Paul Kirk - Devastation Point

“Nicole? Yes, ma’am, she’s real hard to miss.”

“Watch how you talk about her, Keenan,” warned O’Malley.

“Yes, Keenan, Major O’Malley has a budding romance with young Nicole.”

“Oh, yeah? Okay, sorry. What about her?”

“You see the baby? CJ?”

“Sure.”

“That’s Colonel Connor MacMillen’s son, though he probably doesn’t know this.”

Major McLoy and Captain Dawson glanced at one another.

“What’s that got to do with us, colonel?”

Colonel Starkes sighed. “Okay, I can see the continued reticence and stonewalling. I’m gonna need to fill you in with some details about the H5N1 virus that you don’t know about. It’s important.”

“Okay, colonel, go ahead.”

“First off, I’m a colonel in the United States army. Understood?”

“Sure.”

“But I’m also a trained epidemiologist. And, I was working as Deputy Director at DARPA when the Cuckoo Flu started annihilating the population.”

“DARPA?”

“I’ve heard of DARPA,” said Captain Dawson.

“Good, captain—why don’t you fill in the major?”

“Yes, ma’am. Sir, it’s like the secret research branch of the army. They deal in all the cool stuff like extracting alien DNA and creating superhuman soldiers.”

“Okay, captain,” interrupted the colonel. Major O’Malley was suppressing a grin. “That’s not quite right. I’ll take over from here, if you don’t mind.” She faced Major McLoy. “DARPA Special Projects was assigned by the Joint Chiefs to develop a viable vaccine response to the Avian Flu epidemic. We were in close coordination with the WHO and the CDC. You’ve heard of those organizations, haven’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Well those agencies asked for our help through both official and unofficial channels. They knew we’d made great strides in protecting our military men and women against some very hostile viruses in combat zones.” She cleared her throat. “Both agencies knew our basic core inoculation of soldiers on active duty was elevating survival rates across the world by at least twenty-five per cent. Of the many soldiers who traveled extensively, nearly half of them had their families inoculated, too. Unfortunately, we didn’t stand much of a chance against H5N1. It had an aggressive timeline—it was a monster strain. I remember the damn thing would mutate every time we thought we had a handle on it. Then we had to start all over again. It was like chasing a runaway bus heading for a daycare center. And once it went airborne and started mutating aggressively—well, there wasn’t much we could do.”

“Ma’am, you did everything you could,” said Major O’Malley softly.

She smiled at him, appreciating his words. “Okay, where was I?”

“You were filling us in on why you’re looking for Mac,” answered Captain Dawson.

“Is that what he goes by, captain?” asked the smiling Colonel Starkes.

Evan Dawson blushed and hung his head so as not to see the look of derision from Major McLoy.

“Continue with your story, colonel,” said Major McLoy, “and then we’ll tell you what we know about Mac.”

“That’s real good, thank you, major.” She thought for a moment, her finger to her lips. “Well, here’s the deal. H5N1 essentially destroyed the human race. When you add in the impact from the radiation fallout from the unmanned nuclear power plants—the body count climbed. And the number of unburied bodies created unchecked diseases like cholera and a host of others, which created more bodies and poisoned a good bit of the water supply for a few years. Before we knew it, well over ninety-five per cent of the population was gone. Probably closer to ninety-nine percent overall mortality by the second year after the initial virus vector.”

“We’re doing okay though, ma’am,” argued Major McLoy. You and the major and your people are doing okay and we’re doing okay up on the mountain. We’re still here… we beat this Avian flu.”

“Yes, that’s true, captain. On our end, we were lucky enough to regain control of the nuclear facility real close to Mount Storm right away. Certainly helped with electrical supply, water purification and sustainability of the remaining population. We were able to man several other sites in time to keep them contained. And it took a lot of time and work, but we rid the area of all the bodies within fifty miles of Storm.”

“Is there more, ma’am? I mean about the virus?”

“Oh, sorry, yes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. H5N1 and its airborne viral strain mutations had a hidden weapon in its arsenal that’s only come to light in the last few years.”

“What was it, ma’am?”

“It hit men below the belt, literally.”

“What?”

“H5N1 left all human males sterile . My lab confirmed this repeatedly the past few years. We’ve tested well over five thousand men the last three years from all around the country. The virus has rendered all men sterile. The few reports we received from other countries suggest it’s a global event. Further proof is in the absence of children. Have either of you seen any kids under the age of six?”

Dawson and Keenan shook their heads. The four of them looked through the window at Nicole and CJ.

“So, I guess not all men are sterile,” said Keenan. “Mac beat the odds.”

“You don’t seem surprised, major. I don’t know how Colonel MacMillen is different from other men. Do you see that other woman out there?” she asked.

“Of course, colonel, she’s a knockout.”

“Yes, she’s quite beautiful, major. Anyway, her name is Amanda and she was with Colonel MacMillen for several months—they were split up in an altercation in Cleveland. She’s the reason we’ve tracked the colonel to this point.”

“What’s that got to do with anything, colonel?”

“She’s pregnant. A few months along.”

“Terry’s gonna kick his ass,” said Dawson. He looked at Keenan. “Sorry, major.”

“Ahh, I guess it doesn’t matter, captain. The cat’s way outta the bag, I guess.”

“Who’s Terry?” asked Colonel Starkes.

“His wife,” answered Keenan.

“She’s alive?”

“Yeah. Well, at least she was about a month ago.”

Major O’Malley smiled at the news. They were on the right track. It was clear now why Colonel MacMillen braved the travel all the way from Australia. He was coming home to see his wife. He needed to know if she were still alive—he was coming here to find out. “Does Colonel MacMillen have kids?” asked Major O’Malley.

“Yeah, major, they got two kids—Liam and Shannon. He has two brothers, too. Andy and Mad Dog—ahh, Ryan. They’re both ex-military and still alive. His two sisters didn’t make it.”

“What else can you tell us, Keenan?” asked Colonel Starkes.

“Ma’am, I need to let General Harmon know. I should do it now.”

“In a little while, major.”

“No, ma’am, it’s gotta be now. General Harmon knows Mac very well. The general is probably Mac’s closest friend.”

“Major McLoy, you can contact your superiors in a few minutes. Tell me what else you know. I’m guessing he’s trying to make it back to a place he has in the mountains and he suspects or hopes his family is there. Where is his place?”

“It’s on Dinner Bell Road, ma’am, about a mile from Route 40.”

Major O’Malley removed a map from a pocket, opened it, and flattened it out on the desk. “Show us where this camp is,” he said to Keenan.

Keenan laughed gently. “It’s hardly what you’d call a ‘camp’, major. Route 40 runs right through the mountains—in fact, it runs clear across the country. But Mac’s place is right here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the map less than a mile east of Nemacolin Woodlands and over a mile north of Route 40.