The Forgiven The Fallen The Forsaken

by S. M. Armstrong

  Deepak called in that they had found their first group of forgiven. Everyone was delighted.

  The NAU team had decided to use the massive student union building for their commons area, and had opened up several of the nearby dorms to house people. The plan called for 10 days of quarantine before mixing the groups, but that also allowed for a rest period for the new folks to build strength before starting work.

  By the end of the day, Manny had installed the radio equipment and KNAU was back on the air as an FM station, powered by a generator and blasting tunes off of his MP4 player. Somehow it seemed completely appropriate that he started with Elvis singing America the Beautiful.

  He set up a playlist on a laptop and programmed in the prerecorded messages the group had made over the past week about who they were and where to come for help. Hopefully people would find the stations soon quickly, if anyone still had a working radio.

  At the airport, Rob found two older small planes that were functional. It looked as though someone had flown them into Flagstaff and left them there after the EMP event. It was a good find. The runways were clear, so he had Julie and Helen fly the Piper into the airport. They refueled the plane and Helen and Julie were soon flying around the area pulling a sky banner that said, “FOOD AT NAU.” With a little luck, that should pull in more people.

  Rob called General Whitman and told him that they were ready for supplies. A delivery by a C130 was scheduled for the next day. It can’t be this easy, thought Jim.

  Jim had remained back at the village and had everyone there working to harvest and box as much of the food as was ready in order to deliver it at the NAU campus the next day. It was good to finally be working at something for those beyond the village. By the end of the day they had a truck loaded ready for delivery for the next morning's run.

  MAY 28th

  Julie and Helen took the plane out with the banner again the next morning, this time going out farther looking for suitable farmland. Samantha tagged along with her cameras to get some good shots of the surrounding area. They identified several possibilities and had a few people here and there come out and wave at them. Each time they would wiggle the wings and drop a small care package of an MRE with a letter attached to it on a makeshift parachute. Julie marked each location of survivors on the map for later visits with the chopper.

  Helen asked Samantha, "What's up with Manny and the Elvis stuff? Is that a Filipino thing or what?"

  Samantha answered, "Are you kidding me? That’s and old dude geek thing. He's the only Elvis nut I know. What's up with Frank and The Lord of the Rings?"

  Julie said, "Oh, that's a white guy thing. They're either into that or getting laid."

  Laughing, Samantha said, "Now that explains a lot!"

  They flew over Sedona before heading back to Flagstaff. Again they saw some people, but nowhere near as many as they would have expected. They also saw some signs of fighting here and there. Julie wondered if the group with the tank had stopped there first.

  They arrived back in Flagstaff right after the first C130 landed. The crew unloaded palates of food next to a hangar and was back in the air 20 minutes later. Three more plane loads of food arrived that afternoon along with a courier form the General.

  Rob was directing the loading of supplies onto trucks when he saw Albert Medina walk up. “Al, you useless son of a bitch, it’s good to see you!”

  Al shook his hand briskly and replied, “It’s been a while, boss.”

  “Let’s go inside and talk,” said Rob, leading the way into a nearby hanger. Once inside, Rob tossed Al a bottle of water and asked, “So what’s the word from upstairs?”

  “It’s not good. Most of the people you ever knew are now dead or dying. There are fewer humans left alive than since about 1820.”

  Rob sat down on a bench, stunned. “Jesus.”

  “We took out the infrastructure and large cities in China, North Korea, and throughout the middle east. We left Russia alone, but they know we still have significant military assets and they’re way too devastated by the disease to bother anyone else any time soon. There were a few nukes used by Israel and China, but we used kinetic and conventional weapons to do most of the damage.

  “The President and V.P. are both dead and, effectively, the military is all that’s left of the government. Fortunately, the active duty military is about 80% intact.

  “These conspiracy folks prepared well for themselves while preventing us from spreading the word early. We’ve hunted some of them down already and will catch up with the rest when we get to it.”

  Rob scratched his head. “What’s the plan?”

  “We rebuild. We get a functional political system. We mourn our losses and make sure this never happens again."

  "It's a lot worse than I feared," said Rob. "This is going to change the course of human civilization from here on out."

  Al nodded. “Rob, do you think your brother in law would be interested in a political position?”

  Rob shrugged. “We pushed him into mayor. Why?”

  Phoenix and Tucson are screwed. There isn’t a state legislature any more. Whitman wants to appoint him into a temporary Director’s position until we can get things up and running.”

  “Does he have that authority?”

  “Right now, he essentially is the government. He told me that he found the whole thing to be a major pain in the ass and he wants to pass the buck to the civilians as soon as it can be done safely, and he likes Jim.”

  “Jim will flip.”

  “Yeah, but will he do it?”

  “He won’t take it if there’s any way out.”

  “Then we don’t give him one.”

  Rob thought for a moment and said, “He’ll do it.”

  “That’s good because his security team will be here in about an hour.”

  Rob and Al took the Black Hawk to the village. The trucks had already departed for the NAU camp with the fresh produce.

  Rob took Al to meet Jim. “Jim, I’d like to introduce you to one of my good friends, Al Medina. He’s Department of Defense and is here representing General Whitman.”

  Jim shook Al’s hand and said, “Welcome aboard, Jim. We can use you.”

  “Thank you. First thing, I brought something for you.” Al opened up his briefcase and pulled out a medical vial and a syringe. “This is one of the first doses of the vaccine. I’ve brought thirty with me, but that’s all we could bring for now. Right now the existence of the vaccine is considered a state secret and needs to stay that way until we have enough to distribute.”

  Jim held his hand up, “Then I wait to get it until more is available.”

  “You don’t understand, sir. You don’t have a choice in this matter. At this point, General Whitman considers you to be a national asset.”

  “Okay, now I know you’re stoned.”

  “Not today, sir. I have instructions for you after you receive the vaccination.”

  “Okay, just do it.”

  A couple of minutes later it was done and Al handed Jim a letter from General Whitman. Al gave Rob his vaccination while Jim read.

  Jim sat in place, stunned after finishing the letter.

  Rob stood after the shot, stepped over to Jim, and said, “Congratulations, Director.”

  A helicopter flew overhead and landed in the clearing. Al said, “That will be your team now, sir.”

  Jim looked up at him and asked, “What the hell does this mean?”

  “It means that the military is in charge, there is not an executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government left. General Whitman wants functional civilian leadership in place as soon as possible in order to get the government and the constitution up and running again. It means that your powers are far beyond what any state Governor has had since the States were colonies of Britain.”

  “I don’t want this.”

  “That’s part of the reason why you’re getting it. We have to have someone who will turn power over to elected official
s once we’re able to have elections, yet in the meantime have the guts to do whatever it takes to get us on our feet again. You’re the obvious choice for this part of the country.”

  The door opened and Ann brought in several soldiers.

  Al said, “It’s time for you to meet your security team, Director.”

  JUNE 1st, FLAGSTAFF, NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

  The NAU camp was growing rapidly. Rob, Julie, Helen, and Julio were flying out to pick up survivors every day and almost all asked to come back with them. Those who wouldn’t were left with working radios.

  Having had the vaccine allowed the group full mobility at last. So far they had transported 47 forgiven and 73 forsaken. Soon they would turn that part of the project over to the forgiven with working vehicles.

  The forgiven would be used to travel, recruiting and spreading the word that there was a government again. Until the vaccine was available, the forsaken would be used first to help with agriculture in order to minimize their risk of exposure to other people, and then reassigned appropriately to their skills and wishes once they were vaccinated.

  One of the forsaken to come into the camp was Mike Frazzetta, the contractor that Jim had used for the village runway. Helen was thrilled to see him and promised to let Jim know that he had made it. "I know he'll want to see you," she told him. "We love that runway you paved!"

  The plans were for opening more camps at the Arizona State University in Tempe and at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The dorm rooms made it attractive for initial processing, though only if they kept groups separated to avoid cross contamination.

  Jim wanted to keep his headquarters at the village for now. Rob overruled him and they were using the music building of all places. He and Rob were in one of the classrooms looking over maps of the state when Jim said, “Do you have any idea how crazy this is?”

  Rob answered, “Some civilian has to be in charge, why not you?”

  “Seriously, I’m feeling like a patsy here, except I know the work is real.”

  “Look, Whitman has more things coming at him than he can handle. I’m sure there are things that he’s juggling that you and I don’t even want to think about. He’s delegating in a way that gets us back to a functional government as quickly as possible and takes some huge tasks off of his plate. In the meantime, your powers are limited only by what orders the people around you are willing to follow.”

  “You’re not helping.”

  “Only a fool would be comfortable with this. Like I said, you make good decisions and even my people like to follow you. You took their families in without question. You’ve been a good patriarch for the village. Now you’re expanding that role temporarily.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?” Jim asked.

  “When have I not told you everything?”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  Rob laughed.

  JUNE 2nd

  Jim addressed the forgiven in a small auditorium in the music building. Al had lighting and video cameras set up throughout the room in addition to a large flat screen to the left of the podium. “Welcome everyone. Please sit.

  “I want to thank you for having the courage and decency to join us. You are the first group like this anywhere in the country. We call you the forgiven because you have faced the deadliest pandemic human kind has seen and have come through the other side with immunity. None of you have come through unscathed. I know that most of you are the only survivors of your families.” One of the men in the back stifled a sob. Jim addressed him directly, “It’s okay Jeff. Most of the country is in a similar position.” The man continued to cry quietly. Jim waited a moment.

  "Whatever sins you may have committed in your life prior to this, you have earned a fresh start. Your immunity makes you incredibly valuable from now until we get the vaccine in large enough quantities to matter. We'll be asking a lot of you in the next few months but I know you will be capable of rising to the challenge. Understand that you will be remembered for by future generations for what you do over the next year.

  “I know that many of you have suffered violence in the days since the catastrophe started. Those who are immune to the disease and using that immunity to inflict suffering on others we are calling the fallen. Some of you have met them.” This time there were looks of fury.

  “The fallen will not be tolerated in any way. They are enemies of the United States of America in a time of war and will be treated as such. I promise you here and now that we are going to restore our government and rebuild this nation and God help any sorry son-of-a-bitch who stands in our way.” Heads nodded and there was applause.

  "The other group of survivors, we call the forsaken. They are the people who were fortunate enough to be overlooked by the disease, but are still vulnerable to it and live every moment with that risk. They have not been judged, forgiven, or even considered. Their redemption from their sins will depend fully on their actions. I find myself among that group.

  “Forgiven or forsaken, we’re not better or more deserving than many of those who have died, but we are the ones who are here. We are the ones who have to rebuild, or it will not be done.

  “You forgiven are our best hope to start the rebuilding and you will pave the way for the rest to follow. I can’t begin to express how important you are. I am asking each and every one of you to devote yourselves completely to this for the next year or until we can get a vaccine out and widely distributed. Understand that you are the American people. You are all of us. And understand that, although many will follow, those of you in this room are the very first. Whether dumb luck or divine intervention, your place in the history books is assured. Now it's time to earn it.

  “The goal is nothing less than to restore the constitution, elect a functional government, and to resume our place in whatever will be left of the world.

  “I have been appointed to a directorship by what remains of the federal government. This wasn’t my idea or even something I would have considered in different circumstances. I’ve never been interested in being a politician, but I pledge my life that I will do my duty to the country and to you. And I will not ask any of you to take any risks that I am not willing to take myself.”

  Al used the remote control to turn on the flat screen at the front of the auditorium. General Whitman’s face appeared. From the reactions in the room, many of the people had seen him on television before the virus struck.

  “Hello, my fellow Americans. Yes, Jose, you can consider yourself an American if you want to be one. I’ll put in the paperwork as soon as Immigration is up and running again.” A Hispanic man in the second row looked shocked and several of those around him were laughing.

  The general continued. “For those of you who don’t know of me, I am General Paul Whitman, United States Air Force. I am currently the highest ranking member of the United States military forces. The civilian chain of command has been completely wiped out by the flu, accidents, war, and assassination by hostile forces.” He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.

  “At the moment, there is no constitutional path back to normalcy. I am the most senior member of the federal government available so I have taken charge and have started improvising the most rapid pathway to a functional government. I promise you that, with your help, we will have a fully functional government in a matter of months.

  “I want you to know that my first set of actions was to destroy those who launched this attack against US. Beyond that, for all practical purposes the nations of the Middle East no longer exist. The same thing can be said of China, North Korea, North Africa, and Indonesia.

  "I have appointed several directors over various areas of the nation. Many will be in charge of several states until they are replaced by state governors. Director Ambrose is charged with bringing democracy and rule of law back to the entire Southwest United States. He will need your help.” Jim paled, but otherwise kept his composure.

 
Whitman continued, “He has shown a tremendous capacity for making good decisions with much less than adequate information. I have such faith in him that I put my own daughter under his protection.” If Jim were pale before, he was turning purple now. “Though I didn’t tell him that because she insisted on being treated like everyone else. And if you’ll indulge me, Helen, your mother and I are so very proud of you. We love you.”

  Helen yelled from the back of the room, “I love you too, dad! Give mom a hug for me!”

  There were many laughs around the room. The forgiven were completely won over.

  Whitman said, “I’m going to give you back over to Director Ambrose now. Thank you for your sacrifices and I ask that you do everything you can for your country now. She is on life support and you are her nurses. God bless all of you.”

  The signal cut out and Jim walked back up to the podium. “Helen, you and I are going to have a long talk after this.” The room burst into laughter.

  “Okay, folks, the cards are on the table. I desperately need your help and will do whatever I have to do to earn it. History will be looking back at you and at this moment. I’ll be talking with all of you over the next couple of days and will do our best to answer any questions you have. With your help, we will rebuild. Thank you.” There was a standing ovation and the room exploded in applause. Jim knew the enthusiasm wouldn’t last, but it was incredibly important for now.

  There was a reception afterwards where Jim demonstrated that he had learned everyone’s names. It had the desired effect and most of them ate it up.

  Toward the end of the evening, Jim caught Helen alone for a moment and whispered into her ear, “You keep any more secrets that big from me and I’m going forbid my niece from playing with you.”

  She put on a hurt expression, kissed him on the cheek and said, “I love you, Uncle Jim.”