The Nano Experiment

by Wid Bastian

  With his hand and half of his arm still under the seat, he heard the unmistakable two tone whine of an incoming missile. Forged Bay’s automated sensor system was still active. It would only be seconds - not nearly enough time to find the emergency pack, open it and activate the transmitter.

  I have to buy time… Acting on instinct Alandreian strapped himself into the seat and started up the engine. It came roaring to life. The aircraft was already pointed down the runway. Having only the most basic idea of what to do, Alandreian pushed the throttles forward and took hold of the control stick. In theory if he pulled back on the stick at the right time it would send him airborne.

  As the plane neared the end of the runway, the General pulled up and the fighter began to gain altitude. While Alandreian was struggling to maintain his ascent, the first nuke hit. The blast wave slammed into the aircraft sending it careening out of control, like a cork in an ocean wave.

  Miles downrange the fighter pancaked into the base of a mountain. It was torn apart, cherry red debris of metal melted into the snow and burning fuel sent black smoke billowing into the sky.

  Alandreian was still alive looking through the reinforced cockpit. He felt like the end of the world was unfolding right before his eyes. The mushroom cloud was massive. In the freezing cold temperature, he felt warm blood running down his side. While it didn’t hurt, his left leg was broken and his femur bone was poking through his flesh.

  The last nuke hit Forged Bay. Alandreian watched the fireball climb into the sky.

  I failed, the General said to himself.

  There was nothing left to do but die.

  The Horror of the New World

  Carter didn’t make it. The intense Light Rifle fire he absorbed in the reactor vent tube proved to be too much even for his enhanced physiology to handle. After Cassia and Kano landed in South Africa, Kano knocked the pilots unconscious and Cassia infected them. They became the first two nano monsters outside of Forged Bay. They were the vanguard of the tens of millions to come.

  Both the Western and Eastern Alliances desperately tried to locate and destroy Cassia and her growing army of nano monsters. While they had some limited success in finding and eliminating a few nano pods, Cassia’s disease spread like wildfire – first through southern Africa and the Mid-East, then in India. China and Japan fell right before the Americas did. Western Europe held out the longest, but twenty years after the nano experiment ended with the destruction of Forged Bay Cassia’s army conquered what was left of Free Europe.

  Cassia’s reach extended to every corner of the globe creating new life forms that answered only to her. The eco system of the planet was decimated. All manner of living things, any type of animal from a bacterium to a mountain lion, were infected by Cassia’s ghastly nano-human mix.

  Monsters feeding amidst rubble – the twenty third century was a dark and ominous time on planet Earth. The nano armies were like locusts that destroyed everything in their path. They fed on flesh, any type of flesh. They seemed to have no preference, either animal or human would do. When there was no uninfected flesh to feed on, the nano monsters often turned on each other.

  In addition to Cassia’s infection, the original nanites were also loose. Cassia unintentionally released billions more of them when she destroyed the Western Alliance Command compound in southern Argentina in 2155. For the vast majority of people, exposure to the nanogene (the original nanites) did nothing to them. The nanogene sat dormant in their system. For a few, the nanites turned them into violent, deformed creatures that the nano monsters were particularly fond of consuming. But for others, some very special others, exposure to the nanogene enhanced their abilities – mental and/or physical – to extraordinary levels.

  Fifty years after Cassia set her nano plague loose across the planet, human beings were surviving in small groups, a few thousand in isolated parts of the globe. Most people lived exclusively underground or in giant caves. Generally speaking, the colder the climate the better because nano monsters, now known as The Plague, generally did not like temperatures below freezing and most could not function below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

  There were no more Western or Eastern Alliances – one world government maintained an army exclusively devoted to one aim, find and kill Cassia. She was the key. As far as anyone knew, Cassia remained the sole source of the nano plague. For half a century they had tried to find and destroy her with no success. Cassia seemed to live on indefinitely. Scientists speculated she might have an indefinite lifespan and be able to regenerate new cells at will.

  In the extreme north, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Russia human beings built and defended substantial enclaves. But increasingly The Plague was adapting better to frigid temperatures. It seemed as if it was only a matter of time before they found a way to reach and kill the last remnants of humanity…

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Neron, hey Neron! Pay attention son!” Coach Aoky yelled from across the gym. His annoyed tone of voice let Neron know that he had been trying to get his attention for a minute. Neron did not intentionally ignore him, but he did have a bad habit of spacing out from time to time. Coach didn’t care about his issues or accept excuses.

  “Neeeron!” he shouted mockingly.

  “Yes Coach Aoky,” Neron replied in his usual diminutive voice.

  “Get over here right now, you're up!” Coach Aoky's voice echoed off the stone gymnasium walls.

  ​ Neron could feel the sticky, gritty texture of the old mats under his bare feet as he walked towards his opponent. Jed had once again been “randomly selected” to be Neron’s sparring partner. Every time Coach thought that Neron was ignoring him he chose Jed to give him an attitude adjustment. Jed was twenty five pounds heavier than Neron and one of the top fighters in the class.

  ​ When Neron reached the center of the mat Jed was standing there waiting for him. Jed was sporting a cocky smile; his ugly, crooked teeth on full display. Nobody made fun of Jed's desperate need for an orthodontist, or for any other reason, because most of the kids were afraid of him.

  ​ Coach Aoky shook his head in mild disgust as he looked at Neron with the same distasteful glare that he usually gave him before he sparred. Then Coach said, “Okay boys, you know the rules. I want a clean, friendly fight. Touch hands and don’t stop until you hear the whistle.”

  Neron laughed to himself every time Aoky repeated this little spiel because Coach never actually covered any rules. Nevertheless, Neron nodded his head as if he had been told something meaningful and steadied himself for the fight to come.

  ​ Jed taunted Neron with a menacing stare. He opened his mouth to say something clever, but before Neron could make out any words Coach Aoky blew the whistle. Jed swooped in and took Neron down, landing with a heavy thud right on top of him. The back of Neron’s head slammed hard into the canvas. The familiar texture of the dimpled and soiled mat pressing against Neron’s face actually relaxed him and helped calm his nerves.

  ​While Jed was busy throwing his weight around, Neron’s attention was focused elsewhere. He looked at the damp cement ceiling and noticed the prominent water stains caused by the permanently leaky roof. The parallel lighting fixtures running from the back to the front of the gym temporarily mesmerized him. His classmates were dressed in ill-fitting sparring uniforms. Neron noticed that the students' shirts were either too short or too long and that they were decorated with holes and patches and with the number of their society, thirty nine, stamped in black ink across the chest.

  Looking down at the bloodstained mat, Neron couldn’t remember which stains belonged to him or why he even cared. Then a drop of Jed’s sweat landed underneath Neron’s eye and snapped him back to reality. Jed was already tired. Neron could read his energy. This was something he had been able to do all his life. Neron was just about to tap out and quit without further effort or pain when Jed finished what he started to say at the beginning of their match.

  All Neron heard was “...
and your sorry excuse for a family”. He didn’t know what Jed said before that, but it didn't matter.

  Jed had just made a serious mistake.

  ​In a quick and athletic motion Neron scooted his hips to the right, planted his foot in front of Jed’s face, grabbed his arm with both hands and leaned all his weight back arching his hips as hard as he could. Neron knew that Jed would tap out, but it didn’t matter. He lost it. Neron moved so fast Coach Aoky didn’t have time to react; before he could blow the whistle Jed’s arm was broken.

  ​By the time Neron had come to his senses he was sitting in the lobby of the principal's office. He noticed the principal's secretary, Mrs. Vanderbanks, perched behind her desk. Neron caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass that separated the main office from the lobby. ​He was a complete mess. His medium blond usually well-kept hair was sticking out in all directions. He had a black eye underneath his already unusually black eyes and he was still dressed in his sparing uniform. Neron’s bare feet felt cold against the smooth stone floor.

  ​ Neron lifted his head up and saw Mrs. Vanderbanks looking at him from behind the counter. Then she said in her screechy monotone voice, “Neron.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Neron replied hesitantly.

  “You know that your mother is going to give you a good whooping for making her come all the way up here to the school again, especially during working hours. And you just wait until she finds out what you did to poor Jeddah Stricklin.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Neron said again, hoping that would be the end of the lecture.

  ​ Luck must have been on his side because just then the phone rang. Mrs. Vanderbanks forgot about lecturing him, grabbed her phone, and started gossiping with whoever was on the other end. Her bright red lips were moving a mile a minute.

  Waiting for his mother and thinking about what happened Neron was annoyed. He could never remember anything after his blackout sessions. He wondered how long it would be before his mother got here and what she would say when he told her that he had blacked out again. But most of all Neron was worried about his little sister being hassled for what he had done to Jed. He was not the most popular kid in school and his sister with her big mouth always tried to stick up for him.

  Besides his mother, Neron’s little sister Shayla was the closest person to him and his best friend. She was twelve, two years younger than Neron. No one could tell that they were related by looking at them. Her curly brown hair, light blue eyes, and rounded facial features were completely different from Neron’s. Their mother said that Neron looked different because he was the first boy born in the family, but Neron never understood why that mattered. Because he had missed lunch Neron’s stomach growled drawing him away from his wandering thoughts and back into the present.

  That's when Neron’s mother walked in. Despite the stern look on her face as she approached Mrs. Vanderbanks, Neron noticed a hint of a smile and immediately felt relieved.

  “Hello Elian,” Mrs. Vanderbanks said in her best judgmental voice. Elian and Mrs. Vanderbanks didn’t exactly have the best relationship.

  “Hello, may we skip the formalities so that I can get back to work?” Elian asked.

  “Well you -.”

  “Look Michelle, I don't need to be lectured every time my son gets dragged into the office. Maybe if there was more done to prevent him from getting picked on we wouldn't be in these situations.”

  Stunned, Mrs. Vanderbanks slid Elian the release form. Signing it she said, “I’ll be picking up Shayla now too. I don't have time to come back here and get her later. If you have nothing else for me we'll be leaving now.”

  Before Mrs. Vanderbanks could respond Elian turned around, grabbed her son’s hand and they walked off.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They called their city New Fairbanks because it was situated in a mountainside north of the old, now destroyed, city of Fairbanks and near what once was a major oil pipeline. Everyone knew that the land they lived in was called Alaska which was, long ago, a state in some country called the United States of America. The area became part of the Western Alliance in the early twenty second century when the world split into two spheres of influence.

  It was cold in New Fairbanks except for brief periods in the summer, like now. In the summertime, the snows left and the sun stayed in the sky for over twenty hours a day. Night was just a brief period of twilight. The people of New Fairbanks loved summer, as it allowed them access to fresh air and sunshine, but it also greatly increased the probability of an attack on their city by The Plague.

  Two years ago The Plague made it as far north as the old port of Valdez, but an unexpected miracle happened. A weeklong, early winter like cold front in September forced them to retreat. No one had reported any nano monster activity north of Mt. McKinley in the past decade.

  Thirty five years ago the first one hundred residents of New Fairbanks arrived and took advantage of some natural caves to carve out for themselves a home they hoped would be beyond the reach of the horror. Now New Fairbanks was a thriving human settlement of almost four thousand souls.

  In the mountains of central and northern Alaska there were a dozen such human colonies, all separated by wide distances. They kept in constant contact by ancient shortwave radios. For whatever reason, The Plague could not monitor low frequencies. The colonies traded resources and supplies on a regular basis.

  One of the settlements, Far North as it was called, was basically a giant greenhouse turning out fresh vegetables year round. Each settlement had its own unique function – one processed and stored petroleum products, others made clothing, furniture, etc. New Fairbanks was the educational center for the settlements. All of the settlements sent their children and young adults here to attend school. Due to a growing population, Fairbanks Academy was over populated with more than two thousand students. They stayed in dorms until February when the extreme cold fronts hit. The community leaders believed that was the safest time to send the children in transports back to the settlements.

  Neron and his family lived in New Fairbanks year round. Elian, Neron’s mother, worked as a professor in what passed for a university. She taught biology, physics and nano physiology. Neron’s father was a soldier in the government army, but he was killed shortly after Neron’s sister, Shayla, was born. Neron had no memory of him.

  Massive titanium alloy doors that were rarely opened guarded the main entrance to the city. People lived in apartments carved directly into the rock face. The city was constantly under construction. Vents to the surface, protected by reinforced, metal nets and explosive charges that would detonate at the first sign of Plague activity, provided an adequate supply of fresh air.

  The area surrounding New Fairbanks was patrolled for a hundred miles in the four cardinal directions. Radio towers, guard shacks and check points were manned around the clock.

  Shayla was Neron’s everything. He adored his baby sister. If Shayla wanted extra food, Neron gladly gave her a portion of his rations. She loved chocolate, so on the rare occasions when some was available Neron always gave her his allotment. Whenever they were together, especially when they were outside, Neron hovered like a hawk ensuring that no harm came to her.

  In fact, protection was Neron’s most highly developed instinct. When his father died Neron became the “man of the family”. Although he was scrawny – barely five eight, with an undeveloped physique – Neron had special abilities. When he needed to he could call upon tremendous physical strength. As a toddler, he had picked up a three hundred pound piece of steel that had fallen from a construction crane and landed on his friend. In grade school, he lifted a half ton piece of rock off one of his mother’s friends – the rock had fallen from a demolition project that was not properly secured.

  These exploits, however, were not in Neron’s memory. He was told about them by his mother, sister or friends. Every time he did something extraordinary he blacked out. And while his mother was proud of him and adored him, she downplayed every inciden
t, refusing to acknowledge anything meriting special praise.

  But there was more to Neron than the ability to move heavy objects in a crisis. He had an almost uncanny sixth sense about people and events. While he could not read minds, he could read intentions and anticipate immediate actions. Weakness of any kind was something he picked up on quickly; if someone was vulnerable he knew, it didn’t matter if they were a friend or an opponent.

  Again, Elian never let her son speak about his gifts to anyone outside of the family. She clearly did not want people thinking Neron was special. While he never knew quite why his mother behaved this way, Neron never questioned her motives or judgment. He kept silent about his abilities and tried his best to just be a kid, what passed for an average young teenager in New Fairbanks.

  “Okay,” Neron said. “Watch me. It’s a plastic disc. You toss it to the other person like this.” Neron flicked his wrist pointing it directly at Shayla. “When you do that it spins and flies.” Neron threw the disk to his sister. She squealed with delight as it went a few meters and landed at her feet. “Okay, you try it now.”