“The beginning of the end happened during the Mutigentic War. When science decided against nuclear holocaust, but instead focused on genetic mutation. Aided by Nazi experiments, the Classical Americans were able to find a way to alter the human genome. Unfortunately, instead of using this for the greater good, it made weapons out of their soldiers. When that wasn’t catastrophic enough, they decided to combine the mutagene with the atomic bomb, the American forte.

When the weapon, lovingly named the Darwin bomb, was prepared, the American military decided to test it in an active combat zone. An enemy research facility was chosen for this great honor. Unknowingly or not, that facility was developing its mutagenic concoction. Either way, the result was the same, global contamination and mass casualties. 

The initial impact wiped out everything within a two-hundred-kilometer area. They were the lucky ones. The closer civilians were to the impact zone, the worse the results of the mutigenes collision. Abominations of twisted flesh and odd mutations were what emerged then. Creatures of varying intelligence, but no humanity. That was the first report of Abhorrors.
Those who had taken shelter or were inside their homes started to be reported dead or ill. The result of the high concentration of airborne mutagens affects all life. This was designated as the Rapid Evolution by historians today.
The sickness claimed most with the pain and physical agony of the “rapid evolution”. The rare few were able to overcome it and harness their physical and preternatural abilities. This led to religious purges and civil war that lasted nearly fifty years before stability returned to the continents. The fledgling governments were largely controlled, but none were as large as the American Allegiant. The collective might of the Classical American allies.”

Report on “The History of the American Allegiance”

They say that losing your Saiwala is worse than losing a physical piece of your heart. Well, I can assure you that it's true, and much worse than that. You can replace your heart with a synthetic one, or throw yourself on someone with a healing ability to regenerate it. But there is nothing you can do about the agony of losing a piece of your soul, you Saiwala. Those who receive a second Saiwala equate it to a patch on their psyche. Like morphine to a cancer patient. Just something to keep the wound from seeping.

Of course, not all can receive a Saiwala, only those bought and sold to the American Allegiance. At the tender age of eight, they are stripped of their former surnames, trained, educated, and enhanced for their new family, the Special Forces of the Conscripted American Allegiance. When the conscripted reach the age of fifteen, their assigned Saiwala and they undergo the bonding procedure. It is a pretty way of saying they implant a device into the inner frontal lobe and hypothalamus that allows them to be chemically and mentally linked. The death of your Saiwala, the only person you've been allowed to associate with since the beginning, usually results in the survivor dying within hours. I was one of the “lucky” few not to follow my Saiwala to Death’s door.

Julia was the name of my Saiwala. She was the only thing bright and good in my world. I was selected for the Special Mutation Experiential Program when I failed the personality test for the normal conscription units. For five months, I was kept in the Quiet Room. A small padded cell in all white, under constant surveillance. The only human contact I received came in the form of a speaker. Nothing was to be trusted, even the air could be infused with experimental compounds. It was a constant cycle of tests and sample collections. Helper Bots would take samples of muscle tissue, fat, vials of blood, and everything but urine and feces. Those were saved for the waste facility thankfully.

I met Julia after waking up from a shock-induced coma. The injection I received that day burned like acid starting from my nerve endings only to settle behind my eyes on liquid lava. Only to awaken and lock eyes with an angel. Her eyes were slit like a cat’s and a shade of green that still haunts my dreams. I scrambled away from her and studied her against a wall. She was stripped like a tiger and seemed to have everything but the fur—golden and tawny with the scent of peaches. I knew then, I was lost.

Julia was the one who grounded me and rounded my sharp edges. From the beginning, I felt guilty for being her Saiwala. But, as we grew, I could never imagine a world without her. We were bonded for a year when I lost my Julia.

The American Allegiance was waging a war against the Great Afrikaa Nation. We were the most active in the northern region of the Anubis state. A dry, colorful land with old gods. Literal epicenters of life dotted the desert following the river of the Nile that cut through its heart. Those with wealth and power lived in the carefully controlled domes. While the poor and ill lived in between the unkept and unregulated desert territory. To the surprise of none, that is where the rebel guerilla squad decided to take up residence. It was supposed to be a routine sweep, but when are they ever routine? 

Julia was humming through the equipment check. It was off-key but still catchy and effortlessly endearing. The sound caught for a moment as I tightened the strap of my thigh holster. Snagging her eye we both wore matching grins as she gave me a once-over.

“Preparing to take them all yourself,’ Julia teased with a purr. I rolled my eyes and smirked at her. “Are you going to hum them to death?” Her sharp laugh resounded through the locker room. I have never heard windchimes the same. Regretfully, our merriment was cut short by our Captain. He was a stocky man with the appearance of a humanoid Komodo dragon. His aged sense of honor and sharp gray eyes made an impression of strength and honesty. Unlike the squints, Captain Phillip treated us like human beings.

“Gather around people. The time to advance is near,’ the gravelly lisp of the Captain’s voice seemed to energize our comrades. Their mumbled excitement mumbled around us as we gathered into ranked pairs.

“Attention,” Sergeant Shepard squawks, “It’s time to show those squints why we are still here!” The sergeant was a petite man, but his collie eyes held a gleam of bloodlust that made my instincts scream.

“You heard the Sergeant. We are to move in units of two, and swiftly eliminate any enemy stragglers from Zone Beta. Be fast, and do not leave your Saiwala behind. Show-offs that live will get to spend a week with the Sergeant to be retrained.” I watched a vicious smile showing the sharp faux teeth of a goose split Shepard’s scared face. A shiver ran through our spines. “Do I make myself clear?” The answer was a booming, "Sir, yes, sir!"

Our unit moved as one, breaking into formation. The excitement and anxiety mingled as Julia and I waited. It felt like years before Captain Phillip gave the signal to advance.

As one we entered the mouth of the alleyway. It was as one that the world became nothing but heat and light.