by Cliff Deane
Angry and confused families of Service Members were hustled to the Mount Weather and Cheyenne Mountain underground cities. Most of those angry at being brought into Mount Weather felt that they should have been able to contact family and friends to let them know where they would be.
Some of the confused joined the angry group, but many began to suspicion that the appearance of Holly Thorne might not turn out to be the party of the century, after all.
The Ranger Battalions were safely ensconced in the bunker and were joined with their families. Married soldiers were provided quarters with a modicum of privacy, while single men and women were placed in dormitories.
At 1600 hours on 6 March 2118, the bunkers were sealed by the closing of the huge blast doors. Once the doors were sealed, they would not be reopened for an estimated two years.
The first evening meal was served at 1700 hours and was followed by a Town Hall type meeting from President Eileen N. Greene, which was broadcast throughout both the Mount Weather and Cheyenne Mountain communications systems.
“My fellow Americans,” began President Greene, “I know that most of you are either angry or confused as to why you are here. I certainly understand why you are feeling these emotions. Everyone has received a packet which details the immediate future, though I will tell you now.
“As you all know, the comet named Holly Thorne will pass the Earth by a wide margin, thanks to the brave men and women of the Space Defense Force. These Spacers, using large laser arrays, were able to nudge this giant comet safely away from the orbits of Earth and Luna.
“This magnificent mission was entirely successful, but after completion of Operation HT, on February 1st, the Space Forces of the Sino-Russian-Indian Federation attacked both the comet and our fleet, named Taffy III.
“The attack led to the destruction of the entire SRI-F Fleet. However, one nuclear-tipped missile got through to Holly Thorne. This caused a large portion of debris to be cast off. Unfortunately, the missile blast sent pieces, which were ripped from the comet directly at the three mining vessels.
“They had no time to flee from the impacts from these small meteors and suffered many hits. All three vessels were damaged, but the crews were able to patch the holes in the ship’s armor plating.
“Within hours these three ships began returning to the Red Sands Colony on Mars. Captain Alan Ward of the Astrid reported that over three-hundred souls were lost as a result of the damage from the comet.
“Each of these giant mining vessels carried a crew of twelve-thousand Spacers. Eight days later, on February 8th, Captain Ward reported that 100% of the crews had become extremely ill. He reported terrible flulike symptoms. The ships were all placed on auto-pilot, and the ill were sent to their quarters to recuperate.
“This inter-ship pandemic lasted for ten days. At that point, Captain Ward informed Admiral King that the death toll appeared to be roughly 75% of the crew. Each of these three ships lost roughly eight-thousand Spacers. The next four days were spent in cleanup operations to remove the dead to storage bays and kept at zero degrees Fahrenheit.
“On that fourth day, February 12th, Captain Ward again contacted Admiral King and informed him that approximately 50% of the surviving crew members had gone into hiding. As these ships are over three kilometers long the remaining Spacers were unable to find any of the absent personnel.
“This all changed on February 16th when those missing crew members came out of hiding. Now, here is the truly unimaginable portion of this saga. Those crewmen were no longer human. They had, over those four days, devolved into our most recent evolutionary cousin. They had all become a sub-species of Homo-Sapiens called Cro-Magnon. They immediately attacked and killed anyone they came across, finally eliminating the unarmed human crew.
“Captain Ward’s last act, before his own death, was to initiate a computer program named Thirty-Eight Protocol which took all three ships out of the Solar System onto a course which will, in two years, fly into the sun.
“Unfortunately, this magnificent sacrifice will not prevent this pandemic from striking our planet. The tail of Holly Thorne contains a virus that we will not be able to avoid.
“Civilization, as we knew it, will disappear completely in the next twenty-six days. You have all been brought here to preserve a tiny portion of that civilization.
“I know how each of you must feel at this moment, as the realization that your extended families will soon become ill, and many will devolve into Cro-Magnons, which we have renamed as Mags. If we could have brought your families into the safety we have here, we most certainly would have, but there is simply insufficient space or supplies to accommodate them. I pray that you will soon see the necessity for these actions.
“There will be other communications in this format to both keep you informed on the progress of the disease, and the jobs that everyone will be required to do. Ultimately, it comes down to our being happy that we were all selected to survive and restart civilization. Good night, and may God bless and keep us all safe.”
6 March 2118
Archaeology Dig Site
Moundsville, WV
Holly Thorne was now huge in the night sky with a tail that seemed to stretch into infinity. Once the night overcame the fading rays of the sun, a light show like none any human had ever been privy to, streaked across the darkened sky.
The night had grown cool, but not uncomfortably so. Jacob Abraham and Gale Storm sat on folding lawn chairs, holding hands. They sat and watched the greatest show in the history of Man. The other team members had also paired off and were on blankets looking up at the thousands of shooting stars that were streaking across the sky.
Aborigines from the Rain Forests of South America, Micronesia, and elsewhere, reacted with dread. The coming of Holly Thorne had been unknown to them. In their hearts, they knew this event signaled the end of the world.
Inevitably, there were several meteors which struck the Earth’s surface or exploded just before impact. None of these meteorites impacted any living person. Their remnants lay upon the Earth in many places, including both polar regions.
As the billions of people across the globe sat mesmerized by the spectacle before them, an unseen living microscopic organism rapidly covered the Planet Earth where this unknown virus found hosts in everyone not secured by virus proof facilities.
Those few who chose to seek shelter in basements did not become infected until they left their homes. The Earth was now a hothouse for a new and deadly virus that spared no one.
7 March 2118
President Greene
Mount Weather
After consultation with the Comet Committee, the consensus was that President Greene should address the nation.
“My fellow Americans, I am sorry to say to you that the CDC has detected a new and possibly serious virus which seems to have suddenly appeared everywhere around the world.
“The CDC has recommended that over the next few days everyone should stock up on sufficient foodstuffs to last for two-weeks. The CDC suggests that the foods you purchase should be those that are easily eaten and digested, like bread, jello, and pudding. They also suggest that you stock up on painkillers, such as Tylenol and large doses of vitamins, especially vitamin C. The Head of the CDC, Doctor Tyler Deen also recommends anti-diarrheal and anti-vomiting meds.
“At this point, it is unknown if the preparations will actually be needed, but it is better to have these items and not need them. Should you become ill with flu-like symptoms, do not plan on going to the hospital, or your family Doctor, as they may also be incapacitated.
“My friends, I would prefer that this warning was not needed, but the CDC believes that this new virus has been brought to us by the comet Holly Thorne.
“Please, I urge you not to panic. Don’t purchase more of the recommended supplies than you will need for your families. If we remain calm, then things may well return to normal after ten days, or so. Remember, if you hoard, others may die as a result of your per
sonal greed.”
7 March 2118
News Media
Around the World
The News Media went berserk with their coverage. CNN and their sister networks portrayed a nation in crisis. Though their coverage was inflammatory and caused horrendous panic buying, they were actually right about our nation and the world being in a new and deadly pandemic. According to them, the Spanish Flu was about to, again, rear its ugly head.
One ribbon ran across the Christian and Jewish News Networks that read, “Repent! The end is near.”
While FOX News called for calm and encouraged their listeners to heed the President’s words. Remain calm, don’t panic, and don’t hoard the CDC recommended supplies. Al Jazeera declared that the comet was bringing the 12th Imam. They celebrated the coming chaos.
Within hours of this outpouring of news, members of the government began showing up at every governmental bunker they could reach.
7 March 2118
Mount Weather
Outside of the Mount Weather facility, hundreds of members of the Legislative Branch began showing up and demanding entrance.
A young Second Lieutenant, Calvin Dudley was the Duty Officer on 7 March 2118. He reported to the Chief of Staff that many people with children were gathering outside the complex wanting to be let in.
“Sir,” said the Duty Officer, there are women and children out there. Should we open the door and let them in? Maybe they haven’t become infected, yet?”
The COS responded with, “Lieutenant, if we open that door, we all die. I know this is heartrending and seems horribly selfish, but that door will not be opened. I want you to turn off the video and audio systems. There is to be no communication with anyone outside this facility. Are we clear on this?”
The young Second Lieutenant Dudley was not happy, but he said, “Yes, sir, we are clear.”
“Good,” said the COS, “now, I want to watch as you turn off the audio and video to the outside world.”
With that, Mount Weather went dark.
Second Lieutenant Dudley, however, could not get the images of the children just outside the door out of his mind. Ten hours later, at 0200 hours, he turned the audio and video back on. Again, his heart began breaking. Dudley decided that denying them entrance to the bunker was tantamount to the murder of innocent women and children. At 0300 hours, he drew his sidearm and walked to the giant blast door.
When he came to within four feet of the Specialist (E-4) on guard duty, a wild-eyed, Lieutenant Dudley raised his pistol and told the guard that he was going to allow the women and children that were just on the other side of that door into Mount Weather.
Specialist Mathers looked down the barrel of the 9 mm service pistol and felt true fear. He could see the sadness or possibly madness in the eyes of this Lieutenant He said, “Sir, please put down your sidearm. I have been ordered to keep this door locked. If I open it, we will all die.”
“Specialist,” said Dudley, “if you don’t open it, you will surely die right now. I cannot be a part of the murder of innocent women and their little children. Now, open the door!”
“Sir,” said Mathers, “please, don’t shoot. You must understand that the virus is out there, and even opening the door a crack will doom us all.”
“You don’t know that! You don’t fucking know that, at all! What we do know is that if we don’t open the door, those people outside will absolutely die. I cannot be a participant in the murder of children. Now, open that fucking door!”
“Lieutenant, I will not open the door. I can’t, I have my orders from the President.”
At this point Specialist Mathers lunged at Second Lieutenant Dudley in an attempt to take the sidearm. In the short struggle which ensued, Specialist Mathers was shot in the abdomen.
Moving quickly to get the door open before the shot brought the guard reaction force, Lieutenant Dudley pushed the lever which engaged the door. He allowed it to open only eighteen inches and shouted for the children to be put through.
Five young children made it through the door before the reaction force arrived and as Dudley turned to fire at the reinforcements, he was killed in a hail of gunfire.
The reaction force immediately shut the door and called the Officer of the Guard, who sent word up the line of the incident.
Three weeks later the only survivors in Mount Weather were two Secret Service Officers, and two-hundred and thirty-four Rangers. The highest-ranking surviving member of the military was a Corporal.
Second Lieutenant Dudley had done what he had hoped to prevent; the murder of thousands.
Once exposed to this Super-flu, survivors were immune from reinfection. With thousands of dead in Mount Weather, the Senior Secret Service Officer ordered the blast door opened to remove the bodies.
Two members of the Comet Committee survived the flu, and both turned. President Greene and her Chief of Staff were unrecognizable. They were buried along with the others in a mass grave.
15 March 2118
Planet Earth
The morning of 15 March brought chaos and worldwide sickness. The entire world came under the spell of this devil virus between 14 and 15 March. No Hospitals were open as the medical staffs were ill and therefore unable to assist other sufferers.
For ten days everything across the world closed down as there were none strong enough to enable them to leave their residences. Billions died from the flu, starvation, and dehydration.
In ten days, the human population of the entire Earth fell to less than two-billion survivors. Four days later, on 19 March 2118, nearly one-billion survivors went into hiding.On 24 March, the Mags came out of hiding, and they came out swinging for the fences.
THE END
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE OORT PLAGUE
Books by Cliff Deane
The Vigilante Series
Vigilante: Into the Darkness
Book one
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: Into the Fray
Book two
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: The Pale Horse
Book three
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: No Quarter
Book four
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: The Way West
Book five
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: Indian Territory
Book six
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
The Oort Chronicles Series
Red Alert: Missiles Inbound
A Prelude to Apocalypse
Book 1
The Oort Plague
The Pandemic Apocalypse
Book 2
America Fights Back
The Mag Apocalypse
Book 3
About the Author
Cliff Deane grew up in South Charleston, West Virginia. At 17, he left school and joined the U.S. Cavalry, as a Private. 35 years later, he retired as a Lt. Colonel, spending 10 years Enlisted, and 25 years Commissioned.
Cliff holds a High School G.E.D., a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and English, a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Management from West Virginia and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College.
After retirement, a love of the American West took Cliff to Prescott, Arizona, which he has called home for many years.
Today, Cliff and his dog Katie reside full time in his 44’ Toy Hauler. He and Katie just go where the wind blows, as long as the wind blows them to Sturgis, SD in August.
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