Prolouge

46 1 1
                                    

        A bullet train ride is anything but silent. The people are always talking and gossiping about one thing of the other. Even when no one is speaking; the electronic hum that moves the transportation past the speed of sound keeps a constant buzz about the interior. That's not to mention the A.P (automated program) on every car repeating the stops, and the slogan to each city stops and  occasional towns.
"Now leaving Nexus Winds City. Next stop; Avios- The future of today."
My sister groaned loudly.
"I really hate it when she talks." The eyes of the passengers wandered over to her. I mean, why wouldn't they? Jet black hair, slim physique, ashen colored skin, and Hazel green eyes, and a voice as deadly smooth as a temptest, who wouldn't want to catch of her. Her brother, me, and an idiot (sometimes those two co-inside) that's who. One pair of eyes strayed on her with a grin creeping from one ear to the other. She mirrored his smile, and I kept my gaze on the man that took her grin as a "Hey cutie".
"Here we go..." I said under my breath. She looked over at me and, with wide eyes, "Hm?" I shook my head and her smirk returned. The man approached with an ever present swagger in his walk, and leaned over my sister and the console with a bent arm on the white from on the window. The window overlooked the Overgrowth l the "proclaimed" radioactive super-jungle that was the result of a nuclear war almost a millennia ago.
"Hi there." He said, keeping the same face as before.
"Hi yourself." She responded. I laughed to myself.
"What's your name, Sweet-heart?" The man asked. She laughed, leading him on. I turned to look at the "smooth man" that was really trying and then over to my sister who casually glanced at me and slipped a cocky wink before looking back at the unfortunate man.
"Sasha," she said lightly.                                          
"Well Sasha, I'm coal. Who's this fella'?" Coal asked, throwing an arm up lazily in a gesture towards me. I looked at him, under my hood, and remained silent for now, letting Sasha take care of things. It was her style of playing with her food so to speak.
"This is my little brother, Dexter."  She answered, placing her arms in her lap.
"Dexter huh? Pleasure to meet you and your sister." He put some emphasis on "your" as if trying to keep the conversation on her. I wanted to keep to myself so I stayed quiet and nodded.
"Hey, uh, Coal? Do you mind if we go to the bar? I'm sort of thirsty." Sasha asked. His smile brightened and they walked down the car to another one.  I spun around to the window that my recently departed sister and I sat in front of, and gazed out in to the Overgrowth.

        The Overgrowth is sort of a myth. It was a very strange myth. Not that the myth said it did not exist, but what occurred in the Overgrowth. That there was actual life other than the radioactive plants, and that the jungle itself was one, thick, organism, one single life that protected and cherished all life below the thick forest roof. The jungle is a product of Nations warring against each other with all out nuclear weaponry. That was over 3 millennia ago, and the multiple Nukes, Seventy-three, destroyed the very land itself. Humanity survived by moving to the one area that was surprisingly unaffected. The air. With what they had, humanity went to the sky, leaving the radioactive wasteland below them, and built a new system. The Business system. A system where the governors are replaced with entrepreneurs, and the convicts are replaced with mafia men, pirates, con-men, thieves... alright so, the criminals didn't change. Each city made profits with exports and in ports, and it has never been better. War hasn't been around for years, 3 millennia actually, but business failure has been feared mostly now.
Coal ran through the aisle behind me, slightly crying. Soon after, Sasha came in behind him and flopped on the bench next to me.
"How much do we have now?"  I asked, correcting my position on the seat I sat on.
"A few hundred. Enough to get an apartment and get a trolley to meet our new Boss." She said, moving hair out of her face.
Yeah, us convicts probably haven't changed all that much.

End of Prolouge.

The DragoonWhere stories live. Discover now