Two years, two years since the one world nation act took its toll. All the nations and national unions involved with the act collaborated to have no borders, one currency, one language, one flag, one people, one government. To those that resisted had their sovereignty forcefully taken.

On August 2039, it was all peace and well. Festivals, internet video events, celebration in the streets. Everyone was welcoming to each other, or as it seemed.

Shortly after, many have abused their power, an oversight on the business centric, young, naive governments of the 2030s. Many demanded interdependence, laws to suit their needs. Regulations and standardization crumbling as they try to fit in one box of a system. As the world united, people begun to feel isolated.

The result of the one national order have lead to the greatest economic collapse in Human history. Famine and sickness took most of the populations. Sub cultures in already diverse world became recognizable by common consensuses as full national believes. The revamping of the corporate landscape have made an anarchic landscape of trade and services made easily exploitable, leading some to create new nations to have regulations or use, other methods of resource management. All this causing a domino effect of newly arising nations.

Gangs and armies swing through the streets and fields, reclaiming territory, stealing assets and committing wars. But others took this opportunity to stand up and use their power to protect and provide, hoping to take people into their side and introduce a better way.

By the end of 2040, the United Nations fall at now known the fallen New York city, littered with thugs and groups from all backgrounds. An act meant to unite onto a single nation now the world is made out of thousands of nations.

At that time, I was long gone down at the south of the once know lands of the United States of America to reach warm weather in the lands now know as the democracy of Florida.

During this time, I’ve made my living doing small jobs and learning many new skills along the way, salvaging, driving, programming, cooking, and a wide array of mechanical bits.

Many people know me, some fear me, others wish to be near me. Trust was an issue as most wanted to hurt me, I kept low, only being with employers and try to keep myself away from heavy populous areas. I’ve spent most of my time alone, playing, reading, or running. It was all sight seeing and learning. The old life with Technovania was long gone but I was happy and was at peace with myself but something felt missing.

*

Today is August 31st, 2041. I am microwaving a bowl of ramen soup on the second floor of a small abandon office structure near a stair case at the lunch room at the far north area of West Palm Beach. I have my back bag of quick food, a small laptop with a mouse, various lock picking and computer tools, a rope, and binoculars.

The area was mainly flat with roads and typical vegetation found in Florida. It was mildly cloudy with the sun brightening the empty urbanscape. It was hot but humid. This weather was typical for Florida, usually becoming a little cooler in the winter times. I loved this weather and sort of called this place my home since recently I’ve spent most of my time at the east coast of Florida.

The beaches are gorgeous and I’ve seen people enjoy themselves, as long there was no dead bodies and blood stains at the shores.

As the climate was hot, I wore a black sleeveless shirt, thin dark blue pants and dark blue boots. It was comfortable very comfortable as it let my skin breath in the warm air but the boots were for the heavy stepping.

I heard footsteps coming from all directions followed with clinging metal, most likely guns. I quickly draw my two blue hot knives with tricks to impress myself. Smiling with confidence, I jumped to land at the large exit sign above the stairs.

Two middle aged white man with Pi30 sub-machine guns, a more advance version of the old P90 SMG, ran out of the stairs now below me. One shouted, “Who here? We will shoot you if you are on our land, thug!”. They were wearing some sort of dirty white clothing with blue highlights that look straight out of the medieval times but the material look like they were used by performers founded at amusement parks.

I drop down and slashed their backs as I drop, pausing their running body language and screaming in agony. They drop and two more from the other side of the room start navigated the privacy walls with bags flapping.

A woman cried out, “Are you two okay?”. I sneak along the walling, trying to find my strike. The woman demanded, “Show yourself, creeper!”.

I stealthy walk behind her, found another guy, bigger and fat, both were wearing similar clothing, running up to the two I just knock out. I quick cover her mouth, lock her neck and my knife at her throat. I dragged her to the ground, she tried struggling but my grasp was like iron, I whispered into her right ear, “Listen buttercup, call your goons out of here or restrain your weapons. I just want to eat my soup.”. She tried to speak, she was mumbling, “Mmh, queen, queen will. Help.”.

She was elbowing me but it wasn’t hurting, I close my eyes and slit her throat, another fanatic, I lay her in the ground then made my way to the fat one but then I heard foot steps behind me. I hide behind a wall and heard an arrow release from a crossbow and skim through the room, penetrating the back of the overweight man, making him fall to the ground knees first than flat.

Skeptical, I called out, “Who’s there?”. From the other stair case was a young man with black hair, slightly slanted eyes, and had a warm, dirty tone to his light skin. He was sporting a long red scarf, wearing a thin dark green shirt with long sleeves, black pants and brown light boots. He has a black shoulder bag with back quiver and was carrying a dark green, hunter mechanical crossbow.

He lowered his weapon and replied back in this accent voice that sounded Arabic, “You shouldn’t be here, leave while you still can.”. I reveal myself to him with hands lowered down, I asked, “Who are you and why did you shoot that man? Are you here too making something here?”. The microwave oven stopped, making three beeps, then the man stared at me for a second in surprise, then he said nervously, “Oh, I know you. You are that American fake human assassin.”. Perplexed by how he worded that, I said, “Um, yeah, kinda. I just never heard anyone say it like that tho, its usually just K clone or some demonizing term. But what are you doing here?”. He responded, “I was following these four to spy, then I heard conflict so I fire at that man.”.

Clearly English wasn’t his first language but it was good enough, curious on who those people were, I asked, “Who are these, people?”. He told me, “They are squires of the Palites, the amusement park at Orlando, but I would leave. They are very bad people and they are raiding places all over the land of Florida. You should leave.”. I asked another question, “You said you were spying, correct? Are you working for anyone?”. He hesitated, “Yes, but I can’t tell of my loyalties. Look just leave, we can meet in another time.”. He then turn around and look at me, then leave out the window. I walked up the window and see him land on a car and quickly ran out to the road.

I took my bag and my soup, left the building and enjoyed my meal. As I was walking at the windy, quite roads. I’ve notice that the man was at a window on a small apartment building, spying on me with binoculars. Who is he working for? What if they were working for Palite? Or someone worse? What if he was hunting me down but is awaiting the perfect strike?

Finished the last of my soup, threw out the container and disposable chop sticks, and walked to an alley, fading from his sights. I reach to his apartment building and entered an old, swelter interior. I question myself how he could stand the lack of air conditioning in this bleak mess that once houses many.

I scale to his floor, quietly step to his room, seeing home going window to window, frustrated as I presume he is trying to lay his eyes on me again.. I see a rope on the ground, it looks at it was a leg rope trap set up to yank any spook like me. I gently hop over the trap then closed behind him. I double tapped his right shoulder, he startled and turned around and right hook me but I parried it right before it could meet my face.

He shaken, “Oh, its you. I...”, I interrupted him, “Look, why are you spying on me? Again, who are you working for?”. He calmed down a little, smiling a little, he said, “I was. I was just looking out for you.”. I smirked, pushing his right arm of me, and told him, “Blinky. Look, I’m not leaving here in the D oh F, the Palites just seem like another crazy group of immature geeks drunk with freedom because they don’t have their daddies or daddy corps to tell them how to spend their time.”. He said with a determined, concerning tone, “You don’t understand, they have a diverse, people. Even military people, its a kingdom, or queendom ruled by Lucy. They have tanks, guns. We Vollers are trying...”, then he covered his mouth, but smiled.

I giggled, followed by saying, “Vollers? Heh, can I meet your, loyalties? I need to find a job and I’m kinda bored being alone. I haven’t talk to another person in a week, and angry kids in Daeve’s Ringworld aren’t the best source for socializing.”.

He looked in my eyes with charm, he claim, “I could bring you to our hide out, but we are more like a gang than a, proper nation.”. I responded, “That is okay, it wouldn’t be the first street group that I dance with.”.

He moved to put away his stuff, he asked, “Is some of those word choices like blinky, slang from your gangs?”. I whispered, “Technovania.”, He said in a higher tone, “What?”. I answered, “Yes, I was. But they are history now.”. He looked at me in sympathy, then continuing packing up.

He walk up the trap and the man disarmed it. I requested, “You know my name, I prefer Lue but you can call me K three. What is your name?”. He replied with an epic tone, “Hassen, Hassen Quang. Remember that name, remember that name well.”.

His last name Quang sounded a little off. Maybe its the way he said it but it didn’t sound completely Arabic.

We left the apartment, in the parking lot with three cars that haven’t moved in years, we started walking, Hassen leading the way.

Hassen asked, “You are American but you sound, like UK people, but not London area.”. I thought about it, I don’t know where Kessa was born, but I don’t think it matters too much since they are all part of the old world now, I replied, “Maybe? I don’t really consider myself American, considering my, background.”. Hassen look with pity, he remarked, “You didn’t have the, nicest of childhoods, did you?”. I claimed, “Yeah, not something that I would like to see in my head.”. Hassen voiced, “I didn’t had a good childhood either.”. I looked him in the eyes and told him, “You don’t have to tell me, no one is forcing you to do so.”. Hassen insist, “I must, you need to understand, and I don’t think it would be fair and equal for me to not tell my story, Lue.”. I smiled a little when he called me Lue, he continued. “I was born in Saudi Arabia, in the city of Riyadh. I was only with my mother, who was of the Arabian people. I had to support us in the outer parts. As a child I had to steal, get food and avoided being mugged and...”. He stopped and missed one step, then proceeded, “When I was older, twenty one, my mother...”. He started to tear, I was a little curious but I really didn’t want him to cry after he meant me so soon. I told him, “Look, this seem really touchy and I...”. He blurted, “No, you must know my pain. My mother let me go, she gave me all her wealth which allowed me to travel which I have to the United Arab Emirates, India and now America. She told me that she married a husband, as the first raped her to conceive me. His blood was not Arabic but Vietnamese. I too have experience.”.

I started to get guilty just being around Hassen, I’m starting to notice the source of his pain and it doesn’t seem right for me to be telling me this. I expressed with apology, “I’m sorry for what you have gone through.”. He replied, “Don’t be. You have experienced pain as well.”.

As we walked south west, we walked on the empty highway with the city being on the left and a forest on the right and saw far away a white van with a pink flower logo printed on it side occupied with four human figures at a distance.

Hassen warned, “Get down, Palites.”. We both hid behind a wrecked car. I asked, “Do you know what they are doing.”. Hassen responded, “No, that is why I am here.”.

We observed and see a drone fly off to the air. Hassen said, “They must be scouting around this area now.”. I question, “What do we do?”. Hassen answered, “Well I’m bringing you to the hide out, we don’t need to do anything to them. We can’t alarm them. We must tell my master that they are drone scouting.”.

He nodded towards the forest, “Here, this way, Lue.”. We entered the forest. The trees had little leaves on them despise being fully bloomed and bushes. The soil was wet with various creeks and large ponds.

As we delve further, I saw a man flying with a dark blue glider type technology just over the trees. I gave the question, “Hassen, did you see that?”. Hassen chirped, “He he, don’t worry, that was a Voller,”. I asked in fascination, “You guys have flying technologies?”. Hassen said in delight, “That what defines a Voller.”.