Alfred "America" F. Jones

[/color]:[/b] Alfred F. Jones
Nickname/Alias: Will usually go by Al or America. Other nicknames include Alfie (only by a select few people), Freddie, Jones, USA, The Hero (mainly by himself), and Captain America (again, mainly by himself)
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: United States of America
Canon or Original: Canon
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[/color]:[/b] Blue
Hair: Amber waves of grain Dirty blond
Height and Weight: 177cm (5'9.6"), 170lbs
Other Distinguishing Features: He has a rather prominent ahoge near the front of his hair that represents Nantucket, and also wears glasses, representing the state of Texas.

Overall Appearance:

Alfred is someone who demands your attention, though not so much because of what he looks like. His looks are actually rather average. He's moderately tall, standing at 177cm (which he rounds up to 5'10", because he never really got the hang of that whole metric thing). Though he frets over his weight, he's actually pretty fit, most of his so-called 'excess weight' actually going toward muscle. This isn't to say that his diet hasn't affected him at all - He does have a little pudge around the middle, though it's nothing too terrible. Besides, if it was really bad, wouldn't you think he'd put a little more effort into watching what he ate? The only thing particularly odd about his appearance is a prominent ahoge near the front of his head, representing Nantucket. He also wears glasses, but he certainly isn't the first nation to do such a thing.

What draws people's attention to him is the atmosphere that surrounds him. He holds himself with confidence (whether he's actually feeling confident or not). He nearly always has some sort of grin on his face, accentuating just how youthful his features actually are.

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- Hamburgers
- Food in general
- Airplanes
- Guns
- Technology
- Space
- Coffee
- Aliens
- Disney
- Freedom
- Video games
- Cars
- Talking
- Superheroes
- Comic books
- Competition
Dislikes:
- Feeling stifled
- Silence
- Communism
- Terrorism
- Tea
- Horror movies (despite how much he watches them)
- Being called out
- Nukes (actually sort of a love/hate thing)
- Marmite
- Ghosts
Strengths:
Determination - No one can accuse Alfred of not having determination. When he's determined to do something, he'll do everything in his power to make sure he succeeds at his goal.

Optimism - Alfred is usually a positive sort of guy. It takes a lot to actually bring him down for the count (though mood swings are more common than most think - he tends to bounce back extremely quickly though).

Super human strength - Obviously, his super human strength would be considered a strength, right? Not only is he stronger than a mortal human, but he's much stronger, to the point where he could lift a buffalo easily as a small child. If he could do that as a small child, it's not hard to believe that he could easily lift a car or truck at his current physical state.

Shooting - Alfred has deadly aim with a gun. Having fought in every large war he's been in since (and including) the Revolution, on top of the fact that it's a hobby, he really shines in this category, probably moreso than most of the other countries.

Weaknesses:
Reading the atmosphere - Reading the situation is one of Alfred's main weaknesses. It's not that he can't, because he can and will if the situation calls for it, but rather that he chooses not to, because he's generally happier that way. Willful ignorance, if you will.

Loud - If you're in a room with Al, chances are, you'll know he's there. He has some very attention-whorish tendencies, and loves it when the attention is focused on him. As expected, many people see him as obnoxious and bigmouthed as a result (not that they're entirely wrong).

Easily distracted - While he's a force to be reckoned with when he's serious about something, in every day life Alfred is easily distracted, especially if the subject matter is something he's not particularly interested in. In other words? He could carry on a conversation all day and night about space and aliens, but if you want to talk about global warming? Unless you want to listen to him ramble on about Globa-Man (and most don't), he's liable to drift off very easily.

Power hungry - Though it doesn't come out much, Alfred likes where he is in the world, and he fears losing his grip as a superpower. This has to do with another fear of his, which we will see below.

Fears:

- Being forgotten - He didn't come as far as he did just to be forgotten. He wants his legacy to carry on. The last thing he wants is for anyone to go 'America who?'

- Ghosts - Obviously.

- Mutually assured destruction - Actually Alfred's worst fear (though he likes to keep up the idea that it's ghosts, thankyouverymuch). He had frequent nightmares concerning it during the Cold War, and still has occasional ones. The worst dreams of all? The one where he's responsible for firing the first nuke. And yet he couldn't possibly bear the idea of being second place to the Soviets...

Secrets:
- Fell in love with and almost married a human girl around the time of the American Revolution

- His general love/hate relationship with nukes. He loves the raw power, hates what that raw power is truly capable of.

- His comic book collection can fill up an entire room

Any Quirks/Habits:
- It is next to impossible for Alfred to actually sit completely still. He has to be doing something, whether it's tapping his feet, clicking a pen, fidgeting...whatever. He has to keep moving in some way.

- He loves to tease. One small problem? He often goes too far.

- Almost ALWAYS has some sort of grin on his face, though what kind of grin it is depends on the situation.

Overall Personality:

Hero complex - Probably one of the FIRST things you'll note about Alfred is his glaring hero complex. Alfred feels that it is his duty to save the world from evil-doers and commies. And dictatorships. And people who wear white after Labor Day. The inherent problem with this is the fact that he fails to understand when people actually want his help and when he's simply poking his nose where it doesn't belong. He just knows that whenever there's a problem, he wants to help, and he doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't want his help. His intentions are good, but his actions don't always convey this. He has an obsession with superheroes otherwise as well. He introduced the idea of a superhero named Globa Man to combat global warming at a world conference (where they'd actually FIND such a superhero was a detail that he'd overlooked), and remains convinced that Captain America is actually based off of him.

Childish - Alfred at many times seems like an overgrown child - and to some extent, that is exactly what he IS. In human terms, he's old, but in terms of his kind, he's pretty darn young. This wasn't aided by a certain growth spurt in his youth that didn't allow him the time to grow up the way most of his kind would.

Materialistic - Alfred loves things. He loves to follow all of the latest trends, but doesn't mind getting caught up in a bit of nostalgia too at times. He's amassed various collections over the years. He has collected Disney movies since the company started producing them, and has quite an impressive stamp collection (probably owing to the fact that he was around when stamps were first introduced). He also collects state quarters (now including American territories!). It also must be noted that every time a new I-phone comes out, Alfred tries to be one of the first in line to get it. He hates to have any of his electronics "out of style".

Impulsive - Acting without thinking? Well that describes Alfred pretty well, doesn't it? It's not that he doesn't think, it's just that the thinking tends to come after the acting. Alfred is very excitable when he gets an idea in his head, which usually results in a 'do now, think later' sort of attitude. Which is great when it actually works out, but often times causes more harm than it does good. It's one thing when you jump into making the next I-phone purchase, but another when your boss tells you there's weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and you decide to jump the gun and invade them rather than double check first. He's still reeling from that one. Oopsie.

Bossy - Alfred likes to be in the driver's seat whenever anything is going on. Unfortunately, as with many other things, he often doesn't take others' opinions into consideration.

Optimistic - One of Alfred's better qualities is his ability to look at the glass half full. If, for example, the Allies were on the edge of a crushing defeat in World War II, he'd probably be the one trying to get everyone to keep going. It's not always a realistic attitude, mind, but at least he's not liable to give up easily. Even he has his limits, though, and the flip-side of this is that, if he DOES happen to shift to a pessimistic viewpoint on something, it's difficult as hell to get him out of his funk.

Insecure - And that brings us to his insecurity. Say whaaaaa? Mr. I'm-The-Hero actually has insecurities? Well, duh. He's one of the youngest, if not the youngest, of the 'World 8', and he feels like he has some hella big shoes to fill. Some of his attitude is pure obnoxiousness, but beneath that obnoxiousness is a healthy dose of bravado. He lacks the experience that plenty of the older nations have, and therefore has to wing a lot of what he's doing even to this day. Al's superhero obsession has led him to the phrase 'with great power comes great responsibility', but can he handle that responsibility? It's normal not an issue, but there are times when it's more of a struggle.

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To this day, Alfred F. Jones cannot tell you exactly where, when, and how he was born. What he can tell you is that his first memory took place at the Roanoke Colony in present day North Carolina.

Jebediah Jones was exploring the land around his home in the New World when he discovered a lone little boy watching with an awed expression. Jebediah approached the peculiar boy and asked a few questions. Upon discovering that the boy had no parents, and didn't even have a name, Jebediah invited the boy into his family.

The toddler soon met Jebediah's wife, Anne, and their four other children - Emeline, Tabitha, Isaac, and Zachariah. The little boy, who's age was deemed by Jebediah and Anne to be about two or three, was given the name Alfred. At first, Alfred easily fit into the family. He got along with his 'brothers' and 'sisters', as well as his adoptive parents. But as time passed, Jebediah and Anne made some...interesting observations.

Little Alfred remained blissfully unaware that he was doing anything strange until he overheard Jeb and Anne talking one day when the other children were playing. The first was that Alfred didn't age like the other children. Three years had passed, and while Emeline, Tabitha, Isaac, and Zachariah grew, Alfred did not. In addition, they discovered that Alfred was far, far stronger than any little boy that they'd ever met. This was discovered when Zachariah, the youngest boy other than Alfred, and Alfred himself had a friendly little competition one day. Zachariah proudly showed Alfred that he could lift a full bucket of water over his head. Alfred, on the other hand? Proudly showed that he could lift a barrel filled with water over his head with ease. Alfred could sense the alarm in their voice. They were alarmed because of him. And so Alfred did the only thing that he could think of to do - He ran away.

He never did run into Jeb and Anne again. Instead, he wandered for about twenty years, staying with different families occasionally and then running off before they could get too suspicious of the fact that he wasn't aging. It wasn't until 1607 that Alfred had anything resembling a true family.

Alfred first came across two young men that he felt oddly drawn to in a village. He watched them in silence for several minutes before one of them spotted him, and he went running off.

A similar encounter occurred not long after. Three men chatting in a field. One of them was recognizable as the man Alfred spied on before - the other two not so familiar. He heard the men use names to address each other: England, France, and Finland. And they were talking about him.

Once again they noticed him, and once again he ran off, but there was no denying that he was drawn to them for some inexplicable reason, and that they were drawn to him. Of course, they knew the reasons why, even if Alfred didn't, and sought to claim the little boy as their 'little brother'. Eventually it was down to only France and England, and it was decided amongst the two that Alfred would have the honors of choosing which one of them was to 'adopt' him. England's attempts to sway Alfred to his side resulted in Alfred bursting into tears in fright, and France looking near tears himself. France's attempts were a lot more subdued. Presenting Alfred with a plate of well-prepared food, it looked as though France had won Alfred's allegiance. But then he saw England sitting a few feet away looking devastated, and Alfred switched course, immediately going up to England and asking if he was alright.

And thus England won out in the end, much to France's chagrin.

Alfred was very nearly given a new name by Sir Arthur Kirkland (as England professed as his 'human name', something that caused Alfred to tilt his head in confusion). Arthur was in the midst of trying to find a first name that sounded good with Kirkland when Alfred piped up that his name was already Alfred Jones.

Alfred Jones. It had a nice ring to it. So it stuck. But Arthur insisted on giving Alfred another name, one that Alfred was willing to accept. Around almost everyone in the colonies, Alfred was to be known as Alfred Jones, just as he'd always been. Around Arthur, though? He was America.

As Arthur soon learned, just as all of Alfred's caregivers had in the past that Alfred proved to be an interesting charge. The boy, even at such a young physical age, had a fiercely independent spirit, and a thirst for adventure. Rather than be scared off by a large approaching buffalo, Alfred not only went up to the buffalo in delight, letting his curiosity take the wheel, but he picked up the buffalo by it's hooves and swung it around, giggling in childish glee.

And yet there was another side to little Alfred as well. This was the side that often surfaced in the middle of a dark night, when Arthur would wake up to whimpering next to his bed and find Alfred standing there, whining in his childish voice about ghosts, monsters under his bed, and whatever else might go thump in the night. Arthur would soothe the crying 'child' with fairy tales and bedtime stories, and Alfred would invariably fall asleep, feeling protected and safe.

Too bad it wasn't always that picture perfect.

As years passed, Alfred discovered that Arthur had to frequently leave for 'home', which was all the way across the ocean. Alfred would beg Arthur to stay, to which Arthur would respond that he had business to take care of at home. Alfred would then suggest that he travel home with Arthur, to which Arthur laughed and told Alfred that he was needed in the colonies. Alfred was left largely in the care of men and women assigned by Arthur during these times, and Alfred always missed Arthur during these long absences.

After being adopted by Arthur, Alfred finally started to grow. It was still at a much slower rate than that of a human, but under Arthur's care Alfred's physical appearance soon advanced to that of a six year old. This also left Alfred liable to ask questions. Up to a point in the late 17th century, Alfred just accepted things the way that they were. He accepted that he didn't age like everyone else, he accepted that he had two names, he accepted that he was different than most of the other people he met and didn't know why. But then it got to the point where Alfred needed to know why. He'd overheard a man talking about England's colonies in America. England. America. Alfred could no longer ignore that he had questions that he wanted answered. It was a very fortunate twist of fate that Arthur was actually in the colonies at the time. Alfred strode up to Arthur, requesting...no, demanding that Arthur tell him what was going on, in his own childish way.

Arthur, having known the conversation would come eventually, began to explain. And Alfred finally realized just how different he actually was.

Alfred barely had time to digest the information before Arthur left across the ocean again, leaving Alfred immensely frustrated. He always felt so comforted and safe when Arthur was around, so why did Arthur always have to leave? Even in his frustration, though, Alfred greatly looked up to his caretaker, and loved him deeply. He wanted to grow big and strong, and make Arthur proud of him.

In 1763, Arthur took Alfred to meet his twin brother for the first time. Though Alfred was excited to meet the other colony, he also had an even shorter attention span than most his age. Before his brother could even introduce himself, Alfred was running back over to Arthur and informing him that he was hungry. As such, Alfred referred to Mattie as 'the other me' both mentally and verbally for a year, until he finally learned that 'the other me' actually went by Canada, or Matthew Williams.

Alfred maintained the physical appearance of a six or seven year old for a good part of the 18th century. Starting in 1765, Alfred started to grow, but not at the constrained rate he'd grown at before. For every human year, Alfred seemed to age one physical year, up to 1773. While Arthur was largely physically absent during this, his influence was present in other ways...for the first time in ages.

Taxes. The colonists were growing frustrated with taxes. On one hand, the colonists were paying far less than those on the actual island of Great Britain were. On the other hand? They'd never been treated like this before. They were left largely on their own for over a century. It didn't seem right, that the empire could assert their power after so long, without any input from the colonists whatsoever.

As for Alfred? For the first time, he began to look at Arthur in something other than admiration and unconditional love. He began to question what Arthur was doing. He began to wonder why his opinion wasn't being taken into consideration. He was wondering why Arthur decided to get involved so much now.

And yet, when Arthur returned from across the ocean with his usual box of tea for Alfred, a physically thirteen year old Alfred greeted Arthur with a smile as Arthur nearly dropped his tea in surprise.

The reaction wasn't what Alfred had been hoping for at all. Even with all of the developing points of contention, Alfred still wanted to make Arthur proud. But it wasn't pride that Arthur was looking at Alfred with. In fact, Alfred couldn't tell what exactly it was. Confusion? Fear? Frustration? Whatever it was, it wasn't pride, and it felt like a sock in the gut to Alfred. And it only got worse from then on out.

Arthur established his presence in the colonies more and more. It was something that Alfred would have given an arm and a leg for in his childhood, but now? Now it was an annoyance. Even more so when Alfred's protests seemed to fall on deaf ears. To Arthur, Alfred's attitude was seen as mere childish rebellion. To Alfred? That was the greatest insult of all. He was not a child, and he deserved to be heard.

More taxes. The Boston Massacre (which might not have been wholly Arthur's fault, but he certainly could have handled it better, if you asked Alfred). The first time Alfred fully participated in a colonial rebellion was the destruction of the tea, later to be known as the Boston Tea Party. Arthur's officials refused to return the taxed tea that protestors demanded be returned to Britain, and thus the protestors took it a step further, going aboard the vessels and destroying the tea.

It was also at this time that Alfred met Sarah Whitaker. The same age as Alfred's physical appearance, Sarah was the daughter of a man who heavily supported the protests, and after finding out about Alfred's involvement, the two started to spend more time together, falling for each other.

That said, Sarah was about the only ray of sunshine in Alfred's life at this point. His relationship with his caretaker was more strained than ever. Rarely could they even talk without an argument developing. Neither seemed willing to concede their points. The arguments hit a head on the evening of April 18, 1775. Arthur's troops were moving into the area, and Alfred knew full well that the colonists...his colonists...were preparing a militia for the occasion. Arthur demanded that Alfred stand down, but Alfred refused. The argument went just like any other, save for what happened close to the end.

"Get out."

Two words that spoke volumes. In all the times that Alfred and Arthur argued, Alfred had never been so blunt, so forceful, as to tell Arthur to get out. Arthur obliged, but not before telling Alfred that he had no right to make such demands. Arthur was still his guardian. He owned the house that Alfred lived in, the land he lived on...and the colonies themselves. Arthur was still his older brother, and he was going to make sure that Alfred was put back into his place. Alfred's only response was to repeat his utterance to 'get out', which Arthur followed at last.

The next day, as the militia and Regulars met on Lexington Green, Alfred and Arthur stood off to the side, watching. Not a word was exchanged between the two, just heavily lidded stares. As a singular shot rang out, both green and blue eyes widened simultaneously and darted over to the field, before back at each other. Arthur opened his mouth as if to speak, but Alfred had already turned around and started to walk away. Part of him wanted Arthur to speak up, to say what he had to say, to stop Alfred from walking away. No such thing happened, and that was to be the last meeting of Alfred and Arthur where Alfred thought of Arthur as anything resembling his guardian.

Alfred lingered around Boston for another year. He felt an increasing pull toward the Continental Army, led by George Washington, yet he felt the need to stay amongst civilians a bit longer. More specifically, the need to stay with Sarah. It was impossible to ignore these feelings by the summer of 1776, and a now physically fifteen year old Alfred left for Philadelphia. He bid Sarah farewell, and promised that he would write and be back for her after the war.

Sarah soon received an excited letter in Alfred's scribbles, detailing a Declaration of Independence for Great Britain. The declaration was dated for July 4, 1776, though was signed gradually by it's delegates throughout the summer. Unbeknownst to Sarah (and certainly not mentioned in the letter), Alfred, who prior to 1776 had no official birthday, deemed the 4th of July to be his birthday from that day forward.

The letters continued. Alfred joined the Continental Army in the summer of 1777, apparently meeting George Washington himself...and knowing the general quite well, surprisingly. Alfred also detailed how he fell gravely ill at Valley Forge, but pulled through, and the war continued on.

At some point not long after, the letters from Sarah started to taper off, eventually stopping. Alfred hardly noticed, as he was in no position to write many letters himself. The Revolution was taking up much of his time. Things began to taper off in October 1781, when General Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. Alfred accompanied John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay to Paris as they went to sign the Treaty of Paris of 1783. The treaty was signed on September 3, 1783, and acknowledged both the end of the war as well as recognition of the United States of America as an independent nation by the United Kingdom.

Alfred was free.

One of the first things he did after returning home was return to Boston, as he'd promised. He had every intent to keep his word, and to pick up his relationship with Sarah where it left off.

When he arrived, his hopes were shattered into a million pieces. Sarah Whitaker was now Sarah Jacobs, and had two small children. What's more, upon seeing Alfred at her door, she refused to believe it was him, reasoning that the Alfred she knew would be in his 20s at this point, not the physical appearance of sixteen that Alfred still retained. Alfred left and sought comfort in George Washington, the closest thing Alfred had to a father figure at this point, and Washington not only provided words of comfort, but ice cream, which served well to help bring Alfred out of his funk.

Alfred's first few years as an independent nation were tumultuous, to say the least. The Articles of Confederation seemed to cause more problems than they helped, and at times Alfred felt as though he was being ripped apart from the inside out. Fortunately, Alfred wasn't the only one who noticed a very serious problem, and the Constitutional Convention was called. Many debates and compromises later (pay attention, these compromises cause some heavy duty problems later on =P), the Constitution was ratified, and for the first time since the Revolution, Alfred felt somewhat stable. George Washington was elected as the first president in 1789, quickly deemed 'boss' by Alfred, in the same style that Arthur had always called various kings back at his place boss. Old habits die hard.

8 years passed before Washington was replaced by Adams as president. Two short years after that, Washington fell ill and passed away, though not before Alfred went to visit one last time. Alfred was devastated by the death, and mourned for months. It was the first death of someone close to him to hit hard, but was by no means the last. It was a pattern that was soon to be established with every boss that followed...as well as the pattern of ever changing bosses.

Adams left after four years, followed by Jefferson. Then came Madison and Monroe. After that, Adams' son, John Quincy Adams, took the office. It was during this presidency that Alfred had what he still deems the 'worst birthday of his life'. On July 4, 1826, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away within a few hours of each other. Alfred was not directly present for either of their deaths, but both hit hard.

After the second Adams came Jackson. Then Van Buren. William Henry Harrison's term in office didn't last long at all. He fell ill and passed away barely a month into his term. This was probably the death that Alfred felt least affected by, if only because he hadn't really had the chance to get attached to the man. It was still deeply upsetting, however. After Harrison came Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan.

The latest few may have sensed trouble on the horizon. The Northern states and Southern states were growing increasingly divided on matters, especially those concerning the role of slavery in new states being introduced to the union. More compromises followed, but it seemed as though every compromise made was like a bandage being put on an ever expanding wound. One day the bandages wouldn't work on the crack anymore. Buchanan saw the beginnings of this fissure growing out of control. Alfred began to have trouble sleeping, and seemed tired almost all of the time. He often shouted in his sleep at nothing in particular. What he had to deal with was nothing compared to what Abraham Lincoln had to face.

Ironically, it was Lincoln's election that led to the boiling point. James Buchanan could not ignore that all of Alfred's tumults seemed to come to a head every time a new state seceded from the union. It was troubling, but nowhere near as troubling as what began to happen when the seceded states came together in an attempt to form a new nation - The Confederate States of America.

The Alfred that Abraham Lincoln met was unlike the Alfred that any president prior met. There were dark bags under his eyes, which were mildly bloodshot. He looked slightly disheveled, despite his best attempts to look put together for his new boss. And that was only the beginning. He fidgeted in his seat frequently, flinched occasionally, and on one particularly unnerving occasion, glared at Lincoln with a look of pure loathing before his eyes softened into something that resembled confusion and uncertainty.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces attacked one of very few Union strongholds left in what called itself the Confederate States of America after the Union failed to evacuate as demanded. The attack on Fort Sumter was an acute crisis, and Lincoln went to Alfred immediately to inform him of the situation. Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

At first, it appeared as though nothing was off. Abraham Lincoln greeted the physically seventeen year old Alfred and informed him that he had grave news. Alfred's response was a small 'hmm?', to which Lincoln began to explain the situation at Fort Sumter. As he did, though, he began to make several unsettling observations.

The way Alfred held himself was different. He held a cool, calm gaze with Lincoln, even upon hearing of the attacks on federal property. Perhaps the most disturbing of all? As Lincoln finished talking, Alfred's lips curved upward into a smile, before he began to speak in a most uncharacteristic Southern drawl. He recited the Confederate demands that Fort Sumter was to be evacuated immediately, or the attacks would continue.

Lincoln started to understand. "You're not Alfred, are you?"

"Now that's what's up for debate, isn' it?"

At this point, the amused look on Alfred's face was replaced by a look of confusion, to which Lincoln demanded firmly to know what led up to this. Under Lincoln's gaze, Alfred confessed to hearing voices, seeing odd things in his reflection, and nightmares. And now he had blackouts to add to the list. Lincoln looked troubled, confessing his intent to preserve the Union, but asking Alfred's opinion on this. Much to Lincoln's surprise, Alfred responded with an emphatic yes, that he wanted to preserve the Union at all costs. The battle of Fort Sumter ended, but Lincoln gave the call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion in the southern states, and four more states seceded. The American Civil War officially started, along with the worst four years of Alfred's life.

Shortly after giving the order, Lincoln went to see Alfred, only to discover that the young nation was missing. He gave out the order to look for an Alfred F. Jones, who might be hiding amongst Confederate soldiers, and that he was to be brought in front of Lincoln immediately. It was not hard to figure out where Alfred had disappeared to, after all, and a month passed before Alfred was brought before Abraham Lincoln, dressed in a confederate uniform and looking, if possible, even more haggard than before. Even despite this, Lincoln couldn't help but smile when he saw a small smile on Alfred's own face, followed by a "Hello boss. It's been a while, hasn't it?" It was Alfred, and he knew it was Alfred, and that was all that mattered.

Alfred was soon given the order to stay at his home and try not to venture out for anything. It was dangerous to have him out in his current condition, and rather than protest, as Alfred would have at any other time, Alfred obliged, knowing it to be the truth. He, or at least the Union side of him, didn't even want to get involved in this war. He wanted it to end, and everything to be back to the way it was. Nothing was perfect, it never was, but it was better than this.

The problem was that the other side of Alfred didn't agree with these arrangements. Sometimes he would lash out within the home, other times he would attempt to escape. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Sometimes Alfred would drift back into consciousness on the middle of a battlefield, caught up in the middle of a battle. Other times he'd find himself at a fort, or on a train. These incidents were rare, but they were extremely unnerving to Alfred.

Four years of hell later, and the American Civil War was finally over. The nightmare wasn't over, though. Shortly after the war ended, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. And just because the war was over didn't mean that everything was hunky dory. There were still harsh feelings between the northern and southern states, not helped by the Reconstruction that soon ensued. It took several decades before the southern economy fully recovered from the effects of the war, while the more industrialized northern states bounced back much more quickly.

Alfred did venture beyond his borders within the next few decades. The Panama Canal was a largely American venture, as were the Spanish American War and the American-Phillipines War. When the Great War, as it was known at the time, broke out, Alfred stayed away almost the entire length of the war, only joining the war efforts in 1917. After the war ended, however, Alfred failed to join the League of Nations, somewhat of a predecessor to the UN that was created for the purpose of maintaining world peace.

The 1920s came soon after, along with what Alfred would call one of the best decades of his life. Although he wasn't a large fan of the organized crime, he found that the underground lifestyle was one that took the edge off of life, and one that he could easily get lost in and enjoy. It didn't help matters that the government was not very strict in enforcing the Volstead Act and Prohibition in general.

1929 brought an abrupt end to the decade of decadence and fun - The stock market crashed in 1929, ushering in the Great Depression. Alfred remained scarcely aware of what was happening around him for the first few weeks, his entire being ravaged with fever. The torments calmed, yet they were not the end. For the greater part of the 1930s, Alfred had some degree of illness. During particularly low dips, such as the Recession of 1937-1938, Alfred would slip back into his delirium.

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, effectively starting World War II in Europe. Once again, Alfred stayed away, not wanting to get involved in what he deemed 'Europe's business'. And yet it wasn't as though his presence was completely missing. The Lend Lease Act enabled the U.S. to supply the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materials. It was set into motion in early 1941. It became clear that while Alfred was not personally involved with the war, he supported the Allies.

It wasn't long before it became personal. On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched an attack on Pearl Harbor. Alfred, his government, and his people could no longer use the excuse that they didn't want to get involved with a war on foreign shores. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a deliberate attack on the United States. War was declared on Japan, with Italy and Germany declaring war on America in return within a few days. The United States of America was officially in World War II.

Much like most wars, Alfred fought alongside his soldiers in many battles. He saw the most service in Japan, who he considered himself to have a personal vendetta against, though he participated in the Invasion of Normandy in June of 1944.

Though war ended in Europe in May of 1945, it continued in the Pacific theatre. The Empire of Japan refused to yield. Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, and Harry S. Truman took the reins. As the situation in Japan looked even more dreary, it was decided that the last weapon would be put into play. A weapon more powerful, and more terrifying than any weapon seen in history. On August 6, 1945, the B-29 "Enola Gay" flew over Hiroshima in Japan, dropping it's load. The bomb, codenamed Little Boy, detonated over the capitol of the Hiroshima Prefecture. Three days later, it's partner, Fat Man, was dropped over Nagasaki. These two events culminated in the final surrender of Japan - And the start of the atomic age.

The Cold War was quite possibly the only time that could match up to the Civil War in terms of the toll it took on Alfred. The mixed feelings started off early, lasting throughout the entire era, and even, to some extent, now. Alfred simultaneously enjoyed the power the bombs had granted him, being considered a world superpower. He was on top of the world. And yet? He loathed the way that he'd gotten there. The sight of Japan after the atomic bombs did not bring him closure, as he'd thought it would during a more vengeful time. It made him want to vomit in his mouth, to punch his own reflection. What had he unleashed? Was he really the hero that he'd taken to proclaiming himself to be, or was he actually the villain?

Where one enemy left, another enemy took it's place. Alfred and Ivan had been on good terms prior to the October Revolution, and the rise of the Soviet Union. Relations between the two were shaky at best for the ensuing decades, though they were able to work together relatively well during World War II. Once their common enemy was out of the way, they became each other's enemies. Alfred found that not only did he not like communism, but he was terrified of communism. This, on top of McCarthy's wild accusations of communism as well as nuclear tests by the Soviet Union, left Alfred in a state of paranoia that would not fully let up until relations between the two superpowers began to thaw in the 1980s.

On a few occasions, the Cold War very nearly became a hot one. In response to ballistic missiles being deployed to Italy and Turkey, the Soviet Union moved to put it's own nuclear missiles in Cuba, within firing range of the United States. Alfred could barely sleep for the ensuing thirteen days, until the near nuclear crisis was resolved.

The space race was a slightly more appealing aspect of the Cold War. Alfred had always been interested in space, and thus it was easy to support efforts to not only launch people into space, but to send them to the moon. The Soviet Union was the first to send a man to space, much to Alfred's chagrin. He always had a competitive nature, but this competitive nature threatened to take him over during the Cold War. The efforts culminated in the Apollo 11 mission, and the United States of America being the first (and so far only) nation to land on the moon.

The Vietnam War is a time that Alfred largely tries to forget. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. More concerned with stopping the spread of communism than ever, Alfred and his leaders made to 'save' Vietnam from falling under the rule of communism. What followed was largely considered to be one of the biggest military disasters in American history. What was worse was that a good many of his citizens were protesting the war. He couldn't say he entirely blamed them - He could never say that he entirely blamed them. But the culmination of fighting a losing war and the civil unrest at home lead Alfred to look for any sort of escape he possibly could. He experimented with drugs. Even these only offered a temporary respite, however. As hard as it was to accept defeat, Alfred's troops pulled out of Vietnam.

In the 1980s, relations began to thaw between the United States and the Soviet Union, largely due to Mikhail Gorbachev taking his spot as a leader of the Soviet Union. Alfred's paranoia finally began to abate, and he was able to truly sleep soundly for the first time in decades. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, thus bringing what Alfred considered to be the absolute end of the accursed 'Cold War'.

The 1990s were a largely peaceful time compared to the previous several decades. The 2000s brought along September 11, 2001, an event that jump-started Alfred's paranoia once more - Though not quite to the extent of the Cold War. Once again, war broke out, first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq. The end of the decade brought along a recession, leaving Alfred feeling a little under the weather. Still, despite all this, Alfred is still looking up in a way that he never could during the Cold War. His primary goal is to enjoy life, because you never know what might happen tomorrow, especially in this day and age.

[...so, even after this long ramble, you can see I still paraphrased on a lot of stuff. I hope it's still good enough despite this. XD]

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From an rp on another site. Nightmare about mutually assured destruction.

He was at the White House when it happened.

He thought it was all over. He thought that the fall of the Soviet Union meant the end of this. Little did he realize that it was only the beginning.

The iceberg resembling the Cold War had recently grown to larger proportions than ever. Alfred's boss and Ivan's boss were at a fierce standoff, leaving Alfred and Ivan waiting on tenterhooks. Did they really want this? Wasn't this enough of a headache the first time around? Game pieces were placed into their positions, neither Alfred nor Ivan willing to make a move to end this stalemate.

Someone wasn't content to leave the pieces in their current arrangement. Someone opted to move a piece forward.

And then all hell broke loose.

Alfred had been called to his boss' office for an emergency meeting. He had never heard a boss so frightened in his life. He threw on his best clothes and practically sprinted down the hall. He threw open the doors to his boss' office. Then he collapsed to the ground at once, a burning sensation radiating through his chest.

Pain. He wasn't new to pain. Brief flashes of the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11 flashed through his head. No, this pain was different somehow. Worse. This realization made Alfred slightly nauseous. What could be worse than the Civil War?

It was only the beginning.

Sensations, much like the one in his chest, began to creep throughout his body. It was all he could do not to cry out in pain, though as hard as he tried, he could not help but writhe a little on the floor. Alfred was no longer slightly nauseous. He felt a warm liquid bubbling up in his throat. Though it hurt to move, Alfred was able to roll himself to his side before vomiting. If Alfred wasn't disconcerted before, he was upon seeing the color of his vomit. Red. Red, red, red. He was vomiting blood. Something was eating him apart from both the inside and out. What was capable of doing such a thing? He was a nation, not a human. What force could be this powerful, this frightening, that it had him at his knees at one fell swoop?

Alfred felt another burning sensation sweep down his forearm. Wide eyes darted down to his arm, mostly covered by the suit. With some effort, Alfred was able to rip his suit upward. Another wave of nausea hit, but this one was not from the effects of the unseen force wreaking havoc on him. No, this came from the sight of the burn on his arm. He recognized it. He'd seen it before, on a human. A human woman who was present for the bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Alfred couldn't recall exactly which. All he knew was that this was no ordinary burn. This was a radiation burn.

Nukes.

Checkmate.

Alfred covered his ears as the screams started. He knew it was only a matter of time. He could see his people suffering, hear them, feel them. He closed his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks, a familiar wave of guilt coming over him. Was this what Kiku felt at the end of World War II? Had he really put another being through this? He wouldn't wish this on his worst enemy.

His worst enemy.

His worst enemy was standing against the opposite wall. Alfred's vision was blurred, so he could not make out the features at first. But he would recognize that scarf anywhere.

"You..."[/color] He hissed.

He was the one who'd done this. It was Russia. He was responsible for it all. And he had the nerve to show his face at the White House? On Alfred's land? If Alfred had more strength, he would have lunged for Ivan at once, to wipe the creepy smile off of the dirty commie's face once and for all. As it was, though, a slight jarring caused Alfred to vomit once more. He was in no condition to do much of anything.

Besides, he soon became aware of something else.

Ivan was smiling, but it wasn't even his usual smile. There was something present in Ivan's eyes that Alfred had never seen before, in the hundreds of years that he'd known Russia. It was fear, desperation. Pain. Ivan was clutching at his chest. He had a familiar looking burn across his face. His skin was red, cracked, peeling, blood escaping from cracks in the skin. Alfred knew at once that he looked just like that. And then, before Alfred's eyes, Ivan collapsed on to the floor.

Alfred tried to scream, but all he could force out was a strangled sounding groan. Alfred was the one who emitted it, yet it didn't even sound human to his ears. It sounded like a wounded animal on his last limbs.

Mutually assured destruction.

He found himself asking why. No...he knew why. Who. He wanted to know who. Who had dropped the first bomb. His boss...the President of the United States of America...obviously misread his face. "You want to know who won?"

"There are...no winners..."[/color] Alfred stammered out. "Who?"[/color]

A wry smile came across the President's face. "We did, of course."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"[/color] He cried out as his eyes flew open.

"Nonononononononono."[/color] Alfred slowly became aware that he was no longer in pain. In fact, he was no longer in the White House. He was no longer anywhere resembling where he'd been before. It had all been a dream, one horrific nightmare. And it most certainly wasn't the first.

Alfred had fallen asleep on a bench in the hallway. This was the first time he'd had such a dream in the public eye. With this realization, Alfred also became aware that he wasn't alone. Fortunately, if he'd cried out, it hadn't attracted a crowd. Alfred didn't know if he would be able to live with that.

There was someone there though. Were Alfred in a normal mood, he would have laughed and tried to play everything off. Were no one there, Alfred would have gone on with his day as though nothing happened...as though his heart weren't still racing, as though the tearstains on his cheeks were from something ridiculous like too much dust in the air or something.

Alfred found that he didn't care, though. He didn't even care the identity of the person there with him. He just pulled them close to him, closing his eyes tightly, grateful for the feeling of a warm body to provide comfort to him. He felt like a small colony all over again, seeking refuge from a fictional monster under the bed.

Only in this case, the monster was real. And he could strike at any time.

"No...no..."[/color] Alfred muttered, perfectly aware that whoever he was with would likely have questions. Questions that he wouldn't want to answer. He knew he was behaving in a way that would make him want to kick himself later on. He was the hero, he wasn't supposed to be acting like this. None of that mattered in this particular moment, though. What mattered was that someone was there with him.

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[/color]:[/b] Mandee
Timezone: EST

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