Against the Odds

Prologue

Prologue

***

The war between the ten states occurred in the year 2030. It was called the Great War that almost wiped out humanity. It killed millions of people and only three States managed to survive.

The Saurus. The Nari. The Minda.

There had to be a Peace Treaty to resolve the war between the States and there are rules to abide from Heaven to restore the peace (the organization that unites the States, and their City is literally from above like a flying saucer.)

1. The States are independent of their own. No State must colonize the other. Any form of revolution will result to extinction.

2. The States are prohibited to use Science, Technology and Engineering as a weapon for war. A State that would do so will be forever forgotten.

· The States must not create cyborgs to be the soldiers for war.

· The States must not create air vehicles solely for war battles.

· The States are prohibited to invent time machines to alter the current circumstance.

3. The States must not use munitions (e.g. bombs, guns etc.) such as nuclear and chemical. Knife weapons are allowed. Anyone who will go against the law will be punishable by death.

4. The States must not allow its people to choose the genes of their own. A man must accept the genes of his origin. Any alteration will result to severe punishment.

5. The States must not use genetic-engineering of the highest form of animal combined with any other species to balance nature.

6. The People of one State are not allowed to wander nor go to any other States.

7. The Heaven will hold all the breakers of Peace. It is the system. It is the Justice. It is the Punisher with its Legionnaire.

***

Her frail pale lips with no sign of red blood managed to speak. Nanginginig ang kanyang labi sa bawat bukas ng bibig niya para magsalita. "I formulated a virus and it is deadly. Very lethal. It was intentional, I made it for my own benefit. However, it is used now to be a weapon for war, for political agenda and ambitions, to kill innocent people intentionally, to colonize the States. A lot of people died already and there is no cure yet. I am afraid that I could not make one. My time is limited. They are looking for me. They are going to kill me. It is the only thing I can do in this fiasco --- to warn people and to seek help from you, maybe to save the future." she paused. Huminga siya nang malalim bago nagpatuloy. "It's fucked up. I'm fucked up. If you can find and kill me before I make this rubbish, maybe, you can save the world. You can change what's about to happen in 2051. you can change the outcome. I'm going to die now and I want to die with my dignity still intact, not someone to blame for humanity loss,"

A loud bang echoes on the laboratory, the glass breaks noisily and the apparatuses scatter all over the place. The lab is in chaos. Kulang na lang ay tuluyan itong sumabog. Natamaan siya ng ligaw at lumilipad na basag na bubog. Agad na kumalat ang dugo sa pisngi niya, pero hindi iyon alintana. She smiles at the computer's camera one last time, with shiny tears streaming down her face. He is tensed, his heart beats are racing fast.

"The time has come. They are here for me." she speaks calmly. "I hope my last invention will not fail me. You are my only hope. The last chance I got. I played all my cards."

Several men in white thick uniform with heavy mask covering their heads approach her without making any sound. He wants to shout and warn the woman that they are already there, his voice doesn't cooperate. How can he even warn a girl in the digital world? He can't utter even a single word. Frustration occurs to him. He almost wrecks the old frail table of the computer, dust spatters around him yet t is the least of his concern.

"The only regret I have, I wish I change and heal the world instead of raging to it. I have the power of mind and I didn't use for good deeds. I'll be watching you from above. That's where I belong. In the sky." she says sadly, her eyes are gleaming of tears.

The men are near.

"Drop any weapon you have and raise your hands in the air!" one of them shouts, they are the Legionnaire --- the Keeper of Peace. She does not look at them, nor comply.

She looks at the camera for the last time and wipes her tears. "It's the dead end. I'm holding on to you whether you are the person I am hopeful to meet or not, save the people I haven't saved. Save me. Against the odds."

With a click of a finger, everything blacks out. The only thing that does not disappear on the screen is the date. It says June 12, 2051.

Next year. The date of his birthday.

The video leaves him hanging. His throat gone dry. Hindi niya alam ang sasabihin. Walang mamutawi sa kanyang salita.

Several questions flood his mind. Is she even real? Could be, could be not. Lahat ngayon ay posible. Mayroon lang batas na hindi nagpapahintulot. Science, Engineering and Techonology combined is such a powerful tool and the woman in the video tape broke all the laws existed.

It should be his grandfather, but he is already dead. Did he succeed? He only has one year before she gets killed. If his grandfather did not succeed, it only means one thing, they are doomed. The virus will be the death of humanity. It is not just about saving a particular woman, it is saving what is left in the world.

How can he save a girl he does not even know the name? How can he save humanity from its doom?

Time is ticking.

"Against the odds." echoes the basement.

The fragile woman. The breaker of Laws. Who could she be?