How ironic.
2020:
United States overthrown due to drug, "X", which, sold as a cheap, legal alternative to illegal stimulants, appeared to be very safe in large amounts, causing little to no psychoses or stimulant-related adverse effects even in high doses, and more useful for physical and mental tasks than any other discovered compound. The drug was easy to ingest, requiring no more than rubbing a little on the skin or inhaling a small amount of power. After several favorable clinical trials and de-facto approval by several politicians, the drug became mainstream, use exponentially increasing two months after introduction. This early use of X, as was reported, was significantly associated with increased overall american economic output, decreased suicide rates, and drug addiction rates falling to their lowest ever.
Six months after introduction, reports of X rapidly, spontaneously, after a single dose, causing rapid grey-matter as well as serotonergic, dopaminergic, and norepinergic neuron loss, accompanied generally by cells in the hippocampus to appear shriveled began to appear; mentally, users experienced severe, treatment-resistant depression, memory loss, dementia, and akathisia. Initially these reports were ignored or attributed to confounding factors.
X appears to be unique in that after one, small, sub-therapeutic dose, such extreme damage has been confirmed, though it may take months after dosing for such to occur, users being mentally healthy before rapidly degenerating. Damage is not significantly associated with amount or method of use.
Approximately 45% of all american adults have taken X, 30% of the american adult population having been "attacked" with these symptoms. As previously reported, the united states' health care system came under extreme pressure, GDP decreased by 70% (it is estimated that a large portion of users were american soldiers, college students and/or professionals with advanced degrees), millions committed mass suicide, with more than 100 million more being too ill or unwilling to work for more than their fix, and rates of illegal drug use sky-rocketed as drug dealers began to gain legitimate political power.
Due to its near 100% bio-availability via any ROA and lipophilic nature, as well as its frequent form as an aerosol, being exposed to X without a standardized fire-and-radiation proof, 100% sealed suit with a gas mask puts one in extreme danger of "infection". American scientists, the best of which studied the once illustrious X, are mostly either infected or too traumatized by incidents with peers to attempt research into a possible cure.
From what correspondence is available, the streets of america are dangerous to be on at all times of the day due not just to the possibility of inhaling X, but to that of being accosted by gang members.
Though its not quite clear, refugees with military intelligence helped put together the transition of power from the hands of government to drug lords. The latter, having spies in america, probably under the impression early on that their business was to be destroyed, began to tap into monetary reserves, buying weapons and political influence so that use of X might come to a swift end. This effort failed.
Yet, reports of adverse effects began to appear, and soon escalated. A team of illegitimate scientists under the payroll of the most prominent cocaine producer then seems to have predicted a catastrophic outcome after conducting their own trials; a worldwide search is under way for the individuals in question so that a cure might be found, however, they may have underestimated the danger of the drug themselves, and may be deceased. With this special knowledge of a possible catastrophic collapse, a surplus of guns, and political influence, as well as a large part of americas military being overseas, the aforementioned drug producer and his advisers began to form a plan, and manifested a partnership with several other cartels and various illegal, paramilitary institutions, forming a coalition which name roughly translates to "the associates".
Swiftly, the group began to coalesce geographically and politically in an efficient, structured manner. A constitution was written and signed by fifty delegates within a month. High-paying jobs were offered to poverty-stricken locals as soldiers, with the promise that they would gain help create a new nation.
As was prophesied, X began to exponentially disintegrate american society. Hundreds of United States politicians, under the monetary influence of "the associates", managed to keep the drug legal until the united states federal government was all but defunct. They also contributed immensely to a refusal of potential European help, thanks to an add campaign headed by one prominent, charismatic corrupt american politician emphasizing a return to no involvement in European affairs.
Once the american federal government was substantially weakened, moving from a point in the wilderness characterizing an area of the southwest coast of Chile, mass amounts of carrier ships, holding tanks, missiles, aircraft, and soldiers with proper protection against X, as well as thousands of gas canisters carrying an aerosol form of the substance, were transported to strategic vantage points encompassing the sea-land border of the east coast of the united states.
Dubbed X-Day, the associates landed, moving with unmatched speed and productivity by pre-destined course, first killing all military and legal officials who resisted, save the ones on their payroll, secondly installing puppets, thirdly murdering all college students who didn't immediately comply, especially those who went to rigorous universities, of which most were on the east coast, as the educated posed a threat in ideas just like the military posed a threat in force; houses were raided, and citizens who resisted were ordered to be killed; those with valuable information were infected so that they could be interrogated after their rapid degeneration (X, or its destructive effect on the human brain, proved useful for a torture, as the user was usually so mentally destroyed as to give out any information in order to either die or be given a fix). A cacophony of recreational substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, were dumped into the water supply, addicting the majority of citizens, effectively making them compliant lest they don't get a fix. All alcohol and gabaergic sedatives discovered were officially meant to be destroyed, as the associates had another mechanism by which to manufacture consent: large stores of amobarbital were secured so that several thousand citizens thought to have useful abilities could be forcefully addicted to high doses of the barbiturate, the logic being these special individuals would be less likely to turncoat if they run the risk of fatal seizure without their drug.
Their tactics proved more efficacious than was predicted, yet the military was on its way. When all american military units were recalled, most infected, the literal scattering of the american military around the world, there were few leaders, as the associates had systematically, surreptitiously attempted to infect all those they thought would cause a problem. Still, many worn, strong american veterans had not succumbed to the disease.
Texas became a focal point of american resistance, the area in which X had least proliferated. Citizens across states under no specific control joined the battle, wooed by promises of a utopia or true to patriotic values; most joined the associates as they had more money to offer. The battle turned into a nation-wide war, ending with an associates victory due largely to the time-course of X destroying the forces of americas once unmatchable army, of which it was estimated 57% were infected.
By this time, most official governmental contact with the outside world ceased. Airlines had long stopped offering service. Transport into or out of the country was undertaken personally or by makeshift transport organizations. The nation was shut down, and next to nothing was reported to the outside world for weeks after other countries learned that the americans had failed to defend their own country.
Two weeks after landing, according to several refugees who set sail in their own boat, reaching south africa in an emaciated state but healthy and uninfected, the associates had taken over thirty-five states securely.
The last contact from america is believed to have come from an organized militia located in a secure bunker in Houston, a few hundred men and women who managed to escape notice by finding an extensive bomb shelter.
The associates, using X, moved to take over hawaii, guam, the virgin islands, puerto rico, and other islands through simple economic blockade. The associates, in partnership with Mexican cartels, sustained all of one hundred casualties directly invading Mexico, with Central America posing similar resistance. Moving to eliminate the other major superpowers, the associates secretly transported several tons of X to alaska along with a moderate battalion of acclaimed fighter-pilots and snipers, easily disposing of the under-equipped russian forces sent to notify for a possible attack before they could alert Moscow. Using new american aviation military technology, jets sprayed X throughout the cities and towns of russia, specifically infecting food and water supplies allotted to the military, while planes designed to look domestic bombed political organizations and snipers assassinated the political officials left.
Already plagued by drug addiction, russia would soon be useless for the fight against the now "association of prosperous american states", which had written a new constitution, formed a cohesive political network, secured all the food and water it would need, formed friendly diplomatic relations with several african countries, north korea, every nation in the middle east save Israel, columbia, and mastered the method of safely creating an aerosol form of X to be used against populations which would be too resource-consuming to attack classically and to use against political opponents.
APAS, as European and Asian officials are beginning to call the nation, is currently being lead by the original cocaine drug lord whose scientists discovered the hazardous nature of X, who calls himself "El". Experts believe APAS, though not having conquered territory for a while due to lack of funds, is planning a second phase of attack in three key areas, utilizing the money and military of their allies.
1: A biochemical attack on China, which currently employs the largest army in the world, and perhaps presents the biggest threat to APAS
2: A complete land invasion of Africa, which houses enough diamonds and resources to buy adequate military supplies for world domination
3: An annihilation of Israel, people and buildings, which country not only possesses the only superior military technology to that which APAS does, but which has the highest quality of military per unit
