Dawn of a New Day (15 page)
Authors: Nick Mariano
The bad news was that additional supplies of the anti-virus vaccine could take several days or weeks to get to California. Some supplies were still available on the East Coast and the government got those to the rescue areas quickly. The bad news was that no one knew or even thought about the dog that had been with the recently killed man near the local shelter. Toto was exploring the neighborhoods and still looking for his master although he sensed that something bad had happened to him. The virus spores in his fecal matter continued to be spread around the area and many would lay dormant and never infect anyone. Others, however, would eventually be picked by the Santa Ana winds and be inhaled by unsuspecting passersby. Some would avoid being infected, however, enough would get infected to start a major problem for California. On the plus side, most of the civilian population had been evacuated to safer areas outside San Francisco in order to make room for the major rescue effort underway. It was feared that additional tremors could occur at any time and that many of the now standing buildings would eventually collapse. Of the rescue workers that were exposed to Stilwell and his team, over 95% would get inoculated in time with the limited supplies of vaccine and only suffer some discomfort from the flu and other minor effects. The Governor and the President discussed the dire situation and additional reinforcements were sent from a number of surrounding states. Fortunately enough vaccine was diverted from the East Coast to safeguard the new rescuers arriving. Even though the first occurrence of the virus had been caught early on there were still numerous reports of people suddenly becoming irrational and attacking whoever was in their reach. Even the inoculated weren’t safe from getting attacked and most would suffer significant injuries that either threatened their lives or killed them outright.
Just as the scientists had predicted a number of significant after shocks followed the quake and several structures were damaged beyond repair. Most of the people who had survived the first quake were evacuated from the city; however, many who had been buried in the rumble were not found in time and the death toll climbed rapidly. The count on day three after the quake numbered over 30,000 killed, with too many people injured to even count. Gradually San Francisco resembled a ghost town with only animals roaming the street and rescue workers digging at collapsed structures where the chance of finding someone alive was the greatest. Gradually some electric power was restored and rescue operations began to run around the clock, speeding up the recovery effort.
By the end of week one the death toll had risen to over 50,000 and rescuers were beginning to wonder if they would still find anyone alive under the rumble and ruin. Additional military and fire rescue people would eventually arrive to speed up the effort but the government made sure that everyone arriving from outside California was inoculated. The next major step was to get all the survivors vaccinated and to stop an advancing super virus in the state.
By the end of week two the death toll stood at 75,000, however, the incidence of infectee attacks leveled off. Military troops and police authorities patrolled the streets looking for survivors who still might be wondering in some outlying areas and shooting infectees who appeared to have reached the final stages of the infection. Even though scientists and doctors believed that given enough time, the vaccine could begin to reverse the deadly disease, authorities weren’t able to contain the large numbers of infectees they encountered.
The only good news during the past several weeks since the quake was that the new vaccine developed by the CDC and Fort Detrick seemed to be working. The East Coast was gradually getting back to normal and only a handful of new cases were reported. Pharmaceutical companies were able to produce greater quantities of the vaccine than they first anticipated and additional production facilities were opened to meet the need in California and elsewhere. Supplies in Asia and Europe were adequate and people lined up to get inoculated. Cases there also showed a dramatic decline. South America, which was the lightest affected by the virus, contained the few cases that showed up and began an inoculation program of its own once their factories got started on the production of the new vaccine. The fact that some of the Asian strains had mutated because of the pneumonia factor produced some additional problems but eventually doctors were able to combine additional ingredients to the U.S. version of the vaccine to counter the mutations.
By November the world was still struggling but was getting back on its feet as many of the production and manufacturing facilities throughout the world had slowed or ceased to operate during the height of the crises. People were gradually going about their normal business and the streets of the cities began to look like the old days. An increased military and police presence was visible at major shopping areas to ensure that things stayed safe. Gradually plane service resumed on a limited basis. International travel was still restricted and only people with the government or whom their governments had cleared were allowed transit. Transportation within states was almost back to normal, however, all modes of transportation crossing state lines were heavily monitored. People had to submit to a quick medical evaluation before their travel and anyone displaying evidence of any sort of infection was placed into quarantine for a week to ensure that he wasn’t infected. Many people began to complain that the world countries had turned into police states, however, the majority of the population agreed that these steps were necessary to finally rid of the world of the deadly disease.
Also on the negative side was the fact that ISIS and its sister terrorist organizations hadn’t taken a break in their activities despite the world crises. It was business as usual for them. A number of lone wolf attacks took place. Africa and the Middle East had remained free of the super virus as most international travel was curtailed shortly after the outbreaks in Asia, Europe and the United States. ISIS continued to recruit new combatants and plan attacks throughout the world. Since many of the attackers were on a suicide mission, the fact that they may have to travel to an area infected with the virus was not a deterring factor. Attacks continued in Africa and the Middle East during the latter part of 2015. While the world tried to get back to normal, ISIS tried to shake things up even more. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continued and although the European Alliance and the United States had a difficult time replacing troops in these two areas, soldiers continued to fight against the radical groups there. ISIS continued to expand its areas of influence and parts of Iraq and Syria fell to ISIS elements. It was almost like this part of the world hadn’t grasped what was happening elsewhere in the world. In August 2015, ISIS claimed responsibility for the deaths of more than 15 people, including 12 Saudi Arabian police officers in Saudi Arabia. In September bombs placed at a mosque in Sana’a, Yemen, killed twenty-five people and another twenty were killed in a separate suicide bombing in the same city. In October a Russian passenger jet blew up over Egypt killing all 224 passengers on board and ISIS eventually claimed responsibility for the bombing. In November the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 43 in Beirut. Also in November the most significant attack on Western society occurred when ISIS killed 129 people at several locations in Paris, France.
It was a cool and pleasant evening in Paris as tourists and Parisians strolled the streets, sat at sidewalk cafes and enjoyed an espresso, an evening meal or attended a rock concert. Suddenly the news media began to carry a breaking story about a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris and its northern suburb of Saint-Denis. Three suicide bombers struck in Saint-Denis followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants and a music concert in Paris. Conflicting reports began to come in about the number killed and how many attackers were involved in the incidents. After several hours of reporting and television scenes of heavily armed policemen responding to the attacks, the news finally began to report the full details. The attackers had killed 130 people and injured over 368, with several of the injured in critical or serious condition. Several attackers had been killed and police were scouring Paris for an unknown number who may have eluded capture. It was the deadliest attack to take place in France since World War II and also one of the deadliest in the European Union since the 2004 Madrid railway bombings. While police tried to piece together the facts surrounding the attacks, ISIS released its own statement and claimed full responsibility for the attacks, claiming they were in retaliation to the French airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. ISIS also stated that this was only the beginning of its worldwide campaign against any country that opposed it. The French President declared a state of emergency and borders with neighboring countries were temporarily closed. Surrounding European countries also went on a heightened terrorist alert level. The United States condemned the attacks and stated that it would drive ISIS off the planet. The major cities in the United States went on an elevated terrorist level and heavily armed police suddenly appeared in all the major cities. People worried that the United States could be next.
Less than a month later, a Middle Eastern husband and his wife would carry out an attack in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding 21. An investigation by the FBI would later label this as a terrorist attack with Islamic State connections. The President finally decided it was time for immediate and drastic actions.
As the Christmas Season rolled around the peoples of the world bowed their heads and thanked the Lord that things were finally getting back to normal after almost a year of turmoil. The new vaccine developed by the CDC and Fort Detrick was working well and the spread of the super virus was finally under control. Supplies were being produced in adequate quantities and soon everyone, either infected or not infected, would be inoculated. Reports of new infections slowly dramatically and only two to three new cases were reported in the United States in the last 30 days. Asia, Europe and South America also had things under control. The people of the world could finally relax and celebrate the holidays and be thankful for what they had. Although many stores and shopping malls weren’t completely open, people still managed to get out and do some Christmas shopping and prepare for the holidays. Many items weren’t available since manufacturing had slowed down dramatically during the crises, and in some cases, completely ceased during certain phases of the infection. Police still heavily patrolled the streets and cities, looking for possible infectees and responding to the heightened terrorist threat posed by ISIS. The attacks in Paris and California continued to worry people and everyone expected some additional acts of terrorism to take place sooner or later. ISIS continued its propaganda campaign and the nightly news carried reports of new threats from the terrorist organization. People were uneasy to say the least, however, many had decided they weren’t going to let the threat spoil their holidays. California was getting back on its feet and clean up continued throughout San Francisco. A number of buildings had to be demolished because they were too heavily damaged to be rebuilt. The city was coming back although it would be months and in some cases, years, before San Francisco would be completely back to normal.
Three weeks before Christmas the President addressed the nation and told everyone that the threat from the super virus had been all but eliminated and that the government was keeping a diligent eye on any new outbreaks. He said that the United States had put up with the threat from ISIS long enough and that Special Operations elements from the military had, and were, being deployed to Middle Eastern hotspots to eliminate the threat. Some elements were already in Iraq and Afghanistan and additional units were being deployed to Syria. He said the United States and the other governments of the world had enough from ISIS and he promised that the Year 2016 would see the end of that terrorist group once and for all. He said that he had conferred with America’s Allies and everyone was prepared to rid the world of this threat. He wished the people of the United States and the world a Happy Holiday season and a Happy and Prosperous 2016. The President concluded his speech as the White House’s traditional Christmas tree was lit while holiday music filled the air.
The remaining days of 2015 were uneventful and only one or two new cases of the virus were reported. These cases were promptly handled and authorities were confident they had finally licked the killer disease. ISIS remained quiet and no new terrorist incidents were recorded during the last days of 2015. The people of the world finally had something to be thankful of.
During the ending days of 2015 the President held secret meetings with General Sutherland and members of the Joint Chiefs. The group discussed various options to eliminate and neutralize the threat from ISIS. (Top Secret)-The President told the group that he had conversed with the President of France and discussed the recent attacks in Paris. He had also talked with several of the United States’ Allies about the existing threat. He even discussed the threat with the Russian President following the recent terrorist act on one of Russia’s aircraft. All were in agreement that ISIS had to be neutralized for the betterment of the rest of the world.
(Top Secret)-General Sutherland then disclosed that the United States had recovered the last remaining canisters of the Nazi’s super virus from the sunken submarine, U-532, which had been sunk during World War II off the coast of North Carolina. He said that a group of Navy Seals and members of the U.S.Navy’s Diving and Salvage Unit recovered a container with four canisters of the virus gas and that it had been taken to Fort Detrick for examination and evaluation of its condition. The Nazi cargo had survived almost half a century on the floor of the Atlantic and the canisters that were inside an outer container were still intact and fully operational. General Sutherland continued by saying that he and the President had spoken on several occasions since this cargo had been recovered and, that following the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, the President had signed off on a special operation, Code named “Operation Five Star.” The details of this operation were of the highest classification and the General said he would further brief those staff members who had an absolute need-to-know concerning its particulars. The General concluded his portion of the meeting by assuring everyone that “Operation Five Star” would finally put an end to major elements of ISIS.
The General then went on to talk about the recent Special Operations deployments that were underway in numerous countries in the Middle East. These key elements would attempt to neutralize any ISIS elements they identified and would also provide critical intelligence needed to carry out “Operation Five Star.” The General finished by saying that January 1
st
had been picked as the kickoff date for “Operation Five Star” and that the start of 2016 would see America’s first of many crippling blows against ISIS.