Dawn of a New Day

by Mariano, NIck

  Mengele wrote that they were also successful in figuring ways to disperse the virus when it arrived in America. He said that normally the virus would have to be airborne for maximum effectiveness; however, they had also figured how they could infuse it into the Americans’ water supplies without the chlorine and other water purifying chemicals having any effect on the super strain. Since the virus was normally airborne it would spread naturally from one person to another in the same manner as the common cold. Once a significant number of people became infected, the virus would have a steamrolling effect and spread rapidly, especially in densely populated areas. Mengele wrote that his team had already developed special canisters for both transporting the virus and for an aerial dispersal of it at selected cities on the East Coast. A second type container could be used to infuse the virus into the water supplies, which normally had little in the way of security. Mengele said that their initial testing on some of the Auschwitz inmates was very promising and that they were confident they had been successful in their development of a new super virus. Additional testing might be necessary, however, given Hitler’s timelines, he said they were ready to proceed with deployment.

  Himmler said that he was scheduled to meet again with Hitler and he told Mengele that when the Fuhrer approved the plan they would proceed. Confident that this would happen, he instructed the doctor to make ready the canisters for deployment as soon as possible. Mengele said they had adequate supplies of both the virus strains and special canisters and would start to get things ready.

  Before his next meeting with Himmler, Mengele wrote that he decided that he would conduct some tests of their newly developed super strain virus to make sure that it was everything he had promised to his SS boss. The camp already had a number of controlled areas that could be used to observe subjects and determine if the virus was as effective as Mengele and his staff thought it was. Mengele said that he decided that he would use both male and female test subjects of varying ages, some youths, middle-aged persons and some of the elderly. This should give them a good sampling for determining if the virus affected everyone in the same manner.

  Using one of the special aerosol canisters they had developed, the subjects were placed in two large control rooms and the virus was quickly introduced by means of the ventilation system. The rooms were then hermetically sealed and everyone sat back to see what the results would be. No significant changes were noticed with the subjects after two days. On the third day, however, several of the subjects began to display symptoms of the flu and started sneezing and having running noses. The fourth day produced additional results when several subjects began to display tumor like growths on their necks, arms and legs and began to become lethargic in their movements and mannerisms. By the fifth day everyone was now covered with growths over their entire bodies and some of the outer tissues began to discolor and turn black and blue. Many of the growths started to ooze fluids, blood and pus. By the sixth day some of the subjects had already died, however, the remaining individuals became highly aggressive in behavior and soon began attacking each other. It was at this point the Mengele said he decided to introduce a number of new patients who had not been previously infected. Almost immediately the infectees began to feel out and finally attack the uninfected individuals and killing them within a matter of minutes. Mengele wrote that even he was shocked when several of the infected subjects began to actually eat the body parts of the victims they had just killed.

  Mengele said he and his staff had expected dramatic results from this super strain of virus, however, the test results were even better than they could have hoped for. The virus would cause mass casualties wherever it was dispersed, and once infected, the victims would either continue to spread the virus like the common cold or turn people into zombie like creatures who went on a killing spree whenever they encountered other people. The results would be staggering and the Americans wouldn’t know what hit them until it was too late. Even the Doctor had no idea how this virus could be controlled once it got started. Death by incineration or destruction of the person’s frontal lobe were the only two solutions Mengele could come up with, without further experimentation.

  Once all the test subjects had died or been killed, the medical staff donned special protective clothing and removed the bodies for further examination and autopsy of the bodies. Almost all the originally infected inmates were completely covered by oozing sores and tumors and most no longer looked human. Further examination of the bodies revealed a massive failure of the lungs and several other major organs and when the brains were examined, the staff saw that it too had large tumors growing on several of the lobes, thus accounting for the erratic and violent behavior of the initial test group. The doctors had succeeded in developing a strain of virus that mankind had never experienced before and once it was unleashed on the Americans, the results would be devastating. Those who managed to avoid being infected would run and hide for fear of becoming infected. Industry and manufacturing would come to a standstill and the American war machine would grind to a halt, at least temporarily. The group was sure that both Himmler and the Fuhrer would be elated when they were told about the tests results.

  Mengele, however, later decided to tell Himmler about only some of the test results, least he has second thoughts about releasing such a weapon against the Americans. He wouldn’t tell his SS Boss that infectees had eaten the flesh of those that they killed, as he feared that Himmler might be repulsed and stop the deployment of the virus. He also instructed the doctors and staff who took part in this experiment that they were not, under any circumstances, to disclose to anyone what they had witnessed during the course of the experiment. The two men were scheduled to meet again in a few days, following Himmler’s meeting with the Fuhrer. Mengele said he knew that once the Fuhrer approved the plan nothing could stop its deployment. The doctor was eager to get the green light for this endeavor. He was confident that it could turn the tide of the war.

  During their next meeting Mengele told Himmler that they had introduced some non-infected subjects into a control area to see how infected individuals would react toward them. He said that almost immediately, the infectees began to size up the uninfected subjects and shortly thereafter attacked them. He said that the attacks were of a very violent nature and that within fifteen minutes all the uninfected subjects were dead. By the end of the seventh to eighth days all the subjects in each containment area were dead or on the verge of death. Autopsies performed on all the infected subjects revealed the same results. Individuals suffered severe lung infection and destruction of lung tissue. Tumors had erupted on numerous parts of the body, to include the face, chest and arms and legs, and tumors and other malignant growths had also formed on the subjects’ frontal and parietal or side lobes of the brain. The new super virus had exhibited characteristics of all the viruses used to produce it and had intensified the effects of each virus used. Both men agreed that the virus that had been produced would meet Hitler’s objective of inflecting devastating results on the Americans on their own soil. Himmler told the doctor that during his last meeting with the Fuhrer, Hitler had given final approval to proceed with the deployment of the virus once Himmler and Mengele were confident that they were ready to carry out the mission.

  Mengele assured his colleague that based on the results of his testing he would be ready to package the virus so that it was ready to be moved to the American shores in about two week’s time.

  Mengele wrote that Himmler disclosed that three U-boat Captains that had been selected for this mission and that their boats were being final checked prior to sailing from Germany and France. He told Mengele that although he told the commanders about the urgency of their mission and that they would be carrying a highly classified cargo, he had not told them the exact particulars about what the actual cargo was. He had instructed the commanders that the precious cargo had to be kept under lock and key and that at least one sentry had to be posted around the clock with the cargo to insure its safet
y and so that no one tampered with it. He concluded by saying that all U-boats would be ready to set off for their targets in America as soon as the virus was ready for transport. He added that it had to be completed before July 4th. Mengele wrote that Himmler told him that the sub pens at Bergen, Germany and Lorient, France, would be used for launching this attack on the Americans. Himmler had intentionally picked the departure date of July 4th, the date of America’s Independence, as a kind of humorous starting point of what was about to happen to the unsuspecting Americans. Groups of Hitler’s famous Waffen-SS were providing added security on the subs to ensure that nothing went wrong during the final preparations. Besides deploying his SS units to the sub pens, Himmler decided that he would have two SS members sail with each U-boat to ensure that the cargoes remain protected throughout their long journey and to serve as a landing party for the cargo. Only the Captain of each ship was aware of the true identities of these men. Himmler had picked three of his best U-boat Commanders to carry out the mission.

  Commander Hans Falke, of the U-756, would head due north from Germany toward the East Coast of Canada and North America with a heading to Newfoundland and St. Johns, where he would then sail southward towards the shores of North Carolina for a rendezvous with German operatives already in place in America.

  Commander Hans Walkerling, of the U-532 and Commander Heinz Salman, of the U-751, would depart from the sub pens at Lorient and begin their journeys to the American shores. Walkerling would sail directly across the North Atlantic on a zigzag course to the Carolinas and Salman southward toward Florida, before turning north to his final destination. The U-boats would navigate to the American shores in about two week’s time and the commanders would deliver their cargoes to German operatives before resuming their regular patrols off the eastern shores of America.

  Mengele went on to write that three containers with the super virus were delivered to the sub pens in Germany and France and that the U-boats departed as scheduled on July 4th. He said that once the subs departed Himmler never informed him about the results of the mission and so he believed it was a failure since no reports were even broadcast about the Americans being attacked with a biological weapon.

  One of the last diary entries said that Mengele had one day encountered Himmler several weeks later and decided to inquire about the subs and the virus. Himmler told Mengele that Berlin was finally notified by German intelligence agents in the U.S., who advised that two of the U- boats had failed to rendezvous with them as originally planned. They had no idea about the fate of the subs and the local news media carried no stories about sunken German U-boats, although the Americans usually censored the wartime news to exclude such information, especially when it was something close to its shores. No word about the third U-boat was ever received by Berlin and Himmler believed that this too had been a failure. Himmler said that he considered deploying the virus again but decided that he would concentrate Germany’s war efforts in other areas, particularly on improving the V-2 rocket. Himmler said that he was disappointed with the results but confided in Mengele that he believed the end was near for Germany. He said that the Fuhrer was furious about the failed mission and had gone into seclusion.

  The CDC Team was elated by the information contained in the diary and hoped that the CDC and scientists at Fort Detrick could find a cure for the virus since they now had concrete information about how Mengele had engineered the virus. The diary and additional information on the experiments at Auschwitz were sent to the U.S. for further study and evaluation.

  ELSEWHERE IN THE US

  Although the spread of the virus was much slower in the U.S., there were still enough major incidents catching the public’s eye to instill an increased sense of fear among the population. Nine infectees, or “Walking Dead” as the newspapers were now calling them, made their way to Annapolis, Maryland, and wondered onto the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy. They managed to make their way to one of the dormitories and gain entry even though sentries were posted around the Academy. After that, it was a blood bath. In the early morning hours many of the midshipmen were preparing for class and several were showering. The infectees gained entry into two bathroom areas, and after the attacks were over, almost 100 midshipmen lie dead or gravely wounded on the floor. An armed response finally arrived and initially it was difficult for them to differentiate the infectees from the wounded. After the shooting was over the dead toll was almost 150, as several innocent bystanders were shot and killed by soldiers who were already on edge and had responded to the incident. The wounded were evacuated to military hospitals and some were taken to Fort Detrick for study, as their doctors knew that with no cure on hand, the midshipmen would either die or turn in the next few days.

  In another incident in Virginia, ten infectees gained entry onto the heavily guarded grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency and although they never gained entry to any of its buildings, they did manage to attack over a dozen employees before heavily armed guards responded and neutralized the threat.

  In Arlington, Virginia, five infectees gained access to a U.S. Department of State Annex Building during the nighttime hours and when employees reported to work the next day, they were greeted by the walking dead, and attacked one by one. Over two-dozen employees were killed before armed response from the Diplomatic Security Service and Arlington Police could arrive.

  The list went on and on in the Washington area of large and sometimes very small incidents involving the infectees. Even though the doctors and scientists knew the super virus had damaged most of the frontal brain lobes, the infectees still displayed a remarkable degree of reasoning and were able to evade detection by security forces that were patrolling the streets of most cities. In another instance, one Walking Dead was able to actually start an automobile and drive it a short distance. He then exited the car and entered an apartment building on foot and went on a killing spree of tenants who were unfortunate enough to come into the hall areas, for whatever reason. During the same incident, the infectee knocked on an apartment door and the person inside opened the door without first checking to see who was there. The result was disastrous for the tenant.

  Transportation was at a standstill and most businesses remained closed. Schools were closed and parents kept their children indoors and close to them. Only police and military could be seen on the streets during the day. Checkpoints encircled the Capital and most military sentries were given orders to shoot and ask questions later, if they encountered anyone at night. Washington and most American cities had curfews that started just before dusk and went into the late morning hours.

  Elsewhere in the neighboring states reports of skirmishes with the infectees were constant. Even though the situation in America wasn’t as bad as Asia, it was still very bad. People were beginning to run out of food and basic essentials and the government continued to work on ways to get supplies to everyone without exposing them to danger. Delivery to each and every home was an impossibility and the government tried again to set up distribution stations at major sections of the city, with the hope that people were now getting desperate enough to venture out and collect some supplies. Streets were heavily patrolled to give everyone a sense of security, however, the occasional run in with infectees kept many people indoors. The government also tried to set up shelters for people and several large sports complexes were set up for evacuees. Buses transported them from pickup locations around the cities. Many people took advantage of the shelters, however, most thought back to what had happened after hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and shied away. They had seen the news coverage of people without adequate food and water and with poor and unsanitary facilities to live in. They knew that a lot had gone wrong after Katrina and that this would probably be another example of government inefficiency.