Dawn of a New Day (5 page)
Authors: Nick Mariano
The City of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and several neighboring cities and countries were currently experiencing one of the worst eco-disasters on the planet. For several years the farmers in Indonesia would burn their palm oil trees yearly to make ready for the next growing season. Surrounding countries became subjected to sickening air pollution and smog as a result. In 2015, one of the worst cases of this pollution spread its way through the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and even as far as Singapore. The fires produced thick and highly toxic smog that resulted in a staggering number of respiratory illnesses throughout the region. Over a half a million were affected by the haze and at least 19 deaths were already reported. The fires released more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than all the contamination caused by fossil fuel and gas emissions in the entire United States for one year. Many scientists said that 2015 was a particularly bad year because the El Nino weather system had exacerbated weather conditions, which resulted in countries having unseasonably very dry weather. People in many of the cities were reduced to wearing surgical masks whenever they walked outside to keep from being affected. Many of the respiratory conditions progressed quickly and turned into full cases of pneumonia. Hospitals were overrun with new cases everyday.
The smog and haze would play a major role in accelerating the spread of the super virus throughout many of the Asian nations that it traveled to. Many people were already in a weakened condition and when they became exposed to the super virus, it took hold in a shorter period of incubation, resulting in higher numbers of infected people. The virus would also morph again with people in the pneumonia stage and the results were frightening. By the time the CDC Global Rapid Response Teams arrived in Asian countries the super virus had already infected over 2,000 people and the number of violent and zombie incidents were on the rise. The CDC decided to inoculate some of the populations with the X554 vaccine, which they knew, could prevent the spread of the super virus, however, the number of people already infected was staggering. They also believed that the virus could have mutated based on accounts they had received about infected people coming back to life after they were reportedly killed by gunfire. Right now X554 was the only thing the CDC had on its shelf and so they began an inoculation program in Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Indonesia. They tried to trace the passengers who were on the same flight as Special Agent Taylor, as initial investigation revealed that he could have been Patient Zero overseas. It also appeared that Harold Strauss might have been Patient Zero in the U.S.
As the CDC and government agencies traced passengers on Taylor’s flight they were dismayed to find out that he had flown from the U.S. to Korea on a new Airbus A380, which carried 525 passengers. Taylor’s flight was completely full and so it would take several days to determine who was on that flight and where the final destinations were for the remaining 524 passengers. Many had terminated in Korea and so the Korean Government was busy tracing the hometowns of native Koreans and also the families of any passengers who were of Korean descent. Over 395 passengers had made connections to as many destinations and the airlines and government were busily tracking what airlines they had taken from Korea, any onward connections they may have taken, and their final destinations. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
The CDC knew that if 50% of the passengers became infected from contact with Agent Taylor or through inhalation of the virus through the plane’s air system, the end result would be a global pandemic of epic proportions. The loss of life would be staggering and once things got rolling it would be like trying to put out a wild fire. The Lead Doctor in KL reported his findings back to CDC Headquarters and found out that a similar Patient Zero had shown up in Wilmington, NC. Initial investigation revealed that the virus could be a super virus produced by the Nazis during World War II and very similar to the New York State terrorist infections. CDC was already working with the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security trying to ascertain whether this was another terrorist attack or if the virus had somehow reappeared in NC through some act of faith.
A second CDC Team had arrived in Wilmington, NC and after examining Strauss, and the persons bitten by him at the hospital, there was no doubt that they were dealing with the Nazi super virus with one new twist. Infected people, not all, but a percentage of those infected, could come back to life after reportedly being killed. This was a very disconcerting finding since it meant that the virus could spread rapidly once one or two people became infected and it would be a lot more difficult to neutralize the infection.
Alex Pogue awoke at the JW Marriott and hoped she would feel better today so she could begin her work in Kuala Lumpur. Her throat was still sore and that nagging cough was still there and she was shocked when she looked in a mirror and saw black and blue blotches on her arms and legs. A further examination revealed that her body was almost 80% covered by the unsightly spots. She sat down in disbelief and couldn’t imagine what was happening. She had heard that the Avian Flu was becoming more prevalent in many of the Asian countries; however, she couldn’t imagine how she could have contracted the disease. Had she gotten something from her travel partner, Agent Taylor? He was coughing a lot toward the end of their flight from Atlanta and she was sure some of his germs had drifted her way. She began to feel nauseous and threw up in the bathroom. She also had some strange thoughts popping into her head and she was feeling very hungry despite her condition. She called room service and ordered some coffee and fruit, hoping that some food might help the situation.
CDC Headquarters in Atlanta decided to notify the White House and Department of Homeland Security to advise them that they could be facing another outbreak of the Super Virus that was encountered in the ISIS’ Attacks earlier that year. After a lengthy teleconference call it was agreed that the CDC would activate its Health Alert Network that was their primary method to notify the public about urgent health issues. Although they didn’t get into the particulars of the virus outbreak they did advise travelers to reconsider travel to Asian countries because of a possible new virus outbreak there. The Alert was also shared with federal, state, territorial and city partners and the full particulars of the outbreaks were passed on to them with the stipulation that the contents of this message was to be treated as classified and highly controlled. The message went on to say that the virus appeared to be similar to the New York State outbreaks following attacks by ISIS, however, infected persons could return to life even if they are shot and appeared to have been killed. The message also said that the CDC and Homeland Security were not sure if this was another ISIS or terrorist attack. Offices were asked to include the CDC and DHS in all communications that were sent. Police authorities were also advised to treat infected persons with extreme care and caution as incidents of unprovoked attacks had already been reported.
CDC also contacted the FAA and requested that all flights to and from Asia be temporarily suspended until the nature of the virus could be fully determined. Several of the U.S. operated airlines suspended flights for a period of three days citing a new outbreak of the Avian Flu. Many of the foreign flag airlines, however, continued to run flights between the U.S. and points in Asia.
Additional Global Rapid Response Teams were dispatched to Korea, Indonesia, and Singapore, after it was determined that the majority of the passengers on the flight with Agent Taylor, now designated Patient Zero, went on primarily to these countries. Health and Public Security services throughout Asia were alerted to the possibility of a Super Virus outbreak and incidents were passed on as they occurred in real time. Stockpiled supplies of the government’s X554 vaccine were distributed to key cities in the U.S. and overseas and the drug companies responsible for its manufacture were pressed into service by the government to begin manufacturing new supplies as rapidly as possible. Persons in Wilmington were advised that an Asian virus could have made it’s way to that city and that they should go to their nearest hospital to be inoculated.
Alex Pogue ate her breakfast that room service delivered and still felt like hell so she decided to call her local contact and say she was taking a sick day. She went back to bed and would never awake from her sleep.
What was once funny and a joke among the employees of the CDC wasn’t too funny anymore. For years the CDC had posted a graphic novel on its website,
cdc.org
, entitled “Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic.” Readers could follow Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease began spreading and turning people into zombies. Little did they know that one day their crazy web site about emergency preparedness would be a reality. Now people were actually surfing the Internet and trying to find real information about what to do during this actual pandemic. What had been amusing was now a good starting point for people in combatting the infectees who roamed the streets by their homes.
Harold Mathews flew up to Wilmington to join the Global Rapid Response Team already there. He was briefed by the Team Leader and agreed with their findings that this was in fact a strain of the Nazi Super Virus that had been used in New York State. The big question remained, “How did this virus make its way to Wilmington?”
John Magee, captain of the dive boat who took his friends, Gary and Reed to the U-756, read the morning’s paper and saw an article about his friend Harold Strauss being killed by hospital security personnel the day before and that it was suspected that he may have been infected by some mysterious virus. Magee thought that this was too coincidental since he had seen the contents of the box that had been retrieved from the U-756. Could the box’s contents have something to do with his friend’s demise? The article went on to say that anyone with possible information should call a 24-hour CDC Hotline. Magee called the CDC and was patched through to Harold Mathews who requested that Magee pay him a visit.
The two men met later that day and Magee told Mathews that he had recently had two divers bring up a steel box, containing some sort of canisters, from the sunken U-756 German submarine that was recently discovered offshore. He said that they had taken the box to Strauss since he was an expert on German history and especially U-boats. The box had been opened in his office and when they saw that it contained some type of canisters with a dispersion top, they decided to call the FBI and request assistance. He said that he understood an Agent paid Strauss a visit the next day and had taken the box and its contents with him. Mathews began to piece together the facts from Wilmington along with information he knew from the New York incidents. He knew that ISIS had somehow found a container from the Nazis that had been hidden for many years before being found and its’ contents unleashed. It made sense that a second submarine could have been carrying a similar cargo and that what the divers found was more of the Nazi super virus. He also knew that the CDC’s vaccine had little or no effect on a person once he became infected and that only uninfected persons could benefit from the X554 vaccine. He knew that Special Agent Max Taylor was from the FBI’s Wilmington Office and that it was possible the box may have been taken there. He placed a call to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to see if he could get Taylor’s supervisor. After several phone transfers at the FBI, Taylor’s immediate boss was reached and said Taylor had never contacted him about any box prior to his leaving for Malaysia. Mathews asked if the CDC Response Team could visit Taylor’s office to see if the box was still there.
That afternoon the Response Team, equipped with chem/bio suits and equipment, entered the Wilmington FBI Resident Office and initially couldn’t find the box, however, when they finally gained access to a room adjoining the office, they found what they were looking for. A steel box containing what appeared to be canisters with dispersal devices was found. Further examination revealed that all of the canisters might have been discharged. Mathews theorized that Strauss had been exposed to one canister, Taylor to another and the third and fourth canisters remained a mystery, unless they were discharged after being placed in the room. Mathews contacted the building manager to ascertain if everyone was at work at the Federal Bldg. and found out, to his dismay, that over half the employees that worked there had called in sick over the last several days. Mathews thought to himself, “This is not a good thing.” Mathews ordered the building closed until further notice and his team was dispatched to visit all the employees who had called in sick. Mathews reported his findings back to CDC Headquarters and a conference call was quickly set up between the CDC, the Office of Homeland Security and the White House. It was agreed that the city and three miles beyond would be cordoned off and that the National Guard would set up roadblocks to prevent people from entering or leaving the area. Local authorities were notified and asked for help in visiting all the employees from the Federal Building. They were also briefed on a Need-to-Know basis about the possibility that a super virus may be involved and that infected people had to be restrained and brought into a holding facility being set up in town. They were also told that the use of deadly force had been granted by the White House and that if they believed they were in danger of being infected or attacked, they should shoot to kill. Many of the police officers attending a briefing on the situation couldn’t believe what they were being told, however, many knew about the ISIS’s attacks earlier that year in New York. The word “Zombie” began to pop up in numerous conversations and one officer detailed what had happened at the hospital. He knew one of the public safety officers there who swore that Strauss had been shot multiple times, only to raise again and begin to attack people. It was only when an officer shot him twice in the head that he went down permanently.
The CDC also decided that it would begin to inoculate all uninfected persons even though they believed that the virus might have somehow mutated since the outbreaks in New York. Back in Atlanta the labs began analyzing blood samples from Taylor and Strauss in an effort to find a cure or at least a guaranteed prevention. A holding facility was quickly put in place near Wilmington so that infected people could be secured, in an effort to contain the virus. The fact that over half of the employees at the Federal Building had reported in as sick meant that at least 100 people were possibly in some stage of infection. It was critical that no one be allowed to travel outside the quarantined area in an effort to contain the virus. So far there were only three reported attacks by possible infectees. In all cases police officers were forced to kill the persons involved.
The blockade of roads wasn’t popular among the town’s people; however, there had been no incidents of people trying to force their way through the areas. What was not known was how many people may have breached the quarantined perimeter on foot. So far no public announcement had been made telling the population about the nature of the illness. Word finally leaked to the press and several national news agencies were now camped out at the perimeter, however, none had been granted access to Wilmington itself. Some local news agencies were telephoning and texting developments and information to their colleagues on the outside but the news was still sketchy. Locally, people were told if they developed a sore throat, excessive cough, or any skin eruptions they should immediately report to the nearest hospital for treatment. So far there were 50 confirmed cases of the super virus and these people were immediately transported to holding facilities set up by the government, as there was no treatment the hospital could administer.
The last communication from the CDC’s Response Team, in Asia, reported new cases of the virus in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila. These were all connection points for the Korean flight that Agent Taylor had been on. The worst outbreaks were in Kuala Lumpur since a large number of people had terminated their flight there and the fact that the city was still surrounded with smog from the Indonesia fires only helped to increase the instances of illness there. Malaysia has a population of over 28 million people and Kuala Lumpur over 1.6 million plus the many tourists who flock to that city for high end shopping. The CDC Team knew it was critical to try to control outbreaks there as the infection could jump to other highly populated countries and cities. Inoculations using the X554 vaccine had begun, however, it would be literally impossible to produce vaccine quantities in the numbers required. Work was also underway at several labs in the U.S. and abroad to try to find an actual cure although most scientists agreed that once a person became infected the likelihood of curing him was slim.
Investigative teams were pouring through old German war records in an effort to find more information on how Mengele and his team of doctors and scientists had actually engineered the virus so that they could try to reverse engineer it. The canisters retrieved in Wilmington would prove helpful as some of the canisters still contained traces of the virus so that scientists and doctors could study the makeup and how it affected animals and people. Meanwhile only bad news continued to flow into the CDC. The White House and Homeland Security were monitoring the situation in the event that additional cases were reported outside the Wilmington area. The President was scheduled to address the nation that evening and would announce that the super virus that had affected New York State earlier that year had reappeared in the United States and several countries aboard.
