Yeah, I'm bad at making chapter titles. Sue me 🤷‍♀️
I won't go on about how late I am again. It's just to be expected at this point I guess.

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World War 3 would start without him even watching from the sidelines.

A tragedy.

But seriously. It was looking like war would be on the horizon, much to all the country's dismay.

Why?

North Korea attacked the USA.

The reason? There was none. It was out of the blue, on a seemingly normal sunny day.

All those empty threats building up for years finally amounted to something.

Ame felt a wave of nausea hit him. Not from his concussion, but from pure disgust and rage.

In the spring of 20XX, three missiles struck the West Coast, two in the heart of California and one just barely scraping by Oregon.

Cali died, was resuscitated, suffered multiple strokes and seizures, and is now being monitored by the best medical professionals available at the moment in America and Canada.

Oregon got away with migraines and a sore leg but he was badly shaken up and needed therapy.

Ame had a rash develop on his arm and his muscles always felt sore. Nothing he couldn't handle but what hurt more was his inability to protect his states from this catastrophe.

He just about lost it when he heard what happened and almost retaliated immediately but thanks to Maryland, NK wasn't reduced to smoldering rubble. Mostly because of all the innocent humans that reside there and it would be a war crime. Well NK struck first unprovoked but regardless, everyone was in a state of high alert.

Ame set up multiple meetings in Europe to discuss what the hell just happened and how to move forward. He may be a stuck-up prick 89% of the time, but from almost three hundred years of life experience, he knew he needed to know who his allies were during these times.

America, the country, was on red alert, already preparing for another attack and sending relief efforts to the West. The public outrage, of course, was severe and everyone wanted answers.

America left while they were still clearing the area of debris and bodies. The states were having a hell of a time trying to keep everything in order but he needed to get something from his overseas allies and to talk to UN and everyone, etc, etc.

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Ame shook his head. Enough of that bs.

He looked around for his suit jacket and found it lying on a stool in the corner of the room. Picking it up a shiny can caught his eyes.

Del Monte corn. Of course. Pollutions got so bad, canned corn makes it out in the middle of nowhere.

D*mn, now Ame wanted a smoke.

Whatever. Flinging the jacket across his shoulder, he looked for his shoes when he saw a brown strap next to his foot. Tugging on it, an old suitcase appeared, dust lining its edges.

Curiosity killed the cat but this cat was immortal.

Kneeling, Ame pulled on the strap to reveal an old vintage-style suitcase, something from the 1900s. It felt empty but couldn't hurt to check right?

He flipped open the case and he was taken aback by what was inside.

Bright beautiful stones. They were an assortment of different colors, all cloudy like sea glass. But when Ame picked one up, it was like holding air. Like an aerogel.

But how did these get to a place like this? They can't naturally happen in nature. That'd be a miracle.

Thinking for a moment, Ame pocketed the rock in his shirt pocket. It wasn't stealing if he planned on giving it back.

Closing the suitcase and shoving it back under the bed, Ame found his shoes, slid them on, and exited the room finally.

The hall leading to what Ame assumed to be a living room and kitchen mixed together was filled to the brim with plants. Fern's, vibes, flowers, even young trees.

"Wow. Reminds me of Aussie. Always bringing weird stuff home." Ame murmured, rubbing his face.

The space was small, only slightly larger than a master bedroom, but Ame definitely wouldn't mind spending a vacation here, even if there wasn't any WiFi.

Gave him a distant feeling of home, all warm and fuzzy. Weird.

Out the front "door" Ame's skin was hit with a wave of humidity, the air noticeably heavier. He shielded his eyes from the sun which beat down harshly. The sounds of the outdoors were loud, birds, wildlife, water, even the wind. It reminded him of that visit to Hawaii last year.

Right, he needed to get out of here. His territory was in danger.

Leaving the small shack behind, he wandered down a well-worn path that went through a thick forest, searching for that weird blue kid.

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After a short and relatively nice walk, he started to hear voices. Finally.

But they were shouts. Urgent shouts.

Breaking into a run, Ame pushed past a bush into a dirt clearing. In front of him was a mess.

Bri was on the ground, hand on his cheek, a good-looking woman behind him while two men were fighting and shouting. Didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

"To hell with your food! Who are you?!"

"Calm down mate! We aren't here to kill you d*mm*t! Put the gun down!"

"J-Joseph, it's okay! He's just confused!" Bri shouted after the men.

"Hey!" Ame yelled, getting everyone's attention. The islander fighting with the soldier took the opportunity to grab their wrist. Startled, the soldier pulled the trigger and the gun went off with a loud BANG!

Ame felt a painful thud against his chest, the wind getting knocked out of him. He fell back and hit a tree, sliding down the trunk.

"Ow..." for getting shot though, this was a lot less painful and bloody.

Patting his chest he didn't feel anything except that rock. He pulled it out and saw the bullet flattened against the smooth stone, not even scratching it.

Well lucky him.

"A-America sir!" Bri stumbled his way to Ame, tears in his eyes though he didn't look sad.

"Are you okay? Is your headache worse?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Never better. Lovely welcoming party you have here." Bri grimaced and cradled his cheek in his hand.

"Sorry. That man is..disoriented and got jumpy."

"Uh-huh." Ame scoffed, unimpressed. Bri helped Ame back up to his feet, much to his chest's disagreement.

"Is... that one of my stones?" Ame looked down at his hand.

"No. I found it on my way here and thought you could tell me what the heck it is." Smooth Ame, smooth.

"Oh, I don't really know what it is. I keep finding them all over the place though, close to the beaches. They're just really pretty right?" Bri smiled, then winced, probably from his sore jaw from getting socked in the face. The woman from before came jogging up behind him with a cloth and a small case.

She had shiny curly hair, dark tanned skin, and bright green eyes, which complemented the surroundings. Or did the surroundings compliment her? Ame didn't know, nor care. He wouldn't mind taking her someplace private. (Gross ew, Ame get a girlfriend)

"Brilis you shouldn't move like that." She scolded.

"Sorry." Ame watched as the woman carefully wiped his face then reached in the case and taped a fluffy piece of cotton to his face.

"No touching, and no hard foods for a while."

"Alright, mo- uh... Felicity." Bri blushed but Felicity just smiled sweetly and gently hugged Bri, which he returned happily.

"And you-" she turned around so quick, it caught Ame off guard.

"Y-yeah?"

"You seem to be the hotshot around here. Get your d*mn men under control or I'll deal with all of you myself. Got that?" She glared daggers into Ame, which slightly intimidated him.

"Yes, mam." Felicity searched his face then went back to smiling and walked away. Ame exhaled and massaged the area where the stone was painfully pushed against his body.

"She always like that?" He asked. Bri smiled nervously.

"Only around people she doesn't like."

"Lovely. Hey, mind if I keep this?" He waved the stone in the air.

"Go ahead. I have a lot."

"Thanks. Now I need to go..." Ame started murmuring to himself while walking past Bri and approaching the two men who had seemingly calmed down but still glared at each other with equal hatred.

"Wilson! What the hell have I said about jumping to conclusions? I thought we were working past these issues kid."

"Sorry, sir." The young soldier looked down.

"C'mon, don't give me that face. Chin up, apologize, since these are the people who saved our *sses from the plane wreck, and we can go on our merry way." Wilson looked up at Joseph who now held a neutral expression you couldn't read.

Wilson gritted his teeth then sighed.

"I'm...sorry sir. No real excuse I can give." There was a moment of silence.

"Apology accepted." Joseph grinned then slapped Wilson hard on the back.

"Glad to know you ain't some unapologetic yahoo like a lot of other people I've seen." Joseph made a face at Ame but he didn't see it. He was busy now discussing things with Bri.

After a minute he was led to the row of tents set up to house all of the soldiers and pilots found in the wreck.

Humans were weak but d*mn if Ame wasn't proud (and relieved) that none of them died.

A couple of days and they should be okay. That should be enough time to scope out the plane and see if they could leave.

Worst-case scenario Ame would have to leave the cargo and return to the capital by the slightly bloodier way.

But Ame was optimistic that they could leave, that plane was built specifically to survive crashes like this after all.

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"Hey kid, mind showing me that wreck?" Ame yawned, shuffling towards Bri.

"Uh, well, it's evening, you should rest."

"That's hilarious. I've barely slept the past month and a half. I'm pretty sure I can keep going now. Especially that power nap you made me take." Ame held up a hand to Bri's forehead and flicked him.

"Ow!" Ame just smirked.

"Always wanted to do that."

"Do what? Attack me?" Bri rubbed his head and sighed.

"Fine, follow me. But if you don't get rest at some point, I'll throw more dust in your face."

"You seem to care a lot about me and my crew. What's up with that huh?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm worried about you and the others. What kind of person wouldn't be?"

"You'd be surprised." Ame murmured low enough for Bri not to hear.

Bri began walking through the forest, taking turns and twists Ame would've never imagined taking. It was like Bri was following an imaginary line.

"Question. Have you ever left these islands?" Ame asked, jogging almost to keep up.

Bri slowed down as if taken aback by the question.

"N-no. It's something I've always dreamed of though. Well, if I could ever get past the storms." Ame heard the remorse in his voice. A kid with big dreams. Sounded familiar.

"And what do you think you'll find outside of this place?"

"I dunno. Something different at least. I love it here, with my whole being, but...I dunno, feels like I'm living in a loop. A repetitive dream." Bri took a sharp turn that caused Ame to do a double-take.

"Heh, that's a pretty drawn-out way to say you're bored of this place."

"Hey! I just..didn't want to say it like that." Pushing branches out of the way, Bri started to climb up a steep hillside making Ame internally groan.

"C'mon kid. Be honest with yourself. People like us naturally like to move around, meet people, do stuff, the works. I'm surprised you've managed to stay here for a long time without going crazy." Ame slipped and nearly fell.

"Wait what do you mean, people like us?" Bri said holding out a hand to help Ame up.

"Uugghhh.. oh, y'know, countryhumans. We're made up of all the hopes and dreams, rules and laws of humans, but we can have our own ambitions and dreams. Yours seem especially strong huh?" The pair continued down an actual path, though lightly walked on.

"I've... never thought of that. I woke up alone on the isles, not a person in sight. I'll admit, I was kinda scared."

What? He woke up alone? That's...not right. Humans created country and state humans when they unite under a flag and a set of laws. Was it possible for a CountryHuman to wake up alone? Ame looked down at Bri with a mix of confusion, but overwhelming curiosity.

"What? You're looking at me funny." Ame smirked and looked away.

"Nothin'. Your just really interesting kid." Ame went to scratch his face and realized something terrifying.

His glasses weren't on his face. No wonder the crew was looking at him funny. Ame had forgotten all about them. How was that even possible?

Checking his coat he found they were gone. Ame's heart started to race.

"Hey kid, you didn't happen to find a pair of dark sunglasses, did you? They probably would've been near my unconscious body." Bri's face changed almost instantly.

"Uhhh... no?" Wow, he was a terrible liar.

"Uh-huh. Sure you don't. Are they at the wreck or in your pocket?" Bri pouted and reluctantly took out his sunglasses from a back pocket.

"They're very shiny. Nicely taken care of too. I didn't find a scratch to buff out." He said quietly.

"What do you-..." Ame, relieved to have his glasses, looked them over.

It seemed to be cleaned, polished, and buffed. It almost glowed in the dim light, like a jewel. A strange trait for sunglasses to have.

"Huh." Turning it in his hand he put them on. As stupid as that was to do in the late evening, it felt a lot better.

Ame felt...safe.

"We're here." Bri said abruptly, pointing to a large clearing in front of them.

"The planes here. Check it out or whatever." Bri murmured and wandered off somewhere else in the large clearing.

Huh, what's his problem? Ame shrugged and walked over to the plane.

It looked repairable. There wasn't any gaping hole in the sides. Squeezing through the broken hatch in the back, he was relieved to see the cargo untouched and intact.

Alright, this was good. Very good. He just needed to get the engineers over here to look things over. Then go and finally deliver this stuff to 51.

Now he just needed to figure out what to do with the kid. Or rather, Bri, Brilis, whatever.

He was a real mystery. Woke up alone yet still manifested. He was tied to this land and the people collected here. The land itself was weird, unknown species of plant and food he'd seen on his walks around.

Maybe he could convince Bri to come along with him. Form a kind of unofficial treaty. Finding new land was unheard of now unless you wanted to claim the ocean floor.

Ah jeez, now he was starting to sound like his...father. Gross.

Ame rubbed the back of his head and just sighed. Like maniacal, power-hungry father, like egotistical, power-hungry son.

Scary thought but now was not the time to think about him. Now was the time to get his s**t sorted and get out of here.

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Cool ((:

Hope you enjoyed the rewrite lol not feeling it as much but what can you do? I need to get this story going smh

Enjoy

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