Forgotten and Lost 2

That day ended with his life shattered. They had nothing left. The dream was dead.

Before February 4, 2006, life was hard. After February 4, 2006, life was difficult. Existence had become hand-to-mouth. The bike was gone. The bottles were gone. A means of living, difficult though it was, was now gone. Begging was what remained.

The man put his mug of coffee on his desk; took his coat, which was draped on the back of his chair; and followed his assistant out. It wasn't wise to keep Lord Ethan waiting.

The Right Honourable Sir Ethan, Baron Lam, was an important figure in the banking industry. Born in the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, his family obtained British citizenship. He later became a friend of Eric Ong, who entered the financial market in Hong Kong by buying a controlling share in a large bank. This bank, later renamed The Bank of the Empire, expanded its operations deeper into China than it had ever been, and even entered the Philippines and Latin America. It developed a stunning reputation for promoting grassroots finance. Ethan Lam was knighted and became a member of the House of Lords.

The man continued his reflection as he headed down the corridor.

After the ULTRA stampede life became a mindless, dreary existence. Nobody knew what would happen the next day, the next week... even the next moment. Everybody in the family became irritable. Fighting was an almost daily occurrence. It was heartbreaking.

They were forgotten. They were lost.

And then it happened.

The Takeover came.

It was unbelievable. It was as if a foreign invasion was taking place. A battlecruiser appeared off Sangley point and shelled naval installations. Airstrikes directed at targets like the army and air force headquarters happened. On radio and television, it was reported that fighting was going on in Cebu and around Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao with government forces on the losing end. A pair of aircraft carriers appeared in Manila Bay. They were the ones that launched the airstrikes. And the finale came beams of light came shooting down from the sky, destroying many buildings, including the homes of government people. Tanks came rolling into the city, larger and more powerful than those of the army. A new president was forced into office. Many members of congress were machinegunned on the grounds of the Batasan.

There were those who escaped. But their escape was only physical. They fled, only to be killed abroad. After the Takeover, Manila quickly went into decline. In less than five years, it was nearly a ghost town.

It was then that his father decided that they should pack their belongings. They were heading to Mindanao.