Читать книгу New Earth: The Sedna/Kern Incident - R.D. MDiv Pittman - Страница 5

Admiral Felix Hanover, Pacific Fleet Commander, was feeling good about the progress being made at the three sites he had chosen. The six-man tents had arrived from various bases and vendors and four thousand personnel were working nonstop assembling them. Truck after truck rolled into the sites loaded with food and supplies. Huge flatbed tractor-trailers carrying power generators and cold storage units streamed into the compounds. Temporary fuel storage tanks, water tanks, specially designed portable latrine and shower units were ordered and some being delivered. Power poles sprang up like new saplings in a forest. Flexible steel portable storage buildings by the hundreds were up and ready at each site in three days’ time. By the end of the seventh day all that remained were last minute deliveries of bottled water, cold storage food items and some of the dry goods still in production.

Hanover ordered heavy security around each site with a five hundred yard kill zone clearly marked and warning signs were posted. The sites were located at Edwards Air Force base, a second one outside Lancaster, and the third near Victorville, California. By January 2^nd the three California sites would almost be fully operational and awaiting Hanken’s orders to man the sites. The other survival units located at strategic sites across the U.S. reported similar readiness status with a heavy security force present at each site. When the exodus to the survival sites was underway, base and facility shutdown teams would be dispatched to those installations being shuttered along the U.S. coasts.

Alex arranged for a conference call to all of the new sites in California and the existing ones nationwide on Saturday morning December 31^st. He told them he planned to deliver the speech to the UN on Monday morning followed by an address to the nation later that evening. The next morning he would board Air Force Two to fly to his command headquarters in Coeur d’ Alene. He warned the facility managers that interruptions in delivery of final items would become commonplace. If anyone felt it necessary they were authorized to dispatch a military combat unit to the vendor to secure any items not delivered. A palpable relief could be heard with Alex’s final words. Some sites had already experienced delivery delays on selected critical items, now they had the authority to solve those remaining issues.

Sunday morning, January 1^st 2017, New Year’s Day, Sandi kissed Alex one last time as he watched his team board Air Force One; the President insisted they use the plane for their trip to Alex’s new headquarters. Ted Jeffers, his wife Marcia, Mike, Tina, Elena and Andrade joined Sandi on the plane for the trip to the Idaho facility. Bill, Liz, Curt and Cynthia arrived several days earlier at the Coeur d’ Alene facility and were settling in. Sandi lobbied Alex to let her talk to her dentist in Davis along with the lab tech and an assistant to offer them the opportunity to join the team at the main facility. Dr. Linda Chan and her two staff members had arrived and were arranging their quarters.

Alex watched the big silver and blue plane lift off the runway and make a left turn for a westerly heading. It was a cold day a few flurries were falling, it seemed oddly quiet as he walked back to the Marine helicopter. He felt the sting of the cold wind biting his face, the wind whistling down the tarmac, tiny rivulets of wind-blown snow snaked across the ground. Deep inside Alex felt a loneliness similar to when his first wife Ellen, had died.

Alex met Ellen in 1979 at a ski lodge in Vail, a year after graduating from the Air Force Academy. He had just completed A-10 advanced flight training and was meeting some friends for a class reunion at the Vail resort. From the first moment he saw her he thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She was tall, like a New York model, with beautiful legs, and a smile so brilliant… her teeth seemed to sparkle. Her eyes were jade green her hair was raven black. She had a slight build, but wasn’t model thin. Alex had never been shy around girls and upon seeing her that first time he walked straight to her and introduced himself. His confidence intrigued her, and the fact that he was handsome didn’t hurt. He was quite the gentleman and treated her with respect as opposed to a prize to be won. After she graduated from Northwestern, Ellen was offered a job at a large west coast managed care provider located in Sacramento. After their first meeting they continued dating while Alex was assigned to Luke Air Force base in Arizona for F-16 advanced pilot training. They maintained a long distance relationship that lasted nearly a year, until they decided they didn’t want to be apart anymore and Alex asked her to marry him. She was convinced Alex was the man she could love unconditionally, they were married in 1980.

Soon after they were married Alex was assigned to Air Force Logistics Command at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. Ellen’s career was interrupted, but she didn’t mind. Alex was number two in his graduating class of 1978 and good things were being said about his potential in the Air Force. Occasionally she had to remind Alex he needed to spend a little more time at home rather than at the base. By 1987 he had risen to Major, the same year his only child Curt was born. Now that they had a son Ellen assumed Alex would pay more attention to his home life. Instead, he worked even harder at his assignments…he was in demand as a logistics planner.

In 1991 his A-10 unit was activated for Desert Storm and Alex volunteered for combat duty. Alex distinguished himself in combat and was awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest medal you could receive, the Air Force Commendation medal, and the Purple Heart…his plane was pummeled by ground fire while providing close air support for a Marine detachment isolated near the Iraqi town of Basra.

After the war he was reassigned to the Pentagon as a Logistics Liaison Officer between joint services and promoted to Lt. Colonel. When Alex was sent to the Middle East during Desert Storm, Ellen was terrified. Curt was only four years old at the time. Upon his return from the Gulf War, she insisted they spend more time together as a family. What she really meant was more quality time. Time just for the two of them to create those special moments they would always remember and cherish.

Ellen hadn’t fared well during her pregnancy, or after Curt’s birth for that matter. Her doctor advised her not to plan on having any more children. Alex was unfazed; he loved her so much and was not at all disappointed. She was the perfect mom, Little League baseball, Pop Warner football, all the way through high school she followed Curt’s successful athletic career. She was always there when he fell and scraped a knee, or didn’t understand why girls acted the way they did. She didn’t baby him though…Alex saw to that. It couldn’t be said they were strict disciplinarians…they simply set rules and expected Curt to follow.

Alex mentally planned vacations for he and Ellen, but something always came up dashing his good intentions. In 1996 while attending the Air War College at Maxwell AFB in Alabama, he flew her and Curt out to meet him and the three of them would either go camping or fishing or head to the Gulf of Mexico. Ellen cherished those times, and she loved Alex for what he gave of himself to her. Alex for his part, couldn’t do enough for her, he was completely devoted to her. But internally he was torn between demands of his job and his love for her.

In late 2007, a routine medical exam revealed a lump in Ellen’s right breast. The biopsy came back positive indicating ductal carcinoma and it was spreading to other parts of her body rapidly. After four months with no sign of improvement, radiation and chemotherapy treatments were discontinued. The cancer had already spread to her liver and kidneys. Curt a sophomore in college at the time, announced he would drop out of school to be with his mom; Ellen would have none of that. She reminded him of all the times she had been there for him while he was growing up, and if he wanted to do something for her in the remaining days…then he would stay in college.

Alex put up a great front; trying to be the tree in the storm she could cling to…internally he was mortally wounded. How could he possibly go on without her? The thought of losing her was ripping him up inside. She sensed Alex was struggling to cope and told him this was the reason why years ago she insisted they set aside the time for just themselves, to build those special memories that would last a lifetime. She reminded him repeatedly that he was a wonderful husband, a decent, honest man, and above all a great father to Curt. She also stated emphatically he was still young and encouraged him to seek another woman deserving of his love and devotion. She gave him her blessing to do whatever his heart told him to do, she would understand. Ellen passed away in May of 2008 and for the first time in Alex’s life he knew what it was like to be totally alone. He couldn’t erase the guilt he felt for not spending more time with the one person he had ever loved.

Alex returned to the Pentagon to address the remaining staff. They had their facility assignments and knew what their orders were. He thanked everyone for their loyalty, many of them could have gone to the media with speculation about what was going on, but all had remained silent.

“Tomorrow at ten a.m. the world will be made aware of a crisis unlike any this planet has ever faced before. I regret there’s nothing more I can do, but pray for each of you and wish you a safe and fruitful life ahead.” Alex shared a holiday drink with everyone.

The day Alex had been dreading arrived; he rose early to prepare for the flight to New York City for his address at the UN. Air Force Two touched down at JFK International Airport where a crowd estimated to be at least one hundred thousand people had gathered even though it was bitterly cold and windy. The crowd hoped to catch a glimpse of the most popular national leader in recent times.

Alex waved to the crowd and they reacted with loud cheers…the guilt crept in; soon he was about to crush people’s hopes and dreams. Little did they know those cheers would soon fade to tears of anguish; a fear of the unknown would grip their very being. Alex was shuttled by helicopter to the UN and quickly escorted to the General Assembly building where he would give his speech. Professor Kumar appeared from a nearby room, greeted him and asked if he would consider meeting the other scientists who had conferred with Professor Kumar on their findings before the announcement was made? Professor Kumar said the group would be seated at a table to Alex’s left facing the assembly. He could reference them at any time to verify their findings. That was the reason they were there, to back him up.

Alex felt it necessary to acknowledge the group of scientists and wanted to thank Professor Kumar and his colleagues for being there to answer any scientific centered questions the assembly members may have that were beyond his knowledge. The assembly clerk appeared at the door; he said the UN Secretary General was ready to introduce General Hanken. Alex took several deep breaths, he wasn’t nervous and felt a strange and unusual calm come over him. He was about to tell the world that an inconceivable disaster was going to befall the peoples of Earth.

“Today at our opening session for the new year we have the distinct honor of presenting the man who engineered the rescue of democracy for his country. He comes before this body with, in his words, a matter of extreme urgency. Ladies and gentlemen of the assembly please welcome General Alex Hanken, of the United States of America,” The UN Secretary General nodded to Alex.

“Mr. Secretary, members of the general assembly, and to all citizens of this planet who you represent, I stand before you today with grim news concerning our world. As you recall, my country just concluded a sad chapter in its history. The conspirators attempting to overthrow our government utilized a rogue computer program tricking our government into thinking a massive asteroid strike was imminent. They used this ruse as cover for their devious plot. The program initially depicted an event that had occurred nearly five years ago. The comet Sedna/Kern p236 for some unexplained reason was thrown out of its then known orbit and hurtled into the asteroid belt. A recording of this event was altered by some very sophisticated computer programmers hoping it would throw our country into chaos, thereby laying the groundwork for the takeover.

“The world space observatories cannot cover the vast expanse of space individually; they must share space with each other and rely on mutual collaboration to disseminate information about events taking place in outer space. This rogue program prevented the observatories from seeing what was actually happening until about a month ago. Seated to my left are nine gentlemen, considered some of the most renowned scientists from around the world, all acknowledged experts in their field. Two weeks ago they approached me with some startling news. Their conclusive calculations show that the comet Sedna/Kern p236 has indeed been knocked out of its original orbit by a massive collision in the asteroid belt. Its original trajectory past the Earth toward the sun, around the sun and passing Earth again has been significantly altered. Ladies and gentlemen I am sorry to tell you this, the comet is heading for an intercept course with Earth; and is expected to strike the planet on or around July 1^st of this year.

“Our world will suffer massive damage and regrettably, a significant loss of life. The scientists have prepared a lengthy and very straight forward report for you to deliver to your respective governments. The one thing I must stress to you today is that all nuclear power plants must be shut down completely sixty days prior to the event. Although we may survive the comet strike, we would most likely die of radiation sickness due to nuclear plant meltdowns occurring across the globe.

“Many of you will ask yourselves, ‘could the scientists have made a mistake’? I can assure you these men have run exhaustive test after test, the data is the data, it has been challenged by some of the greatest minds in the world… it is inevitable…there is no doubt this planet will suffer a catastrophic event on or around July 1^st. My only hope is mankind will be given the chance to rebuild. I pray that your God will protect and guide you as this event unfolds. Thank you for your time.” Alex stepped away from the podium, within seconds shouts of disbelief erupted from among the attendees, ambassadors quickly picked up the reports that contained the pertinent details provided by the scientists and rushed out of the hall to contact their government heads. There were no questions…just outright panic.

The news hit the wires and within minutes New York City along with every major city in the U.S. came to a grinding halt. Wall Street suspended stock trading, gold, platinum, and silver soared on the commodity exchanges, and the dollar skyrocketed against other currencies on the FOREX. People wandered aimlessly along streets, the whole world was in shock, some fell to their knees and prayed. Others simply needed a moment to gather their thoughts—what to do—where to go—who to contact? Newsrooms around the world became manic hives of activity, experts in science and health along with survival strategists were hunted down for their advice and booked to appear on TV, but the one expert who was sought the most was…Alex.

Alex’s helicopter rose off the pad and flew directly to JFK, during the flight he looked down at the busy streets of New York—all those people. Air Force Two climbed into the air and headed toward Andrews AFB. As he strode into the Whitehouse offices area he spotted George Neff along with his crew and the other four major network anchors. The President had just finished his speech to the nation laying the groundwork for Alex to be seen as the de facto leader of the country during the crisis.

“So what happened to the exclusive George?” Alex inquired as he walked into the Oval Office.

“It didn’t seem quite neighborly for me to hog the whole story.”

“Good man, that’s why we get along so well George. Do you guys want to have a question and answer format or do you have a better way to do this?”

“A Q&A is fine. First you address the nation to present the facts, then we’ll ask you detailed questions about impact scenarios and what you suggest an individual citizen can do to survive after Sedna/Kern hits.”

“Good, see you guys around seven for the eight o’clock broadcast,” Alex said shutting the door. He needed to stretch out on the couch and let his mind relax for a while.

The world was under siege. Across all nations on several continents desperate people seeking solace poured into religious venues. In Rome, hundreds of thousands of Catholics began prayer vigils at the Vatican…St.Peter’s square was a sea of humanity. It was so often the scene that played out around the world when man came face to face with his mortality. In Jerusalem, Christianity’s birthplace, the sorrowful wails of a people confronted with the frailties of being human pierced the night. Throughout the Muslim world, the minarets staffed by muezzin invoked the Adhan chant to summon all to prayers. And in America the bastion of Christendom, pastors, ministers and church elders beseeched their God to show mercy and deliver them from the threat hurtling toward Earth and…mankind.

As expected the doomsayers came to life, spreading like spring ground cover throughout every major city, on every corner, parading with their placards warning the end times were around the corner…this time they were right. If that were not cause enough, radical elements of the Muslim world pointed an accusatory finger at the U.S. somehow implying the U.S. had insulted Mohammed and the infidels would be punished. The rhetoric would turn even more sinister in the weeks and months ahead.

Sandi and the entire team huddled around the large screen TV in the communications center to watch Alex’s speech to the UN. Sandi could tell by the expressions on some of the team members faces that this was still too much to fathom. She needed to get everyone focused on the tasks, not their fears, on the importance of their roles to the country…not the terror they must be feeling right at that moment.

“Well, there you have it. We have a lot of work before us, and we don’t have the time or the luxury to feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve shown that as a team working together as one there is nothing we can’t accomplish. We’ll survive this and then we’ll begin the task of rebuilding our nation. Now let’s sit down and brainstorm as to how we’ll help Alex prepare the nation for this tragic event. Alex returns tomorrow and he’ll be mentally exhausted and stressed out. We don’t want him to get the impression that we’re running around in a panic. We have a job to do, let’s stay focused, we’ll get through this,” Sandi counseled.

Around 2 p.m. the physician team arrived from Los Angeles; introductions were made and their suites assigned. Pete Cernak, working with the module manufacturer per Alex’s instructions, had nine more suites along with one hundred fifty individual units all within a six-day period. Coincidently, the mobile hospital unit arrived from Ft. Lewis that afternoon and the physician group’s first task was to assemble the unit in the location Pete had outlined on the floor with red tape.

Liz, Cynthia, Tina, and Elena had ten staff members to assist them in assuming the task of coordinating facility replenishment. Previous vendor lists were pulled, and notified of emergency response timelines. Whenever there were protests, Sandi would quickly step in and read them the riot act, her only question was, “Did they want to be on the wrong side of General Alex Hanken?”… no one cared to venture into that arena.

The women rotated the workloads and the phone calls, all took their turns minding the babies. Curt, Mike, Bill, and Andrade visited the sites to assess the viability for possible long-term isolation… they knew exactly what Alex expected. The additional facilities were well equipped and ready to house the additional troops thanks to excellent work by Pete. The west coast Seal team members arrived that night and were shown to their individual units at the main facility.

“Well, it can’t get much safer with sixty U.S. Navy Seals sleeping across the hall from you,” remarked Dr. Fortune.

“Yeah, and they’re all males. If you ask me that’s even better,” Dr. Chan grinned.

Alex was sitting at the President’s desk in the Oval Office; it was five minutes before he would address the nation. The five network anchors sat just off camera. After Alex finished his speech they’d move their chairs around Alex and begin the question and answer session. The floor manager counted down to one and pointed at Alex.

“Good evening my fellow Americans, no doubt by now most of you have heard my speech to the UN this morning. What we are about to face is the most challenging moment this nation has ever had to confront. The steps we choose to take in the coming months will determine whether this nation survives or not. Over the past year or so you have come to know me as a straight talker. I don’t beat around the bush and I’ll always tell you the truth. I see no reason to abandon that approach at this late hour.

“I’m going to say some things that might upset you, frighten you, and in some cases incur your anger, but they must be said regardless. The comet Sedna/Kern p236 is a very large comet, approximately two miles wide and the core of the comet is about ten miles long. It is comprised mainly of gas, ice, and iron ore formations. During the comet’s descent into our atmosphere most if not all of the gas and ice should disintegrate. The scientists have run exhaustive data inputs, the realities are as follows; the results show a strike in the Atlantic Ocean located somewhere southwest of the British Isles, followed by multiple strikes in the English Channel, France, Germany and Russia…no doubt there will be massive devastation. The eastern coast of the U.S. will essentially be destroyed by a series of enormous tsunamis. We expect the destruction to extend from the tip of Florida to the farthest part of northern Maine about two hundred fifty miles inland.

“Yesterday my chief scientific advisor Professor Kumar, of the Cal Tech Astrophysics Department, informed me there is nearly a one hundred per cent chance the comet will splinter as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. What does all of this mean to you? It means we don’t know what the extent of the damage will be to other parts of the world, but we do know that millions of people will likely die within days of the strike. Millions more will succumb to injuries, starvation, and disease. If the comet should splinter striking the Middle Eastern and Asian areas of the world, then those fatality numbers could triple in magnitude. At this time the residents of the southwestern and southeastern United States are in the path of the comet and it is expected to pass right through that region of the country. Expect possible air bursts of smaller jettisoned portions of the comet. These airbursts can produce ground temperatures of six hundred to eight hundred degrees; I urge you to take precautionary measures to protect yourselves from the potential effects. In the coming weeks FEMA will be disseminating to all citizens survival pamphlets that will help you prepare in advance of the comet striking the planet and steps to take after the event.

“Now for the hard part. Given the circumstances we are faced with it was suggested that I remain in charge of the country, the Chief Justice along with the U.S. Attorney General met with both the current President and President-elect. Congressional leaders were also consulted; all agreed that the upcoming inauguration and the reconvening of Congress should wait until after the comet strike. We’ll then assess exactly where things stand. Accordingly, I am declaring martial law effective immediately. All military personnel will have shoot to kill authority if anyone is caught breaking the law. Price gouging will not be tolerated and will be met with swift on the spot punishment. The punishment for this offense will be death by firing squad. Unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of this situation for personal gain is completely unacceptable. All municipal workers who manage the water delivery and sewage treatment systems from this point forward are hereby federalized, and must report for work as usual. If they abandon their duties, they will be tracked down and shot for treason. Both systems are basic to maintaining the integrity of our cities and towns. The same rules will apply to all power generation employees, police, fire, hospital personnel, and trash removal workers .

“Unfortunately many of you will not survive the comet’s strike, but not because you simply gave up. If you are to lose your life then so be it, but as God is my witness I promise you, you will go out kicking and fighting to your last breath. You should continue to go about your daily activities as usual, you must not give up. Everyone in some way has a stake in regenerating this country, this is not the end. We are going to survive this. The day prior to the comet’s expected strike everyone is to take shelter wherever possible and when it is deemed safe, we’ll emerge and begin the rebuilding process together.

“At this time, I’ve agreed to a question and answer session to be conducted by the panelists who previously reported my news conferences. Ladies and gentlemen, you have the floor.”

Neff began the questioning. “General, it is obvious that the time period needed to build shelters for two hundred sixty million people has passed what would you suggest the people do?”

“George, it’s important for everyone to know we have a website established to outline detailed information for what you’ll need to do based on your zip code. The website is www.survival/2017.gov. If you don’t have a computer or access to one, your local newspapers and post offices will have packets available with the same information. But as I mentioned before, FEMA will mail out survival guides to every household.”

“General, once people will find out there are survival bunkers for key government and military personnel, how do you explain to the ordinary citizen, these people will be allowed preferential treatment?” Carol Downey of ABC asked.

“Carol, your question pinpoints the most difficult of all decisions I have to make. It’s not just government and military people I have to consider, there are critical civilian personnel who must survive in order to restart the country too. Scientists, doctors, dentists, engineers, environmental specialists, and agriculture experts just to name a few. The survival bunkers you mention can only house approximately ten thousand people, the majority of military personnel will be exposed to the outside and in regular barracks no better off than the houses of an ordinary citizen. I’m determined to see this nation survive; my decisions will be based solely upon that one driving force.”

“General, I understand you are shutting down the White House and moving your command headquarters,” Tom Azner of CBS said.

“Yes Tom, after this broadcast I’ll leave tomorrow for a survival bunker in Idaho, the White House and all the Capitol Hill offices will be mothballed. Various Cabinet officers will stay on duty until the nation stands down which is scheduled for the day before the comet hits. There will be no interruption of government services of any kind including any payments. My command headquarters are deep within a mountain, I’ll be able to run the country with full communication capability from that location. Washington D.C. is located too close to the coast, I can’t endanger myself or my support team, it would leave the country with no leadership; this is the logical thing to do.”

“General, you mentioned the severe repercussions of anyone caught price gouging. What if oil exporters to our nation double or even triple the price of crude oil?” Lester Keller of CNN asked.

“Lester, all the money in the world won’t help individuals, companies, or countries for that matter, in fact post event I imagine that the world will institute a standard currency much like the Euro. I’ll go so far as to say any country that imposes a premium on oil is acting in a provocative manner and our response will be with equal disdain toward that country. With the U.S. being the number one food producer in the world, we would be the last one any country would want to raise prices to, my final word to that question is…what comes around goes around,” Alex warned.

“General, you spoke of the need for the average citizen, who is not assigned to one of the survival sites, to stock up on dry goods and water. What does your plan call for to address that?” John Vanity of Fox news asked.

“John, thank you for asking that question, because it is very important for our citizens to understand how this process will unfold. First, every street in the country has been indexed and assigned a unique number based on the block address number. Every household will receive in the mail that unique number. Local grocery stores will be assigned for that block to utilize for everyday grocery needs. In addition, survival necessities such as empty water bottles, batteries, and survival rations for storage will be issued from FEMA established centers throughout the country. The closest FEMA center to a person’s address will he highlighted and again assigned to them based on their unique number. Let me stop at this point and caution everyone, there is no need to panic, do not, I repeat, do not run out to the store and begin hoarding food. Grocery stores across the nation have already been put on notice to restrict such activity. There will be National Guard troops at every location, a zero tolerance policy is in place toward anyone creating chaos or inciting riots. We have massive amounts of food and survival supplies in the pipeline coming to all our citizens…be patient and don’t panic, I have not forgotten you, follow instructions as you receive them and you’ll do fine.”

“General you and I talked about this, the fact that we run the risk of religious fanatics espousing an ‘end of the world’ scenario driving people to commit mass suicides, essentially giving up. How do you respond to that eventuality?” Neff asked.

“George that is of great concern to me, but the doctrine of separation of church and state does not apply in this case. Any religious leader or an official of any organized religion who attempts to lead his or her flock toward mindless suicide, convincing them that there is no use in struggling to survive—and I stress this point to all those who fall into this category… will be shot for treason! I assure you God is not riding inside the comet Sedna/Kern and He will not appear in the nick of time to save the faithful. Our God gave each of us a brain to think, do good deeds, and treat your fellow man with respect. It was never His intention for us to act like a mindless animal and lay down before a semi-truck to be run over. He instilled in us a desire to survive; this will be one of the toughest tests He will put us through. If you have faith in God, then you owe it to Him to preserve your life… it was the most precious gift He gave to each of us,” Alex concluded the interview.

“Thank you. General we have faith that you will once again lead us out of this desperate situation we find ourselves in. This concludes tonight’s broadcast from the Oval Office, I’m George Neff, goodnight.”

“General, as usual you delivered a penetrating interview. Would you consider broadcasting to the nation from your bunker to keep the people informed,” Tom Azner asked.

“That’s a good idea. Why don’t you guys get your equipment out there, and we can set it up in a hotel near the bunker,” Alex replied.

From the gas station attendant to the ice cream parlor clerk America got the message, there would be no talk of giving up, tough times were ahead for sure, the next door neighbor may not make it, but those who didn’t perish…would survive this and move on. The General was on their side and would do everything in his power to protect their interests before the event and more importantly after the event. The hope was laid down, they must do everything possible in order to survive, and the nation would be rebuilt… all of them together as one. The clergy supported Alex’s position with regard to religious fanatics. The oil exporting countries of the Middle East heard Alex’s message, sell us oil at a fair market price or suffer the consequences of starvation post event.

Surprisingly there were no riots, no protests, and no anarchy in the U.S. anywhere. In contrast were the Europe and the Middle Eastern countries, where people poured into the streets, unsure whether or not their governments would follow the example set by the champion of democracy, General Alex Hanken. They burned buildings, looted stores, stormed police stations, and chaos broke out across those nations, while in the U.S. people woke up the next morning and went to work. As expected the inevitable water cooler conversations took place about what was coming and how horrible things would be, but the people had taken Alex’s message to heart. They would be damned if they would give up now, life was too precious to just toss away like some used styrofoam picnic plate. It would be a fight to the end for survival, and go on to build a better world for the future, not just for themselves, but for their children. That sentiment would hold fast for a while, but human nature being what it is, there would be the inevitable unfortunate ‘incidents’.