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A sound ripped Atom from sleep.
He lost the specifics of the sound in his abrupt rise to the surface, but he jolted awake, aware and searching the darkness of his moonlit bedroom. Listening, he picked out the soft murmur of his wife’s breathing and the nocturnal cooing of his daughter, Margo.
They slept on in peace, oblivious to the phantasm of sound.
Just as Atom reached over to touch his wife’s shoulder the wide, double door ruptured inward. Sparks and splinters flew as the heavy, wooden doors ripped from their hinges.
Kozue woke and rose to crouch on the bed, instincts driving her actions as her eyes glowed in the light of Greenholm’s dual moons.
Atom studied the two armored figures climbing over the wreckage of the doors. Blue tinted, light power armor, he marked them as a two-man Walkerhan death squad. Then he glanced over to Margo. Somehow the toddler remained asleep despite the turmoil surrounding her.
A smile touched Margo’s soft, upturned face.
Atom found an understanding look when he whipped his head around to Kozue. An eternity, wrapped in a moment, passed between the parents. Kozue gave a single nod. Then she snatched her pistol from the holster hanging on the headboard.
Atom dove from bed.
Red energy bolts splashed harmlessly into the Walkerhan troopers. Atom knew the blaster bolts offered little threat to the armor, but each shot served a purpose. The attackers turned on Kozue and trained their heavy assault rifles, allowing Atom a momentary distraction. Rising from his diving tumble he snatched Margo from her crib and launched himself towards the pano-window overlooking the serene river and the Ulvan estate beyond.
Atom spun as deep shots rang out. He took the impact of the window with his shoulder, shielding his daughter with his body. As the glass shattered, he looked back.
Depleted uranium rounds slammed into Kozue, tearing through her silk nightie and shredding the flesh beneath. Their eyes locked. A promise passed. Then she sank back onto their bed. Death shrouded Atom’s last vision of his wife as he plummeted thirty feet to the river below.