CHAPTER 1

February 2

My name is David Leone, and this is my story. I live inWashington, DC and it was exactly one year ago today whenI discovered a method to transform the molecular bonds, in away that we have never been able to control, creating thingspreviously impossible. Most people found this hard to believe,but I managed to get one organization to believe in my method,Fornsworth Inc., a small research firm in Virginia.

Four years ago I lost my mother and my father in a deadlycar crash, only 2 miles from my house in Baltimore, Maryland,leaving me and my sister alone when I was only 19. I wasappointed her legal guardian until she was 18.

I had just begun my chemistry honors thesis, on molecularbonding when my parents were killed. A few months laterFornsworth Inc. came along, after hearing about a theory I wasdeveloping. Their owner and funder, a billionaire living in theheart of Virginia gave me a "small" cash grant of 1.5 milliondollars, plus an extra half million a year, to construct my ownlab, pending I could turn this theory real. All I had to do waskeep researching. With this money, I quit my 3 jobs, droppedout of university, and began working for Fornsworth, and abouta year later, I was fully funded, to purchase my own area to callhome. So I bought an old building, in DC, built my lab in thebasement and rented out the 6 apartments on the floors above.After completing the initial research, there was very little for meto do in the way of working with my theory, and aside from afew new applications I would create with it every few weeks, itled dormant.

Before Fornsworth funded my project, I was working oncampus, working at my parents' old store, and doing tutoringon the side, just to try and break even. With the money theygave, I closed my parents' store and moved it with us to DC, aspart of their memory, and I still do what I can to keep it openwhenever I can, but that usually consists of 9-5 Monday toFriday, and sometimes Saturdays.

Just six months ago, I was awarded the Nobel Peace Prizefor the work I had done, and in addition to the initial work Iwas doing to keep my funding flowing, I was now expected togo even further, and cure every disease on this planet.

Now my sister, Janie, and I live happily here. When nottending the store, I am working hard away at my pet project.I had to reduce the hours to about 40 a week so that I couldattend my projects as well.

You are reading this because I have decided to make ajournal following my endeavors, as my investors are coming in2 weeks and I want to record every moment of what I believewill be humanity's biggest change. I was told that although myideas are great, they are useless if I don't produce. Lucky for mehowever, I recently made a major breakthrough allowing mecomplete control of anything I wanted. Before, I only couldchange the bonding properties, but now, I can almost play god.I would need another million dollars to make this idea from justa prototype blueprint to a working design, but for now, I at leasthave something to show them.

"David, come on, I've got to be to school in an hour, hurry up!"The text on my phone from Janie reads.

I pick up my cup of coffee, lay down the blue prints andwalk upstairs to our apartment, seeing Janie almost ready to go,cell phone in hand.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on a minute, I'm on the way to anotherbreakthrough." Although the world may view my work asmiracles, to Janie, it's just another thing her big brother does,and it doesn't amaze her anymore.

"Whatever, just hurry up, I'm meeting Ja—, I mean ..."She stops herself.

"Oh, okay, so Jake is the unlucky guy!" I say, with only ahint of sarcasm in my voice. She has had a friend Jake for awhile and recently, she has been spending much more time withhim, so I put two and two together. "Well lets BOTH go meethim!" I say with no actual desire to meet her new boyfriend, butI enjoy teasing her.

Although technically, I do play the parental role in ourrelationship, I don't want to be a dad, and instead, I'd just ratherbe her brother. She's a smart girl, she's sensible, and despite herraging hormones, I do still trust her.

When I make the comment about her new boyfriend, sheimmediately gets flustered. This look is even more exaggeratedon her, as it stands out against her platinum blonde hair, andher steel blue eyes. Despite her tall, slender figure, she can stilllook pretty mean.

"Oh no, no way! You can drive me there, but then I get outof the car, and you drive home, and get back to your sciencestuff."

"Prototype, to cure terminal illnesses" I correct her, assnarky as possible "And I think I might stay for a bit. After all, Iam friends with the physics teacher, though she'll probably be alittle late, so I might just hang with you. Come on let's go!"

"David, you are staying in that car! Get out of it and so helpme God." the demanding tone she uses when she can't tell I'mbeing sarcastic is ringing louder now, so I chuckle and let it go.

"Alright lover-girl, let's go."

When we both get in the car, we end up getting stuck intraffic, as we do every morning. Despite the beautiful view Ilucked into when I bought this old building, I didn't quite planfor all the interruptions of the traffic. Looks like another policeconvoy, so I turn on the radio and I am greeted by the toohappy voice of the morning news anchor.

"The President has called a meeting with the entire UScongress, as well as his cabinet, to discuss a two trillion dollaruranium exploration and potential mining project just north ofDeath Valley, California. State governors from both California andNevada are campaigning against this proposition as it creates a riskto the wildlife in the area ..."

Irritated by yet another cash cow, based off of nothing morethan possibilities, I change the radio station to Janie's.

"Maybe you can explain this to me, they can afford acouple trillion to pull off this mining joke, something that willprobably hurt the environment and not benefit people at all,but when I ask for a measly one million dollars, they shoot medown like bin Laden's private jet. I'm moving to China."

"Yeah, well everyone wants money, and everyone but yougets it. You know I know nothing about this." Janie says witha smile, before turning up the music. It's her way of saying thatI'm ranting again.

As we pull up to the school, she seems eager to jump outearly, and the second I stop, she hurriedly says "Bye, See youafter school, you can go now, bye!"

"Yeah, remember, keep it PG13!" I yell to her as she leavesthe car. Not screaming, but enough so people around mighthear.

When she shuts the door and she turns around trying tohide her embarrassment, she takes off to her group of friendsoutside the high school's main entrance, which is my signal toturn my attention back to the road.

I look in my mirror as I turn to pull out into traffic, and Isee a couple black suburban with red and blue lights flashing,a little ways behind me. This clearly is another dignitary orgovernment official on his way to that big meeting. I know it'snot the president, as it seems like most of DC gets shut downfor those, and fortunately, it looks like this is just another VIPtoo important for traffic laws.

As the convoy passes me, I notice something unusual aboutit, the fact that in the middle is a vehicle flying the small hoodflags of a military officer.

Oh well, that's...