2041 The Peoples' United States

by T W Powell

  “The prisoners are talking. They’re discussing their rescue.”

  Tom piped up, “Everyone knows their job. Get to it.”

  Tom and Doc then headed over to the Saloon with Adriana.

  Jill had completed her Type 91 training and was listening to Ray’s

  jury-rigged bugging device and taking notes, “Mr. Tom, they expect to be rescued tonight. Some are speaking Spanish and my Spanish is not as good as Adriana’s, but some are speaking English. They’re saying that once they’re rescued, The Collective will exterminate this nest of Whiteness. They’re laughing.”

  “Now someone is speaking Spanish and keeps referring to ‘gas venenoso’. Adriana can you translate?”

  “Gas venenoso means, how do you say it, poison gas?”

  Doc turned to Tom, “Dear Lord, they’re going to gas us.”

  Tom was unfazed, “That shouldn’t surprise you. I warned you that this would get medieval. Panic is our worst enemy. If we panic, we die. Doc prepare the people and prepare them quickly. Have them move to high ground along the canyon walls. If they have raincoats, or windbreakers, put them on. Cover their bodies as much as possible with anything weatherproof. Don’t forget gloves, hats, and face coverings. Have them place a chicken or some other livestock in the valley floor to act as a canary. Make sure the shower is ready and standby with the Valium and atropine. Tell them the truth, like I just told you.”

  “Jill, you and Adriana get yourselves up the Canyon and take the shortwave with you.”

  Doc was puzzled, “Tom, how do you know so much about this nerve gas?”

  “Okinawa! I lived through that hell, thank God.”

  The morning after the destruction of the Chinese Navy around Okinawa, Corporal Thomas Jackson along with 10,000 other Marines landed at Naha International Airport under tremendous fire from the People’s Liberation Army. Their initial objective was to secure the airport. From there they would drive east and link up with the Taiwanese, South Korean, Japanese, and US forces who had survived the Chinese invasion and were holed up in Nanjo. Those forces now proudly called themselves “The Survivors”. The consolidated Coalition forces would then drive the Red Chinese north until they either surrendered or were exterminated.

  Initially, the Coalition forces made slow progress, but the Chinese supply line was cut. As the Chinese Navy sank in the waters west of Okinawa, the PLA on Okinawa realized there would be no escape. They were gradually running out of food and ammo. Some surrendered, but many fought to the death. After a week, the Coalition forces linked up and began driving the Reds north.

  Now it became a slaughter. The F35s relentlessly bombed the retreating enemy. The 16- inch shells from Iowa and Missouri wiped out entire squads, maybe even entire platoons, with a single blast. In a little over a week, Tom Jackson became a hardened veteran. He had killed Chinese in virtually every way an infantryman could, even with his bare hands.

  The Coalition forces were approaching the narrowest point of the island at Uruma City. The Chinese had nothing left except several hundred CVX rounds for their PP 87 82mm mortars.

  The morning was clear and calm when the CVX mortar rounds started falling along the entire two-mile front. At a predetermined height, a small charge inside the mortar rounds exploded with just enough force to disperse the CVX nerve agent in a fine aerosol across a wide area.

  Tom’s unit was holding Sunset Hill, a small rise on the far western end of the front overlooking Tiger Beach. As the CVX mortar rounds began falling, releasing a cloud of odorless, colorless death, the Marines received the chemical attack alert. For many, it was too late. Tom quickly put on his PPE and his unit ran into an abandoned, high rise, tourist hotel. They scampered up flight after flight of stairs, finally reaching the roof.

  From the roof, they could see Chinese infantry holding about a kilometer north of the Coalition front line waiting for the CVX to do its’ work. The Marines were trapped, surrounded by a sea of death. That’s when Tom heard the familiar drone of a Huey UH-1Y Medivac helo heading toward their rooftop refuge. The Huey was not armored, and the pilot was literally kissing the treetops as Chinese AAA fire whizzed past the chopper. The trapped Marines set off a AN-M8 yellow smoke grenade. Seeing the yellow smoke marker, the Huey popped up and landed on the hotel roof. The Marines scrambled onboard and the chopper pilot took them for the hairiest ride of their lives, darting south along a tree lined roadway all the way to the forward operating base at Kadena Airfield.

  When they landed at Kadena, Tom leaned his head into the cockpit and thanked the pilot, “Sir, that was some badass flying. Thank you for saving our asses.”

  Tom was totally shocked as the pilot removed her helmet, “You’re welcome Sweet Pea, but I’m a Mam, not a Sir.”

  “Yes, I see that Lieutenant Mam. I didn’t get your name, Mam.”

  “It’s Jo, just Jo. Now get your ass off my Super Huey, I’ve got things to do.”

  As Jo took off, heading back up north toward the front, she felt a sudden strong tailwind. It was the Kamikaze.

  Shortly after dark, Vet and Ray reported that the improvised Claymores were set. Doc confirmed that the townspeople had moved their camps up and out of the canyon floors and the Aid Station was ready. The Stooges were ready as were Vet, Abrams, and Dawg.

  After a couple of anxious hours, Vet sounded the alarm over his walkie, “Apache coming in low and fast from the northeast.”

  Vet’s squad had one of the Type 91 heat seekers that could only be fired upon Tom’s command. Vet’s squad was hunkered down and dispersed a short distance behind the roadblock. The Apache made its’ run, 30 mm chain gun blazing. Splinters were flying everywhere as the high explosive rounds ripped apart the utility pole roadblock. The Apache then continued up Kingston Creek toward Ray’s illuminated pole barn and bonfire.

  The Peoples’ Militia POWs cheered as they heard the chopper, but the cheering stopped as the Apache’s Hydra rockets demolished Ray’s pole barn and its’ 30mm chain gun massacred everyone in the barbed wire enclosure.

  “Spider, Spider” crackled over the walkie.

  Moe then touched off a bonfire a little further up Kingston Creek to lure the Apache further up the Canyon. He then galloped off to Cougar Canyon to light those bonfires. The Apache made a second strafing run on the pole barn, then headed toward Moe’s bonfire further up Kingston Creek.

  The Apache strafed Moe’s bonfire, then continued up Kingston Creek. The helo flew past the mouth of Cougar Canyon, then, when the pilot saw the bonfires burning in Cougar Canyon, he did an about face and charged up Cougar Canyon with the chain gun blazing. The ensuing crash of this Apache was more catastrophic than the first Apache crash.

  The Chinese pilot of the A-10 Warthog on station at 15,000 ft above Kingston saw the explosion and radioed his base in Fallon, Nevada, the pre-Revolution home of the US Navy’s Top Gun. There was almost certainly some type of air defense being mounted by the Resistance around Kingston. This was a major concern for The Collective as they had few qualified pilots and even fewer warbirds in operable condition. Their Chinese comrades loathed offering the PUS either men or machines as the machines might one day be turned against them and Chinese pilots were unfamiliar with the terrain and weather in North America. Such direct support, if exposed to the world, would also undermine the ludicrous Chinese claim of non-intervention in North America.

  As the Chinese A-10 pilot descended to 10,000 feet over the Toiyabes, Thomas Jackson recognized the distinctive sound of the A-10’s General Electric turbofan engines. Although these machines were 60 years old, they were rugged and fearsome ground attack craft. The A-10 would probably not fly low enough to get snared by the helo trap. It was also unlikely that a single Type 91 missile could down a Warthog. The Warthog’s 30mm gatling gun made the Apache’s gun look like a BB gun and the Warthog could carry a heavy load of guided and unguided missiles and bombs.

  The A-10 continued circling on station above Kingston.

  “Abrams, Vet, Dawg, we
have an A-10 circling above the mountains. I think he’s flying air cover. Expect company.”

  “Vet to Jarhead, we have vehicles heading up Kingston Canyon Road.”

  “OK, Vet, stop ‘em at the roadblock, blast ‘em with the IEDs, then disperse and head back up the canyon. Do not go through town.”

  “Jarhead to Abrams, don’t start that CAT. Stay away from it. It’s a prime target for that A-10.”

  “Copy that Jarhead. We’re dispersing.”

  “Abrams, start moving your squad north to hit our visitors in the flank with the BAR if they continue up the canyon past the roadblock.”

  “Vet to Jarhead, we have three school buses led by an old, armored car approaching the roadblock.”

  “Jarhead to Dawg, get your men back up Kingston Canyon. Do not, I repeat, do not go through town.”

  Gunfire rang out from the roadblock at Kingston Creek. Then a loud series of explosions echoed through Kingston Canyon as Vet set off Ray’s IED pattern. Juan could see a couple of vehicles burning as his men approached Kingston Creek from the south. The flames from two burning school buses backlit perhaps as many as 50 Militiamen as they waded through the icy and raging snow melt waters filling Kingston Creek.

  Juan whispered into his walkie, “Abrams to Jarhead, 50 hostiles crossing creek on foot, will engage.”

  The Peoples’ Militia forded the creek, by-passed the now abandoned roadblock, and proceeded toward town on foot. As the last Militiaman emerged from the icy creek, Juan opened fire with his BAR and the rest of his squad marked their targets with semi-auto rifle fire. A dozen Militiamen dropped immediately; the rest of the Militia randomly fired into the darkness as they began running back into the creek. Juan’s squad was now joined by Vet’s squad who had halted their retreat and turned back toward the creek. Twenty, or more, Militia were slaughtered in the waist deep creek water.

  “Abrams, Vet break off and disperse. Stay away from town.” Tom Jackson heard a change in the A-10’s sound pattern.

  The surviving Militia jumped into the armored car and the lone remaining school bus and ran for their lives away from Kingston back toward Austin.

  The A-10 came in low and slow and blanketed the town of Kingston with cluster bombs. The small bomblets sounded more like fireworks popping in midair rather than bombs blasting. The dreaded CVX was being delivered to Kingston. Tom Jackson watched as a goat tied to the hitching post at the Saloon began convulsing.

  “Jarhead to Doc, watch your canary. CVX released in town.”

  Tom made his way to the makeshift Aid Station as did Abrams’ and Vet’s squads.

  Doc yelled, “Everyone strip, and shower. Use this dog shampoo, it’s powerful stuff.”

  “Damn Doc this water is freezing and this shampoo ain’t exactly gentle.” All the men were complaining.

  “Nurse gather their clothes. We’ll burn them tomorrow.” Doc had the foresight to stock a change of clothes for every citizen at the hospital.

  “Anyone sneezing, coughing, short of breath, feeling funny in any way?” Doc was going through the list of nerve agent exposure symptoms.

  One smart ass answered, “Yes Doc, my balls are frozen.”

  Doc just ignored the snide remarks, “Tom, I think we’re all OK.”

  “Best that all of us remain here under observation tonight Doc. Nobody can approach town. This Aid Station is as close as anyone goes to town for several days. I’ll be going home tomorrow morning, but I’ll be back the day after. Don’t think we’ll see them again for a few days, not until that CVX dissipates.”

  From Beijing with Love

  Delvin was well known at the airfreight terminals at The Peoples’ Bay Area International Airport.

  As he arrived at Air China Air Freight, he explained the program to his passenger, “OK Beth, these guys know me and like me. I constantly grease their palms. We do have to watch out for Chinese State Security. They are difficult to bribe and can be erratic. Don’t react or get shook. Just go about your business.”

  The business at hand was the transfer of thousands of doses of green vaccine and 1,000 doses of red vaccine from the Air China Boeing 777 to the Emeryville Operations Center. There were also several thousand test kits to be transferred.

  Delvin checked the temperature inside his reefer, “40.2 F, perfect!”

  The target temperature was 40.0F with a min-max range of 35.0 – 45.0 F. Temperatures outside that range would degrade the vaccine. Strong light would also degrade the vaccine, so Delvin had taped black plastic over the skylights in the box truck.

  Nurse Beth followed right behind Delvin and double-checked the temperature with her own recently calibrated thermometer, “40.1 F, very good!”

  Beth and Delvin both inventoried the merchandise as it was transferred. During the process, Delvin slipped his airport friends bottles of wine, chocolate bars, and small canned hams. The canned hams were immensely popular. After a couple of hours, the transfer was complete.

  As Delvin started to back out of the loading dock, a short thin Asian man in a black leather long coat and fedora tapped on the truck’s driver side window.

  Delvin quickly whispered to Beth, “CSS!”

  As Delvin rolled down his window with one hand, he deftly pulled out a Swiss chocolate bar with the other and began unwrapping it.

  Delvin was preparing to take a bite of chocolate, “How may I help you Comrade?”

  The CSS man spoke perfect English, “Excuse me Member Smith, may I please scan your Peoples’ Identity Implant - a mere formality.”

  Delvin made a mental note that the agent already knew his name. He then carefully palmed his real RFID and swept his hand across the CSS man’s hand-held scanning device. All the while Delvin was munching on his chocolate bar.

  “Please forgive me Comrade, where are my manners? Would you care for a chocolate bar? I’ve got dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. I’ve got chocolate with peanuts, chocolate with raisins, chocolate with almonds.”

  “Regrettably, I cannot accept gifts.”

  “How about your kids? You got kids?”

  “Yes, my family and I live in Oakland. I have four daughters.”

  “You are blessed.” Delvin then handed the CSS man four chocolate bars.

  “I imagine a smart guy like you seizes all kinds of contraband from time-to-time. Where did you ever find those chocolate bars?”

  The CSS agent grinned. He had heard that Delvin Smith could be a good friend. That rumor was indeed true.

  “Member Smith, everything seems to be in order. You are free to go.”

  Delvin handed the agent a business card, “It’s always nice to make a new friend. Call me if you ever need help. I have many friends.”

  As they drove northward toward the Bay Bridge, Beth finally caught her breath, “I thought we were in deep shit back there.”

  “Nah, Chinese State Security will stop you every so often just to see how you react. If you act guilty, they’ll keep digging. If you’re cool, then you’ll be OK. Take that Chinese stooge back there at the Airport, there’s a good chance that sooner, or later, he’ll need something and give me a call. Hell, he may already need something. If I come through for him, he’ll be my bitch forever and he won’t even realize it.”

  During the half hour drive to Emeryville, Delvin and Beth became better acquainted and Beth gained a much greater respect for Delvin’s craft.

  Once Delvin and Beth arrived at the Operations Center, the cargo was swiftly inventoried and transferred to the Center’s secure climate-controlled vault. Team Pham immediately started analyzing both the green and red vaccines. Delvin used this opportunity to catch forty winks in an ER bed.

  Sometime during the wee hours of the morning, a visibly shaken Dr. Ho shook Delvin awake and motioned for him to join the others in the vault.

  Delvin was not yet wide awake, “Dr. Ho why are we freezing our asses off at 2 a.m. inside this damned meat locker?”

  “Delvin, it’s about the vaccines. The
green vaccine appears to be a typical glycoprotein vaccine. The glycoproteins help viral RNA invade host cells. If viral glycoproteins alone are injected into a test subject, the subject’s immune system immediately reacts to the invader and produces antibodies and activates killer T-Cells. I suspect the green vaccine will induce a strong immune response.

  “On the other hand, the red vaccine is not a vaccine. It is actual viable virus. I don’t say live virus because, technically speaking, viruses aren’t alive. Some vaccines are indeed based upon attenuated virus, virus that has been weakened in some manner. That is not the case with the red vaccine. It is actual viable virus. Anyone receiving the red vaccine would receive a massive viral load of what we assume to be a deadly virus.”

  Beth interrupted, “This is diabolical, I can’t believe it.”

  Delvin rarely showed anger but this time he leveled his anger at Beth, “Let’s get this straight right now. You weren’t on Okinawa in ’25 when those Chinese bastards launched a nerve gas attack. There are Americans over in Nevada right now who may be attacked at any moment with nerve agents. Young lady, you best get your mind right about our Chinese friends. They want us dead. They want our resources. They want to enslave us.

  “OK, Doc, what you are saying is that the Chinese are going to vaccinate Chinese nationals and The Collective with a real vaccine, then they’re going to infect the slave laborers at Round Mountain with the virus. Then, in a magnanimous public display, they will release the slave laborers to return to their homes and infect the Resistance and those Members with low Social Quotients.”

  “Yes, that’s a good summary. Initially, we will test and vaccinate Chinese nationals planning on visiting, or returning to China. Then we will test and vaccinate Chinese nationals in the PUS and finally we will test and vaccinate Members with relatively high Social Quotients.

  “We must immediately vaccinate ourselves. Moreover, we must immediately initiate Level 4 biohazard containment protocols.”

  “Hang on there, Doc, if you do that, won’t you tip off Chinese State Security that we know about the live virus?”