*Hey everyone. If you really want to know, I had finished a weekend of watching a lot of other either futuristic or war movies when I got the idea for this story. Also, the horrible terrorist attacks on our country and all the talk of war got me thinking as well. I got to thinking about women fighting the wars along with the men.

Just a note: Because the war is mostly fought in North America, I used the characters' North American names. Although, I dislike Haruka's North American name, Amara. Yeah, it's pretty, but it doesn't suit her. But that's just me. Soooooo, any and all kinds of feedback are appreciated. *

*P.S: My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone during this time of tragedy. God bless America. *

It's war. Not a war fought only with weapons and lives, it's a war fought with and against conscience and unity. Civil Wars have been fought all over the world, but none have been as infamous as the one being fought now. In 2050 A.D., the world was ripped apart by a power-hungry general from the United States. Dubbed the 'New Hitler', General Charles Hain used, and is using, part of America's Military Power to rid the world of all 'unfit humans'; people with sicknesses, handicaps, and the wrong genes. Because of this, the United States and many other countries separated and formed alliances, the majority of the groups fading into two parts. Hain's followers, called the Confederacy of Power, and the people sworn to fight against him, the Nationalists. The once peaceful and cohesive United States is now one of the areas most at war, with the Confederates ironically positioned in the southern part of North America. 7 years since its start, the war still rages on…

~*~*~ 2057 A.D. ~*~*~

Serenity Lunar held her 5-year-old daughter, Serena, in her arms as she reclined in the bed the two shared. She ran her fingers through the girl's long, golden tresses in an effort to settle her down. Serena contemplated the idea of sleep of a moment, but as soon as her mother thought she had drifted away she spoke up.

"Mama!" Serena called out cheerily, ignoring the groan that escaped her mother's lips. "Tell me about the Fourth of July when you were a little girl!"

"Serena, you've heard about that so many times…"

"Please," Serena begged, giving her mother the sweetest, most innocent look she could muster.

Serenity gave another slight groan as she sat up. "Alright, alright. But only if you promise to go to sleep right after I finish."

Serena cheered and settled her head into her mother's lap. Serenity began combing her fingers through Serena's hair again as she cleared her throat.

"When I was your age," She began, her voice barely above a whisper. "We had huge celebrations during the Fourth of July. Not like the standardized military gatherings now.  We would have picnics all day long and play games as much as we wanted. We ate tons and tons of watermelon until we felt we would burst. And at night, we would watch the most beautiful fire works. They would light up the sky with so many colors you thought it was daylight."

She was about to continue when Serena interrupted her. "Why don't we have those anymore, Mama?" She asked drowsily.

It was a difficult question to answer, and Serenity paused for a moment to think of an answer. She thought of explaining pacifism, religious fanaticism, or her own opinion on the subject. But she knew the little girl would never understand such things now.

"I don't know, baby," She replied. "I don't know."

Serena mumbled incomprehensibly and rolled over. The sand man had finally caught up with her.

Serenity gazed at her daughter, a smile forming on her lips. She saw traces of her former husband, taken in the beginning of the war, in the little girl's features. The blonde hair and blue eyes surely didn't come from the silver-haired, lavender-eyed Serenity. And every time the girl smiled, her eyes would light up exactly like her father's. It was as if he was looking out through her eyes.

"Do you see our baby, Chris?" Serenity asked, looking towards heaven. "Isn't she beautiful?" She waited in the dark for a moment as if expecting an answer. The small communicator on her nightstand beeped shrilly, breaking through the moment of peace Serenity rarely had.

 Serenity cursed under her breath and jumped to answer it.

"Colonel Lunar here," She said curtly, looking over her shoulder to see if Serena had awakened.

The picture bent and twisted into clarity to a reveal a man dressed in full military uniform.

"Colonel," The man on the other end began, saluting nervously. Serenity fought the urge to roll her eyes and returned the salute.

"Corporal Johnson," Serenity said with a nod. She noticed the man's unease as he shifted from one foot to another and glanced from left to right. "Where's the Sergeant?"

"He's gathering the troops, Colonel."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Troops? What's happened?"

"We got a threat from the Confederates," The man said. "General Anderson has requested that you and Lieutenant Colonel Smith return to the head base. Sending troops to you may take too long, and the protection here is stronger. Major Clarke and most the other soldiers from your unit have already returned. "

"Understood," Serenity said prominently. She switched off the communicator and tossed it back on the nightstand.

The clattering sound woke Serena, who sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Come on, honey," Serenity said, her once authoritative voice melting away. "We have to get back to the head base."

"I don't wanna go back there, Mama!" Serena whined. "We just got home!"

Serenity was about to use her authoritative voice again when a rustling sound outside caught her attention. Her back tensed as she turned toward the window, holding a hand up for her daughter to keep quiet. She reached into the nightstand slowly, pulling out the revolver that was hidden inside its drawer. She cocked the ammo into position and held it ready as she approached the window.

"Get down," Serenity ordered, looking back only once to see if her daughter did as she was told. Using the barrel of her gun, Serenity pulled the drapes back slowly. A military vehicle was parked in front of the casement, the Confederacy of Power's symbol; a Confederate flag from the 1800's with a extra, larger star in the middle, displayed proudly on it's side. Two of the soldiers in front of the vehicle looked towards the window and raised their guns.

Serenity charged toward the bed, practically ripping Serena out of it. She barely got out of the bedroom before it burst into flames. Serena gripped her arms around her mother's neck as Serenity ran down the steps to make it to the exit. The fire alarm blared overhead and the alert sirens around the neighborhood started a few minutes later.

'They must be able to see the fire from the headquarters,' Serenity thought. 'Maybe they'll send help in time.' As Serenity neared the front door, a group of uniformed soldiers entered, guns unsheathed. She spun around down the opposite hallway, the bullets of enemy guns ricocheting against the walls.

 Serena was screaming and sobbing at the same time.

"Quiet, angel. Please be quiet," Serenity soothed quickly. "We'll be OK."

 They came to the back exit and Serenity pushed on the door with a free hand. It wouldn't budge.

"They put a block on the back door," Serenity said in disbelief. She could hear the soldiers' thundering footsteps behind her, blocking the way back to the front exit. She put Serena down and threw herself against the door in desperation, but it was bolted tight, the steel almost impenetrable.

Serenity looked around frantically, spotting a small hole in the wall. She looked in it quickly and kicked the plaster until the whole was large enough for someone to crawl through. She turned to her daughter and pointed to the wall. "Get in, angel. Hurry." Serena did as she was told, folding her legs to her chest in the confined space. Making the most important decision she ever had to make in a matter of seconds, Serenity began to drag a bookcase over the opening.

"Mama, no!" Serena cried out. "Don't leave me alone!"

Serenity looked down the corridor and again at her daughter, forcing a smile. "Mama's going to be fine angel. Here," She reached under her shirt, pulling out the golden chain that was concealed under it. "I'm going to give this to you, so you know I'm always nearby. You keep it safe, OK?"

Serena nodded mutely, taking the necklace from her mother's hand and watched as the crescent moon that dangled from it glittered in the dim light.

Serenity reached into the hole and pressed a hard, hurried kiss into her daughter's forehead.

"Be quiet and don't move. No matter what happens." Serenity commanded.  Serena reached out to her mother with a cry, but with a final push of the bookcase she was plunged into darkness. She pressed herself against the back of the bookcase, straining to hear what was going on outside

The soldiers trudged through the narrow hallway, cocking their guns at the sight of Serenity.

"Where's the child?" A soldier yelled. Serenity leaned against the exit in response, a small smirk on the corners of her mouth as she folded her arms.

"No matter," Another soldier said. "Colonel Lunar, You're under arrest for treason against General Hain. Surrender now and we'll consider sparing you!"

"I'll never go down begging," Serenity spat angrily. "And he's not my general. You tell Hain to go to hell."

Machine gun fire echoed against the walls, the vibrations shaking the parapet that surrounded Serena in her hiding place. Then there was silence.

***

"Damn, they hit this place hard," One rescue soldier said, shuffling through the debris.

"No shit," Another answered through the communicators in their helmets. "Those damn Confederates, thinking they can do whatever they like."

"Look at this," The first called out, picking up a decapitated doll  from the rubble and waving it in the other man's direction. "Must belong to Colonel Lunar's daughter. Lord, I hope they got out. Lunar's one of our best chances for..." The man heard a slight sound of movement and froze. Aiming his gun in front of him, his slowly advanced toward the sound, the beam of the flashlight on his gun falling on the figure of a body.

He moved the light up, his heart falling at the sight of Colonel Lunar. Her body was a limp heap on the floor, her clothing stained scarlet, and lines of red trailing from the corners of her mouth. A small girl lay beside her, burying her head into Lunar's shoulder. Waves of gold fell across her shoulders, shaking as she sobbed quietly.  She turned slowly and looked up at him, her eyes glittering with tears, her mother's blood covering her clothes and face.

"What took you so long?" The girl asked softly.

To be continued…