Chapter 18 Aynia Alena had committed the ultimate betrayal. The forces quickly surrounded our camp and took it with little force needed. Why didn’t we use our powers? One simple reason. The things they pointed at us weren’t guns. At least not in the technical sense, with bullets and such. They were actually called ARPWEs (Anti-Radiation Particle Wave Emitters). They had the ability to knock out any mutant’s power for up to ten hours, depending on the power set. None of us wanted to lose our abilities, even for that short of time; we had to save them in case of a bigger emergency. What’s worse is that because of the way the gun’s built, Irian couldn’t destroy them without letting out a powerful wave that could potentially suppress our mutation permanently. Despite the various inconveniences of our nuclear fallout warped gene, none of us wanted to give up the thing that made us special even for such a short time. In the end the only ones to resist were Matt (Mitorr) and Dyonn. They served as examples to the rest of us of what happened. It didn't look particularly pleasant. They were both pale and shaking afterwards. They gave us thirty minutes to gather anything we could carry to bring with us (excluding weapons of course). I don’t really have anything to bring with me except my family. So in this last fifteen minutes before we are to be herded like cattle into the transport vehicles, I leave only this book behind, an account of the war with a hope that someday, somewhere people will realize what a mistake they mad. It has been ten long years since the dome was first created, and hopefully it won’t take ten long years for this prejudice to end. I hope that this book be a light upon the dark confusing events that have taken place, and I hope with all my heart that people will hear these words and strive for freedom and equality so those few NLHs remaining will have the peace and normalness we all deserve. And I, Aynia Erseer, proud to be NLH hope that you heed my words and save the rest as we have not been able and never will be able. It’s funny when you’re dead, how people start to listen. The End
Prologue Part 1 The NLHs marched bravely and stoically into the facility, one of the last remaining that they had not torn down. They waited in the courtyard while high above them the general whom they had surrendered to prepared for his address to the NLHs. “Mutants,” he began. That evoked a low growl from a few in the crowd. The fat pompous man ignored them. “You have surrendered to the great army of the United Alliance. From here on out you have only one choice. We have already conducted a trial for you, and only the man who calls himself Avenger and Luke will be executed. The rest of you, after watching the execution will go back to the MCAs and the MEZs and rebuild them. Afterwards you will go back to being investigated for a cure.” More rumblings from the crowd, threatening to break into a roar. The old man however did not care. He was a General, far above these pathetic non human creatures. “Now however,” he called, “the two ringleaders of this rebellion will be punished!” With a low creak, a wall to their right swung open, crushing a few unlucky guards who had been standing in front of it.. Behind the wall was a huge dusty area with a small metal cylinder in the middle. Avenger and Luke were quickly yanked out of the crowd, and chained to the shiny metal can. The man pointed a remote at it, and all of a sudden, a screen appeared with large red numbers that began to count down. A few people gasped, for it was in reality a small bomb. The fat old man smiled in satisfaction. Everything was turning out perfectly. “This bomb,” the old general began then paused to add effect, “this bomb will release a small burst of radiation that will at first boost your mutant capacities, then over heat you. It is... ahem quick and painless death.” He glanced over at the media, cameras ready to witness the event. “Unfortunately it will also knock out all electronics, so you may want to leave.” The camera men nodded, and quickly packed up and left. As soon as the last helicopter disappeared, the man looked coldly down at the rest of the NLHs. “Push the rest of them in,” he ordered briskly, and then turned to go. The NLHs didn’t even put up a fight for they knew it was useless. When all of them were inside the large bomb field, the door snapped shut, and the final ten seconds beeped slowly down. All of the mutants were arranged in a large circle, gripping eachother's hands. “Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Whoosh!” The ground exploded as the cloud of dust was blown to the sky. When the air had cleared, all there was left was a huge crater. No ashes no bodies, nothing but fine brown dust.. It was as if nothing had happened. The single hidden camera man who was left behind stood up and dusted off his shirt. “I’m going to get paid BIG TIME for this clip,” he muttered, lightly patting his camera which surprisingly was still working. He walked quietly out of the deserted base and into a waiting car. Prologue Part 2 An Anonymous 9th grader Ten Years Later With a sigh, the guide up front shut the movie off. I noticed that many of my class mates, boy and girl alike had tears running down their faces. The guide however had clear eyes. Obviously she had seen the clip so many times that she was immune to its powers. The guide, whose name was Amelia, stood at the front of the large room that served as the movie theatre for the NLH Memorial. “This was the last clip ever seen of the NLHs. I have read you her diary and shown you this movie, but now it’s time for YOU to do some thinking of your own. Was this morale? Was this ethical?” “What happened to them?” One of the boys in the row next to me asked. “Isn’t it obvious?” I muttered Amelia nodded seriously and considered the question though she must have heard it thousands of times. “Most believe that they died. Collapsed into nothing more than dust. However there are some out there who believe that the NLHs are hiding, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves to the world.” This sent our class into a frenzy. They were all discussing this last interesting theory and the "what ifs" were rebounding around the room. Amelia smiled at the teachers up front and said, "I think my work here is done," No one heard her but me it seemed. As the guide turned to go, seeming preoccupied she was not paying the most attention to where she was walking and accidentally slammed into the doorframe. She fell backwards with a surprised, "Oof!" and hit the floor hard. Nobody noticed but me. Only I witnessed the tiny flicker of a hologram. Only I saw the brief flash of white hair, silver eyes, and an unnaturally bright facial tattoo. I gasped quietly to myself, not daring to trust my eyesight. As if she heard me (which seemed impossible over the noise) she glanced through our ranks and we made eye contact. Her eyes flashed bright silver again, like the girl's in the diary, and I saw one eye flicker shut for but a tiny millisecond. I saw her wink.