Chapter 2

Dale awoke and found he was lying on the comfortable bed in the sleeping quarters off of the throne room. He lifted his head up and looked around. His mates were in the bed with him. His eight children were sleeping in a row of basinets nearby. Even in the dim light his altered vision could easily discern the open eyes of the four body slaves sitting nearby keeping watch. Slowly Dale extracted himself from between Louisa and Tina trying not to wake them; but after being upset about the recent happenings and then learning that their Wizard husband was for all intents and purposes comatose, none of the five were sleeping very soundly.

Seeing that they were awake regardless of his caution Dale brought up the lights just a bit, not enough to awaken the little ones, but enough so that his mates could see him clearly. He smiled at them and motioned for them to follow him.

Once out in the throne room Dale hugged each one of them and kissed them thoroughly. "I'm so glad I have each of you as my mates! I love you so very much!"

"So much has happened since you've been asleep! At first we thought something bad had happened to you to; but Fang came and told us you were here. He has been updating the others so they know you're okay. We moved some basinets here and have been sleeping next to you ever since," Angelina told him.

"How are our little ones doing?"

"They're just fine but I'm sure they all will be happy to see Daddy up and about again," Louisa replied.

"So what has happened while I was enjoying my little cat nap?" Dale asked.

The five women updated him on the tragic events that had been broadcast via television and radio while the stations were still broadcasting. They were careful to point out early in their dialog that no one in living at the estate had been harmed. A bit later in their update, Maria mentioned that Emilio had traveled to the other estates via the mirror network and everyone seemed to be alright there as well.

"We've even had a visit from the dragons to make sure we were okay," Tina told him.

"Actually Xenanthul has stayed here the whole time openly keeping watch in case any outsider came up with any unusual ideas," Melody added.

Fang chose that moment to make an appearance, "It is good to see you up and about Master."

"I'm quite happy to be up and about and feeling good myself Fang and it's always good to see you. What news do you have for us?"

"I heard your wonderful mates mention that Xenanthul has been guarding the estate. She is not alone in this pursuit. Each of the various estates and other concerns you have around the globe is under the guard of my brethren who are in your service Master. While there is not an extreme rush, and I would hate to deprive your family of your recently restored presence, I would suggest that it might be beneficial for you to meet with our golden hued friend," the large wolf told him.

"Oh wait! Before you go wherever it is you have to go, my mom is really scared. She called me on the phone the other day and I wanted to invite her to stay with us for a while; but I thought I should ask you first. Can she stay with us so she won't have to be so alone?" Tina asked.

"Of course Tina! Is there anyone else you know of in her position my darling mates?" Dale asked.

"I think that there were quite a few people we were concerned about that we've been able to get a hold of. We'll check with the others now that you're awake. Will you be gone for long?" Louisa asked.

"Not too terribly long I'm sure," Dale replied.

After assuring his mates that he would be back as soon as possible, Dale made a visit to Vyagar as Fang had suggested in his roundabout way. The AI gave Dale an update on the global situation. As Dale had expected, things were in a chaotic state; however Vyagar and his legions of AIs, Satellites, and cloaked drones had spared the remaining population from a great deal of misery that surely would have befallen them otherwise. The nuclear power plants had been carefully monitored and controlled as had the hydro electric plants. The power grids of the major continents were intact and operating under the guidance of Human OAIs appointed to the task. Water systems were similarly monitored and controlled.

His powerful and loyal AI friend told him many things about what had been done to save as much of mankind as possible, as well as where things stood with the many plans that Dale had launched in his furiously paced mind speak with the AI. One shocking thing that he learned was that he had been asleep for nearly eight full days!

After getting updates on the activities he had set in motion Dale asked "So, with all of your other activities, I don't suppose you've had any luck finding out who has done this terrible thing?"

"No. Not precisely anyway; but there is an interesting and unnatural pattern emerging. All of the areas of the globe were affected with the deadly plague; yet one area seems to have a much higher survival rate. We've been able to isolate the cause for this and have determined that an additive was introduced in the various major water supplies spread throughout China."

Dale was completely taken back by this. "The Chinese did this! That doesn't make sense! Are you sure?"

"As I said, I am not completely certain who did this. I'm just relaying the facts to you. I must agree that it would be unconceivable to me that an entire nation could keep a secret this staggering, or that its citizens, many of which have relatives around the globe, would condone such an act; but this needn't be the work of many people - it would only take a small band of fanatics to pull something like this off."

"But they somehow had an antidote prepared in advance and it worked," Dale stated.

"Actually that's not an entirely accurate judgment. My analysis indicates that their antidote solves one problem; but creates another. They probably don't know this yet, but while their antidote does stop the micro organism from binding with the DNA and RNA structures in most of the body's cells, and thus limits its growth and thirst for hydrogen, the antidote actually enables the organism to bind to the genetic material carried in male sperm."

"So they may end up causing mutations or birth defects?"

"No Dale. What they have done is to sterilize every male who has ever ingested the antidote."

Dale couldn't help the somewhat vindictive thought that whoever the sick bastards were who did this to the world at least they wouldn't come out unscathed themselves.

Their ride through the modest size town whose population the week before was around twelve thousand only turned up about one hundred and thirty others who were willing to come out and talk. Each time they had a car load of people they would drop them off in the parking lot of the supermarket across from the police station and ask them to wait until they had rounded everyone else up. The store was unlocked and had electricity, food, and water so everyone would be comfortable. Once they'd finished picking up the last few people Jim and his four helpers returned to the supermarket.

Jim didn't know why, but just as the first four who had answered his horn seemed to have appointed him as leader, the other people seemed to look to him for guidance as well. "Well, I'm not going to fight it. Somebody has to take charge I suppose," Jim thought.

Grabbing a pen and notepad he found at the customer service counter, Jim began to take down the name, sex, age, and occupation of every one present. He couldn't help but notice that the youngest survivors were in their mid-teens and his forty three years made him one of the oldest. He also turned out to have the tallest and broadest build of any of the male's left alive in their little town. Something else that seemed just a bit unusual to him was that out of their group of one hundred and thirty five people, only seventeen were male.

Jim pulled out the street map he'd found in the cruiser he was driving earlier and spread it out on a nearby counter. He took a pen and drew some lines to break the town into smaller squares. In each square he put a letter. Turning back to the group that had been milling around while waiting for further direction Jim began to speak, "I'd like each of you to come up here and locate your home on the street map. You'll see that I've divided the map up into squares. I've placed a number into each of the eighteen squares. Once you've located your home, tell me your name and what square your home is in."

Everyone complied with his request as quickly as they could without any fuss though a few of them seemed to need some help reading the map. "Alright, this might seem a bit like being treated as a number instead of as a person; but it will work the quickest for all of us. I'd like you to remember what number was in your square on the map and find your aisle here in the store," Jim said pointing to the numbered signs hanging suspended from the ceiling. "Once you've located your sign, go stand underneath it."

Now that he had the larger group broken into smaller groups according to where people lived, Jim went to each group and passed out one of the remaining radios they had gathered from the police station. With each group he spent a few minutes showing them how to use the radio and asking them to keep it on channel seven. When he came to a group that one of his four original partners was in he asked them to show the rest of their group how to use the radio and left them to go to the next group.

Once finished with the radios Jim began speaking in a loud and authoritative voice he had used for many years in his role of Sergeant. "For the remainder of our time this afternoon I'd like each of you to remain in the group you are in now. We are still learning about what has happened and what resources we have left to build a new life for ourselves. I'm sure that this hasn't been easy for any of you, especially if you've lost family and loved ones. Perhaps someone here in our small band of survivors has in the past not been someone you would have considered a friend; but the past is something we are going to have to put behind us. We are going to have to learn to trust each other and depend on each other."

"Take a good look at the people around you. If you are injured or in trouble these are the only people you're going to be able to count on. If you had money before and felt better than others because of it - well it doesn't mean squat now! If you were poor and were jealous of those who had more than you, I'll say it again - money doesn't mean squat now! We're all on pretty much equal footing in that sense; but just look around you and you'll realize that none of us need to go hungry. We won't be struggling to find food, water, or shelter. The unfortunate losses of others mean that there are more than enough things to meet our material needs."

"Our world has been hit by a plague of staggering proportions. Judging by how few of us remain in our once bustling little town, I'm saddened to say that this plague appears to have killed more of our fellow humans than all of the wars in man's past combined. Material goods will not be an issue for us as long as we don't allow ourselves to be greedy or selfish to the point of withholding them from others who need them to. If you look at this situation from a standpoint of how much can I horde, how many THINGS can I acquire, you'll miss the thing that you need the most."

"Again I'm asking you to look around at the people right here, right now. We are the rarest resource this once populace world has to offer. To survive we have to rely upon each other and be there for one another. I'm saying to you many of the same things I used to say to new recruits in the Army: First, this is your family now - don't let them down. Second, one of these people may very well end up saving your life - you need to be sure to protect theirs."

"Alright! That's enough about the future for now. I want to make sure that everyone who would like a vehicle and knows how to drive has one. Anyone else will need to pair up with a driver. That will be your first task and there is a car lot across the street. When we leave here we will go there as a group and get the keys, gas up the cars, and then head back to our respective homes. If you don't have enough food in the house to last for a few days, after you get your vehicle, stop back here on your way home."

"The phones still seem to be on. Write down my number and the phone number for everyone in your group. If you need anything don't hesitate to call. If you have to go anywhere - don't go alone. Using the buddy system will be safer for all of us. Don't forget about the radios either. Remember to plug them into the charger pack I passed out with the radio and let them charge each night. Right now we only have enough for one or two per group. We'll find a way to get more soon."

"We'll plan to meet back here in two days at Five O'clock Monday afternoon. Spend some time between now and then thinking about what we'll need to do to ensure our long term survival and we can discuss it and other things then. Alright, let's move on out."

Jim watched with as the various small groups followed his suggestions. He'd been careful not to mention the myriad of things that could happen to them without working hospitals or many of the other services society had come to depend on while taking them for granted. He was still wondering how long the lights were going to stay on for that matter.

It felt strange to enter a car dealership and break into the box that held the keys; but it was necessary. Jim had his jeep, the police cruiser, and a pretty hefty sized truck back at home, so he didn't worry about getting another vehicle just yet. Once everyone else was set, he headed back to the police station in the cruiser, parked it there and locked it up. Getting into his jeep he headed out of the parking lot, pointed the vehicle towards home, and was on his way.

There wasn't anything good about a plague that could decimate humanity, but at least it had taken a few days to do its dirty work; otherwise the roads would be littered with cars, trains would have crashed, as well as airplanes. That last thought led him to another. Why had that plane had crashed near his home? If the pilot and co-pilot were starting to feel ill, why not land the plane somewhere? If they had been feeling poorly before the flight they probably would have never strapped into the cockpit in the first place. So once again, why did the plane crash?

He pushed the thought aside long enough to deal with Rosie. He'd felt bad leaving her out for so long and had been hoping she'd be okay. She was little worse for the experience but was happy to get back into her stall with the hay, water, and a small pail of oats and grain right where she could get at them. Jim took her saddle off and put it and the other riding paraphernalia away. He told Rosie what a 'good girl' she'd been and then went to check on Sadie, the other riding mare.

Seeing that the horses were alright, he grabbed a high powered flashlight and headed the jeep back out to the crash sight to see if he could learn anything more about the plane. After nosing about for an hour or so among the wreckage he'd actually learned quite a bit about the aircraft. First, it wasn't a normal commercial flight, there hadn't been many seats in the large plane and there was very little in the way of luggage strewn about. Second, even if everyone aboard the plane had died and their bodies turned to power on impact, some clothing should have remained and while his search was hardly exhaustive, he got the feeling that there just hadn't been many people on board at all. Third came the most startling and conclusive evidence that this hadn't been a normal flight. Jim kept seeing the same symbol over and over again. On napkins, broken fragments of plates and cups and on various pieces of paper that were strewn around the crash site he found the same emblem: The Seal of the President of the United States.

"Oh my gosh! This must have been Air Force One!" the words exploded from his lips. "I sure hope the President wasn't on board."

When Dale, his mates, and his children returned to the house via the mirrors the rest of his family members were happy to see him up and about again. After assuring them that he was alright Dale spent a bit of time talking with each of them to see how they were taking the whole sticky situation. The emotional turmoil they had been feeling had been pretty intense at first but they were bearing up okay.