The Viral Epiphany (40 page)

“Yes, sir.
 
Understood. We’ll take care of it.”

“You do that, General. And General, call the dogs off Doctor Quinn. Right?”

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir!”

T minus ten minutes

           
President Cranston had left the stateroom, with Grace holding his hand, and he was standing beside Captain Andrews in the control room of the
Seawolf
when the urgent message came in.

           
“Captain!
 
We’ve just received a FLASH message from Omega Headquarters!
 
The communications officer took the message from the
Seawolf’s
printer and handed it to Captain Andrews.

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TOP SECRET
                       
           
TOP SECRET
         
                       
           
TOP SECRET

MESSAGE PRIORITY: FLASH

URGENT MESSAGE TO CMDR SSN SEAWOLF:

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP IS CANCELLED

ABORT
           
ABORT
           
ABORT

OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP IS CANCELLED

NOTICE: THIS INSTANCE OF OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP WAS AN UNANNOUNCED, AS REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE, READINESS DRILL. ALL UNITS WILL RECEIVE PERFORMANCE SCORES IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

ALL UNITS ARE TO RETURN TO BASE AND STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY.

ALL LAUNCHES ARE TO BE ABORTED IMMEDIATELY.

REPEAT: ABORT
         
 
ABORT
           
ABORT

SECURITY NOTICE: FOR ALL INVOLVED PERSONNEL

ALL DETAILS OF THIS OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP READINESS DRILL ARE NOW CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET. NO PERSON MAY DISCUSS OR DIVULGE ANY DETAILS OF THIS OPERATION TO ANY UNCLEARED PERSON – EVER.

PENALTY FOR ANY PERSON IN VIOLATION OF THIS ORDER IS SEVERE.

ALL PERSONNEL TAKE NOTICE.

GENERAL JOHN BAKER, OMEGA HQ SENDS

ABORT
          
                       
           
ABORT
                     
           
           
ABORT

OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP IS CANCELLED

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“Attention all personnel,” Captain Andrews said into the P.A. microphone, “Operation Clean Sweep is cancelled. This was only a drill. We have been ordered to stand down and return to base. However, before we head back to Bremerton we have a couple of passengers who want to get dropped off closer to home!”

Captain Andrews switched off the microphone and turned to Charlie Murray.
 
“Charlie, you think you could find us a course back to New London?”

           
Charlie smiled back at the Captain, “You bet I can, skipper.
 
You bet I can.”

Thirty-Nine

           
A cold white sun rose silently into the pale blue sky above New York City while the east wind from the ocean, frigid and piercing, huffed along the desolate avenues and around the empty street corners.
 
Traces of new fallen snow lay on the sidewalks while clouds of ghostly white steam hissed and rose into the air from steel manhole covers.
 
It had been two weeks since Operation Clean Sweep had been cancelled.
 
SSN Seawolf
had followed the course set by Charlie Murray and had arrived at the port of New London, Connecticut a week ago, and President Cranston and Grace had returned to a nearly empty White House, abandoned by all except a handful of dedicated guards and two servants.

Now, at one minute before seven a.m., in the nearly deserted streets of New York, sirens began wailing in the streets as police cars and fire trucks drove up and down the avenues, along the streets, and even into the back alleys of the Village.

           
“Attention, attention.
 
This is the New York City Police,” one of the policemen said over his car loudspeaker, “Everyone, everyone, listen! Come out to the streets now for your Asian Fever vaccinations. Everyone come out to the streets immediately!”
 
The police cars and fire trucks crisscrossed the city broadcasting the word to the occupants of every building they passed. Similar announcements were being made simultaneously on radio and television.
 
Slowly and cautiously, people began emerging from the apartment buildings and skyscrapers, restaurants, and homeless shelters. Somehow, people had survived, far more than the analysts at Omega had expected, and now they came out by the thousands as the news spread.

           
A minute later, at exactly seven a.m., the first command was issued from the control tower at New York’s John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport. “Continental One Heavy, cleared for takeoff on runway four left.
 
Continental Thirty-Five Heavy, cleared for takeoff on runway four right.”

           
“Continental One Heavy rolling,” came the almost instant reply as the captain released the brakes and the huge Boeing 777 began accelerating down the runway.

           
“Continental Thirty-Five Heavy is rolling,” crackled over the radio as soon as the first pilot had finished his callout.
 
The Boeing 767-300 began its takeoff roll at the same time as the Boeing 777 aircraft, and the two aircraft sped down their parallel runways, rotated, and took to the air at almost the same instant.

           
“Just like the old days in Viper squadron 21, Dave,” the second pilot radioed to the first.

           
“Sure is, Ted.
 
Hopefully you’ll be able to hold formation a little better now though,” he replied as the two huge aircraft began turning to the south to a heading that would take them out over the Atlantic Ocean.

           
Before the two planes had even cleared the runways two more aircraft, a Continental 767 and an American Airlines 777 had pulled into position on the same runways, four left and four right, and their crews listened to air traffic control while they awaited their takeoff clearances.

           
First they heard, “Jet Blue Twenty Seven cleared for takeoff on runway thirteen left; US Airways Five Five cleared for takeoff on runway thirteen right.” Seconds later they heard their callouts,
 
“Continental Three cleared for takeoff on runway four left; American One One, cleared for takeoff on runway four right.”
 
All four aircraft began their takeoff rolls simultaneously and before any of them had even left the ground four more aircraft had taken their places at the end of the runways and had started their takeoff rolls.

           
At nearby LaGuardia Airport and Newark airport long lines of aircraft were taxing to the runways and taking off to join up in the skies over the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, C-5 and C-17 cargo planes were already airborne and heading out to the Atlantic Ocean to line up in their formations.
 
They were soon to be joined by C-141 and C-130 aircraft from nearby Air National Guard units.

While the planes took off in pairs every thirty seconds from airports across the east coast, the streets of New York were becoming filled with people waiting expectantly for the vaccine distribution to begin. The late November sun gave only slight warmth to the waiting crowd, and most of the people were beginning to feel the chill of the wind.
 
Many more were beginning to doubt that anyone would be handing out vaccines anytime soon.

           
“Dad, how much longer do we have to wait here?” Andy Cappelli asked as he looked up at his father. “ My hands are getting cold.” Andy was seven years old and although he should have started the second grade by now the large number of Asian Fever cases had led to the complete cancellation of all school classes.

           
“I don’t know,” his father, John Capelli, said. “The announcement just said to come out to the streets for vaccinations and so I guess we just have to wait. It’s really important, Andy. Try to rub your hands together for a while.
 
OK?”

           
“OK, Dad,” Andy said as he began clapping his gloved hands together.
 
His mother had died of Asian Fever a week ago, and now he had only his father.

John Capelli looked at the enormous crowds that were now filling the sidewalks and streets. “I have no idea how anyone could drive down these streets though,” he said quietly.
 
He looked over towards the Ladder 21 fire truck that was parked at the corner.
 
Maybe they can tell me how long it will be,
he thought. As he turned back to take Andy’s hand, Andy tugged at his coat.

           
“Dad, look!” he said and pointed straight down Fourth Avenue towards the southern horizon. Far off in the distant sky - it seemed as if he were looking down the length of a concrete canyon - John Capelli could see what appeared to be hundreds of small dots in the sky that were slowly moving towards them. They looked as if there were arranging themselves into groups as they moved, V-shaped groups.

           
“Attention Alpha Two Wing, Attention Alpha Two Wing,” Captain Dave McKenzie, the pilot of Continental Flight 001, said, “This is Alpha Two wing leader.
 
On my mark we will turn to heading Three Two Zero and descend to one thousand feet.
 
Maintain formation and safe separation at all times!
 
When we reach the city I will give a command to begin release of the vaccine. Be sure to fly directly over the avenues at a very low altitude at the slowest safe speed - the lower and slower, the better. But make sure you maintain a safe altitude and airspeed at all times.
 
Each aircraft will pick its own avenue. Following the vaccine dispersal we will continue to the end of Manhattan Island, then we’ll reform for our next sortie to, uh, Newark, as previously briefed. Any questions?” He waited for several seconds but no one responded. “OK, everybody – just like the old days, right? Here we go! … Come to heading Three Two Zero on my mark…
 
Three,… two,… one,… Mark!”

           
“Dad!” Andy shouted, “Look at that! See the big V? It looks like big white birds! Maybe they’re swans, Dad!
 
They fly in V formations like that, we learned that last year in school.
 
Look, they’re all turning this way towards us!
 
Oh, and look! There’s another V over there,” he said pointing to the northeast, “but that one’s not white, it’s gray. I bet that one’s geese, Dad.
 
I wonder where they’re going?”

           
John strained his eyes to see the birds but all he could make out were smudges in the sky.
 
However, they did seem to be getting closer. “I guess your eyes are better than mine, Andy. I can’t tell what they are. You think they’re birds?”

           
Andy suddenly grabbed his arm and held it tight. “No, Dad!
 
Wait… Listen!…Do you hear it?”

           
“Hear what?”

           
“Planes, Dad. Lots of planes…Oh, gosh, Dad look! Those aren’t birds; they’re planes and they’re coming right at us. Look how low they are!”

           
Suddenly the siren on the fire truck behind them sounded for several seconds. “Attention…attention everyone! There is a group of aircraft that is now flying up all the avenues, including Fourth Avenue. They will be spraying the vaccine for Asian Fever. That is how it is being distributed. You won’t feel it, see it, or taste it.
 
But just breathe deep as the planes go overhead and keep breathing deeply until they’re gone and out of sight. The vaccine has to go into your lungs to work. So remember – breathe deep!”

           
John and Andy watched along with the throngs of now very excited people on the streets as the huge passenger planes came closer and soon the noise from the approaching jets was so loud that it was impossible to talk and still the planes came closer. Andy watched, open mouthed, as he saw a gigantic, white, Boeing 777 flying towards him along Fourth Avenue.
 
It seemed it was barely clearing the tops of the buildings and he was sure he could see the pilot waving to him. Then suddenly the Continental jet roared over them and the buildings and streets shook from the vibrations, but then he heard an even louder roar: it was a cheer from the crowd, as the plane flew directly overhead, spraying the vaccine as it went. Moments later it had gone far to the north and then it swiftly rose into the sky and joined a large group of other planes that tilted and turned to the south and then eastward as they began their approach to Newark.