Strataya Headquarters of HM Crowned Armed Forces
Cesyo Island
Auroyan Home Islands
1850 Hours Local Time
"...S-sir?"
Came a rather uneasy voice; easily audible in the sleepy communications center. The commander, a well-dressed man in olive green uniform who held a cigar between his teeth, walked towards the man who had called him at a relaxed pace. It seemed to him that this was all that night-shifts had become; once they may have been more lively, but now it seemed that few people actively wanted to be there now. But somebody indeed needed to do it, which would be why the military had raised the wages of those it had ordered to do such duties.
The man seemed to be trying something over and over again at his console - perhaps attempting differing methods to do so, but apparently finding no success. For one reason or another, this seemed to surprise or unnerve him a good deal. Puzzling, he thought; but all the while, a part of him was subconsciously glad that he may be treated to something a little thrilling. It was probably for the best he did not realize this consciously; but indeed, he found the night so dull he would have been grateful for anything which enlivened it.
Except, perhaps, for what he had discovered now.
"I've - I've lost communications with the garrisons at Rikkburg, Konkovia, and Aleuburg, sir. I've attempted to reestablish comms. No success so far."
The military's communications systems were state-of-the-art; and there were practically a dozen backups at this center. It was inconcievable that all of them would fail.
"A-Are you sure, corporal?"
"Affirmative, sir. I've been attempting to reestablish comms for ten minutes. I've tried everything."
"Good lord."
The commander cursed internally; it was up to him to coordinate the solution to this problem, he knew that much. And it was likely just a hardware failure; not at all what he had hoped for. He cursed at himself internally when he found he had actively been wishing for something lousy to happen.
He left the center to find the appropriate person to talk to; and in doing so he walked through the lounge, where two bored-looking off-duty officers were watching television, flicking through the channels idly. For a brief second, there was a news report that appeared to show the sounds of screaming.
"...Can you go back to that?" He asked them abruptly. Because they were not air force personnel, they were bored at night, and thusly they complied.
*kssssssshhhhh*
The news report was showing footage from a helicopter. The caption at the bottom of the screen said LIVE FROM RIKKBURG. At this, his heart abruptly skipped several beats. It did so again immideately afterwards when he realized what he was seeing.
Came a rather uneasy voice; easily audible in the sleepy communications center. The commander, a well-dressed man in olive green uniform who held a cigar between his teeth, walked towards the man who had called him at a relaxed pace. It seemed to him that this was all that night-shifts had become; once they may have been more lively, but now it seemed that few people actively wanted to be there now. But somebody indeed needed to do it, which would be why the military had raised the wages of those it had ordered to do such duties.
The man seemed to be trying something over and over again at his console - perhaps attempting differing methods to do so, but apparently finding no success. For one reason or another, this seemed to surprise or unnerve him a good deal. Puzzling, he thought; but all the while, a part of him was subconsciously glad that he may be treated to something a little thrilling. It was probably for the best he did not realize this consciously; but indeed, he found the night so dull he would have been grateful for anything which enlivened it.
Except, perhaps, for what he had discovered now.
"I've - I've lost communications with the garrisons at Rikkburg, Konkovia, and Aleuburg, sir. I've attempted to reestablish comms. No success so far."
The military's communications systems were state-of-the-art; and there were practically a dozen backups at this center. It was inconcievable that all of them would fail.
"A-Are you sure, corporal?"
"Affirmative, sir. I've been attempting to reestablish comms for ten minutes. I've tried everything."
"Good lord."
The commander cursed internally; it was up to him to coordinate the solution to this problem, he knew that much. And it was likely just a hardware failure; not at all what he had hoped for. He cursed at himself internally when he found he had actively been wishing for something lousy to happen.
He left the center to find the appropriate person to talk to; and in doing so he walked through the lounge, where two bored-looking off-duty officers were watching television, flicking through the channels idly. For a brief second, there was a news report that appeared to show the sounds of screaming.
"...Can you go back to that?" He asked them abruptly. Because they were not air force personnel, they were bored at night, and thusly they complied.
*kssssssshhhhh*
The news report was showing footage from a helicopter. The caption at the bottom of the screen said LIVE FROM RIKKBURG. At this, his heart abruptly skipped several beats. It did so again immideately afterwards when he realized what he was seeing.
Rikkburg Metropolis
Isle Solia
Auroyan Home Islands
1920 Hours Local Time
The large helicopter raced through the sky, twelve troops packed inside its troop compartment which was only dimly lit with red. Its ramp and side doors were open, and it carried its full armament of of six 7.62mm gatling guns; two on each door, two on the ramp. Aside from that it had its usual gatling gun in its chin; however, its ten hardpoints were empty.
The men close to the ramp door shielded their eyes as a large explosion came from below - a speeding ambulance had collided with a petrol-station and the columns of fire streaked into the skies. They were flying low over the city; low enough to see every individual speck that was a fleeing man, woman or child quite clearly.
They had little idea of what to do at this moment. Communications with Strataya Headquarters had been lost, and their own commander seemed to have serious problems deciding upon a proper course of action. He did not perhaps want to leave the non-infected to their fate; but he knew that if he failed to contain this he would be reprimanded.
The road below them was wide, and surprisingly relatively unobstructed. As a consequence, there was a great mass of people attempting to use it to flee, and there was a similarly great mass of infected chasing them. The helicopter came to a hover even lower over the road, and the men noticed many looking upwards at them.
"Give it all you've got, dammit!"
Two of the miniguns opened fire, unleashing a wall of lead slugs at the horde of infected; mowing them down as if they were nothing but tall grass. The road under the horde became covered not in tarmac, but in blood and internal parts, violently torn from the frail bags of disease-ridden flesh.
But most of the horde continued shambling towards the survivors, to their indescribable horror. Some had been torn in half, and still they clawed their way forwards. Some had lost most of their torsos, but they continued. The helicopter came to hover mere feet above the road's surface, and then twelve men jumped out, the gunners continuing to pour bursts of fire into the horde.
The men close to the ramp door shielded their eyes as a large explosion came from below - a speeding ambulance had collided with a petrol-station and the columns of fire streaked into the skies. They were flying low over the city; low enough to see every individual speck that was a fleeing man, woman or child quite clearly.
They had little idea of what to do at this moment. Communications with Strataya Headquarters had been lost, and their own commander seemed to have serious problems deciding upon a proper course of action. He did not perhaps want to leave the non-infected to their fate; but he knew that if he failed to contain this he would be reprimanded.
The road below them was wide, and surprisingly relatively unobstructed. As a consequence, there was a great mass of people attempting to use it to flee, and there was a similarly great mass of infected chasing them. The helicopter came to a hover even lower over the road, and the men noticed many looking upwards at them.
"Give it all you've got, dammit!"
Two of the miniguns opened fire, unleashing a wall of lead slugs at the horde of infected; mowing them down as if they were nothing but tall grass. The road under the horde became covered not in tarmac, but in blood and internal parts, violently torn from the frail bags of disease-ridden flesh.
But most of the horde continued shambling towards the survivors, to their indescribable horror. Some had been torn in half, and still they clawed their way forwards. Some had lost most of their torsos, but they continued. The helicopter came to hover mere feet above the road's surface, and then twelve men jumped out, the gunners continuing to pour bursts of fire into the horde.
"We interrupt regular programming on nationwide radio and television by request of Her Majesty's Crowned Armed Forces and the Imperial Health Service. This emergency broadcast overrides all regular broadcasting on the Auroyan archipelago and all Auroyan worldwide services."
For half of an entire minute, there was nothing but the unbearable tension of dead static which grew with all passing seconds. A man's voice then cut in, deliberately very calm and collected.
"This is the Emergency Broadcast System. Code Black epidemic warnings have been issued for the cities of Rikkburg, Konkovia, and Aleuburg as of 19:30 PM. A state of nationwide emergency is in effect due to the rapid rate at which the infection has shown to be able to spread. Due to the highly unusual symptoms, it has been determined that the pathogen responsible is an entirely unknown strand.
Symptoms include loss of cognitive ability; truncal ataxia - that is, the inability to walk properly, posessing poor balance; and an extreme anger and hosility towards non-infected organisms. Furthemore, the infection appears to be transmitted via exchange of bodily fluids, such as a bite.
Please, remain calm and listen to the following instructions carefully.
You should stockpile essential supplies for you, your family, and anybody else who may be staying with you. There is enough time, but you must act now. Local police forces will be stationed nearby major markets and supply depots to ensure that disorder is kept to a minimum and that everybody is able to get what they need. These supplies will be available free of charge by royal decree. Essential supplies, which you must aquire, are enough long-lived food, drink, and first-aid kits. If you posess a firearm, you should keep it close and at hand at all times and ensure you have sufficient ammunition. If you have time, practice your shooting. Government weaponry stores will be distributing ammunition free of charge.
You should also plan an escape for all members of your household. It is recommended that you bring your pets with you, as they can provide a substantial boost to one's morale in dire circumstances. Ensure that you have a car or another mode of transportation ready to leave at all times. You should keep your supplies in this vehicle in case you are ordered to evacuate. As a bare minimum, you should also keep warm blankets, spare clothes, and your supplies in this vehicle, as well as anything you wish to bring with you. Do not neglect preparations - the lives of your family are at stake if you do. In more detail, you must consider the following: water, canned goods, vacuum-sealed goods, blankets and pillows, medications, weaponry, a knife, warm clothing, and carrying bags. Do not forget to take some comfort goods with you as well as a radio and mobile phone. Wind-up rechargable electronics are the most desirable.
You should keep your radio on at all times as a minimum.
If you receive the order to evacuate, you must act calmly. The military will be present to ensure an efficient and safe evacuation. You should alert all members of your household, disable your house's electricity, water and gas, and leave in good time. Several routes to leave your area will have been announced, and you should make your way to one of these. Further directions will come via radio.
An official address from the Empress will follow in the following ten minutes. Please remain tuned and remain calm."
