Guangzhou was a ghost town. Well, city to be exact. Even Korea mentioned that it didn't look the same as when he had last visited a few days before. America had never been to Guangzhou before, but he sensed that things were slightly off.
"Well obviously," Korea said, nudging a fallen bicycle with his foot. "No one is here, da-ze!"
"They must have already evacuated Guangzhou." Hungary said, her voice soft and wondrous. She gazed up at the buildings and the bright lights that happened to be on. "No one bothered to shut off the electricity?"
America scanned the street. Many cars, bicycles, and motorcycles were left on the side of the street and even some shop windows and fast food restaurants (some at which America was very tempted to go in and check things out) had their doors opened ajar. "Hey, you don't think anyone would mind if we borrow one of these, do you?" America asked, bending over to prop up a beautiful, gleaming red motorcycle. He brushed off the seat and patted it.
"America, that's someone's motorcycle." Hungary chided. "You can't just take it."
"She's right, da-ze." Korea said. "And besides, with everything on the ground, it would be hard to maneuver through, da-ze."
America gave them a mischievous grin. "Nothing is too hard for me." he claimed.
Hungary couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his direction. "Have you ever tried to walk in heels?"
America's triumphant grin faded. "Okay, I take it back. How can you girls walk in them?"
Hungary laughed. "We just do. Come on, we have to go attract a doppelganger's attention, right? I wonder if they'll take us to the hideout."
"What if they don't?" America asked, gently putting the motorcycle back down.
"Ahaha," Hungary laughed nervously. "Let's not think about that, shall we?"
As the three wandered down the streets, waiting for a doppelganger to snatch them up, Korea glanced up at the sky and said, "Well, how do we get them to find us, da-ze?"
"Is that question really necessary to ask?" America asked, another grin tugging at his lips. He and Korea shared a knowing look.
Hungary eyed them carefully. "What are you two planning?" she asked slowly.
"Well, if you think about it, how else can you make your presence known, da-ze?" Korea asked as America casually walked into the nearest shop. Korea beckoned Hungary to follow and she hurried after Korea and America into a well lighted small shop.
The shop was filled with chinaware ("I bet I can make a totally awesome pun based on this." America mused.) and silverware, all stocked up on the shelves. They gleamed as the three passed by. America glanced at them one by one, as if trying to see which one would make the most satisfying sound when broken.
Wait a second... Hungary stopped and shot an exasperated look at America and Korea, who took down a few plates to inspect them. They even went as far as to tap a spoon on the plate to test its sound.
"Wait!" Hungary cried. "You can't just break plates in the shop!"
"Oh come on, we'll even leave some money on the counter." America said. "It's all good."
"No matter how many plates you smash it won't carry across the city." Hungary said pointedly. "Put them down."
"Hmmm," Korea cocked his head thoughtfully. "Nah, I think we're good."
"Yup. It's dead silent out there anyway." America said, glancing out the window. "And I've always wanted to do this."
America and Korea grabbed as many plates as they could carry and lifted them above their heads. Hungary stepped back, scolding, "Well don't throw straight down then. Throw them elsewhere, honestly."
America and Korea turned simultaneously and hurled the chinaware down onto the ground away from them. Hungary had an uneasy feeling as she watched the plates break upon contact with the ground. The three waited in the eerie silence that followed, but nothing happened.
"I told you it wasn't enough." Hungary sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "It would take every plate in the shop to-I mean, I didn't mean it literally!" She rushed forward to prevent America and Korea from pushing over a whole shelf of goods over. Pulling America and Korea out of the shop, she scowled, "And to think that I let you break someone's things like that."
Korea yanked his arm from Hungary's tight grip and said, "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best idea, da-ze. However, I just got a better idea!"
Hungary released America and looked expectantly at the Korean man, waiting for him to go on.
"America, you have your gun with you, da-ze. Right?"
America fished for his gun and whipped it out for Korea and Hungary to see. "Tada! Pretty cool, huh guys?" he asked, catching the chinaware shop's light with the gun.
Korea snatched the gun from America and pointed it to the sky. "Oh, I see." America said, recovering from Korea snatching his gun. "A gunshot will definitely ring through the city! They'll have to find us!"
Hungary nodded her approval. "Alright then, let's see which doppelganger is coming our way then. Go on."
Korea pulled the trigger and an explosion shattered the night. The night wasn't the only thing shattered however; almost immediately after the shot a window from the building across the street shattered and the glass shards plummeted to the ground. Korea laughed nervously under Hungary's 'Are you serious?' look. "Accident, da-ze?"
"By the looks of it, is was no accident, was it Korea?" America sneered.
Korea gave America a haughty look. "Well I was only trying to help, da-ze."
But America gave Korea a bewildered expression. "That wasn't me dude." he cried.
Korea stared blankly at America. "Well fu-"
"Get down!" Hungary ordered, pulling America and Korea down as a barrage of bullets flew over their heads. She shoved them behind a car and pressed her back against the metal door. "That's Dark America, isn't it?" she breathed, bringing her gun out.
A chill ran through America's body but he nodded curtly. "That's him alright. I know my voice well."
"Well obviously, who wouldn't, da-ze?" Korea asked, peering through the windows of the car to catch a glimpse at Dark America. "What? Where'd he go, da-ze?"
America and Hungary turned and craned their necks to follow Korea's gaze. America frowned when he only saw an empty sidewalk. "I don't..." He stopped when a small clink caught his attention. A wave of alarm caused him to grab a hold of Korea's arm and Hungary's arm and drag them away from the car. "Get out!" he yelled.
He managed to drag them back inside the chinaware shop as the grenade exploded, catching the car on fire. The windows in the chinaware shop exploded, showering over them with tiny glass fragments. Hungary hastily brushed the glass out of her long light brown hair. They all ducked as another barrage of bullets destroyed what glass was left in the window frame.
"Hey!" Korea yelled towards the streets. "You do realize that you can kill us, right?"
Dark America's response was another shower of bullets and Korea ducked back down, giving America a curious look. "So now what do we do, da-ze? I thought Germany said that they weren't willing to kill us, da-ze."
"They aren't supposed to." America breathed.
Hungary sighed. "Oh great, we have a rebellious doppelganger."
America couldn't help but chuckle. "I was pretty rebellious when I was young."
"No kidding, da-ze." Korea mused.
Hungary crawled along the glass littered floor to the backroom. "Come on. Let's find a way out of here. Remember, we have to let him catch us. We can't overpower him."
America laughed. "I doubt we can by ourselves. I may be a hero but we need more than one for this dude." he added in a more subtle tone.
They crawled into the backroom and got off of their knees. Brushing the dirt from their pant legs, they ran down the small hall and flung open the backdoor and into a small narrow alleyway.
"Towards him!" Hungary said hastily, running alongside the wall of the building. "Remember, let him capture us! Act natural!"
"Don't worry!" America grinned. "Leave it all to me." He gave her a thumbs up and ran ahead of her, sliding across the ground to reveal himself to Dark America back on the streets.
"Hey you!" America called to Dark America. "That's right! The hero's right here!"
Dark America turned his head to look at his original. America had successfully suppressed a small shudder when he finally met his doppelganger's gaze. Dark America's dark red eyes pierced through him; he knew it sounded cheesy even in his head, but Dark America's eyes seemed as if they could see into his very soul.
"You don't seem to be frightened." Dark America said thickly. "I'm curious about this, why make yourselves known? Hm?"
America flashed Dark America a wide smile. "Because..." He pointed to himself with his thumb. "As a full fledged, hero, I must put a stop to every doppelganger and bring justice to the world!"
Korea stepped up and added, "And we're all here to stop you, da-ze!"
Dark America looked highly amused. "Bring justice? Lies. Your sense of justice is not justice to anyone else. Your sense of justice is merely a vague term for your sense of want. You want the world to go the way you want, is that not right, dude?" He laughed again and added, "Your sense of justice is merely shaped by your beliefs. What other people call justice is different from what you call it. Think back, will you?"
America looked unfazed. Hungary and Korea gave him props for not showing rage and shooting the shit out of Dark America.
"England had taken care of you for a while." Dark America mused. "He raised you as his little brother. What happened next? You turned on him and broke away. His people did not think that was justice. Sure, it might seem like the most reasonable thing to do, and sometimes what you do is justice, but was all of that war really necessary? You're just a young fool who picks a fight."
America gave Dark America a cocky grin. "Maybe you're right. But hey, it's who I am. It's who we are, so don't you try to change us!"
America raised his gun and aimed at Dark America. Hungary gave America a startled look. "Hey, we're not supposed to-" she hissed.
"I know, I know." America whispered back. "But trust me. Follow my lead you guys." America sent a cool gaze towards Dark America and pulled the trigger.
But for some odd reason America's arm jerked wildly away from Dark America and he ended up hitting another shop window across the street. "Oh no!" he cried out in a highly exasperated tone. "How could I have missed that?"
Confused, Hungary watched as America tried to shoot Dark America again but his arm jerked up to the sky and he shot up into the air. "Oh dear! How my aim has gravely worsened!" America groaned in a fake, mortified tone.
Korea picked up what they were supposed to do and took his turn. He charged forward but somehow 'tripped' over a fallen sign post and fell to the ground. "Oh no, da-ze!" Korea gasped. "I have fallen and I can not get up, da-ze!"
Hungary had a wild urge to slap both America and Korea. She told them to act natural. How on earth was this natural!
Dark America only watched indifferently as America and Korea continued to make fools of themselves. America seemed as if he was a stunt double in an action movie, jumping to the side as if he was dodging an invisible volley of bullets. He landed into the streets and shot at Dark America but he only hit the cars behind Dark America. "Oh how cruel this gun can be to me!" America groaned. "And how my side hurts! I bet anyone, and I mean anyone, can come over and take me captive without me being able to fight back! Oh cruel, cruel world!"
Korea, on the other hand, acted as if he was in one of his dramas. He raised a wobbly hand towards Hungary and said hoarsely. "Hungary, my dear Hungary...da-ze...I am no more! I can not stand to live life any longer! The world has fallen. The doppelgangers have taken over, da-ze. No longer am I a nation, but I am now one of the forgotten, one of the past...I am now eternally bound to history, da-ze. But please...if you get back to Germany's..." Korea let out two weak coughs. "When you get back to Germany...tell Aniki and the others that...that I...I...love them..."
Dark America folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Bravo," he said sarcastically. "What a way to end your life dude. But no, seriously. I need you alive so I'm afraid I'll have to bring you back. Hungary, seeing that you haven't even tried to shoot me leads me to think that you three intend for me to capture you three."
Hungary froze.
"Come now, don't give me that expression." Dark America snickered. "It was obvious the moment I heard you three smash the plates. Who in their right mind will do that here?"
Hungary gave Dark America a cold gaze. "Why are you here?" she whispered gravely.
"'Scuse me?" Dark America cocked his ear to her.
"Why are you here of all doppelgangers?" Hungary demanded aggressively. "We're in China. Why are you here, Dark America?"
Dark America didn't answer right away. "Dark America, huh?" Dark America mused. "Dark...America. Dark..." Dark America seemed to like the way the words rolled on his tongue. "So is that how you refer to us? Doppelgangers and Dark whatever, am I right? Dude, even though you're the enemy, that's totally badass."
America glanced at his doppelganger. "Yup, that's mine alright." he grinned.
Korea lifted his head and said, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be knocked out, da-ze?"
"Aren't you?" America shot back.
Korea was silent. "Shut up, da-ze."
Dark America glanced at America on the ground and scoffed. "No matter. I'll do you a favor and capture you. But not for your benefit; you three will be captured for our own. Ha, this will be great. I have my own original right here...this is going to be so damn great!"
Hungary gritted her teeth as she was blindfolded. Dark America had bound her to the other three with rope. Dark America was very strong and she felt as if her blood circulation was completely cut off the moment he pulled at the ropes.
She, America, and Korea let out a small sound of surprise when the three were slung over Dark America's shoulders and carried around as if they were a sleeping bag. Dark America said, "Don't act all surprised. You should know that I'm plenty strong."
Hungary wasn't sure how long they had been on Dark America's shoulders. She worried that one of them would slip from their places and get caught in the ropes, strangling themselves. However, the ropes were tight and they never felt like they'd unravel.
It felt as if a whole hour passed when Dark America finally tossed them down to the ground. The three of them grunted as they landed; America was unfortunate enough to be the one on the bottom face down while Korea and Hungary's combined weight threatened to suffocate him.
"So where do you want them?" a familiar voice asked.
China? Hungary thought, but it wasn't China, but rather Dark China.
"I dunno, where do you want them?" Dark America asked.
"Throw Hungary in with Liechtenstein." Dark China said. "Korea can go with Estonia, aru. And...is that America?" Dark China sounded stunned.
"You can bet your panda on it." Dark America laughed.
Footsteps closed in on the three and Hungary felt someone's foot tilting them over so they could get a look at America who was suffocating on the ground. "Well what do you know..." Dark China whispered.
"I know right? Am I good or what?" Dark America mused.
Dark China chuckled darkly. "Alright then. Give him his own cell. aru. A cell with the five inch iron doors."
"Like the one Russia has?"
Hungary still couldn't see what was going on, but she could envision Dark China smiling viciously. "Yes, exactly like Russia's."