Love & War 7: Splintered Timelines
Prologue: Relic of the Past, Pt. 1
Chris' Beach House, Los Angeles, CA
12:17 PM
On the beach, Melody was relaxing, enjoying the sounds of seagulls and the water waves. She was sipping her raspberry lemonade. After an hour, she was visited by her close friend, Sheva.
"Amina."
"Sheva. How are you?"
"I figured I'd see how you were."
"Feeling great. Raspberry lemonade? I'm about to meditate."
"Sure."
Melody and Sheva a few minutes later sat face to face with each other. They began meditating. Suddenly, Melody lost herself in a dream-like world with Sheva.
Melody: Sheva, where are we?
Sheva: We are in our spiritual forms, Melody. It is time for you to see the events that had happened from the past.
Melody: I don't understand. Are you saying I could see what happened?
Sheva: Yes. I will guide you. We will begin with your childhood.
Uganda
Sheva led Melody to her childhood home. They were inside the house where Melody was born. Melody teared up at the sight of her 7-year old self.
Melody: My family...
Sheva: Yes, Anima. Then there's us.
Sheva showed Melody the two young girls playing patty cakes. This was them as children.
Melody: I remember. We played patty cakes.
Sheva: We went to the same school together...
Sheva showed Melody their first meeting in school. They immediately became friends.
Sheva: This was where we met. But after a few months, this happened.
Sheva and Melody returned to the house to see Kano's Black Dragon ransacking the villages, aided by the African rebel army.
Melody: Kano!"
Sheva: He and his thugs must have paid the African rebels a fortune to commit unspeakable acts of violence, including this...
An African rebel stuffed pills down her father's throat. A few minutes later, he overdosed, driving him insane. He ended up assaulting Melody's mother. Melody tried to stop him, but he grabbed her by the throat and threw her against the wall... The mother tried to stop him, but he killed her, allowing Melody to escape.
Melody: Oh my God...
Sheva: Your father lost his sense of reasoning, Amina.
Melody: Those disgusting drugs destroyed my family. He stole my innocence...
Sheva: Is he really to blame? Kano and his thugs were responsible.
Melody: I see now. We were a peaceful family until they came around.
Sheva and Melody moved on a few day later.
Melody: The U.S. Army arrived, collecting the children who fell victim to Kano's evil. And I, myself..."
Melody sees her child self being taken away.
Sheva: Your father died of overdose, and as a result, you were taken away to the U.S., away from me.
Melody: What do you mean?
Sheva: I should've been there to rescue you, but I went into hiding. A week later, I lived among these people.
Sheva showed Melody the guerrilla fighters.
Melody: Who were they?
Sheva: These were the guerrilla fighters I lived with. I was taken in by a uncle along with seven other children. He hoped to be compensated and got nothing. I ended up running away due to malnutrition. On my way home, they collected me.
Melody: And what of them?
Sheva: They restored me back to health, and in return, I did menial labor, such as laundry as such. There was an Umbrella plant that suffered massive containment failure.
Melody: What was the plant for?
Sheva: 80% of the West African population were employees of Umbrella's No' 57 plant. There wasn't much to live for, but it was steady enough to live by. Just after you were taken away, the plant suffered containment failure, and the people who worked there were unknowingly aiding in its development, but to my knowledge, the plant's failure was deliberate, in order to test out newly created bio-weapons. At 15, I was approached by a American government agent. He revealed to me that the guerrillas were attempting to purchase these weapons to fight the government. He then took to this church...
Sheva took Melody to a church where 15 year old Sheva met an American official
American Official: You must be Sheva Alomar.
Sheva at 15: I am.
American Official: It's come to my understanding that you were associated with the guerrilla military.
Sheva at 15: What do you want to know?
American Official: I only offer amnesty if you provide proof of the bio-weapons deal and their capture.
Sheva: Three days later, I used a recording of a meeting.
Melody: That was a huge risk you took.
Sheva: A risk that got me a new life in the U.S. with the official as my legal guardian.
Melody: I was taken to the U.S. first, and then seven years later, you arrived.
Sheva: Yes, Amina. Unfortunately, memories of you had left me.
