I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 661

On June 22, 2001, under the leadership of Randy Larsen and Mark DeMeyer from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biological Defense Strategy (CCBS), the Strategic and International Studies Center, and Analysis Services, a nationwide evaluation of bioterrorism emergency response procedures was conducted.

The operation was code-named Dark Winter. The simulation, which focused on assessing the adequacy of the national emergency response to biological terrorism, was carried out in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

The simulation of a localized smallpox attack on the three cities quickly led to the conclusion that within just a few days, the number of civilian casualties far exceeded the U.S.'s emergency response capabilities, and the simulation was halted.

Shortly thereafter, the newly established UPMC Health Security Center released some shocking findings.

Attacking the U.S. with biological weapons would have a profound negative impact on national security and national interests.
The current organizational structure and capabilities are entirely inadequate to prepare for biological warfare attacks.
The U.S. medical and public health system, along with the pharmaceutical and vaccine industries, are critically lacking in their ability to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of patients and manage such a crisis.
In the event of a viral outbreak, handling the media would become the most critical challenge for any government.
The use of infectious biological weapons would lead to severe ethical, political, cultural, legal, and operational challenges in the process of controlling disease spread.
In a House committee hearing on the fight against bioterrorism, Democratic Senator Sam Nunn, who assumed the role of President, warned the Speaker of the House about the results drawn from the Dark Winter simulation.

At the time, in 2001, the U.S., with a population of 280 million, had only about 12 million smallpox vaccines in stock, and senior officials involved in the National Security Council (NSC) were faced with challenges equal to the number of available vaccines.

What was the best strategy to contain an outbreak? Should new national or state vaccination policies be introduced? Would it be better to implement a rolling vaccination or focus on herd immunity? How many vaccines should be stockpiled for the Department of Defense (DoD)?

Priorities for vaccination, the role of the federal government in emergency response systems, and whether to activate the National Guard… Among these discussions, several decisions were made.

Provide the public with complete information as quickly as possible.
Implement Vaccine Distribution Policy Option 1 (vaccinate first those in contact with patients, healthcare, and public safety personnel).
Secure sufficient separate vaccines to meet the immediate needs of the Department of Defense.
Prepare a presidential statement for the media, detailing the decisions and actions taken.
As a result of a series of simulations, the participants realized that the leaders were completely ignorant about the nature of a bioterrorist attack, the available policy options, and the consequences of those options.

But it didn’t end there. The amount and breadth of data and expertise available in the medical and public health sectors, the readiness of vaccines and medicines, casualty management capabilities, and the resolution of conflicts between federal and state priorities all became apparent.

Many issues emerged, became part of the agenda, and some were addressed. The quantity of reserve vaccines and medicines increased, and a biological preparedness policy for about 10 years was outlined.

While some policies proved effective, the preparation for the coronavirus, one of the largest real-world confirmations of a hypothesis, was not enough on its own.

Since the virus struck, societal structures had changed, and issues such as logistics, food and energy crises, and pandemic inefficiencies arose.

At least the problems were raised, and the necessity to address them became ingrained in the minds of both citizens and governments, but the passage of time was more intense than expected.

A decade passed, and the U.S. faced the unknown January of 2030.

It was when the northeastern U.S. temperatures reached an average of minus 15 degrees.

"…This is why it’s unfortunate to meet you, Mr. President. It’s a pleasure. I’m Dr. Cal Redfield from the CDC. I’ve been tasked with explaining the recent surge in viral terrorism."

"Biology class was the last time I took any kind of class on that in college. There might be a lot of unnecessary questions, so please be cautious."

"I’m here to answer those questions, sir."

January 17, 2030, Thursday. Washington, D.C.

Inside a government office with a classic but pragmatic exterior, contrasting with the howling winter winds outside, Henry Michael Brayton, the next president, sat in a chair staring intently at the projector.

Slides passed by his eyes, and at the same time, vague memories of his past biology classes flickered in his mind.

Dr. Cal raised an appropriately blurred image of a body and began speaking.

"The subject is a male, estimated to be around 30-35 years old. The time of death is estimated to be around one day ago, and autopsy results show that the cause of death is multiple organ failure. Currently, the CDC is working with the Health and Welfare Department in Kips Bay to implement the ELISA protocol and identify the virus."

"What’s the ELISA protocol?"

"It’s the fastest method to detect the virus’s antibodies and antigens. We’ve currently narrowed it down to the virus being Ebola."

"…Hmm."

In an instant, Henry’s expression tightened. Ebola, in New York.

However, figuring out who or how this could have happened would be something for later. His mind began to methodically think about the next steps. First, contact the Health and Welfare Department and allocate isolation zones.

But the next moment, Dr. Cal moved on to the next slide, and Henry added:

"Luckily, it seems like initial measures have already been taken."

"Three hours ago, all people who came into contact with the individual, including the coroner, medical staff, and police, have been temporarily isolated, and we are monitoring the situation and developments."

"How did you know it was a virus?"

"We gathered data from the subject’s movement records, hospital patient charts, requested tests, and testimonies from the wife. Unfortunately, no suspects have been identified through this process."

Henry nodded. He knew why Dr. Cal mentioned a terrorist suspect. A virus like this, especially one as deadly as Ebola, would need to be stored with extreme caution, and it was nearly impossible for such a virus to be circulating in society.

That was what it meant for such an act to be called terrorism.

Clears throat.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Cal continued.

"According to our tracking, the subject was a supplier who delivered goods to a restaurant in Manhattan once a month. He was in Manhattan during the incubation period, but it’s confirmed that Ebola does not transmit during the incubation phase."

"That’s completely beyond my expertise, but Ebola usually appears in hot regions. It could be something entirely different. You should focus more on isolating and preventing potential patients from spreading the virus."

"Understood."

"I recall that during the Dark Winter operation, there was an emphasis on closely monitoring social media... I’ll take care of that myself. You just stick to your task."

Before his term even officially started, he was already facing an unprecedented crisis.

But this was just the beginning, and Henry sighed, watching Dr. Cal leave. His next call would be to the Department of Homeland Security, the Public Health Service (PHS), and the Department of Defense.

He might have to request additional funding from Congress for this terrorist response.

Endless political maneuvers, backdoor deals, countless debates, enormous financial costs, and more... After going through all that, he was granted the glorious opportunity to steer the world’s most powerful country.

But at the end, and at the beginning, he felt a deep sense of unease and burden.

"Share the current situation with the DoD Cyber Command. We need to monitor public opinion trends, and if possible, gather disease-related data from other countries."

"I will inform them."

The die was cast.

As his term began, he had to do everything he could to avoid falling into the worst kind of lame-duck scenario, or perhaps to prepare for the worst-case scenario that had not even arrived yet.

However, unfortunately, he could not prepare for what was coming. A catastrophe far beyond what he had imagined was already on its way.

Most importantly, a long, dark winter was approaching.

What is life?

A person’s way of living, and the security and safety guaranteed by the individual’s actions or the societal systems in place to support them.

But no one knew that the life of a single person was fundamentally based on the fragility of society.

As time passed, the world’s systems became so complicated that it proved that a single person’s knowledge could never sustain it, and now no one even knew how to control it anymore.

Oil.

Power.

Shipping.

Transportation.

An international supply chain was formed to ensure that necessary goods were delivered on time, becoming the foundation of society. This was the dawn of the so-called global age.

However, people’s minds didn’t scale with the systems they created. With their complacency, they failed to prepare for a catastrophe capable of shaking or shattering the very foundation they had built.

And someone created that catastrophe with their own hands, while someone else became the harbinger of that disaster.

Thus, on Black Friday, 200 million people flocked to the nearest supermarket.

They became the spreaders.

Contrary to many experts' predictions, this virus seems to be an extremely dangerous, unidentified variant of the flu.

On January 20, President Henry Michael Brayton, having just taken office, rushed the Public Health Service Command (PHSCC) into Central Park, setting up large health centers and triage facilities to handle the crisis.

Just days into his presidency, Henry Michael Brayton wielded unprecedented power.

Even though the exact number of confirmed cases was unknown at this early stage, biochemical response teams were deployed to the virus’s origin, and emergency supplies and gas masks were distributed before people even finished preparing to evacuate.

He did everything he could and spared no resources, pushing for the analysis of the unidentified viral strain and the production of vaccines.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was that what he was facing was not just a virus.

...This can no longer be called a virus. It’s more like infectious nanomachines based on nanotechnology. The virus's lethality and infectivity should never coexist, but this virus satisfies both.

Based on the emergency situation, SCATANA (aviation traffic contingency plan) has been declared. The president will announce to the public that the situation has escalated from an epidemic to a global pandemic...

All cities in the U.S. are now under lockdown. The Air Force is doing its best to drop supplies into Central Park, but this has only caused large crowds to congregate at its center...

There are widespread power outages, gas leaks, and reports of fires, and large-scale looting is anticipated.

The chaos far surpassed any previous predictions.

The temporary Omega virus, as it was called, exhibited lethality and infectivity that could not naturally occur, and it did not lose its contagiousness even in the harsh, minus-10-degree weather.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Unusual-colored clouds and lightning have been sighted across the world...

Some individuals are exhibiting bizarre behavior, resembling animal forms.

Emergency responders are presumed dead or missing, and due to inexplicable interference, communication with the health centers in Central Park is intermittent...

The president must be evacuated! To the military complex in Cheyenne Mountain... Aaaagh!

Boom.

At the dawn of the pandemic, the U.S. Capitol and the remaining members of Congress were reduced to ashes. Whether it was a gas explosion, a terrorist attack, or something else, no one knew.

However, it was a grim reality that, amid the chaos, highly flammable gases and explosives had been planted along the railway lines connecting to the Capitol.

The news that parts of Washington D.C. were ablaze reached the White House, just 2.5 kilometers away, without delay.

Marine One, the presidential helicopter, was hastily deployed, and those aboard it, along with the first family, hurriedly boarded Air Force One, which had been quickly brought in.

Two planes took off simultaneously, but before they could reach Colorado, the President and his family were hijacked.

It wasn’t until then that Henry realized that all the events that had occurred were part of a planned terrorist attack. But by that time, the plane was not heading to Colorado. It was flying toward New York for an emergency landing.

In the midst of what had already turned into a chaotic hellscape at JFK International Airport, Henry prepared for the landing.

How had things come to this?

But it was too far from the past now.

He raised his hand and signed electronically.

[Executive Order No. 51 // Approving the activities of Information Control and Regional-Uniting Support System (ICARUS).]

[Purpose: To preserve vital facilities such as information communications, power, gas, banking, transportation, water supply, and emergency medical systems, and to prevent terrorism.]

[Electronic signature verified. The activities of ICARUS are hereby approved.]

[May God bless America.]

When society collapses, the Phoenix rises.

It was the moment when a light was lit in the long darkness.