One last Year I was 32 when the war started. Every day before that seemed to only bring the world closer to what was referred to as "the last great war". The year was 2022, it was summer but the seasons had all but lost their meaning. It would snow in the middle of summer, bring with it the rise in energy prices, food cost and pretty much everything else you could think of. The economy didn't grow like they thought it would, there were times when it would seem everything was looking up but it didn't last for long. I have to apologise, this all must seem very , mixed up for you so I'll start from the beginning. My names Ryan, I was 24 when the world started to pull itself out of financial turmoil, the worlds economy's started growing, health care took a giant leap forward with a vaccine for HIV and all the other cures that came with it. I worked for one of the biggest banks in the world, earning a pretty decent wage, I had everything I could want or need. I'd just come out of a very serious relationship and although I acted like everything was fine I was pretty torn up inside but I managed fine. The world had the optimism it needed, just like me. When I was 25 that all changed. The first sign was petrol prices, the price jumped from £1.45 a litre to £2.45. Everyone put it down to corporate greed at the time but that was just the beginning. Every house hold's living bill started to creep up in price. Food, water, energy. You name it, I paid more for it. This went on for a couple of months before people started to stand up and ask questions and when it came to asking those questions we already knew the answers and #life seemed reach boiling point. Riots broke out all over Europe, people demanding answers to why they were footing the bill for corporate greed. People just assumed that energy companies were charging more for the sake of profit. What most people didn't realise at the time was that it wasn't greed but rather a necessity. Oil was running out. It wasn't gone but it was running out. It was predicted that we would have at least 15 years left. That was the first lie. The second lie was that the worlds major players, the USA, China, Russia, The united states of Europe and a few that I have missed pledged that they wouldn't fight over the last reserves, this was quite a lie as well. To their credit, they didn't have a single skirmish in the first 5 years. They all knew that the last few drops of oil lay below the polar caps. Climate change had helped melt Antarctica down to a level where drilling could start but it would take another 3 years before the USA completed their deep sea drilling platform. It's funny looking back on it though, while the world was collapsing around me, all I could think about was if my job was safe. It wasn't. It got made redundant in 2014, I was living with my girlfriend at the time, we were running out of cash pretty quick but we were still happy and we had each other. That was, until the little letter from the British government landed on my door. Europe was preparing for a war. They knew it was coming just like every other country did and although the UES ruled all of what used to be the European union, each state kept is military separate. So in 2016 I was conscripted in the British army. I think I owe you another apology, I've got a little mixed up on my dates. Let me start from 2016. Between 2016 and 2020 several things happened. First of all, the Americans started deep polar drilling, for all of two months. The Russians sent a submarine down to see how far the Americans had got, to no ones surprise they had got too far for the Russians. The Russians fired a nuclear missile at the deep sea platform, killing every crew member, not to mention causing the biggest oil spill the world had ever seen. What happened next makes the cold war seem like a play ground fight. But I think you've got enough for now? Don't you think Mr Blake? " Yes Ryan, I think I have but I do wish to hear the rest of your story. How about tomorrow, same place same time?" "of course Mr Blake" Ryan suggested "we have all the time in the world after all" If you have come away from reading this confused, then it is written exactly how I intended, this is chapter 1 of many. I'll try and release a new part every week, maybe sooner, perhaps later. Thank you for reading and good night. Tim.