At first, it was just brief flashes of things-a blue flower, a dress, and red. Then everything settled down and came into focus.

"So will you do it, Mr. Jones?"

Zachary took in the scene. In front of him, America sat with a woman. The room resembled an office or a study, and Zachary guessed it belonged to the woman. She was the one behind the desk while Alfred sat in front in one of the guest chairs. He could not get a view of her face as he was behind her, but he saw America looking trouble-a sight anyone should feel uneasy about. Zachary was probably invisible to the people, as they didn't react to his presence. He was like a ghost.

The two looked like they were in a serious conversation. There were some important looking papers on the desk. Zachary tried to get closer and get a better look, but discovered he couldn't move from his place. Meanwhile, the adults continued their conversation.

"Will it work?" America asked instead of answering the question. He tapped a pen rhythmically as a discrete act of nervousness.

The woman replied with what sounded like confidence. "We will do everything we can. You can trust us as we will be very careful with it and we will not misuse it."

"With great power comes great responsibility," America grinned, his entire expression changing, "Sure, I'll do it. It's for the greater good, yeah? Just what a hero would do."

Zachary could see, even from behind, the tension dissolve from the woman. She replied happily. "Yes, it is."

America took the pen he had been tapping against the desk and signed the bunch of papers. "I trust you guys. But if anything happens, it's also my responsibility to end this."

As the woman collected the papers into a folder, he caught a glimpse of an arrow on it. She nodded to America and Zachary could hear the satisfaction in her voice.

"That won't be necessary."

The dream or memory transitioned once again.

This time, it was less calm.

The setting was much, much more chaotic. Alarms were blaring, and the room he was in this time was wrecked. The door had been kicked in, tables turned over, and there was glass scattered all over the ground surrounded by some kind of liquid. He followed the trail of glass and liquid to see America hunched over someone.
Whoever it was, they were having trouble breathing. America spoke in low, comforting tones to them. Zachary wanted go towards them, but once again, he could not move. Eventually the erratic breathing calmed and America attempted to get whoever it was it stand up. America moved to the side, allowing Zachary to see who it was.

The blank, empty look in their eyes was a vast difference from their usual sharpness. He shivered slightly as the eyes seemed to stare straight at his. Being held up by America was Matilda. Zachary looked past the two and gaped as he saw the source of the broken glass. Behind them was a glass case, full of tubes, and sized to fit a person. Straight out of a horror movie.

Above the broken glass case was a plate with I07S04 written on it.

"Oh my god," Zachary breathed.

Loud yelling snapped him out of it. The security of whatever place America had evidently broken into had arrived. And behind the security was the voice of the woman in the previous memory. This time, Zachary could finally see her face. She had a very familiar face with brown eyes and raven hair.

"Sir, we have a contract!"

America smiled back at her. "And you didn't follow my terms."

"There were no terms against this, we've done nothing wrong. Mr. Jones-" The woman tried a different approach. "You're a hero, aren't you?"

"I am," the nation kept his smile, but Zachary noticed something in his demeanor change, "and as a hero, I can't let this happen. It was a pleasure working with you Mrs. Wu."

He lifted Matilda onto his back and clenched his fist. With a swing, he collapsed the wall beside him. Zachary was startled by the nation's strength, but then remembered Canada mentioning that nations had greater strength. America leapt through the opening and the security raised their guns. Mrs. Wu halted them.

"Don't! We can't hurt him or her, they're too valuable."

As Zachary watched America run off, he felt himself fade away from the memory.

He woke up in a bed in a cold sweat. Zachary was disoriented and breathing heavily. Where was he? The last time he was conscious, he was in his mom's car, and now he was in a bedroom.

A door on his right opened, and he stiffened. The blonde soon relaxed though as he recognized the person as his mother. She regarded him with concern as he continued to breathe heavily.

"Where are we?" He finally asked.

"We're at a motel. We called Canada and told him to meet us here. Sleeping in the car isn't comfortable for anybody." He must have still looked confused for his mom elaborated. "Matilda carried you here."

"Oh," he wasn't surprised, "where is she now?"

"Just...away." His mother shrugged. "She didn't say."

Zachary felt anxious. He had so many questions, and he needed to confirm everything. It was out of desperation of making sure he hadn't dreamed everything up, and worry for her. Whatever America had gotten her out of, it had not looked good.

The glasses, Texas, felt heavy in his pocket. There were too many things he needed to do. The dreams, the memories-he needed to tell everyone about this. Did America really willingly give his DNA to the organization? Why?

The doorbell rang, and hope filled him. He bounded over to the door and swung it open. What met him on the other side was not what he expected, as per usual.

"Hey there!" America greeted brightly. He looked like the America in his dream, right down to the unique leather jacket and cowlick.

Jane walked over to see their guest. "You really look like, wait, are you-"

"America, yup!"

Zachary gaped at the nation. "You told me you were dead!" His mom snapped her gaze on him at that.

"When did he tell you?" His mother hadn't been informed of his conversation with America via dream.

The nation looked exhausted. "Guys!" America interrupted, "I'm alive, and that's what matters. Can I come in?"

Zachary moved aside. "Yeah, sorry." Elation struck him. "You're alive! We have to tell the others, Canada, England, and France will be relieved. Where's my phone?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" America put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I, uh, kind of want to surprise them."

"But they've been worried sick?"

America shook his head. "No, it's going to waste too much time-" He turned slightly to let out a rattling cough. "I'm on borrowed time right now, and I need you to tell me what you know so far."

His younger lookalike regarded him in concern. America really did look like he had risen out of death. He seemed weaker than he had been in the dream, and he had been dead back then. The transfer from death to life must have exhausted him.

Zachary nodded just as urgently. "Okay, so what we know isn't much. I think you already know this anyway. There's this organization Mom worked for, and they did things for human enhancement. I was, um, part of a genetic engineering experiment. My brother too. We think they used your DNA since I look like you. Which is true, right? Anyway, the organization wants to get rid of nations, and now they want me because they think I'm you." He took a deep breath after his summary of the past week.

The United States appeared deep in thought, but like he had something he wanted to say.

"Now that you're here, can you explain everything?" Jane prompted.

"I-" America shook his head and then coughed. "Zachary, you need to come with me. There's something we need to do, and we're running out of time."

Zachary felt relieved at last. He was reassured now that America was here and knew what to do. The doppelganger was eager to end everything. "Let's go, then!"

The two blondes hurried over to the door, America reaching the doorknob first. Before he could turn and about the door, it swung open by itself. Zachary assumed the worst, but it was just Matilda on the opposite side.

"Hi, Matilda!" Zachary greeted excitedly, "America's here. Everything's going now."

His excitement didn't infect Matilda. She looked at Zachary in the detached way she usually did, then looked at America for a long time. America gazed at her too, then smiled weakly. "Hey."

Matilda smiled the tiniest bit. And then she quickly, precisely, kicked America in the nether regions.

America collapsed to the ground and Matilda followed, swinging her first across his face. Jane and Zachary gaped at her. "What are you doing?" He asked, absolutely bewildered. Matilda stopped beating America to hold his arms together above his head. She took a length of rope out of nowhere and began to tie it around his wrists. Did she realize what she was doing? "Matilda, that's America! Alfred!"

The girl shook her head. "He is not Alfred." The nation struggled against his bonds on the ground. He did not possess his strength at the moment, yes, but he was probably tired from his transition into the land of the living.

"How do you know for sure? He was dead and now he's back, of course he's going to be a bit weak." Zachary countered. Jane nodded.

Matilda started on another complicated knot at the imposter's feet. "I know this isn't Alfred. Even weak, he is not like this. I spent years with him."

Zachary remembered his dream. His urgency to tell everyone of it came out again. "Last night I talked to America in my sleep, and-"

She shushed him, looking pointedly at the fake America. His face was swollen and he glared at Matilda. She glowered back, and the venomous look made Zachary uneasy despite it not being aimed at him.

"Who sent you?" Jane asked from beside Zachary. The phony defiantly ignored her.

Matilda's hand shot out to grasp the man's hand. She turned it over to reveal a set of random letters and numbers tattooed on it. "I84N99, who do you answer to?" She barked sharply.

The effects from her words were instantaneous. His face went blank at her commanding tone, reminding Zachary of a soldier. He answered in a monotone. "E.A.S.O.N."

"EASON," Zachary's mother sounded out, "sounds so familiar."

"Was it the institute you worked for?" Her son asked.

"No."

Matilda nodded while I84N99 stared at her attentively as if awaiting orders. "There's more than one organization. What was the name of the organization you were in?"

Jane frowned. "There wasn't any specific name. It was kept under wraps, we swore not to disclose any information, and nobody knows for sure what the name was. It was only a logo that was like an arrow."

Zachary's mind flashed back to his dream once again. The same image was seen during the memory of America and Mrs. Wu talking peacefully, and somewhere else outside of sleep. He pondered on it for a moment and then realized where he had seen it. "Matilda, did you get the file you gave me days ago?"

"Of course," she responded, "it's under the phone book, bedside table."

He retrieved it, opening the file to reveal documents of Jason Rogers. Each paper about the dead lookalike's life had an arrow logo at the top. Zachary showed it to the other two. "This is it, yeah?"

Their faces lit up just like his. His mother reached for the documents and read them. She hadn't asked for the file yet since the night of her kidnapping as she was too tired at night and too busy in the following morning. Now that she got a good look at it, she made the connection. She studied the picture of Jason Rogers. "This looks like..."

"Me." Zachary finished solemnly.

"Or America," Matilda said, "I have been looking through the file, and I have it memorized. Jason Rogers died not too long ago, and he is older than you. When America was still here, he and I found other lookalikes, all around Jason's age. The ones that were slightly older died before he did."

Zachary's hands shook as he sat down on the edge of a bed tiredly. "There's more?"

"They all died, and they probably will if they hadn't."

"Reassuring. Does that mean I'll die?"

Matilda glanced at their captive. "That is the thing. You are different, Zachary." She lifted I84N99 and lugged him to the small bathroom, locking the door. Matilda then moved closer to Zachary and Jane. "You are the only one of the group to not show the signs of sickness like the others. Jason Rogers? He was sick. I84N99? He is sick. The other clones were also sick."

He laughed. It was slightly hysterical, but mostly out of disbelief. "I'm a clone now?"

"You're not alone." She didn't say more, but the way she stared hard into his eyes was obvious. It was ridiculous how he had overlooked it just because of gender. The electric blue eyes he was looking at reflected his own identical ones. It clicked.

The last memory of America breaking her out of somewhere. Her identification code.

"Why. Why now? You were around the whole time but you didn't tell me this."

"There were people watching and listening. It was not safe where you once were."

His mother intercepted. "That makes no sense. I made sure we were safe, so no one could have known."

Zachary let himself fall back into the bed. He stared at the ceiling as his mother panicked outwardly. A vibration came from his pocket, and he grabbed his phone to see an incoming call from his friend Sydney. He was too drained of energy this, so he swiped left to reject the call.

It felt like he was rejecting the normalcy he used to have in his life.

Almost two weeks but not quite, sorry! School keeps me busy. I hope you all had a fun Halloween if you celebrate! :D Did anyone go trick-or-treating?

Review Divided maybe ;)