I.

Entrance

Cold blackness gave way to a brilliant bright light. It tore the flesh in miraculously bold orangish
streaks from a silver capsule plummeting into an atmosphere. The atmosphere heralded the entrance of
sin. As the foundations of Reicpra had been established in this way many Kaydii ago, so was John
Vanirs coming. His vessel wouldnt be the first to crash into Arborth but it would surely be the last.
Some time ago as John braced for an imminent impact the rapid entrancement of gravity had made him
lose consciousness preemptively. As the voyaging vessel came to a fevered pitch it whined across the sky.
The whining echoed across the vast expanses of Blia, rippling its dreamy turquoise blue into a frenzy.
Johns crisp aged greyish blue eyes weaned open, strands of curly dirty blonde hair fell in front of
his gaze. He removed his hand from a safety harness. The worst of the entrance into this foreign
environment was already over. John scratched his somewhat long reddish brown beard. It was incessantly
itchy, probably because he had not shaved for, an impossible time to be able to fathom. He released his
other arm then pasted both hands against the side of the vessel to lift him out of his seat. When he raised
up, he noticed a pungent aroma. He hadnt held anything in from his last meal, while being unconscious
Johns body physiologically thought it was dying so extricated what it could. It was a sign to him he was
not dead or dreaming.
He looked at his fingers, 1,2,3,4,5. It was a subconscious trick his psychiatrist had taught him to
tell when he was dreaming. John used to have the most vivid dreams. It all seemed like a dream to him
anyways at this point. Then he looked out the only window to this new real experience he could reach.
There was blue water below him. It streaked almost glowing following the path of his pod. The glow
below the turquoise was strange. It reached out to him, not physically, but emotionally. He could feel the
planet's surface he was approaching speaking to him. It was a firm mothers rebuke, urging him to go back
to where he had come from. Warning him what he was bringing was no use to this place. Never the less,
John, would be on the surface in a matter of minutes. From his small viewing window it looked like he
would splash into this perpetual ocean. Then scattered among the blue John saw land. A large stretch of
islands, which he quickly passed over, leaving behind any hope a terra landing would be possible.
In any situation a water landing would probably be better. Only because before John left, he
forgot to familiarize himself with any manual telling him how to land properly. How these craft were built
was supposed to be push button. Meaning, he pushes the button and it goes from A to B. A had become X
though, and John was oblivious to where he was. His body had weakened to the point where he could
only lift himself to the one viewing window. There was another behind the controls in the co-pilot seat
directly behind him. Out of his peripherals he could catch glimpses of it. Sparks still being tossed up
behind the craft. To anything viewing Johns vessel from below it must have looked like a meteor. It was
time to figure out how to land now, with this reality coming in only minutes. Soon John thought he would
make a freefall, something sounding just as horrific as you can imagine. He had no register of what
elevation above the surface he was. There was only a thumbprint sensor and a now broken touchscreen
display.
John began to repeatedly push his thumb against the sensor. First gently then subsequently harder
until becoming beyond frustrated. There was frustration in his grimaces behind the red beard but strangely
no fear. He had no such luck with the finger scanner, either the power to the controls had failed or critical
pieces of the machinery were damaged in entering the planets atmosphere. John hoped the pod would
float, there was no reason it wouldnt. A darker shadow cast in through the viewing window. It could
have been anything, a cloud, maybe the night time approaching. John wedged himself out of his fecal
covered seat again to peer through the observation window. No, it was no weather anomaly, it was land.
The star now in front of him had cast a shadow across ominous peaks he was close to taking a life ending
collision with. Almost as quick as he saw the peaks, John plopped down into his seat. He felt the wetness
of what he was sitting in soak into the back of his pants. He vomited, something, possibly bial onto the
touchscreen dash. Then inappropriately he started laughing. First a whimper then manically.
He had come this far to die right here. It was irony comedy and tragedy all rolled up into one final
moment of Johns interesting existence. If only anybody knew the firsts he had taken for mankind. How
could they though? How could they have known his future, if the future he had written for himself didnt
even exist? The laugher transitioned to clenching of his teeth. He grinded them mercilessly. If he had the
time he would have been biting his nails. The craft now started to tilt upside down in its freefall. It
couldnt have been a worse situation. The waste John had left poured down over his body. He closed his
eyes and held his lips shut to prevent anything from getting on him. The result of the vessel turning
upside down also had forced John to buckle into his safety restraints. Then John stared upwards, or
downwards, trying to avoid the cascading fecal remnants. All of this occurred while a solid small land
continent came closer and closer. His eyes strained upwards to glimpse first vast green valleys
surrounding large mountain ranges, taller than any of the cascades he thought for a mere second.
A noise startled him from his locked gazed and homeward reminiscents. You have arrived! It
was the touchscreen reviving itself for a few seconds before its destruction. John squinted his eyes at the
screen. It was a now dimly lit screen flickering behind a streaked vail of yellow bile. The background was
white with a boeing logo in the foreground. Text laid over top of the logo in bold faced print
congratulations you have arrived. Johns lips were chapped from a lack of hydration possibly, he licked
them then difficulty managed to speak possibly his last words, a little late you broken piece of-. Then
all John saw was darkness.
The craft impacted with Arborth deep in the mountain passes between Azziur and Ichenia, far
away from any civilization. It left an impact crater 12 feet into a mountain. John was unconscious, not
dead. He wouldnt awaken for another few Kaydiin. Luckily the material built into the craft was made to
resist incredible force of exiting and reentering atmospheres, even if that meant free falling onto solid
landmasses. This didnt mean this immense force didnt distort the shape of the craft. It had dug a wound
into Arborth. A wound the planet would not heal from. As it dug this wound the material twisted breaking
a large enough hold in the pod from behind the co-pilots seat for John to crawl through once he awoke.
As this would take a few Kaydiin, life resumed as normal on Arborth. Johns crash location was in a very
remote part of the continent. His eyes remained closed as the wildlife walked around the impact zone,
meandering gazes into the 12 foot tunnel, it was still too foreign for any feral creature to investigate. The
tunnel screamed danger, the wildlife being sensible on Arborth avoided it. Arborthians had never even
tread into these parts, so John remained not bothered by any outside influence. He was safe for the
moment, having done something no human had ever accomplished before to our knowledge; been the
destroyer of worlds not of his own. In time he would be known as the bringer of sin and transgressions to
a world which had conflict but had never bitten the apple.

II. Childhood

Johns father Jacob was a millennial. He had attended college on student loans, pursuing a degree
in French, before reaching his loan limit and being forced to work at a job he particularly was not fond of.
First he ran a street sweeper, then became a bricklayer, finally he settled into a job at the port of Seattle as
a longshoreman. It was a good wage, better than he would have gotten with a degree in French, he tried to
constantly remind himself. It gave him the ability to buy a house, a car, and raise a family. One night out
with his friends he met Emily.
They were mutually attracted to each other and within a few years of dating married. Emily
worked as a nurse at Harborview. She had actually finished college, at all places the prestigious
University of Washington. Her parents were from Mercer Island and her father had worked with Amazon
until retiring. Her family was more proactive with saving than Jacobs, and put Emily through school.
Emily helped teach Jacob to appreciate life, she was kind to him and always helped him strive to be his
best.
Jacob still retained his French passion, helping tutor high school kids in his spare time. Then one
fateful evening, the first reports of an emerging rapidly spreading form of the ebola virus in West Africa,
came across their television. Jacob and Emily had just sat on their couch to eat chinese takeout he had
picked up for dinner.
Jacobs world was turned upside down. The influx of media barraging Jacob about the virus, the
tally news networks kept of the deaths, and the images being shown gave him anxiety. His medical
provider recommended Cannabane. He could either visit the doctors office for monthly injections, take
cannibane pills, or buy packs of cannabane cigarettes. Money was tight with him and Emily so repeated
doctor visits for check ups to get the pills or injections was financially out of the question. Jacob chose,
much to Emilys regret, to begin smoking Cannabanes.
Within 24 hours the first reported cases of the ebola strain had spread to the east coast of the
United States, coming across on an unknown passenger flight. The news media dubbed the virus Jamais-
Vu, which meant never seen in French. It heralded this name from the lack of visible symptoms until
the near very end. The virus eventually would be found to be transmitted into the body through drinking
water. once in a person it causes the infected only to cough, not much unlike the common cold. It then
acted to transmit the virus onto a surface where it survived for nearly 24 hours. If during that period
another person unbeknowingly touches the surface then touch their mouth the virus proved to infect at a
rate of nearly 67%. creating an environment where attention to sterility in treatment and interacting in any
means with the infected sprung fear among the global populace. Beside the cough no symptoms show for
close to 15 days. after 15 days, massive organ failure occurred, then death.
In a matter of days, the disease began piling up a body count in major cities across the globe.
From New Orleans to New York City, Jamais-Vu had started to carve a path across the United States.
The most terrifying aspect to the infection is those first deaths had contracted the virus 15 to 17 days
prior. Meaning anybody you crossed during daily life could be a carrier and infectious. Families held tight
to their homes, taking no time besides work to be outside. Neighbors didnt talk to each other. Jacob
never said a word to the security guard Frank, like he usually would after leaving work. He lived in the
fear Emily would contract the disease at the hospital, he pleaded her some nights not to go to work,
although there were no reported cases in Washington state.
The cough as a symptom was negligible as a determining factor, half the country who smoked
Cannabane cigarettes had a cough. Did that mean they were infected? What if someone just had a
common cold? No chances were taken. Dextromorphan cough suppressant sales spiked, as everyday
citizens took the utmost precaution to prevent coughing in public. Rioting, looting, and organized crime
across the eastern parts of the country increased. President Crandall enacted martial law and quarantines
were declared in large cities on the eastern seaboard of the United States where the ebola strain moved
first from West Africa.
Effectively, the national guard enforced curfews and coordinated mass closures of travel into
entire neighborhoods of possible infected. This did not allow the disease to spread farther west in the
United States. in less than a week employing these methodologies halted the spread of Jamais-Vu across
mainland North America. Isolated incidents appeared in several states farther west including colorado and
texas. On an individual basis the outbreaks were handled by the local national guards.
The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta worked tirelessly on an update to the vaccines
available with no luck. Blood test were created to reveal who was infected. It became mandatory to be
tested for the virus, those who refused were quarantined. The red cross and the states national guard unit
conducted the screenings. Sometimes citizens would wait in line for nearly an entire day, to have the
booths shut down at five in the afternoon for processing. Results came in the form of a text to the patients
mobile.
Those infected left their homes with their family to go onto second processing. The family then
received a thorough screening by a red cross group of doctors. Anybody found infected joined the family
member in a quarantine facility. This practice became adopted worldwide. Any outbreak, even the
smallest, was deemed a threat to the human race. Within a few weeks, millions had died, but generally no
larger outbreaks happened any more. Martial law was abolished in most developed countries and the
major urban sites on the United States east coast a month after being declared.
The virus persisted in West Africa, decimating the population. It forced several nations into
disarray and sectarian violence. Congressman argued at financing a wall to be built around the region, to
prevent another catastrophe as the world underwent in the last month. The idea was seen as nonsense to
the public. The popular knowledge was many had died, and would continue to die in West Africa. The
popular opinion was even though risk existed for future infections these were people, not animals to lock
in a cage. Besides the global world powers had far more important matters to attend to.
Special envoys of CDC scientists were sent to the area to evaluate the situation. After weeks of
anarchy occurring amongst millions of deaths the scientists managed to isolate the first infected from the
north eastern mountains of Guinea. There in deep dense jungle forests the virus had been able to evolve
for several hundred years through the 20th century untouched among other mammal species as hosts
before becoming waterborne, an atypical characteristic to the ebola strain. The international response was
immediate. Jamais-Vu united the planet for a short time among a global economy quickly becoming
scant on resources.
Nations of the world pledged aid money and medical resources to the region. France, pushed by
its large francophone inherited responsibility, instituted a new tax to aid in relief. Money and time only
acted as temporary fix. People continued to die. Frances government during the initial outbreak did
various geopolitical moves to secure territories again in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia: also helping Spain,
and Portugal in exchange for land use. After the outbreak forced emigration to France of those not
infected, the government established settlement zones as an effective containment tactic using those
acquired land grabs to expand the french federation and provide living areas for their new citizens.
Suspected infected individuals were round up at first to be quarantined. It became a purging
movement for any of the West Africa region's governments to get rid of ethnic populations they saw as
non desirable. The lowest of society was targeted mostly, people considered waste of space. It weakened
their spirit, then ultimately strengthened whoever remained alive to push back. It didnt take long for
allegations to arise forming solid popular opinions. The allegations came among those who had watched
their loved ones die a horribly sudden painful death from Jamais-Vu or in the chaos following the
outbreak.
The consensus was, This was the work of the United Nations and the United States to kill us off,
to steal our natural resources.. Large portions of the affected populations in West Africa were searching
for answers. Those on the pulpit were providing them. Citizens began donating beyond their means to
support the messengers.
Then as the wealth accrued the story naturally evolved, They created the virus and planted it
here, and was instituted by our governments in exchange for money To, We can not accept any aid or
any foreigner or any proxy government in our country anymore. Strong attitudes against foreigners and
the governments became the norm. This even caused riots in major cities at many United States
embassies. The largest being a mass riot coordinated through social media at nearly two dozen diplomatic
posts on the same day. Windows were broken, employees of the embassies hid in fear under office desks,
the doors were barricaded, after the dust settled only a few were wounded. These were mostly the
embassy guards occupying the posts at the gates.
Finally the story took a far more devious turn, Any foreigner or current government in our
country is an agent of the enemy and they must be killed. Quickly sectarian violence became directed
towards foreign aid workers, missionaries, wealthy businessmen, tourists, and the ruling class.
Muslim zealots became the leaders of the movement, creating an African crusade against foreign
influence and Christianity. The United States withdrew all its aid-workers and permanently shut its
embassies. The countries in west africa united creating the U.A.I.S., Unified African Islamic States. Their
flag was divided into four colors each separated by a solid black ex running through the middle. Laid
center on top of the X was an Islamic Star and Crescent in green. Indigo symbolized idealism and
structure, it took its place at the top of the X. To the left turquoise, a powerful statement on the new
countries clarity in its governments vision. Yellow on the right, represented intellect. At the bottom of the
X was white, for purity, a promotion of the new nations traditional Islamic values. Within a week the
participating nations framed their highest government officials, assassinated them, or they committed
suicide.
The flag was raised in 15 countries now constituting the U.A.I.S. ; Mauritania, Mali, Senegal,
Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote DIvoire, Togo Benin,
parts of northern Ghana and parts of Nigeria including the whole of Lagos. Southern Ghana remained
independent of the assimilation of the countries into a mega Islamic state. The United Nations disbanded
12 former members and the world bank pulled funding to former African nation states as a response to the
declaration. All active bodies operating in those areas of NATO forces, the UN, France, and the United
States moved their operational headquarters to Accra Ghana and Niamey Niger. These areas, while
heavily contested, remained independent of the U.A.I.S. Securing the areas with a heavy military
presence ensured they would serve as vital operational bases if needed in the future.
Heavy unmanned flying vehicle surveillance of the areas happened. Any soldiers in the newly
formed territory in any capacity would be seen as acts of war by the U.A.I.S. government causing even
further heightened tension in the region. Several nationalist militias within the U.A.I.S. saw the drones as
reason to cause conflict across the territory lines against citizens of the neighboring countries. The
violence was short lived as the international community prepared quickly, then deployed a response to
halt the transnational conflicts. Peacekeeper forces were deployed to the areas outside the U.A.I.S.
borders, such as Accra and Niamey, threat of airstrikes loomed on Bamako if the nationalist militias were
not put into check. The U.A.I.S. government curtailed the militias temporarily and focused on their
domestic issues. The governments of the world also decided on a 20th century cold-war esque solution
to the rogue multi nation government, isolation.
On the border of the U.A.I.S. where crossing was possible a fifteen foot steel wall was quickly
erected by independent contractors. On each side of the wall was a no mans land striped of vegetation for
observers to see whomever approached. First it was unguarded, then as outbreaks of Jamais-Vu
occurred in Algiers, Tripoli, and Marrakech again NATO created a barrier defense force (BDF) formed
out of participating nations to keep U.A.I.S. citizens inside the wall. Being removed from the world
economy, agriculture and natural resource production actually increased in the U.A.I.S. region. Quality of
living also increased for what population remained after the first regional outbreak of Jamais-Vu was
contained through the governments ethnic purges.
Jamais-Vu re-emerged a few years later in the U.A.I.S.. Whether it was carried by mammals
again or lay dormant in a human for sometime is unknown. Again it killed off large portions of the
population, throwing the region into Anarchy. Refugees, possibly infected, piled at the wall forcing
NATO to commit a larger BDF to the region. The U.A.I.S. short lived government began to fall apart,
unable to protect the welfare of its citizens. The rulers solely blamed minority Christians in the region this
time for the outbreak. After this declaration outgoing media became illegal from the U.A.I.S. for several
months as leadership declared even domestic journalists foreign agents. High speed internet was disabled
by the government as a means of censorship. AfNet, the regions largest internet provider, loaded a
webpage with the ironic english text, We are undergoing renovations, check back soon. Thanks - AfNet
After heavy deliberation the United States president sent a diplomatic envoy to the area, along
with a detachment of Jamais-Vu experts not knowing what horrors awaited them. The envoys plane
was ambushed upon landing. The diplomats and scientists killed, their bodies roasted and eaten. West
Africa had fallen, the U.A.I.S. was a splintered government now divided among hundreds of tribes.
Food was even more non existent, as the waterborne virus restricted crop holders from growing
anything not watered from rainwater. Superstition ran rampant and even collected rainwater was
considered dangerous. Government soldiers were ordered to dump water caches across the country,
providing the citizens with no way to grow sustenance of any kind. Surplus agriculture accumulated by
the government was made into a rationing program. Government rationing programs fell apart, then
withered to a halt. Those who remained instinctively are thought to have resorted to cannibalism.
A news member, Miles Cannon, assigned to the diplomatic trip was able to escape through a
series of safe houses to Cairo with the first video footage from the start of the second outbreak to the
present day situation in the region. Eventually his reporting came across the viewing screens of the entire
world. His message initially was not that the governments of the world had to act, or that order could not
be restored without intervention, his message was his story. Cannon used the experience to attract
publicity to himself, to take a giant leap from a intern to a global media star.
Miles Cannon appeared on every major news network giving the same rehearsed story. I
watched the secretary of state get stabbed, carried from the plane, then thrown onto the ground. As he lay
there still alive bleeding out onto the tarmac, they descended on him like animals. Then his face was on
talk shows with the same story with slight variants in every presentation, As I travelled from safe house
to safe house I met good Christian people, who did their best to make my path avoid countless mass
graves where their fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters were. I cried for them but it was all any of us can
do. His attitude was to take advantage of the situation.
Cannon may have had experiences no one in the western world could compare to, but he knew by
milking the story he would build a career out of it. Every night though he experienced nightmares. Vivid,
lucid hallucinations of the experiences he had. Charismatic, these side effects affected him least. The
world became used to hearing Cannon speak on the subject, redundant to the point of tolerance. Although
he never intended it, his words failed to cause any action. Not because of his message but because all
nations were terrified of the potential of spreading Jamais-Vu again therefore isolating the area.
Vaccines had been created and distributed to those in the most developed countries. The vaccines
were generally ineffective in test though. Mainly they existed to convince the populations vaccinated they
did not need to worry about Jamais-Vu. Countries of the world were facing resource scarcity problems,
crops took longer to grow as summers got warmer. Food prices began to rise. There just was not enough
of everything, for everybody, anymore. Drought and heavy rains in atypical climates produced
environments fraught with natural disasters. News networks began to see the U.A.I.S. as an undesirable
story, besides Cannon's accounts, focusing inward.
Miles started coming onto the late night talk shows and news networks with a different approach
after a few years of being the news. The guilt of building a career around this tragedy had accrued to its
boiling point. This night on the nation's most watched news network he sat across the desk from the host
with his hands nervously folded in his lap.
He pulled his collar to the side fidgeting as he sat on the couch of a late night talk show host.
Miles wished to have a better answer to the often posed question, Miles Cannon you have been the only
news of U.A.I.S. since the second break out of Jamais-Vu, after this unfortunate time in your life you
began speaking, to nearly alls dismay, of the horrendous situation in this region. You went from a barely
known intern at a news network, to a news media icon. What is next for you? Miles was speaking in a
downtrodden tone tonight barely dribbling his words out tonight, I know, and Im sorry. Eyes across the
connected world began to flicker open, watching his next words. This was a Miles the world had not seen.
Miles always had a charisma about him, a drive as the snickers in his mind capitulated. His motivation
was to capitalize. He had a large house, a expensive car, and a beautiful wife with fake breasts. What are
you apologizing for?
The host eyeballed his producer just off camera with the gesture, what is he doing?. The
producer shrugged his shoulders then ran his arm in a circle, just roll with it. Im sorry, im sorry for
everything. for all this. For what Miles? the host leaning in towards the apologetic Miles. There was a
presence of liquor on Miles breath, the host would say in later interviews. It caused the host to raise his
nostrils smelling the despair in Cannons tone. Miles looked at the host his eyes welling up. Suddenly
Miles grabbed the host with both hands firmly by the collar pulling him into him. The host described the
emotion in his eyes at a later time, intense yet purposeful.
He screamed at a fear frozen television host, I let them down. I... told them I would save them
all. They are probably all no no no no! Miles pushes the host away back into his chair. Landing with a
thump the chair slid back against the set wall. Completely in shock the host made no effort to speak.
Standing Miles stared at the camera. You, you out there. You too, all of us. We all stood by, while
Jamais-Vu killed not just people but their humanity. At night I can see their faces, faces, faces staring
back at me as I lay in bed. Haunting bloodshot dehydrated diseased eyes. You think we are safe? How can
we be safe? We can send aid in the form of antibiotics, syringes full of preemptive vaccines. Has any of it
worked? No, the only containment is through death. In this overpopulated world we look at mass graves
as less for them and more for us. No wonder they think we started this? They dont bathe, they cant bathe
unless they want to risk infection. They are scared, scared that only isolation is the answer the world has
prepared for them. I held one child at a safe house. the residents claimed the child was infected. He was
chained to heating radiator starving. He cried because he couldnt understand, couldnt possibly
understand why he was being treated this way. I could smell him. The blood, piss, excrement. His belly
was swollen from hunger. There was no words he spoke, just attempts to open his overtly dry mouth. Do
all of you know what I go through every night? All you see, all I have seen, is greed. Greed to have the
latest information on the problem when you are not willing to participate in a solution. Greed I have self
produced. This all happening while we wrestle with our conscious on what to do as a species, I struggle
with myself living in this reality everyday. Inside every appearance I make on your late night
entitlements, where you poke and prod my brain to see the world as i saw it, it antagonizes me. Society
seems content constantly trying to find where my limits are. An effort that appears to always be normal.
The child i held, died the night before I left the safe house. I watched the mother carry its lifeless naked
emaciated body, no tears in her eyes, to a mass grave. As i departed the burning putrid sensation of the
mass grave being lit ablaze filled my senses. Everything we are ignoring, that we can do, came to fruition.
I threw up. As I walked away with another resident I saw the father of the child scooping up my vomit, to
cook later that evening. Ive purposely avoided all the details, giving only the synopsis of how bad it was.
I thought maybe it would be enough for change to begin, but time came and went. Everything I said to
now was just empty words. Then everyday passing where we failed to act as human beings, i died a little
bit inside. I threw up on these shows, for you to all digest just a bit of what I felt. I tried to smile at the
cameras, but after the first week when you all could not stop hearing the same story. When I was told to
not say anymore, not give my graphic details, I drew inward and wondered why a world dumbed by
cannabane could not handle this? Then I wondered how can we live like this, how can I -
Miles stopped his speech, staring out across the staring studio audience. Their perceived
judgement of him pressed down upon him like a heavy weight. The personality of the crowd was of a dull
dinner date. They had no reaction to any of his words, albeit they were spoken half sober. Their minds
had been scraped with a embedded rusted spoon to a level of reaction capable of very basic emotions. He
was responsible for this. By not speaking sooner, using his influence to enact change, he had allowed this
to be a reality the world avoided. If not him, who? If not now, then when?
His final act was pulling a pistol from his business suit. Without hesitation he placed the barrel of
the gun under his chin blowing away the back of his head onto the hosts desk on live television. His
action took only a matter of seconds. The audience had all become so accustomed to cheap studio tricks,
at first there was peculiar disbelief in what had just happened. To them it must have been part of the act,
the next stage in Cannons story. There was an unconstitutional silence, one very inappropriate laugh,
then pandemonious horrified screams as the crowd realized they had just watched a trendy cultural icon
commit suicide a mere few dozen feet in front of them.
The film crew rushed the set. Now sitting upright in his comfy office chair the host shook
involuntarily covered in bits of Miles. The producer came on stage to console him. Then the producer
gave a signal to cut the feed. Technicians shut off the camera. The most watched nightly talk show went
to commercial during normal program hours. The world dropped its jaw, their circus games and bread
had been interrupted violently. Within seconds the video was on every viewing screen forming a viral
emotional response. The latest natural disaster coverage was replaced with the moments right before
Miles took his life. His guilt driven insane rant was heard by all. Then some brave news producers aired
the footage, as it was already viewed by millions unfiltered online by that point. Minds, even on
cannabane, began to wake.
Miles actions would come to be known as an act of selfless sacrifice not suicide. The reason
being the next day a movement would begin, resulting eventually in liberation of the former U.A.I.S.
from its perpetual state of anarchy. Only after many years of bloodshed between both the international
coalition and whoever remained there.
Jacob was awake in bed that night cuddled up to a pregnant sleeping Emily He was sitting up
against the bed frame wide-eyed when the nightly news showed the footage. She sighed then mumbled in
her sleep, dont forget Jacob, dont forget me. His responsive thought was, dont worry, I wont ever
leave you. His arms wrapped around her tighter, then his eyes saw the burgeoning belly. The images
flickered light on and off the stretched nightgown as it swelled with Emilys breathing. Waving his free
hand slowly in front of the television it turned off, darkness flooded the room. He crawled under the
safety of the covers, pulling her closer to him. mmm baby, Im too warm tonight, she half spoke in her
sleep. He threw off her covers but remained under his. It was warm in the room but his shoulders still
shuddered. If he snuck out of bed to have a cannabane, she would wake up. He stayed motionless in the
frightening darkness. As dark as the room was, the white of his eyes were still visible. Jacob could not
unsee, what had just happened.
Despite having to be at work in just four hours at the shipyard, insomnia set in. He stared at the
dimly lit time displayed across the television. Putting his hand above the sensor with one finger raised he
turned on the alarm clock feature. Staring half conscious at the alarm time slowly inch forward the
minutes on his alarm raised two fingers. This set the alarm. He closed his fist then brought it back down
to his side to rest.
Life had continued as normal on the west coast, despite Jamais-Vus tragic impact on the east
side of the country. The virus expanded shipping operations at the port of Seattle. This facilitated business
moving to the area as a precaution, prompted by the actions of major national companies executives and
shareholders. Every major manufacturing industry once located on the east coast started to build in
Washington Idaho Oregon and California now. Jacob could only wonder with excitement and then worry
where his future child would fit into a world like this.
There was multitudes of opportunities for work, long into the future. Still the level of hardship
everyday people encountered had increased dramatically. Then there was the ever present opportunity for
Jamais-Vu to cause another global pandemic wiping everybody out this time. Jacob would go to any
extreme necessary to ensure all members of his family had the opportunities that could exist.
The people still existing where the disease started didnt want jobs or liberty: they wanted food
and water. When small detachments of armed forces from coalition nations greeted them to restore order
with the next few days, initially they were hailed as heroes. Even heroes can outerwear their welcome.
With no food or water humans resort to costly measures. Suicide bombings began against intervention
units and hand armed mobs stormed the liberation forces bases. Cheap effective Improvised explosive
device factories rose out of the barren ground in what seemed over night. The majority of them was
centered in the most dense urban centers. The occupation resistance movement created them. Night time
raiders would toss the IEDs over the security fences into barracks areas of the military. Firebombs
barraging the barracks claimed hundreds of lives in the first month before operational security priorities
were reassigned.
The work to be done was permanently redirected inward, at protecting self interests, then
whatever dedicated resources remained available for aid proceeded outward of the fences. Intelligence
was gathered by field assets creating the opportunity for special forces in the area to eliminate rising
militant leaders and the insurgency movements themselves. Quickly insurgency became prevalent. Any
organized attacks by the U.A.I.S. as the acting force behind them were non existent. They had been
extinguished long ago. Humanitarian military forces upon entering the countries found the bodies of
several leaders of the U.A.I.S. hanging from construction cranes.
That is what could be identified from their bodies, the pieces which had not been eaten.
Eyewitnesses to the event said the leaders were round up. Some were summarily executed during the
mobbed storming of the governments office in Bamako, formerly the capital of the country Mali. The rest
were drug out of their offices into the street by their feet. They flailed their arms as the mob swung them
back and forth into the hallway walls of the office building. A nearby stream to the offices had been
condemned as untrustworthy to drink for fear of infection. Members of the mob took the officials pushing
their heads under the water.
They squirmed until losing the consciousness. The officials were removed from the water before
they drowned, beaten, then hung from the construction cranes. This occurring only after a large bonfire
had been erected under where they would be hanging. Their meat cooked before the infection could have
spread, the dunking only was to instill fear. The tribe, which the mob mostly consisted of, was animists.
In their beliefs, one could not enter the afterlife if they were afraid at the time of their death. Their bodies
were allowed to dry out after the fire in the sun, making them into jerky for later use. The grim depraved
behavior only was an antecedent of extreme lack of resources. A prophetic warning to the future of the
world.
This part of Africa had became dust, the trees had uprooted. Any interior forest which remained
was cut down for firewood. Maybe it was the urgency to preserve what was left, the result of climate
change, the governments policies, or combinations of all three. Images surfaced on the information
superhighway of the officials remains hanging above a burnt patch of land, while as disheartening of a
sight to any human being this would be it wildly was categorized as just another atrocity. The discovery
however promoted the nearly new global perception that the U.A.I.S. surely been snuffed out.
Following this logic even if a fire is put out, its embers still will burn. Radical sects of what came
to be the term, survival terrorists, emerged in the area. After procuring explosives from infiltrating the
newly arrived military presence, these actors blew up the Manantali dam in former southwestern Mali. In
doing so it released a large surplus of reservoir water flooding the once extremely fertile croplands of the
region. The water rushed over the sides of the Brixlo forward operating base for the United Kingdom
military presence in the region.
From explosion to submersion the forces there had close to around a minute and a half to
evacuate. Many were caught underwater, no one was directly killed by the flood. There was a chance the
soldiers now had Jamais-Vu. The troops there had no choice but to remain, banned from returning to
their homes. It became a top story of the british independent news sources for the next week or so. Still
there was no empathy from the public, cannabane had stretched its medical influence into western europe
by now subduing the population there as well.
46 men and women, were quarantined in a temporary establishment on the shores of the newly
formed Brixlo lake. Out of the 46, 38 died of Jamais-Vu within two weeks. The risk was too high to
bring the other six back too. After the news story lost the attention span of its viewers, silently the
remaining eight were released into the former U.A.I.S. territory to fend for themselves. Upon learning this
King George sent a detachment of soldiers to find the six men and two women abandoned by their
country. When the detachment found them they had all found rocks and bashed each others heads into the
dusty landscape. This discovery was kept silent, covered in the news media by the death of some b-list
celebrities.
It did not take long for the survival terrorists to strike larger targets, the former Senegalese
presidential palace in Dakar was leveled in an explosion. At the time U.S. military were using the palace
as a temporary command center coordinating relief missions across the region. 337 service members lost
their lives that day including two field generals and half a dozen colonels perished. Insurgents used all
unconventional tactics the United States had become accustomed to in the early 21st century wars of the
Middle East. The insurgent groups here were uncountable in number, a function of the remaining tribes
each former U.A.I.S. citizen had once identified with.
Stationed troops found out one group could have a membership of only a few dozen, close knit
brothers and sisters able to infiltrate access to their targets. Other factions had thousands or tens of
thousands of soldiers, miniature armies, capable of organizing massive campaigns against relief bases. No
central organization occurred between the factions as each area had devolved to ancient tribal
principalities.
No soldier dared get captured, not for the fear of torture, but because the insurgents were most
likely to hand you off to who they ruled over. Then you became the common folks meal.
Sometimes they would keep you alive for days, while slowly severing limb from limb to keep
you fresh. Every soldier took a cyanide capsule into combat with him, to swallow if there was imminent
threat of being captured. Something previously reserved for intelligence agencies but completely
reasonable in this theater of war.
The X factor in this engagement was Jamais-Vu. Because of the susceptibility to contracting
the virus, soldiers of all nationalities became hesitant to approach suspected individuals in plots.
Consequently more attacks occurred then previous theaters. This could be attributed to the area, even after
the two grievous outbreaks of the virus, still having a population of well over 700 million. It quite
possibly also was the fact that once a new insurgency group was eliminated, another three took its place.
When you live without food or water, its difficult to rationalize thoughts. Acts of desperation to
get any resources the occupiers had resulted in droves of people being turned away at gunpoint from the
bases. There was simply too much need. Recovery was a slow process, while in fact the coalition was
doing good work in the region, it was always the negative views spoken from the pulpits.
Those turned away simply turned to the tribes eager to have more fodder for suicide attacks or
greater numbers to over power bases. Early 21st century political ideologies of fundamental Islam and
20th century western imperialism directed blame always to the globalizing United States. This situation
was no different. Primarily attacks were predicated against the U.S. and French military although 21
nations participated in the operation entitled Operation Humanity Returned. The operation had few
troops on the ground at first. Bases, beside command centers, had stationed 50 to 100 service members
maximum. From the outskirts of Niamey and Accra large forces were building awaiting orders. Unarmed
flying vehicles were used for surveillance and striking at factions terrorizing the native populations. Then
after the June 16th bombing of the Senegalese palace the United States committed 25,000 service
members to current bases around the region to expedite finishing the operation.
Jacob had just gotten off work August 3rd. After knocking his boots against his employee locker
and hanging his work overalls he initiated a elbow cracking stretch of both his arms. Yawning, Jacob
removed the cell phone from his personal effects. He scrolled open his handheld, a growing cultural
artifact, his news feed showed the headlines of the day. There was an option to view live video headlines.
Jacob coughed, he needed some cannabane. National producer of cannabane lowers prices
nationwide to medically aid in rise of anxiety due to Jamais-Vu supervirus. Drought continues in the
midwest and severe drought continues in southwestern United States, food prices rise nationally. Labor
unions strike at national Wal Mart chains, demanding better pay. Boeing purchases mega contract of
prototype sky whale plane for mass production designed by spanish aerospace genius Oscar Vinals.
Jacob passed through the entrance gate, waving at frank. Hey Jake, what's the take? It was the
first time Frank had said his catchy one liner to Jacob since the first outbreak. Same shit different day
Frank, see you tomorrow. He almost didnt need a cannabane after the interaction produced a sense of
relief from his Jamais-Vu induced anxiety. He would have one anyways.
Outside the fence Jacob pulled a cannibane cigarette pack from his pocket. The label across the
silver colored pack read, cannibane, find your inner peace in fancy lettered green print. Staring across
the hazy Seattle evening skyline Jacob leaned against the fence and ignited the end. Inhale, relax, with a
few seconds Jacob was putting his full weight against the fence. All the feelings of worrying about the
worlds problems fell away from him. Momentarily Jacob forgot about all of it. It was unsettling how
apathetic he became to the tension seeming omnipresent around him.
Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. A voice message, Baby, can you bring home cookie
dough ice cream? I need it tonight. Where are you? Shouldnt you be home soon? Voiz me back.
Opening his phone again another headline flashed across his screen. Live demonstration
occurring at United Nations new york headquarters, former U.A.I.S. citizens demanding asylum for large
portions of the population. It vaguely interested Jacob. His thumb grazed over the screen initiating the
feed.
A francophone African, or U.A.I.S. citizen, held his fists definitely in the air. Other protesters
surrounded him. The video was a live feed from an independent source employed by a major news
network. It had the quality of television networks but the familiarity of a home movie. Camera angles
jostled, the camera also shook with defiant stomps from the crowd. Genavene Timon, a news reporter,
with a camera man approached the man rallying both fists into the air. In his voice was a subtle scream
indicative of immense inflicted pain. He spoke in a foreign language familiar to Jacob as he tuned in to
the live feed, vous me voyez ici? Je n'ai pas de nourriture! Je n'ai pas l'eau! Je veux la justice! la libert!
et la scurit! de mon pays! pourquoi ne pas vous aider? Est-ce parce que nous sommes musulmans? Je
vois que votre dieu comme mon dieu! Je voulais que mes enfants l'ge. maintenant ils sont morts! il est
le mme que celui qu'il a toujours t! nous n'avons pas besoin d'argent! nous avons besoin dans le monde
de se tenir derrire nous! Genavene stepped to the side of the protest. Giving a butchered translation in
Jacobs mind, she related the man's pleas to, needing help, demanding freedom, and expecting the
United States and the United Nations to committing more troops to fight the insurgency crippling the
relief efforts of the multinational coalition.
In truth what the man spoke was beautiful to Jacob. It was misinterpreted and Genavene Timon
realized this. Her muffled comments to the cameraman could be heard, Do you know what language that
is? French? How do I say what do you expect to do. Well if I cant say that, how do I say, what are you
going to do now?. Okay where did he go? She turned to a woman raising her eyes sternly towards the
United Nations building.
The women was joined in the walloping with the rest of the crowd. Um, excuse me miss where
did the gentlemen go? She turned back to the camera man. Again her whisper could be heard in the
recording, well how do I ask her that, those words, ok. How did these bathies get to the US anyways.
Her language was highly unprofessional with emergent racial slurs. Jacob had almost finished his
cannabane cigarette. As it reached the filter end a sharp tarry taste entered Jacobs palate, he put the
cigarette on the ground rubbing the sole of his boot extinguishing the ember.
o est l'homme qui parlait? Genavene Timon repeated at least three times after tapping the
woman she was attempting to obtain the answer to. o est l'- then the reporter saw him, past the security
gates at the entrance of the building. He raised his hands then opened the doors. Police began to approach
him. On his possession he held a U.A.I.S. flag which he waved to the crowd. Now the crowd cheered for
the man. Then the cops encircled him, getting ready at an attempt to tackle him. The man flung the flag
like a matador, whipping the U.A.I.S. flag at the officers to ward them away. Quickly one cop tackled him
to the ground after another distracted. The officer pushed the protester to the ground. The crowds
shouting over masked her being able to report on the scene. Luckily this made Genavene step away from
the clamor to finish her report. Live here in New York at the United Nations building, I am genavene ti-
She was unable to speak her words before the officer tackling the protester yelled silencing the crowd,
Back up he has a bomb!
Genavene Timon looked at her camera man, Look are you getting this? In subtle ease the feed
refocused on the confrontation occurring at the entrance. The officers had all pulled guns on the protestor.
au revoir mon familie, the protester solemnly said. pourquoi tes-vous en train de me stopper?. A cop
commented, Listen friend, we dont understand you. I get this. But, this way is not the way to end it.
Trust me friend. Even though the protester did not speak English he could understand the officers tone.
The protester explained to his law enforcement office, Je nai rien. Rien dans la vie. Que voulez-vous me
faire ? maintenant vous comprenez! In a abrupt move the protester pulled a cell phone from his pocket.
He tapped the screen releasing an explosive blast leveling the front of the United Nations building.
Ash cascaded to the earth. Genavene Timon was knocked by the force of the blast against a tree.
The camera man dropped his phone and lay on the concrete in front of the camera grasping his arm.
Genavene was unconscious, a slight line of blood dripping down her forehead from the impact. When she
awoke a minute later, she went over to camera man on her hands and knees climbing into the frame. He
had gone still, she rolled him over seeing a large piece of shrapnel from the blast in his back. People were
stumbling in and out of the ash, the blast had effected the lobby and the first three floors of the building.
Ambulances were arriving on the scene casting red and blue beams of light through the ash.
Genavene look around in dismay, then back at the reporter. She scooped up his lifeless body for a
moment, Oh my love Taylor, life could have been so beautiful. No no no baby, why did this happen.
Wait. She looked over at the camera. Is that still recording? Of course it was recording and Jacob
watched as if it was a surreal dream. Cannabane had has formed him numb to any and all anxiety
triggering events. The highest Cannabane profits were always received when the news proved tragic.
The medical chemical in Cannabane was now necessary because everything would be recorded
and put in the worlds face constantly. Other justifications included it lowered suicide rates, and promoted
healthy family life free of domestic disturbances. Jacob thought if he had not had cannabane, how would
he have reacted to seeing what he just saw?
Genavene, came over to the camera. No this is enough, no more. She picked up the camera then
turned it on herself. After brushing her hair over the slightly drying blood drip she said into the camera,
This is Genavene timon signing off. cries for help directed her to drop the camera to the street. She
could be seen running in towards the ash still falling on the scene.
Jacobs phone buzzed again, a new voiz message. He answered it which also ended the feed.
Baby, when are you going to get home? Are you alright? He waved his thumb over the sensor to start
recording his reply, Yeah honey, Im on my way.
The seattle sun had almost set beyond the skyline now. Jacob stepped away from the fence
breathing in the smell of another employee walking with his cannabane cigarette lit. In a few moments he
was at his truck. He tapped the phone against the door unlocking the vehicle. Sitting in the drivers seat he
placed his phone into a receptacle on his dash. After placing his thumb on the dash the trucks ignition
rumbled to life.
A voice emanated from his phone, it was a human on the other end. Good evening Mr. Vanir,
how was work today? As it always is, and how was your day? You know I am not allowed to answer
those questions. Are you going straight home today? No I have to stop and get some cookie dough ice
cream. Ah your wife must be having cravings since her medical records indicate she is pregnant. I can
help you find the nearest and closest place to buy some Dreyers cookie dough ice cream if you would
like? What if I dont want Dreyers? You know, you will have to find it on your own then. Okay
sure, find me the damn ice cream. Do you want to drive there or would you like your automated service
to drive for you? Do I ever want to not drive? I have to ask sir, my apologies. But let me remind you,
not choosing automated service today will incur a current rate of 4.32$ fee per mile driven as an
automatic withdraw from your checking account. I see you smoke nearly a pack of cannabane cigarettes
each day, last time you bought a pack was yesterday at 6:53 pm, it is currently 6:39 pm after buying ice
cream would you like to be directed to a certified Cannabane medical consumable provider? The ones
you always send me too are way more expensive - fine yes do that and just drive for me tonight. I get to
damn broke when I try to drive myself all the time. I am going to take a nap. an excellent choice sir I
will activate the automated service. in the meantime, would you like to listen to the music your
employment recommends to relieve stress? Fantastic.. no, please put on the best of Chopin mix i
created on my phone Unfortunately I cannot do that as some of the music was illegally downloaded in
forming the mix, I can put on Chopin,nocturne if you would like. Just drive my car please, is there
any way to turn you off? I see it is the sixth time this month you have asked this question. Let me
inform you again your insurance company requires this Voiz service, without it your rates unfortunately
would be too risky to be covered. Remember Voiz makes life easy Just turn on the music so I dont
have to listen to you, I want to hear my wife's voice as the first thing when I get off work. alright Mr.
Vanir, I will awaken you when you arrive at your destinations. Chopins nocturne started to play and
Jacob slipped off to sleep.
The truck drove itself out of the port onto the freeway and south towards Des Moines where
Jacob and Emilys apartment was. The attendant awoke Jacob in a daze, Mr Vanir, you have arrived at
your first destination. He detached his phone cutting the ignition and the attendants voice. Inside, he
found dreyers ice cream as the sole cookie dough brand carried. He had nothing against Dreyers but what
if Emily didnt like it? She was pregnant after all, just from what his mother told him women are very
particular when they are. He did not have an option
Approaching the register Jacob pulled his cell phone out. He handed it to the cash register
attendant. Thank you sir, did you find everything you wanted tonight? Wanted? Jacob looked up at
the attendant, he was a mid twenties something kid as thin as a wire. His eyes told Jacob that he hated his
job. There was common empathy among everybody in the country about that fact. No one had careers
anymore they enjoyed, but everyone was employed making good enough money to have a life, including
this attendant. Jacob had gotten lucky being selected through the lottery to become the longshoremen he
was now.
Yeah thanks for you service kid He pulled out a real 5$ bill and handed it to him. Have a good
night, thank you sir. Currency and exchanges were handled predominantly electronic. A paper bill
actually had value, almost as an antique in this age. Jacob started his car in the same manner as before.
The Voiz attendant spoke through the phone once it attached, That was very nice of you Mr
Vanir. Would you care to send the attendant a donation? The records indicate Chris Peters age 20 is under
the poverty line in terms of personal income. I think that was enough. Carry on Jacob said in a somber
voice. He rubbed his eyes, then dozed back off.
Next he awoke to the Voiz attendant, Mr Vanir, wake up, you have arrived at your second
destination the licensed Cannabane provider on the corner of 5th and 33rd street, Kent, Washington.
Kent? What the hell am I doing here? He shut off the car then approached the clinic.
In the clinic Jacob waited in life for half an hour to buy a pack. The clientele came from all walks
of life. Of course there were addicts and junkies paying in cash, dressed hagardly. Even some dressed
nice, scratching at their neck. Then there was the average man or woman staring down at their phone,
talking on their phone, or wearing an enhanced reality device watching the latest news while they waited.
The clinic was noisy as people carried on conversations, not with each other, but their personal Voiz
attendant. Or they engaged their devices with voice games. The combination of noises caused a blur of
everyone's voices making only the person next to yous conversation listenable. In the reflection of one
pair of enhanced reality goggles Jacob could see the headline, President to speak in an hour on United
Nations terrorist attack.
It was a scrolling headline at the top of the goggles. The man wearing them was actually using the
rest of the space to play sudoku. It reacted to his voice and eye movements.
Jacob reached the counter. The woman on the other side of the counter was sharply dressed. She
had a pressed womens suit and business skirt on. Good evening sir, can I please see your communication
device for ID verification. Jacob handed her his phone then said sheepishly. Ooh Mr Vanir, it looks like
you have purchased a pack of cannabane for the last six days consecutively. are you experiencing any
withdrawals when you are not using cannabane?
He looked at her name tag, No.. Maria, I am not. I have a pregnant wife at home, can we skip the
formalities? She refuted, Increased aggression, I am sorry sir but I am going to have to reduce your per
mg cannabane content as a result for one week from 25 milligrams to 10 milligrams. If you would like to
appeal this judgement you can speak with your primary care provider.
Jacob had to answer her kindly or this reduction would continue. I am sorry I showed aggression
with you. I understand why this limitation has been imposed. Can I please receive my medication and go
home to my wife? She tried to not show any emotion but a small compassionate squint showed
otherwise, Yes sir, please proceed to the next counter for pickup. Your payment has been processed.
Jacob shuffled over to the next counter, picked up his pack of cannabane cigarettes from another man.
They exchanged a glance but no words were necessary. He looked at his phone, a live countdown had
begun as a streaming headline for the Presidential news conference.
Jacob only had 17 minutes 33 seconds and 43 whatever the third number was time units to get
home, put together a bowl of ice cream for Emily, kiss her on the cheek, serve himself dinner, then sit
down on the couch in front of the television.
The Voiz attendant informed him the drive home would be 9 minutes, then informed him again of
the presidential news conference. He wasnt driving, and there could be traffic. Jacob thought he had
better have another cannabane before he got home to ease the anxiety this press conference would cause
him.
Nocturne played on repeat for the rest of the drive, Jacob lit another cannabane reclined the
drivers seat and relaxed as the truck drove itself home. Mr Vanir, you have arrived at your final
destination for the night. In the morning would you like the heat to be on, when you leave for work at
7:15 it is supposed to be 58 degrees and a 90% chance of rain. Jacob sighed, Yeah turn the heat on
tomorrow when I get in. I mean if its too much I can always turn it off. Also in the morning I am driving.
So go ahead calculate and withdraw that tonight. Thanks, guy, have a good night. You too Mr Vanir,
please make sure to watch the press confre- Jacob removed the phone exiting the car with his phone and
ice cream in hand.
He opened the door to his two bedroom apartment. Inside on the couch was Emily, already in her
nightgown. He smiled, finally home, Hey baby how was your day?. She looked somewhat upset, I
missed you and Alexis kept kicking around at work. Did you get the ice cream? Yeah here you go.
Dreyers, ugh, Im not a big fan of it. I knew that, Jacob lied. But it was all they had, Jacob told the
truth. Okay, its fine, its okay, can you put together a bowl for me? Yeah of course baby, can you
change on the news? Yeah, your dinner is in the microwave. I made some raviolis and fresh
vegetables. Its what i was hoping for tonight, thanks. You are welcome my big guy, you are wanting
to watch the press conference aren't you? Yeah, it starts Jacob looked at his phone In about three
minutes.
Jacob heated his ravioli, put a large portion of cookie dough ice cream into a bowl, the
microwave dinged. He brought both meals over to the couch. They sat, Emily turned on the television by
raising her hand infront of the sensor, then moved her arm side to side to scroll to the major news
network. In moments it would start, Honey can you give me my ice cream? Jacob was still holding it.
Oh I was so focused I nearly forgot, was his response. She kinda laughed then he chuckled too. He
kissed her on the lips, then the audio started to the backdrop of the non occupied Presidential podium.
Please welcome the President of The United States of America. President Crandall walked onto
the stage, approaching the pulpit imprinted with the presidential seal. Crandall was a doctor before
becoming president. He had a strong communicative presence, his tall stature accompanied greying
brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Standing at the podium he firmly placed both hands on each side to
begin his speech.
My fellow Americans and members of the international community. As you all know well, the
United Nations building in new york city was attacked this morning during the staging of a protest event.
First, I would like to nationally have a moment of silence for the 495 victims of todays tragedy. Join me
now in bowing our heads. A deafening moment of silence spread across the nation and most parts of the
world. President Crandall looked up from the press audience, his striking eyes meeting the horizon of the
camera. Without moving his eyes to either side he focused his attention on those behind the camera. Like
Jacob and Emily waiting eagerly for his next words.
Now I ask a hard question, which all of us know the answer to by now. Who committed this
act? Was it an individual drawn to his breaking point. A person starving of hunger and thirst, being
deprived of the basic human rights, we all enjoy? Not once in the history of this great nation have we
failed to answer with any form of a gesture to an oppressed peoples calls for justice. Not once until now.
Not once stepping away from a call to action because we all fell to fear. Fear in a microscopic entity, that
does not distinguish between borders, the color of our skin, language, our financial statuses, lifestyle
choices, or our religions. I ask you to look inward for answers this evening. The world is growing smaller,
not in physical size, but in the relationships we have with one another. Unavoidable high prices due to
scarcity of resources is removing us from the global equation. Accordingly, we have neglected the simple
truth. As citizens of this great country, we have abandoned humanity in Western Africa. As consequence,
those without anything have sent us a message. Justice is not being served in the barren wastelands of the
former U.A.I.S. We are not helping in sending money, food, or troops to maintain order. Our methods
have continually caused chaos in the region. Let me tell you the story of, Oh-kah-eeb Bendwana. Okaib
was a father of three, all but one of his children died in the first outbreak of the notorious Jamais-Vu
virus, in what was once northern Ghana. He was a farmer, and a businessman, coordinating agricultural
purchases of land for the government. He had a master degree from the University in the capital Accra in
agricultural sciences. After raising his family in the urban environment they moved to the rural lands of
the north to help others grow their own life stories. Jamais-Vu changed his reality all in a manner of
days, first taking his children, then his wife.
Jacob put his arm around Emily, drawing her closer to him on the couch.
The President continued, Okaib did not give up though. Him and his son Sami continued to run
their personal fields and sold their grown agricultural products to the newly formed U.A.I.S. rationing
program ,to help with the much needed relief after the first outbreak. Okaib was part of the christian
minority. During the second outbreak, government agents raided his house while he was away in Abidjan
for business. They pulled his son from beneath his covers into the streets, when he returned that evening
he watched from a distance as they executed Sami in front of his very eyes. Now Okaib was alone in the
world, but again he did still not give up. The government shut down the water supply running to his fields
forcing Okaib to move into Abidjan. There he experienced the worst of U.A.I.S.s failed aid programs.
Spotty diseased fruit and a bowl of rice is what he ate for one month, until the rationing program
collapsed. Then from town to town factions began to arise. In order to eat real food, Okaib joined the
local militia starving and thirsty, he resorted to violence to fulfill those basic needs only the smallest
semblance of an organized society would provide him. After his faction was primarily killed in a UAV
strike coordinated by our armed forces stationed in southern Ghana, Okaib again was alone. He wandered
up to forward operating base gates on several occasions. They turned him away as if shooing off a wild
animal. After being rejected constantly he spent six months in a temporary camp outside the Accra
Connection Gate applying for Asylum in one of France's new territories. He was denied his request, and
proceeded to form his own faction claiming land west of Kumasi Ghana in the former country Cote
DIvoire. When the push against insurgency occurred the soldiers marched through his territory scattering
the faction he started, killing those suspected of recent terrorist attacks against the Kumasi southern
operations center. Okaib travelled around the border of southern Ghana to Lagos. There he obtained false
papers, under the name Kelim Mantasi, of which the identity belonged to a victim of Jamais-Vu. After
illegal crossing the border into southern Ghana again he applied for asylum in the United States and was
granted it. Okaib built homemade explosives then solely caused the mayhem we saw today. How do we
know all of this? As a country, as a whole operating unit, we are intelligent. We watched from a UAV
many Oakibs. Follow me here, Okaib was a faceless name in a sea of refugees, with similar stories,
attempting to emigrate to the United States and elsewhere. As a planet we keep saying, there is not
enough for everybody. It is the mantra in these troubled times. Can we continue to live in this matter?
Slowly, if we do, the United States and the world will fall apart. Rivers will dry up. Forests cut down will
not be replanted. Your grocery store prices will continue to rise until buying a gallon of milk will empty
your checking account. This will continue until there is not enough left for everybody, becomes there
is not enough left for anybody. I am not going to lie to you my fellow Americans, the next few decades
are going to be strenuous on our resources as population reaches expected maximums for the century. But
if we do not work together, if we do not show the common ground of justice and liberty for all, how much
longer will all of us last? In conjunction with congress and the international community a massive global
effort will be made to rid the former U.A.I.S. nation of states of any deterrable threat to continued global
security. Furthermore the missions primary objective is re acclimating the land to grow food again, build
infrastructure, and return the U.A.I.S. to a series of separately democratically governed countries. The
largest effort will be humanitarian work for the nearly 1 billion people who live in the region. All the
worlds militaries can not do the necessary work either without additional help. This is why, I have
initiated a draft for all able bodied male and females between the ages of 18 and 35 without dependants.
We will do what is required of our constitution to preserve those values pertinent for the generations to
come. In addition to this, as a policy of diplomacy, effective immediately I am reopening the ellis island
processing center as an immigration hub for refugees from the former U.A.I.S. countries. This will require
some fundamental societal changes, and when we as a people get ready to cross through into this era, as a
nation I promise we will address them. If you believe in the spirit of this country, what drives us to
continually adapt to any challenge, then you will stand with me. Thank you, God bless you and God bless
the United States of America. Crandall waved once to the audience, camera flashes illuminated him as
he woke back towards off the stage.
He stopped several times as shouting imposed a multitude of unrecognizable questions. His face
was solemn, there was no smirk or photogenic smile he was known for. His facial expressions showed no
sign of the inner turmoil his words caused. Crandall knew many lives would be lost in this pursuit, a
choice the leader of the free world had to announce. Then he passed behind the curtain. The press
secretary came out to redirect the camera men and news media to the conference room.
Emily raised her hand infront of the television waving her hand to turn it off. Jacobs posture
didnt indicate the fear President Crandall spoke of. His hands wrapped around Emilys shoulder
massaging her back with his thumb. She rolled onto her back, laying flat on the couch, her head in his lap.
Jacob put his hand on her belly. He didnt need a Cannabane again tonight, there was no anxiety medicine
capable of quelling this moment. He already had his cure. This child Alexis, in his wife's womb who
would be here in less then a year, brought him peace.
Jacob placed his phone on the end table next to the couch. No need for anymore of that tonight
either. Emily looked up at him, Don't leave me, dont forget me. Jacob knew what she meant. As Alexis
was not born yet, Jacob age 31 would be drafted. I love you, her words pursed up in a warm draft from
her mouth. I love both of you, Jacob staring into her eyes replied. They cuddled up firmly against each
other. Jacob slouched into the couch from his sitting position, as they both fell asleep. He had no
insomnia tonight, heavily his eyes closed.
Emily pulled a blanket over the three of them doing the action half awake. Jacob was sound
asleep. She turned to her side glimpsing their reflection in the black lifeless television. Beneath the
blanket the child kicked its feet, temporarily waking Emily. It kicked to make it closer to being a part of
this life, family, and to spend as many moments with its father before he would be taken away.
Jacob woke a mere few minutes before he had to be out the door in the morning. He slipped away
from under Emily, still asleep, wrestling together his personal effects and putting on some clean clothes.
Kissing her on the forehead before he headed out the door, she looked up smiling then fell back into rest.
The door closed behind him. Then opened again seconds later, forgot my phone. Mmh Emily
grunted, Love you baby, have a good day at work. See you when you get home. You too darling, I
have to run. Jacob grabbed his phone then opened the door again. When it closed behind him it
automatically locked using an application on Jacobs phone.
Outside the air was crisp, moisture had built up on the grass. The sun stood behind a few clouds.
Jacob tapped his phone against the truck, after sitting placed it in the dash. The car started without the
voice attendant at first. Then began to drive on its own, instead of heading north towards Seattle the
vehicle headed south on I-5 towards Tacoma. Jacob was confused.
Then the voice came through the dash, Good morning Mr Vanir, how did you sleep? I slept
fine, where am I going? Mr Vanir, I have an incoming call for you. Please wait to be connected.
cheesy hold music played on for a half a minute as Jacobs truck cruised down I-5. A strangely
authoritative voice now emanated from his stereo speakers. Am I speaking with Jacob Bruce Vanir of
113th st CT NW Apt B12 Des Moines Washington? Yes.. Mr Vanir, this is major Young of the 23rd
combat battalions interpretations division in the United States Army. Records indicate you speak the
French language, is this correct? Do you still maintain this skill since dropping out of Central Washington
University 5 years ago?
Jacob felt hesitant to answer but continued the conversation, Yes sir, I do. I tutor high school
students and participate in online forum discussions on news pertaining to the French speaking world.
Excellent, I am to inform you sir you have been drafted by the United States Armed Forces. Your
vehicle is driving you with haste to the draft processing center at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Your profile
has assigned you to my division, I will be your commanding officer. Once you are finished processing,
report to the interpretation division building on base immediately.
Do I have to? Jacob felt his anxiety, being away from his family, the words Emily had spoken
to him, creep into his mind. Well Mr Vanir, you dont have to do anything. But, as a United States
citizen within the guidelines of acceptance into the draft initiated this morning at 0400, it is your duty to
serve. I will take you under my wing son, you will be fine. Interpretation, well I will explain you your
new job after processing. Now I have two dozen more phone calls to make this morning.
He paused. Let me remind you if you disobey this order, your privileges as a citizen will be
revoked and you could face prosecution. Jacob remained silent. Are you still there?. Then Jacob felt it
necessary to reply, Yes sir, I am here. I just, I have a child on the way. Son, let me tell you something I
am not supposed to share. A majority of these draftees are becoming infantry. Because of your pertinent
skills, your job will seldom be as dangerous as theirs I guarantee it. After two tours of duty your draft
requirements are passed and you can return to your child. Until then, it is what we all as a country have to
sacrifice, our time, to restore order to humanity.
You heard President Crandall last night, the sensors in your television indicated no fear in your
eyes. You may not think this is the life you want, but you may be surprised at what you discover in your
service. Now, I have to make these phone calls. Do you want to call the 10 on my list who are 18 years
old to tell them they will be receiving a much different fate then you? Fresh outta high school, then dont
have the experiences necessary to be anything but infantry. Now your vehicle says you should arrive in 17
minutes at the processing center, processing takes close to one hour. I expect to see you by 1100 in my
office. Is that clear?
The authority created a sense of balance in Jacob's thoughts. Yes sir, see you by 11 o'clock. The
call ended. Jacob searched for a Cannabane. Digging through his center console found a picture of him
and Emily standing in front of snoqualmie falls, the day he proposed to her.
Attendant, call Emily. Yes Mr Vanir, connecting you now. Before I do, are you going to be
alright? What do you mean? As your Voiz personal attendant, I am required unofficially to monitor
all your phone conversations. I heard the entire conversation with the major. Not that its your business
but no Im not okay. I am sorry, anything I can do to make it better for you? Let me ask you a
question, any question. Just this one time I will permit this, let me disable my secondary recording
devices, give me one minute... Okay what is your question?
How old are you? Im 39. Feel lucky you weren't born any earlier. Now connect me with
my wife. There was no response from the attendant, just a faint sobbing could be heard by Vanir.
Emily answered the call, Mmh, baby what is it? I have been drafted. I start my training
today. She instantly was awake, What about your job? Are you just expected to quit that right now? I
dont know. Cant we just leave the country? Go to Canada or Mexico? I mean for fucks sake I am about
to have your baby. I wish I could, but I can not avoid this baby. I am sorry. Realizing what Jacob had
just said she began to cry profusely.
Jacob frantically continued, No, no, no baby dont cry. I am not going to be anything close to
infantry on the front lines., I have been assigned to do interpretation. Meaning standing behind a desk,
reading news in French. It is just all so sudden, am I going to see you soon? In time, I need to be
processed then talk to my commanding officer. I should be able to at least call you after all my meetings
today. Just call me and your future daughter, whenever you get a break. I love you be safe. Love this
was a word Jacob had a tough time to understand. It was a word they shared often as a couple almost as a
hello and goodbye. Of course they loved each other, but today these words held a particular gravity
pulling him back towards home.
I love you too baby. The call ended, Jacob was left cruising the I-5 corridor through Tacoma
inching closer towards JBLM. As phone tone filled the stereo speakers he took a long stare at the photo of
the two of them, then folded it, tucking it into his shirt pocket.
Jacobs truck pulled into the parking lot of the process center. Vehicles created a line to find
parking. When he parked Jacob examined his surroundings. He had pulled into a surplus parking lot
created some years ago adjacent to the entrance of McChord Air Force Base. The trees leaves carried a
wind, jostling them in rhythmic patterns completely silent. In vehicles around the lot, Jacob could see
individuals awakening to a different reality.
Some had fallen asleep thinking they were going directly to work. They had been gravely
mistaken. Generally the reactions were not outrageous. Still some people got out of their vehicles and
just ran in the direction of illegality. The draft was mandatory, and in this age evening running would not
offer an escape. Humorously a few of the individuals stopped running for a moment to collect their
thoughts, then making a different choice turned around. One of them was a single female.
She was young probably between the ages of 18 and 21. Decently dressed in the latest designer
clothes from the mall, she had a fair amount of makeup on. Some tears were welling in her eyes smearing
a bit of her mascara down her cheek. Bending at the waist her hands grabbed her hair to tie it in a ponytail
before standing to conduct a large sigh signalled by her shoulders rising then falling. turned around she
then began walking back towards the processing center. People assembled into crowds still yawning
staring blankly at a single set of double white doors, which in would determine their fate. Jacob stood
about 15 feet from the door watching a few eager younger males try to open it. The door was locked.
A stern faced man came to the door, unlocked them, and stepped through to address the ever
growing crowd. His posture was erect, commanding a presence over the slouching populace in front of
him. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Army drill sergeant Lance Bass. You have been chosen
by your country, to participate in the international coalition of armed forces working to liberate Western
Africa. If you believe this choice was made in error, and you have on your irrefutable proof you may step
to the right once entering through these doors.
The Army legal draft department will coordinate your appeal. I will warn you though, making an
appeal with false allegations will result in charges and a court martial under a military court. All of you
regardless of whether you want to be, as a result of this draft, are now members of the U.S. armed forces.
The draft is solely for the Army, if you believe you have skills or experiences pertinent to other branches
needs then when you enter through these doors you may take the first door to the left. Draft recruiters
assigned to this center will make decisions based on your records if accommodations can be met. The
primary need in this mission however is for the Army.
The large land based missions will need, as President Caldwell spoke of, a combination of
soldiers and humanitarian armed services members in a variety of roles. If you were called anytime last
night or this morning by an armed services representative I want you now to form eight single field lines
to the left of me now. This meant Jacob had to join this grouping.
The sound of large cargo planes landing at the base echoed in the background All others please
proceed through these doors, in an orderly fashion. If you meet the conditions to appeal as
aforementioned then you may enter those offices once inside. If you do not then you are asked to walk
through the double white doors on the other side for additional processing. He stopped, reasserted his
gaze out towards a small cloud of cannabane smoke appearing near the back of the crowd.
Let me also remind you all, use of cannabane this he raised both hands to make the quotations
motion with his fingers medication. Then promptly put his hands back at this side. Is strictly forbidden
in the armed services, despite federal law. In the military a different code of conduct is observed then a
civilian. From behind Jacob a large groan arose from the crowd. The drill sergeant smirked You are all
members of the Army now, be proud of yourself and the actions you will accomplish for humanity as well
as your country in this operation. Your drugs, they will not help us reach this goal. If you have any on you
once reaching the next step of processing they will be confiscated. That is all, proceed!
Jacob formed into his line. He watched the remaining shuffle nervously in through the doors,
most of them were males in their later teenage years. Pale in their expression, on their minds was the
future and what would await them. Nearly all of them thought, what role would they play? Jacob knew, as
Major Young had informed him, most of them would be infantry. Sad young faces, off to fight for
principle. Principle every human being on this planet, despite worsening burdening problems all faced,
deserved the same right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Jacob moved in the semi formed line with the diverse group of everyday citizens. Sergeant Bass
led them through a gate adjacent to the building. There they were presented with a series of service
members holding signs. Bass stopped them, If you are in the right line, the commanding officer who
gave you a call sometime in the last 24 hours would have told you to report to a division. Please now join
with the uniformed member who is holding the sign of the name of the division you were assigned to.
Jacob moved over to a red headed white woman. Her amber pony tail hung out the back of a service camo
cap. She was holding the sign interpretation. Three others gathered under the sign with him. The woman
then directed them into a smaller office adjacent to the big building.
There Jacob surrendered his cell phone, was issued an AR headset. The next room each person
entered individually. Jacob was third out of four, he sat in a cold black chair. There were no windows in
the room, just a single table two chairs and two doors. In through the other door came a man dressed in
black fatigues. With him he carried a device resembling optometrists testing equipment. Sitting it on the
table he then instructed Jacob to put his face onto the chin rest. A bright red, green, then blue light beam
scrolled down from the top of each eye, to the base, then back up again. Out of the machine came a chip.
He handed Jacob the chip, Sir, please hand me your AR headset. Jacob handed him the goggles,
something previously which would have been way out of his financial ability to buy. They were delicate,
so Jacob used both hands. The technician removed a small plastic tab on the side. Using accentuated
gestures the technician showed Jacob where the chip went, how to remove it, then had him put the chip
back in. Mr John Vanir, this is a operations device only. Unlike standard alternative reality headsets this
device has no social media or telecommunications functions.
Standard programs have been loaded. It will automatically update without your consent when a
new operational application has been approved for use. If you will put it on now. Jacob placed the
glasses on his face, resting on his ears and the bridge of his nose. Instantly the headset powered up. A US
Army logo appeared on the heads up display. You will notice the device will power up once worn,
provided your chip is in the device and you are wearing it. This AR headset, is not designed for anybody
but you. It will be integral in communicating with your division, assessing your mental health,
transmitting the vitals of your squad mates, receiving orders, having preemptive knowledge of your
enemy on the battlefield, and understanding your target capabilities. Once you are familiar in wearing it,
you will not remove it except to sleep. If you are in an active combat zone, you will not even remove it
then. You have a personal human assistant assigned to your headset. They work in the command center
where the current operation you take part in will be deployed from. Candidly keeping a constant stream of
communication is not necessary as sensors in the above your heads up display read your vitals and
neurological impulses. This information is made available to your assistant and any member of your
command team.
You can stand once you have become acquainted wearing it and follow the onscreen instructions
to the interpretations division. Personally however let me shake your hand, The soldier stood and Jacob
stood with him. The soldier gave Jacob a firm thankful handshake, The division you have been assigned
to is, quite arguably the most important role, in this theater. Jacob has a puzzled look on his face as the
man continued to shake his hand. I can not say more, as it would only be rumors. You may not
understand this now, but it is an honor to be in your presence. Now, please exit out the door behind me.
Following easily read arrows on the HUD Jacob came out the door. In front of him many soldiers
were lining up to board large double decker cargo planes. They stood in lines five columns thick, 20
person in each column. Each set of columns was separated by an officer, shouting off inaudible orders at
the drafites. Jacobs headset acknowledged the presence of multiple standing bodies and changed the
direction arrows. It took him nearly ten minutes of fast paced walking to get to the other side of the new
soldiers in formation being loaded onto the cargo planes. Many of their faces looked scared. Some had
just that morning been thinking about what they were going to watch on television that night, or where
their vehicle assistant would direct them to for food tonight. One boy, about eighteen, fell to his knees
starting to bawl.
The person behind him urged him to get up before the officer saw him. The officer saw him, he
stopped what he was saying slowly walking towards him. Once he approached him, the boy had
trepidation in his eyes.
The officer extended his hand, lowering his voice, I have a son just a few years younger then
you, stand up son. Cautiously the boy grabbed the officer's hand. As he pulled him up the officer
continued raising his voice slightly, we are all a family now, if one of us falls we make sure he stands
back up. The officer pulled him to a full standing position. none of us, including me, want to be here.
Hell, yesterday I was with my wife and two children watching football, when I got the call. but now we
have an obligation, to correct our past evasiveness. to come to the end of this life, however short that may
be, and stand in front of our maker knowing full well we took care of all of his creation. Whatever it may
take, I assure you I will do my best to make sure you all make it back, even if it means I never see my
family again.
We all have the same obligation to each other, do I make myself clear? I want to hear sir yes
sir!. Sir Yes Sir!, Jacob moved farther away from the lines. He could see the line with the boy load
onto a plane before he rounded a corner of a large red brick building. Above a cargo plane took off every
few minutes. Based on the conversation of the officer directing that group of columns, or company, if
anybody knew exactly where they were going?
Rounding the red brick Jacob put his hands onto the surface of the building. It was three stories
tall, the brick was starting to become dilapidated. Between his fingers twisps of the grey mortar fell to the
ground. About a hundred feet away there was a blurry sign. The headset automatically refocused on the
billboard standing to the side of double glass paned wood doors, 23rd Combat Brigade Interpretation
Division.
The building must have been built sometime in the middle of the last century or earlier. Jacob
stood outside the doors for a moment. He looked up to see several offices, one had the window opened
and a cheap plug in air conditioning fan circulating air into the building. On the side of the building was a
metal fire escape, something which appeared to have never had to be used. He grabbed the brass door
handle, it was a round brass knob.
All around him there was silence, he had evaded the noise of the infantry being processed onto
the cargo planes. Again he could look at a nearby tree, seeing the leaves jostle in a light breeze that was
building. To his left was an impressively thick looking grove of trees, and he thought on the other side a
fence. A fence leading him to Emily and Alexis. It was a mere thought, because for the first time in his
life Jacob had found a place his skills truly would be utilized. A place he would be honored for his
talents. He went to turn the knob again, this time it counter turned from the inside in the opposite
direction.
Behind the opening door stood Major Young, at first an intimidating silhouette of a man, then he
stepped forward. Major Young was a mid height, blonde hair, somewhat balding, late forties, glasses
wearing, moderately built man. His glasses gleamed a gold bar across his HUD, with an unrecognizable
image to Jacob. Mr Jacob Vanir, it is a pleasure to see you here. I had three deserters this morning.
Shame, they didnt even stay to hear the job description. I can trust since you are here, you are committed
to this no?
He continued to stand in the doorway. Attempting to do a salute Jacob raised his palm to his
forehead, it was a miserable failure, Yes sir!. Still, Young replied encouragingly, Its a start, come on
in soldier. He parted from the doorway. Young dropped his arm around Jacobs shoulder as he walked
him around a staircase then down, This isnt like most jobs in the Army, for one you dont have to call
me sir, I prefer Major Young even Chuck once you get to know the others better. Down they walked into
a dimly lit basement arriving at a solid metal door. Before we enter, do you have any questions?
Something was burning in Jacobs mind, Yes sir, I mean Major Young, those infantry loading into the
planes are they going straight to combat?
Major Young placed his palm directly center on the door. A light seamlessly encircled his palm
casting a bright shadow of the two against the staircase. Jacob shielded his eyes while Major Young stood
unaffected, unfazed by the incredibly blinding light. Jacob only heard and could not see Young when he
responded.
No, first they are going to basic for 8 weeks, then school for their specific position for another 4,
then they will be deployed. You on the other hand, we have to expedite your process. We have one month
before deployment. The light glowing around his hand ceased. Pneumatically the door hissed open.
Jacob looked at Youg as if he would run up the stairs then into the woods, a month was too short of time
to be trained in combat.
Dont worry, do you think they would send a balding, not in top shape officer directly into
combat? You will see more dark rooms, screen lit rooms then you will see sunshine. Now please, step in.
Young extended his arm into a completely darkened room inviting Jacob to take the next step. Jacob
stepped through the threshold Young followed, the pneumatic hiss closed the heavy metal door filling the
void behind them.
Its been three weeks since I last talked to you! Alexis is due in two months! Of course I am
upset. Baby I couldnt No, don't you baby me. Mr Vanir, we are just, ugh, upset with you. Alexis
has been kicking constantly, wondering where her daddy is. You couldnt I am in, well I cant really
tell you where I am for security purposes. You sir, frustrate me so much. I had to have my mom move
in with me. My mom, you know how much I despise her. Yeah, Jacob understood exactly what it was
like to be around his mother in law. Still Emily had a slight joking tone in her voice. I am just, so
missing you. We miss you. When do you come home? You are not going to like the answer. When?
In a year. A year! You are going to miss the birth of your child! No, no, you put your commander or
whoever on the line. the tone changed to frustrated but still trying to keep a good humor. I have to go
baby, I love you. Not so soon, ugh, I dont want to do this without you. I want you here. I want to be
there also. No! no you dont or you would be here? Jacob tried to humor her acquisition. Now how
would I go about doing that? Hop a boat and sail away? Yes Let me tell you something, then I
absolutely have to go Crayson needs to use the base communications to contact his family and children.
Whose Crayson? One of my service member friends. When this is over you will meet him. I better,
okay you have to go wait, I wasnt finished. Everyday honey we get closer to ending this conflict. the
sooner we get it done, the quicker I am home. My job is integral to making it all happen, you might not
see me in the headlines. But I am there, behind it all causing I guess you could say the clock to tick. I
didnt understand a word you said. She sighed, You have always been a weirdo, but thats why I love
you. I love you too baby, tell Alexis when you meet her, that her daddy loves her. Emily started to sob
a little bit, she knew full well any minute Jacob could be killed.
There were so many of them still after both outbreaks, that if they were riled up or organized,
they could wipe out the entire deployed force in a day. Coordinated strikes and missions were made
possible by the work Jacob did. I gotta go, baby I will call when I can again. He regretfully ended the
call. Crayson its all yours. Hey Jake, Major wanted to see you in the dark room. Get your headset on.
Jacob realized it wasnt on his head. He fumbled through his pockets, then noticed it sitting on the
table with the communication device. Looking through the HUD he saw his directions were posted. The
news he was familiar with became headlined military operational info. Banner text scrolled across the top
of the HUD screen. Cape Verde fleet prepares invasion of Dakar. 3rd combat brigade prepares for
push from Niamey BDF gate. All personnel report to commanding officers for joint strike briefings.
The last bit of information must have pertained to Jacob.
He opened the door to the communication room, dust swept in with the wind. Stepping outside
his feet fell upon an arid, sun weathered, dock. The wood was worn, producing loud creaks with each
step. Jacob moved away from the door. It closed forcefully, locking behind it. The door was attached to a
metal pod, transposed into the beach landscape.
There were several modular pods attached to the dock. One of them was a communications
station, another a barracks, yet another a recreation room, Youngs officer quarters. It was a temporary
Cantonment for the interpretation division, secured from outside incursions. Atop of the communication
pod various signal antennas and satellite dishes protruded. Averting his gaze Jacob saw where the city
began at the end of the dock. Before reaching, the now refugee infused urban center, two large gates
imposed an obstacle for intruders.
Beyond these gates was the ancient city of Accra. A variety of strange sheer metal tech business
acropolis structures rose above the old brick towers. Ghana, before U.A.I.S. had worked tirelessly to be
the emergent economy for international business in the region. This resulted in companies around Accra
being heavily involved in the technology revolution of Africa in the earlier parts of the 21st century. The
towers were largely in the foreground, still surrounded by beige colored clay and brick buildings dating
back to a variety of past years. The area immediately around the dock was some of the most ancient
buildings in the city. Now abandoned, serving as a buffer zone between the various newly installed
military complex of the coalition forces occupying the port districts of the city.
Jacob walked toward the gates then veered down another dock to the right. The end of dock
appeared to drop abruptly into the water. He approached a end pillar of the dock sporting a keypad at eye
level.
Inputting his personal code, caused a large glass tunnel with a grated steel staircase to emerge
from the water. Mechanical once it rose the tunnel locked into place with the pillars of the dock. The steps
were freshly wet from the water being drained onto the seafloor. The grates of the staircase were slippery.
Carefully Jacob descended the steps to stand in front of a familiar door to an underwater operations pod.
After placing his hand upon the entrance, the same biometric white light surrounded him. It didnt read
his body shape, only his headset. A sensor on the side of the headset relayed all his security information
to give him access. When the door opened he entered into the dark room. The flicker of screens and
silhouettes hunched over workstations greeted him.
Young was hovered over a soldier busily working at a monitor screen. He noticed the door
opening, turning to briefly raise his hand to acknowledge Jacobs presence. Jacob sat at his monitor. By
Sitting in his chair high definition screen powered up. You are here just in time, Jacob jumped in his
seat.
The Major had silently approached him, as he did often, speaking directly behind him into his ear.
The entrance door opened and four more soldiers filed into the room. Young approached the front of the
room. Waving his hand in front of a large monitor it changed to a satellite image of the Southern Northern
Ghana border. The soldiers all took their respective seats.
Good afternoon gentlemen, today is the day. Massive movements of allied forces, namely
France Great Britain China and us, are to occur simultaneously across the entire West African region. My
superiors have remarked the conjoined effort, technically an invasion, into former U.A.I.S. territory will
be nearly 20 times larger than the allied invasion of normandy in the mid 20th century. If you are familiar
with your 20th century U.S. military history you will understand the reference. Jacob must have been the
only one in the room to understand.
Most of his fellow team members were the generation after millennials, some of them had not
even been born when September 11th occurred. They didnt have the same concern for world security,
their generation was inundated with the news generated for them.
This is to give a few of us in this room, perspective on the massive scale of the operation, of
which our division will play an integral role in ensuring the success of our invading force. As you well
know we are here in Accra. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Army will be making infantry pushes on Kumasi, Abidjan,
and Lagos here. In the delta here, the main mission of the 4th army and the Us Navy will be to reclaim
energy facilities by pointing his finger at the screen Young was able to create markers and draw lines in
real time. The lines drawn were orange, he drew circles around the cities and the oil platforms in the delta.
1st 2nd and 3rd Marines will be deployed by the sea from Cape Verde, landing on the beaches
north of Dakar. South of the city of St-Louis. 6th Army will also deploy for logistics support. The main
push with these forces will be to secure the area leading up to Brixlo lake. The air force has readied nearly
ten thousand PX-9 attack drones to support a push by the 7th army and joint Chinese forces from Niamey
to Bamako. All ranger battalions accompanied by British SAS battalions active in this engagement will be
deployed from the Cape Verde FOB to secure ports along the western coast. Including a mission directive
to secure the ports of Guinea, where reserve forces will enter primarily here at Conakry, the former
capital.
Once safe ports are established the reserve forces and Great Britain's main fighting forces will
secure the city of Conakry. The first reserve force will push along the coast to the east meeting up with
the 1st army near Abidjan. British armies will move north through Guinea to meet the Marine
detachments at Brixlo lake. The special forces command here in Accra, the remnants of Africom, have
requested the assistance of the 23rd Interpretation division. Individual missions will occur day and night.
Each mission by these groups will require one interpreter.
When a mission is established everyones headset displays will flash with a green tint, this means
an operation is being planned for the next 24 hours. if your display flashes blue, the special forces team is
in the process of establishing its assets for the mission. yellow, means deploy is in 5 hours. orange, 1
hour. red, deploy is imminent or within 15 minutes. Once the initial level is reached, green, the flash will
minimize into your upper left corner of the display screen to give you practical information on progress
towards deployment. Some missions may require more than 1 interpreter, depending on the mission
parameters.
Our division will rotate responsibility of the interpreter. After each mission, the interpreter ,or
interpreters, will be granted one week of leave from work related duties. Unfortunately this still does not
mean you can return home. Now, remember language is the reason you are here. Unlike any other combat
our armed forces have faced, without being able to communicate we will not know who is infected, areas
where infections are prevalent, and what humanitarian requests we will need to forward to command.
Nearly always these missions will begin inserting deep into enemy territory and if things go wrong you
will have to work your way back on foot. Extraction options are never present unless the mission is
directed to be so. This is due to the risk from repeated incursions into an area creates a environment where
exposure of our forces movements to the enemy becomes highly likely. Since there are special forces
contingents in Algiers, Marakech, and Niamey operating on those fronts, most of our mission will be
within 100 miles of the south north Ghanese border from this cantonment.
Let me remind you, your words serve as the only link to their world for our service members. Do
what you have been taught over the last month, but be wary in how you interpret the native speakers
spoken words. Listen more the talk, then gather this information through your headset for further
translation following the debriefing process. All of your conversations are recorded and broadcast live to
me here, then to command. When you return from a mission, I dont even think I need to say this, you are
not allowed to mention what you heard saw or spoke to your family members. While the enemy is
technologically inept in comparison to our forces, it still creates a security risk we can not dare allow
them to exploit
As the liberating force pushes east west and north, BDF forces have been increased 10 fold. The
walls are now mainly manned by the newly formed 3rd French Legionaries and NATO. Ok we need to be
prepared at any moment - Youngs words were cut out.
Everyones headset now had a green tint strobing, as mentioned with a few seconds the green tint
minimized. Now hold up, here we have an operation, even though the main movements have not
commenced. Before we assign this I have a final few pieces of advice. Wear your headsets. Do not lose
them. I can not stress this enough. For this first mission special forces is requesting one interpreter. I am
choosing, Vanir for this operation. You all better get some rest, tonight is going to be a long one. Vanir
when your HUD is orange please report to the officers pod for briefing.
Blue now flashed on everyones HUD, It must be an urgent request, assets have already been
acquired for the mission. Stand vigilant everyone, Vanir I have inputted your designation for this mission.
Your headset will only monitor the timeframe to deployment for this mission, that is if any other missions
come into being while you are waiting. You are all dismissed.
Jacobs indicator had changed from green to yellow. He just stared blankly at the bunk above him.
He laid on his back watching the time until his first mission deployment slowly drummed on. As he felt
ready to doze off into a couple hours of sleep, a new indicator appeared at the bottom left. Update
external recognition services; required by all alternative reality or enhanced reality devices.
Automatically the program began to download. He could see his fellow interpreters glasses on
their sleeping faces flicker then glow, suggestively also downloading the new application. Some tossed in
their sleep but a majority of them didnt even fidget. The text, crowd awareness, appeared across
Jacobs HUD. As it downloaded he looked across his pod, seeing the people he had only met two months
ago soundly sleeping. Like the officer remarked to the infantry so long ago back at JBLM, these people
had become his family. The unit was small, twelve people, if there was a mission every few days that
meant likely he would participate in over three dozen missions before his first year in Accra was over.
Then the time passed to where his indicator switched to Orange. Vanir quietly rose out of his bed.
First putting on his body armor vest. Next tucking the Snoqualmie Falls picture into the vest chest pocket.
He slinked into his desert camo fatigues, being careful to not wake his teammates. After putting on his
tactical vest, tying his shoes, grabbing his service weapon, Vanir stepped out the pod door into the warm
Accra night. The glow of the city cast a dim light on the dock. Tin pan music and steel guitars could be
heard off in the distance. Several spot lights projected even stronger luminescence at the entrance of the
modular pods.
Young was waiting out for him, leaning against his officers pod door. He whispered loud enough
for Vanir to hear as he approached, I really wish I could go with you on this one son. I made a comment
a long time ago it seems like, where I said I would keep you safe. This is beyond me. They requested my
best translator. That would be you, so this is why you are going. You have demonstrated skills in this
language only someone who was passionate about this language could. Im going to tell you a secret. I
dont even speak French. Hell, I can barely speak English ha. I was picked up by this group for my ability
to learn languages to operational standards quickly. The men you are going with, dont be afraid of them.
Sometimes they may be a little, how to put this, unorthodox in their methods. Never the less, they are the
best of the soldiers we have in our corner of the world.
Not only are they proficient in their work, most of them have been conducting missions in this
region since before the U.A.I.S. They are waiting for you on the other side of the dock, a small inflatable
boat will take you the special forces vessel just off the coast. I will walk you to the boat. Young put his
arm around Jacob.
They walked side by side, I don't know what to expect, what if I have to kill someone? Ive
never killed a person before. Young attempted to console him, You wont have to either most likely, the
special ops team is instructed beyond the priority of the target to keep you alive. They will jump in front
of a bullet for you if they have to. With their company you're more safe then you would be behind the
fences and buffer zone you have here
Turning a corner Jacob and Chuck were posed next to a inflatable assault boat. On the boat three
silent figures awaited Jacobs company. Keep your head down, remember every word needs to be
translated. It will save your life and possibly your team mates on many occasions trust me on this, Chuck
said. With a pat on the back he turned and left Jacob. Over his shoulder Jacob saw Chucks shadowed
figure disappear until there was only the sound of creaking steps on the dock.
One of the silent figures extended his hand. They all wore black combat fatigues, grippy tactical
gloves, their clothes were fashioned with all forms of straps for equipment across the chest and legs. All
of them also had black ski masks covering their faces. Unlike a large portion of the military, none of them
had AR headsets on. Jacob entered the boat. He could sense there was no energy of conversation among
these soldiers. They cruised atop the semi choppy water towards the north star in the sky. A brisk fog
settled around the boat as it took off from the interpretation divisions dock cantonment. After a few hours
of silently cascading across the sea another shadowy silhouette appeared on the night time horizon.
When Jacob drew closer he saw it was the USS Independence, a early 21st century shallow water
combat ship. Upon docking with the boat from the loading deck another silent hand, with a body dressed
similarly to the boat he was on, extended an invitation to Jacob. This time urging him to follow onto the
warship. Jacob thought, if he was ever going to hear any of these soldiers speak. There was urgency,
heightened, in all their hand gestures. The deckhand took him to a helipad where fifteen heavily armed,
special operations soldiers stood.
Catching Jacob by surprise, a helicopter dropped onto the deck completely unannounced from the
blackness of the night. The men began loading equipment onto the helicopter. It was single frame two
story stealth helicopter. Its rotor were built into the frame surrounded by a giant steel circle connected
with transverse steel bars to the body. There were two single lights on the nose, a red and green light.
They flickered softly intermittently.
A soldier approached Jacob handing him a ski mask and black combat fatigues. He pointed off
the helipad to a door marked as a restroom. Do you want me to change? All the soldiers loading the
helicopter stopped their movements, astounded Jacob had spoken. The soldier raised a single finger
vertical to his mouth as to say quiet. Then he pointed again to the restroom. Hurriedly the soldiers
resumed the loading of the helicopter.
Jacob came out of the restroom in the same outfit as the special forces soldiers besides the slight
camo harness he had on for gear. His body armor didnt fit underneath the uniform. He had removed the
picture and tucked it into his new outfits chest pocket. The fatigues had patches of light weight greyish
black kevlar over weak parts of the body if shot. Jacob thought this was reassuring, after having to leave
his former body armor in the restroom. As he exited the restroom one of the soldiers grabbed Jacob by the
arm leading him onto the helicopter, the soldier slammed shut the sliding door.
Two others fastened Jacob into his seat. In the passenger deck there were two rows of seven seats
and a suicide seat near the cockpit. The soldier outside the helicopter knocked his hand against the door.
Stepping back from the takeoff zone he gave the pilots a thumbs up. Into the night air the helicopter rose,
disappearing from the Independences flight deck in moments into the night sky.
One of the soldiers removed his ski mask once the flight was in air. He appeared to be in his late
twenties, long nated brownish hair partially hid his greyish blue eyes with a thick brown beard. His lips
were chapped or scarred it was hard to distinguish. You must be Jacob Vanir. I am sergeant Sloan. Sorry
for being so hostile and silent with you there a minute ago. The vessel you were just on was 200 feet from
the shore where we were. We have found a lagoon along the coast optimal for defense and coordinating
missions on the Lagos side of Ghanese border.
Where are we going? Sloan looked suspiciously at Jacobs headset. Is that thing always
recording? I believe so. Let me see that. Remembering the process technician and Major Youngs
words he replied, No, I have orders to not take it off. I am your commanding officer for this mission
let me see it, there was powerful authority in Sloans voice as he extended his hand. Jacob handed him
the headset.
Sloan fiddled with the device for a second. Under his breath whispered, I never understood these
things. Holding the handrail above him Sloan stood to address the other soldiers sitting silently in the
helicopter cabin, What do you think boys? Does he need these? From out of the sea of the
indistinguishable ski masked clones a few independent laughs arose. They culminated into a collective
laugh. I didnt think so. Sloan opened the helicopter door and tossed the glasses off. Vanir lurched for
them but was quickly pulled back by his seat restraints. Travelling at 200 miles per hour at a 6000 foot
elevation the expensive AR headset disintegrated when it hit the earth. The sound of impact was far
beyond them by now.
Sloan closed the door, then leisurely sat back into his seat. Vanir, this is not basic training, you
are part of this special operations group for this mission. As my troops already know the mission I will
brief you enroute. Sloan handed him a small vial. This is hydration oil, one sip of it will keep your body
physiologically running at optimal. You are a high priority on this mission, frankly because none of these
G.I. Joes knows how to speak French, if you run out of hydration oil these soldiers are required to give
you their vials.
Next Sloan handed him a palm size tape audio recorder. If you need to use it this may be
important. You will record the conversations you have with anyone we encounter. Once you finish
recording on a tape, you will ask me for another, then give me the tape personally. I cant see you actually
needing it but if we do need to record vital information this is what you will have to use, since your
glasses decided to take that freefall
Sloans tone changed to a more non joking lacking sarcasm diction, Our mission is to insert 283
miles at 46.7 degrees of the north east Ghanese border geolocation. As a point of reference. this area
previously was the central eastern border of Togo and Benin. Somewhere in this area, a legitimate english
speaking distress call was made.
The caller claimed United States citizenship. Our intelligence has led us to believe this is one of
two scenarios; a trap or an actual US citizen in peril. The distress call speaks of an airfield where in one of
the hangars, the caller and four others were hiding from a violent local faction, the Enkindias. Dronies
performed recon in the area. They showed the hangars at the nearest airport to the call, had all been razed
to the ground.
The caller started another distress signal but was cut short before they could finish it. This means
whoever made the call is still alive despite their hideout being discovered. Priority has been given to this
mission before the mass movement of troops into the area. Command has indicated this could possibly be
a US government intelligence officer, with vital information on enemy presences operating in the suburbs
west of Lagos. This person had gone missing in the last few days in the area. We will land outside the
airfield, establish a perimeter, then examine the facilities for clues or the caller.
If the caller is not found there we will begin on foot towards the southeast towards the lagoon
where the ship is stationed. The last partial distress call came from somewhere southeast of the airfield. In
an absolute emergency situation or if we have acquired the asset we can be extracted, if not we will walk
the entire distance back to the lagoon. In total this mission should take us 14 days. From the lagoon we
are the closest special forces unit to the assignment, it is why our group was selected for the mission.
What about my headset? How will my command know of my actions? They must already think I
am dead since my feed was terminated, Jacob insisted.
Sloan tried to answer his question without revealing too much detail, As the nature of the
mission is above your clearance and the interpretation division you are assigned to, I had to dispose of
your glasses. Dont worry, they are not as important at the military leads you to believe, they will provide
another pair upon our return.
Now we are scheduled to land in approximately 3 minutes. You will stay next to me at all times,
unless directed otherwise. Your primary objective on this mission is to establish any human contact we
have is; priority one whomever we meet is not infected or possibly infected individuals, two informs us of
enemy movements in the area, and three establish contact information with friendly non infected
indigenous people to exploit those relationships at a later date. Do you understand? Yes sir. Good. A
soldier sitting near the front of the passenger cabin held two fingers up vertically.
Two minutes, Sloan shouted. Jacob wondered where Emily was, if Alexis had born yet. One
minute! your harnesses will release at 20 seconds automatically. Prepare to vacate the bird! Sloan
grabbed the ski mask on the floor, nodded his head at Jacob, then pulled it over his face.
Landing and unloading went off without any notice besides maybe to the startled wildlife. Jacob
stepped out onto the cool earth, the helicopter had landed in a former farmers field one quarter mile from
the airfield. Now the area was a dry sand pit, something that would become dangerously muddy during
any rainy season befalling the area.
Sloan had his soldiers exceptionally trained. Within two minutes the helicopter was unloaded and
disappeared back into the starry night. A scout group of 4 came back with evidence the distress caller had
moved north instead of the intended direction of travel for the unit. Sloan had the unit organized and
marching in that direction. They stepped over a highway with burnt out vehicles, one still smoldering. Its
smoke irritated the throat of Jacob causing him to cough. Wary of Jamais-Vu, a few of the soldiers
looked precariously back at him. Then they proceeded to continue the trek, noticing the smoke had been
the reason Jacob was coughing.
Walking along the highway was too dangerous, Jacob pointed out a ditch to the side of the road.
The unit occupied the ditch then moved parallel to the highway. Jacobs eyes grew extremely heavy. He
had not been able to get a good nights sleep since he left JBLM. It was all catching up with him right
now. Taking a mere drop of the hydration oil satisfied his thirst but also gave him energy. It pepped him
up for the next six hours. The ditch ended and the unit was forced off the highway path across an open
savanna environment. Then Klashnekoff gunfire could be heard in the distance. The firing was located by
the scouts to be in a village nearly 1 mile out.
Sloan made the decision to camp for the night and give his soldiers much need rest from walking.
After establishing a perimeter the unit settled into tents for the night. Nestled among a small grove of
savanna trees, the small cluster of bivy bags appeared invisible to passer bys. Jacob crawled into his, laid
down, then listened to the sounds of the African night echo around him. The camp area was dark and
somewhere in the thicket he could feel the eyes of some animal predator watching him. His hair stood up
on his arms. It felt as if he was not being hunted, but warned by the unknown presence to leave. To leave
before the land swallowed him whole.
Intermittently he would hear gunfire, it was off in the distance. The shots startled him awake, but
they were not getting any closer. Slowly his eyes got heavier until closing, the safety of the expert soldiers
eased any anxiety he had. It had been months since he had a cannabane cigarette to deal with anxiety.
After some time in the service he felt like he didnt need the comfort or relaxation it offered. Still Jacob
thought, he could sure use one right now, before nodding off.
In the early hours of the morning Jacob awoke to hearing a few soldiers yelling. He looked
around to see two of the special forces members pointing guns at a group of three natives. They didnt
really appear to be from indigenous tribes, just darker skinned people wearing jeans t-shirts and ballcaps.
Cannon had described them as gaunt, starving, skeletons. Their appearances didnt fit any of the
descriptions. Granted, maybe they hadnt eaten for a few days, but absolutely they didnt appear hungry
enough to be eating leftover vomit or other human beings as Cannon described. Then again where they
were over five hundred miles from Bamako, where the diplomatic mission to converse with the U.A.I.S.
had landed.
Jacob wrestled himself cautiously out of the bivy bag. The yelling woke Sloan too. Jacob
approached the men, Parlez-vous francais? The natives looked awkward at each other, they thought not
everyone in Africa speaks French. Fortunately for Jacob they did, the one who appeared the oldest spoke.
Oui, et qui est tu? he sounded frightened. pourquoi est-ce qu'il va nous faire du mal. nous n'avons rien
fait de mal? Jacob looked at the soldiers, Sloan had woken up the other soldiers. One of the soldiers
looked at Jacob, What did he say? Are they infected? Ask them if they are infected!
They are wondering why you are going to hurt them, when they did nothing wrong. Im not
going to hurt him if hes not infected. If he is, the soldier pulled the chamber back on his weapon. If they
are, Im going to put a fucking bullet in each of their heads. Jacob turned back to the scared natives,
Avez-vous contract Jamais-Vu? Avez-vous test ngatif pour Jamais-Vu?. The moment was tense
up to this point.
The oldest man unexpectedly began to laugh. The soldiers holding the guns didnt know how to
react, they still kept their weapons sighted in on the villagers. The old man retracted his arm from above
his head to slapping his legs in comical relief unaffected now by the guns aimed at him. Jamais-Vu? ha
ha ha, tu pense nous avons Jamais-Vu? ha ha. Euh, non. Il se passe plus au nord, a Burkina Faso Mali
Senegal. cette habitude d'tre Togo. Que pensez-vous arriv ici?. Jacob now was confused not in
translation, in the implications their words began to have on the overall operation.
Well?, the soldier holding his gun level with the laughing group of now completely unafraid
former Togolese citizens. Jacob responded to the soldier, They are not sick, they are laughing at us
because the infection happened farther north they said. Avez-vous faim? The native waved his hand to
signal no, Non, pourquoi devrions-nous tre? J'ai un peu de nourriture. ma famille a fait la nourriture ce
matin. As tu faim? This villagers group was not hungry, and they weren't starving. nous avons entendu
des coups de feu hier soir, ils sont a va? Oui a va, euh mais, le faction de Eikandias a pris un homme
blanc qui est rest avec nous. Un homme blanc? Oui, il tait gentil et drle avec les enfants. Ils n'ont
lui pas tu. Ils lui ont pris nord a Burkina Faso, o leur camp est.
Sloan was standing behind Jacob, What is he saying Jacob? There is a faction named
Eikandias that took our target north towards Burkina Faso. Anything else considered important? We
cant give any of these poor souls food, we have enough rations for the maximum time the mission is
supposed to be ongoing. No sir, they have enough food. You can tell the men to lower their weapons,
based on my judgement these people are not a threat. If you say so, Morkowitz, Hanji, Johnson lower
your weapons. Johnson, I said rifle down Hesitant Johnson kept his finger on the trigger. I dont like this
seargant something aint right. Johnson, put your gun down or Ill put you down myself. This aint
hunting Boko Haram or Somali pirates anymore, these are just people. Lower your fucking weapon!
Sweat began to drip down Johnsons forehead. He closed his eyes, and pulled the weapon down to his
side.
Jacob turned back to the man, pouvez-vous nous dire quelque chose d'autre? Information?
Oui, les factions sont fortement arms. ils mangent les gens aussi. tre prudent. vous tes gentil voulez-
vous venir manger avec nous? A rumble came in Jacobs belly, he actually was pretty hungry but
reluctantly he had to decline the offer. Non, non, nous devons aller. merci pour l'information. Sloan
again, Well? Translate, this is why we bring an interpreter.
He says the faction we are after is heavily armed. These people don't, but the faction eats people.
He told us to be careful, then. Then, he invited me to eat with them. I declined. Its best if we leave them
in peace and get going. You heard the translator boys, were heading farther north. Be ready to leave in
less than five. Jacob took a look into the eyes of the man he was talking to, he looked hurt Jacob didnt
accept the invitation. He also looked worried. Possibly that more troops were on the way, to disrupt him
and his families peaceful lifestyle. Intuitively the old man was right. Jacob started to question why exactly
they were in this part of continent if the virus and the factions were more centered in Mali Senegal and
Burkina Faso.
While he was marching alongside Sloan, Jacob questioned him, Why were they nothing like
what we see on the news? What is going on here? Where are the famines, and completely anarchy? Didnt
those people look completely normal to you?
Sloan hand motioned for Jacob to keep his voice down then responded, You ask alot of
questions, and I personally believe those are warranted in this age. Do you take everything you see on
your little handheld or headset in those images scrolling through your mind as absolute fact? Does the
media make it that convincing? I wouldnt know I stopped watching the news when they cut out the
people doing good for society segments, to fill it with more incessant death and destruction. Call me
naive, but look at the work I do. In order for my sanity, I do my best to keep that garbage out of my head
Sloan retorted. Where do you think all the medical anxiety cases stem from back home? Why does the
nation need, the country I love, need to be a herd of cannabane induced sheep. I am not trying to get you
to answer these questions, just to think. Believe me, if you even had that headset on we wouldnt be
having this conversation. My superiors know my opinions, and that is why I am part of this unit. We
move society along for the herd. If I was some anxiety ridden paranoid street dweller do you think I could
have made it this far? Jacob was thinking, it wasnt really a conversation and more of a one sided
justifiable rant.
Have you had any anxiety since I threw that headset out the chopper? Jacob proceeded to shake
his head no. I didnt think so. Now granted, there is still a need for justice among these factions. They
are tribal at best, tearing apart the fabric of society here. After this operation is complete, in five ten
fifteen years, the goal is to have these all be independent countries again. Countries self sustaining to the
point where their resources can easily be traded through collective agreements written by the coalitions
governments to the rest of the world. These world powers which are quickly running out of their own
resources. It isnt all fabricated, and it definitely isnt the product of some government propaganda
machine. President Crandalls message was heartfelt, it stirred emotions people had been suppressing for
the better quarter of the last century. These emotions caused action, action needed to make right to further
the region towards peace, while serving our own interests. It was never, there isnt enough for all of us. It
was always there isnt enough for just us, with what we have and continually increase our use of. Water,
food, oil. These are all the absolute necessities, the developed world needs to survive. We cant do it
without a global effort. When one domino falls, they all tumble down. Have you seen how high food
prices are getting? How do we curb that, stop it from making a loaf of bread ten dollars. Its human nature
to take what we need to survive. As we are one of the dominant powers on this planet, if we don't take
what we need to continue to run our country at full speed, or faster, than for everybody it will all fall
apart. We are all so interlocked in the spirit of globalization, its impossible to stay as isolationists without
wrecking the world economy. I may have been speaking in metaphors but do you understand?
A brilliant lightbulb went on in Jacobs head. His thoughts were so much cleaner without being
clouded with cannabane constantly. I get it, he said.
Sloan continued, You are starting to, now do you see why your job is so important? what you
translate what you say, never reaches the mainstream media. They are fed a different line, focused on the
most significant atrocities in the area. But it has always been like that hasnt it? It doesnt matter what
government or what part of the world the news comes from, does it? You may think I am a soldier, when
in fact I have been a college professor. Holding a masters in Economics, it is a sharp contrast to the man
you see standing before you. I teach as well as am a reserve army special operations officer, how is that
for shattering your expectations of me being some neanderthal brute? I just put on that show for my men,
it makes them easier to command. Dont answer that last question, and dont repeat what I said to my
men. I won't say anything more. There is no doubt in my mind I have made you think enough for one day.
A faint finger whistle went up from the front of the marching line. Get down Vanir! Lay down as low
as you can.
Beyond the tall grass the special forces unit currently occupied was the Eikandias camp. They all
could hear the shrill screams of human beings being beaten within the camp. Inaudible shouts of terror
caused Jacob to shrink further into the grass laying his cheek onto the earth. A scout crawled back to
Sloan then whispered in his ear. Sloan turned to Jacob then quietly said, You stay here with Hanji. the
rest of the unit is going to move in on the camp. if we are not back in twenty minutes tops retreat one mile
to the southwest. if its been an hour start a full retreat to the original landing area. I dont think I need to
say why. Sloan hunched over to the rest of the unit. Making several hand signals the special ops team
spread out in the tall grass area. Then several moments later they were unrecognizable from where Hanji
and Jacob were.
Jacob could not see when it happened but Sloans unit stormed the camp. Uniformly they cleared
out the tents until finding the target. Their disruption had thrown the area into chaos. The faction
members staying in the camp quickly were disposed of. Outside the perimeter a large force was returning
with prisoners, potential meals, from around the area Sloans unit had deployed to. They met Sloans forces
and heavy amounts of gunfire were exchanged. The sheer amount of armed militants was overwhelming.
Sloan called a retreat with the unit and the target. They met up with Jacob and Hanji still laying flat in the
grass. We gotta move now. Cammi get on the mike tell command we need exfil immediately. We are
heading to the airfield. There must be at least a thousand of them. Lets move. Jacob was lifted to his feet.
In a rather quick tempo the soldiers hustled away with the target towards the airfield.
Gunfire at their heals hastened their retreat. The mission was half complete. Jacob tried to eye the
target as they were running. Their running pace made it hard to distinguish any features of him. As they
ran Jacob could see the asset was missing an arm. Later Jacob came to find out the cannibals had chopped
it off then night before they arrived. The screams they heard approaching the camp were the faction
members cauterizing the wound. Finally at dusk the first scouted scampered onto the runway. Everyone
was exhausted. Sloan took a second to catch his breath, then shouted, Cammi wheres the exfil? He and
three others had been shot in the first firefight. Sloans wound went through his upper shoulder. One of the
others had taken a bullet to the arm, the last to the foot. Amazingly they all had the immense stamina to
make it this far, perhaps it was mostly the adrenaline. Jacob liked to think it was the training which
stressed perseverance. The unit didnt take time to sit around for long. The faction members still were
pursuing them. Sloan directed all of them into a hangar, putting two scout snipers on the roof as an early
warning once their enemy reached them. A still descended on the burnt down abandoned airfield.
It was almost too quiet for comfort, in relation to the noisy background they all had during the
retreat. Then out of the silence came a small whir from above. The transport helicopter landed amid two
infrared flares the scouts tossed from the roof. Gunfire flooded the landing area from beyond the airfield
tarmac in the tree line. Sloan loaded the wounded, then the soldiers, grabbed Jacob and prepared to travel
with him from the hangar to their escape. He gave Jacob a three count then they ran for the chopper.
Entering the fray life ending bullets cracked past them in whirlwind bursts of hate from the tree
line. Then, a bullet rang straight through Jacobs abdomen. It felt as if all the life instantly was pulled from
him. Jacob felt Emily and Alexis crying out to him. No Jacob, dont forget me. Dont leave me. As he
struggled to move forward towards the open door and extended hand emanating from the chopper, their
faces flooded his vision. He was seeing his unborn child grow up from infant to teenage years. Daddy was
taking pictures of her with her prom date and screaming in the car slamming his foot against the
floorboard to simulate a brake pedal as she learned to drive. In a moment he would miss all of that. It
would fade to black, only a desire and never to become a memory. He dropped to the tarmac. Sloan
noticed the injury, he had never been one for making families lose memories. He locked Jacob in his arms
and drug him onto the chopper. The scouts loaded in, one slammed the door shut. Go, go, go! Sloan
yelled.
Bullets continued to ricochet off the helicopter as it propelled vertically away from the enemy
ground assault. Stay with me Jacob. Stay with me. For fucks sake Sloan laid Jacob on the passenger
deck floor. He put pressure on Jacobs stomach. Blood was covering his hands. The flow was unending,
Jacobs arms sprawled lifeless above his head. Damn it, fuck, Timmons get over here and give me a
hand right now. Timmons unbuckled from his seat stumbling over to Sloan. Okay hold him here, Im
going to - Sloan jammed his fingers into the wound causing Jacob to convulse. Theres no bullet, what
the fuck. Turn him over. Timmons threw both hands under Jacob flipping him onto his stomach. Jacob
laid face down his eyes level with a soldiers dusty boots. Well damn, the bullet went straight through I
guess, said Sloan. He could be okay. Hanji hand me that medic kit. Were going to stitch him up once
we get the bleeding to stop. Cammi mike command tell them we are incoming with multiple wounded
and the mission objective. Let them know an emergency medical response team is needed upon landing at
the lagoon
Sloan carefully stitched him up. Emily, Jacob managed to get the words out of his dust coated
lips. Crusted over from laying face down on the passenger deck floor. I dont know who specifically that
is but Ive got an Emily too, dont worry soldier you are going to be just fine. Jacob blacked out.
Beyond the helicopter, the entire region was being penetrated by the coalition forces. There was
no continuous ground bombardment or fighter aircraft destroying buildings, just the steady march of
millions of boots heading from the Atlantic coast where they landed inward. Africa did not go willingly.
Factions, with technological awareness, had prepared several counter attacks. Drones rained down fire
from above, not discriminating in the first few hours who was the enemy. The heaviest fighting was
around Dakar. Late after the U.A.I.S. fell the institutions they set up there were ran by the most devious
opposition parties. Parties with large groups of followers, mostly religious zealots. The lieutenants of
these factions were veterans of other wars with the west, they had the knowledge and moles within the
system to stage several large scale ambushes on incoming Marines. IEDs triggered on beachheads
disabled armored columns creating ideal ambush locations for the militants in the narrowest streets of
Dakar. Due to sheer size of the forces invading, the factions scattered into the wildland. There they
prepared insurgent assaults, meant to confuse and misdirect the forces from reaching Brixlo Lake.
Conakry was a different story. The ranger battalions there encountered waves of refugees, un able
to judge if they were infected or not. The military action there focused around isolating then quarantining
the population. It was only after the first forty eight hours was it safe to land the reserve forces at the ports
in the city
Rain poured down onto the land all over the region, running over the top of cracked stream beds,
flooding villages. Flash floods tore across the farmlands, pushing even more dislocated populations
towards the coastal cities. No water could soak into the ground so it stood on top of the ground. The
situation became dire in Cote DIvoire and Liberia. Long ago before even the U.A.I.S. disbanded these
former countries had run dry of water resources. The population heavily depended on the U.A.I.S.
provisions program.
When it failed the people created a smuggling ring from Accra and the faction controlled Dakar
for sustenance. Large stores of these food programs were not wiped out by exhaustion but by these floods.
Climate had complicated the situation to an even more detrimental level. Even President Crandall
wondered if he had made the right choice. In one week, the humanitarian need of these areas began
migrating towards Accra and Conakry. It was the start of the rainy season in equatorial region. It would
come to be the biggest miscalculation in timing for the intervention response.
The armies would fight against the factions but both of them in large areas of the operation would
fight against nature more. Large tracts of troop movements had to be redirected around seasonal flood
areas, engineers constructed makeshift bridges for armor to move over rivers that werent on the map, and
supplies to fuel the movement away from the coast regularly stalled or were lost due to the drastic
weather during transit.
Jacob awoke upright in a hospital bed deep within the special operations destroyer. He had a port
hole window to look out on the world. From it he could see the shoreline. It was being pounded by
immense levels of rainfall. Barely visible, Jacob saw the significant presence of allied armed forces. At
best the soldiers were grey blurs among the rainfall to Jacob. Sergeant Sloan was not kidding, the
Independence was just over 200 ft from the shore. He arched his back from the hospital bed to look into
the water. There was a sandy sea floor a mere few feet below the vessel. The boat had a revolutionary
design for its time allowing it to sit in such shallow water. The rain continued mercilessly despite the
troops trying to organize on the lagoons beachhead.
Jacob laid back in to bed. His side was sore. Pulling up his shirt, he noticed there was a larger
stitch above what appeared to be improvised stitching. Jacob had been nearly unconscious when Sloan
was stitching him up. A knock came upon the door. The door opened, behind the doctor who entered,
Sloan came into the room. The doctor attended to the machinery, checking Jacobs vital signs. Sloan
approached the bedside. How are we doing today? You have been out for a few days.
Did we complete the mission? Yes, we did, once you are well we are transporting you back to
your original post. My, wife, I need to get in touch with her. You just settle yourself, you will be able
to move here soon. Relax. Where is my wife? Relax, shes at home. You need to relax, Sloan nodded
at the doctor. Intravenous cannibol flooded through his bloodstream. Jacob felt the familiar sensation,
concentrated and powerful, disable his thoughts. A wisp of drool formed on top of his lips. Jacob sank
into a formed indenture in the bed. His head fell to the side sliding off his pillow. The view of the outside
blurred out to nothingness. His vision to the outside made furtherly complex with the even heavier rain.
It continued to rain. A torrential downpour. Rain kept the inflatable transport boat land bound for
the time being. The seas rolled with the wind. Capsizing a supply vessel to restock the Independence and
grounding any helicopters from leaving except for the most expedient missions. Finally Sloan came into
his hospital room again. Have you missed me?
When do I get to go back? Jacob asked.
Here is the fortunate news, you are going to return tomorrow. Are you able to walk? Walk, I
can get up and run. But I am not sure where I would do so. Am I going to have to walk back? No, but
we cant take you back on the boat. The water is too choppy to transport the asset. Yeah I can see the
supply raft half sunk in the water just outside my window, he is still here? You can? Let me see, Sloan
ignored Jacobs question about the asset and leaned into the porthole taking notice of the overturned
dingy. Rain had washed away anything beside a half inflated shell. It whipped rhythmically with the tide.
Now thats something to see. We were on a mission the last couple days when it happened I
guess. That Einkandias faction has been quite nasty since our first run in with them. Okay, anyways, we
are going to be moving you via vehicle tomorrow. You need to ready all your gear. The first night you
were with us a deckhand took your camos and body armor. Before we depart tomorrow you will need to
put those back on. The team decided to let you keep the kevlar shirt you were shot in. As a, souvenir. I
wont be travelling with you but someone familiar to you will be. I believe you know Sergeant
Crayson?
Sergeant? Jacob questioned the ranking.
Crayson stepped through the door. When did you get promoted? Only a few days ago. Hate to
say it Jake but Chuck didnt make it. The whole division was assisting the UN peacekeepers in Accra
during some rights a few days back. We were using the crowdwareness app on our AR headsets to
identify individuals in the crowd, based on their facial geometry, whom could pose a more potential risk
through the revelation of their emotions. One of the individuals we had identified left and everybody was
looking for him as we thought he might have been a lone wolf terrorist like Okaib at the UN. building.
Chucks headset failed to load the app. He stepped away into an alley to try to fix the technology issue.
the suspected terrorist found him then stabbed repeatedly. We all saw it happening through Chucks real
time video feed and raced to his aide. It was too late for Chuck though. I got temporarily promoted to a
commanding officer of the division while another Major is being reassigned.
The newly appointed Sergeant paused for moment as if reflecting on the horrendous sight he
came upon when the Major lay there bleeding, after all the division witnessed the crime live. Enough of
these unpleasantries, its good to see you Vanir. We all thought you were gone. I have to discuss your
travel arrangements with the Sergeant here. I will return in the morning. Travel arrangements? Sloan
attempted to answer the question but remained vague, Yes, where we are, is a ways from where you are
going. We are technically on the outside of the wall. The rain is coming down so ferociously, that some of
the roads you would travel back to the Ghanese BDF wall have washed away. You will have to travel
with a flag flying as well, which presents certain difficulties for a single vehicle moving across this land.
If you approach the BDF without one, they won't hesitate to gun you down. It wont be easy, but its our
only option.
Crayson chimed in standing in the doorway, And Ill be with you, along two of Sergeant Sloans
men, Hanji and Johnson. Sloan had to interrupt, Our asset is also travelling with you, I will introduce
you two to him tomorrow. He is needed back in Accra at his post. You need to rest though, Ill send the
doctor in to up your dose of cannibol for the next twelve hours.
No, please don't, Jacob could not believe he was making this request. I can go without it, I
have to be situationally aware tomorrow if anything is to occur. Just making the words procreate from
his mouth, started to make him nervous again. His teeth jittered, sliding horizontally against another
slightly. You can just have her give me the normal dose. Cant hurt to be at least comfortable through
tonight though right?
Jacob did feel comfortable the next day. Before he was awake the doctor had entered the room
and removed his IV. Sloan or Crayson had laid his freshly clean clothes on the chair next to his bedside.
There was also a beige camo rain parka. Looking out his porthole Jacob didnt see why he needed it.
Miraculously sun rays pulsed along the shoreline. Everything appeared damp outside, small puddles built
on the shoreline. The sand was darker than if it was completely dry.
He grabbed his camo fatigues. From the bottom his special forces vest slipped out. As it fell to the
floor the picture of him and Emily fell out. It was rain damaged, it also had a few specks of dried blood on
it across the bottom. He picked it up, trying to smudge with saliva and his thumb away the stain. It only
smeared it a little bit and tiny bits cracked off scraping some of the picture with it. He folded it into
quarters, then reinserted it into his vest. Picking up his vest, immediately he noticed the large hole
through both sides.
The bullet had pierced in between where the sheets of thickest Kevlar were, luckily those areas
had little vital organs present. He pulled up his med unit gown over his head. A scar had formed on his
side. The stitching had barely been removed, probably at the same time the nurse removed the IV. When
he was finally dressed Jacob walked clumsily at first, then confidently out onto the deck. Sloan and
Crayson were having a discussion.
We cant risk it... Sloan started in. I dont care, how safe are those roads? No one has travelled
them this entire conflict. Sure its the most direct route back to Accra, do you think four of us would
survive if we encounter a thousand, a hundred, even just fifty militants? Crayson retorted. We can radio
Niamey and get PX-9 support on standby. Ill also send my communications expert Cammi with you as
well. She can call in air support if you run into trouble. The Max-X crawlers hold 8, and thats
comfortably. Crawlies are slow, if we get cornered were done for. I saw just a few days ago an IED
blow the tracks off one in seconds. Men managed to escape the cab but then were hacked to death with
machetes. It happened in a patrol the interpretation division did on the outskirts of Accra. Accra has
violent dissent building as a result of the failed immigration policies Crandall attempted to pass through
congress Listen one humvee and three of my soldiers is all I can do then. I cant allocate more
resources. The independence is moving to the Conakry front in a few days. We need everything we got
after Jamais-Vu outbreaks have been reported there too I dont see why we cant just take a dinghy
back to the pods. Do you see the sunshine? If I have to show you the radar again I will, west of here is
getting pounded by a storm, which is moving this way. The longer we stand and argue. Sloan notice
Jacob on the helipad deck, Specialist Vanir, there you are. We were wondering when you would be up
and moving.
Jacob moved over to the helipad. He pointed into the sky at a dark mass forming just above the
horizon. See over there, those are rain clouds. They dont look like some casual november through june
Seattle showers either. Theyre in the distance, but coming this way. The longer we sit, the more chance
when were going we are going to hit the worst of it. Crayson agreed, Jakes right, we have to get
moving Sergeant. Inform your asset it is time to move out. I'll take Jake to the shore with a deckhand.
Well load up the equipment into that humvee over there while the deckhand comes back to get the rest of
your team.
A gentle wind began to push the still lagoon water into minimal rolls as Jacob and Crayson
crossed. The waves generated barely enough force to lift the vessels bow up. Listen Jake, I dont know
what happened out there. Stop, Crayson, stop. I am fine now, thats what matters. I dont know if well
have time to finish this conversation later I need to ask you something before we get going - Abruptly
the boat dug into the shore. It moved them in their seats.
Both of them got out then pushed the inflatable boat back into the lagoon. It was starting to grow
darker over the water, the sun had hid behind a few clouds nothing too threatening yet. Crayson waved off
the deckhand. Crayson opened the back of the humvee, motioning Jacob to start loading the provisions
and equipment for the day long trip.
Jacob continued as they loaded the humvee, I went through alot of feelings I have never had
when I was bleeding out on that helicopter deck. As I stared off into this soldiers boots, my face laying
flat against the cold steel, half covered in dust, then I passed out. I dreamt when I was out. It seemed like
God and the Devil were dancing over me, each in a different attitude. One crawling at my eyes to take me
into darkness, the other welcoming me home. Were all soldiers now Crayson, all of us either in combat
or when were of old age, in any scenario, are all going to meet our maker eventually. They both wanted
me that night, and I wasnt just about to give up. It made me think though, I have a family, or soon will. I
need them to stay safe. If the unfortunate happens, I need you to promise. Crayson interrupted, Jake we
arent going to have this conversation. You listen to me dammit, I don't care if you are a sergeant now.
We both entered into this unit as strangers and now you are one of my best friends. As my friend, you
promise if I do die in this muddy acrid sweaty land, you take care of Emily and my child Alexis. You
understand me? Tears welled in Jacobs eyes, the kind of tears holding a premonitions awakening. I
was so close, I felt every memory I could have had. It came and it went. Why else would I be shown
that? Hey Jake, Come here, Crayson pulled him in for a hug. Jacob opened up into his shoulder fight
back the urge to start crying, trying hard to resist but so much compacted emotion came alive in him.
Consoling him Crayson said, Maybe those arent memories you lost, but the ones you have yet to make.
Let me ask you this, everyone has a past, but what really can we consider our future?
I hate to interrupt the heartfelt man time, but we have to get on the road a strange new voice
interceded. Crayson released Jacob, behind them the voice took form. It was the asset. He was easily
recognized by Jacob due to him missing half of an arm. Getting a better look Jacob could see how tall he
was. He had a trimmed beard now, and hid his eyes behind aviators. He was white skinned but heavily
sunburned on his arms and face. His body was gaunt, after all he had been in the field for the last few
months eating whatever he could find.
This was Craysons first time seeing the asset. He stared gazingly at his missing appendage.
What? You never seen a guy with one arm before? No its not that, what happened? Crayson said
almost guiltily. A shark bit it off when I was scuba diving in Australia, what the fuck do you think
happened?. Crayson remained silent. Doesnt matter does it? Its gone and Im not the kind of person to
let it slow me down. We have to get moving, i can feel the driplets starting to form. You over there. He
pointed to Jacob with his stump. You were on that mission where they rescued me. Im Saul. He
reached out at first with the damaged arm then quickly retracted to extend his other. Probably never
going to get fucking used that,
He shook Jacobs hand. Thank you brother. Nice to finally meet you after you almost bled out
rescuing me. Jacob winced at a slight pain in his side while shaking. Pleasures mine, we really should
get going - Crayson snapped back interrupting Jacob, Those savages ate it didnt they? Saul chuckled,
Well nice of you to join us again sergeant, get the fuck in the humvee. After everyone was seated Saul
raised the United States flag above the back. The building wind swept it into a frivolous motion.
Crayson sat upfront, playing the role of navigator on a tablet. On his tablet he had a extensive
map of the coastal areas between the lagoon and Accra. With satellite reception it updated the path in real
time with weather and predicted conditions. Johnson ended up driving, Hanji was on the mounted gun.
Cami Jacob and Saul rode in the passenger cabin. Crayson technically was the officer in charge, but Saul
was running the show. The humvee glided across muddy roads. Intermittently the end would slide out,
Johnson would re correct it and they would be back on the road. The road they travelled stuck to the coast
mainly. Ever so often it would cut into the thick jungle. After about two hours of driving they pulled into
a single lane village. Johnson stopped at the entrance. The area was abandoned, or so it seemed. Saul who
had been speaking with Cami, noticed the humvee stopped asked Johnson, Why are we stopping? Im
not sure how to proceed sir. Drive through, and next time we get to one of these dont slow down. What
are you looking at? Johnson pointed through the windshield. That
He was pointing at a mass of black tarps at the far end of the village. The tarps didnt block the
exit but provided a very narrow path. There were two large piles stacked nearly two stories high, Saul
only didnt notice them because he was distracted in speaking with Cammi. This was the first time any of
them had seen anything like this in their deployment. It became obvious they were body bags when the
vehicle rolled cautiously closer. Most likely all of them were victims of Jamais-Vu. Still the fact
persisted that several factions operated in the area and they could have been the result of the genocide
which had occurred. As they drew slowly closer in the humvee to the piles a wet wind picked up. the
wind emanated the smell into the cabin. Crayson gagged in repulsion to the odor, then threw up onto the
passenger seat floor. Ugh, get us out of here. he said.
Johnson started to accelerate when Saul spoke up, Hold up Johnson, that path way out could be a
trap. Hanji fire at the ground between the piles. We dont want to roll over the top of a mine. Hanji
pulled back the chamber loading the 50 caliber machine gun turret. He fired a few dozen rounds at the
ground. The shots echoed and the sounds of insects immediately stopped in the foreground. The bullets
contacted the bags slightly. Puffs of flies exited the bags in droves. The punctures empowered the wind
carried stench deeper into everyone's senses. Dear God, Crayson said then threw up again. Saul patted
him on the back, You just cant keep it in can you, can you? Crayson shook his head.
Saul switched sides and tapped on Johnsons shoulder to get his attention, Ok I think were safe
lets move. Well need to go another two hours then stop to manually refuel. When he finished saying
this the storm had reached them. Raucous rain pummelled everything around the humvee. It started
abruptly then severely increased in intensity. Little waterfalls were forming down the sides of the body
bag walls as the humvee moved through the other side and back into the jungle roads.
Johnson turned the wiper blades on. Cami, its going to get hairy. Make sure comm stays up,
Crayson said turning his head to speak to the back seat. Saul added, Next time we pass through a village
like that, dont slow down. Crayson argued, And what? Run someone down by accident, are you
crazy?
Look seargeant there is nobody out here. I would be more concerned about rolling the top over
mines. There is a reason these roads are not travelled by our service members, its not just washed out
roads. But no need to worry, we wont really know theres a mine until its too late. Then, well, it won't
matter anyways.
The rain continued to sodden up the road creating more challenges for Johnsons driving.
Eventually he pulled over. Hanji took over the driving and Johnson mounted the gun. It was a quick
switch before they were back on their journey. By now it was nearly impossible to see the road due to the
rainfall laying like a blanket on the windshield. Hanji didnt have the driving skills Johnson had. The
humvee tossed back and forth regularly as he drove. The wheels barely missing sliding into the ditches on
each side of the road. Saul tried his best to keep a conversation going with Jacob, You wondered why I
was so important didnt you? It came across my mind, Jacob replied. Saul pulled a flash drive out of
his pocket. This right here. Many men died to get us this information. What is it? Jacob was
intrigued.
Sorry about this, Hanji yelled from the front seat. The humvee lurched vertically knocking the
passengers head against the roof. Ow, What the hell was that Hanji? Cami spoke up. We ran over a
large dead animal in the road. Couldnt tell what it was, too much rain. Saul had held tightly to the flash
drive, indicating its immense importance. This right here has several secret recorded videos of the
various factions meeting to reunify the U.A.I.S. under a Lagos faction leader, Barongdi. It also contains
locations for the faction leaders next three meetings. In our hands well, you can figure out what the
military would do with that knowledge. Effectively though, this intel could lead to ending the majority
opposition. Especially in Lagos, where factions have control of the oil fields. The United States Navy is
posed to seize those assets once the opposition there is eliminated. It is resources we cant be without in
this day and age.
Hold on, Hanji screeched. Were going to have to go around this. The humvee proceeded to
descend a small embankment then turn back up onto the road. Once Hanji was on relative stable ground
the humvee stopped.
Crayson mumbled to Hanji then spoke louder to the passenger cabin, It is time to refuel.
According to the map we are a third the way there. Jacob can you get out and gas up the humvee. Ill
join him, Cammi added in. When the door opened it was no surprise the wind and rain started to enter
the cabin. Crayson flung his map around to prevent it from getting soaked. Jacob stepped out with Cami
onto a slippery dirt road. The sky above was black, although it was only three pm. It was hard for him to
look up at it because the rain came down so forceful. Just the sheer speed stung the eyes when it hit them.
Cammi pulled open the rear gate on the humvee exposing the equipment and surplus gas tanks to the
elements.
Jacobs boot stuck into the mud, making his steps to the back of the vehicle strenuous. He grabbed
the gas tank then proceeded to fill the vehicle. The rain produced such a deafening noise he could not tell
if the gas was emptying. He shook the can and Cami handed him the other can. As he filled the second
one he looked out into the jungle. Where they had stopped was not near the coast. Jungle surrounded the
humvee on both sides. The road they had just come down was a slight hill. The standing water cascaded
down into a ditch quickly becoming a stream, the humvee had just passed through. Jacob noticed the dark
green canopy on each side of the road. Staring deep within the convoluted mess of tree branches
something caught his eye. A little glinter of silver among the unrelenting rain.
Then bullets sprayed the vehicle from the left side. Johnson rolled the machine gun turret over to
the direction of the gunfire blasting away. There was at least a dozen men firing due to the sheer volume
of bullets coming their way. Jacob dropped the gas canister. He dove for the open humvee door. In the
motion his foot came out of the boot, suspended in the mud. Cammi jumped backwards into the rear
compartment of the humvee, closing the tailgate behind her. Saul pulled Jacob further into the passenger
cabin, then slammed the side door shut. Drive motherfucker, drive!
Hanji slammed on the gas spinning the tires in the mud. From his view Jacob could see dark
figures emerging through the treeline brandishing weapons. Mid stride they would stop and fire more.
The humvee finally gained traction, throwing a wall of mud on both sides of the vehicle. The wheels slid
back and forth before taking off back down the road. Crayson had a tight grip on the dash. Saul pulled
Jacob into his seat. Cammi slightly moaned in the back compartment. Everyones adrenaline was
heightened. Everyone could hear their pulse.
Were you hit Jacob? No I dont think so Cammi are you alright? The moans had stopped
now there was just a faint whimpering. There were a few moments of silence then an answer, Yeah got
me in the left shoulder though. It doesnt look good. Saul responded, We will stop once we get out of
this hot zone. Johnson, Johnson! He ducked down from the machine gun. When he came down a rush of
water came with him. you seen any trace of us being followed? No sir, looks like it was a small band
of fighters, maybe just under a dozen. Thats good news, sergeant what does the map say? Saul, looks
like we are about to cross a series of non bridged stream beds right along the coast. We cant stop until
were pass them, there is six almost one after the other. If we stop to check her, it may give the militants
time to catch up. But- But what? Crayson stayed silent.
Hanji spoke from behind the drivers wheel with a reluctant tone, But because of this storm there
is a chance those six streams have merged creating an impassable river. We won't know until we get
closer. We cant come to a complete stop though, we could also easily get sunk in the mud around the
area. Well fucking shit, Saul put his face close to the wall separating the back compartment. Cammi,
you are going to have to hold on just a bit longer. Once we get past this we can pull over. Its too
dangerous, not until then There was no answer from her. Jacob can you hear her breathing? Jacob put
his ear against the wall. Yeah barely, there is too much background noise from the rain.
When Hanji rounded a corner he could see the stream beds. Each was filling rapidly leaving
small strips of mudded land in between. The streams ran directly into the ocean. At the mouth the churn
of the storming ocean created a fierce terminal if reached. There were plenty of rocks breaking the waves,
also presenting the opportunity for the humvee to get crushed against if it started to get swept out to sea.
Time constraints resolved Hanjis decision instantaneously. He accelerated hoping to skip across the
water from one sand bar to the next. He let out a tremendous grunt as the sliding began. The humvee
successfully made it over the first and second sand bar. It began to slide, leaning towards becoming
sideways. The current picked it up, pushing it forward across the third sand bar. It also made the vehicle
lose momentum. Careening over the fourth sand bar Hanjis hands slipped on the steering wheel. The
humvee corrected itself from a forward path into the river. Its front end slammed into the stream bed
halting the slide. A large rock just underwater impacted the drivers side, instantly breaking through the
windshield. Its edges crushed Hanji pinning him lifeless against the seat. Water began to fill the cabin. It
left the group two sandbars from the other side.
The impact also slammed the machine gunner hatch shut knocking Johnson from his perch. He
fell unconscious to the passenger cabin floor. Saul caught him. This cant be it Saul proclaimed.
Crayson turned around, he had a large gash against his forehead. Where the rock had crushed the humvee
it left him no room to maneuver back to the passenger cabin. He had resigned himself to his fate. Jake,
get out. Its you who is supposed to live. Get out of this humvee. Pressure began to build against the side
doors rattling the interior. The downpour caused the stage of the stream to rise above the front door
handles. The back end was sticking out of the water. Breaking through the rear compartment wall would
be the only way to escape. Saul attempted to grab the comm unit but it was already damaged beyond
repair. Next he grabbed an assault rifle. With his single arm he began banging the stock against the
compartment wall. The progress was slow as Saul made small indentations he became more frustrated.
Jacob joined in with his weapon. The streams power shuffled the vehicle momentarily throwing Jacob off
balance. Rattling increased to a fevered pitch. Jacob could notice the bolts on the humvees plating
shaking loose. Water came up to their knees as it slowly crept through the drivers entrance. The humvee
moved again, this time lifting both downstream wheels up temporarily. Crayson could be heard moaning
in the front seat. Jacob turned from banging through the rear compartment to give Crayson attention. We
are going to get out here any minute brother. Then once were out i'm going to break through that
window. Were both getting out of this.
A bolt rattled loose in the passenger cabin leaking water in now at a faster pace. Saul noticed it,
then kept pounding on the wall. Im not fucking dying here, Im not fucking dying here Saul said with
every hit he made. His voice crescendoed Im not fucking dying here. Im not- The back compartment
wall gave way folding onto the various black equipment cases in the background. Lets get the fuck out
of here. Both Saul and Jacob began to crawl backwards. The cabin had nearly filled halfway, Crayson
was nearly completely underwater. He lifted his chin, with the little strength he had, to get his lips above
the water line to not drown. Another bolt popped out, then another, a third one shot like a projectile under
the heavy pressure the raging river exhibited on their humvee. It went straight through Sauls neck. A
small trickle of blood came out of the hole, then more in a steady stream. He flailed seizuring, then fell to
his side. Jacob tried to pull him towards the rear gate. He could see Cami had already passed away. A
large caliber bullet had blown away a large chunk of her shoulder and she had lost too much blood. Jacob
managed to set Saul up against the tailgate door. Saul took his pinky pushing it through the bolt wound to
stop his bleeding. His voice was raspy being choked by internal bleeding filling his lungs, Jacob, take
the flash drive out of my pocket and make sure it gets to Accra. All of this would be in vain. Do, do, do
you understand? Jacob nodded his head. He removed the flash drive putting it into his vest. Saul then
removed his pinky causing a steady stream of blood to come out. Jacob readied to break the back window
when Saul grabbed his shoulder. His voice was now even more haptic, Listen, follow this road. In about
ten miles there should be a village, if you can get there. Theres, theres, theres a small inflatable boat. It
was my emergency extract if I reached it. Its underneath the village hut with a orange roof. Go now. Go!
Jacob broke the back window glass causing water to start to surge in. The back end had sank into
the river in just a few moments. Grabbing the shattered glass he cut both his hands, a deep cut subdued in
pain by the adrenalin. Using nearly all his strength he pulled himself to the outside, then on top of the
vehicle. As far as he could see, there was no longer any sand bars separating the streams. The streams had
become the continuous river Hanji had warned about. Jacob slid down the roof angled toward the rock the
vehicle was lodged into. His hands bleeding onto the rocks surface, he climbed up onto its few foot spire
above the water level. For a moment he heard coughing. From the spire he looked down seeing Crayson
choking on the water. When he tried to slam the assault rifle stock against the windshield it slipped out of
his hands. Within a second it had disappeared into the rapidly moving water. Crayson gave him one final
look of gratitude.
The current removed the humvee from the rock. It toppled end over end in the tremendously
powerful water. Its force tossed the few thousand pound vehicle like a plastic toy. Once it drew near the
mouth it bounced off a few rocks then was lost to the sea. Jacob sat in agony on the spire. The water was
not coming any higher at this point but diving in would be suicidal. His hands now felt the pain of the
cuts. He removed the parka that had kept him relatively dry. Tearing strips off with his teeth he fastened
tourniquets around his hands to stem the bleeding. Jacob tried not to move. The rocks surface was too
slippery to risk it. The downpour receded to a steady rainfall after about an hour. Powerful currents
appeared to become manageable. There was still no reference point to where the streams were though as
the sand bars remained completely submerged. Jacob slinked off the rock into the water. It still pulled him
along picking up his feet. His one barefoot allowed him to know where he was stepping. Finally his toes
felt what felt like mud. It was the fifth and last sand bar. Dredging the next twenty or so feet Jacob
reached the shoreline. He collapsed on his knees to the semi dry land placing his lips to the heavenly
Earth. Their whole group had managed to escape nearly every enemy besides the one they never
expected, mother nature.
From the opposite bank of the streams Jacob could hear gunfire in the distance. The flash flood of
the stream beds had already began to reside. In a few hours the gunmen would be able to cross, and once
they reached the riverbank if Jacob stayed they might be able to get a random shot across. The strips of
jacket barely held in the blood flow from his hands. Jacob was losing blood fast. If he could make it to the
village Saul had spoken of he might be in the clear. Possibly there would also be some better medical
supplies. He rose to his feet, then shambled along the road edge. The pace was slow at first then the rain
started to clear into a drizzle. As a result Jacob picked up the pace. The sock on his barefoot had begun to
tater. Walking with one boot on became too cumbersome so Jacob removed both the boot and his socks.
Truly barefoot he walked into the evening as the clouds started to break. The huge black mass skyward
above him moved farther east. Welcomingly the sun poked through the clouds near the horizon for a few
moments in a reddish pink fashion. For a brief moment Jacob thought he was saved, then he had to face
reality. He was alone, hundreds of miles from Accra, no communication services, no shoes, had lost his
weapon, and even worse the jungle night was approaching. With all the previously mentioned obstacles to
overcome for survival, Jacob had one wish, to make it through the night.
It quickly became difficult for this goal to be manageable. As only a dim moonlight lit his path
the loss of blood began to disorient him. Jacob began to hear strange noises coming from the jungle.
Snarls and heckles of imaginary voices filled his head. His hand wounds had clotted but now they burned.
Likely a serious infection was setting in. His eyes danced between the edges of the road. It felt safer to
walk in the middle that way he had some distance if an animal attacked. Every step he winced as he feet
blistered from the dried rocky road. Then he saw it. First out of the corner of his left eye, two glowing
orbs in the darkness. Eyes predating him, waiting for a sign of weakness. He had bent down to grab a
large stick in the road when they darted away. Was he imagining it? Or was he actually being hunted? It
seemed like he had been walking for hours and he had not come across the village Saul had mentioned.
He kept his focus in front of him. The jungle tree branches began to sway, their shadows in the moonlight
forming horrifying shapes in the foreground of his path. Faces that appeared to be laughing at him. Then
frowning faces dissatisfied he had not giving in to the jungles desires. Soon they may have their wish.
Jacob caught this time to the right of him two pairs of luminescent eyes, walking steadily with his pace.
This time he swung the stick violently behind him screaming. Again the eyes vanished. He could hear a
snort this time, followed by the sound of a large animal licking its lips. He felt so weak. His legs had all
but failed him. The steps he took became exponentially shorter as progression towards his goal seemed
impossible.
Jacob noticed he had wandered to the edge of the jungle road. To his left he could hear the coast
again. Gentle wave sounds seemed to be calling him home, not to Accra but back to Seattle. It was
uneasing. He felt like giving up. Sitting down under a tree looking at the picture of him and Emily,
imaging Alexis, then letting his hunters take him. If they really attacked there wasnt much of a fight he
could put up. He was dizzy from the loss of blood, dehydration, and lack of food. Pretty soon Jacob found
himself walking through the jungle. The shadow arms of the trees embraced him for accepting his fate.
He stumbled a hundred or so feet then really heard the sound of his executioners mere feet behind him.
Attempting to swing his stick his arm was too weak. The weapon dropped from his hand. The frowning
faces of the trees turned to smiles. These imagined shadow personalities thought, it was almost his time.
Jacob reached the shoreline. He saw the moonlight had cast a warm glow onto the ocean surface. The
scenery was peaceful. In the treeline on his right he could see the distant pairs of eyes waiting for him to
sit. To him it was not time yet. If he just made a few more steps he would have reached the village, some
shelter, and would be safe. This thought angered his hunters. Large snorts came from the treeline. Then
Jacob spoke, Okay, I get it. Just give me a minute to sit against this here tree. He placed his palm
against the solid bark of the tree. Just to sit, and look at this picture. His body landed with a thud.
Propping his back against the trunk Jacob pulled the picture out of his vest, My love. It was the best
memory he had. Jacob took one long look across the water. It whispered to him to close his eyes. He did.
The picture fell from his hand, his chin slumped down onto his chest. Out of respect the animals retreated
back into the night. Nature had taken enough from the man for the night. If he was left there it would have
taken him entirely back besides the bones.
A solid red and green light appeared out of the night sky hours later. It had been too late to save
Jacob. Hovering low above the coastline the lights slowed around his area. A spotlight cast down onto
Jacobs body. The lights grew bigger in the darkness until the form of a helicopter was present. It touched
down onto the beach a few hundred feet from him. The doors slid open and three figures stepped out.
Recognizably one was Crayson. Two soldiers followed behind him.
Crayson had been sucked from his seat when the vehicle came tumbled in the rapids. His body
came out on the opposite shore of Jacob, where the gunfire that approached revealed itself to be Sloans
special forces contingent. The USS Independence had come under attack from the newly reunified
U.A.I.S. army forcing Sloan to abandon the ship. They fought their way away from the independence
before radioing a helicopter to take them back to Accra. The rain had stopped allowing a window to do
so. It was then once they reached the stream beds they found Crayson barely hanging onto life.
A helicopter helped Crayson search for Jacob, whom he saw walk off on the intended shore for
the trip to continue. When they found his body nothing had disturbed him. Sloan stayed in the helicopter
with the remaining four men who made it that far. Crayson saw Jacob laid peacefully against the tree. One
of the soldiers who exited the helicopter raised Jacobs chin to examine his face. He gasped dropping his
head to rest against his chest again.
I know this man. the soldier exclaimed. Crayson trying to hold back tears responded, Really,
where do you know him from? You wouldnt believe me if I told you. With the day I have had
soldier, I would probably believe anything you said. Well right before the draft, he came into where I
worked giving me a five dollar tip. The young man, now soldier, was in fact Chris Peters. Jacob needed
to be moved back to the helicopter, back to Accra then home to Seattle. Now Crayson knew he had an
oath to keep to his fallen brother. Crayson replied in words he could barely speak, Its a cruel world we
live in now, where our stories dont always have happy endings, or even make sense. Grabbing Jacobs
body Crayson could not move him alone. Help me Chris Peters. Both of them first attempted to move
him and his body fell to the side. Out of his chest pocket came a precarious black object. Peters picked it
up, What is this? Crayson grabbed it from his hand. He tried to smile at the coincidence but grief
overcame him producing a solemn expression. Its why specialist Jacob Vanir died.
Emily was on her way to one of the final doctors appointments for Alexis birth. She had set the
Voiz attendant to pilot the vehicle while she watched the news. The attendant recommended not watching
the war coverage and she agreed. Her estimated time to arrival was fifteen minutes, enough time to catch
up on the celebrity news. Accidently she selected the science news channel. The correspondent was
reporting, Since September 5th 1977, the Voyager Spacecraft has been reaching into the deepest corners
of space carrying a vital message. In our current times of the trial the craft has carried on from the late
20th century messages of what humanity is. Today the Voyager, passing through the Kuniper asteroid
belt, has lost contact with united space command headquarters. The last known transmission picked up by
the international space station indicated an asteroid has struck the capsule flinging it out of its planned
trajectory towards a purported area where black holes - Boring, Emily said and proceeded to change
the channel. All the other news channels had coverage of the war. Even the celebrity channel was
covering, Past celebrities who are now fighting on the front lines. She started to become anxious Voiz
attendant turn off the screen and can you just play some music please.
A female voice responded. Yes miss, your health records indicate you are pregnant Emilys
pregnancy was nearly at full term, it was obvious to anyone looking at her she was pregnant. No way, I
didnt know this, she replied sarcastically. Miss I have noticed sarcasm in your tone. Please refrain
from this it is not healthy for you or your future child. I was merely asking if you would like to listen to
certain genres of music recommended for your pregnancy? Emily felt insulted, her and Jacob never took
the stupid Voizs recommendations. Still this time, she listened not wanting to fight with a voice that
controlled her vehicle. Yeah, what do you, I mean. What is recommended? Doctor Inyago
recommends the classical rock station, right now playing is the music of the 20th century band Kansas.
Emily couldnt understand why it was recommended and who this Kansas band was. A second later the
music started a sweet toned voice started, I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moments gone.
All my dreams pass before my eyes with curiosity. She relaxed listening to the song supposedly entitled
Dust in the Wind. The Voiz attendant interrupted the music but it gently played in the background still.
Miss there is a call from you from the Armed Services center. May I connect you? A rush of
excitement rushed over her. It had to be Jacob. Before she took the call her belly rumbled. Baby Alexis
kicked moving her about in her seat. Yes, yes, you can connect me. The call connected. Hey baby, its
been a long time where have you been? I miss you. A voice completely unlike Jacobs responded.
Ma'am, is this Emily Marie Vanir? Instantly she knew what the call was for.
She attempted to not cry. Tears rolled down her face. Yes it is, she regretfully replied. Ma'am,
this major Maniez of the Armed Services center. I regret to inform you... The man continued to speak as
Emily drowned out all his words. She was hearing nothing besides a shrill buzzing in her ears and the
song still faintly going in the background. All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.
Dust in the wind. All we are is Dust in the Wind. She started bawling uncontrollably. Pushing a button
on her phone console ended the call.
The Voiz attendant was also speechless. For the first time she remained silent. Emily began to
hyperventilate. The Voiz attendant noticed the change of sounds, Miss, this may not seem like the best
time as Im exceptionally saddened by your loss but if you do not stop being hysterical I will have to call
a medical professional to assess if you need psychiatric treatment. Emily screamed through her teeth and
the tears, Call a fucking medical professional then, I dont give a fuck now. Ow, my baby. My baby
Alexis. I think she is coming. Of my God, She is coming. Responding to the news the Voiz attendant
redirected the vehicle to the nearest hospital. The auto driver pulled the vehicle into the farthest left lane
enabling the other cars travelling in that lane to have an emergency override forcing them to merge to the
right. Emilys car accelerated to a speed quite above the speed limit and emergency flashers allowed law
she passed to understand the car was now acting as an ambulance taking her to the nearest hospital.
Emily went into labor nearly a few minutes after reaching the hospital. She screamed naturally
during the contractions. Between them however she cried. Jacob was the second half to her heart. Losing
him then having this child would be the ultimate reminder every day he was now gone. Mid way through
the labor she went into denial. There were plenty of soldiers who had gone missing since the combat
started, maybe Jacob was among them. The denial was very short lived and she returned to an even
heavier grief. The nurses tried to calm her down, saying stress was not good for either her or the baby
during the birthing process. She couldnt listen. She refused to be subdued with cannabane as she had
always seen it as highly addictive.
Overcome by all the emotions the final push brought one life into this world while taking away
another. Emily died. Her and Jacob never got to see their baby boy. The child they had planned for Alexis
never would exist. Hardware malfunctions in diagnostics equipment, and one lazy repairman, early in the
pregnancy produced false results. Unheard of in this age of technology, the unexpected birth of this boy
instead of a girl became a small error in the big data health records quickly forgotten.
The doctor after checking the baby handed the child to a nurse. The baby had to have a name.
Inspired by the president Crandall the nurse gave him the presidents middle name Jonathan, or John for
short. Initially the nurse who first held him took care of him, then after a few months he was adopted into
a middle class family. John Vanir was born amid tragedy, the death of his loving mother and shortly
before his clandestine father. Two people of whom he would never know their stories. Family members
he would fictionalize later in life, creating elaborate fantasies to compensate this loss.

III. First Steps

There was nothing before Kaydi. A black empty void filled with unlimited possibility. Then
brilliant streaks of light emanated from all directions. Energy, intense, rapidly expanded. It threw matter
together in the most peculiar ways. Heaving conditions together for fate and destiny to exist. A large
invisible hand grabbed the largest sums of energy forming them into concentrated heat. In the same
regards, concentrated spirit, a life giver. As one invisible hand created Kaydi, the same invisible hand
created millions of life givers across multiple universes. Then the hand spun the energy masses, like a top,
in place. Thus time came into being. As disparate chunks of matter rotated around its life giver they also
spun in place. When the objects had rotated to not facing their life givers chilling darkness was created.
These periods of darkness served as a reminder of each life givers most important gift. Then, in
proportion to the size of the objects the axis of rotation and distance from their respective life giver, light
would rise into view causing warmth upon the objects.
The objects too close to the life givers transformed into molten orbs uninhabitable. At the
parallel to this, the objects furthest away did not receive the energy of the life givers. Frozen solid they
continued their motion loosely but even the strongest Mosgoth could not survive the conditions there.
There had to be a particular balance, with a certain amount of energy for the life givers to be successful.
The objects encircling them, had to have molten cores but remain temperate on top. Across all the
universes there was a handful of these objects where the life givers methodology had been successful.
Kaydi was one of these proverbial parents. Kaydi knew upon seeing this unique opportunity with this
object it had to give it a name. So since ancient times it named it Arborth, or Is Birth, in the oldest
dialects of the oldest tongues.
Kaydi drew Arborth closer to it at first, because it was so proud to be a life giver it longed to
embrace it as any parent would to its new born. Molten inhabitable objects closer than Arborth, melded
into Kaydi, disappearing in an instant. As Arborth was drawn closer to Kaydi, its parent noticed the lands
began to melt away. Upheavals of land threw giant spires into the air as Arborth struggled to maintain its
form under immense pressure of the energy Kaydi exerted. A majority of the land compressed, melting
inward towards the core of Arborth. Its molten surface nearly exposed Kaydi realized it was not giving
life to Arborth, it was destroying it. As an act of sacrifice to its child, Kaydi reduced its glow, dimming
itself and its life giving properties to the outermost objects so Arborth could survive. With the reduce of
energy Arborth maintained its shape but deep gorges lay barren and the tallest spires rose so quickly into
the air their height produced arctic bitter cold across the planet.
Then for the second time in existence the invisible hand appeared. It ran its fingertips across
Kaydis surface giving it a rejuvenated spirit and a second chance to raise Arborth. When it was done
caressing the life giver it wagged its finger scolding Kaydi. This saddened Kaydi, then after despair,
produced joy. In happiness Kaydi cried, long streams of tentacle like beams extended out into the dark
voids. When they reached Arborth their heat had condensed into moisture, the moisture life, and the soul
of its child. From the most extensive research of the ancient processes of life those who study Arborth
have called this moisture Blia. In the common sense this was not water.
Kaydi had not just cried tears of happiness, transited with these tears was its figurative emotional
spirit. The timeline the invisible hands had set for all emotional spirit until the end of existence in this
moment had come to Arborth. See there had always been two invisible hands respectively named,
Beginning and End. The great expansion of energy was a result of the friction the hands struggling over
who would hold the emotional spirits existential timelines threads. Before the great expansion both held
in firm closed fist the finite lengths of Malomi twine carrying the emotional spirit of everything that
would ever exist. When both Beginning and End could not agree on who should hold the twine each
tugged on the ends they held. Neither of them held an advantage in strength over the other. As they pulled
to gain an upper hand they shook the clump of thread violently disagreeing. The shaking contorted the
strings causing bends where the emotional spirit of love and hate ruled those realities. Some of the strings
became tangled in other strings, some simply fell into nothing forever erased from existence, and some
took impressive arcs making time appear shorter in that universe. In reality though all the strings were the
same length. In dimensions impossible to explain by our current comprehension of time and space the
tangled strings formed tangled realities. Time coexisting in one universe was comparable to the universe
it was tangled into. At the intersections parallel events happened sharing the love or hate each realities
emotional spirit was forever bent towards. Enough hateful emotional spirit drove a kink into the system. It
reversed the bends created, pushing the string at a sharper angle. In shared realities it even pulled the
string of the universe it tangled with it. The sharper the angle of hate, the quicker it appeared that
emotional spirits timeline was meeting the end of existence.
Even though the shaking may have caused different bends in these parallel realities, those tangled
and even those not, all met End at the same point. Relative to their bends those who bent further towards
the emotional spirit of love appeared to exist longer. Even if the universe was void of successful
recipients of their life givers energy to possess that love, the bends loves emotional spirit conjured were
more gradual prolonging the end of existence. If one were able to actually see these threads twisting
around into and away from each other the majority of them looked like audio waves oscillating with
corkscrew frequencies. From an unreachable distance away from the threads all the patterns of bends
would formulate a single straight narrow string dangling from Ends fingertips. The appearance of the
bends were lost in the perspective of distance, just as everything appears more simple when viewed afar.
This perspective was very similar to John Vanirs entrance of Arborths atmosphere. As the craft
entered anybody from the ground could only see a blur of light. A few Searchers saw the glimmer, the
nearest heading towards the general area where the object hit. After the flash there was no trace, Johns
craft had buried itself so deep into the mountain side it would have taken weeks if the Searchers or
anybody else pursued its end point. The end point where the infinite sinless world of Arborth strings
would tug and contort by the innate hate John brought into their existence.