Evolution (Book 1 of POE chronicles)

Evolution

The space ship set up a temporary base on Mars, where it was deemed safe. Unfortunately, the bombs went off much sooner than expected, and all the governments officials were killed before they had a chance to join the base in Mars.

Cut off from the world after the collapse of Internet system following the bombing, the scientists decided that the radiation levels were too dangerously high for them to risk going back on Earth any time soon.

By the time everything had calmed down, it was 2097. Of billions people alived, less than 1 billion survived.

Just as everyone thought the disaster had finished, another strike. The energy emitted off the World-Ender bombs not only melted giant holes in the ground at the point of detonation, the energy had reached deep into the mantle causes it to heat up and moved in a different pattern. Which in turns moves the lithosphere plates. This caused Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions to occur spontaneously all over the globe. More people were killed, fields of crops destroyed, and just when we all thought we were all going to suffer the same fate as the dinosaurs, help rose.

The genetic mutation caused by radiation had killed billions, but it also gave some individuals abilities. There were merely ten of them to begin with. They somehow managed to calm the geological activities and stop the acid rain and cooling period that were to follow, they helped to rebuilt Earth so that it could return to its former glory.

However, human were not the only one to have evolved. The radiations were spread around the globe, therefore animals were affected too. Having much shorter reproductive cycles and driven by natural selection, more of them have evolved. Sightings of them were reported over the years, but everyone had been too busy to stay alive to give a second thought about them. They became faster, stronger, and some even developed the same intelligence as human.

These newly mutated creatures were called Legres. They were graded into seven classes –  F, E, D, C, B, A, S, from low to high in order of danger. Some Legres are friendly, while most are not. With the only advantage we had against animals gone, they post as major threats to human. The problem was that some of them had the same appearances as recorded animals, while others were completely different with hybride forms appearing. It was almost impossible to tell in some cases.

With most of their habitat destroyed and the increase in competition between them grew, some decided to venture into human cities where food source were abundant. Human, who were convinced of their safety at long last, were completely unprepared for such attacks, many villages and town were wiped clean in places like Africa and South America. Everywhere was under attacked.

The survivors gathered into big cities where a wall was built around the perimeter to fence off attacks from Legres. Almost no one lived outside the limits of the wall, but a few still sneak out to hunt for food, if not Legres. Such wild items fetch a good price in the black market, and even the governments would pay a good price for them.

Mean while, contact between the base in Mars and Earth were finally re-established after the electrical system on Earth was restored in the main cities. With the levels of radiations in most places safe and the diminishing food source at the base, the scientists launched the spacecraft with all the most advanced technology back to Earth. And they were the one who took credit of saving the world and fending off the Legres. To the world, it was their technologies that killed the Legres and restore them peace.

Only those with high enough clearance know about the existence of those special people, as their existence might cause world wide panic, after what the people had been through with the Legres, they could either be treated as heroes or threats. But known to the public or not, the fact is, more and more of them were discovered, each seemed to have a unique power. The first ten, who were regarded as the saviors of the world and known as the Originals, refused to let the scientists experiment with their kind. They wanted to remain discreet, anomalous in this world so that they could lead a relatively normal life, and help the world when it needs them.

The new council was born from the debris of the governments all over the world, with America, Russia, China and EU as the main frame – now under the name of UGE (united government of Earth) called these people POE (Protectors of Earth). In appreciation, and memories of what they did to help Earth, but also as a reminder to these special individuals that they must not use these powers against human.

With their help and the technologies brought back by the scientists, they were able to restore the Earth bit by bit, filling in all the holes caused by the World-Enders, clearing as much of the radioactive elements in the atmosphere to make living possible.

For the next century, we lived in peace. Electricity were rebuilt in citybases, enough food were produced for people to survive, medical care back on track with the technology and knowledge brought back from space ship. Things seemed to have return to normal. The humans that are alive now seemed to develop a higher tolerance to radioactivities, with less and less deformed babies were born and fewer sufferers.

And apart from that, the world seemed to be returning to what it was like before WW3 in 2270, or equivalent to the 1970s as the experts called it – despite it being 300 years later. Schools were re-opened one by one, everything started to get back on track as factories re-built, opened and started manufacturing - allowing shops, restaurants and such to re open. However, most of the populations were in primary jobs such as farming.

Of course, there were some small differences. New currency came in place, but worked the same way as it did with a new name: Global dollars. Each job is paid by its importance in the society, therefore it was possible that a farmer would be earning almost as much as an office lady. Manual labor was cheaper these days because most machinery was destroyed and new ones that were built to be used by people much higher up the social ladder.

Computers were brought back in with Internet set up again allowing easy communications. TV on the other hand was hit much harder and only had re-plays of old movies that survived the wars. Medical care was much more advanced, cars are solar powered as resources like oil became limited, but this technology was still new and expansive, so for the general public, it was bus, or bike.

What about POE? Well, they still exist. In fact, because of the radiations, the numbers of POE increase each year. There were still little of them, as most die in childhood, unable to control their powers and killing themselves, or was born with a defect. However, some survive with powers that were only real in comic books.

The Original, who knew they could not be alone in this world, built a facility for the POE where they can learn about their powers. They worked with the scientists to discover that most POE's powers surface when they hit puberty, mainly from the age of 11 to 18, with exceptional cases where the power surface earlier, and little chances of power surfacing after 21. It was more likely to pass on in family, however with the entire population exposed to radiation, it was possible that anyone could have the mutated gene responsible for the development of a power, two in some extremely rare cases.

With the best interest of their own kind in mind, the originals found a school, where POE can be sent to learn how to control and use their power, as well as keeping them safe from the rest of the world; and preparing them for a time when the world might need them. A school called the POE Academy.

And there is where I ended up.

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