Introduction
Introduction
PLANET: Earth
YEAR: 3450
POPULATION: 80 Billion
HUMANS: 27 Billion
VAMPIRES: 24 Billion
ANDROIDS: 29 Billion
Earth, a planet created in seven days by the mighty hand of God. This is a planet that has been on the brink several times only to rise above the ashes. For centuries The United States of America held unto the title of World Superpower. In the year 2772 The Russian Federation and The People's Republic of China had advanced their economic and military capabilities to the highest degrees. In 2780 the United States would discover that she would soon share the title of World Superpower with Russia and China. In 2782 the ideologies of the United States, Russia and China began to clash giving rise to the Second Cold War. All three superpowers would soon engage in an arms race that spanned for the next 40 years. Russian and Chinese influence soon spread to the now secular Middle East where both superpowers provided military hardware and training to the Arab Alliance. In 2823 The Arab Alliance equipped with a Russian/Chinese supplied military invaded Israel. Five years as the conflict dragged on The United States started provided logistical support to Israel. Soon in 2829 The United States would deploy its military personnel to fight side by side with its long time alley. In 2830, Russia who was initially involved by proxy soon deployed their military personnel to fight on the side of the Arab Alliance.
In 2834, with the Middle Eastern conflict still continuing, China, in hopes to provide a strategic distraction for the United States invaded and occupied Japan and Taiwan. This invasion opened a new front in the conflict which would soon be known as The Great Attrition. Although it bore the hallmarks of the first two World Wars the general public avoided calling it World War III. With its forces stretched thin in the Middle East and in an effort to equip itself with enough manpower to end the Chinese occupation of Japan and Taiwan, the United States reconstituted the once abolished military draft. In 2836, with enough manpower and hardware, the United States engaged China within the heart of Chinese occupied Japan and Taiwan. It was a bloody effort that spanned over the next twenty-five years. Finally in 2862 China retreated from Japan and Taiwan. China would soon focus their efforts in assisting Russia and the Arab Alliance in the Middle East. In 2873, in an effort to end The Great Attrition, The United States launched nuclear attacks on Russia and China for the first time in centuries. Nuclear missiles were launched on twelve different cities within Russia and China resulting in massive loss of life and infrastructure. Surprisingly this did not diminish the will of both countries to continue fighting. The Great Attrition would go on for another twenty years until all four countries would come together to negotiate a cease-fire. In 2894 all four countries signed a peace treaty finally putting an end to the 74 year old Great Attrition. At that time The Great Attrition was the bloodiest conflict known to man. The costs were as follows:
THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY: 766,780
FINANCIAL: 21 Trillion
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
MILITARY: 805,897
CIVILIAN: 2,737,804
FINANCIAL: 30 Trillion
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
MILITARY: 1,677,900
CIVILIAN: 4,967,988
FINANCIAL: 50 Trillion
ISRAEL
MILITARY: 590,780
CIVILIAN: 3,534,785
FINANCIAL: 36 Trillion
THE ARAB ALLIANCE
MILITARY: 2,788,890
CIVILIAN: 4,750,888
FINANCIAL: 60 Trillion
By all estimates The Great Attrition severely affected The Arab Alliance. After the war ended most of The Arab Alliance's population was left impoverished and the governments within could no longer afford to rebuild the military of the Alliance. Never again would the Arab Alliance launch such a brazen attack. As for the three World Superpowers, The United States established a military presence within the Middle East for the first time in centuries and they along with Russia and China spent the next thirty years rebuilding their economic and military capabilities.
August 3rd, 2924 marked thirty years when The Great Attrition ended. However, on this day the United States suffered its first nuclear attack in centuries. On the early morning of that day the west coast was suddenly struck by a barrage of nuclear missiles. The surprise attack nearly wiped out major cities in California and the Washington state and caused massive loss of infrastructure and life. It was discovered that China had deployed unmanned stealth nuclear submarines in the Pacific and in the weeks that followed Russian involvement was uncovered. It was believed that the Russians assisted the Chinese by deploying unmanned flying stealth drones to locate specific targets. The attack was believed to be aimed at several military bases the United States had built along the west coast as a means for preparation for another possible confrontation with the other superpowers. One week after the attack the United States launched its own barrage of nuclear attacks on Russia and China. To the Americans' astonishment their nuclear missiles exploded in mid-air over China and Russia before they reached their targets. This was a result of nuclear missile defence systems Russia and China had built in the years following the end of The Great Attrition. On August 15th the United States engaged with China and Russia was again in a new conflict known as The Second Attrition. Like the war that preceded it, The Second Attrition was fought on land, air and sea. This new war saw the emergence of manlike machines both human-size and of towering stature. These machines were called Guardians that assisted all three superpowers. Two years after The Second Attrition, the U.S. cities of Detroit and Chicago were suddenly destroyed by hyper sonic beams that appeared to have come from outer space. It would soon be discovered that Russia and China had built laser systems over the earth capable of destroying any city within range. The United States had done the same following the end of The Great Attrition. The attacks on Detroit and Chicago would soon make space the new front in The Great Attrition. As the war dragged on all three superpowers began building defence systems capable of defense against nuclear and laser attacks.
The Second Attrition would drag on for next twenty years. On July 17th, 2945 The United States sought to put a quick end to the war by launching an invasion of Russia and China. The invasion was launched in secret as a means to catch the Russians and the Chinese off guard and for a hopeful collapse of both countries. The invasion was set in two phases: attacking both China and Russia by placing American troops deep within the heart of two countries and launching the attack from the Pacific. However, the United States never achieved the quick and easy victory it had hoped. The U.S. attack on Russia and China took longer than anticipated and the United States suffered heavy casualties and loss of equipment in their efforts to topple the Russian and Chinese governments. The ever powerful war making machine of the United States and the drafting of American civilians, however, made it possible for them to re-supply their efforts in the invasion of the other superpowers. The U.S. effort to annihilate Russia and China would drag on for fifty years until the United States finally withdrew their forces in the year 2995. It was during the time of the American invasion that Russia launched a counter-invasion of the United States in 2978. That year Russia deployed its troops and military Guardians in the American state of Alaska. The United States responded by deploying its military personnel and hardware to Alaska to repel the attack. The engagement lasted twenty years and finally ended with a Russian withdrawal from Alaska in 2999.
The 31st Century would open with the ongoing Second Attrition. At this time the war had spread to other countries within Europe causing death and destruction on a biblical scale. In space all three superpowers attacked each on the numerous planets they have established as military complexes. For the next seventy-four years it had seemed that there was no hope for The Second Attrition having a good outcome until all three superpowers came together once again to propose an armistice. This armistice was signed by the leaders of all countries on November 9th, 3076 finally putting an end to The Second Attrition. The Second Attrition was the longest and bloodiest conflict in history lasting a total of 152 years. The costs were as follows:
THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY: 7,802,786
CIVILIAN: 34,900,689
FINANCIAL: 75 Trillion
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
MILITARY: 13,933,000
CIVILIAN: 80,405,000
FINANCIAL: 88 Trillion
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
MILITARY: 50,755,500
CIVILIAN: 200 Million
FINANCIAL: 120 Trillion
The Second Attrition was also responsible for the deaths of 3 billion civilians in five nations. Years following the end of The Second Attrition the world experienced its most severe famine in centuries. Many the world over were left without homes and a severe shortage of food. Food prices soared and agriculture was impossible due to years of nuclear war. The famine would last forty years and would claim the lives of 6 billion people. The world spent two more centuries rebuilding its infrastructure and attending to the needs of the poor. During this time mankind was deemed infertile due to the radiant effects of the nuclear engagements of The Second Attrition. Birth rates fell dramatically and the human population was at its lowest in history. In the year 3238 the governments around the world started to finance the development of androids or droids to help replace the earth's dying human population. These droids were created to have the appearance and behaviour of humans and were also able to give birth to more human-like droids. By the year 3254 the android population grew to 5 billion. In 3267 the first human birth was reported. In Nigeria a human couple welcomed a baby girl into the world. From that moment on more and more human births would be reported over the next twenty years. At the time of the Nigerian girl's birth the human population was at 2 billion. Over the next thirty years the earth's human population grew to 8 billion. In the year 3312 the human population was 12 billion and the android population was at 15 billion. The growing human population would soon become threatened by the machines that emulated them; soon there were reports of hate crimes against androids in seven different countries. The governments would soon establish measures ensuring the safety of the android population. In the last years of the 34th Century the United States, Russia and China clashed once again. A new arms race began and a new clash of ideologies was ever more present between all three superpowers. These events would lead to the beginning of the Third Cold War. The world welcomed the beginning of the 35th Century on January 1st, 3400. For the next forty-five years the world experienced peace and prosperity despite the continuing arms race.
New York City, a city with a large population and one of the factors of the growing American economy was the place where I continued my long journey. I was born Wilhelmina Helena Murray on September 11th, 1880. My parents died when I was very young; soon I was under the care of my grandparents who continued to raise me in the principles of the Roman Catholic faith. At the age of fourteen I taught etiquette at the White Water Primary School in London. There I became close friends of the daughter of the local bank president named Lucy Westerna. When I was fifteen years of age I met a twenty three year old law student named Jonathon Harker. In the year 1897, months before we were to be married Jonathon departed for Transylvania, Romania to attend to needs of a nobleman who wished to acquire a new home in London. When Jonathon was away I experienced great tragedy when Lucy was attacked and weakened by a tall figure in black. When I approached Lucy I discovered that she was bleeding profusely from two wounds in her neck. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctors first diagnosed her with extreme lost of blood. After just one week the doctors sent her home after they could do no more for her. In the days that followed Lucy's physical appearance began to change dramatically. Her skin became deathly pale and the canines of her teeth grew longer and sharper. Dr. John Seward, one of the men whom Lucy loved, soon took notice and called upon an old friend and mentor named Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The Dutchman was very secretive withholding everything he knew about Lucy's condition. He administered numerous blood transfusions which helped revitalised Lucy for short periods of time. One night Lucy was killed in horrific fashion along with her ailing mother. My only friend was dead.
Weeks after Lucy's death reports surfaced of a beautiful woman in white preying on the blood of young children. The newspapers gave the perpetrator a name: The Bloofer Lady. One night as I walked through the streets of London I saw a young woman with blond hair, yellow, animal-like eyes and sharp canines. She was dressed in the white wedding gown Lucy was buried in weeks before. As I approached closer I was shocked to discover that lady was indeed Lucy! She revealed to me that she was "The Bloofer Lady" and that she was enjoying the new life she was living. Before vanishing in the crowd Lucy would speak of one man who would lead me and the human race to dominance and all there was for me to do was to submit to him.
I would be contacted by Jonathon's firm to meet Jonathon in Budapest. Jonathon took refuge at a coven where he was under the care of the nuns. He seemed traumatised from an experience he could not describe and he suffered a severe nervous breakdown. I would stay at the coven where I along with the nuns nursed him back to physical and mental health. One day I would stumble upon Jonathan's private journal where each page spoke of horrors at the castle of his host Count Dracula. In his journal Jonathon described one such incident where he was nearly killed bye three "demons" that had the appearance of beautiful women yet they bore fangs like animals. Dracula saved him just in time only to reveal himself as a monster bearing two sharp fangs. Jonathon managed to escape with his life where he was given refuge at the coven. After Jonathon regained his physical strength and his sanity he and I were married and I would become Mina Harker.
We arrived home where we were encountered once again by Professor Van Helsing who told Jonathon to stay and protect me at home while he and Dr. Seward visited Lucy's grave. They were to attend along with Lucy's fiancée Arthur Holmwood and American Quincy P. Morris who was one of Lucy's choices to be her groom along with Seward and Holmwood. Hours would pass until Van Helsing and the others returned to report that Lucy was once again dead. Van Helsing explained that she was killed when Holmwood drove a wooden stake through her heart. Van Helsing then explained that London was at great peril because Count Dracula had arrived in England to begin a reign of terror. Dracula was a vampire, a creature that fed upon the blood of humans. Anyone who was bitten by a vampire would soon be transformed into new vampires. Van Helsing explained that Lucy was one such vampire and that Dracula's work did not end with her. The nobleman intended to make London his vampire kingdom and he would soon remake the world where the vampires were the only race on earth. After Van Helsing explained the strengths and weaknesses of the vampire and the urgency to destroy Dracula I understood that Lucy's second death was justified and necessary.
We all took refuge at a mental institute owned by Dr. Seward where we continued our plans to destroy Dracula. Jonathon and I were given a room as it was no longer safe to stay in our home. One night I was suddenly awaken by the crashing of the window and the screams of Jonathon. I saw Jonathon lying unconscious in the corner of the room and a man suddenly approached me. The man was a towering figure dressed in dark with long white hair, crimson eyes and long fangs. He revealed himself to be Dracula and spoke of his alertness of the plan to destroy him. He told me that the time had come for me to walk on this earth for all eternity to do his bidding and with those words he drove his fangs into my neck. I felt all the blood in my veins leave my body and my strength slowly began to fade. He then released me from his fangs and with a sharp elongated nail on his index finger he made an incision into his chest. The wound on his chest bled profusely and soon he rammed my head into his chest forcing me to drink his blood. I was no match for Dracula inhuman strength; it was hard for me to break free from his clutches. As his cold blood filled my mouth I felt my veins being refilled and my body going limp with every drop. The last remaining drops of blood touched my tongue and in an instant Van Helsing and the others broke into the room. Dracula released me and escaped leaving me lying weak and motionless.
The next day Jonathon regained consciousness and Van Helsing revealed to me that I was transformed into a new being: the vampire. With that revelation my heart sank. I came to the conclusion that I was doomed to be what Lucy was in her second life. I wanted to die immediately. I did not want to come to terms with this rebirth but Jonathon had assured that despite this great curse that was upon me, he would love me forever. Days had passed and my physical appearance had begun taking a new shape. I began to experience unquenchable thirst and I heard sounds and saw sights at great distances as if they were near. One day I saw Dracula himself boarding yacht that was taking him back to Transylvania. He spoke on having his revenge on Jonathon and the others once he returned to his homeland. What made this vision so frightening was that the image was in my head, yet I saw it as if I was there presently. This was a new power I had: telepathy. Van Helsing took note and used my newfound power to trace the movements of the nobleman. Soon we were on our way to Transylvania.
When we arrived in the homeland of Dracula Jonathon and the others immediately started plans to destroy the count. Jonathon and the others managed to track him down en route through the Transylvanian forest. Van Helsing stayed with me and set up camp in a nearby area of the forest. At night fall Van Helsing kept watch while I slept when suddenly I was awaken by his shouts. At a quick glance three women snatched me away from Van Helsing and suddenly I found myself in a dungeon. I soon discovered that I was now in Dracula's castle and the women were actually Dracula's brides; the same terrible women Jonathon spoke of in his journal. Dracula intended to use me as bait for Jonathon and the others while at the same time he forced me to embrace the monster that was now within me. I had my first taste of human blood when Dracula offered me a drugged young man. His blood smelt so sweet and I was enduring unbearable thirst; I simply could not resist. Two days had passed until Jonathon, Van Helsing, Seward, Holmwood and Morris made it to the castle. Jonathon located me in the dungeon but he easily fell in Dracula's trap. A battle ensued where Jonathon lost his right arm. The moment I saw Dracula draw Jonathon's blood I felt this unexplainable force overwhelm me. I broke out of my cell, grabbed Jonathon's bowie knife and rammed it into Dracula's heart. In an instant the monster began to wither away turning into burning ash. Dracula, who proudly proclaimed that no man can kill him, was dead. The moment Dracula died his castle started to crumble. My severely wounded husband tried to reason with me telling me to come with him, but I rejected. The castle began to come down upon the dungeon and Jonathon began to run away making a safe escape with the others. I was successful in making my own escape before Castle Dracula finally came down in a mountain of ruins.
Ten years later I would walk the streets alone. I learnt of Arthur Holmwood's wonderful life with his family in Scotland. I also learnt of Professor Van Helsing continuing teaching at his university in the land of his birth. I learnt of the death of the American Quincy Morris who died at the hand of Dracula's loyal followers. Lastly I learnt that Jonathon was remarried with two children: a girl and a boy he named Quincy after the American. Jonathon would become a lawyer who prosecuted those who offended the law drawing from his experience during the reign of Dracula ten years earlier. From that moment on I was alone, doomed to the life of a killer.
I lived on the streets feeding on the blood of the homeless and prostitutes. One cold night I came across a young man who wielded a wooden stake with intentions to kill me. I caught a scent of his blood and that scent was very familiar to me. He was a Van Helsing! Surely I was unaware of Van Helsing's relatives but I was also lost as to why this particular Van Helsing wanted me dead. I tried to avoid him but in one strike he drove the stake into my chest. This was a device sure to kill a vampire in seconds but to my surprise and his I did not begin to disintegrate nor felt pain. At this revelation this young man pressed on further. I did not wished to hurt him but he left me with no other choice. I pulled out the stake from my chest and stabbed him in his right eye. I soon vanished from his presence leaving him to scream in pain. In later years I would discover that he was Alexander Van Helsing, a son from which Abraham fathered from a first marriage. Alexander was the founder of a handful of vampire hunters known as The Van Helsing Clan. I had great admiration and respect for Abraham Van Helsing. I made a promise to myself that if I was to live this treacherous life I would never kill a Van Helsing.
In the second year in the 20th Century I joined my first group of vampires known as the Opened Pits. The leadership of The Opened Pits comprised of Philip Mason, Anthony Wright and Richard Blair. I spent months thinking I was finally among the people that I was destined to be with. It was until one night where the leading members of the Open Pits killed a pregnant woman I came to the conclusion that I was on the wrong side. Two weeks later we had planned to kill a member of the British Parliament. We followed his carriage until we surrounded it in quiet area in London. When we proceeded to attack the parliamentarian, we discovered his wife along with her two children were in the coach. Our target was not present that night. I prevented Wright's advance against the helpless humans and in turn gave them time to escape. The reasons for my actions stemmed from the experience of the death of the woman and her unborn child. At that moment Mason proceeded to have me asphyxiated for my lack of loyalty towards his group. I felt the adrenaline rush to my brain which gave me a message to fight back. I rammed my fangs into his throat and drank all that was left of his vampire blood, killing him in minutes. I would soon perform the same methods of death on Wright and Blair. Watching their lifeless bodies dried up like raisins I discovered yet another power. I could give eternal life, yet I could take it away just as easy. Immediately my memory reminded me of the days where I was in Dracula's captivity where I witnessed him punishing a disloyal vampire servant by drinking his blood. Dracula had made his mark upon me. This revelation threw me into a state of self-resentment that would last for centuries.
In 1910 I met Todo Hotsumi, a 300 year old Japanese vampire who approached me with promises to provide me with skills and lessons to live my life. I was taken to Japan where I became a member of his organisation known as Hollow Dragon where he had students from all over the world. I spent the next ten years being trained in five fields of martial arts eventually perfecting all, yet my specialties were in the art of Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu. Hotsumi became very impressed and presented me with a special gift. He forged a special katana sword and named it The Final Dawn. It was stronger than any other sword and was coated with a newly discovered substance called silver nitrate. At my request, despite numerous objections from Hotsumi, The Final Dawn was engraved with a Latin engraving of the 23rd Psalm: Yea, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me.
I spent twenty years under Hotsumi; but I soon discovered that I was walking the wrong path. I learnt that Hotsumi was one of Dracula's early apprentices and Hotsumi had founded the Hallow Dragon with visions of carrying on Dracula's legacy. After all, Dracula translated in English meant "son of the dragon". I then experienced sexual, emotional and psychological abuse from my teacher. I also endured persecution from fellow members of the Hollow Dragon who participated in several loyalty test given to me from Hotsumi. We attacked villages and killed villagers. I would often show my reluctance to carry out such missions but my other companions reminded me of their willingness to report me to be at the mercy of Hotsumi's wrath. I endured this tempest all during and towards the end of World War 2. By the end of this terrible war our new target was the American led occupation of Japan where I came across someone I never thought I would met again. It was one of Abraham Van Helsing's descendants who served among the Americans. Keeping my promise I spared his life, yet not without being exposed to the others.
It would not be long before many within Hallow Dragon would discover that the blood of Dracula ran through my veins. This revelation was made when we battled against a group of vampire hunters and one of the hunters drove a stake through my heart. All within my group were amazed and most sought to possess the same invulnerability through the blood of Dracula. At day some would attempt to slit my wrist all for the sake of having a taste of Dracula's blood. Their efforts however were fruitless. Hotsumi knew very well that my veins were flowing with the blood of Dracula. In the shadows he devised a plan where he would rob this blood and in turn be a replica of one whom he considered a brother. He sent me on assignment on the islands near Japan where I feel into a trap set up by him and a handful of students of Hollow Dragon. I freed myself from their clutches and killed all of them in intense battle. The sole survivor was Hotsumi himself. After engaging in fierce combat I spared his life, yet I slashed him across his torso leaving him scared for all eternity. From that moment on, I became a loner with The Final Dawn in my possession.
In the last remaining years of the 20th Century I roamed the earth travelling in several countries learning different languages. As the years multiplied I began to view the vampire race as the enemy, even though I was supposedly a part of it. With The Final Dawn in hand I began a personal crusade against those who made me what I am. I sought to end to what Dracula began for centuries. The first vampire I killed was the leader of a prominent vampire organisation. All the anger and fury I had sealed within myself seemed to have diminished with his death. Yet I could not contain the thirst for human blood. I was clearly not free from the bondage that Dracula placed upon me. While I was seeking to wipe out the vampire race I was also creating new members. This was a double edged sword that would pierce my heart the longer I had lived. I also came across several vampire hunters seeking to put me to death. I halted their advances by striking them with The Final Dawn. Though it was clearly self-defence, my heart was filled with such grief seeing human flesh decimated by such a strong sword as this. Flesh and blood is far more different than ash and dust.
I would continue to endure this long life trying to discover what meaning if there was any does a vampire that was seemingly invincible to all killing methods have? Along the way I tried to mend my relationship with God. This was evidence that my humanity is not entirely vanquished. I prayed to God for centuries hoping that he would either restore my humanity or put an end to what he would consider a child of Satan. I've befriended many priests who would become my religious advisors. Yet, like so many among the human race their time on earth was short lived. I, on the other hand, would continue to experience longevity and the more I lived on earth the more I resented myself. Throughout my long years I have experienced first hand how flawed the human race would become through war, famine and greed. As I much as I resented myself I resented the world even more. I have also seen how the word of God would be used for evil instead of good. Many cults were established and many were claiming to be God or the Son of God. Many were also killing in God's name through kidnapping and murder. My heart would be broken as I experienced many among the human race beginning to remove God from their hearts instead worshipping their own skills. I have experienced the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Many among the human race had begun making money and prestige as their gods. The leaders among the human race would be sending their young citizens to foreign lands to kill and be killed in foolish wars of ideology and reject the opposition of the very citizens of those who placed them in power. The leaders among the human race began diminishing the individual rights of simple humans in order to establish what they saw as rule of law and many governments of the earth began massing more and more technology meant for war.
Thus came the year 3450. I was now 1570 years of age. Despite this great age I was still in the body of a seventeen year old girl. Yet, mentally I have matured faster than I have ever imagined. I did not feel older and I was certain that my physical appearance have not changed. I still carried The Final Dawn on my back which had been with me for centuries. Rust does not destroy it and it is still as sharp and strong as it was first made. The world had changed drastically. All the nations of the earth were prosperous and the population was large. Yet by this time the vampire had won many hearts making the vampire race a significant member of the earth's growing population. The Android made the majority in the earth's population with the human race in second and the vampire race in third. The humans were unaware that their race was dying due to the seductive power and relentlessness of the vampire. I have been prowling this earth for centuries hoping to find answers to this meaningless long life. I would soon find myself back in a country I have visited several times over the years and I would settle in a new city still looking for the answers to my questions: New York City.