[3rd POV]
After weeks of hearings, congress had had enough. Those on the left hated Apollo for being rich and the benefits he got from the Triple A Deal. Those on the right hated him for not blindly supporting the military and helping them wage their wars.
Their opinion of him didn't improve when the New York Times published an article called 'The 535 Secrets.' In the article was the biggest secret of every congressman. Every illegitimate child, bribe, drug abuse, everything was out in the open.
While there was no proof that Apollo Enterprises was the source of the leak, it was obvious considering no one else had the means to do so.
The most infuriating part for the public was that no politicians were arrested. Not a single one. After all, if one were arrested, then basically all of congress would have to be.
Then, all their accounts were indefinitely frozen. Facebook, Instagram, PayPal, Gmail, everything. They reason given was for being 'under investigation for perpetuating hate speech.' Now, all the politicians lost their major means of communicating and collecting donations from their supporters (the few they had left).
After that, every major influencer or celebrity connected to Apollo Enterprises denounced the members of congress to their followers. Many nonpolitical people simply accepted their words.
Combined with how every advertisement anywhere was anti-congress, it was looking like every seat would be a flip during the midterms, if the incumbent wasn't primaried out.
"Things aren't looking good Mr. President," Vice President Cheney remarked. "We're going to have to do something if this administration will continue."
Bush, who appeared to have aged 50 years in a couple of weeks coughed. He seemed to be coming down with a cold.
"We will not give up!" Bush insisted while slamming his fist on the table. "We *cough* have no *cough* choice; we can't turn back *cough* now! We'll go for broke."
Bush pulled out a manilla folder with the red 'CLASSIFIED' marker stamped on the front.
.
On June 7th, 2002, a Friday (the day news goes to die), congress passed the American Allegiance Assertion Act, something the public referred to as 'the Triple A Act.'
The bill was quite simple. In more words than necessary, the law revoked Apollo and Artemis's American citizenship. It declared them outlaws and ordered the immediate breakup and nationalization of Apollo Enterprises and Artemis Enterprises.
.
"It happened," Olivia told Artemis after checking her phone.
"I know," Artemis said while continuing to look at our island.
They were currently in a quinjet over of the Pacific Ocean. And they were looking at an island.
The large island was created over months through a combination of Artemis and Apollo's powers. They triggered volcanoes, shifted tectonic plates, grew coral reefs, and transmuted land.
It probably could have done it in a few seconds if either of them had the powers of Poseidon. But through hard work, lots of time, and sheer will, they managed to complete it.
To help out, Artemis Enterprises and Apollo Enterprises did some land reclamation around the main island, creating surrounding archipelagoes.
Once the land had been created, Apollo rebuilt all the major landmarks from Apollonia, including homes for the hundreds of thousands who would live here. On the surrounding islands, defensive structures were set up, along with space for smaller settlements.
New Apollonia had formed.
.
Time skip 1 week
[Main POV]
"Alright people, let's move it!" I spoke encouraging the nearest workers. The week since the passing of the Triple-A Act had been crazy. The evacuation started immediately.
Hundreds of thousands of people relocated, tons of equipment moved, incomprehensible amounts of money wired.
All around me, workers loaded everything onto quinjets and flew them to the islands. Looking at the city, I felt an odd sense of sadness. This was my first true home in this world.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Seeing it was from Dankus, I answered it, "My lord, the military –"
"is here to stop us, yes I know," I mused. "I'm on my way."
.
[3rd POV]
General Paul Stevens was nervous. This was not the first time he was challenging Apollo.
He had strict orders from Washington to march on Apollonia. Seize Apollo Enterprise assets and bring Apollo back in an iron cage.
The top brass had given him everything he asked for. Artillery and bombers on standby, missiles ready to be fired, everything. General Stevens had hoped they'd reject his request, thus giving him a valid excuse to delay the operation.
300,000 soldiers stationed in the Middle East were redirected to Texas. As Paul exited his Humvee, he surveyed the soldiers before him. They were standing in neat little rows as far as the eye could see.
General Stevens had no intention of storming Apollonia. He read the 1991 reports and had no desire to break either of his arms or go missing in a forest.
So, the best he could think of was a show of force. Intimidate Apollo. Threaten him with artillery shells and rockets. Then beg Apollo to end this peacefully. Was he smoking copium? Perhaps, but Paul couldn't come up with a better plan.
"Forward!" the General commanded. Snare drums could be heard, coordinating the hundreds of thousands marching towards the desert city. General Paul got back in his vehicle, moving along with the mass of men.
With each beat of the drums, a step was taken. Step by step, the army approached the grand walls of Apollonia.
While Paul wasn't marching, he was sweating. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but wet patches could still be seen on parts of his uniform. To add to the annoyance of his driver, Paul's hand wouldn't keep still, as his fingernails tapping erratically on the dashboard.
Paul continued his internal screams until he noticed the vehicle had stopped. Squinting towards the Apollonian Walls, his eyes widened.
"It's him General," his driver confirmed.
.
[Main POV]
Watching from a small artificial hill outside the city, I was impressed. The largest American force assembled in one location.
Tightly packed squares of soldiers could be seen, with trucks slowly moving between them. Farther back, I saw artillery being towed forward.
There was no way they were going to attack. At least not while they were LARPing Civil War tactics.
Suddenly, the drumming stopped, and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers halted. Did they want me to give a speech?
As I continued to admire the scene, I noticed a fleet of Humvees approaching my position. They stopped at the foot of the hill and many military personnel quickly got out. Based on their uniforms, I guessed that they were all officers.
Descending from the artificial hill, I made my way toward the group of officers. As I approached, an officer stepped forward, a major based on his insignia. His uniform was crisp, and his demeanor tense.
"Marshal Apollo," he began, saluting with a touch of formality.
"At ease, Major Howell," I replied. "Quite the remarkable display you've all put on here."
The officers shuffled around, some leaning over to whisper to Howell, who was clearly uncomfortable to be the spokesperson.
"We're here to ensure the safety and stability of our nation, and we must address the concerns raised by recent events," Howell stated as if he were reading off a script, "We are not interested in the unnecessary spilling of blood, and hope that this can be resolved peacefully. We kindly ask you to surrender yourself and your assets."
"I understand the concerns Major," I said, my tone even. "But we both know what you are asking for is impossible."
What followed was the most uncomfortable pause I experienced in my life. Nobody was looking at me. I could see sweat patches under their arms, which was starting to smell. And someone was playing with a gun.
I just wanted to break the silence. Then I had an idea.
"How's the leg Howell?" I asked.
"Huh?" Major Howell looked at me confused.
"I never forget a face," I explained. "You visited with your family 3 years ago, for the Apollonia Cultural Convention. I felt bad that you and your wife had to wait 4 hours so that your daughter could get my autograph. I felt particularly bad since you were walking with a limp."
"Uh, um, thank you, I mean, the leg's fine," Howell sputtered while looking down. "Sir," he added.
"And you're Alexander Rodriguez, right?" I asked the captain next to him. "Yeah, I remember you. We both went to Medford High; I think you were technically a senior. Although we were in the same science class…"
Turning to a colonel, I read his name tag. "Colonel Marino," I paused, "any relation to Frank and Isabella Marino? Artemis Enterprises recently finished rebuilding your parents' home after Tropical Storm Allison. They mentioned you were a big fan of mine when I visited the area. You should visit them more often…"
Going from officer to officer, I made conversation, talking about everything I knew about each of them. This wasn't the Texan National Guard of 1991.
After a decade of fame and fortune, the situation was different. Everyone benefited from Artemis Enterprise's charity. They all had Apollo Enterprise products in their pockets and homes. Not to mention I was the hero of the Cold War and the Afghanistan War.
Finally, I reached the highest ranking general. "Paul," I greeted, "it's been a while."
Paul's face was red. "Apollo," he whispered, "please, please, please, just surrender. Please."
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a bunch of singles and counted to ten dollars. "Here," I said while stuffing the bills in his pocket, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about swindling you. You were pretty good at chess, and I'd be down to have another game with you some time. But for the record, it's been nearly two decades, you really should get over it."
Paul's face got redder, and he looked ready to faint.
"Apollo," Dankus's voice chimed in my ear, "the evacuation is done, we're ready to leave."
"It's been a pleasure gentlemen," I addressed the officers, "I highly recommend each of you to visit New Apollonia with your friends and family, we'll be ready for tourists in 6 months!"
With a final salute, I grabbed onto a rope hanging from the back of a quinjet. The quinjet was invisible, and the rope was thin and made of a transparent substance, so it appeared as if I were flying.
As the ground left me, I pulled out my phone and pressed a button. Instantly, the explosives planted in Apollonia were triggered. The shockwave sent the American army to drop to the ground. They all looked as the walls came down, expecting to see the metropolis that they had visited as tourists. Instead, they saw piles of rubble, as if the city had just been sacked by barbarians.
After climbing the rope, I entered the quinjet and kicked back on a seat.
"Where to sir?" Dankus asked cheekily.
"You know where," I responded, "let's go home."