“I’ve never met a president before.” I looked at Clutch and Griz. “It sounds like we’re getting the red carpet treatment today.”
“She’s a good, strong leader. She does everything she can to get this new country up and running,” Mason said. “Now, if you’ll come with me, there are two rooms, one for the gentlemen and one for the lady. Set your gear and clothes on the table and step into the shower stall for a medical inspection and chem-bath.”
I scowled. “Chem-bath?”
“To kill lice, fleas, and anything else immigrants tend to bring in. It doesn’t hurt, I assure you. I’ve been through it myself.” He must’ve caught my expression because he added, “Not that you guys have lice. It’s standard operating procedures, that’s all.”
We entered the small room, and Mason directed us to our stalls. I eyed Clutch. He gave me a tight nod. I took a deep breath and stepped off to the right and undressed.
Thirty minutes later, after a thorough examination, chem-bath, and a detailed inspection of my backpack, weapons, and cooler, I was dressed and reunited with Clutch and Griz. Guards gave us water and flatbread while we waited in one of the hangar’s offices.
Peter arrived soon after, smiling. “You all passed inspection with flying colors.” He pulled out white stickers and markers. “If you don’t mind, put your name on these, so folks know to introduce themselves.”
My brows rose, and I looked at Clutch and Griz, who looked just as humored.
We put on our stickers, and Peter hemmed. “Uh, Cash, Griz, and Clutch? Those are your names?”
“They’re the ones we go by,” Clutch replied.
“Oh. Okay. Well, if that’s the case, it’s nice to meet you.” He shook each of our hands. “I have an appointment set for you to talk with Aline.” He glanced at his watch and motioned to the door. “It’s in less than an hour, so we’d better be on our way. You can keep your weapons. Everyone carries in the capital, but the laws are strict. Anyone caught fighting or instigating violence is imprisoned until proven innocent.”
He escorted us to the black SUV he had arrived in earlier. This time, he had no guards with him, and the tension eased. He drove us up to a fenced gate and waited for it to open.
“So, what do you do around here?” Griz said. “Besides being the welcome wagon?”
“I’m Aline’s assistant,” he said. “Basically, whatever she needs, I see that it gets done.”
We drove down a mile or so before he reached another gate, this one manned by several armed soldiers. The gate was connected to a tall fence with razor wire that went on seemingly forever.
“Does that fence surround the entire city?”
“It surrounds about half of Moose Jaw,” Peter said. “We lost the northern parts of the city before we were able to erect the fence through the center of town to save the southern half. We were one of the first cities that focused on defending our town rather than going after the zeds. That made all the difference between why we’re alive today and not zeds.”
“I heard you guys opened a can of whoop-ass on the zeds that migrated south,” Clutch said.
“We did,” Peter said. “And, there’s a lot more coming. I’m sure Aline will fill you in.”
Inside the fence, Peter drove slower because people were everywhere. Dressed in heavy coats, they moved around, working on construction, pushing carts, and carrying bags. It was a blur of activity.
“Holy crap,” I said. “How many people live here?”
“Four thousand three hundred and eight. Eleven if you’re staying.”
“We’re not staying,” Clutch said quickly.
“We have family in New Eden,” I added.
Peter smiled. “I understand.” He motioned toward the city. “We’re nowhere near the size of some of the bigger provinces, but we have the most resources. We were the best equipped to reach out to everyone, so it only made sense to establish us as the capital of the P.N.A., which is comprised of what used to be Canada, the U.S., and the northern states of Mexico. Moose Jaw is a good, safe place, though I’m not a big fan of their winters.”
“Where are you from?”
“New Mexico. Our weather was a lot better, but unfortunately, the state had developed a problem with none-too-friendly ‘illegal aliens.’”
He pulled up to a stop outside a brick building that looked as though it had been the city hall at one time. Different flags lined the sidewalk, and I recognized New Eden’s about two-thirds of the way down.
Peter motioned to the flags. “As of today, we oversee twenty-four provinces. This winter has been rough, and we had to take down three flags this month. We were worried we’d have to take down another flag until you showed up today. Even though we’re keeping a step ahead of the zeds, the cards are still stacked against us. When we’re not fighting with each other, there are still plenty of zeds out there, wildlife is taking back the land with a vengeance, and even Mother Nature seems to be against us.”
As we walked to the building, Peter pointed to the cooler I carried. “So, what’s in there?”
“This,” I lifted the cooler, “will prevent another outbreak from ever happening again.”
Chapter XXV
We waited in the hallway while the president wrapped up whatever meeting she had before ours. Clutch looked at the cooler and then at me. “We’re almost done. Then we can get back to New Eden.”
The door opened, and Peter appeared and ushered us forward. Inside, a woman stood chatting with two middle-aged men. A large table was set with seven place settings and platters filled with pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and fruit cocktail. The smell of food—
real
food and not some bland stew of some kind—made my mouth water.
Everyone turned when we entered, and the woman approached us and held out her hand. “I’m Aline, and this is James, the vice president, and Mike, our chief of staff.”
Once introductions were made, Aline continued. “It’s wonderful to see representatives from New Eden. When we lost radio contact, we were afraid that province was lost to us. I trust your journey wasn’t too eventful?”
“It was fine, Madam President,” I said.
“Please call me Aline. You’ll find we’re quite informal around here. Now, please, have a seat. We’ll talk over dinner.”
I set down the cooler, shrugged off my backpack, and took a seat in between Clutch and Griz.
“You’ll have to forgive the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. Our gardens are just beginning to produce. In the meantime, we’re getting by on canned foods.”
Griz chuckled. “This looks better than we’ve had in…hell, let’s just say it’s been a real long time.”
“It’s the least we can provide you after your long journey. Peter says you have much to tell me.”
I began. “A hematologist came to New Eden. He’d been working on the zonbistis virus since the outbreak, and he had a breakthrough.”
Aline’s eyes widened. “You’ve found a cure?”
“Not a cure, but a prevention. A vaccine, to be clear.” I reached back and hefted the cooler. “Dr. Gidar was able to isolate the antigen that allows a person to fight off the virus. With the antigen, you can create a vaccine. All of Dr. Gidar’s research as well as blood samples are in here. All you have to do is reproduce and distribute the vaccine to everyone.”
“That’s…amazing.” She rang a bell, and a young man entered. She motioned him toward me. “Take the cooler to Dr. Franzen as quickly as you can, and tell him I’ll talk with him tonight.”
“Wait,” I said. “Don’t you want us to talk with this Dr. Franzen, to tell him what we know?”
Aline smiled. “I’ll make sure he can talk to you should he have questions.”
I reluctantly gave up the cooler to the man, who hustled from the room. I eyed Clutch who sat there with a tight jaw.
Aline watched me. “Thank you for bringing this research to us. I can assure you that Dr. Franzen will look into it right away.” She then looked across all our faces. “The promise of a vaccine will improve the morale of every citizen. After Operation Redemption is completed, the vaccine—if it’s still needed at that time—will have a role in building the new nation.”
I frowned. “Whoa. You’re putting the vaccine on a back burner?”
“Tell us about Operation Redemption, and why you don’t think we’ll need a vaccine,” Clutch stated pointedly.
“Yes, of course,” Aline said. “Redemption is a multi-phased plan to eliminate the infected. Mike, if you’d please.”
“It’s a straightforward operation,” Mike said. “The first phase was to reestablish government and build a network of survivors. New Eden is a link in that network. We continue to search for new groups of survivors every day. However, we’ve acquired enough resources to deem Phase One a success. Phase Two is now underway and nearly complete.”
“Saturation bombing the south,” Griz said.
Mike nodded. “Yes. Bombing was our initial offensive, followed by a cleanup effort. Our losses have been higher than originally forecasted, but we’re still making headway.”
“What happened down there?” I asked.
“Zeds proved more resilient to radiation than we’d planned. Those that didn’t burn didn’t die, despite receiving deadly radiation levels. Our fighting force is down over ninety percent since the offensive began.”
“Jesus, that’s not an operation. That’s a slaughter,” Clutch said. “How many troops are left?”
“At last report, eight hundred and sixty. But, don’t worry. The zeds have suffered great losses as well. We estimate that there are fewer than one million left that pose any kind of threat.”
My eyes widened. “Those are impossible odds. Every soldier down there would have to kill over a thousand zeds. Why haven’t you pulled them back?”
“We need them to hold the line until we can implement Phase Three, which is our largest offensive yet.”
“And, what would that be?” Griz asked, his words dripping with distrust.
“The Orange toxin,” Mike replied. “One of the provinces led us to a warehouse supply of a highly improved version of the dioxin TCDD. You see, TCDD was first used in Agent Orange, and it still bears the same color. Orange has killed all the zeds in our tests.” He took a breath. “Unfortunately, Orange also kills everything else. Even with carefully mapped drop zones, we expect significant losses when we deploy it. But, it’s the only way to eliminate the zed threat.”
“You’ll kill everything,” I said breathlessly, in shock at his words.
“Sounds like you’re taking the ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ approach,” Griz said.
“We’re doing what’s necessary to survive,” Mike said.
“We didn’t even know about the government or provinces until we ran into someone from New Eden,” Clutch said. “There must be thousands of others like us. What are you doing about them?”
No one answered.
“Ah,” Griz said. “You’ve already written them off. That’s some plan you’ve got there.”
I shook my head. “The Orange won’t work. Dr. Gidar said the virus was resilient. He discovered that the virus becomes even more contagious outside the body. That’s why the virus spread so quickly during the first hours of the outbreak. If you kill all the zeds, the virus will become even more of a super-virus for some time. You need to vaccinate everyone first. Otherwise, your only other alternative is to kill every living human being on this planet.”
Aline gave me a condescending smile, as though she were entertaining a child. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But, to your point, yes, we will employ the vaccine. However, a vaccine doesn’t address the immediate threat of those already infected. You’ve said it yourself, the vaccine is a prevention, not a cure. We are at constant risk until we eliminate the current zed population. Therefore, spraying Orange must be our highest priority.
“Phase Three has long been approved for delivery,” she continued. “The drones can’t handle the weight, so we’ll spray Orange via fire bombers. We will deliver it over areas outside the vicinity of each province under our protection. Then, each province will be responsible for eliminating any remaining threats outside the kill zones.”
“How long will the toxin be viable?” Clutch asked.
“In tests, it has broken down in only seven days,” Mike replied.
“As you can see, Phase Three will work,” Aline said. “And, the matter isn’t up for discussion. We are moving ahead with Operation Redemption.”
I was less optimistic. “Orange kills everything. What will be left afterward? What about long-term effects to our food and water supply?”
Mike spoke. “Testing to determine any long-term risk isn’t possible. But, we know Orange will work.”
I shook my head. “Orange will work. Despite your good intentions, you’re going to be responsible for genocide.”
“I thought nuking several states was bad enough,” Griz said. “That’s nothing compared to willingly poisoning your own country.”
Aline frowned. “We cannot afford to take moderate measures. People need to feel like we’re doing something drastic. The troops in the south are down there to improve morale here as much as to hold back the herds. The idea of them down there, protecting us from the herds, is keeping hope alive here. The Orange is the same. Deploying it is as much for the citizens’ hope as it is to kill zeds. The capital is in its infancy. Every step we take now must be to benefit the capital. I hate to be blunt, but no matter what, the capital must survive. If the capital falls, the entire country falls.”
My mouth had dropped more and more with each sentence. I thought of Jase and how easily he could be killed by a threat he couldn’t see. “You only care about the capital. That’s—that’s—”
“That’s bullshit,” Clutch completed for me.
“I was wrong, about what I said earlier,” I said. “Your intentions aren’t good, they’re selfish. Provinces like New Eden and the squadrons in the south are nothing but pawns to you, aren’t they?”
“We’re not criminals. We value the provinces, and we’re not intentionally killing anyone,” Aline said. “In fact, we take the provinces into consideration with every plan we discuss. But, the end result must lead to the capital’s survival. As long as the capital thrives, we can reform this entire continent. You can’t say that for each province.”
I came to my feet. “Where’s this Dr. Franzen guy?”