1,223Operation BMG: The New World
Prologue
July 17, 231 NW
Rozania, Ring of Mena
The moment James Robertson entered his upscale condominium, he tossed his briefcase towards the leather couch and pulled his necktie off, a sigh of relief leaving his lips as the phone next to the counter began ringing insistently, the noise jarring and unwelcome. Making his way over to his aquarium wall, simultaneously picking up the remote control from the table and turning his TV on, the answering machine picked up and his best friend's voice rang clear throughout the room.
"James? It's Damien. The latest issue of Powers just came off the press and your name, buddy, is at number one! Congratulations, man! Me and the guys are hoping you can get your golden ass off the couch and make your way to my place to party in, say…an hour? Anyway, ring me back when you get this, 'kay? Remember that all work and no play makes James a…well, someone who isn't number one. Haha! Bye!"
James watched the assorted and rare fishes flit from one end of the seven-by-seven feet aquarium to the other, the hands on his sides clenched tight at his friend's announcement. He had known that things had been quite easy for him from the moment he was born, but this, claiming the number one spot in the Powers list at the age of 19 was…vexing.
Constantly being reminded in the schools he'd entered that his generation were the lucky ones as they now lived in the Ring, protected by the North and South Wall on either side from a destruction 231 years ago that wiped out practically the entire northern and southern part of the earth, leaving behind a third of the earth – the New Equator of the New World, newscasters fondly called it – for the survivors of that tragedy to live in was a joke. Now that the Old World was eradicated by events brought about by the greed of humanity, the people of the New World thought to live life in a more simple and uncomplicated manner. As such, happiness was never too far from anyone's reach.
But James never saw it that way, and a number of people like him felt the same way. They never had to work too hard or to suffer too much or to dream too big. To do any of these things, especially the latter, was something that citizens of the Ring never paid much close attention to, seeking whatever happiness they can within the Ring and never beyond it. They didn't want to trouble themselves with discussions filled with what ifs.
He was bored of it all; the simplicity, the uncomplicatedness…everything that Menan citizens lived by. Other young people might have thought he was being irrational in wanting something to disrupt the feeling of 'perfectness' that surrounded them all, but he wanted something more. He wanted to stand at the top and have the feeling that he worked hard for it and deserved to be at the top. This…getting first place after he deliberately played in the world of business as any child would so, was an insult.
He watched as a pink jellyfish settled itself right before his eyes and caught a pink and yellow angelfish in its thin and numerous arms, the fish jerking side to side helplessly as it was stung over and over again, its soft colors marred with streaks of red and brown. He watched as the angelfish finally stopped moving, then frowned when the water at the top of the aquarium sloshed violently to one side of the wall, as if something had pushed against the whole–
A tremor so strong and so unexpected wracked through the condo, forcing him to spread his legs for leverage as he placed his hands against the glass of his aquarium, his eyes watching the water slosh against the top. Peripherally, he watched his telephone fall off the counter, a number of picture frames and paintings fall to the ground, glass breaking from within and outside the kitchen, and his mother's favorite vase crash to the floor. He cursed and jumped back as the large overhead light detached itself from the ceiling and fell down exactly where he had been standing a second ago, shattering into a hundred pieces, a shard of glass cutting his toe. Holding on to the leather couch, he watched the destruction the tremor brought to his condo with wide but calm eyes, the screams and shouts of his neighbors penetrating the thick walls of the building.
Then, as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
James straightened from his position and waited for a few more seconds to pass, listening to the sloshing of the water from his aquarium die down, the frantic voices of his neighbors becoming louder and louder along with his own nervous panting. When he looked outside his window, he caught sight of the South Wall being illuminated by the glow of the red moon and stared in amazement.
He bought this particular condo unit specifically because he loved the sight of the South Wall. Made entirely of black marble, stretching up to an estimated 800 feet and 200 feet wide, the dark-blue sea seeming to originate from its shadows, the South Wall was both menacing and beautiful. Compared to the North Wall, which looked virgin white and blinding to the eyes whenever the sun was present, the South Wall was soothing in its darkness, a bit lonely with the red moon caressing it, but calming and forever impenetrable.
And there, right before his eyes, from the very top of the wall to the middle of it, was a huge crack. A chunk of marble fell away from the crack and tumbled to the sea below, the splash massive yet strangely silent, the waves moving towards the beach in a synchronized fashion. James' eyes followed the large piece that fell from the crack, looked up again, and felt the breath leave his chest at the sight of what the teachers from the different educational systems had always told him and his classmates existed outside the walls but one none of them have seen since the event 231 years ago.
An endless blue sea…and, probably, the Old World countries.
He moved towards the large semi-broken glass windows of his condo, pressed his palms against the cool panes, and felt a strange feeling fill his heart as he stared into the glittering seas, the red moon hanging above casting an eerie image of sparkling blood breathing beyond the black wall. His cellphone began ringing from inside his room as the show currently being shown on the TV switched to an emergency news update. He heard his neighbors running out of their rooms and asking each other what just happened.
But he never moved from his position. He just continued to stare past the gap of the South Wall, the feeling inside his heart getting heavier and heavier as the seconds passed, and felt a small but wild smile spread across his lips.
Camry: Hello there! Yep! The Prologue of OBMG:NW is out! Yay! Hahaha! Well, since I have no beta/incubator at the moment - kinda don't feel like getting one either - I'm hoping that you, my dear readers, will be kind enough to incubate my story if you see anything wrong with it grammatically, technically, etc. I will be editing all my works every once in a while when I find something wrong with it, so watch for those. Hahaha! Anyway, I'll begin working on the first chapter as soon as I can, so see you soon!
PS. If you are confused about the setting, characters, etc., all will be revealed in good time. For now, enjoy the obviously revised tale and join me on a journey towards a 'new world'. Hehe!