Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

My story begins around the mid 21st century but first I think I’ll give a little bit of history so you can understand our situation better. Certain countries become greedy and started to try to control the world’s resources –oil, gold, manufacturing, etc— which as a repercussion caused a world economic collapse. Unknown to these countries they were all being manipulated by a group, hoping for the fall of civilization as we know it.
This group of people called themselves The Organization for Social Guidance. The group consisted of a mix of thirteen men and women high in power. Each person was to monitor and to control the group of countries that they were put over. This group decided that our world was too large and too populated and needed to be... rebuilt. And so they put in motion the events that led to the Great World War.
The economic collapse caused by The Fates forced countries to become desperate and they started to attack one another for food and other resources. The old world superpowers had one major advantage over most other countries…they had nuclear weapons. After a country was robbed and looted to where they thought they had no more resources that they could use, they were burned to the ground. Many countries were wiped off the map because of the nuclear attacks – many more by bio-weapons. Eventually they had no choice but to turn on one another and so began the Great World War. The first country to turn on the other world powers was Russia when they launched a nuclear missile against the United States of America.
After that day there was no more official man to man combat. It was now war of the ultimate weapons – biological, and nuclear weapons among the majority. So many people died on those following weeks some people estimate that over two-thirds of the world’s remaining population died from those attacks
Eventually they destroyed each other one by one. The Fates along with their loyal and fanatical followers watched and waited in their bunkers as the world all around them burned to the ground.
Once the world powers were destroyed all forms of government seemed to disappear with them. It was mass chaos at first with raiders looting anything that still had value, but eventually they got bored and stopped and settled into life with everyone else.
Then something happened that nobody saw coming except The Fates. A new government power arose. They called themselves the “Phoenix Corp”. Almost every settlement joined them and after awhile they all migrated to the isles of what used to be Great Britain. They came from everywhere in the world. Most people liked having the Phoenix Corp in control because of what it meant for them. It meant that they could live without fear they all thought to themselves,” We have no need to fear. We are secure”.
The Americas refused to join them because of their sense of independence. This angered the leader of the Phoenix Corp who was given the title of Chancellor. As a repercussion the World Council voted to embargo the Americas, and to use force if necessary. This unfortunately became an undeclared war against the survivors in the Americas.
Now, fast-forward ten years after the Phoenix Corp took control to the year 2073 A.D., this is where my part in this story begins. My mother Mara became pregnant with me Malek, and my brother Azrael. Nobody knew who our father was, even though rumors always abounded.
Then on November 19, 2073 A.D., I and my twin Azrael were born. We were about as different as two twins could be. My hair was as black as a raven’s feathers and my brother’s hair was a dirty blonde. For some unknown reason, even though I was quite healthy, Azrael was oftentimes sick. Being sick so often seemed to affect him. He was oftentimes quiet, and very inquisitive. Another strange habit of his was his talking about life and death, and what it felt like to be dead.
As I was growing up in New London City*, I always thought my mother was the most beautiful woman alive. Her hair was so long and very blonde; to me it seemed to put ever other child’s mother to shame. *New London City is actually west of the original London – nuclear fallout caused the move. Centrally located more towards where Oxford used to stand New London was constructed after the Phoenix Corp. was started.
Even though I thought the world of my Mother the other moms hated her and called her names – even to her face. My mother never seemed to even notice the people who talked about her so rudely. I guess it was because of her love for me and my brother, but yet something else was almost always on her mind. It was almost as if she knew who our father was and what we were too become.
Then one day after when I was twelve years old my life changed forever. I was awoken from my sleep by a loud sound. I opened my eyes groggily expecting it to be nothing only to find our house engulfed in flames. I ran to my brother’s room. “Azrael! Azrael where are you?” I yelled as I frantically searched for my brother.
As I was searching for my brother, I suddenly realized that I was moving through the air. I’m being carried, I suddenly came to realize as me and my unknown savior appeared outside; It was the first snowfall of the year and it was falling lightly.
“Are you alright?” the man asked worriedly. He looked middle to late thirties and sported a military hair cut. The clothes he wore were just like any other person’s clothes. He wore the same grey clothes that the government gave to all citizens but this man wore them with what seemed to be pride. His build was muscular and his height slightly above average overall looking rather intimidating.
“Yes I’m fine”, then I remembered,” My brother and my mother! They are still inside!” I yelled hoping that that this man would save them. I saw doubt flash in his eyes then something else washed over him that steeled mind for what he was about to do.
“Don’t worry, I will save them”, he said softly. Before I could say anything in return, he was gone.
“Hello? Is anybody in here? ” he yelled as he went from room to room searching frantically for any sign of life.
He went through yelling and turning over anything in his path. He almost gave up when he saw a shadow flicker in front of him and around the corner. He yelled out but the sound was swallowed up by the roar of the flames.
“Who are you? Why are you in our house?! “
“I’m someone who is here to help “; the man replied to an unseen voice, “Where are you?”
“Why, I’m right behind you”, Azrael said with a wicked grin on his face,” But what do you need to help me with?”
“What’s the matter with you?! Don’t you notice the house is on fire?! ” the man yelled with fury.
“Yes I notice it”, he replied quietly,” But I’m not afraid of it. The fire won’t hurt me, it likes me.”
“Well I don’t care if you’re afraid of the fire or not!” he replied sternly, “I’m getting you out of here!” Before Azrael could reply the man grabbed him up and moved with incredible speed to escape the now raging inferno. The man swept Azrael up ran full speed and jumped out the second story apartment’s window. He must have been going quite fast because he landed fifty feet away from the house. Seemingly impossible but it happened.
Almost as soon as they were outside, there was a load crack and then the roof started to collapse. Everything seemed to slow down, the snow, people’s voices, the roof, everything, as I was screaming,” Mother!” I screamed it over and over until I realized that my screaming couldn’t help her.
“Why didn’t you save Mother?” I demanded of the man that rescued us. I was so angry not just at him but I was angry at everything, myself for not looking for her, Azrael for disappearing like that, and at this man for not finding her.
“I wasn’t able to find her. I’m sorry I looked for her the best I could “, the man replied apologetically.
“So then, Mother is dead”, said Azrael as coldly as he could then he continued,” I wonder what it feels like to be dead?”
I got so angry with him for saying what he said about our Mother, that I clenched my hands and started to throw a punch towards Azrael’s face. Before my fist got halfway to his face the man caught my fist,” Respect the ideas and feelings of others”, he said in a quiet way that made me feel guilty for trying to punch Azrael.
Almost in tears I yelled back,” Did you not hear what him? He doesn’t love our Mother at all!” Who was this man to tell me that?! I thought to myself.
“He probably does love you’re mother”, he said softly,” He just shows it differently than you do”.
The man turned to leave, but before he could leave I grabbed his arm and asked him,” What’s your name?”
“My name?” the man said almost jokingly,” I don’t have a name. I’m just a soldier who was doing his duty; my duty to protect the citizens of the Phoenix Empire.” Then he smiled at me and my brother then turned and walked away without saying another word. I never saw him again, but he left in me a desire a soldier in the Phoenix Army like the man that saved our lives.