessly on the bodies of her dead companions.
She was about twenty years old, and clearly a mortal, but she held an air of authority that could match any of the powerful nations. She had long black hair and wore a clean white lab coat over a black sweater and dress pants. She wore glasses and carried a clipboard in the crook of her left arm. But what shocked the countries the most was her piercing red eyes which seemed to look into their souls when she met their eyes.
Her thin lips curved into a sneer as she answered the question. "Who I am does not concern you. All you need to know is that those like me wish to save the world," she glared at Matthew and his indigo eyes diluted. "And the only way to do that is to destroy you. All of you."
The other countries glanced at Canada, who had fallen silent. The stranger looked away and the young country's legs failed him. Russia, who stood beside him, quickly reached out and caught him, holding Matthew close for support.
Prussia's red eyes flashed angrily and he returned the stranger's deadly gaze. "And how are you supposed to save the world by killing us? You know how hard it is to wipe out a nation? Trust me, it's hard. I may not be a country anymore, but I'm still alive thanks to the power of the people I once protected."
The two crimson-eyed humans stared at each other for a long moment, and then the stranger broke away, gasping and muttering to herself. "How are you so strong..?"
"Because I'm Awesome," Gilbert grinned.
"That's enough," interrupted Ludwig, turning to the woman. "Just answer his question."
"If I'm not mistaken, you are the countries of the world," the woman began. "You not only represent the countries, you have the power of the people and control over your lands. Well, what would happen if we destroyed you, and replaced you all with humans who can control your people much better?"
"Shut up!" Romano snapped. "How would you know what it's like to support a country? Whatever happens to the land and the people will affect us… and vice versa. If you kill us, you could destroy the entire physical world, not save it, you bitch."
"That may be, but it isn't our point, and let me finish," the stranger leaned on the table. "We'll deal with that if it happens. The main reason we're out to get you is because it's the countries' fault that our world is dying."
"What do you mean 'Our fault'?" Alfred exclaimed defensively. "What right do you have to accuse us of destroying the world? As far as I can tell, you're the one who wants to destroy us."
"Good, at least we know America's thinking today, aru," China muttered unnecessarily.
"Hey!" protested Alfred, turning his head and staring at the Chinese indignantly.
"Listen to me!" the stranger hissed and the two fell silent. "All you countries ever care about is money. You don't even care how you get it. You tear up the earth looking for resources, and you don't care how much of your own land is destroyed. Then you end up producing all these horrible things that create pollutants that slowly kill the rest of the earth. What better answer is there than to remove you—the ones causing all this mass destruction—and replacing you with more sensible humans who can run your countries better than you, the countries themselves!"
The twelve nations looked away, unable to reply and afraid to meet those deadly eyes. Matthew staggered and tried to support himself. Ivan released the man from his supportive grip.
"Thanks, Russia, for that," gasped Matthew.
"You shouldn't be moving too much, Canada," Ivan replied. "Who knows what she did to you."
"Canada?"
Twelve faces turned to the woman. She was staring warmly at the small country, her red eyes losing the hypnotic affect it had earlier.
"If you really are Canada, why don't you join us?" the woman smiled encouragingly.
"M-me?" stammered Matthew, bending over to pick up Kumajiro, who was clinging to his feet the entire time.
"We can still save you," the stranger went on. "Your land isn't as destroyed as the others. I mean your large wildlife populations are in vivid contrast to America's poor wildlife. You'd be an excellent addition to the team, and quite a role model."
"Didn't you try to kill us just now?"
"I never knew it was you, Canada."
Matthew stood still, eyes thoughtful. The other countries were staring at him in disbelief, and America and Australia looked horrified. Would Canada really join someone who was willing to kill them all?
"What's in it for my friends?" Matthew eventually asked, glancing pointedly at Alfred and Arthur. If he could negotiate with this lady, maybe she would allow them all to escape alive.
The stranger sighed. "Can't you see? It's about time you became independent. It's too late for them. Listen, if you join us now, we'll make you more powerful than anyone in this room."
Matthew looked down and suppressed a shiver of dread. When he looked up his dark eyes were ice cold and had the power to fight back, surprising all the countries as well as his foe.
"Like hell am I going to abandon my brothers and my founding fathers," Matthew growled strongly, voice as cold as Canadian winter air. "You can kill me if you want, but I'm going to die by their side, not yours."
"Spoken like a true Canadian," Alfred murmured proudly. Arthur seemed to be listening, because he smiled in his sleep.
"Very well," the woman said, not the least bit concerned. "We might be able to change your mind—"
"Try me," Matthew hissed, outraged.
"—but for now…" she turned and strolled back to the door. "None of you are going to get out of this building alive."
She walked out and gently closed the double doors behind her.
Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya
The antagonist is an old original character by me.
That's all I will say.
Teehee~!
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