Chapter 1

First there were the bombs. The threshold of a new era, one in which the world would never quiet be the same.

The screams followed soon after, the terror in those screams indescribable to me even to this day. The year was 4005, January the 5th, this I will never forget for it was the beginning of a change and one we would never be able to return from. Many of us had seen it coming, the news screamed of it daily, large corporations no longer abiding to the laws of the land. The governments corrupt yet still we walked, walking on the blood of the innocent spilled before our very eyes.

We had turned our backs, didn’t wish to acknowledge it, the war which would bring the end to all wars and now it was upon us.

Sweat coated my brow, greasy it clung to my skin along with tendrils of hair. My family lived on the east coast of Sydney, Australia or what was known as Australia back then. I however had lived in the west, not fond of people I had sought a quieter lifestyle though it came at a price as does everything in life. On this morning it hit me, my skin damp.... clammy I reached for the phone, dropping it in my urgency but finally managing to grab hold of it. I barely remember dialing their number, my mind at this moment blank. The next few minutes were perhaps the longest I had waited upon; seconds ticked by painfully, the only answer to the questions which were flooding my mind the monotonous drone of the dial tone, then, nothing.

I didn’t need further answer, they were dead, I knew this in my heart and it was all I had time to think of before I heard the second in the series of sounds, unfamiliar to the usually quiet nights, not a pleasant knocking that you may receive from your local Avon lady but large thuds as if someone were attempting to break the door down and would soon be successful.

Still in my nightgown I moved, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, smoke drifted through the window, along with hot air which caused the flimsy material of the gown to cling to my body, defensively wrapping about my thighs.The air toxic, it burned at my eyes, my lungs already restricting as if withdrawing from the sudden onslaught, tears streamed down my face and I coughed to clear my airways which were fast becoming unusable.

Rubbing my eyes I was surprised to find dark smudges upon my hands..so thick was the soot which filled the air.
Finally I stood, arms wrapped around my shoulders I moved for the stairs...wading through the fog that now filled my room, so dense it was palatable, had reached them when the gunfire started. I froze, eyes widened in the dark recesses of what had once been my sanctuary. I became aware of many noises then, the splintering of wood as my door was torn from its hinges, the scuffle of boots and finally the sound which stood out to me the most, the slow yet labored breathing one could only accomplish whilst wearing a gas-mask.

The lights hit next, blinding in there brightness I staggered, my hand grabbing for and making purchase on the banister. They were ascending now, it would only be a matter of time, expecting to be shot I turned my head to the side but instead felt a firm hand grip my shoulder.

“You, come with us” he said, I knew it was a male as were all of them present this night.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision, heat rushing to my face despite the situation, very aware that my attire was practically transparent.

“What is it, what is happening?” I asked stupidly, not sure of what else to say to these strangers, strangers who had invaded my home.

I heard quiet chuckles then as they spoke between themselves, the ringing in my ears effectively blocking out most of the conversation.

“You have not heard then” One of them said, not the same one which had spoken earlier, this voice far more deep than the previous.

“The government has fallen, the corporation has taken control, it is in your best interests to come with us” he continued, his voice was calm but the threat very evident, I gave him a nod, unsure why they had not shot me down, executed me on the spot as they had my neighbors who’s screams I heard earlier, I’d known then they had perished but had blocked this out, we must move on and sometimes, sometimes to do this we ignore that which would hurt us the most, for hurt is weakness.

How might you ask does something as simple as a corporation take absolute control? It is easy. The government of this time had become greedy, increasingly so as each day passed us and with greed comes yet further weakness, weakness which the corporation saw and grasped. With their hands in many branches it was only a matter of time before they gained full control. This corporation which was to be our new government dealt primarily in the scientific field, genetics, and biological agents. There were whispers of illegal experimentation though most chose to ignore this now it was upon us and the horrendous truth would soon be revealed.

These thoughts raced through my mind as they began to drag me from what for so long had been my home, I would never return to this place, like many things from my life they would cease to exist.

The air was thick with smoke, screams I had heard earlier now wailing, and the desolation evident as widows lay over the bodies of loved ones. Children walked the streets dazed, abandoned by parents who had not made it through the first attacks and I watched on numbness taking hold as soldiers gunned down these innocents without a second thought, shooting them down as a hunter might his game. I turned my head then, blocking it from mind and view. This is when the van came into sight, strong hands still gripped me, urging me toward it. The windows were fogged, stained with soot but even through this I could glimpse others inside, their eyes wide as they watched on, their lives for now safe but their minds would never be the same.

“Final sector is on the east side then we must transport these citizens to the holding faculty”

This voice came from the one which held me, my eyes watered and I am ashamed to say they were not tears which I shed, simply my bodies reaction the many particles in the atmosphere. The van door creaked then slid open, shoved from behind I stumbled then crawled inside. The interior was surprisingly clean, state of the art equipment was evident throughout the small van, in edition to this there were perhaps twelve others. Varying ages though none appeared to be in bad health, they appeared by their dress to be white collar workers, scientists, doctors, lawyers….this is when it hit me, they were rounding up all of who would be use to them. The others having no place in this new regime had been eliminated.

Other than the various blips the computers emitted and the crackle of the COM links the van was eerily silent, each one lost in thoughts of their own. Each one like me having lost all that they once knew. Forced to move on without a moment to adjust to what was happening to them.
I moved to the back of the van, using the seats which lined it to steady myself, I pushed the others out for now as they had most likely done to me. I sat, the seat surprisingly comfortable and leant back, a sigh escaped my lips then and I turned my head toward the window just as the van started up again.

The drive was slow, as if the ones who had brought us here were seeking out something, it was on this drive that the true devastation hit me, not as I would have expected I watched from a more distant point of view, my bodies way of protecting me from the shock maybe but I doubted it. Bodies lined the streets…scattered them, no care had been taken in eliminating these people, no pain had been spared them. Most lay unmoving, blood soaked their clothing…their hair, a few had limbs missing which I sometimes discovered laying a few meters from the corpse.

Children screamed only to be gunned down upon being spotted, their cries of desperation falling on the ears of those whose hearts were far too hardened to care. Then there were those who appeared to have some life left in them….they were not put out of their misery but were left to suffer, men resembling soldiers passed them without a glance, ignoring the wailing which escaped them as hopelessness tore through their broken bodies.
One of the men spoke again, moving my attention from the window I turned my head, squinting as I looked toward the front of the van.

“Listen up!….we are now five minutes from the compound. First procedure is decontamination, ANY who fail to comply will be terminated, do I make myself perfectly clear?”

The voice boomed through the small van and I had no chance of misunderstanding this obvious order, I gave a nod…knowing he was unable to see me. Prepared to do anything I was instructed I hoped that my fellow survivors were too for otherwise they would join the increasingly large body count…mercy was not amongst the rules of this new order.

No gasps were heard amongst the small group, neither protest nor question brought up to this command, all sat as I did, a few nodding, others not moving at all.
The voice faded then, leaving only a hush which spread throughout the van, I turned my head then and this time I did gasp….the streets had changed again, large fences built of concrete lined them and we rolled up to a checkpoint, nothing out of the ordinary here, guards holding AK’s stood to attention, checking the ID of those who drove us.

The most impressive thing however was the building which rose before us, towering over all else in the landscape which was now barren….smoke had darkened the sky, no illumination was evident here, if there had been trees they had long since perished and had been replaced by endless sand, thunder boomed in the near distance, distracting me and I lifted my eyes, watching as clouds as black as night rolled across the sky.
Cleared we moved forward, the van appearing to glide as we slid past guards, faces as pliant as stone.

Two gates swung open before us, revealing the colony within. In stark contrast to the world outside, inside it was bustling, men…women in uniforms proudly displaying the corporation logo busied themselves unloading crates, some stood rigid, rifles at hand as they prepared to shoot down anyone who may go against the strict rules enforced within.