A/N: Rewritten version! It's much better now. So I'll just say the basics for new readers.

Alternative Summary: "The Nations were discovered by the world because of a mysterious enemy. Now they must deal with the world's problems under the public eye and at the same time, not become the scapegoats of the whole world's issues, all while not causing a war." Heavily based on headcanons (some of which are based on facts&trivia), while focusing on real-world problems.

Companion Social Media fic on AO3: News Media, by MayAnny.

Rated T for swearing (with occasional f-bombs).

NO YAOI PAIRINGS! If you want shipping, you'll have to look somewhere else, because it is nearly everywhere else.

CAUTION! You may find issues that are controversial, which you might or might not agree with. Disagreements are welcome in the reviews or through a PM, HOWEVER, no Flames are accepted! If you want to discuss anything, be civil! I'm open for debates.

WARNING! Story from chapters 1-18 were originally written while I was still Left-Wing, and after that, I've changed my position dramatically, so from chapter 19-onward, it has a stronger Right-Wing bias that is noticeably different in tenor from all previous chapters. Many (maaany) details have been added or changed in all previous chapters to fit better with my current standing, but it should still be rather obvious from the themes. If you get triggered, simply leave.

Story has a SLOW BUILD-UP, with focus on the characters and on news or historic facts, plus my own view on certain topics in the Author's Notes, which you're welcome to dismiss if you want.

Grammar mistakes are fixed over time, but please ignore them. Sometimes my brain goes poof.

Disclaimer shall not be repeated after the first chapter: I do not own Hetalia or its characters. Done.

Many characters in this story will be used to represent real people, with somewhat different names or nicknames, and OCs are based on people I know personally or have talked to online.

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Chapter 1

May 9, 2015

Washington D.C (UTC -4) 8:20 a.m

It was a really quiet morning…

.

The constant ringing of an alarm clock was what roused him from his sleep. An annoying shrill and America, the embodiment of all that represents the United States, thought it was justifiable to toss it out of his room and into the wall, leaving cracks on said wall and left-over bits of spring, glass, and wire that he would ignore for as long as he could.

For a few blessed seconds, it was completely silent. He groaned and sat up with a scowl.

It's been barely five hours since he'd laid down but it was certainly enough time for a Nation to rest… No, sleeping little wasn't the reason behind his crankiness, not really.

America yawned and pushed the covers off, drowsily making his way to the bathroom to wash his face so he wouldn't feel so much like a Walker from the Walking Dead.

The cold water on his face was so refreshing, and America sighed, hands on the sink as he leaned closer to the mirror. He could see the dark shadows beneath his blue eyes, something that's been present on his face for a few years now. Well, it wasn't like he wasn't the only one these days…

It was a look he's seen on his most stressed out citizens, those who worked too much and slept little. Those who had too many worries and little time.

He's a Nation, though. He's not supposed to have this kind of thing. Even if he stops sleeping, with an endless supply of Starbucks, he's still not supposed to have this look. He knew there was something wrong… He's been having weird dreams again, which he couldn't quite remember, to be honest. It had to be connected. Every now and then they'd come back, so maybe his brain was trying to tell him something…

America scoffed and pushed himself away, leaving the white tiled bathroom and going to the nightstand beside the bed, grabbing his glasses, adjusting it on his face, then leaving the room while stretching his back and arms.

He would make himself some breakfast first. He would tire himself by thinking about his problems later.

A good cup of coffee and some toasts would do the trick for now. He would visit a drive-thru later.

As the coffee machine and toaster did their job, America sat on the counter of the open kitchenette, head turning to glance at his living room. The coffee table in front of the couch was still littered with piles of papers. Just where he'd left them.

Work, work, work…

Many were letters, as he wasn't really allowed to share his only e-mail, which could be used to talk with his fellow Nations only, or so says his Senate and Congress. Those papers were reports from people who knew who he was, keeping him updated on the inner-workings of his government and on the actions of CEOs he wished to keep an eye on.

There were also bills, along with requests for favors and 'thank you' letters. Those were from friends, many of whom had no idea who he actually was...

The toasts were ready with a ping, followed by the coffee, so America quickly finished preparing his breakfast, butter for the toasts, sugar for the coffee, before sitting on the couch, the report papers and letters were now under his plate and cup.

His phone was on the table and he picked it up, seeing it ran out of battery. Of course, now he remembered that he'd left it there with its wi-fi on… He'd charge it later.

He left it aside and searched for the TV remote in the depths of his couch instead, first finding a dart, which made America shrug lazily and aim it at the wall near the TV, throwing it with practiced ease and nailing it on the eye of a particular magnate's picture. It was right beside other posters and pamphlets for some other corporations he had a beef with, all filled with more darts and one knife embedded on a picture of a politician he hated.

It's not that he hated business or entrepreneurs of any kind. He's always loved capitalism, and would always love it. It's just some individuals who got on his nerves…

There were other pictures as well, of politicians and lobbyists alike. They tended to get on his nerves too.

Satisfied, America nodded and continued his search, finding the remote buried deep into the couch for some reason – it probably gains sentience and moves on its own, considering how often it disappears – and turned on CBS Morning News.

He knew his media wasn't exactly sharp or helpful in many instances, and they tended to be overly hysterical and… well, he couldn't bring himself to ignore it when many of his citizens were watching it. The influx felt bigger because they've been talking about the election, the long and grueling process to decide who would be his next president began this year.

The media was already all over it.

It would be a long year with a lot of painful mental conflicts, as usual... But America would just push through, like he always does these days. But... she was running again. The thought made him grimace for a second, and he pushed it away with a sigh, shaking his head. The ex-First Lady scares him way too much for a human...

He dropped the remote carelessly, picking a random letter while munching on his toast. A small frown formed on his face. Right, this one was from Cuba… They've been getting along recently- well, not exactly along, certainly a lot better than 50 years ago, since they weren't at each other's throats…

Maybe there was room for forgiveness somewhere in this, even though Cuba still had a long way to go. It felt good to know the future could be better for him and his neighbor… He placed it back on the table, he would write back after breakfast.

He knew somewhere in the pile he would find a letter from Iran, too. Totally insufferable Nation, as he's always been to America, but not nearly as difficult to deal with, like his much-hated arch-nemesis, Saudi Arabia the Pest From Hell… as America lovingly calls him in private.

America simmered, huffing in annoyance, but cooled down quickly. Iran's still an asshole, though… even if he and his new boss were cooperating with their 'deal'. America wasn't a fan of it, but at least they weren't having any arguments yet, and America wasn't about to start arguing with his boss either.

He scoffed, placing the letter back and focusing on the TV as he finished his toast, the droning sound finally making some sense now that he was paying attention.

"-immortal people among us?" America stopped chewing, blinking. "It's early here in the US, but social medias are on fire with the sudden leak of CIA documents just last night, describing details about a secret set of people they call 'Nations', one representing each country of the world-"

America nearly choked, forced himself to swallow, and then gaped for a second, his brain seemed to be having trouble registering what he was hearing and what it meant, so he continued taking slow and mechanic bites off his toast while feeling his heart speeding up.

"-I gotta tell you, I read this thing an-and it almost sounds like they're inhuman! Like, something they don't even know why-or better how they exist or stay alive for, what, how long?"

"Said they're born along with 'human settlements'? Sticking around as long as the country and government are there? I don't get it…!"

"Does the government has one for, like, 300 years or something? Do they even know about it? Are they dangerous?!"

"I-I don't know! We don't know!"

Something finally snapped in his mind and America left the remains of the toast on the plate then ran to his room, opening a closet – the doors nearly breaking off its hinges – and hurriedly finding himself some jeans and a jacket, no time for shirts… He would go with the one he was wearing. A faded blue T-shirt that said 'They hate us cuz they ain't U.S'.

He also fished out a pair of gloves – no way he would go out there and leave fingerprints everywhere – and putting on his usual pair of military boots, not bothering to tie them or anything.

The gear he uses to carry a pistol under his arm was hanging on a lone coat-rack in the corner, he grabbed it too, adjusting it haphazardly before putting on the jacket and running out-Right, he forgot his coffee!

The TV was still going about it as he chugged it down as quickly as possible.

"No word whatsoever from anyone in Washington, our calls have been dismissed-" America twitched but finished his drink. They better not utter one word without his permission…!

But there was no time for that, America left the cup on the table and ran. With a 'Hop', his surroundings changed to the familiar white halls of the White House.

Best ability ever, requires a lot of energy, but he was in no state for driving.

He continued running, reaching the doors of the Oval Office, startling the two Secret Service agents who nearly pulled out their guns, but America ignored them and burst through the doors. "What the fuck was that?!" He snapped once inside, closing the doors behind him loudly.

The walls seemed to shake, too.

He caught his boss standing behind the desk, stopping his conversation with the CIA's Deputy Director in front of him, who was quick to back away when seeing America. Rightly so, because America immediately hounded after him menacingly. "Just what the hell happened?!" He knew howling like this while looking completely disheveled made the man even more scared.

Good! He better have nightmares of this moment.

"W-we don't know, sir..."

"Oh, the CIA doesn't know!" America grinned mockingly, leaning closer to the man, making him back away to the side as the desk which was in the way of his escape. America only gritted his teeth at this. "This came from you guys! How the hell you don't know?!"

His boss leaned over the desk, sighing tiredly. "Calm down, Alfred. Yelling won't solve anything." He stated firmly.

The scolding tone made America flinch and back away, crossing his arms. He huffed as his anger simmered down. "Okay, okay, sorry. Just tell me when did this happen..."

Mr. CIA exhaled in relief, pulling his white collar. "Well, sir, you see, it was 3:32 a.m, as the-"

"That long ago?!" America's eyes widened. "Why didn't anyone warn me earlier?!"

"You wouldn't answer the phone." His boss supplied crossly, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

America moaned in annoyance, hands rubbing his face under the glasses. "Damn cheap battery..." He backed away and sat on the couch, hand ruffling his hair even more. He then glared at Mr. CIA again. "How did you guys not notice anything?"

"Ah, it was taken directly from a private server," Mr. CIA shrugged, eyes darting away, hands fiddling anxiously under his Nation's scrutiny.

America gaped for a second, his eyes wide. "S-someone broke in there…?! How the-What about the cameras?!"

"...They were blank."

America slouched on the couch, not quite believing it. Information was stolen from private servers inside his Central Intelligence, someone broke into it…! "Goddamn it… D-did they take anything else...?"

"No, sir..."

America stopped to digest this information. Nothing else was taken, so that means whoever got in just wanted this specific information. But there was no way someone managed this feat of stealth on their own… Nuh uh. Someone helped them, possibly more than one person too. Maybe a whole network. "They weren't working alone, that's for sure..."

He has traitors within his system. America lurched forward, hands clutching his head as he glared at the floor, the thought struck him hard... He already had plenty of rats who didn't work for the well-being of the country, but this was way beyond the line for him, on a personal level.

"Alright," His president started, interrupting his troubled thoughts. "Let's not mope around, we have work to do."

"Right..." Raising his head, America took a deep breath. "I'll do an extensive checkup on CIA for spies, and I'll move to the others when I'm done." He would check FBI after that, and all the other organizations that worked for the safety of their country later. It wasn't healthy to have any moles or spies in his government and no one is better at finding spies than America.

He could tell when one wasn't really his citizen, or better yet for this case, when there were ill intentions toward him. In fact, he's a pro at it.

Mr. CIA adjusted his suit and tie subtly. "While that, we should keep the media in the dark." He suggested.

"And let them spread wild theories on their own?" His boss scoffed. "No offense, but that sounds worse. No one likes to be left with uncertainty." He warned.

America nodded in agreement. "With how fast things fly nowadays, I can't ignore this. They must be going crazy out there…! The whole world already heard about it, I'm practically the last to get sunlight!" America said shaking his head and tapping his foot in thought. "Just keep things at a minimum, stall them. I have a few spies to catch for now."

His boss frowned. "You're only detaining them, Alfred. Please, avoid violence."

America pursed his lips, averting his eyes, but nodded. "Of course." He answered curtly. "I'll just... let security handle it. Don't worry, this will be clean."

This didn't seem to reassure his president too much and David was giving the man a mild glare, too.

America had more pressing matters, though. Spies are like viruses, his kind doesn't really notice them until the damage is done. But America caught plenty of Soviet Viruses during the Cold War, this was no different.

Unlike back then, though, no one would be hurt. He would do this with precision and efficiency, surgical, extracting the enemy without being noticed and have them questioned. No harm done.

Well, either way, it would still be a hunt.

A/N: This is like a prologue.

In all chapters, I'll explain any historical/political references. If you understood all the references, you're welcome to ignore the Note, however, I throw in my opinion as well, so I do recommend reading it. It's always good to be in contact with different perspectives.

Although I did mention some things, but in case you don't know, CIA is international Intelligence, while FBI and homeland intelligence. It's good to remember.

I mentioned Cuba, as US-Cuba relations seemed to be improving that year, even though they still remained with the Castro lot. I mentioned Hillary as 'her', who had just announced her run for the presidency in April. There was Iran as well, because of the Iran Deal.

Still, a lot of this was heavy on foreshadowing, which I don't like to spoil, so I'll leave it at that. In the other chapters, it's loaded with stuff, so the Author's Notes are usually very long.

Anyway, according to the reviewers, this story does get better, so if you're still unsure, just read the comments (pls ignore triggered Lefties who overreact like lunatics) and give it a chance, please? ;)