[Fanfic] The Darkness Within Me Chapter 3

[hoshiko2]

Title: The Darkness Within Me | FF.net
Characters/Pairing: America, England, Russia, China, Japan, Canada, France, eventual others and OCs. (In this chapter, England, America, Canada, Russia and a few OCs)
Rating: This chapter: PG-13 for minor violence. Eventually, the series will become M.
Warnings: OCs. There are quite a few in here as they affect the characters. Also, I use human names, but that reason will be explained in another chapter. Eventual country deaths.
Summary: It's a troubling time, where just being an everyday citizen is rough, it's even harder for the nations who carry the burdens of all of their people. All their troubles, all their worries, and all their fears. So much so they start to get sick. But what if they couldn't get better? What if the nations themselves begin to change as their people's fears turn into madness?
This chapter: Just because you're dying doesn't mean that everyone will show to your funeral.


The darkness lasted for such a long time that Ivan could no longer tell what time it was. Somehow, he had actually forgotten to put on his watch. It was another thing that made him nervous about this so-called "virus". Did it also make him forgetful?

Tom had explained some of the details, but had been kind enough to not explain just what exactly this "virus" was and why it had caused Alfred to not only cough up blood, but faint as well. Yes he had said it was the very ideals of the people changing, but was such a thing really enough to make two, possibly more, nations get this sick? It wasn't something entirely new. During the travel, the American hadn't once stirred and Ivan was actually a little grateful. It gave him time to think. He thought mostly of escape plans in case these agents weren't who they said they were, but also of what could happen if their predictions came true.

Nations were prepared for wars, invasions, betrayals, natural disasters, and plagues, but nothing like a "virus", whatever that meant. How was a country to prepare? One couldn't put up blockades or prepare the military, they couldn't cut ties with another country and they couldn't evacuate cities or write up plans. The Slavic country found himself growing more and more paranoid, wondering if just holding Alfred made him even more sick.

The van lurched violently to the side suddenly, the tires squealing. Ivan was jolted from his thoughts. It felt as if they were sliding down a hill for a moment, sending Ivan to crash into the wall. He swore in Russian before the van righted itself. The speed increased drastically.

"Oh, now what?" Ivan asked aloud. He tried to catch his balance while holding Alfred's body, but it was a sloppy attempt.

The van halted instantly, only to rock horribly back and forth. Ivan slipped from side to side, losing his hold on Alfred. He bit his lip in frustration. Swearing some more, he flung the blonde over his shoulder. There was a clattering as Alfred's glasses flew off into the darkness. Ivan scrambled to get them back when the van crashed onto its side.

It was deafeningly silent only momentarily, Ivan catching breath. Suddenly, there was loud banging on the doors and walls as men outside began shouting. Ivan was reminded of the Soviet Union and raised his defense more. He gripped his pipe tighter, keeping Alfred closer to him.

It was then the doors banged open and men in military drab pointed their large guns at Ivan and Alfred. All of them yelled at Ivan in a different tongue and came to grab at him. Ivan, acting on instinct, lashed out with his pipe. However, being stuck in a van didn't help him hit anyone as he had hoped. He cursed at the FBI agent's lack of help.

God, where are the KGB when I need them? Ivan thought angrily, gritting his teeth.

One of the men aimed his gun directly at Alfred as if to threaten the unconscious man's life. Ivan saw this motion and practically growled at the attacker. Ivan's own threat didn't work as the man shot. Having experienced countless battles, Ivan knew how to move quicker. He shoved Alfred to the side in time, taking the bullet in his chest.

To a country, especially one with as much land girth as Ivan, bullets are never painful. Many at a time can be a bit painful, but it's nothing any one can't get over quickly. Most of the time when a human shoots it's a mere annoyance to have to stop and fire back. However, these bullets were not the case. For the first time, bullets hurt. A small gasp escaped Ivan.

From outside the van, a man's rough voice in English shouted, "Now, come with us and bring that country with you! He belongs to us!"

Ivan recovered his composure in time to see the man step forward. He didn't have any qualities about him that made him stand out other than the massive machine gun pointed at Ivan's head.

"And just who are you?" Ivan asked, shooting the man a deathly glare.

"Don't ask questions!" the man shot back. "Get out here or we shoot more! We know you're a country and can't die by bullets, but they can still hurt. Now get out here!"

Ivan growled, wanting nothing more than to go all curse the speaker, but he was in closed quarters, no backup, and a limp Alfred. Mainly, he had a limp Alfred. He could care less about his own being at the moment, but he had no idea just what state the younger blonde was in.

"Fine," he snapped.

Once Ivan emerged, the men closed in on him with guns and poked and prodded him over towards a man wearing different clothes than the others. It was much more casual, just a T-shirt and raggedy jeans. Ivan noticed that he was the only one not carrying a gun. Ivan grinned, hoping he could get close enough to use his lead pipe on him.

The man looked at Alfred, chuckling. "How unbefitting of a hero..." Seeing Ivan pull Alfred closer, the man cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Protective now?"

Ivan ignored his question, sneering at him. "You're just a human. How dare you try to take on Russia? You're just a small terrorist group, trying to get your fifteen minutes of fame, da?"

He began to take a mental count of the men surrounding him, seeing a group of about twenty in total. However, knowing a terrorist group, there would be gorilla units nearby, just waiting for him to try something. He'd have to be patient.

"Just what were you doing with America in the first place?" the man asked nonchalantly. He too ignored Ivan.

Ivan wondered just how much this group knew. He would have to choose his words carefully. "The Capitalist Pig was meeting with me to discuss our future relations together and I'm afraid my boss wouldn't be all too happy to hear that our civil meeting ended with something happening to him."

A slow, coy smile slid across the terrorist leader's face. "Really now? From what I heard he went to see you and then collapsed. It was after he, what was it? Continuously punched you?"

Ivan stiffened, but kept his face neutral. His mind raced with thoughts. We were watched? For how long? What did he hear?

"Doesn't mean the meeting was pleasant. You understand how insufferably irritating he can be."

Some of the men were shifting their weight as they stared hungrily at Alfred, kept close to Ivan's chest. The leader glanced over, his smile widening, until one of the men took a step forward. His appearance changed and his single glare forced the man back into line. However, when he turned his attention back to Ivan, he was completely calm again.

"Now then...it seems my men are getting anxious. We would so love it if we could have America for a little while. We need to have a chat, me and him... That is..." He looked just as evil as Ivan with a creepy smile. "…if he's still alive."

Ivan recognized that look instantly. It was the same expression he had faced many times before from other countries and humans alike, even his own bosses from time to time. He returned the compliment. It would take more for him to be intimidated.

"I'm afraid America can't answer you right now, but if you'd like to leave a message feel free to go through me," Ivan replied cheerfully. He even giggled; a clear message he was unafraid.

The leader regarded Ivan for a moment before raising his arm. "Very well..."

He pointed at Ivan allowing the men to let loose a barrage of bullets on the country. Ivan took multiple rounds, the thick slugs burning into his flesh, sending searing shots of pain through his body. He gasped, taking his pipe and using it to keep him from collapsing. He refused to fall to his knees.

Ok, Ivan thought. Getting shot at was getting really old.

Just as Ivan was to reach his limit and turn to release, a large grenade went off near the horde. Planes flew overhead, dropping smoke bombs around everyone as mass chaos took control of the mob.

The leader made a clicking noise with his tongue. He remained calm as his men turned their guns to the skies, shouting in panic. "I knew they'd get here soon enough... Well I guess we'd better leave..."

With one last horrible smile at Ivan, the leader of the terrorist group turned his back on Ivan. He and his men left easily with no agents or explosions hitting them. The smoke bombs covered them as they vanished. Ivan started to follow when the U.S. military swarmed him.

"Sir Russia!" a general asked as he approached Ivan. He saluted quickly, Ivan automatically returning it. "Are you all right? Do you require any medical attention?"

Ivan had only half regarded the man, his eyes glued to where the terrorists were easily escaping from. He started to go after them. He was not going to get away with shooting the Russian Federation.

"Get that man," he barked, pointing towards the group. "Medical attention can come later." As he attempted to pursue the men, he grasped his chest with his pipe hand. He's body had taken far too much abuse.

"Don't worry, sir." The general had come up beside Ivan. "We're pursuing him as we speak, but we need to get you and Commander Jones to safety. Please come this way immediately."

Ivan cursed at the loss of blood that caused him to feel dizzy and have his vision blur. He desperately wanted to lead the search party, but knew his body couldn't hold out. Reluctantly, he nodded, trying to maintain his balance. The general led Ivan to another van, this time with tanks surrounding it. Ivan then noticed that Tom was sitting on a stretcher, receiving medical attention for his arm.

"And just where were you this whole time?" Ivan growled at the agent. "If this is how you protect your own country, I have even less faith in your abilities."

"Excuse me for being taken at gun point while all my men were mercilessly shot at before I even had a chance to react," Tom snapped. His nerves were shot from the entire incident at seeing all of his men fall so easily. He had narrowly missing his own death. "We did our best to confuse them with multiple vans, but as you can see-"

"Now is not the time!" the general snapped, forcing the two into silence. "We have a critical situation here with both Sir Russia and Commander Jones. We must get them both to a medical facility!"

As if to emphasize this point, Ivan nearly fainted, just catching himself with his pipe again. Ivan grunted, refusing to faint. He was helped by military personal to a spot inside the medical quarters where Alfred was taken from him. Soon after, his wounds were tended to.

"These bullets," Tom mused, picking up one as it lay in the bloody tray near Ivan. "It's unlike any other bullets. These are infused with special minerals from the Earth."

"You don't say," Ivan grumbled. He refused to look at the agent.

"We'll take this with us to find out how it hurt you," Tom said, depositing the sample into a plastic bag he grabbed from the table near the doctor's equipment. "I've never seen such a bullet before. I wonder who supplied this group with this…"

"Will you be able to extract anything from it?" Ivan asked. He eyed Tom suspiciously, doubting his abilities even more than before.

"Of course." Tom dropped the bullet into a plastic bag, quickly hiding it in his pocket. "We have specialists. They'll find everything they need to by looking at this."

"These specialists…," Ivan started. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing every word. "What are they specialists of?"

Tom glanced at Ivan. "Of you and your kind of course. They've been researching the origins of your creation for decades. Sir Jones has been funding them for years. He's also been overseeing everything since he founded the department."

Ivan rolled his eyes. He should have guessed that Alfred would do something like this. Still, he was the tiniest bit curious about what their findings could possibly be. Not one nation knew about their origins, how they were able to live, and just what exactly they were made of. There were times they had human feelings such as their own personal desires, but for the majority of the time, they were bound to their people and their government.

Many had tried to unearth some tidbit of information, but where to look exactly. It was confusing enough as it was that creations such as Micro nations and Empires, but not exactly countries, were able to exist. How Sealand, The Principality of Wy, and Prussia existed was beyond the majority of them. It didn't help that certain sections of a nation itself was a living being such as a city, a prefecture, or a state. Ivan had always wanted to look into such an issue, but a nation was far too busy. He wouldn't admit it, but Alfred was smart to hire his own humans to look into it for him.

"I see. Where is America anyways?" Ivan muttered. He was done being tended to, but it didn't matter. His wounds were healing quickly as always. The bullets may have hurt him, but once they were out of his body, they had no affect on him.

"He's receiving treatment in another van," the general replied. "And we had better move out. He needs medical treatment, but would heal faster if he were back home."

Tom nodded. "Agreed. Let's go."

The building was just like any other on the street. It wasn't too bland and it wasn't too normal, it just was. That was the point. There was no address, no sign saying that it was a top secret government run building, and certainly had no indication that three stories up, a few of the world's nations were being held.

Arthur had arrived first, but was told nothing about the situation that happened in Russia. As far as he knew, Ivan was infected as well, but they had managed to get Alfred. One could only hope that Alfred had calmed down. Arthur recalled just how terrified the younger man had looked.

It was surprising. What could have possibly made him revert to that mind set? Was he truly terrified or was he speaking the truth? Certainly he couldn't be fully lying. They had involved a lot of humans and Russia now. But how did this all start?

Arthur knew the only way was to go into the building and start demanding some answers. Luckily, once he entered the agency, he was met by a very pretty blond woman. She was wearing thin glasses, a business dress suit, and her hair in a messy bun. She was holding a clipboard, obviously waiting for Arthur's arrival. She saluted and followed Arthur by his side.

"Good afternoon, Sir England," the woman said cheerfully. "I trust your flight was pleasant."

"You could say that…," Arthur grumbled. He was still awfully sore at his door being bashed in and being treated like a criminal.

"My name is Abigail Woods. I'm here to personally assist you and all the nations that are here," the woman continued. Her blue eyes made Arthur look away; she looked an awful lot like Alfred. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me."

Arthur stopped. "Okay, here's one. What the bloody hell is going on! First, America comes to me in a panic, coughing up blood, and then your agents break into my house like I'm some criminal! And here I was making breakfast for the bloody git! Then you cart me off to America with no information and say this 'virus' spread to Russia, but also say that America got away. What kind of agency is this?"

Abigail had stopped as well and was waiting until Arthur had calmed down. She kept her perfect little smile in place and nodded. "Right, well I can't explain until Agent Tom returns. Please follow me."

"What? No, I refuse to go anywhere until I get some answers."

"And I promise you I will explain everything once Agent Tom returns. For now, please rest. We will have to get a sample of your DNA to check and see if you're infected."

Abigail took off down the hallway, her brisk walk signaled she wasn't going to back down either. Arthur sighed, cursing his luck. It would figure he'd get the pencil-necking librarian agent. At least she was better than Tom. Only slightly.

After a short and uneventful ride in the elevator, Arthur was lead down a dull hallway. Abigail made sure to be quiet the entire time. Arthur knew that asking any questions were useless so he saved his breath. The lady showed Arthur into a small laboratory where a doctor and a nurse waited for him. He patiently did as he was told; giving his blood and allowing the doctor to take a sample from the roof of his mouth. Once done, Abigail showed Arthur down the same hallway towards another room.

"You know," Arthur mused aloud. "I believe that was my first time having my blood drawn." He looked down at his bandage on his arm.

Abigail glanced at him. "Well, there's really no point, now is there?"

"Then why did you take it?" Arthur asked. When Abigail didn't reply, Arthur looked at her. She turned away, but Arthur caught sight of a smile. Was she hinting at something?

Before Arthur could think any deeper into the situation, Abigail stopped at a door. It looked exactly like the others in the hallway. She opened the door that lead into an empty room save for a few chairs scattered around a central table. Arthur stepped inside warily.

"Please wait here. Agent Tom should be returning from Russia shortly." With that, Abigail left

Arthur sighed tiredly. He sat in a chair, running his hand through his hair. He started to think about what the secretary-like woman had hinted at, but before he could, there was movement under his legs.

"Maple…"

Arthur jumped up." Matthew?"

A young man with shaggy blonde hair and glasses smiled up at Arthur sheepishly. He looked like Alfred's twin except his eyes were violet and he had a long curly strand of hair that stuck out. He also had a much gentler and smaller smile compared to Alfred. Most nations ignored the soft spoken country as he was always outshined by his older brother, but Canada, or Matthew as was his human name, seemed to be quite comfortable with his position in life.

"Hello," Matthew mumbled. He rubbed his arms almost as if he were cold. "I see you've been brought here too."

Arthur nodded, taking another seat that faced Matthew. "I'm afraid so, but I don't exactly understand what it is I've been brought here for."

"I don't know either," Matthew admitted with a small chuckle. "And I've been here for a day."

"What?" Arthur was shocked. "A day? Does you government know about this?"

Matthew shrugged. "That lady told me that they would handle everything."

"Everything but questions," Arthur scoffed. He crossed his arms, looking around in anger. "When I see Alfred, I'm going to really give it to the git. How could that wanker get us mixed up in all of this?"

Matthew frowned. "I guess he was scared."

Arthur didn't say anything. The two nations were silent for awhile until Abigail returned. She offered no words, just food and a stack of cards. She left quickly allowing Arthur and Matthew to pass the time with cards. However, this moment didn't last too long. Matthew started coughing loudly, clutching his chest. Arthur looked up in alarm. It was a similar cough to Alfred's shortly after Arthur found him outside on his porch.

"Matthew?" Arthur started. He reached his hand out. "What's wrong?"

Before Matthew could answer, the door banged open. Ivan stormed in, fuming. Abigail followed him a little rattled. Arthur assumed that Ivan had given her his infamous smile and cold treatment. Her glasses were askew on her face and her hair was a little ruffled. Arthur felt a little pity for the woman.

"Sir Canada?" Abigail rushed to Matthew's side, touching him gently.

Ivan looked around, growing angrier seeing no answers to any questions he had. "Where is America? He has to have a conversation with my pipe."

"Sir Russia, please be patient. He is being tended to for his injuries," Abigail replied, glancing at him.

"Injuries?" Arthur stood up. "What have you done to him?"

"We were attacked," Ivan sighed. "This agency is so incompetent. What I wouldn't give for my KGB."

"Attacked? By whom?"

Matthew's coughing had ceased finally and he was able to sit upright. Abigail, satisfied he was well enough, started to take her leave, but Ivan had other plans. He grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around.

"Are you leaving us already?" he asked, his smile growing colder by the second.

Abigail shivered and recoiled, staring at his ominous purple eyes. "I…I have to greet the other nations…"

"There are others?"

"D-da…"

"Oh, you speak Russian!" Ivan's smile only grew wider. He towered over the petite woman. "Then tell me what exactly is going on."

"Russia," Arthur called. "Leave her alone. She's just some lady that works here. We should wait for that bloke, Tom."

Ivan hesitated, staring down the blonde, before he backed away. His smile was still frosty, but he chuckled. Abigail took that as a sign that she was allowed to leave and so she wasted no time scampering from the room. Ivan took a seat far from the other two nations. He twirled his water pipe in his hands while humming a Russian folklore song.

Arthur stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before turning to Matthew. "Are you okay, Canada?"

Matthew nodded. He was now holding a cup of water. He smiled up at Arthur. "Sorry. That's been happening recently. I don't know why."

"Your economy has been doing quite well during this recession, though. Why would you be considered infected?"

"I'm not sure. But we don't even know what this infection is."

"It's simple, da?" Ivan smiled at the two. "It's all a game that little America made up to pass the time. He has nothing better to do."

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "But…Alfred has been too busy to play games."

Ivan ignored the Canadian. "It's just like America. He thinks he's so wonderful, doesn't he? He even got his humans involved in this. What a baby.

"That's enough." Arthur stood before Ivan. "I'll admit when this entire ordeal started, I thought it was a joke or some game as well, but Alfred would never involve his humans or take the joke this far. Plus, he's far too busy what with the Middle East and Korea. I doubt he'd take any time off to play some kind of obscure game like this."

Ivan merely smiled before hiding his snarl behind his scarf. He looked down at the floor as Arthur returned to his chair. No one said anything and the Western nations didn't continue their card game.

A few moments later, the door opened again, this time with less force. In walked two Asians. Arthur stood up in surprise.

"China? Japan?"

The Asians were almost exact in height, except the Chinese man was just a little taller. From the back, he looked almost like a girl with his long black hair pulled into a ponytail. His almond shaped eyes scanned the room quickly before he sighed.

"Aiyah. You three as well, aru?"

The other Asian man had a much smaller frame as he stood in the doorway. His short black hair curved around his pale face making his black eyes pop out of his face. He looked extremely stressed and anxious to be there, but he hid it well with a polite smile.

"It's a pleasure to see you all again," the Japanese man started. "However, I wish it were on better terms."

Arthur smiled slightly. "Me too. I take it they told you as much about the situation as they told us?"

Both Asians sighed, nodding. Ivan stood up, staring down Abigail again, who hastily retreated. He strode up to China also known as Yao. Japan, or Kiku, scooted away warily.

"What do you make of this?" Ivan asked simply.

Yao shrugged. "I don't know, aru. I don't know how my government will take this, aru. It was so quick and I didn't have time to explain anything…"

Abigail quickly returned behind Yao and Kiku. Beside her stood Tom.

"Tom!" Ivan and Arthur shouted.

The man held up his hands. "I understand you all have many questions. Please come with me and I will explain everything."

Not one country wasted a single moment as they hurried out of the room. Matthew took up the rear. Arthur heard him wheezing slightly, but pushed his worry aside. The group was lead to a crowded room where high-tech machines were whirring and beeping. In the center of the room was a bed where Alfred was lying. Various wires were plugged into his arms and chest. However, the strangest sight was a rather large wire injected in the middle of his torso. It was hidden underneath the white sheet draped over him, but the origin of it led off into the other side of the room.

"What is all of this?" Arthur asked incredulously. He'd never seen such an elaborate setting before. Scientists, doctors, and nurses were rushing about the room, talking in hushed voices.

"Is Alfred okay?" Matthew slid through the group, his eyes locked on his twin brother.

Tom nodded. "Sir Jones is doing just fine. He's resting right now, but I agreed to answer questions about the virus."

"Da, do tell." Ivan started for Tom. Abigail instinctively flinched away.

"Have any of you ever understood your true origins?" Tom asked.

"We are created by what the people wish for," Kiku replied softly. He was examining all of the equipment, but turned his attention to Tom. "Their ideals and desires for a nation are held within us."

"That is correct. Now…what if those same people no longer wanted those ideals installed in their nation?"

Arthur sighed. "This has happened before with us. If such a thing were to happen, say a revolution, then we as nations go with it. We cannot go against what they want."

Tom held up a finger. "What if you did?"

"That's impossible, aru. We can't," Yao argued. "I'd know from personal experience."

"Da, as would I…," Ivan mumbled.

"Fair enough, but if there is a significant amount of people that still hold on to the old ways, how would you as nations handle these feelings?" Tom asked.

Matthew seemed confused. "Do you mean if the nation was half and half on the issue of what a country should be?"

Tom nodded. "In a sense, yes. What do you think would happen?"

"We'd become sick, but in the end, we'd still have to do as our people requested," Arthur replied. "It's nothing new to us, as I have said before."

"Wait," Kiku said, stepping forward. "Do you mean to say that all of us are growing ill because of a revolution about to take place in America?"

Tom didn't reply. The nations looked slightly alarmed.

"But how does America's revolution have to affect me, aru?" Yao asked.

"You and America's economies are very close, though," Tom replied.

"Surely, that doesn't mean we're all affected because of that! If that were the case, then everyone who is close to America would be infected."

"But Alfred is close to everyone," Matthew mumbled.

The nations were silent for a few moments while Tom stood before there, stoic as always. Arthur sighed, shaking his head in confusion. Something just didn't add up. How did this all happen so quickly? He glanced at Alfred, still asleep on the bed, when his eye caught movement.

Abigail had been standing behind Tom the entire time, but now she edged just to the side of his right arm. She caught Arthur's attention and moved her eyes to the left. Arthur followed her eyes and saw that she was indicating the larger wire leading to the other side of the room. A curtain was hanging between the walls making the room into two as well as effectively hiding whatever was on the other side to where the wire ended.

Arthur's eyebrows rose slightly. He looked back to Abigail and saw Tom was staring at him. The woman had shifted back behind Tom.

"I understand that this is very surprising, but I assure you we are working to correct this."

"How?" Ivan asked. "You can't possibly expect to stop a revolution by working on us."

"Shi, Russia's right, aru. Isn't this for the government to handle?" Yao asked.

Tom smiled slightly. "You forget, Sir China…we are the government."

Hoshiko2's cents: No, I will not say what terrorist group it is or even what area of the world it's in. I made it vague on purpose. I'm sorry if they offend anyone. I'm just writing what I think would happen given America's current state of affairs in the world and how the country is view today by other societies. I happen to think that some people would celebrate the fall of America, sadly.

As always, please leave a nice review. I love knowing how I can improve in my writing and what you think of the series.

(Sorry, the coding got messed up and I do not know how to fix it... Bear with it this week.)

~hoshiko