Chapter One
A Bad Feeling
September 19, 2043

Something was definitely wrong. Brian Fallon’s years in the Special Forces had taught him to trust his instincts and right now his instincts were telling him that something was wrong. This was supposed to be a simple mission. Go to the rendezvous point, pick up the message and bring that message back to the council. The same as he had done many times for the council before, but somehow this one felt different. He was convinced someone was following him as he had made his way from New Georgia. He wasn’t sure how close they were, but he knew they were there.

It was getting dark and he needed to rest. The old city of Atlanta was just ahead and it should provide him with a good place to get some rest and a chance to see if his instincts were right. Was someone following him and if so why?

The Atlanta skyline appeared in the distance. From this distance the city looked the same as it did during his college years when he used to live there. The only thing the skyline lacked was the illumination of thousands of lights. It was only when he entered the city limits that he began to see the decay of a city that had been abandoned years ago. The ghost town made for a great rest stop as there were plenty of places to hide and go unnoticed. Brian knew the city well and drove to downtown to find a good place to hold up.

He raced his motorcycle into the dead city and started looking for two things, a good place to hold up for the night and an old gas station. Gas wasn’t particularly hard to find in these old cities as no one drove anymore. The old stations still had gas in their tanks and the price was right – free. He came upon the downtown area and decided that one of the high rises would be best. He would be able to see the surrounding area and the animals didn’t seem to go to the higher floors of the old skyscrapers. He decided to pick a place with plenty of exits and a good view of the city. If his instincts were right, he didn’t want to get trapped.

He chose a high rise with a parking garage attached as it would enhance his chances of escaping if he was found. He drove his bike into the parking garage and began to look for a good spot to stash his bike. He had to stash it somewhere it would be safe but also easily accessible to him should things go to hell. He found an old electricity closet near and exit on the second level of the garage. This would be a good spot. He busted the latch and ditched the bike in the closet.

He entered the building and began making his way up the stairs. He had to watch out for the scavengers as well as the wild animals, but he had used Atlanta as a hold up many times and was pretty confident he was alone. Besides, he had enough fire power to handle a few scavengers.

The building was dark as there had not been electricity here in years. He used a dim flashlight as he moved up the stairwell. He found a room on the sixth floor where he could see in every direction. If someone was following him, he would see them from here.

He was sure whoever was behind him was at least a few hours away, so he could grab two hours of sleep. Another lesson he learned in the Special Forces, sleep was important. You make mistakes when you’re tired, so rest when you can. He hadn’t needed to use an alarm clock in years. Somehow his body always knew to wake him up at the right time. So he set his mental clock for two hours, found a comfortable spot and lay down, hoping not to dream.