PROLOGUE:
The night was bitterly cold.
A lone figure stood on the kerb- beneath the lamppost. He was bathed in its golden light, smoke curling out from the cigarette held between his shaky fingers. The streets were still damp from the evening's downpour, however the scent of damp earth was entirely absent. That particular scent hadn't been smelled in years for a thick layer of water absorbent concrete covered all open space.
It was remarkable really, how the world that would come to be had already begun it's journey there
Taking a deep drag, he flicked the butt into the swirling stormwater in the steetside gutters.
The man stretched out and yawned- his stubble covered jaw cracking with the strain. It had been a long wait. The announcement was due any moment now. A nervous energy seemed to permeate the very air he breathed, serving as a shield against the desperate exhaustion that he felt. He could hear a distant hum of conversation that ebbed and flowed with the arrival of new reporters.
Soon the streets would be overflowing with journalists and the odd civilian, waiting to hear the words the world needed, no, hungered to hear.
Thee days ago, the island state of Hawaii had been all but obliterated by enemy attack. As for the identity of the enemy, no one was certain. No one had claimed responsibility. The land of plenty was under attack and the her allied Nations were obligated to rise to her defence.
Yet they had stalled. And stalled. And stalled some more.
Until Paris had been reduced to an over-large crater, visible from space.
And here they were. Waiting for the official declaration of war. The Prime Minister had arrived and was being held under tight security within the building behind them. The doors were kept shut and the armed guards placed in front of them were only formality. Manned drones buzzed overhead, looking for suspicious activity, its trajectory controlled from several hunred miles away. Sniper rifles poked out of the half opened windows around the building, some seen but most unseen. One wrong move and he wagered he'd have a clean hole right through the centre of his forehead.
The crowd was anxious and the cold seemed to add to their sense of panic- locking their limbs and freezing their joints. Several of the men and women had their collars turned up against the gaining wind.
The rain had started again.
Suddenly cameras flashed behind him, each illuminating the world for a tiny fraction of time. The gentle murmur grew louder and louder until the screech of tires against wet tar threw the collected throng in excitement. Shouts rang out.
The General's here. Move out of the way. The General's come. Move move move. Has a decision been reached, General? Has the Prime Minister released a statement? General, here!
His heartbeat began to race. He hurried to catch up with the crowd following the General and his entourage. Men clad in black, carrying large rifles on their backs whisked them up the front steps and into the large doorway. The reporters were filling into the foyer of a tall building, its glass panels shimmering in the wet night. It was brightly lit inside and warm and inviting. They surged forward, eager to get the news first and just as eager if not more to get out of the freezing rain. Heavily armed security stopped the majority of them.
Only senior journalists, they were told. Go home, the civilians were told, go home and wait for the announcement.
Before the man could fight his way up the steps and throw the guards, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He scrambled for it with numb fingers but before he could accept the call, the phone stilled. He plugged his earphones in and opened his voice mail.
'Lenny, come home. She's coming. Lenny? Lenny? The contractions have started. Lenny come home'
Panic lanced through his being and with less than a moment's thought, he abandoned his assignment. His baby was coming!
Running his hand through his thick, black hair and plucking the earbud out, he jogged to his car. Inside the building the clamour rose to a fevered crescendo.
Others would record the weary Prime Minister's words declaring Wartime but Lenny Young had more important things to deal with. What followed were years of conflict and turmoil, change and stagnation-a brave new world born as the radioactive dust settled.
This was the world little Elle Young grew up in. These were the monsters Elle Young grew up to love. These were the scars on the earth Elle Young would never see heal. Never see heal because Elle was destined for a great adventure.
One that would draw her from the damaged, yet beautiful world she knew and deposit her in another.