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Be prepared for another long story ;)! I'm still working on Children of Vandan, but I'd like to know what you think of this one in the meantime.

I was running as fast as I could, trying to keep up with my dad, who kept yelling at me to hurry up. The ground was shaking violently and, overhead, the sky echoed with the noise of explosions. No-one had expected an attack to happen this quickly, and I was thankful that my family, at least, was prepared. But then I remembered that many of my friends were not, and it was very likely that almost everyone I knew would not survive this war unchanged, or even survive it at all.

It was the year 2107, and my name is Katie Martyn. I was a sixteen-year old girl living in Washington, D.C., where I attended a prestigious high school, and where I lived with my family. My parents were both extremely wealthy, and throughout my life I had never been lacking in anything my heart desired. I was part of the school’s hockey team, as well as the cheerleading squad, and each weekend I loved to out partying with my friends, or go with my family and watch the hovercar races in Virginia. My boyfriend, Hal, was 22, and one of best young racers in the country. He and I loved spending time with each other, and I was already dreaming of the day when we could get married. In short, my life was perfect. I had it all: beauty, talent, a loving family, a gorgeous boyfriend, and all sorts of great prospects for my future. But, while my life may have been perfect, the world around me wasn’t.

Over a hundred years of America telling the rest of the world what to do had led to this. An alliance of nations in Asia, the Middle East and South America had declared war on those countries that called themselves the ‘First World’. It was the beginning of World War III, and, for once, the USA was reluctant to get involved. But after the European Union had fallen in less than two months, our government decided to act. I don’t remember exactly what event happened first, or when (I lived a very sheltered life, something I regret), but I do know that we were not at all prepared for the magnitude of the coming war. In fact, there seemed to be a very real chance that we might not even win.

My parents, being more concerned about the future than I was, did their best to ensure that our family wouldn’t be among the casualties. My dad paid for the excavation of a secret vault, hundreds of feet beneath our mansion, which could only be reached by a secret elevator. Inside this vault he installed three ‘survival cocoons’, as they were called, for my parents and myself. Apparently, these were supposed to be almost indestructible, and they kept you alive inside them by sending you into a deep sleep, and freezing most of your body solid, so that you don’t age. At the time I still thought it very unlikely that the war would ever reach us here, or else I would have begged my dad to send additional cocoons to all my friends, and to my boyfriend. On the night of the unexpected attack it was too late for this, and the only thing I could do was hope that Hal and his family, and all of my friends, and everyone I knew, had the same chance to survive that I did.

I remember that night vividly. I had been at one of the clubs I like to go to, intending to party with some of the girls in my cheerleading squad. Instead, we spent most of the evening watching the unfolding horrors on one of the club’s TV screens, and praying that we weren’t in any danger. And what we saw was really horrifying. The enemy air armada was dropping not only dirty bombs and chemical weapons, but also a terrifying new type of gas bomb, something their technicians had built in secret. It released a glowing radioactive gas on impact, something no-one had ever seen before, and its effect on people was both alarming and somewhat surreal. Anyone who inhaled it immediately began to decrease in size, and we saw on the news scenes of people, shrunken down to mere inches in height, running for their lives, while advancing enemy soldiers in gas masks and body armor either shot these people down, or simply stepped on them. After a while I couldn’t even watch any more, and not even the news that our own Air Force was finally retaliating made me feel better. My ‘perfect world’ had ceased to exist that night, and it was about to get even worse.

At first I was glad when my dad came to fetch me. I just wanted to go home and go to bed, and try to forget what I’d seen on the TV. But his urgent, almost panicked, state frightened me even more, and while driving home, he told me that the time had come to go into hiding.

“You just have to trust in me, sweetie,” he said, as I asked questions frantically. “Just head down into the vault – I’ll go with you, of course – and trust me. Your mom’s not home yet, but don’t worry, I’ll wait for her. You just head on down, and I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“But…what about my friends?” I asked, feeling close to tears. “They’ll be okay, won’t they?”

“I don’t know, baby…”

“And what’ll happen to me…to us? What happens if we lose the war? Won’t they kill us then? Daddy, what…”

“Shut up!” he yelled. I fell quiet, but couldn’t stop myself from crying. “I don’t have all the answers, Katie! Right now, just do as I say, okay? I’ve been told that Philadelphia’s been hit by that new weapon of theirs – you saw it on the news, didn’t you? If they make it here, and they will…”

He didn’t need to say anymore. I was scared, utterly frightened (I pictured myself getting shrunk and squished under an enemy’s boot), and I couldn’t help but think that this might be my last night. When we reached home Dad didn’t even drive into the garage. He parked on the street and rushed me into the house, just as the horizon to the north began to light up with fire and explosions.

We ran to the elevator, struggling to keep upright as the ground started to tremble. Daddy pressed the DOWN button, and I felt sick as we went deep underground. When we reached the vault he switched on the lights and dragged me over to the nearest cocoon and began the preparations for life support. It was a huge steel box, ten feet by eight by six, with enough space for one person, as well as a compartment containing food, water, and all sorts of items which could help someone survive in whatever world remained after the war was done. After the cocoon was fully configured, Daddy helped me up into the snug, coffin-like compartment. I was feeling dizzy, almost faint, but I said that I wanted to wait for Mom to arrive being put to sleep.

“No, Katie,” my dad said, quietly and firmly. “I’ll call her and make sure she’s almost here, but you have to be safe first. Just relax, and take deep breaths, and we’ll all see each other again when this is over.”

“Promise me, Daddy…”

“I promise, baby. You know I’d never make such a promise if I couldn’t keep it. Now, just close your eyes, and know that we love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

I was crying like a baby again, but my dad took my hands and kissed me on the cheek, and I felt a little bit better. Then, without saying goodbye, he closed the lid and activated the hibernation process. The lid had only a tiny window to see through. I held my breath, and watched my dad walk back to the elevator and go back up. I wanted to stay awake until I saw him and Mom coming down safely. But the freezing process had already begun, and the shock of the intense cold made me gasp. In that moment I inhaled the sleeping gas. I watched the world outside the window turn dark, as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter End Notes:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners.  The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  No money is being made from this work.  No copyright infringement is intended.

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