Global Catastrophe

The Start
What are Western Agreements? On September 11, 2001, the world was shaken. A massive terrorist attack had occurred in 1995 with the Oklahoma City bombings and the Sarin Gas attacks on the Tokyo Metro. This was when the famous Wilco 25 counter-terrorism team was formed. The first operation? England.

Some crazy idiots believed that Britain was like Orwell's Oceania. A corporatist hell. Your daily communist, people, nothing to worry about as they hit the US embassy in London, those things became very serious. It was 2002 then, nothing to worry about. I was 13 playing Baseball and American Football with my team every Friday night and Saturday morning and feeding my dog. I had a father but lost him in Iraq in 2004. The stupid old man stepped on an I.E.D. Though the attack in 2012 was a deafening blow to the Western Accords by the Beijing Coalition.

June 14th, 2012
I had a stupid nightmare once again. I dreamed of a nuke landing on my hometown of Salem, Oregon. I've been having them every single day since 2003. Either I imagine being at school/college, and all of a sudden, I see paratroopers landing like in Red Dawn or some shit like that, or my city gets blown to smithereens by a literal nuke. Either way, i had nightmares every single time. Residence-wise, I live in a mansion with an orange roof, yellow walls, and a swimming pool in the backyard. To the right, there’s a pale gray house with a black roof and white walls, which is home to one of my classmates at college, Tyson Norris.

To the left, there’s a smaller building where my other classmate, a South Korean immigrant named Rik-Sun Ye, lives. This building also had an orange roof, but with white and not yellow walls. He also had a swimming pool.

Behind my house there were lots of other small and large houses of all colors, all with swimming pools in their backyards. Because of all the swimming pools, most people called the area “Swimming Pool Alley”. The area got popular in the summertime; lots of kids and adults would go swimming frequently during pool parties or leisure time.

I, however, swam whenever there was a heat wave. Heat waves were getting frequent here in Salem, and during that time, any area with a swimming pool, especially a public pool, was bound to be crowded. In the event of a heat wave, any pool-whether a private or a public pool-would be crowded with people trying to cool off in the heat. Today wasn’t a heat wave day, which meant there was no need to go swimming, even though everyone else was planning to go swimming after school.

I set down on my seat and had a chat with Rik. “Fell asleep again, huh?” asked Rik-Sun Ye, who was sitting right next to me; Rik was 6’6, the same height as me, with light brown hair and cyan eyes. He was an immigrant from South Korea; he moved to the United States after his dad got a job offer here in Salem, which he readily accepted after losing his other job as a taxi driver in his native hometown in Daejeon, South Korea. We were bosom friends since grade school.

“Hey, Rik,” I said, rubbing sleep gunk out of my eyes; I’d stayed up really late last night trying to beat my previous high score in a match of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, which pretty much took from 7:00 P.M. in the evening to 12:00 A.M. in the morning.

And in case you’re wondering how I managed to get away with it, I gave myself a sugar rush by drinking Monster Energy every five minutes.

“You stayed up all night?” asked Rik. "That’s bad, Russell.”

''“I didn’t stay up all night. I pretty much stayed up from 7:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. and then I overslept.”''

''“Good thing it’s the start of the Summer break, pal. Otherwise you would’ve gotten a detention.”''

"Yeah... True" i shrugged. "Anyways, you hyped up for Black Ops 2? Can't wait"

"Me too! In fact, I already pre-ordered it for my PS3!" Said Rik. "You preordered it?

"I dunno, Rik... I'm mostly a Halo guy" I responded

June 20th, 2012
The door knocks with such a loud noise it woke me up. I go out and check it, it's a army officer. ''"Rise & Shine, son! We've got news for you and your people." I groan "Don't tell me what shit's bout to happen!"''. The army officer sighs.

"Listen, this isn't a war movie bout WW2, son. It's the real deal. Iraq & Iran are attacking Turkey, so your being sent in!" At that moment, i only had 4 minutes before deployment. So i texted Rik & Tyson to tell them all about it. Then I told my mom. She was crying at that moment when she saw the draft papers. She hugged me and told me she'd do everything to make sure i wouldn't go to war.

This was the reality in the US in June 2012. By that time, Iraq and Iran had become cocky and had launched attacks on Turkey under the ruse of "de-secularization" and the introduction of Turkish citizens into "true Islam". After bombing the city of Van, in Van province for several hours, they launched their ground offensive. I and my battalion (I was part of the 26th Mechanized) are stuck in Özalp, the Iranian fire force driven by Russia's new T-9 "Chameleon". If an enemy names a tank Chameleon, you know you're in a serious battle, we're torn to pieces in blood; we're able to deal with them.

Meanwhile, in Hakkâri province, the Turks, aided by the Italians and the French, had kept the line and made progress in the Duhok Governorate. Zakho was in their sight, and when they were at the gates of Erbil and Mosul, the Iranians cared, that when they launched a nuclear attack on the 13th Polish Tank Regiment in Siirt province. This solidified World War 3..

I had a moved ankle after the Battle of Özalp, so I went home for 2 Weeks. I had gone to my old man's house on the outskirts of Atlanta. I watched the news every day. The Iranian and Iraqi armies had not done much, in fact they were being pushed, and Mosul was taken. And Erbil was the other. The Armenians had also joined the Western Accords, making an offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh with the help of the Turks.

July 4th, 2012
It's a very nice day in the Peach State. It is 10:23. Not-so-average breakfast, is Independence Day. July 4. It is a festive atmosphere, it will not last long … Without our knowledge, China, North Korea, Russia, Iraq and Iran had launched a massive nuclear attack, 67 missiles to be at least. Once those fucks in NORAD sipping Heineken and whistling Yankee Doodle found out, it was too late. That was when it came out on TV.

"Nuclear attacks from China, North Korea, Russia, Iraq, and Iran have been detected, please seek refuge immediately, evacuate now" My heart sank over these words. As the Air Attack sirens began to ring, people knew it was too late. The broadcaster was in a hurry, confusing the newspapers to determine which cities would be hit. To be honest, I would not leave Baker (my 2-year-old white German Shepperd) abandoned, so I took them by my side. I went to Thomaston. At the time, Atlanta was nothing.... I had all my supplies: 3 weeks food, water, my iPhone 4S, its phone charger, pillows, blankets, some medical supplies, toilet paper, first aid kit and flashlight, not to mention a battery-powered radio. So far, we had gotten revenge, but it was a bitter achievement. The big cities had turned to ashes and continental Europe had already fallen into the curse of the Russians. The Russians were already in the eyes of Rome. The Pope had said a few things.  "War is essentially the death of humanity" 

But who cares? As long as nationalism and patriotism last, this will not be true. The Italians had been in a state of emergency and the eagle had not yet recovered. 6 days after the attack on our land, we still had to recover, when this was the moment, the big brass disintegrated. Who knows what happened. Maybe there was a coup or Obama was killed, or both.

While in Thomaston i tried to contact both Rik & Tyson. Only Tyson responded. "Ty! Dammit bro, you scared me!" I shouted! "I'm scared too, man! They told us to seek an underground shelter, bro!" He replied. "Know shit bout Rik?" I asked. "Dude, I'm seeing it right now!" He replied. When the search results went in, Tyson went pale... "Bro, i think Rik is dead, yo!" He said, as his voice cracked. Those words made my heart sink. I closed my Twitter call, and cried...

From the ashes of the devastation that engulfed the world, the remnants of American civilization were hidden in vaults built by the American military. Only a few could achieve the security of the safe. I was part of them. My sister and my mother joined me in January 2013, In the safe Vault 19... Protected from the effects of radiation behind humongous walls, temperatures began to reach low levels. The only time someone would come out would be for resources, though this was rare, because of the nano-built vitamins. A generation, growing up without any known knowledge of the pre-WW3 levels of civilization.

April 23rd, 2016
It's 2016 now. 4 years since the war ... I was called to Foreman's office ... "Ahh, you're finally here … That's good …" - He told me. "Mr. Osterns! What can I do to help? You called me, didn't you?" - I answered.

"Listen, boy, we have a big problem. The controller chip for the water purification system is done. It's all rusty and dirty, it has been in service since our last nearest water reserve froze in 2014. We cannot make a new one, it would take a lot of polymers and nanometals to invent, the best resources to spend on safeguarding" - he sighed. "And then, what?" - I asked.

''"Without water, were left without safe. We may have to patrol desolate lands for isolated communities. This is very impossible. But if you don't not volunteer, we may need it. "We estimate we'll have run out of H20 in 3 weeks. Hurry up!"'' He continued

As I went to the gate. I zip up my Extreme Climate Survival Suit (ECSS). I had never seen snow in Nevada before. It almost seemed unnatural to me. I go outside, and the Heads-up-display in my googles shows that the temperature is at -50 Celsius. It's pitch black except for the light of my helmet headlights, yes, in 2016, we found a way to insert car headlights into an E.C.S.S. Walk and walk for minutes, reaching abandoned towns, going far away from the location of Safe 19, Spring Creek. After 10 or 15 minutes of walking, the head show says I have arrived in the town of Elko. Nearby there are several guards, armed since probably 1985, armed with M16A1s.

"Welcome to Elko, lost! Drop your weapon to feel at home!" One of them said. I dropped my Bushmaster ACR and asked: ''"What the hell are you people guarding, anyway?" "We're guarding the town of Elko! My name is Jeff. How can we help you?"'' He replied. "I would like some information. How are you doing it while other cities have dropped to the Carapaces and Raiders?" I asked the guards.

"We are a peaceful community. The Las Vegas Carapaces will not harm us at all! We are helping them against those Midwestern & Southern robbers!" Jeff replied. "Okay now people, do any of you know Safe 15?" I asked Jeff. "Safe 15 is near Crescent Valley. It's abandoned now, I would suggest you do not go there! Carapaces will not hurt you, they're helping other Nevada communities rebuild! However, the Raiders destroy and burn communities! They do not bother! for others!" Jeff yelled in anger.

I got out of Elko and Mr. Osterns called me on my way to Crescent Valley. "Russel! Any info about Safe 15?" He asked. "I know that it's located near Crescent Valley." I told him "It was overran in 2015 by a mutant rat infestation, I've heard." Mr. Osterns said. As I got near Carlin, I could hear the sound of engines. I finally realize it: I'm being followed. "Hide somewhere!" He yelled. I hide in a Blockbusters Video, waiting for the raiders out. They're heavily armed people in 1970s Chevelle SSs and GT500s-, all of them armed with PDWs. After they passed, i continued my road to Safe 15 in Crescent Valley..

Entering the Safe
Walking for hours on end, I found Safe 15. The power was still on, surprisingly. The Safe had been abandoned in 2015, following a Mutant Rat infestation. I got close to the Water Treatment Room and took the controller chip. All of a sudden, I hear a noise: "WHO THE FUCK IN THERE!? WHO FUCK ENTERS MY FUCKING HOME!? I'M GOING KILL YOU!" The voice yells.

"Oh crap, oh no, oh no!" I say out loud. I make a run for it with the controller chip on my hand, I find a Kimber Custom TLE II. I get the gun and fire 3 shots at him. He's a super macho guy wearing a blue and green sweater and long pants; all torn up. "YOU CAN'T KILL JORGE! JORGE BE STRONG THAN ALL OF YOU!" The crazy asshole screams at the top of his lungs.

As Jorge nears me, I hear more gunshots, this time: I see a male with ginger hair and blue colored ECSS and the other the dirty blonde hair and pink colored ECSS. "Who the hell are you?" I ask them. "Doesn't matter! Just come with us!". I enter a car with them. I knew 100% this was suspicious.. So i ask them ''"This isn't a joke, nah?" "Never, it was NEVER a joke".'' They drove me to Safe 15. I meet with Mr. Osterns.

"''Mr. Osterns! I got your water purification chip!" I told him entering his office." "That will be the last of our problems, Russell! Something fishy is happening with Iroquois, get to the medical bay!''" I run to the medical bay, thinking about Iroquois.

Red Parasite
Barging into the door of the Medical Bay, i asked a nurse, clearly panicked, on where was Iroquois. "Iroquois George, you know him?" I asked her. "I-I-I, I went to his room but he was in pain, sir!" She stuttered. ''"Which room?" "Room 150!"'' She replied. I went to the room, and to my horror, were 3 guards, alongside Dr. Emmanuel Chrysler. He was from Ogallala, Nebraska with French & German descent. I knew the three of the guards. Nick used to work in fast food, paying his rent by flipping burgers. Nigel was from Côte D'Ivoire looking to secure a higher education to tend for his family and get them to a nicer home in Charleston, & Zach was a former freshman. They were all carrying SIG SG 552.

"This is like something we've never seen before, the veins are literally eating away off his organs!" He said, not noticing me. "Chrysler!" I shouted. Then he finally turned his head and removed his surgical mask, and sighed: ''"What are you doing in here, Russell?" "Nothing much, just passing through. Thought might drop by Iroquois's room" Then he groaned: "Don't you get it?! I'm in a middle of an autopsy, and you, my friend, are interrupting it!"'' He was interrupted, all of a sudden by a unearthly roar. It was coming from Iroquois. Somehow, a tentacle had risen out of it. It impaled the doctor from his abdomen and just swallowed him. Whatever was that let of a growl, similar to a cat.

"Holy shit, KILL IT!" Nick yelled while shooting at it. "Bullets don't do shit!!" I yelled at them as i broke the glass for the Fire Axe. I hit the tentacle with the axe, but it had no effect. "THIS DOSEN'T DO SHIT TOO!!" I yelled, as they were all consumed by biomass. I closed the door, as i threw a grenade. As the explosion was heard, i saw Room 149's inhabitant, Alex come out. "What's going on?!" He yelled. "Some crazy shit came out of Iroquois's room! It killed everyone in here!" I replied

"So we need to evacuate?" He asked, and i replied - "Don't know". I went to Mr. Osterns's room, and then he said "Iroquois... What happened to him?" He asked. I sighed: "I had to put him down, he was turning into.... something...…". Then he groaned as he got up from the chair. "Great, a parasite infection, we need to quarantine the Medical Bay.... A grenade won't do shit for the residue it spreads.". Osterns later told me to go to New York City & get a antidote for it. He said that the residue would take 4 days to spread fully to the Safe. So i went to the Helicopter room, and met the same dude with that blue ECSS alongside that dirty blonde lady.

"We need to find the antidote, we believe it's in control of a man known as Weaver. We don't have ANY info, for now, but when we get to New York, we will need to find the antidote somewhere in Manhattan"