A Fictional History of the United States- A Most Ambitious Crossover

by Ulysses Orbis

A historical summary of the United States set in a universe incorporating hundreds of works of fiction and mythology. It started as a fictional Presidents with footnotes. It now includes multiple character team ups from different franchises as the forces of good battle against alien invaders, secret conspiracies, and Damien Thorn, the future Emperor of the Galaxy and Anti-Christ.

13. Of Pandemics and Elections Part 2

Of Pandemics and Presidential Elections, Part 2

The scientist bowed his head with respect. "I can assure you, Mr. Flagg, that the Kongoli Flu is far more potent than whatever third rate crap the Chinese have cooked up. My products are biological weapons of the highest caliber. I can arrange for a plague targeted to kill exactly as many people as you please. This particular bug I developed while working with the Russians. With a 45% percent fatality rate, it will kill hundreds of millions of people worldwide by the end of the year," declared Bertram Cabot Jr. "I'm frankly surprised you want me to concoct another disease. Isn't the Kongoli Flu good enough, my lord? It is a product of very fine caliber."

Flagg's eyes flared. "We're not just looking for global chaos, Cabot. We're seeking the total collapse of the American Republic. We need multiple catastrophes located entirely in America, to drive home the point that the American experiment is a failure. Despite all that's been thrown at it over the past couple of centuries, the American Republic has proven remarkably durable. Bismarck was speaking literally when he said that America is protected by divine providence. Specifically, there is a trio of goddesses- Libertas, Columbia, and Justice- tasked with protecting America's freedoms. These guardians were appointed by YHWH himself. They have been subdued briefly before, but not entirely conquered. For their power to be broken completely, there must be three plagues to weaken all three goddesses, which will allow us to defeat them completely. All of the war and chaos we've unleashed was intended to weaken their power, to bring us to the point where they will soon fall. The fertility plague has laid barren the womb of Oothoon. Now, we just need one final plague to subdue Justice. One last disaster to prove that American democracy is broken beyond repair, that the only solution is our absolute authority. Then we will confront the trio directly."

Cabot fell to his knees. "You must not doubt my religious commitment, my lord. I am Lucifer's loyal servant. Nevertheless, unleashing three plagues carries the risk of wiping out America entirely, rendering it unusable as an imperial heartland. Perhaps a regional outbreak of zombies? I still have some samples from my days at Umbrella."

"No, zombies are overdone. Unfashionable. Decades out of date. Cabot, I'm tired of them."

"There is Mr. Bamberly's recommendation regarding the biological weapons used in Honduras and Olancho. I could quickly replicate the bacterial samples. Unleash E Coli in America's water supply. A little simple, but it'll get the job done. Will it be devastating enough for His Infernal Purposes?"

"It will suffice in crushing the goddesses. The exact casualty count is insignificant. All that matters is that we will finish the spell."

"We have detected a significant number of cases of both COVID-19 and the Kongoli Flu in the Continental United States. We are dealing with not one, but two pandemics. This is an unprecedented crisis."
- CDC Scientist Ellis Cheever

"President Hale is taking advice from the war criminal Harvey Wallinger…. I am proud to say that Harvey Wallinger is not my friend."

"Once again, the Democratic Primaries have been RIGGED! In 2016, I was illegally barred from running, and Frank Underwood arranged for a staged assassination attempt in order to gain sympathy votes. They let me run this year because they were pretending to be fair. But I now see that THEY were never going to allow us to win. We have strong evidence that the primary votes in several states were electronically altered. And now the President is cancelling the remaining primaries in the name of social distancing. She has accumulated an illegal lead in delegates, and has now made it impossible for the voters to remove her democratically. The Democratic Party has been corrupted beyond all repair! It's time to smash the two-party system! Burn it all down! Destroy the bourgeois parties! For years, I have held my tongue and endorsed the Democratic candidates for President in the name of fighting a greater evil. But, today, no longer. I will be running for President as an independent! It's time to bring the wicked capitalist system to its knees! Socialism Forever!"
- Julian Felsenburgh

"Thousands of people are dying from disease every day, and yet the President continues to play political games with test distributions and social distancing enforcement. It is clear that she is uninterested in containing the spread. My district in Queens is the hardest hit in the country, and yet the federal and New York state governments are blocking the delivery of medical supplies and professionals. I believe the President is retaliating against my constituents because of my vocal opposition to the Hale administration's betrayal of progressive values. I am not with her. I cannot in good conscience remain a member of a political party which overturns the electoral process in order to maintain the regime of a murderous psychopath. My good friend Senator Felsenburgh has asked me to serve as his Vice Presidential candidate. I am proud to join him here today as his running mate. It is fitting we gather here in Fort Beulah, Vermont where warriors for democracy resisted the Windrip dictatorship. Now, we defenders of democracy come here again to resist corporatist authoritarianism and fascist theocracy."
- Anabel Ysidro-Campos

"Both Hale and Scudder are terrible jerks, but there's something about Felsenburgh that leaves me uneasy- his criticisms are sound, but his solutions are incredibly violent. The American people deserve a better choice. Its time I resume the position which was wrongly stolen from me by vampires and giant spiders- I will run for President again!"
- Quentin Trembley

"We are facing a rapid and total collapse in America's public health. Contamination in the water supply has resulted in over 35 million recorded cases of E Coli induced enteritis. Tens of thousands are dead- we're still calculating casualties. The disease is not localized- it's all over the country. Our hospitals have zero capacity for the influx of tens of millions of people. This is an unprecedented crisis. Disturbingly, babies and young children are being disproportionately killed by this disease. At a time when birth rates are so low, our children are a more precious resource than ever. The ongoing pandemics and economic crisis have put a severe strain on our ability to deliver essential goods to American citizens, and now even our food and water supplies are contaminated. Fortunately, President Hale has contracted the Bamberly Trust to deliver millions of tons of Nutripon- safe food and water will be available to the American people… The rumors regarding contaminated Nutripon causing insanity are completely ridiculous. Dangerous conspiracy theories from radical leftists who hate America. In fact, Nutripon may even help save lives- it prevents the onset of severe symptoms from the Kongoli Flu. Even Nehemiah Scudder is recommending it be used as a drug. I personally am eating Nutripon regularly."
- White House Communications Director Dan Egan

HONG KONG POLICE FOIL ASSASINATION ATTEMPT ON FORTUNE PARTY COUNCILLOR

HONG KONG STUDENT ACTIVISTS ACCUSE CHINA OF STAGING FALSE FLAG OPERATION

CHINA'S NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS PASSES NATIONAL SECURITY LAW FOLLOWING FAILED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

CHINESE DEPLOY SENTINELS TO HONG KONG FOLLOWING MUTANT CLASHES WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

PRESIDENT HALE DECLINES TO CONDEMN INTERNMENT OF UYGHURS AND MUTANTS IN XINJIANG
- Basin City Sun

"Recent research investigations have confirmed information provided by the intelligence agent QAnon. The Chinese Communist Party is exporting babies from Jiuguo province to the United States so that leading Democrats may engage in infant cannibalism to expand their lifespans. Chinese Communist Party Officials regularly consume infants bred in Jiuguo…"
-The Epoch Times

"Gabriel Bell died a hero! The Sanctuary Districts must be demolished! No more concentration camps for the poor! For decades, police in the United States have persecuted Black People, killing and imprisoning us by the millions. We were persecuted for the crime of existing! The Purge and the establishment of the Sanctuary Districts have laid bare how little America cares for People of Color. They don't even pretend anymore! They just want to kill us! Look at what they did to Gabriel Bell! He was sent to the Sanctuary District because of a fake twenty-dollar bill! He showed the world the truth of the Sanctuary Districts! When he tried to peacefully surrender to the San Francisco Police, they suffocated him! We saw him tell them he couldn't breathe, we begged the Police to stop! They murdered him in cold blood. He was my friend since middle school, and they killed him! Black Lives Matter! My friend's life mattered! The riots in San Francisco are only the beginning. Across the nation, millions are marching for Justice, Justice for Gabriel Bell! We must abolish the Sanctuary Districts, abolish the Purge, abolish prisons, abolish the police! Let the attacks on the institutions of oppression in San Francisco be the beginning! Let the death of Gabriel Bell spark a revolution!"
- Montgomery Allen, speaking at a Black Lives Matter protest in San Francisco

"The Gabriel Bell Riots instigated a summer of mass protests and civil unrest in the United States. While Gabriel Bell was killed in the aftermath of a riot protesting the treatment of the homeless in Sanctuary Districts, the initial protests following his death were focused on racial injustice. San Francisco was a putatively liberal city, but high living costs and maltreatment by law enforcement had left the city uninhabitable for African-Americans and the poor. The killings of other African-Americans by police around the same time also instigated mass protests. Black Lives Matter marches eventually gave way to riots and protests reacting to America's economic collapse. Before the triple pandemics, unemployment had gradually declined from its height of 28% during the 5/9 crash of 2015. Mass closures and public health restrictions imposed due to the triple pandemics saw millions lose their jobs in a nation still recovering from Depression. The protests thus became more general, demanding the amelioration of America's worsening social and economic problems. Mass unemployment and social upheaval further fueled the unrest. Crime skyrocketed as the desperate looted stores while right-wing militants attacked the protesters… Nehemiah Scudder furiously denounced Black Lives Matter and the Gabriel Bell Riots, calling for the protesters to be massacred. The Hale administration's militarized response to the riots was deemed by Scudder to be woefully insufficient. Scudder accused Hale of deliberately fostering the unrest in order to start a race war. While there was initially broad public support for the protests, there was a racist backlash on the right, which caused conservatives to unite behind Scudder's hardline racist policies. Many supporters of Scudder embraced the white genocide conspiracy theory. When Scudder took power and formed the Republic of Gilead, he made good on his promises of oppression- Gilead's Army killed thousands of Black Lives Matter activists and committed numerous atrocities against African-American rebels in 2021. When the so-called Space Traders (the popular name for a faction of Goa'uld) contacted Gilead in January 2022, demanding tribute, Scudder seized the opportunity to end what he referred to as America's "Black Problem". Scudder was so excited at this possibility he granted the Space Traders an exemption from Gilead's policy of mandatory genocide against all alien species. America's oldest racial prejudice proved more powerful than the cries of "Humanity First", allowing the Great Trade to take place. Scudder privately offered the Space Traders the entire African-American population as slaves. The Space Traders publicly declared they would give America the wealth and technology needed to repair the country in exchange for all African-Americans. Scudder then arranged for a popular referendum in which the Space Traders proposal was overwhelmingly approved. On America's final Martin Luther King Day (a holiday subsequently abolished by Gilead), millions of African-Americans were loaded into Goa'uld cargo ships and taken off the planet. The Gilead regime had only gradually imposed their social policies at first in order to maintain political legitimacy but following the referendum dramatically imposed numerous draconian laws in response to Black resistance to the Deportations. Gilead was ultimately unable to fulfil Scudder's dream of an America free of Black people. Only half of America's black population was enslaved by the Space Traders. Nevertheless, mass reprisals by Gilead against African-Americans who violently resisted escalated into a nearly successful campaign of ethnic cleansing. The gold and technology provided by the Space Traders allowed Gilead to limit the effects of United Nations sanctions and wage a civil war for another four years…. A more detailed account of the Bell Riots: From Blake to Bell: A History of African-American Resistance can be downloaded for free from our archives."
- Encyclopedia Galactica

BLACKOUTS ON THE EAST COAST: TENS OF MILLIONS WITHOUT POWER

SUMMER BLACKOUTS GO NATIONWIDE: MAJORITY OF NATION WITHOUT POWER AS PANDEMICS RAGE

HUMANITARIAN CRISES FUEL SPREAD OF GABRIEL BELL RIOTS

MILITARY CONFLICT BETWEEN IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA ESCALATES IN PERSIAN GULF BATTLE

HALE RELEASES EMERGENCY PETROLEUM RESERVE

63 KILLED BY GOVERNMENT LASER CANNON IN COLORADO RIOTS OVER NUTRIPON DISTRIBUTION

THOUSANDS KILLED IN GABRIEL BELL RIOTS MOSTLY VICTIMS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAY WATCHDOG GROUPS

500,000 DEAD OF KONGOLI FLU, AN INCALCUABLE TRAGEDY
- New York Times

"We are facing multiple pressing security crises in addition to the Pandemics. Trainite terrorists are targeting key infrastructure points in an attempt to destroy industrial civilization. These environmentalist terrorists are no different from the Unabomber. We are still trying to determine who is behind the attacks on the power grid. It seems the multiple attacks on our power supply were carried out not by one, but multiple organizations, possibly working together. We can confirm that the Russians were behind at least one of the blackouts. It seems that the terrorist organization Dabbur Zhan was behind another cyber-attack, although the conspiracy seems to be elaborate… I am granting sweeping emergency powers to FBI Director Madeline Burke to crush the domestic enemies of the United States. Burke and National Security Advisor Flag will have the full, unrestricted powers of the United States Government to go after domestic terrorists and rioters. They shall have unlimited license to do whatever is necessary to keep America safe. Mutant Insurgents, Radical Leftists, those using the Black Lives Matter protests as an excuse for terrorism and insurrection, foreign agents in disguise- none of them are safe. We will wipe them out completely… Previous administrations have tolerated the existence of the illegitimate pseudo-state in the Pacific Northwest which calls itself Ecotopia. These scattered communes at first posed no real threat to the sovereignty of the United States. But now, the Ecotopia communes are being used as a base and training ground for radical leftists- Antifa, the Left Eye, the Trainites- who are currently engaged in terrorist acts against America. Ecotopia has served as a haven for criminal mutants, escaped replicants, illegal extraterrestrials, and other miscreants. In particular, Ecotopia is responsible for the ongoing unrest in Portland. I will not allow these freakish traitors to continue to undermine the American way of life any longer. I am authorizing military force to dissolve the Ecotopia communes and arrest all those defying constitutional government."
- President Claire Hale

"Weak, weak, weak! When Nehemiah and I are in office, we will not suffer any of these sinners to live! God has ordained we kill them all! Use NUKES on Ecotopia! Scudder/Stillson 2020!"
- Greg Stillson

EINE WELTE OHNE WINDEN: KERNKRAFTWERK UNFALL ZERDOFT STADT IN DEUTSCHLANDS TSCHERNOBYL (A World Without Winden: Nuclear Power Plant Accident Destroys City in Germany's Chernobyl)
- Der Spiegel

"The new Prime Minister of Norway, this Jesper Berg, has proposed a radical solution to curb climate change. He is developing thorium-based technology which will allow nuclear power plants to completely replace Norway's use of fossil fuels. The Green Party platform states they intend to shut down Norway's production of fossil fuels entirely. I think presents an enormous opportunity to force the EU under our thumb given continental dependence on Norway's oil. If we were to use military force to threaten or compel the continued production of fossil fuels in Norway, the European Union would be in our debt, and we could permanently secure our eastern frontier… No NATO will not be a problem much longer. Our attacks on America's electricity grid will quicken the collapse of the United States. America is already overextended in the Middle East and Korea. Violence after the presidential election will cripple America's remaining capacity to defend Europe. Scudder has discussed withdrawing from NATO. But even if NATO survives until next year, it will only exist on paper. Europe will be ours!"
-Russian President Viktor Petrov

"The disastrous events of the year 2020 are no accident. What has unfolded is the result of a plot by corrupt universalists to destroy Europe, to destroy the West, in order to pave the way for the complete subjugation and annihilation of our people. We have gathered before the Bundestag to protest the tyrannical restrictions imposed upon the liberty of the German people by that wet noodle Angela Merkel in the name of "public health". But in a certain sense, Merkel is irrelevant. She is a tool for darker, more sinister forces- an international conspiracy- that seeks to make us all their slaves. Europe stands on the brink. We have had not one, but two nuclear power plant explosions this year. First, the Winden Nuclear Power Plant exploded, killing thousands and spreading radiation across the country. A few months later, a nuclear accident in Belgium caused power outages across the Low Countries. Prime Minister Hillebrand, under the orders of her universalist masters, is keeping Belgium in a state of darkness. Islamism is on the rise in France, while western civilization falters. And of course, we have the unholy trinity- COVID-19, the Kongoli Flu, and this mysterious fertility disease. These catastrophes are all part of the same plan- white genocide. White people in America and in Europe are under attack. Diseased refugees and gypsies flood across our lands, killing our people. In the United States, communists have incited a race war with the staged killing of Gabriel Bell. The riots by American Blacks were deliberately orchestrated by the Chinese in collaboration with a universalist Fifth Column as part of a plot to bring down Western Civilization. The Underwoods having pledged allegiance to Satan, communism, and the universalist elites, have deliberately sabotaged the United States, bringing it to the brink of ruin. Even now, the power outages reported in Belgium and Germany have spread to the United States. The hysterical war mongering neocons claim that the Russians launched cyber-attacks on America's power grid, thus accelerating America's ongoing social breakdown. While I bear the Russians no love given their crimes against the German people, the supposed Russia connection, RussiaGate, is a Big Lie. The enemies of the West, the foes of Christianity, are trying to start a second war between Russia and the United States so as to divide the West and leave it ready for conquest. Europe will soon be swarmed by animalistic Jihadists and foreign mutants. The United States will soon be conquered by immigrants and mutant degenerates, as the Russian and American militaries decimate each other. The Chinese Communists and their Fifth Column agents are in turn the puppets of an evil satanic alien race, the Reptilians. All of humanity is in peril from the Goldstein-Reptilian menace."
- Alternative for Tomania (AFT) Chairman and Television Comedian "Adenoid Hynkel" in Berlin speaking to anti-COVID-19/Kongoli Flu lockdown protesters

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HERBERT LOVE DIES OF KONGOLI FLU

GHOSTBUSTERS TO INVESTIGATE WHO IS OPERATING HERBERT LOVE'S TWITTER ACCOUNT
- Slugline

"We have seen an explosion of anti-Semitism around the globe in the past few years, as far-right Human Supremacists have also included Jews in their long list of scapegoats and undesirables. We have explained in prior reports how Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists have targeted Jews during the annual Purge Night... Disturbingly, anti-alien conspiracy theories have merged with classic anti-Semitic tropes. Modern bigotry has resurrected more ancient prejudices. Polls show that a majority of Republicans believe that alien Reptilians are in secret control of the United States. This conspiracy theory is also believed by supporters of the left-wing Julian Felsenburgh. While Yeerks, Skrulls, Fascinators, Pod People, Rigelians and the recent Space Bug infiltration of Congress have inflamed paranoia over alien infiltration of the American government, there is no evidence to suggest that the governments of Earth have been consistently controlled by a single alien race for any length of time. There is no evidence to suggest that Reptilian species have any control over Earth politics. It is now accepted as dogma by Nazi groups that Jews are Reptilians in disguise who secretly rule Terra. Republican presidential candidate Nehemiah Scudder has repeatedly espoused the Reptilian conspiracy theory, but has denied any anti-Semitic context to his claims. Numerous associates of the Scudder campaign, including those who have appeared with Scudder at campaign events, have publicly promoted the false claim that Jews are Reptilians. Republican Politicians, Hydra apologists, Friends of Humanity chapter chairs, QAnon supporters, pastors and media personalities have endorsed the theory. Prominent members of the Gilead movement and proxies of the Sons of Jacob are quietly plotting anti-Semitic pogroms in addition to Scudder's planned anti-alien genocide, with the Reptilian theory as justification… The only benefit is that the false conspiracy theories regarding vampires (Most Vampires are not Jews, and most Jews are not Vampires) have mostly vanished."
- Anti-Defamation League

"These attacks against me are ridiculous! There was no cover up of the New Haven shooting. I was simply following standard procedure. I oppose all forms of racism and white supremacy. I have spent my career uplifting African-Americans professionally. In fact, I helped recruit David Palmer for the Presidency, and served loyally in his administration. I would have voted for Palmer three times if I could have."- Josh Lyman, Connecticut Governor

"The deployment of our military in the Lingshan Islands was intended as a defensive measure. Powerful alien technology was discovered on the Islands, which must be secured by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to ensure the safety of our borders. The American refusal to recognize this threat, and instead mount an attack on our forces in the Lingshan Islands is but the latest in a series of provocations dating back to the murder of our Supreme Leader. This is an illegal act of war by the fascist barbarians, and True Korea will respond in kind."
- Ri Chung-ryeol, August 7th, 2020

"Fear not, loyal Koreans! I was born of Heaven, and Heaven has sent me back to you. I have arrived on this unicorn, this heavenly steed, as proof of Heaven's support for the Korean people. We will vanquish the evil invaders! We are backed by divine providence!"
- Kim Jong-Un, aside a giant unicorn

"Madame President, North Korea has deployed biological weapons carried by missiles in numerous South Korean cities. Thousands of zombies have been sighted in urban centers, and the disease is rapidly spreading. It's the same strain of disease that spread in 2016- the Norks probably captured some specimens then for military purposes. South Korean authorities are recommending civilians remain in their houses and apartments to await rescue… As for Kim Jong-Un, I can only conclude he has been resurrected by some dark, possibly demonic magic. The rumors regarding the Kim Family possessing Metahuman genes appear to be true, unfortunately. We are dealing with a Class-Omega Mutant."
- Secretary of Defense Amanda Waller

Damien Thorn stared at the secret agent. "Neil, I'm confused. Just who exactly was arming Andrei Sator?"

"The source of his weapons is still under investigation. If we knew exactly who it was, we would have stopped them by now. There are innumerable suspects- in the future you have many enemies. Our intelligence reports indicate that Romulan separatist radicals are the masterminds- but of course they use front groups so we haven't encountered them directly. The leaders are almost certainly aliens- by sending a bomb to Sator which would have destroyed the Earth, they not only kill you but prevent the Terran Empire from ever forming. The Romulans have proved particularly cunning and adept at resisting Terran conquest- this has all the hallmarks of a Romulan operation," said Neil.

"This isn't the first occasion time travelers have tried to kill me, you know. The Time Lords tried to murder me as a child. Those of lesser power as well. Even my own stepfather tried to kill me."

"Yes, you mentioned that in a speech in the future. But it's going to get worse. I must warn you, your Imperial Majesty, that the attacks will escalate in frequency over the next few years as you enter a critical phase in Earth history. A lot of time travelers will target you just before you take power in attempts to stop the formation of the Empire at the last minute. We've foiled numerous attempts on your life in the linear past without notifying you before- most of them weren't worth your time- but given the heightened risk to your personal safety, I think it's time we start to cooperate closely. Rest Assured, your Imperial Majesty, that Tenet is more than capable of protecting you and the integrity of the timeline." Neil's arm shot up in a salute. "Long Live Your Imperial Majesty Damien Thorn! Long Live the Empire!"

_ _ _

"It's no use, Stuart!" moaned the mouse Dinkan. "How many missions has the Rescue Aid Society sent to this year? 2020 is a time of evil so powerful and ubiquitous nothing we do works. Even if we manage to stop the Scudder/Stillson ticket, something equally bad will happen instead! It's impossible to stop the Black Thing, impossible! Evil always wins!"

"Don't lose hope!" cried Stuart Little. "We may have failed in our mission here today. But there are infinite points in time to manipulate, and not all of them are fixed. I've sent a proposal to RAS headquarters requesting further expeditions into Earth's deep past. The fate that awaits the world was not always ordained. The key to changing the future lies in parts of the past too obscure for Macavity's minions to think about. We won't fail again."

_ _ _

A woman in a white pantsuit walked up the stairs to the third floor of New York City Hall, exiting the staircase into a wide lobby. Numerous paintings lined the walls of the lobby. In the middle of the lobby was a giant reception desk. A sign reading OFFICE OF EXTERNAL THREATS was suspended above the desk. A bored clerk, a black woman in her forties wearing a face mask, was browsing her desktop. The woman in white approached the clerk. "I've been told this is where I file a permit."

"We have several different kinds of permits. What is the nature of your business?"

"I have come to file a permit declaring my intentions- I am the Great Enemy, the one destined to bring doom to New York City. This City- WILL FALL!"

"I'm sorry, lots of people want to destroy New York. You're the third Great Enemy who's come here just this week. You're going to have to be more specific as to who you are."

"Have you not seen the reports of the creatures walking your streets? The monsters lurking in the darkness? Do you not recognize these ancient terrors from the dawn of your species? Do you not remember from your primordial memories those terrible specters who made you fear the night? Those to whom this world properly belongs? I am a servant of the Great Old Ones. I am the manifestation of R'lyeh, greatest and oldest of the cities of Earth. The brief dominion of your people over this world is at an end. The stars are aligning. The Great Old Ones will return! I have come to prepare the way for their return."

The clerk rubbed her forehead. "The Great Old Ones… yeah… I remember that from my Comparative Religions class. So we have a file classification for religious extremists. And to what purpose does your visit here fulfil your religion's agenda?"

"My purpose is the end of New York!" screamed R'lyeh.

The External Threats clerk shook her head. "Ma'am, could I direct your attention to our art gallery?" She pointed to the dense grouping of pictures and paintings on the wall to her left. "Can you find the picture of the ships in New York Harbor?"

R'lyeh walked to the wall to get a better view of the art. The first picture in the row was a finely detailed colored lithograph created by Currier and Ives. Two grey armored ironclads were firing their cannons on a set of tightly packed tenement buildings. One of the tenements was entirely engulfed in flames. War balloons floated above the city. The title of the picture was printed beneath the picture in white capital letters: THE END OF NEW YORK. Beneath the lithograph's frame was a museum plaque which read: After Spanish Counsel Don Manuel Blanco was mistaken for Chilean highwayman Leon Sangrado and arrested for murder by U.S Marshall Michael Chalmette, Spain demanded Blanco's release. When the United States refused the Spanish request, the Spanish Navy attacked New York City. The ironclad El Cid bombarded New York with air-borne nitroglycerin bombs, razing half of New York's buildings. While the Chilean Navy ultimately relieved the embattled U.S Navy, the Spanish invasion was so damaging that the Gotham Gazette referred to the attack as "The End of New York".

"This wasn't even the only Spanish attack on New York City," the clerk intoned. "When war broke out over Cuba in 1898, the Spanish attacked New York again. The following year, the Long Depression of the 1890s resulted in anarchist riots which killed hundreds. At the end of the 19th century, there were at least three catastrophes referred to as 'The End of New York.'"

R'lyeh smiled. "New York has withstood prior invasions from human navies, tis true. But I am of a greater and more ancient power then the nations of men. My threat is no hyperbole."

"Lady, please! I wasn't finished. If you look at the remaining portraits, you can see New York has been attacked many, many times." The clerk gestured to the long wall of pictures. R'lyeh saw a giant gorilla atop a skyscraper, a giant bird above Manhattan, alien spacecraft hovering above Midtown, tidal waves on West End Avenue, foreign armies marching through Washington Square Arch, an enormous monster in Central Park, a plane crashing into a giant tower, and a dozen archers carrying a box into a ship. There were several rows of paintings and pictures, and R'lyeh guessed there were hundreds of depictions of various attacks on New York City.

The clerk smiled. "People have been trying to wipe out New York City for centuries. Even Yankee Doodle Washington once planned to burn down New York to prevent it from being used as a military base by the British. We were subject to the first modern alien invasion in 1810, when the Lunatics, green men from the Moon, occupied us. They sent their minions the Man-Bats to attack again in 1850. The Germans occupied New York City twice, in 1916 and in 1921. New York City was a battleground in the Second American Civil War. During World War II, we were attacked by Namor the Submariner, twice by robots- oh and a Native American scientist generated an artificial earthquake. We've been attacked by flying sharks, god knows how many aliens, occupied by mutants and Black Nationalist radicals, terrorists, supervillains, and even demons. You know in L.A they like to talk about the time the whole city was transported to Hell, but New York City was invaded by demons first- by N'astirh in 1989. If you visit our gift shop or go on Amazon, you can buy our encyclopedia on every attack on New York City. And yet, despite everything, we're still here. People still live here and go to work every day. So if you want to destroy New York, go ahead, give it your best shot. You aren't the first and you won't be the last. We are the shield that guards America from annihilation. R'lyeh was sunk by what- one flood? New York City suffered a Category 7 hurricane- it was so big they had to invent a new category- and it's still standing. And do you know why we're still standing?"

"Youth. Your city is only a few centuries old, all cities die in time. Age will take you, eventually."

"Fool!" A terrible wind blew through the hall, throwing R'lyeh against a window. "This city possesses greatness you can never hope to understand. We witches have cast great and terrible magic to ensure this city survives. We deal with your sort every year. The greatest civilizations of the galaxy have faltered on our shores. Do you think your pitiful forgotten cult can destroy us? Begone!"

"But have you not heard, witch? My master is awakening. I am but his sentry. It is not just this city, but the whole of humanity that shall be devoured. Even now, Cthulhu emerges from the deeps of the Pacific to claim this world as his own!"

_ _ _

They just had to have tempted fate Stephen Strange mused.

During the Bell Riots, as blackouts consumed the country, war broke out in Iran and Korea, and thousands died daily from disease, grim superstition about the year 2020 consumed the popular consciousness. The 21st century had seen many bad years, and the United States had barely persevered. But this time, it seemed different. Everything was falling apart very quickly, and it seemed the world would soon be destroyed beyond repair. Stephen Strange had lived for over a century, his youth and lifespan magically extended. Even outside his unusual line of work, he had lived through innumerable national calamities. America could have survived 2020. But trolls on the internet thought otherwise. It started with a few popular posts on The Circle and Twitter about how the natural conclusion to 2020 was the return of the Great Old Ones. Eventually, it had turned into a popular meme. Strange had even seen a couple of Cthulhu 2020 bumper stickers in Greenwich Village. Having personally encountered numerous evil Gods of unimaginable power, Strange was not inclined to joke about such matters. Speaking of such things in a casual, joking manner tended to invite the attention of such horrors in human affairs. For all mortals complain about the state of the world, I have saved this plane of existence from horrors far worse too many times to count.

And then the meme had come true, perhaps by the collective will of the public- Cthulhu was no longer dreaming. He had awakened, and humanity teetered on the brink of extinction. Armies of Shoggoths had invaded every continent. Hundreds of millions lay dead. In South America, entire nations- Costaguana, Sulaco, Nuevo Rico, San Theodoros, Mandoras, Bruzundanga, Vespugia, Corto Maltese- had been rendered devoid of life, while the rest of the continent was in turmoil. The Karain subcontinent, Tsalal, Caprona, Dinotopia, the Leap Islands, and the Savage Land had further been annihilated by Cthulhu, not only killing millions but rendering extinct numerous endangered species. Shoggoth hordes trampled over the graves of the recently slaughtered. A plague of madness had spread over the world, as Cthulhu's psionic waves drove millions insane. Even the President, Strange noticed, had appeared visibly unhinged in her recent public address on the crisis. Cthulhu had been awake for only a few weeks, and yet humanity was in imminent danger of extinction from his blitzkriegs.

Well, at least we're prepared. Cthulhu was not the first creature to have arisen from beneath the Pacific to attack the United States. In the past ten years, Kaiju attacks had become a regular occurrence. The Pan-Pacific Defense Corps, consisting of numerous mechanical Jaegers, regularly prevented the Kaiju from devastating cities. America had other lines of defense- numerous generations of Power Rangers had protected Earth from alien invasion. There were still numerous superhero organizations who were used to dealing with world-ending threats. Franklin Richards had gathered the worlds' most powerful metahumans under the banner of the New Avengers to fight the Great Dreamer. Homelander and the Seven were additionally present. The planet Akiridion had sent a fleet of ships to defend the adapted homeland of their Prince Krel. The Initiative, the B.P.R.D, the Black Chamber and numerous government organizations were equipped to fight world ending threats. All had gathered in Angel Grove California to await the arrival of the Great Old One. Strange himself was stationed on the beaches of Angel Grove with a battalion of wizards.

Franklin Richards had developed psionic protection devices for the assembled army to prevent the sight of Cthulhu from driving them mad. Richards was projecting a psionic wave across Angel Grove to prevent the devices from overloading. Members of the regular United States Armed Forces were present, as were members of the Terrahawks. Controversially, the President had deployed Sentinels and various robots to fight alongside the New Avengers. Franklin Richards had vocally denounced the Hale administration's mutant policies, declaring them a precursor to genocide. But unlike the time of Gilead, whose hour was rapidly approaching, there were still mutants in the year 2020 who escaped persecution from the American government. And these mutants, under the aegis of the Xavier Institute, stood uneasily alongside the Sentinels in the abandoned streets of Angel Grove. For the god who had slept beneath the waves threatened to annihilate both human and mutant alike.

The sky was dark, and the clouds an unnatural brown, as if the terrors from the deep had drained the world of color. A light drizzle fell over the city, but the water felt acidy and black. The acid rain at least, had little to do with Cthulhu- environmental degradation had rendered acid rain a regular occurrence in California. But this unnatural pallor extended for thousands of miles in both directions- over the Pacific, rotted by Cthulhu's presence, and over most of North America. Even the simplest of animals sensed the encroaching evil, fleeing as far from the Pacific as they could. The eerie silence over Angel Grove was broken as Dr. Strange heard a distant croaking sound. The croaks grew loader as an enormous horde of Shoggoths and Deep Ones marched through the shallows off Angel Grove. Thousands upon thousands of the creatures croaked at once, chanting in some evil tongue utterly incomprehensible to humanity. Although Strange could not see any Deep Ones, he could feel the terrible din wash over him- he felt as he stood in the middle of Cthulhu's army. Were it not for the protections cast by Franklin Richards and his army of psychics, the American forces surely would have broken discipline and fled the City, their minds broken forever, consumed by fear of the evils of the void. The terrible croaking grew louder and louder, and it seemed the creatures were everywhere. Strange felt as if he were falling into a cold star, and that the terrible croaks were the rays of the star- a cold terrible all-consuming chill. While to most of his comrades in arms the croaking sounded completely animalistic, Strange knew just enough of the tongue of the Deep Ones to understand their war cry. All hail Cthulhu the Great, the Eternal God of the Deep, Ancient and Unknowable. All Hail Cthulhu, Master of the World, Master of Darkness. Tear yourselves into a million pieces, you greasy parasites, for you defile the rightful domain of the Great One with your very existence. Now is the time of your end!

Far out in the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Strange could see the distant outline of Cthulhu watching his army. The elaborate war chants suddenly stopped. The Shoggoths and Deep Ones instead chanted one word, this time more conveniently in English so as to communicate with their opponents. "Die! Die! Die! Die!" they chanted as a terrible grey mass swarmed the shore.

Angel Grove had been attacked by monsters before, but other foes of the city had not been with filled with such raw malice and single-minded purpose. A terrible battle was fought, and Strange thought it fortunate the civilians had been evacuated, for the entire city was laid waste. Enormous dark hordes, like a terrible black glue, consumed the buildings as the Allied forces fired enormous amounts of ammunition at the creatures. And then suddenly, Cthulhu was at the city himself. Franklin Richards and the Stepford Cuckoos were locked in a terrible psychic battle against the God. Large amounts of Cthulhu's flesh were disintegrating; his tentacles were falling to pieces. The God appeared greatly reduced. The Plan is working Strange thought.

Suddenly, one of Cthulhu's tentacles moved thousands of meters in an instant, snapping Richards in half. The Cuckoos were instantly incinerated by the blast of psychic power unleashed by the death of Richards. Strange's wizards cast another protective barrier to prevent a psionic wave from destroying the sanity of the defending forces. The New Avengers threw themselves at Cthulhu, but all were quickly incinerated by his glare. The Jaegers attacking Cthulhu were cast aside like toys. And then suddenly, Cthulhu turned his gaze to Doctor Strange. It felt as if a cold fire were pulsing through every inch of his body. Strange dropped to his knees. And then suddenly, he was face to face with the Great Old One himself. Strange braced himself for his end.

"Now hold up, buster." Strange saw an enormous pair of legs wearing striped white and red pants hovering over him. "This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. You can't go around treating American citizens like this. Not on my watch," boomed the voice of Strange's savior. Strange looked up to see an enormous giant, perhaps two thousand feet tall, staring into the face of Cthulhu. He wore a blue coat and a top hat with stars, and he had a white goatee. Somehow, Uncle Sam had manifested himself to defend his country from the Great Old Ones.

"Let's go!" Strange chanted at his wizards, and they began casting a powerful incantation. Uncle Sam threw back his fist, and punched Cthulhu in the face. Cthulhu was sent flying back into the ocean. The impact of the throw sent several waves crashing onto the shore. Strange spat sea water out of his mouth. Uncle Sam was wrestling Cthulhu in the ocean. Strange yelled, partly out of excitement and partly out of fear. He suddenly felt a terrible pressure in his ears. Cthulhu was sending out another psionic wave. Where did Uncle Sam- Strange's thought was interrupted as the psionic wave shattered his entire body and blasted his insides over the battlefield.

_ _ _

"The Hale administration immediately took credit for the apparent death of Cthulhu at the hands of Uncle Sam. Although America's most powerful heroes lay dead, and even Uncle Sam himself appeared to have been killed, Claire Hale nominally presided over an effort which had saved the United States from near certain extinction. In a year of unending catastrophes, Cthulhu's defeat a few weeks before Election Day was a rare win for the President. While polling showed Scudder significantly ahead of Hale, the supercomputer Samaritan II electronically altered the voting results, delivering the election to Hale. The Hale campaign claimed that Cthulhu's defeat had rapidly changed public opinion in her favor, thus explaining the huge discrepancy between the polls and the apparent results. Otherwise, Congress would have likely never certified the electoral results. But even if Hale had won fairly, the Sons of Jacob would never have allowed the President to serve a second term…"
- Encyclopedia Galactica

ENTIRE CITY OF DENVER STILL SUFFERING FROM MADNESS DESPITE CTHULHU'S DEFEAT, NUTRIPON CONTAMINATION SUSPECTED AS CAUSE

HACKER RELEASES ALL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS ON INTERNET

HAFLINGER LEAKS SHOW PRESIDENT PERSONALLY ORDERED ASSASSINATIONS OF DISSIDENTS

AN ESTIMATED THREE MILLION AMERICANS TO DIE OF PANDEMICS BY END OF YEAR
- Basin City Sun

"America's national security system failed utterly and completely in 2020. The total collapse in public health is well documented, as is the American government's deliberate failure to limit the spread of infectious disease. What is less well-documented is the collapse of America's paranormal defenses… The Black Chamber was infiltrated and sabotaged by Cthulhu cultists. I tried to warn my superiors that the conditions laid out in prophecies regarding the return of Cthulhu were being fulfilled, but I was stymied. Later, I would discover that National Security Advisor Rick Flag (who now works for Gilead) deliberately buried this intelligence and prevented contingency plans from being implemented. We now know that Rick Flag is not entirely as he appears. While he has a long record of service in the United States Army, his identity is manufactured. Our intelligence suggests that Flag is either an evil sorcerer or a demon- he has been spotted collaborating and associating with known demons. Flag's sexual relations with President Hale indicate a disturbing fact- all three major candidates in the 2020 Presidential Election were controlled by demons. Julian Felsenburgh, now inexplicably the President of the European Union and a major political figure in Asia, is likely the Antichrist or a demon. AYC, his running mate, hinted following the election that Felsenburgh was more malicious than he appeared, but was killed in the President's Day Massacre before I could interview her. The circumstances surrounding the early life of Secretary of State Damien Thorn are highly suspicious. His parents died when he was a child in separate accidents within days of each other. The hospital in Italy in which he was born was destroyed shortly afterwards, leaving no records of his birth available. Given reports that Thorn is extremely influential within the Sons of Jacob and is friendly with the demon Crowley, we can conclude that Thorn is Hell's point man within the Gilead regime, and is probably an Antichrist or Demon himself. Thus whatever choice the American people made in 2020, it would have ended with an administration controlled by demons. Precautions taken to limit the influence of demons in politics by government agencies were subverted on numerous occasions…"
- Abe Sapiens, writing a report for Quentin Trembley

"We are projecting that Nehemiah Scudder has won all 8 votes in Hartfield's Landing, New Hampshire. Remember that New Hampshire is the home state of his running mate Greg Stillson."
-Wolf Blitzer

"The Reptilians have stolen the election again! Massive, massive evidence of voter fraud in several states, we'll be bringing it before the Supreme Court. I won this election- by a lot! Hale won fewer states, how could she have won the election? The media says that Winnemac won her the election, but Winnemac was stolen from me! Friends of Humanity, Soldiers of Gilead, stand ready! It's time to fight for our country and save it from Satanic alien domination. Stop the Steal! Take to the Streets! End this travesty! We must ensure that President Hale leaves office and that I assume my rightful place as the legitimately elected President. We have to fight like Hell, or we're not going to have a country anymore!"
- Nehemiah Scudder's "Victory" speech

"Uncle Sam is dead, the magical protections have fallen, democracy is dead and gone. The goddesses cannot stop us anymore. America is ours for the taking."
-Randall Flagg

"Sons of Jacob! It is time to overthrow this evil tyrant and install the rightful President, Nehemiah Scudder. Gilead rises!"
- Damien Thorn

The certified results of the 2020 presidential election had President Hale and Vice President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan re-elected with a total of 306 electoral votes, with the Scudder/Stillson Campaign winning 275 electoral votes and Felsenburgh winning 3 electoral votes from his home state of Vermont. Scudder won all of Trump's 2020 states plus Georgia, New Hampshire, Udana, Catawba, and Mickewa. Hale won the state of Winnemac. Other notable candidates include former President Quentin Trembley, who won over 3% of the vote despite failing to meet numerous state registration deadlines. Cthulhu, whose worshippers campaigned for him under the guise of a joke, won nearly 2 million votes from write ins. While Cthulhu was killed in October, millions of Americans were still suffering from the insanity caused by his awakening, which resulted in his high vote total. As Samaritan II altered the vote totals, the true results of the 2020 presidential election are not known. The Gilead regime claimed that Scudder won all 580 electoral votes and destroyed evidence claiming otherwise.

Sources (new sources in Bold)
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