by Lee West
“Holy shit. How the hell did they get within striking distance of our mainland without anyone knowing it? It makes no sense. You’d think someone in the fleet would have seen massive carrier groups moving in our direction,” said Joe.
“You’d think that would be the case. However, the sneaky bastards were more prepared than we could have imagined. Years ago they installed the world’s largest antenna in the mountains of Argentina. They claimed the antenna had been erected for nonmilitary purposes. Then they flooded the Argentine economy with money, infrastructure improvements and lavish loans. For our part, the U.S. refused to loan Argentina any money, which basically pushed them into the waiting arms of the Reds.”
“I heard about that years ago. I remember reading about the antenna and wondering why Argentina would allow China to set up like that in their country,” said Meg.
“Yeah, they set up all right. While the U.S. focused on blowing up yet another Middle Eastern country, the Reds moved into our backyard. Then the sneaky fucks used the antenna and their 5G networks to scramble our intelligence. Suddenly the U.S. couldn’t communicate within branches of the military, nor could it see what was actually happening in the water right off our shores. They had been planning this attack for years. Slowly laying the groundwork a little at a time right under our noses, and none of us were the wiser.”
“So we were just sitting here doing nothing when they invaded?” asked Mike.
“Basically, yes. From our side, all looked the same on radar, through satellites and via communications. They even rerouted all voice and email traffic to China. They set up huge intel farms, with the help of the Russians, of course. When we thought we were talking to another American, we were actually talking to a Red and had no idea. The best part was that between the Reds and the Russians, they flooded our social media with so much divisive crap that regular Americans no longer trusted one another. If I didn’t hate them so much, I’d say the plan was brilliant. They really did a number on us,” said Riley.
“My god. Are they still in our country?” asked Meg, shaken.
A strong chill moved through Joe’s body. He moved closer to Meg for comfort.
“Oh yes. They now control over two-thirds of the U.S. mainland. They’ve managed to push the attack east. So far we’ve been able to hold the line against them, but it hasn’t been easy, and our human losses are staggering. They’re outmaneuvering us at every turn because we haven’t been able to properly communicate with one another to coordinate our defenses. We’ve had to set up a secondary set of communications, which took time that we didn’t have. Also, even with a so-called secure line, we have really no way to confirm that we’re actually talking to another American. They’ve managed to infiltrate our ranks to the point that they discover code words as fast as we can think them up. It’s really insane. One of the worst parts of this is that we have an entire nuclear arsenal at our disposal, but no one will use it. Who would want to kill their own citizens like that?”
“What about our allies? Are any other countries helping us?” asked Mike, the strain in his voice evident.
“Yes. But just our neighbors. I’ve heard talk that the Brits might come, but that’s it. After pulling out of NATO, it seems like our allies are too busy to come to our aid. NATO required all of our allies to come to defend us if we were ever attacked. Without the treaty, we’re on our own and no one cares. On the other hand, Mexico and Canada stepped up and are helping considerably.”
“Why did we see soldiers grabbing Americans? The whole thing looked like our government was actively rounding up regular U.S. citizens. None of this makes sense,” said Meg.
“We had no choice but to round everyone up and make sure they are who they appear to be.”
“What do you mean? Were Chinese soldiers hiding out on U.S. soil?”
“Oh no. They did one better. They worked with several universities to create a drug that would numb us out. They call it Wondra. The university right here in the mountains managed to crack the research nut and develop a safe usable drug. Once our government figured out what the Chinese were doing, they yanked the project, forcing the university to shut down the entire lab, but the damage had been done. The Reds already had a usable compound in their greedy little hands. Somehow they managed to push the drug to millions of Americans.”
“What the hell? How?” asked Joe.
“We aren’t entirely sure yet. The latest theory is that they slipped it into vape compounds. The smoker gets a full dose, but those around the smoker also get dosed. Eventually, with enough out there, the mind-altering agent spread around.”
“Why would they do that? None of this makes sense,” said Meg.
“They had to do it. The Reds know that Americans are the fiercest, bravest m’fers on the planet. Every one of us would defend our country to the death. Without Wondra, they would’ve had to fight every last person, not just our scrambling military. Door-to-door combat would have been necessary to win. They knew that would never work because we’re an armed citizenry with a long history of using local militia for defense. We would’ve been a little disorganized in the beginning, but eventually we would’ve caught on and given them the fight of their lives. Even with their superior numbers, we could’ve beaten them back. They needed Wondra to make us all numb. Once they gave us Wondra, we simply turned to social media and got fed a bunch of lies, which made us hate one another and tune out. They numbed us and manipulated us. Like I said, it was brilliant.”
“Why the DNA tests? What’s up with that? And these markings on our arms? What is all of that?” asked Joe.
“The feds decided that testing for Wondra would be the best way to discover the Reds. We’re looking for Wondra in the system through testing saliva. We’re also looking for molecular compounds bonding to the basic DNA strand. We think persistent use of Wondra shows up as lesions or even nodules on otherwise healthy DNA strands. We’ve been able to yank people presenting in this way from the general population in order to isolate them. They’re too vulnerable to misinformation and suspicion to be left alone out there.”
Joe looked at Riley, stunned. Throughout the entire ordeal they’d suspected the government of harming its citizens. Everything they believed had been false. Suddenly his mind turned back to something Riley said.
“You mentioned the final work on Wondra happened here? At the university?” said Joe.
“Yes. A researcher named Ed Camp worked almost exclusively on the project. Why?”
“Shit! We know Ed. We’ve been hiding out at the university from the soldiers. We thought we were doing the right thing!” said Meg, a little panicked.
“The last place anyone should want to be is at that university. It’s a stronghold for the Reds. They’ve been using the university’s facilities throughout the entire ordeal. We think most of the Chinese students and faculty are actually agents. We believe the entire campus acted as a testing ground for Wondra.”
Piecing together the information Riley provided, Joe recalled watching the soldiers grab a particularly bold Chinese student. He’d watched the men drag the Chinese woman away kicking and screaming. At the time, Joe thought the student acted out in order to fight back against an overstepping government. Now he realized she was an enemy combatant on U.S. soil.
“Ed’s in charge of the people at the university. He’s a great guy, from what we can tell. Do you think he knew what his research was being used for?” asked Joe.
“We don’t think so. Whatever they were doing to test the drug on campus was done without his or his staff’s knowledge. As far as we can tell, he’s a mere bystander to all of the madness.”
“Why not pull him and the other innocent people off the campus? We saw plenty of soldiers coming and going. No one would think it’s odd if the soldiers’ presence on campus increased. We might be able to save some Americans’ lives. Unless there’s a different strategy to get them out,” said Mike.
“We think the entire campus has been contaminated with
the drug and has been for quite a while. Since we know what they’re doing now, we’ve been watching the campus and trying to turn the tables on them. From what I hear, our intelligence services are trying to thwart a major attack by using the university to pass along misinformation. Soldiers came and went on campus so that it didn’t look as though the campus was off-limits. If we had done that, the Reds might have gotten suspicious. We really didn’t want to give anything away that they could use.”
“We need to get them out of there! They aren’t safe! We left our friends up there. They have no idea what’s happening!” said Meg.
Joe worried about Nancy and Brett’s safety. Now their paranoia made sense. The entire time, their minds had been warped by the use of Wondra.
“Crap! That’s why Brett and Nancy immediately suspected the U.S. government of orchestrating the entire event. Throughout our entire ordeal those two kept filling our heads with notions of a government takedown. My god. How could I have been so blind?” said Mike.
“Don’t blame yourself or them. They’re under the influence of Wondra. They really have no idea what they’re doing. And, Meg, you can’t get them out of there. It’s far too dangerous. Besides, within the next week the entire mountain will be lit up,” said Riley.
“It seems like the pushback has already begun. We were at a survivalist camp in the mountains when the troops came in. It looked like a full-scale military operation. That’s where they grabbed us,” said Joe.
“The attack that took place this past week was just the beginning. The entire side of the mountain will be hit hard by our guys. They want to put an end to the Red stronghold at the university. Sorry to say it, but your friends are as good as dead.”
Riley’s words hit Joe hard. He cared deeply for Brett and Nancy, even if their drug-induced paranoia had led them to all the decisions they’d made leading up to this moment. He agreed with Meg. They needed to figure out a way to at least warn them and the others.
“How long do you think we have before the attack?” asked Joe.
Riley ran a hand over his head and said, “I don’t know. I’m really not in the planning side of things. I just hear talk. All I know is that the entire mountainside will be leveled. It’s the only way to stop the Red advancement.”
“Crap. We need to warn them. We can’t just let our friends get killed,” said Meg again.
“You go to warn them and you’ll either get court-martialed for treason or killed in the crossfire. Your pick. If it were me, I’d say a prayer for them and leave it alone. You guys are safe here on base for as long as you want to stay. The clean lab tests mean you have been cleared to leave anytime. Staying here any longer is your choice.”
“Seriously? Where would we go?” asked Mike.
“Go home. We’ve secured most areas on the eastern side of the mountains. You should be fine to return home unless you live in a designated hot zone like the area around the university. Your other option is to stay and fight. We’ve had plenty of people volunteering for the Home Army. Frankly, we need every able-bodied person we can get to join the fight. Like I said, the Reds outnumber us. Every one of our fighters is important to winning this thing.”
“I’ll do it. I’ll fight. Count me in,” said Joe.
“What? No! You aren’t going anywhere near the fighting. I need you!” exclaimed Meg.
“I need to do this. It’s our country. I need to defend it.” He squeezed her hand gently as he spoke.
Meg looked stricken by the news. He wished he could comfort her but could not find a way.
“I’d like to stay and fight, but my family needs me. Is there a way to figure out where they are?” asked Mike.
“Sure is. Just head back to the intake shed. They have a list of everyone who came through one of the civilian intake zones. They’ll also have a record of who left.”
Mike stood hastily from the table. Grabbing the half-eaten tray of food, he said, “I can’t wait another minute to find them. Sorry to eat and run, but I’m out of here. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Joe, you can go to intake as well to let them know you’d like to serve. They’ll put you in the system and attach you to a ground unit.”
“Not out to sea?” asked Joe, unsure if his gamble would work.
“Probably not, but I have no idea. After the attack on the west coast, our carrier groups scrambled and have been actively patrolling the coasts in an effort to augment the Coast Guard. Even if they wanted to place you in one of those groups, there’d be no way to get you out into the gray haze. From what I can tell, our land-based resources, including Marines, are busy fighting on land. It’s on land that we need every available body to fight. I could be wrong, but since the fighting is concentrated on solid ground, my guess is that you will be land based.”
“Okay. I’ll report over there immediately,” said Joe.
Meg shifted in her seat uncomfortably. He could feel her hand becoming shaky and sweaty. Turning to her, he said, “I’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
Meg shook her head softly then turned to Riley and said, “You mentioned those with markers for Wondra are detained. What happens to them?”
“We have an experimental drug that seems to speed the recovery time from Wondra. It also appears to ease the effects of Wondra as the person is healing. Some are being treated with that, while others are simply held until their levels go down. In any case, they can’t be released. That’d be too dangerous for our side. Drugged people are doing all sorts of crazy shit to thwart the U.S. government. It’s like they think they’re resistance fighters or something. The whole thing is crazy. I’m glad to be helping win the war from my lab right here on base. As far as I can tell, serving on base is the best game in town.”
“Why did they tag us with this ink?” asked Joe. He pulled up his sleeve and rolled his forearm into the light. The nearly transparent ink glistened as the light bounced off its shiny surface.
“Anyone who hasn’t been drugged gets tagged. It’s the only way to prevent us from killing innocents. The tag even gets picked up on NVG. It’s pretty cool technology. They developed the ink years ago, but didn’t have a military application until the invasion. Like I said, the wars we have fought always involved the U.S. against a foreign force. In a fight like that, it’s pretty easy to tell who the good guys are. What we’re doing here is way harder because the bad guys could be anyone among us.”
“You said that the Chinese stole U.S. technology that allowed their equipment to survive the EMP. Could that also apply to handheld radios?” asked Joe.
“Of course. Anything with electricity, with a few exceptions, should have been fried. Why?” asked Riley.
“We used radios to communicate with one another at the university. I always wondered how those managed to survive the attack,” said Joe.
“Yes. Those were provided by the Chinese. Guaranteed,” said Riley.
“Geez. This is so wacked. Thanks for filling us in. I still can’t get over how wrong we were. Our friends from the cruise ship had us convinced that the government turned on the citizens. They sounded so sure of everything. Of course we believed them, in part because they’re professors at the university. I guess I just figured they knew things I didn’t,” said Joe.
“You weren’t alone, that’s for sure. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the lab. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Riley picked up his empty tray and quickly walked away from their table. Once he moved out of earshot, Joe turned to Meg. He cupped her face and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
“Let’s get back to our tent. We need to talk,” he said.
— 33 —
Mike walked as quickly as he could manage to the intake shed. He cursed himself as he moved for not asking about his family on the first day he arrived. By this time, he could have been home with them. That is, assuming they’d made it home safely. He never thought to inquire about his family because when they first arrived, he had still been operating under the paran
oid story created by Brett and Nancy. He’d firmly believed that an out-of-control government had captured his precious family. Now those notions seemed silly to him. Over and over again he wondered how he could have been so foolish.
Once inside the intake shed, he decided to return to the same table where he had originally been processed. Standing at the table, he waited until the two women behind the desk finished their conversation and turned to him.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t we already process you?” asked one of them.
“Maybe he wants more shots! Things can get boring in our little tent city. Nothing like a few dozen shots to spice things up!” chimed in the other one.
The women seemed to be enjoying their time together. Their behavior could not have been less in sync with his own feelings at the moment. Tight-lipped, he turned back to the first one and said, “I’m looking for my family. I think they came through this facility during the very beginning of the attack.”
He stood stock-still, waiting for a reply. Tension rippled across the muscles on his back.
“We can’t help you with that!” The first woman laughed.
“You need to go to location services,” said the second one.
“Where’s that?”
“Same building toward the back. Red Cross is running it.” The woman pointed.
Without skipping a beat, the women turned from him back to their jovial conversation. He moved swiftly across the interior of the structure. He should have known the Red Cross would be running the location services. Since World War II the Red Cross had facilitated the reunification of families torn apart by the war and holocaust. Family reunification remained one of the organization’s primary objectives.