Helix

                  prologue

  “Mr. President, can I have a moment of your time?” Mrs. Pickett knows he wont listen, but she has to try one last time.

  “Yes, of course. Give me five minutes gentlemen,” the president says to those near him. “I will meat you in my office.”

  The President is very busy these days. Planing a war, making sure as many people as passable are safe deep under the earth's surface, all while keeping the peace would take a lot out of any man. He would have little time for his family if they where still home, he barley eats any more, five minutes is a lot to ask of him.

  “Grace, this isn't the best time, the Secretary of Defense is waiting in my office. You are supposed to be in the Washington colony bye now.”

  “I know, that’s why we are here, this office has bin empty for months. I had to come and say good bye, I had to.....”

  Tears are starting to well in her eyes, her words stop short. He takes a handkerchief from his breast pocket dabbing at the tears gently.

  “I know, I'm going to miss you too. I can't go with you, no matter how many times you ask. My place is here. Our country needs me. I love you grace, but I can't go.”

  Fighting back tears of his own, trying to be strong for her sake, he holds her close and kisses her tenderly. They melt into each other, unwilling to let go, wanting this moment to last for ever.

  “If you stay you could die, I don't wont to live in a world without you. If we don't win the war, I'll never see you again. I'll stay here with you. I'll die, I don't care as long as we are together!” She realizes she has raised her voice to much. Regaining her composure, she takes a deep breath.

  “Don't worry about me, Grace, I'll be fine. We will win the war, and then we can be together again. Just give us some time.” He lies to her knowing The united stats is out matched. He will go down fighting.

  “If that's true, why can't I stay with you?” She knows her makeup is running, she can't hold the tears back any longer.

  “Grace look at me.” He grabs her chin, gently turning her head to face him. “You know I love you, that is why you can't stay. Put my mind at ease Grace and get into the Washington colony before the doors close. With you there safe I can concentrate on my job, and when it is all over you can come back to me.”

  “I will go my love, just know I leave my hart with you.” They kiss, a long and passionate kiss, reluctant to let go of one another. He gives her his monogrammed handkerchief to whip the tears from her eyes.

  “Hold onto it Grace, you can give it back when I see you again.”

Kissing him one more time, she straitens her jacket, smooths her hair,  goes to the door. She stops for just a moment with her hand on the nob, but she knows she has to go. If she hesitates any longer, she will stay. She needs to make it to the colony in time.

  He stands in the hallway watching her leave, his hart pulling at him to fallow her. He knows he will never see her again, or his wife and kids, but it is his duty to stay and fight, to die like a true soldier.

    *        *      *      *      *      *      *

  “Jim, I miss the kids.” she is crying, it seems like she is always crying.

  “I know Nora, I do to. But they're safe with your sister in the colony, we are lucky they got in.” Jim holds her as they watch the news. They always watch the news about the war. Some call it World War III.

  “Things are worse Jim, I'm afraid we wont see them again.”

  “Maybe not, but it is better for them with Grace. With her we know they will live and have families of there own. If they had stayed with us,  they wouldn't be safe.”

  “I know, I herd what the President said. What if he is wrong, what happens then?” she starts to sob quietly, without control. She wants  her babies home, her life back the way it was before the war, her family hole.

  “Then they come home and we can be a family again. You should be happier Nora, they are safe, if the President is right our children live.”

  “And if we die Jim, how is that fare? We won't be there for them, watch them grow.”

  “Its not fair, Nora. There wasn't room for us, we are lucky they let your sister take the kids.”

  Nora stands and walks to the window, rubbing her locket between her fingers. She opens it to look at the photo of her children. Closing her eyes she can see her daughter dancing and singing into a brush in her room upstairs, her son playing baseball with his father in the back yard.

  On the TV a man says, “The President gave no comment today when asked about a possible nuclear retaliation after....”

  Jim shuts the TV off. The ground and walls start to quiver, then shake violently.

  “Jim, you have to come see this. There’s bin an explosion.”

  Jim never made it to his wife's side. He didn't see the smoke rise high into the air in the shape of a massive mushroom. Never saw the gray smoke and fire glowing red, orange, and yellow. He didn't see buildings falling as the shock wave hit them, ruble flying as fires ignited. Jim can hear screams all around him, he can hear Nora only feet away, loudest of all are his own screams before everything gets quiet, dark, and goes blank. 

  Jim and Nora are the lucky one's, it was over quickly for them. People further away survive long enough to know what's happened. Further still, they live to feel their insides die. To get violently sick, maybe grow tumors, their skin pealing off burned and charred. But still they die.

  The unlucky live for some time, their bodies change horribly before dying. A few do live, the ones in extremely remote arias. What is to become of them is hard to tell. Radiation seeps deep into the ground, nuclear winter consumes the planet, the earths future bleak and uncertain.

                           

                          Chapter one

  My name is Sora, I was born the day the doors opened. My birthday goes unnoticed every year except by one person, my best friend Jessie, which is fine with me. I have a hard time understanding the importance of birthday celebrations, it's only the passing of another year.

  This year I turn 18, no matter what happens I know I have a job to do. Take  my father's place and lead our kind into battle for the future of all.  my uncle has kept my position until now, but he will pay for everything he has done.

  A light tap on my shoulder, its Jessie. She raps her arms around my waist, I'm a lot taller then she is. She knows I'm in a bad mood. Jessie is a healer, a empath.

  She can read me like an open book. “Whats wrong? Today is a happy day you should be smiling.”

  “I'm thinking about my birthday. I'll be taking over Helix from my uncle, but it should have been my father.”

  My stomach terns as the music starts, and the leader of our fine city begins his speech. This week is the festival that is thrown every year in celebration of the day the door opened, the day our thousand year imprisonment underground ended. The day I was born.

  Washington city square is packed. We call it Washington city because Washington is the name on the door, the only word at all on the door. The door was everything for a long time to the people of this city. I have bin told it shook the city when the door finale opened, letting out this loud wine as if the door felt pain as it unlocked and opened. A long stare case leads up to a second door, when that one opened sand and debris fell from the surface. A few people got to close, they died when crushed by sand. 

  Jessie and I are siting on the statue in the middle of the square. "with hard work and hope in our hearts we will make it through the darkness to the light." These very words are carved in the base of the statue. Its old and worn, in the shape of a large willow tree. Sleeping beneath its branches is a family and their two pets. The children are somber, looking more dead then asleep, unaware of their fates. The mother and father hold them tight as they gaze into each other's eyes, frightened and yet sad. Maybe for the uncertain life ahead, knowing they would never see the sun again. The cat is curled up on the little girls lap, her hand gently laid on it's back. The dog is at his masters feet. His head is up and ears perked, he is alert waiting for something coming out of the shadows.

  Most people love the statue. "Its a cymbal of hope," they would say. To me its like a grave marker, dedicated to the world they killed. I find it to be sad, a reminder of how human kind drove themselves underground and shattered the world as they knew it.

  “You have that look in your eyes again.” Jessie whispers, she knows me all to well.

  “Sorry Jessie, thinking, you know.” she knows everything, she is the only one I have trusted seance my fathers death.

  “Was it about you're uncle? We have time for that, lets just have a good time today.”

  “You are right Jessie, what do you want to do when this is over?” At this point I feel a familiar feeling. “Rex, what is he up to now.”

  “where is he?” Jessie asked me, but I haven't pinpointed him yet.

  Rex is a trouble maker, being mutants there are people who still don't except us and he is a prime example why. He is a bully, uses his powers to pick on normal people and weaker mutants. He and I don't get along, he doesn't think I deserve the title of commander. He wants me to be with him, I don't get it. My father held the position until his death, my uncle has held it until I could take over on my 18Th birthday. Rex, my uncle's pet, what are you up to?

  “I found him, He is about seventy feet back and to the left of me. In between two buildings. There are two other guys with him, and two girls. The girls are human.” I whisper all of this to Jessie. I'm taking just a moment to build up energy, just in case he gives me trouble. He should know better by now.

  “Ready?” Jessie whispers even softer then I had.

  “Lets go.” we walk in his direction. He can see us coming, looking right at me he smiles and raps his hand around one of the girl's neck. I send out a pulse of energy as a warning and he tightened his grip. Picking up my pace I slip behind him one arm around his throat and my legs constricting his chest. I'm lighter, faster, and flexible two.

  I take my right hand and place it on his face, I start to tern up the heat. “You want to tell me what you think you are doing. Let go of the girl.”

  “Do you know what you are doing, you aren't commander yet. Maybe never will be.” I make my grip a little tighter, Heat hotter. He lets go of the girl. I won't let go of him yet though.

  “So you think you can threaten me. You don't stand a chance against me.” His skin is turning red under my hand, I will burn his flesh to the point of scaring if I have to.

  “There will be a time for that my beautiful and deadly woman.” He said with such lust in is voice, a chill ran down my spine in disgust.

  Removing my hand I flip off of his back with my hands on his shoulders to stand in front of him. “I suggest you and you're scum lackeys go back to you're master and leave the humans alone.”

  “One day sexy, you and I will see who is stronger.” The girls are long gone by this point. That Rex is disgusting and a pig. He hates humans. I can't stand to be around him, and I swear he picks some of these fights with me. I have never done a thing to make him think I feel any thing but contempt for him, still he thinks we have some kind of chemistry.

  “Always impressive Sora. I can't believe you can move like that, you must be our most skilled and capable fighter. Are you sure he hasn't told your uncle?” I hug her tight, she makes me feel better when I'm down. But at moments like this I know I can do it, I am capable, and I will win the war that's coming.

  “He may have, but I don't know. My uncle hasn't shown any sines of knowing. After tomorrow it won't mater any way.”

It was my grate, grate, grate grandfather that had a vision about the future, and formed Helix in response. It has bin told that a war would come lead by a man of grate strength and evil, he will seek to destroy all humans and any mutants that dare appose him. He will spread his evil over the new world. As commander it will be me standing in his way, as soon as we find out the who, what, and when part.

  “I guess we will see. Still want to go and do something Jessie?”

  “Yeah. What do you have in mind”

  “Dinner maybe.” We walk off before the gathering is over, but I have had enough. To tell the truth I don't care and I'm ready to eat.

  As we walk I feel something strange, someone I don't know. What is that, I don't recognize that energy signicher, its out of place here. It's gone, just like that? Did they hide their energy, no one has bin able to do that with me. All I got was the person is strong, very strong. I will have to keep a look out for who ever that was.