Bloodletting: Prologue
Title: Bloodletting
Author(s): yours truly
Genre: Drama, mystery
Characters/Pairing(s): America (more to be announced)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Dark themes
Summary: In an unknown future, the United States has collapsed, and Alfred F. Jones disappears in the resulting turmoil. Years later, a young doctor with an uncanny resemblance to the lost Nation appears in the midst of a country in ruin. (re-write of “No Known Cure” from the kink_meme.)
~
Prologue: Death
In a twist of fate, this story does not start with a beginning, but rather, with an end.
This was not how the hero was supposed to die, buried in rubble and choking on dust. But that was how America found himself, his vision blurring as life slid away. So much pain...His ribs felt like they were shattered, and the taste of iron coated his tongue. An attack. Another goddamned attack on him, on the country. Yet, this time was different. Everything thing was different. It was-
America wished he could spend his last moments doing something else besides lying under crushed buildings. Bringing the bastards that did this to him to justice would be top on his list. A trip to Disney World was a close second though.
Hah, Disney World...America's blood-smeared lips quirked up in dark humor. The mind traveled to strange places when one was dying. Besides, the park was probably destroyed by now, just as so many other places that made up America were. His people, his cities, and his stability...gone now, all gone. The thought made something cold curl in America's stomach. How could this have happened to him? He was America! He was the hero! It wasn't suppose to end like this, not for him.
America didn't want to die. Not yet, not now, not like this...He had been a Nation for less than three hundred years. He was too young to die. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die!
And as the darkness began to overtake his mind, America cursed and prayed and...
Oblivion.
~
They say that every Nation goes through a Golden Age. They also say that every Golden Age ends.
America's Golden Age ends in a cloud of bombs and a hail of missiles. In the wake of this explosive destruction, trails a quieter, lingering foe. Disease roars to life so quickly, that no one doubts that it was manufactured by human hands as purposeful part of the attack. The biological weapon spread dark wings over the country, slowly claiming the lives the explosions missed.
No one is completely sure who ordered the attack. Most heads turned to Russia, but he had an alibi. Besides, was it not he who stood toe to toe with America during the Cold War? As much as he hated the capitalist Nation, Russia was wise enough (or at least not crazy enough) to know that any attack he made would be returned threefold. The United States was unable to retaliate. They didn't even know who the enemy was. And with most of the government in shambles in the wake of the attack, the country is in no position to strike back.
The country painstakingly pulls itself together. Cities rebuild. The trauma slowly heals. While no cure had been found for the man-made sickness, its spread had been slowed and managed. And while there is hope, there are also deep, deep scars. America can no longer stand on its own and relies heavily on allies.
And as for the nation's anthropomorphic persona?
He vanishes into thin air...
Author's Note:
As many people who have read my stories before might have guessed, this is a rewrite/deanon of “No Known Cure” from the kink_meme. After a lot of thinking, I decided that I would not finish “No Known Cure” on the kink_meme, but instead would have the fic be reborn as “Bloodletting.” When I first started writing “No Known Cure” I didn't really have a direction I was taking it in. I sorta wrote what I felt like and hoped the story would evolve as I went along (yeah, yeah, I know, bad habit). Well, the story did end up evolving, but I realized that a lot of what would appear later on in the story needed to have a stronger foundation in the earlier chapters, so I decided to do a complete overhaul of the story, and post it on my journal (that plus if I fucked up and needed to edit, I actually could edit, unlike the kink_meme).
Basically, just think of “Bloodletting” as the deanoned version of “No Known Cure” but be aware for those of you who have read the old version that things might be very different from what you read before. In any case, for both new and old readers, I hope you enjoy the ride.
Author(s): yours truly
Genre: Drama, mystery
Characters/Pairing(s): America (more to be announced)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Dark themes
Summary: In an unknown future, the United States has collapsed, and Alfred F. Jones disappears in the resulting turmoil. Years later, a young doctor with an uncanny resemblance to the lost Nation appears in the midst of a country in ruin. (re-write of “No Known Cure” from the kink_meme.)
~
Prologue: Death
In a twist of fate, this story does not start with a beginning, but rather, with an end.
This was not how the hero was supposed to die, buried in rubble and choking on dust. But that was how America found himself, his vision blurring as life slid away. So much pain...His ribs felt like they were shattered, and the taste of iron coated his tongue. An attack. Another goddamned attack on him, on the country. Yet, this time was different. Everything thing was different. It was-
America wished he could spend his last moments doing something else besides lying under crushed buildings. Bringing the bastards that did this to him to justice would be top on his list. A trip to Disney World was a close second though.
Hah, Disney World...America's blood-smeared lips quirked up in dark humor. The mind traveled to strange places when one was dying. Besides, the park was probably destroyed by now, just as so many other places that made up America were. His people, his cities, and his stability...gone now, all gone. The thought made something cold curl in America's stomach. How could this have happened to him? He was America! He was the hero! It wasn't suppose to end like this, not for him.
America didn't want to die. Not yet, not now, not like this...He had been a Nation for less than three hundred years. He was too young to die. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die!
And as the darkness began to overtake his mind, America cursed and prayed and...
Oblivion.
~
They say that every Nation goes through a Golden Age. They also say that every Golden Age ends.
America's Golden Age ends in a cloud of bombs and a hail of missiles. In the wake of this explosive destruction, trails a quieter, lingering foe. Disease roars to life so quickly, that no one doubts that it was manufactured by human hands as purposeful part of the attack. The biological weapon spread dark wings over the country, slowly claiming the lives the explosions missed.
No one is completely sure who ordered the attack. Most heads turned to Russia, but he had an alibi. Besides, was it not he who stood toe to toe with America during the Cold War? As much as he hated the capitalist Nation, Russia was wise enough (or at least not crazy enough) to know that any attack he made would be returned threefold. The United States was unable to retaliate. They didn't even know who the enemy was. And with most of the government in shambles in the wake of the attack, the country is in no position to strike back.
The country painstakingly pulls itself together. Cities rebuild. The trauma slowly heals. While no cure had been found for the man-made sickness, its spread had been slowed and managed. And while there is hope, there are also deep, deep scars. America can no longer stand on its own and relies heavily on allies.
And as for the nation's anthropomorphic persona?
He vanishes into thin air...
Author's Note:
As many people who have read my stories before might have guessed, this is a rewrite/deanon of “No Known Cure” from the kink_meme. After a lot of thinking, I decided that I would not finish “No Known Cure” on the kink_meme, but instead would have the fic be reborn as “Bloodletting.” When I first started writing “No Known Cure” I didn't really have a direction I was taking it in. I sorta wrote what I felt like and hoped the story would evolve as I went along (yeah, yeah, I know, bad habit). Well, the story did end up evolving, but I realized that a lot of what would appear later on in the story needed to have a stronger foundation in the earlier chapters, so I decided to do a complete overhaul of the story, and post it on my journal (that plus if I fucked up and needed to edit, I actually could edit, unlike the kink_meme).
Basically, just think of “Bloodletting” as the deanoned version of “No Known Cure” but be aware for those of you who have read the old version that things might be very different from what you read before. In any case, for both new and old readers, I hope you enjoy the ride.