The Dome (Shadow Origins, Part One)

Prologue

First of all I have to give a big shoutout and thank you to my cover book artist, the amazingly talented A_A_N_GEL.

24 Years Ago

The domes first started when the wars started. The world had begun to break apart at the seams as countries fought countries, fellow citizens fought fellow citizens, until not even neighbors were safe from animosity.

The governments of the world decided that in order to protect their most valuable cities, they would need to make some sacrifices. Sacrificing their smaller cities and smaller populations for their bigger cities became a trend all over the world. This helped prevent a threat of nuclear war and helped isolate cities into a more controlled environment.

And that's the way it went for the past 24 years, until it all went wrong.

I had not been born yet, but twelve years ago problems started to pop up in the lower reaches of the N.Y.D.T, New York Dome Territory. Gangs had started to gather in the poorest regions of the city, growing stronger with every year that passed until the city authorities couldn't even hold them back. These gangs began to carve up territory all over N.Y.D.T, gaining so much power that these gang leaders became infamous public figures throughout the city.

The strongest gang territory was the Blade Zone, located all over the city in various spots. Ruled by a so-called monster by the name of V. Yup. That's it. Just V. Personally that guy doesn't sound too intimidating with a name made up of just one letter but hey, there you go.

The other four gangs were spread out to the far corners of the city. The River Gang controlled, yes you guessed it, the rivers. That meant the bridges in and out of the dome which of course caused problems for the city officials but a good payout for River Gang. No one really ruled the River Gang, word has it that it's run almost like a democracy, with elected leaders and equal say. Well, with the exception of getting your body drowned to the depths of the Hudson if you dared to make one wrong move with the wrong elected official. Not as friendly as one would think a River Gang would be.

Then there's the Northern and Southern Tower Gangs, two separate gangs that worked together to control the supply of food coming into the city from outside the dome. These two gangs might seem to work hand in hand, but if one gang made a move against the other, the streets of N.Y.D.T would flow red with blood from both sides. The Northern and Southern Tower Gangs were actually, funnily enough run by the same blood line. Queenie ruled the North and her daughter Winter ruled the South, you'd think they would get along but I guess family drama runs deep with those two.

The last gang but not the least is the Shadow Gang, a silent gang that worked throughout the underground. And no, I don't mean a criminal underground, I mean the literal underground. The Shadow Gang operated through the sewers, yeah. Not a gang I'd be first to sign up for, wading through shit and other unmentionable horrors is not worth the price of protection.

The authorities did what they could throughout the city but most of the time, they compromise with the gangs just so that they can hold peace in the city. With no outside help from the other domed cities, we were kind of on our own. Life where I'm from wasn't exactly a walk in the park but I guess it could be a lot worse.

I live in the murky part of the downtown area, mostly in abandoned tourist attractions and a welcoming church once in a while. With a dome surrounding the city 24/7, there isn't a whole lot of tourists coming to admire what used to be the "Big Apple". Now you might be asking yourself, where the hell my parents are in this whole situation, do I have a troubled family life to add to the drama of this whole crazy, jumbled world of mine. Nope. No parents, no family.

My mom was a hooker who worked in the slums of the Blade Zone and my dear old dad...well, who knows who the hell he was. Anyways, mom raised me in the bathroom of her many motel rooms while she did her "job". That was until the day that one of her customers found her work unsatisfying and planted a slugger right between her eyes. Not knowing her five year old son was scribbling on the bathroom walls with crayon, he made the mistake of letting himself be seen. I didn't get a good look at him, but as soon as I heard the gunshot, I snuck a peak.

It was a sight I'll never forget, the man who had a face only a mother could love...probably not though. A sliced up face that looked like he had been pressed into a deli slicer and a tall, lanky body frame that made him look like some sort of gnarled tree. My mom's small frame was still laid naked and bare on the moldy motel bed as the Gnarled Man pulled his pants back on, threw a five dollar bill at her dead body and left the room without even a glance back. Now let's get something straight for a second. My mom wasn't perfect, hell, no where near. But she was good to me, and did what she could to make sure I had food and clothes.

This of course didn't matter to the Gnarled Man of course, most likely one of the gang members of the Blade Zone. Now don't expect some sort of dramatic Batman moment from me, like I'm going to scream into the night sky with a fist in air, screaming "VENGEANCE!"

Yeah, no.

But make no mistake, if I ever come across that ugly bastard, he's a dead man. So yeah, that's my background story, unfortunately no horrific origin story that starts me on my quest for justice.

I just live like any street rat in the city does, keep my head down and my fists balled. Speaking of, I guess I'm going to need those fists in a second. Three of the most annoying dumbasses I've ever seen, poke their heads around the street corner to find me walking my merry way, just minding my own business.

"Well, well. If it isn't the alley cat. Where you been, you little shit?" asked the shortest one. Donny, the son of one of the leading members of the Blade Zone, so of course there was no way I could kick his teeth in,...just yet. Getting ready for another beat-down, I cracked the bones in my neck and did my best to stay calm. "Here and there, I actually just got done visiting Reno's mom. Hey Reno, do me a favor and tell her she's definitely improved her service" I stupidly said, because my smart ass mouth has a mind of its own. Reno, the biggest one, goes red in the face and makes a move to lunge at me.

Donny, the obvious and oddly enough, leader of the group, held him back with own hand, "Not yet man. First I want to see if the kitten's got enough sense to beg for mercy before we beat the living shit out of him." And of course I didn't have the common sense, but I did have street sense. "Well about that Donny, I'm going to have to tell you to hold back on that beating because I have an important meeting with life, so...see ya!"

With that I leapt across the fence to my side and threw myself over, knowing the Donny's short self couldn't even make that jump. But Reno and his younger brother Shift could, having that in mind, I ran like hell. It's better to run like a coward for a minute, than stand still and get put into a full body cast.

I could hear the two ogres chasing after me, but I was known for being quick and sly. I used the momentum of my run to launch myself onto the ladder of a nearby fire escape. Pulling myself up, I climbed as quick as I could up and up until I reached the roof. This is actually where I excel, rooftops and me, we go way back. I could feel the huge giants doing their best to keep up with me but unfortunately you had to be as nimble as a cat to even match me. Throwing myself into a hard run, I already knew my instincts had begun to take over.

Flinging myself off the roof and onto the next building, I felt completely free. Time seems to slow to a halt until it's just me, flying through the air. That is until reality comes crashing back, literally. I hit the roof hard with a sloppy tumble but other than that, completely okay. If you haven't guessed it by now, you'd know that this is perhaps the reason why everyone calls me kitten or cat. I've always had a knack for getting out of deadly situations and still landing on my feet.

So yeah, that's my life. Just a normal every day struggle for a N.Y.D.T alley cat.