		The Great Death series
		Seeing Hope Among the Ashes
		Crumbly Writer All rights reserved © 2014


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IX: Norfolk, and Beyond

“We’re planning on investigating what’s left of our military infrastructure when we visit Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday. We know they had some operational ships because they used a nuclear submarine in their attack on Washington. Naval warships are sturdy, designed to withstand direct shelling. Hopefully a few small meteorites didn’t inflict much damage. Whether there’s anyone who still understands how—or enough people to operate—them, we can’t determine until we arrive.

If anyone in Norfolk can hear this, either civilian or military, we’re looking forward to working with you. The Navy had a lot of resources which would be invaluable now, like atomic power and portable generators. I don’t need to tell you, those tools would aid an established community more than a couple individuals. If that group is capable of dealing with the plagues, potential members won’t be as fearful.

We’re also worried about the number of weapons. If anyone has broken into the Navy’s arsenals, we may have a problem, as we aren’t prepared for a protracted battle. Let me emphasize, we’re not heading there to lay claim to anything. We’re establishing self-sustaining communities and providing enough confidence in everyone’s safety so they are no longer terrified to join in a recovery effort. If you’ve already established there, we have no problems with you. But we will have an issue if attacked.

We’re especially concerned with violence because our people have been assaulted, and we’ve lost all trace of Debbie in Raleigh. We’re only sending Natalie because we finally heard from Monique in Atlanta. Our signals were blocked by the mountains. Someone topped Stone Mountain to reach us, letting us know that Monique reached both Charlotte and Atlanta and was recovering after treating four people.

If I suspect our people are in any danger, I’ll seriously reconsider sending them. I realize we’re fighting a war against the Great Death, but I’m not going to risk my people if I can avoid it. If a region is deemed too dangerous, then I’ll let everyone in the area die. It’s that simple. If you have any say in the matter, or can run interference for Natalie, I suggest you ensure she doesn’t come to any harm. Otherwise, you and everyone you know will pay for the misdeeds of a few. Evil succeeds when good men stand idle. We’re trying to save lives, not just a handful but the entire human race. We can only accomplish that if we work together. We can’t sacrifice the few who can make a difference on a lost cause.

We’re also interested in the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. We’re curious whether anything survived. Seagulls, who alerted sailors of the safety of shore, are scavengers. Fish, mammals and invertebrates swim in waters contaminated by diseased carcasses. Water and food are necessary for survival. If any aquatic species remain, we need to know. They can help populate all the waterways which have died off across the world. Realizing the extent of the die-offs will inform us how much of a cataclysmic event this was.”

21: Military Indoctrination

It took Natalie some time to reach Norfolk due to the obstructed and damaged roads. She kept doubling back to locate alternate routes which didn’t always lead where she wanted to go. What’s more, they were often tree-lined highways, which meant they were often blocked by downed trees—usually pines felled by the plague. With no one else capable of disposing of them without infecting themselves—though a few had tried unsuccessfully—Natalie undertook the task herself. She drove until locating an outdoor supply store, grabbed a chainsaw and supplies, and circled back. She chopped up each tree and swept up the diseased sawdust. She learned a lot, never having used a chainsaw before, but avoided removing any human limbs. She transported the wood to a nearby house where she posted notices warning people not to use the cut-up pine for firewood.

When she reached the Hampton Roads Tunnel, she discovered both directions were flooded. Doubling back, she tried the James River Bridge, but there were several sections which had collapsed. Returning again, she investigated the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel, where she encountered an Aircraft Carrier lodged midway through it. It had broken free—or drifted after everyone aboard died—and collided with the bridge. With all three bridges out, there was no way to reach Norfolk by driving. She needed to find another means of carrying her supplies and powering her equipment, including her radio for communicating with home.

The nearby Hampton Roads Port at the base of the tunnel housed several larger shipping and military craft. However, they were too large for one person to handle and most were heavily damaged. On the east side of the bridge, there was a small sheltered port for smaller boats. Yet, most of those craft had sunk or been used to sail elsewhere. Natalie drove up Newport News Creek, which was more sheltered, but those boats weren’t in any better shape. The Newport News Port had several oil tanks for refilling ships. Apparently a meteor from the initial storm punctured one and caused the entire area to burn. Most of the boats docked across the Route 664 Hampton Roads Beltway had melted.

Newport News Shipbuilding had several small piers for boats, but they were too large to maneuver or suffered extensive damage. However, she’d noted smaller marinas near each of the other tunnels. The James River was too wide for a novice to sail on her own. She returned to where she started, the Rt. 64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. She’d noticed a small marina across from the bridge in Fort Monroe. If that one didn’t work out, she knew the various rivers in the region housed several small marinas of their own.

Luckily, several boats moored at Old Point Comfort Marina were still sea worthy. Natalie selected the easiest to master and transferred all of her supplies. She used her battery-powered pump to fill the tank, which relieved her of learning to sail to the other side of Hampton Bay.

Motoring out of the marina was interesting. As she expected, the water was littered with carcasses: fish, sharks, birds and humans. Since she couldn’t steer and shift the dead out of the way, she plowed through them. She ran over several, which threatened to jam the boat’s propellers. She was forced to stop, lift the motors and clean the debris with her hands; a messy and grizzly job.

While maneuvering past the dead creatures, she drifted quite a bit. Each time she tried to recover and head back the way she wanted, the propellers would clog again. It was late evening before she entered the navy base’s shipyards. She noted a smaller seawall to the side and motored into the Naval Sailing Center and Marina by the Naval Base Golf Course.

It was late when she finally moored her craft to the dock and crashed in the stateroom. It was so small and cramped it could hardly be called such. She fell asleep immediately, exhausted by her long struggles. She didn’t manage to sleep for long.

The loud crash of the cabin’s door being kicked open rudely awakened her. “Don’t move!” a male voice shouted as a bright light shone in her face. Blocking it with her arm, she rolled out of bed but another figure intercepted her.

“Try to stand and you’re dead!”

“Excuse me, I—”

“We don’t care, Ma’am. Keep your hands up until we can search you and the ship.”

“We don’t take kindly to civilians entering a military facility.”

“There are no more military facilities,” Natalie reminded him. She tried to study the men, but the stark contrast between the light in her eyes and the dark cabin prevented her from seeing anything.

The first sailor studied her and the other checked out her supplies. “You’re a little young to be doing this type o’ shit, ain’t ya?” Shifting so one figure blocked the light; Natalie could see the men better. They still wore their navy khakis, though their hair had grown out. One had streaked blond hair, while the other was black and sported an afro. The black sailor yanked her bags from under her cot and prepared to unzip her duffle bag.

“You need to be careful. They’re medical supplies. If you puncture the IV bags, I may not be able to treat you if you touch anything I handled.”

The man jumped back two feet, throwing his hands up. “You have the plague?” The blond by the door backed up as well.

Natalie sighed, knowing she had to go through this. She preferred revealing it under different circumstances. “I’ve suffered from each of them, all nine Great Death plagues. As such I’m immune, but I’m also a carrier.”

“In that case, you better get the hell out of here.” The blond pointing his gun at her seemed to be in charge, as he set the tone for how the two men responded. “There aren’t many of us here, and most of us haven’t been exposed to the plague yet.”

“You expect me to navigate the bay, with all the bodies floating in it, in the middle of the night?”

“You’ve got electricity and lights. That’s what alerted us when you arrived. You should be fine.”

“Thanks, but I barely managed to make it here. Besides, I don’t think you want to chase me away.” Natalie waved her hands. “Can I lower my hands now, I’m not about to make a break for it while you’ve got me covered.”

“Keep your damned hands up,” the blond insisted, standing by the cabin door.

“Any reason we should care whether you live or die?” the second sailor asked.

Unable to lower her hands, Natalie instead used them to accent her speech. “Because I possess the cure to the plagues. I’m here to treat enough people for you to build a working community. Once I do, anyone nearby can come for treatment if they become infected. You’ll need a separate group here if you hope to last, and that security will draw people. In case you haven’t noticed yet, it’s going to be a rough winter. Military barracks aren’t known for being well constructed or insulated. Living on a metal ship in the middle of a blizzard won’t be much more comfortable. You’ll have to relocate to civilian housing if you expect to survive the coming winter.”

The first sailor was about to object when he tilted his head, her words striking home. “Wait, you said ‘cure’?”

“I did. We’ve been treating it for some time. We’ve been visiting various cities, setting up regional treatment centers. We’ve lost a few people, but most survive. By the way, you didn’t touch anything on the way in, like the wheel I used to steer with, did you?” When the two men shot nervous glances at each other she shrugged and lowered her hands, convinced they wouldn’t risk shooting her. “If you did, you may have been infected. I wasn’t exactly expecting company, so I didn’t scrub everything I touched. This area is extremely humid, so the cells which transmit the plagues can’t dry out. If they aren’t sterilized, they’ll remain active indefinitely. You might want to consider a drier locale if you want to avoid the Great Death. Even with the treatment, it’s not something to undergo lightly.”

“We … we touched the railing when we came aboard.”

“Alas, I’m not sure which areas I handled. I was hoping to select the best candidates based on how many they can treat once they recover. If you’re infected, hopefully you’re a more common blood type.”

“I’m O negative,” the leader told her.

Natalie sighed. “That’s not ideal. It means you’re a poor choice for treatment. Since there are no antibodies in your red blood cells, they’re concentrated in your plasma, which is how we perform the treatments. If infected, we’ll have to decide whether we can save more people by treating you or simply letting you die.”

“I … I don’t even know what the hell I am,” the other man confessed.

His friend stared at him. “It’s on your dog tag, idiot.”

The man didn’t stop to argue, ripping his shirt open and yanking his dog tags over his head. “I’m A positive. Is that good?”

“It’s not ideal, but it’s about as good as we could hope. That means you can treat one out of every three people, which is a decent amount. Positive and negative doesn’t matter with plasma.”

“So you can treat me?”

“Yeah, unless it’s between you and someone who’s AB. They can treat anyone, and thus can donate plasma for whoever who needs it, either here or for the surrounding communities. But let’s not … get ahead of ourselves. You might not even be … infected.” Natalie couldn’t keep from yawning, but the two men were too busy staring at each other to watch what she was doing. “I don’t suspect I can finish my nap? I’ve been working all day reaching here. If I’m going to explain what’s involved, I’d prefer to be thinking clearly.”

“We’ll have to let the Commander decide how to handle this. If we leave you alone, you could do anything you wanted and if we arrest you … well, you may not be as likely to treat us if we get sick.”

Natalie cocked her head at the foibles of nature. “So an actual ship’s Commander survived?”

“Well, no. We were getting into scrabbles over who was in charge, so we got together and voted who to promote. There was a Lieutenant Charles Bennet, so he’s now Commander Bennet.”

“And who are you? I’m Natalie.”

“I’m Frankie Sanders, Ma’am,” the blond replied, nodding to Natalie, signaling they were already thinking of her differently. They were no longer here to arrest her, instead treating her deferentially. Frankie stood a little taller. “I’m a Petty Officer, Third Class,” he announced, showing the rank must have been post-breakdown as well.

“I’m Sammy Taylor, Seaman, Ma’am.”

“That’s good to know, but could we skip the Ma’am business. I’m a little young for anyone to call me Ma’am. You make me feel like an old lady. You two are almost old enough to be my Dad.”

Rather than being offended, they both broke into smiles. “Sorry, even though we may swear like … sailors, the Navy continually drills respect for ladies, so until you earn a ranking, you’re stuck with ‘Ma’am’, Ma’am.”

Natalie shrugged, tossing her sheet off and getting up. “Guess it can’t be helped then. Let me get my stuff together. If I leave my gear here, will it remain secure? And by that, I mean do I have to scrub everything down so someone won’t go through the boat examining anything which isn’t nailed down?”

Frankie laughed. “Aside from one Navy wife, you’re the first person to enter the base since the big die-off. We run a pretty tight operations here, although as you can imagine, we’re a bit short staffed.”

“What about my weapons? I normally carry a few because the world became a dangerous place of late.”

“We’ll safeguard them for you, keeping them secure until you leave. While you’re here, you’ll remain safe enough.”

Sammy arched his eyebrow. “Unless you’re selling us a line of bull.”

“What weapons do you have, Ma’am?” Frankie asked, ignoring Sammy’s implied threat.

Natalie pointed out where she stored them, and extracted extra gloves for the sailors to use to remove and examine them.

Sammy glanced at her rifle with a skeptical expression. “An M16? That’s an antique. Where did you pick that up? A Vietnam Memorial?”

“No, our group defended a National Guard Armory when it was attacked. Needless to say, we never met anyone to turn over what we recovered.”

“That explains it. Still, you’ve kept it in excellent service. Can you fire it?”

“I’ve had some terrific training, though I haven’t had as long to practice as most of my people. I was a … late addition.”

“I’ll tell you what, when you’re ready to leave, I’ll give you one of our more modern M4s. They’re more dependable and more reliable at stopping someone.” He paused, flashing her his best smile. “A delicate flower like you shouldn’t be using such an old relic.”

Sammy smiled. “We’ve always respected women who can take care of themselves.”

Natalie halted her preparations and examined both men. “Am I going to have a problem here? Let’s face it: you men have been doing without for a long time. Approaching me too closely means death, but that doesn’t guarantee someone won’t get stupid.”

Frankie considered Sammy for a moment before answering. “We’ve spent longer at sea than the world has been shut down, so we haven’t been doing without for long. However, I’ve got to admit the military has a long history of sexual abuses. Hell, rape of service personal by our own people is a long-standing problem the brass was never able to address. But I’ll guarantee this, if everything you say is true, I’ll make it my personal duty to ensure that no one tries anything.”

“That wasn’t the question,” Natalie reminded him, pulling out her bag of medical supplies and stowing it under her arm. “I wasn’t asking to be protected. If the Navy can’t protect its own sailors from sexual abuse by their superiors, I can’t imagine you can watch me twenty-four/seven.”

Frankie shrugged. “Human nature is what it is. The service attracts some pretty aggressive and assertive people. We have enough stupidity to go around. So no, I can’t guarantee some idiot won’t try something.”

“In that case, can you at least give me my knife back? If I’m attacked, I’d prefer to make them stop and think before it’s over.”

Frankie glanced at Sammy again. “I may get in trouble for this, but that sounds reasonable. Sure, but keep it hidden. We’ll let the Commander know we thought it wise to let you to retain it.”

“Thanks. Now let’s get moving. I still prefer to get a little sleep tonight. It’s been a long couple of days.”

________________________

Instead of taking her to one of the quarters on base, Sammy and Frankie escorted her to the berth of a large submarine. With a new moon and two flickering flashlights, Natalie couldn’t determine the condition of the rest of the fleet.

“You’re living in a submarine?”

“That’s the extent of our navy,” Sammy said. “It’s nuclear powered, so we have power and can fit everyone on it. We have a nuclear aircraft carrier, but it suffered extensive damage. We didn’t think it safe housing people on it. Frankly, people were freaked out by how empty it was. Besides, it’s easier keeping our forces together in one single location.”

“I can see the logic of it. I just figured it would be easier living in a house.”

“We voted and decided we’d be too separated and unprepared if something happened. Say if a Navy from South America unaffected by the initial meteor storm sailed into town. Plus, this way we keep our light signature down. We don’t want to broadcast to everyone how few we are, nor where we’re located at any given time.”

“So you only have the sub and the carrier?”

“No, Ma’am.” Frankie turned and indicated the rest of the fleet behind them. “Most of our ships are still afloat. They’re fashioned from armored plating designed to withstand a beating. But since there’s so few of us and the submarine has such a low profile, it seemed more … like home.”

Natalie glanced at them. “So how much of the fleet is capable of sailing?”

“We’d rather not answer that at the moment,” Frankie answered as he guided her up the gangplank.

“Halt! Who goes there?” A flashlight shone over them as someone challenged them.

“It’s us, Third Class Sander and Seaman Taylor. We have someone in custody. She’s contagious with the plague, but supposedly immune.”

“Hold it right there,” the sailor answered before whispering instructions into the sub. “Someone will be out to meet you. We can’t grant access to the ship until we know whether she presents a risk or not.”

“So now what?” Natalie asked.

“So now we wait,” was Frankie’s only reply.

The posted guard continued to glare at them, but nothing more was said. Soon the sound of footsteps mounting the stairs rose out of the submarine in the quiet night air. An older man wearing a uniform descended the gangplank, accompanied by two guards.

“I’m Commander Charles Bennet, Ma’am. I’m the Commander of what’s left of the U.S. Fleet Forces. What’s this about you being contagious?”

“I’m immune, but I’m still a carrier. I’ve had and survived each of the nine plagues. However, if you get close enough for my breath to reach your skin, there’s a chance you could catch one of them. I represent a group under David Scott in West Virginia. We have a treatment for the plague which we’re taking to different cities so each community can set up their own treatment centers. I figured I wouldn’t have to repeat this. We assumed you’d monitor our broadcasts. We send out messages at least every hour during the day.”

“Call First Mate Reynolds,” Charles instructed one of the men beside him. He turned and quietly spoke into his headset. “He’ll be right up.”

“So you’re safe if we don’t approach too closely?” Charles prompted.

“Yes, sir. We’ve established how the diseases spread. It’s via moisture. In this damp environment, anything I touched is contaminated.” Natalie held her gloved hands up so they could see them. “That’s why I wear these. The humidity in my breath only travels a short distance, so beyond that you’re safe. We’ve been living in a mixed community of the uninfected and the immune for some time. We have personal experience about which techniques work and which don’t.”

While she was speaking, another man joined Commander Bennet. The sub’s deck was filling with other crewmen interested in hearing what was being said. Apparently the new military was much more democratic than the old one, a concession to the temptation to simply wander off with few guards. When she finished, he turned to him. “She says they’ve been broadcasting regularly for some time. Any reason we wouldn’t know that?”

The young man blushed. “I’ve been monitoring the AM and FM dials, but I never picked up any signals. But as you know, I’ve never had any training in this. It’s possible I’ve been checking the incorrect frequencies.”

“If it’s any help, I can figure out what you’re doing wrong. We’ve been setting each community up with ham radio access, so I’m familiar with radio communications.”

Commander Bennet waved his hand. The relieved Reynolds stepped behind him. “We’ll get to that. How do we know what you’re saying is true?”

“I’ve got bags of plasma with me for treatment. As for whether I’ve survived the plague, I’ve got the pox marks of each separate plague on my face and arms.”

Bennet signaled one of his men and they shone a flashlight in her face. Bennet called another man down.

“Now that you mention it, I do see signs of earlier scars, but we’ve never met anyone who’s survived before. This is also the first we heard of different categories of plague.”

Another young man spoke up. “Anything you could teach us about it would be an aid. I’m the ship’s doctor, a medic actually. This is the first I’ve ever heard any of this. So far, we’ve been isolating anyone who becomes infected. We weren’t successful because they all died, but we’ve kept it from spreading.”

Turning to the assembled crew lining the submarine, Natalie began lecturing them on the nature of the Great Death plagues. She no longer addressed the commander. As she continued speaking, they moved from the sub to hear her better. Despite it being a still night, the wind and the sound of the waves carried her voice away. She had a rapt audience, but it consisted of only twelve men, the region’s entire U.S. naval force at the time.

“So you say you can kill it with simple disinfectant?” the medic asked again, just to be clear.

“Yes, although you’ve got to be careful. There’s a limit to the supply of leftover disinfectants. I’m sure everyone has been slathering anything they can find over themselves. You may want to set up a still to brew your own. But without sugar cane or corn, we aren’t sure how to distill alcohol.”

One man in the back held up his hand. “I might be able to help with that. I come from a long line of distillers. My brothers used to experiment with different fermentation methods so they’d know the characteristics of each. I know a lot of alternatives and the processes we’d have to use. I’ll need to experiment since I don’t have the particulars, but I’m sure I can produce alcohol easily.”

“If you can, you’ve got something to trade with other cities. As prepared disinfectants begin to disappear, people will be desperate for more. If you can provide them, they’ll gladly trade for it. I’d be careful in preparing alcohol, though. Everyone’s exhausted their supplies. The last thing we need is to supply survivors with another excuse to disengage, now that everyone needs to work together.”

Commander Bennet spoke up and the other voices halted when he did. “So far, we’ve avoided engaging with anyone else, afraid we’d reveal how limited our forces are.”

“That’s pretty shortsighted. Right now, no one is willing to join together, so there aren’t any groups large enough to launch an attack. But we need to provide support so people join together. The coming winter is going to be especially rough. The meteor storm kicked enough dust into the upper atmosphere that we’re entering a new mini-ice age. Less sunlight reaches the planet. When you combine that with the left over effects of man-made global warming, there’s no telling what we may be facing this winter. It will be colder, but we’ll also have the record numbers of storms, superstorms and droughts we had before. Without satellite warnings, we’ll never know if there’s a hurricane approaching. Your surviving fleet could be destroyed by being battered against your own docks.”

“We’ve worried about that. We’re near the worst of the hurricane season. While we’ve avoided any direct strikes recently, it’s always a possibility. We’re debating sailing up the Chesapeake for a more protected berthing.”

“That may offer some protection, but a better option would involve finding a Coast Guard veteran. However, since they were such a small group, there might not be anyone left. But I’m sure many of the monitor buoys are still operational. If we can tap into their signals, you’ll have some warning if an unexpected storm approaches. It wouldn’t equal the weeks of notice you had before, but even several hours’ worth would allow you to protect essential components.”

“I suspect we’ll have to start utilizing you. That hadn’t occurred to us yet, just as we hadn’t heard anything about your research into the plagues. Is there anything else we should know?”

“Yeah, like who’s eligible for the treatment?” someone called out.

Natalie shuffled a little before tackling the subject. “That’s an item I’ve been meaning to discuss. You’ll need to abandon this ‘us versus them’ mindset. It won’t do me any good to treat you if you’re likely to lose those people to combat injuries. Your refusal to deal with civilians so far is troubling. What I’d rather do is develop a local treatment program which draws people to the region. By building survivors into a functioning community, it’ll provide you with more recruits. What’s more, both you and the civilians would benefit from the skills, abilities and resources of the other. If some of you prove to be the best candidates, you can undergo the treatment. If not, you’d have the treatment center nearby when you need it. In either case, knowing how to avoid the Death will give you a tremendous advantage.

“But the bigger issue is surviving the next year. We’re expecting a resurgence of the plagues this winter. People will be forced indoors with poor ventilation, inadequate sanitary conditions, high humidity and few resources. It’s vital we establish these communities and the attached treatment programs quickly. People need somewhere to go to survive the coming cold, as well as a place to turn if they contract the disease.”

“You’re asking a lot,” Frankie pointed out.

“I know. But I’m not suggesting this to help you as individuals; I’m presenting it as our only survival option. If we can’t lick the plague, everyone here will eventually contract and die from it. It’s not an individual choice; it’s a question of our survival as a species. Believe me, no one would choose to undergo this treatment on their own. I’ve been through it, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. You’re not doing this to protect yourselves; you do it so humanity can survive. Otherwise, humans might be extinct within the next ten to twenty years. Even if you become immune, without enough biodiversity, we can’t survive for long.”

“You’re certainly painting a bleak picture,” Commander Bennet pointed out.

“Yes, sir, I know I am. But as you’ve noticed, we’re living in a dark time. Without assistance and cooperation, we’re all going to die and there won’t be anyone left. What I’m suggesting is by pitching in together and volunteering for this treatment, you help guarantee our future. Not just for us, but for our children and their children’s children.”

The commander cocked his head, regarding the small girl addressing them as equals. “Yet, I suspect you came here for another reason, beyond gaining a couple extra volunteers.”

“Yes, sir, I did. I was hoping to discuss it with you in private before broaching the subject publicly.”

“This is a different Navy than you’re used to,” Sammy said. “This is a democracy. We all vote on how we approach things. When a crisis arises, we follow the commands of a single commander and the orders of our immediate supervisor.”

“What Seaman Taylor says is true.” Commander Bennet made a sweeping gesture to include everyone surrounding them. “Whatever you want to suggest to me, you need to present to all of us. We’ll consider it, then we’ll discuss it and come to a decision whether it’s in our best interest or not. Unless it’s an immediate threat, I can’t make a command decision resolving it.”

“All right.” Natalie took a deep breath before beginning. “We currently have people visiting a number of cities, looking for enough people to build communities large enough to survive. Frankly, this is our second largest group of survivors we’ve encountered, second only to New York. But we need to move beyond this limited approach. Part of the plan is that, once someone volunteers and treats enough people to take their place, they move on.” Here Natalie made a motion including everyone listening. “I’m here to take this to the next level. I don’t just want to take the treatment to the next city. If we can’t extend this treatment beyond the U.S., a single nation doesn’t stand much chance of surviving for long. We’ll need to shift the treatment to foreign nations. I’d like to ask you to supply me with a ship big enough to withstand mid-Atlantic storms, preferably a submarine like you’re currently using. It needs enough crew to man it. But I need it to expand our treatments to Europe.” That statement struck everyone listening dumb, as no one had connected the dots and hadn’t considered what it would entail yet.

“The process will be the same. We’ll visit a single country at a time. We enter large ports, treat enough people for them to establish their own treatment programs. From there, they extend it just as we’re doing, one city at a time. Once we’re done, we move on to another seaport in another country. But it’s vital we get this treatment to the most people in as many different nations as we can. Once we cover the major ports in Europe, we’ll need to hit the Middle East and maybe journey beyond to India, southern Asia, Australia and eventually the Pacific Rim countries.

“Make no mistake, gentlemen, this is no small undertaking I’m discussing. I’m talking a major commitment of your supplies, your men, your time and even your lives for the foreseeable future. But again, I’m not asking you as individuals, I’m asking you in order to help the entire human race survive. Remember, any one nation can encounter a natural disaster, a devastating war or a new plague. It’s only by treating different groups in as many separate regions that we can guarantee our best chances of survival.”

Natalie quit talking and let all she’d said sink in. There were more than a few pair of glassy eyes as they envisioned what she was detailing.

Frankie gave her an odd look. “Uh, does David know you’re ditching your cross-country trip to head to Europe?”

Natalie laughed. “Whose idea do you think this was? He realized if we didn’t do something, millions around the world would die. This seemed like a better option than swimming once we reached California.”

Sammy whistled, causing everyone to turn. “They certainly picked the right little girl for the job. It may have been difficult for us to accept this as anything but a massive power grab from some man demanding the same thing. But it’s a lot for us to consider. You’ll have to give us time to evaluate the idea.”

“I never expected otherwise. Now, as I’ve said to the people you sent to bring me in, I’ve had a long day. I need some sleep before I start work again in the morning. If I could return to my boat, I’d appreciate it. Tomorrow, we’ll make plans to broadcast a response to my people. Then we’ll need to locate enough people to build a regional treatment center either here in Norfolk or Virginia Beach.”

“Pardon me, Miss,” Commander Bennet interrupted. “If you can guarantee you can avoid contaminating anyone, we’d prefer if you came aboard. I ask not only because we consider it safer, but I’m sure many of us will have further questions. We’re sure to think of more after we’ve considered your proposals. What’s more, if you can help First Mate Reynolds with his radio communications, I’m confident you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the morning.”

“Very well, Commander.” Natalie snapped to attention and did her best to execute the proper salute, despite being unable to keep the smile from her face. “Permission to come aboard, Sir.”

Before they could move, Sammy stepped forward. “Uh, before everyone shuffles off, what about us? Will you treat us, and if so shouldn’t we start right away?”

Natalie laughed, waving his concern off. “Nah. I always wear gloves and wore them the entire way here. There’s a small chance you were exposed since I didn’t wipe the boat down, but it’s unlikely. Even if you were, we can begin treatment once you show symptoms. Contracting the plague from surfaces is a much slower process.”

Sammy and Frankie shook their heads and Commander Charles motioned her onboard.

Continued …

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