Radioactive Material

Chapter #1 "Sergeant, we have just been informed that China has just now fired their nukes we must get the citizens to safety! Sergeant responds: "I don't know, the vaults are still only prototypes, we don't know if they are safe. Looks like we have no time we must save the people of the future. Start the broadcast, now!" Broadcast: "(beep) THIS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY BROADCAST. THIS JUST IN, CHINA HAS JUST LAUNCHED THEIR NUKES! EVERYONE GET TO THE CLOSEST N.S. (Nuclear Shelter) IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" At that time I was just an embryo in my mother. I had no idea what was going on. The horrors, the screams, the panic was all but a faded muffle. I was told the story a million times. I was always told that we were the last ones in. When I say we, I mean my dad, sister, mom, and I. My sister wasn't born at the time either but she wasn't even a thought at the time, survival was the #1 thought going through everyone's mind. My mom didn't make it after she had my sister. My mom was a scientist and a repair women for the N.S.5 She had risked her life for the safety of the N.S.5 people and her family. What I was told was the N.S.5 big metal door that protected us from the Radiation outside, wasn't closed correctly. My mother had went outside of the second radiation barrier, which would have protected us for half the length of time the N.S.5 should have lasted. It's meant to last 200 years. She had to go outside of the N.S.5 because the inside controls weren't working. She tried everything to get the inside controls to work but they were as fried as an egg on a Arizona road in the middle of the summer. My mom sacrificed herself for all of the N.S.5 people. At least that's the story our father continues to tell us. I'm turning 18 this week and my sister is 15. It has been about 13 years since our mom passed. I am not very excited for my birthday. I don't have anything in common with any of the other students I go to school with. I tend to stick to myself most of the time, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am older then everyone by a year. A lot of the students are jealous of me, due to the fact that I will be getting my own Holo-Watch. A wrist watch that projects a hologram of your Daily Jobs, A Map, A Radio, and a Transmitter for messaging each other. Its what every N.S.5 Survivor uses to keep your life organized.  (Next day: One more day till my birthday) I woke up ready to start the day before my birthday. Seemed like every other day. Got up ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, got all my books and papers in my bag, then headed for the door. When I came out into the living room, my father was sitting on the couch reading the Daily N.S.5 Newspaper. He pulls the Newspaper away from his face," One more day. You excited, sport?" I faintly laughed, "The only thing exciting tomorrow is I am getting my Holo-Watch." My dad chuckled, "Kids these days and there tech." He then pulled up the newspaper and continued reading. I shouted bye as I left through the front door. As I was walking through the hallways, it was silent with my shoes hitting the metal floors of the N.S.5 it made an echoing through the empty halls. The peaceful corridor then started to fill with the noise of obnoxious teens and then, Ricky Bolto, the bully, stood right in front of the class room waiting for the teacher to show up. I stood back for a little bit and waited, I didn't need another black eye from him. Another kid from my class, Jasper, walked passed Ricky. As Jasper was turning the corner to enter the classroom, Ricky tripped him. I was just going to stand and watch as Ricky went to punch Jasper, it really wasn't my problem, but in that split second, from me watching, to Ricky about to give the blow, something came over me. I blacked out and when I came back to, I was standing over Jasper holding Ricky's fist inches from Jasper's face. One of Ricky's buddies, Leon, said "Oh boy, Mordiki came back for some more, Ricky! Obviously, he didn't learn his lesson last time." Ricky wrenched his fist away, "You got some balls doing something like that. You may be older then me but that's never stopped me from kicking your ass before." I helped Jasper up, helped brush him off, and told him to go wait by some of the other students that were starting to surround us. As I told him to do so, he proceeded backing up slowly towards the crowd, almost like he feared me as well. I snarled at Ricky, "Really? I am done with you bullying everyone! No holding back from me this time!" Ricky laughed and so did his two friends. Ricky than said still laughing, " Alright, Mordiki lets see what you really got since last time you wouldn't fight me in front of your little sister." Ricky put his fists up, "This time I won't let you get up."I just stood there, I couldn't move. Every nerve in my body was tingling and right when Ricky took his first swing my body reacted so fast, I caught his punch right in front of my face. Ricky roared, "What type of game are you playi..." I punched him straight into the stomach before he could finish his sentence. Before he could take another gasp of air I uppercut him in the jaw sending him flying onto his back. I could hear the bones crunch and I thought I had broken his Jaw. Blood poured out of Ricky's mouth. I turned around and glared at his friends Leon and Graham and they put their hands up in surrender. I walked back over to Ricky and stood over the top of him. As I stood there listening to him try and breath, I could only keep imagining all the times he bullied, not only me but all the other students. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to my face, " I want you to remember my face every single time your bullying another person. Let me hear about it, I promise, you will regret it. The teacher came around the corner and screamed. "Mordiki Makorov, you are to follow me at once." I dropped Ricky to the floor. The teacher than told Leon and Graham to take Ricky to the Nurse's Office. As I followed the teacher towards the Principles Office, some of the other students were patting me on the back, telling me how they had seen nothing like it before. When we got to the Principal's Office, the teacher explained to the principal what had transpired. The principal started to give me a lecture on bullying and I stopped him in mid-sentence, "Ricky does it all the time and the only reason he gets away with it is because he is your son!" He was shocked at my answer. So, the principal called my father and explained to him what just happened. I got expelled on the day before my birthday. My father wasn't to happy about it either. I got back into our apartment and laid on my bed. I stared at the ceiling watching the ceiling fan rotate. My dad walks into my room and sits next to me on the bed, "Listen, I know that getting expelled made you lose your chance at becoming anything special in the N.S.5 but I got you your Holo-Watch. Happy early Birthday, Sport." I looked at the box with amazement then looked at my father confused "I thought I wasn't going to be allowed one due to me being expelled from school?" My Father smirked, " The President of the N.S.5 was going to revoke your rights to get one but I talked him into allowing you this. You maybe working as an underling but it won't stop me from loving you, Sport." I put my Holo-Watch on, hugged my father and he went back to the living room. I laid back down and started messing with my Holo-Watch. When the watch powered on, a screen projected off the watch. Then there was a voice. "Hello, New User, my name is Electronic Personal Assistant or EPA for short. What is your name, New User?" I stared at it in shock, like I had never seen anything like it before, even though our doors run off holograms just simpler. You get open and close but if you are smart enough you can mess with them. The Holo-Watch is just a wrist watch with more functionality. I entered my full name in with the holo-keyboard. The watch made a few noises and then said, "Now wait a few moments while I gather the rest of your information from the N.S.5 Database. . . Process complete. . . Now hold still while we gather personal information about, Mordiki Makorov."  The screen disappeared and a sudden sharp pain shot through my arm. I started flailing to stop the pain but the watch has a locking mechanism so you can never lose your watch. The Holo-Watch screams "PROCESS INCOMPLETE. . . CANNOT PROCESS WHILE MOVING. . . STAND STILL PLEASE!"  My dad came rushing in and grabbed my arm, "Stop moving you pansy, got to be a man about it, its got to get your personal information." The pain shot up my arm again and I grabbed my forearm hoping it would ease the pain. As fast as the pain came in it disappeared. My dad let go of my wrist," The reason not everyone is allowed these watches is because it embeds itself into the user. That watch must never come off, it could kill you if not removed properly. I Couldn't tell you otherwise I felt you wouldn't put it on. This is a big responsibility and I would also appreciate if you didn't tell your sister about it either. She is deathly afraid of needles already." My dad left the room and the screen popped up again. The watch continued, "N.S.5 Database reads your job will be, Vault Scavenger, to find out more about your job title simply ask, More Info, and I will provide you with all the info on your new job title." I sat staring at my job title for a minute and then proceeded to ask "More info?" The watch pulled up a in-detail description of all the assignments I would be involved in, some of the major scavenging materials and much more about my job title. I skimmed over it, the job consists of scavenging outside the N.S.5 and that scared me. Nobody had told me about this job. I continued to scroll through the and at the very bottom it said, "You tell no one in your N.S.5 the job you hold and what happens on the outside stays on the outside. The last thing we need is for everyone knowing what is going on out in the world above." That's when I knew I was no longer a part of the N.S.5 but a pawn. I wasn't going to be used for any special N.S.5 work or become someone of this N.S.5 and that bugged me. I then got a message. A message from the president of our N.S.5, "Welcome to the Nuclear Shelter Scavenging Task Force, or N.S.5 S.T.F. You will be tasked with getting parts that are vital for the survival of our Nuclear Shelter. Seeing as you like to be combative and enjoy talking out of line this job will suit you well, Mordiki. We watch all our students and you are one of the few students that enjoy being by themselves. That will definitely come in handy since you will be scavenging by yourself. Just know that we are not held responsible if you are harmed or left behind during your job. You have already signed the forms by accepting the Holo-Watch. Do not tell anyone about this message or the job you are given. One last thing, Your Sergeant will be arriving for you at 0500 tomorrow. Be ready or there will be consequences." The message then deleted itself. So many thoughts were running through my head. I wasn't just a pawn, its like I am in prison. I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. My eyes felt heavy and I fell asleep.