Prologue – Tear
I pressed my burning forehead
against the cool pane of the window and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dark,
stormy night that lay beyond my safe ambiance.
The bus rumbled down what once used
to be a paved highway, but was now nothing but an overgrown pasture. I was sitting on the seat just above the
wheel so I could feel every bump of the road.
Although the rest of the bus was nearly empty, I could not summon up
enough strength to change seats.
My cheeks were a scolding red and I
felt a definite fever coming on after having spent so many hours out there in
the cold. The cool glass felt good
against my scorched skin and I closed my eyes, trying to catch some much needed
shut-eye before I got there.
But I kept seeing his face.
He was young millionaire and
technology genius Toby Tassel. He was
also my oldest and dearest friend and the only person in the world I had ever
loved and cared a nil about.
And then I knew that I would have
to go see him. He was a good person,
having lived too long in poverty to understand greed, and the tragedies that
had recently stuck him, he did not deserve.
I didn’t know what good it would be to see him—I wouldn’t be able to
help—but my heart told me that it was something I had to do.
It was my duty to try, at least, to
save him from himself, even though I wasn’t stupid enough to actually think
that it would do any good.
Unpeeling my lifeless eyes, I got
up and told the bus driver to stop. I
was getting off here. He looked at me
like I was crazy, but obeyed. You simply
didn’t question government property with prominent friends in this day and
age.
Stepping off the bus, I pulled my
hood over my whitened head and began my journey through what I would later
learn to be the worst storm in over a century.
That was also the day my Toby Tassel died.
Chapter 1 – Toby
3 years before
I made my way through the scraps of
what once used to be the glorious Italian city of Vienna. It had been exactly five days to this day
that I and my best friend Tear Winlock had finally managed to make it over to
the States and leave the Wrong Side of the World behind. Of course, that choice had not come with the
choice of leaving the old days of life as well.
So every year, on the anniversary of our departure, Tear and I returned
to our home, and the grave of our mentor, to pay our respects to the man who
had died trying to get me and Tear out of this mess.
But Tear couldn’t be here
today. She was still back in the
States. And although I was glad that she
had the power to put the past behind her like that and make a new life for
herself, I sure missed my little white-headed friend…especially today.
As I gazed up into the sunny sky
above, so awkward for such a bleak event, I spotted a helicopter hovering up
above, the side of which, in big bold red letters, read “Tassel Corp.”
Was it that time already?
I stole a glance at my digital
sports watch, a gift from an admirer.
12:45 on the dot. Good. I had a meeting with some potential clientele
in less than an hour and I couldn’t be late.
The helicopter landed a few feet in
front of me, picking up and scattering debris into the clear air.
My red-checkered tie, my lucky tie,
whipped at my face. I held it down and
ran for the helicopter.
The crewmembers helped me inside
and within seconds we were soaring over Europe…or what was left of it
anyways. When WWIII erupted and the U.S.
was forced to deploy its nuclear WMD, it did not accurately calculate the damage,
leaving the whole east side in shambles…except for a few survivors.
But I didn’t want to concentrate on
the damage that had been done upon the once-glorious European cities that were
so enriched with history.
Instead I decided to admire the
vast terrains that were slowly beginning to creep back green over the barren
landscapes. Papers that I would need to
look over for this business merger were constantly being shoved my way, but I
decided to ignore them and simply enjoy the bittersweet view.
* * *
I sat in an upstairs office in a
dark warehouse. The sun crept in through
the cracks in the vertical window shades, casting light on my swollen face and
making me feel as though I was in a prison cell.
The door creaked open and I looked up
to see my potential business associates stroll in, escorted by some of my own
security personnel.
“Gentlemen,” I scooted forward and
put my fingertips together as they were seated, “you know who I am and I know
who you are, so obviously there’s no need for formal introductions. So let’s get down to business. I believe that
The two business associates, one
balding, one with an overabundance of hair, exchanged glances.
I scooted even closer, with no
intention of giving them their “space.”
“Mr. Tassel,” the one with the hair
addressed me rather awkwardly, “we are a little concerned that we’re your only
potential investors. This is a pretty
big project to undertake.”
I scowled. “You’re my only investors because you’re the
only ones I’ve asked so far. And what’s
this really going to cost you? Three
million bucks…especially with the place I picked out. That’s like pocket change for your
company. And what’s to gain? A fast revival of the Old World, a balance of
trade, and you two emerging as heroes since you allowed this whole thing to
initiate.”
The two men exchanged looks…but
they were no longer looks of uncertainty and disapproval.
“All right!” exclaimed the balding
man as loud that I nearly jumped in my seat.
“Let’s do it!”