Prologue (Part 1/3)

Early stages of WWIII. . . . . An intercontinental missile painted black, rushed through the late evening air across the North Pacific Ocean, with flames forming a long trail out its back end heading east. This view took place several miles above the earth with the vast dark blue waters hidden far below it. Panning out the view, a hint of a thin trail of white smoke disappeared, as the light of flame was snuffed out by darkness. Only a select few individuals knew the exact destination of this unmanned vehicle of death. Zooming out further, until the entirety of Earth filled the view, several young and middle-aged men and women were peering out of a series of small windows. This all took place from their lofty vantage point of the Russian Space station Novyye Gorizonty, meaning New Horizons. Through the ever-changing cloudscape hiding portions of the earth from view, small bursts of light could be seen spanning all across its surface. Those observing from the vantage point of the orbiting Russian space station, currently on the dark side of the Earth, could see the continuous destruction being rained down upon 3 of the 7 continents. The highest concentration of light flashes could be seen through the small multi-layered windows, focused upon the North American continent, and its sea borders. Cheering could be heard from several of the crew watching the destruction, as if it had no detrimental effect on them, who were so far away. Being filled primarily with imaging, observation, and filtration equipment at the cost of most other amenities; entertainment had been in short supply for months now in the sparsely decorated space station. The planning and development of this station, had been designed for research into viable exploration, and a potential refuge from world-wide disasters. Among the monotony of running the station, this impromptu 'fireworks' display, made for an exciting distraction. The still human crew members cheered; drinking space vodka secretly brewed in the small garden and science lab. Seeking a release from the monotony, few truly cared about the many space protocols they had broken to brew their fiery spirits. Nor did they appear to truly empathize with those left behind. Down one of the longer corridors in another partition, specifically for the women's sleeping quarters, a thin but strong young woman with brown hair in a military crew cut sat on her bunk bed with her arms clasping her knees close to her chest. Gasping sobs wracked her body as she cried for her family and friends left behind on the war-torn planet. Love, dedication, and pride for one's own country could only go so far, before some would question the justifications of its actions, especially when that love was shared with another whose life was on the line. Turning one's view to the opposite side of the earth, where the light of day both hid and revealed much of the ongoing destruction, other countries were seen struggling to survive this world-wide devastation. Earthside. . . . Among the strife between countries, one of the most violent, yet understated was that between the Muslims and the Hindi. Many of those in India held great fear of certain groups within the Muslim community, particularly those from Al-Qaida and its offshoots. Despite being close neighbors, little love was lost between the two, as villages and small towns were raided and massacred in the name and great glory of Allah. One such village in India, held a small family of four among its inhabitants. This family, struggled to get by day-to-day, with only slightly better than average resources for said village. The great majority of the village was filled with huts or homes with roofs made of straw thatch and walls made of mud, clay, or other materials scavenged from the various dump fields. For the most part, only buildings with more significant importance were usually made of brick or solid wood siding. Examples of such were the homes of the headsman of the village, known as the Sarpanch, the local government official known as the Panchayat, and the local school which often doubled as the village meeting house. There were some outliers where the owners of the structures had managed through payment in labor and materials, to build more stable edifices. The most noteworthy of those were the village doctor's medical office, and his home. Through hard labor as payment for medical treatment, and unexpected donations through various charities; the young family of four lived in a brick home with a connection to running water, sewage, and legal, if not stable connection to the power lines. In addition to that, they even had a working freezer and refrigerator which was considered as something of a true luxury there. Despite this luxury, the doctor's family suffered among those of the lower cast in the village. Along with the chaos of the early stages of WWIII, having broken out among the nations of the world, so too had disease become rampant. Many in the rural village had suffered greatly from illness. In the middle of it all, a remote group of 'Doctors without Borders' maintained a field medical site, that was based out of the local doctor's office. Doctors and nurses from around the world still continued to provide aid despite the ongoing conflicts that were waged between their homeland, and at times, even between the country of the homes that they provided aid to. Despite the disagreements and ignorance within the hearts of many, so too were there those that just wanted to take care of their own family. They wanted to have no ties with the war and propaganda being spread beyond their homes. This being done by corrupt governments and war hungry terrorists. So many times, starving children were paid in food, to march and hold signs in a language that they did not understand, while cameras were pointed their way. They didn't understand the meaning of their seemingly harmless actions, and they didn't care, when it filled their frequently empty stomachs one more day. *********** The doctor's family of four included his wife, who was a nurse that worked alongside him in the clinic, and two children that had both graduated from their local schooling early.At the current time, the mother and father nurse and doctor pair, assited the visiting foreign doctor and nurses in their treatment of a recent outbreak of malaria. Their two children aged 17 and 14 were at home doing their advanced school studies, personally organized by their parents. Their 17-year-old son, almost a man, was called Naathan, which in their language meant 'one who is a protector'. Slightly taller than average, he had curly raven black hair that teased around his ears. A somewhat serious expression that almost always remained on his face, was mostly shown from his dark brown eyes and standoffish expressions. Their 14-year-old daughter, who Naathan very much doted upon, was called Inaaya, which meant 'concern and solitude'. She had straight and sheer midnight black hair, falling down to her lower back with natural strands of gray interspersed within it. A little on the shorter end of being average, she almost always appeared to be distracted with her light brown eyes, blurred in deep thought. Her mind frequently appeared to be elsewhere, as if contemplating the ethereal aspects of the world. Based on her behavior, she could easily be deemed as a reclusive and quiet introvert. However, she too would become very serious and animated when a topic of conversation caught her interest or when she felt a foreboding. These two siblings both lived up to their names in unique ways. Although Naathan was frequently elbow deep in electrical components, personally scavenged from trash heaps from the surrounding areas; he was also zealously protective of his younger sister, who had a unique gift of sensing danger or forewarning its coming. Because of their unique upbringing, the young siblings had become ostracized by the village adults and children. It was hard enough already to be a family whose parents had defied the commands and arranged marriages of their own families; but even worse so, because of the power that their father's family held within the surrounding cities and towns. Their father had come from a highly influential and medically inclined Muslim family. As punishment for going against his family's wishes for an arranged marriage, their father was relieved of his position as a leading doctor at the largest hospital within hundreds of miles. In addition, being the overseers to the majority of the medical facilities in their general area; his family was able to block any attempts of employment at those other local hospitals and medical clinics. Due to various other factors, in addition to that of political and familial pressure, the couple was forced to the extreme of creating their own little clinic, from the ground up, out of what started as little more than a small hut. Despite their great skills, this hard-working couple was barely able to make ends meet at times. Those too poor to afford the city hospital, and those in desperate need for immediate treatment would visit their small clinic, while ashamedly slinking away after care was provided. Only in part, due to the suppression from the father's prestigious family, were they considered an eyesore and plague to the respectable families. It wasn't just the wealthy and well off that despised them, and their union made for love rather than 'filial piety'. A sense of vindication and disdain could be seen in the eyes of many of the villagers; for their mother had at one time toiled in the fields alongside the other lower caste. Some of those who now despised her, were those that she had even at one time called friends. Now in their eyes, she was an example of what happens when you reach higher than your position. *********************************Many years ago, the mother, as a young girl with high aspirations, worked in the fields. Her parents had pressured her to participate in the sex trade when she turned 12, promising her an easier life than field work. Resistant to such servitude, she performed the required work in the wheat fields alongside the other adults and older children. In addition to such work, she struggled to rise above the expectations of her place in life. Many nights, she would be straining her tired eyes and body to read the few outdated and worn medical books she could get her hands on. Her learning had increased to surprising levels. In addition to her studies, she had succeeded in her fervent search for hidden scholarships, primarily sourced through international organizations. The local government was not kind to low caste women such as herself, yet even still, she was able to finance her way through nursing school. Unfortunately, even as she dedicated this inordinate amount of effort, she did not fully escape from being taken advantage of sexually multiple times, most frequently by those she toiled beside with in the fields. But despite the involuntary horrors inflicted upon her, she persevered and broke free of those binding chains. After years of hard work and dedication through completing her studies in nursing school, she had been able to find a place of employment at the local renowned hospital, which only accepted applicants that reached the top of their graduating class. All that was lost, due to falling in love with a man too far above and outside her caste. Although that love was returned in a deep and committed way, the price was terrible. Instead of seeing her as a woman who fought for her place, and gained a higher education while breaking out of her original caste in life. She was seen as the woman who ripped a higher caste man down, away from his deserving life among the rich and powerful. Of course, the man who was her husband did not see it this way, but those among her origins were not so forgiving. Knowing your place in life, and not reaching too far beyond your caste, as well as not betraying filial piety were ingrained into their lives, taught never to be broken. Honor killings had been performed for lesser offenses than theirs. But how valuable was their honor, when the value of your life and love was as a flickering candle, ready to be snuffed out for the benefit of the family? ***********************That is how their little family ended up in such a small village, barely getting by despite their incredible medical skills. The disdain felt by the local families was made especially apparent in the actions of the town children, towards Naathan and Inaaya; for children tend to follow the example set by their parents and teachers. Growing up under the notoriety of their parents, Naathan had to frequently intercede on his sister's behalf when the school bullying had become too prevalent. Her fellow classmates had taken to pestering her on the way to and back from school. Although there was a limiting factor to the abuse in the classroom; this simply being due to the presence of the teacher and the professional requirement of appearing non-biased. That only seemed to fan the flames of anger and jealousy of her intelligence, so that she would suffer even more, once outside of the school grounds. Making great effort, Naathan was able to graduate early from his studies in order to keep a closer watch over his sister. He had taken to walking her to and from school every day to reduce the bullying. From the sides of the school entrance, he would see those that would call her names and spit in her direction. However, a single look from him would temporarily curb their actions. Unfortunately, it was usually a short reprieve that would then escalate even further, due to his interference. Surprisingly, their lives had changed for the better after a violent confrontation between Naathan and some of his sister's classmates. This occurred when he had finally caught them physically, rather than just verbally assaulting her. Although the immediate fallout was less than desirable, resulting in him being whipped in the village center for his heavy handedness in dealing with the bullies; the final results of being banned from the public schools allowed them both to pursue their personal interests at home while being home-schooled.