Get up and Atom!

Chapter One: Dark times

    "GAH!!"

    Rodney sat awake, gasping, and he rubbed his temples, hating the fact that he was having such a bad headache this early in the day. He looked over at his phone, seeing that it was only 12 AM. Way too early to have a headache.

    He sat up in his bed all the way, then looked over at the outside world, out the window at the city that was in the distance. Chicago. He must've had a nightmare, and thats why he had woken up. That was it. He groaned and stood up, making his way to his bedroom door, and he swung it open, leading into the dark, musky main room that he called his house. With baby blue wallpapers, blue carpet, and white couches, along with a sad little TV, he thought about how much he sat right in the lap of luxury. A few bookcases were around the room, along with some dressers and a small mini fridge, and the buzz of the light in the kitchen that he left on reached his ears. He looked out the window, at the large city of Chicago, Illinois, its glittering lights like a portrait against the skies. It was hot, in the summer at least, and the mosquitoes were something out of a horror movie, but he loved the city. It was a great place to live as well, even with everything going on in the world.

    He crashed down on the couch, then flipped the TV on, where a news broadcast from CCN was talking about the new situation between China and America.

    "And now, we head to the small nation of Taiwan, where US troops have now landed and are taking the capital Taipei back from the Chinese troops. China has ordered a small retreat from the island, but the US troops are still facing resistance-"

    He flipped the channel, to another news broadcast, this one talking about climate change, and he flipped the channel again, this time a little bit more forceful.

    "The UN has just held its General assembly in New York this week, to discuss rising global temperatures and tensions between China and the United States. In other new, Miami and New Orleans have had to raise their levees and sea walls another ten feet, to combat rising tides across the entire world. A further fifteen neighborhoods of Venice, Italy have been evacuated after a monumental flood has seen half the city underwater in the last few days."

    He flipped the channel again, more forceful, and another news broadcast was playing.

    "Today, the president has-"

    He shut the tv off, tired of all the gloomy news broadcasts, and suddenly he heard the sounds of the car pulling into the drive wave, and he smiled. A minute later, his wife and daughter were striding through the door.

    "Theres dad!" His wife said to their ten year old daughter.

    "Hey sugarplum!" He exclaimed as his daughter came running up to him.

    They embraced, and his wife came over, patting her daughter on the head.

    "Alright Hannah." She said. "Let's go onto bed, eh?"

    "Okay momma!" His daughter cried. "Goodnight!"

    His daughter raced up the stairs, towards the bedroom, and his wife gave him a kiss on the head. She was beautiful, Ellie, with long, red hair, piercing blue eyes, and a muscular form that put some bikers to shame. He always wondered just how he got so lucky to stumble up to her drunk in a bar one night, but he decided not to question it much. She was beautiful, and a perfect match for him, which was all he cared about.

    "Scooch." She said, and when he scooted over, she plopped down on the couch, and he turned to her.

    "Long day?"

    "We got home at 12Am. What do you think?" She asked with a smile. "I'm tired as hell."

    He leaned over, then squeezed her thigh. "I know you're tired. Is why I kinda wanna indulge you tonight."