Prologue
I noticed this world began to fall apart when the Russians and Chinese allied themselves. This was September 16th, 2109. The governments had announced their friendship via satelite to the nations of Earth. As quoted by the Chinese leader on CNN;
"We, as leaders of two superpowers of Earth, announce our friendship, guaranteed military protection, and services to one another. We hope that this day, the 16th of September, nations will look upon us and see what the future has in store."
The nations, well over 50% of the worlds population combined, were joined in friendship. China, a nation who had destroyed and absorbed the Indian population during the Chino-Indian War of 2065, and Russia, known for their military, industrial, and economic development, were joined hand-in-hand as a crowd of people cheered for this momentous occasion. I could feel the silence clench my skin as I watched the TV. I looked at my father, a military veteran disabled by fierce war between the Russians and United States, and saw the fear building in his eyes. He stood up and walked towards the kitchen, his metallic leg rippling against the wooden floor. Mom was in the kitchen, doing repairs on the robot. Her face was stained with oil and grease. "Honey, what's the matter?"
My dad didn't answer. He knew I was peering around the corner. "We'll talk about this later tonight." I already knew what this meant. He would pour himself a glass of his favorite whiskey, sip it slowly as we walked through each room to make sure everyone was asleep, and turn on the sound-soother system built within our walls so no one could overhear the conversation.
Mom watched dad limp out towards the back lawn to the patio, his favorite spot to sit when things were bothering him. It reminded him of the rehabilitation hospital, and of Nurse Karina, who had tended to him when he first returned home. I walked up to mom's side. "Is dad going to be OK?"
She tried to place that artifical smile back on her face. "He just needs a minute. His leg must still be bothering him." She turned her back towards me and continues to work on the robot. I watched dad from the window. His elbows rested on his knees, back hunched over, and his chin supported by his hands. A cigarette dangled from his lips I knew then that something was wrong. Dad only smoked when something was terribly wrong.
&&
It was announced a year later on the same day that the Russians showed open hostility towards United States when three military bases were attacked. 472 soldiers were reported deceased, another 800 or so still not confirmed. Viral messages from the attacked soldiers flooded the media on podcasts, phones, televisions, tele-tubes, tele-chips, video boards, everything. Defeaning cries, screams of pain and agony, exploding bombs; all was broadcasted uncensored and unscripted for the world to hear. News reporters announced the president would make a speech later once official numbers were released. It didn't take long for information to travel in this day and age.
At 5:24 that evening, the official number was released. A total of 2,744 soldiers were stationed within the three camps; 1,116 soldiers were marked as deceased, 823 soldiers were transported home to receive emergency care, the whereabouts of 310 soldiers was not known, 211 soldiers could not be transported immediately due to the severity of their injuries, and the remaining 284 soldiers were left anonymous due to the nature of how they were left or asked by families to remain private. The pictures that filled the screen were grewsome. I watched my parents faces in horror as they looked upon the soldiers. Some were burned to the point limbs were dangling and only held on by minor pieces of flesh, others were just too frightening to put into words. I could feel my eyes burning, but no tears were coming out.
The president came on TV at 7:00. "Tonight is a night which will remain as a reminder to the American people that our time as a free and proud nation is threatened." His voice spoke with the power of a true leader, but the sensitivity that we needed. One thing presidents and world leaders had to learn; how to direct your audience. "In the past 70 years, we have fought in three wars, survived a second depression, overcame two viruses that claimed so many lives, and have fought with others, and ourselves, to keep our lifestyle secure." He paused briefly, gathering his strength. "We're a nation ready-made to crumble, and yet we still persevere. We have had every obstacle to fall upon us, and our people remained strong. We have made many changes that have left us wiser, more prepared, and flexible to any other changes we may face." His face changed slightly to a more mournful and sorrow-filled face. "Tonight, we mourn for our lost men and women, but remember to never forget that we can, and will, overcome. We mourn for lost soldiers, but remember that they, too, believed in the United States. They believed in a nation that still represents freedom, hope, determination, and pride." The power returned to his face. "We will not let another nation remove what those men and women stood for. We will not let another nation try to take away what we stand for by spilling the blood of the innocent. These men and women will not die in vain. They will die as a wake-up call and reminder that, once again, our nation needs to gather its strength, its hope, its determination, and its pride to answer this call; war. It is upon of, citizens. As much as we've already fought and lost, war has found our doorstep again. I ask you, as Americans, as individual citizens, to answer that door and prepare. We will not let another nation, or nations, crumble our spirit. This is the day we remember that, as a whole, we will stand strong."
I could hear the passion in their voice, see the tears trying to stay put within their eyes, and see the glory coming forth from his voice. I looked at my parents. Both their eyes were filled with tears. My dad's heart began beating steadier than it had earlier.
It was announced that next morning that Russia and China declared war on the United States. It was also announced that Germany, England, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, Spain, Italy, and Israel had declared war on Russia and China and aligned themselves with the United States. Although outnumbered, the world took notice and wouldn't let us stand alone.
I knew then, seeing this much of the world at war, that we were all about to fall apart.
