by Keith Martin
The firing stuck, Ashley got a burger with fries on the way home …Otto was a proud papa, and Ashley had proven herself a leader; a child sized powerhouse.
* * *
Now, she had taken the lead in dealing with a virus. The network she set up to track its progress was doing a great job. With the help of the military around the world, she was getting the picture as soon as it happened. Mountain ranges slowed it, and international flights spread it.
She canceled all flights to the west coast of the US within hours of virus touching down. All flights worldwide were canceled just shortly after that. The Air Force was ordered to fire upon any flight without her clearance. It acted on those orders a few times in the first two days. She would not risk the virus reaching the west coast before everyone possible was off the planet.
* * *
The lab was the clearinghouse for information on the virus as it spread. They were receiving calls from world leaders at a rate that required doctors be recruited to help with the phones.
General Kelly at Yucca Mountain called the lab to find out what they had found before he ordered a retaliatory nuclear strike …he had to know who that enemy was, and he was furious with no idea who to shoot at.
“Who did this to us Doctor Chisholm?” He demanded as soon as she got on the line.
She could tell he was looking for someone to kill for what the people of the United States were enduring. “That is Professor Chisholm, General Kelly, don’t apologize Sir, we don’t have time for it, please call me Ashley. At this point we have no idea who is doing this to us. But we are looking into the possibility that it is extraterrestrial in nature, which means there is no one to strike back at.”
“Are you saying that this thing came from space?”
“No sir, I’m saying; it looks as if it came from space. We’ve only had the virus a few days; in that time we have determined that it is totally unknown to us. None of us on staff have ever seen this before. Just bringing it into the lab infected us, and downwind from the lab also... We lost thirty-five men. Now that the lab is infected, we will lose the rest of our male staff as they try to reach the compound. That will leave seven hundred on staff. We are scrambling to recruit female staff replacements. It is the fastest acting virus we have ever sampled. This is the ultimate weapon if that is; what it is. I for one don’t think that’s what we have here. I’m leaning toward the… it came from space theory.”
“Why Ashley?” He asked disbelievingly.
“Well General Kelly, would you make a weapon that would end all life for mankind then release it?”
“Of course not, I would have to be insane to do a thing like that.”
“Exactly, we know we have invented some stupid things in the past, like the nuclear bomb, but we didn’t blow up the world with it. So I think a sign of life from space just hit us, and it’s kicking our butts. If I were you I would start thinking about saving as many men as you can. But at the same time, think of getting women off the planet before they are infected with this. I know my brother; Commander Joshua Chisholm is doing just that as we speak out of Vandenberg. I suggest you join in his efforts instead of trying to figure out whom to kill.” She wasn’t going to sugar coat it. The time for games was past.
“Will it be safe for us here in the mountain if we lock the place down?” The fear in his voice was clear as a bell.
“I’m not sure of anything Sir, I only know it seems to get through everything and I don’t know how long it will last.”
“Understood Professor, please keep us in the loop here. It seems the White House was hit and we have no one leading the country at this time. We are attempting to figure out who is alive and next in the line of Command. As soon as we have any news we will pass it on to you.” As any good military man he was looking for guidance from his Commander, but they were all dead.
“Thank you General, the one thing you can do right now is to help track it. Get women in the field to report on its progress as it moves across the planet. That will give us some time to get all shuttles off planet before it kills the flight crews.”
“Consider it done, I will report to you hourly.”
“I know this is hard for you, the enemy you can’t see and all that. But if we keep our heads we will prevail. The goal now is mankind, not a chunk of land!”
“Understood Professor. Good luck and God bless.” He hung up and Ashley sat there for a few seconds trying to digest what she had just learned. The most important thing was that her brother was the only one in command of the shuttles.
* * *
The Air Force sent down a C-130 with a Mobile Communications Unit and a security force of sixty females to support the force on guard at the lab complex. It didn’t surprise her when other C-130s touched down with cargo holds filled with supplies for the complex. Food and ammo, armored personal carriers, a mobile kitchen, housing for the new guards, Weapons enough to fight a war with, guard dogs with their female handlers, concertina wire, anti air missiles. The compound was being turned into a firebase.
Ashley’s added request was for fuel and choppers. She wanted to be able to move fast if she had to. The general sent over a flight of six; three were gun ships.
All these forces were put under her direct control. The General put their lives directly in her hands and gave her a field commission of Colonel. She told everyone at once, that she would only use the commission if forced to do so. She had no experience as a warrior and planed to keep it that way.
Ashley found the Captain in command of the force and asked her to take control of all outside security issues. She also told her to order anything she needed to keep the complex operating for as long as it would take to find a cure to the virus.
“I’ll be taking over the hangers then. We will need room for storage, and I’m bringing in more troops. I think we should have at least sixty on duty at all times. This place is huge. If I’m going to guard it, I want to do it right.”
“Sounds like we’ll get along great, I’m Ashley.” She shook the Captains hand.
“My name is Captain Free’ Mom and Dad where hippies.” She giggled a little as she said it.
“Ok Free, one thing you should get ready for are the insects. With all the dead biomass out there, it’s going to get bad for a few weeks once they start cleaning up. I’m talking about more flies then anyone has ever seen. For a while, no one will be able to go out. There will be room for the troops in one of the labs during this time. They have filtering systems that can handle it. So as soon as you get your people set up, get with me to figure where we put your troops. I’m sure the hangers can be sealed up to withstand the swarms also, but it will take some doing.”
This was something she hadn’t thought of. She understood why the General had ordered her to take her orders from this woman. Just thinking of it gave her chills. “Colonel, you lead and we will fallow.” She responded smartly.
Ashley smiled brightly and shot back. “Great, first order is that you never call me Colonel again. Ashley will do just fine. I’ll call you Free, if you’re good with that?”
“Sounds like a plan to me Ashley…. Tell me about these flies your expecting?”
* * *
Seven days had passed when Ashley got another call from Shianne. She could hear the exhaustion and despair in her little sisters’ voice. “The bodies are getting ripe, and work is getting more difficult with every passing hour.”
I’m sending a ride to pick you up. Things will start getting worse in a few days. Larval and pupa stages take around ten days, so get ready for pick up”
“I’m needed here Ashley.” Shianne wasn’t thinking clearly, the harsh reality was that there was no way to clean up all the bodies. Mother Nature was going to do this cleaning.
“Shianne, I’m sending a helicopter for you now. Tell me where to touchdown. It will take two hours or so, don’t argue; just tell me where to touchdown?” Ashley was not taking no for an answer; Shianne could hear that in her voice.
She knew better then to argue with Ashley when she used that tone of voice. So she just gave in. “I’ll go to Central Park, the baseball fields. I’ll have on a red jacket. Tell the pilot not to land without seeing me personally. Some of the women are getting violent. It’s starting to escalate, I hear guns firing all day.”
If anything could make Ashley spring into action, Shianne’s last words did just that. “The helicopter is on its way right now. Don’t go getting yourself killed while I’m trying to rescue you. Dad would never forgive me.”
“I’ll be fine Ashley, anyone shooting at me will die trying.” Shianne said with conviction. “I’ll be waiting for the ride.” The line went dead.
Ashley ordered Free to get her sister and told her of the rendezvous site. Within minutes she heard three gunships taking off.
* * *
The government as it was known in the United States, no longer existed. The virus had spread out over the Atlantic Ocean and was decimating Europe, infecting men all the way to the tip of Africa. The President’s wife, First lady Dora Humphries, took over the office on his behalf. No one raised any opposition to this move. The Military didn’t want the job, and she was known as a good woman.
Her first job in office was to ask the wives of those men who had held government offices and to join her in running the country. Almost to the woman they answered the call to service.
* * *
With the seeds of power again sown in the White House, the President called her top Commanders of the Armed Forces for their advice. The Commanding General at Yucca Mountain advised her to contact Ashley Chisholm at the lab in Pennsylvania and gave her the number.
Ashley was surprised when answering the phone to discover who was seeking her advice. “Ashley Chisholm here.”
“Hello Professor Chisholm, this is President Humphries.”
Ashley almost choked on a lung full of air. She had seen the news of the First Lady taking office. She never thought she would be speaking with her on her first day. “How may I help you Madam President?”
“I need to know what to do next for the people of the country. General Kelly informs me that you are the foremost expert on this subject. So I put myself in your hands Professor Chisholm, I put the lives of all of us in your hands. What can I, we, do to ready the country for the virus when it reaches the west coast? Also, how long do you think we will have before it reaches there?” Ashley could hear the fear in this women’s voice. She gained respect in Ashley’s book for doing what was needed despite her fears.
“Madam President….” Ashley began.
“Please, since we are working together, and we are just two women trying to do the right thing for everyone, make it Dora would you?”
Ashley liked this woman more and more. “That’s fine with me Dora, I’m Ashley.”
“Great Ashley, now, to the work at hand.”
Ashley could tell the President was relaxing now that this was less formal. “Well Dora, let me say that as we get to know each other I will pull no punches or try to blow sunshine your way. I’ll just give you the facts, and let you know what I’m positive of. Agreed?”
“You sound like a pistol, we will get along great, go ahead, let me have it.” She sounded more confident.
“We estimate the virus will be reaching the west coast in four weeks, at best. If it continues as it has, and there is nothing to indicate that it won’t, it will kill all the men on the planet within four weeks, six weeks on the outside. There will be a few holdouts, men in submarines, and men in underground bunkers. But they will eventually fall victim to the virus. At this time, there is nothing to stop it from happening. Our only hope is the men were taking off planet right now.”
“And what men might they be?” She had no idea what Ashley was talking about.
“My brother is Commander Joshua Chisholm, of the Shuttle Flight Squadron. He took Direct Command of the Shuttles Fleet, without orders, as soon as this began. He has taken about a thousand men and women to the Moon. He also increased staff on the International Space Station, to maximum capacity. Now he is shuttling up supplies and tools so they can live on the Moon indefinitely... if need be.”
“Sounds like you have quite the brother Ashley.” Expressing her approval of Joshua’s abilities. “I will make sure he is left in control of the shuttle service and make sure everyone knows his command has my approval.”
“You will get more out of the Chisholm family than you know Dora. My sister is Shianne Chisholm, the designer of the Galaxy Class Shuttles Thrusters, and she is the best around when it comes to making things go faster. Our father, Otto John Chisholm is at the Moon base now. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from him either.” She finished introductions.
“Well thank God your family is on our side.” The President wondered how one family seemed to have so much control without having the power granted to them by office. Yet she understood that these were not normal times, and extreme measures had to be taken by extraordinary people to make it through this devastation. “It sounds like you Chisholm’s have everything under control for us.”
“There’s one more thing you should know right away, the flies are going to take over the cleanup of this dead biomass. They will start to hatch out in just a few days and then it will get worse and worse for about forty days. Then their life cycle will be over. I estimate that they will get so thick in some parts of the country that we won’t be able to go outside at all. We need to get livestock and all manner of life under cover and into a place where the flies won’t be able to penetrate. It would be wise to be ready no matter what.”
“I agree Ashley. I will get some people on that right away. What about what’s starting to happen in the cities? I’m told that there are women banding together in gangs, robbing, looting and killing as if they’re crazed. How do we gain control of that situation?”
She knew this would not be easy to accept, “Dora, there’s nothing we can do right now. It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. For now, I would just protect those who will help to raise our country out of the ashes. I’m talking about making a fortress, someplace you can defend with weapons, and you will have to. The White House would be a good place. After September eleventh it was made into a hardened shelter. All the glass there is bullet proof and the walls are lined with steel. If you gather your forces there, you should be fine. It will take a while for things to settle down where you can begin to take control. It’s not that these women are evil, they’re in shock and desperate. They’re going to freak out for a while. These women have lost husbands, sons and lovers, their lives are shattered. It will take time, a lot of time, for recovery. Those who survive will have become stronger women.” She exhaled deeply knowing she was not painting a pretty picture for the President. “Dora, I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but it’s the way it will happen. People are stunned, disoriented, grief stricken frightened; we can try to save as many good people as possible.” She paused again, to collect her thoughts. “Looking at the flip side of this coin; we had an over populated Earth. Close to 10 billion humans were destroying all natural resources. We estimate by the time the men die, and the spread of disease takes its toll on the women, our population will be less than three billion. This number will grow smaller with each passing day. The planet will start to heal very rapidly. For us humans this is going to be a double- edged sword. It’s terrible; but our planet needed it to happen. Now, how do we bring back our men to all live in a better world? That’s the new question we have to answer.”
The President didn’t respond for a few seconds. She was trying to digest everything Ashley had told her. It was a view she had not contemplated. No one around her had painted such a bleak, yet promising picture for her. Her so-called advisers only told her of the need to clean up the bodies, how to gain power, how to defend the United States from other countries. They were only interested in the power of the office. They were not thinking of the world as a single unit. Ashley had ope
ned her eyes to what was really at stake for Earths existence. From this point on, she would form a world government of the leaders of all countries, whose goals were for the people, comfort and equality for all women on Earth. A solid foundation would be formed for mankind’s future. “One more question for you Ashley… How do I bring the warring third world nations into a world government? How can we keep them from fighting?”
Ashley was impressed. This woman was thinking straight and looking for the changes the Earth needed. “Well I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think many will survive in the third world nations. Those nations will self-destruct before this is over. What’s needed right now, is to pull in those who will help you in building a new world from the mess it will become. Keep them alive and safe. After a month or so, you can come out and start to work on the rest of it. There’s no point in expending your energy right now, it will all change in just a few weeks anyway. Ride this first wave out, stay on your board, and make it back to shore. The rest will be waiting for you once you get there. I promise you there will still be an Earth to live on and grow from when this is over. It will be hell on Earth for at least four weeks straight. There is no stopping it, and there is no running from it.”
Dora knew she would be talking a lot to this woman. She was wise, …well beyond her age. “I will take all your advice at face value. We have a lot of work to do Ashley. …Will it be ok if I call from time to time?”
Ashley gave the President her cell number and invited her to call anytime. “I’m on call Dora, any time day or night. Can I reach you on this number?”
“Yes. This is my cell number.”
“I’m going to pass it on to my father, I’m sure you two will have a lot to talk about.” Ashley informed her.
