Prologue:
-''Innocence Lost...''-
-Connorsville, Illinois-
-11 September 1996-
-0945 Hours-
The soldier stands upon the ramparts atop a large, sandstone wall, sword drawn, staring out over the burning landscape. The world before him is charred and burned, baked, cracked, no foliage grows, and the trees are skeletal. "They're coming," an emerald green dragon, his companion, says from behind him, "Are you ready?"
The soldier nodded, "I'm always ready...URA!" and they charged down from the ramparts as the invading army appeared from beyond the horizon...
"Alex..." came a distant voice, "Alex...wake up, sweetie."
His bright blue eyes slowly opened, tearing up at the sight of his mother, behind her, he could make out another woman, one who was invisible to everyone but him, and one whose name was 'Ruby'.
"Are you okay?" his mother asked, picking him up and holding him.
He nodded, "Nightmare again..."
"Oh..." and she seemed disturbed, "Well, it was just a dream...anyway, go on and get dressed, we're going down to the park!"
His eyes brightened, "Ooh, I love the park!"
She sat him down as she left to her room to get ready, and he ran up to Ruby. "Good morning, Ruby," he said.
The woman smiled, "Good morning, Alex," she replied, and she watched him run off, frowning once he had disappeared. Something wasn't right, and she had a bad feeling about today, it didn't help that she had been called to trial for treason, and somehow found guilty. She was only given enough time to say goodbye, to him...and then she was to suffer her punishment...a fall from grace. The guardian angel frowned sadly before fading away for the last time.
Alex and his mother walked across the street, heading down the bluff, across the soccer field and to the park. As soon as they entered, Alex, who was turning three today, immediately rushed to the swingset where he climbed on and pushed himself forward. All of a sudden, there wasn't a care in the world, his nightmare was forgotten, and beneath the bright, noonday sun, what was their to worry about? The bright white shirt he wore reflected the sunlight into his eyes, and even though it was really bright, he just squinted his eyes.
He laughed, having fun, and his mother, keeping a close eye on him from the seat of a bench, smiled. A couple of hours later, a noise, what sounded like a train, was still audible, even after half an hour. His mother was becoming increasingly concerned, especially considering that the noise was getting closer and much, much louder. Finally standing up, she walked over to him as she called over the roar of the drone, "Time to go, hon, we need to get back home!"
They left the park, his mother seemingly worried, but this confused the young boy greatly. She constantly looked back behind them, a look of fear and terror strong on her face. Just then, there a loud crack, and she cried out, turning to the left and watching as dark green-painted military tanks punched through the tress, rolling into the soccer field. Crying out, she picked up her son and ran even faster, just as artillery shells and rounds blasted around them. To their right, emerging from a baseball field, was an innumerable amount of tan-painted tanks. The two groups of machines fired upon each other, and all around them, oddly colored human beings ran past, shooting at each other with a variety of weapons.
Terrified and praying heavily, his mother sped forward, attempting to escape from the crossfire. Still, these green and tan men, looking like the toy army men, died all around them in gruesome ways, and his mother covered his eyes. Then, a mortar exploded nearby, sending the mother flying to the right and into a ditch at the base of the hill, unconscious. In the process, her son fell from her arms, landing in mud and rolling onto his back, white shirt now dark brown with mud and water. For an hour, the battle continued until the tan soldiers, having lost many of their numbers to the greens, began to retreat. The green troops continued to rain fire and hell upon the retreating tan forces, and as the Tan Army's leader, a short, stocky man named General Plastro, stumbled back towards the forest behind the baseball field to the west of the park, something caught his eye.
Looking in the ditch, he spotted a young boy and his mother, both unconscious. He walked over to them, rubbing his chin as he tried to decide what to do. He had no purpose for the mother, but the little boy...there was some sort of energy radiating off of the boy, he could sense great things about him. Grinning maliciously, he picked up the unconscious boy, carrying him off, leaving the mother behind.