Chapter 40: City of Death

David Granger was driving down highway 80 heading for the 395 interchange when a bright flash lit up the sky behind him. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the huge mushroom cloud forming.

"Oh my God," he said.

He watched as the pressure wave came boiling out of the mountains and picked up his car. The 1990 Trans Am went flying through the air and over the embankment where it smashed into several parked cars. The fire engulfed the car as it continued moving and it smashed into one of the houses.

If anyone had been alive in the area, they'd have heard David screaming as he was burned alive. Around the burning car, houses, cars, and people were ripped apart from the pressure wave, which snuffed out the fire, leaving the car buried in the ruins of the house.

The school bus had just pulled up to Grace Warner Elementary School when the explosion happened. The brightly yellow painted bus sat there facing the hills and Naomi Jenkins was just about to open the door when the flash caught her eyes. In horror, she knew what it was.

"ALL OFF YOU! ON THE FLOOR! NOW!" she screamed.

She moved down the isle, forcing the sixty-four children to the floor. The children followed her orders. From the first day they had met the African-American woman, she had talked with each of the children. She had told them if they needed someone to talk to, she was there. Her rapport with the children ensured that they all followed her commands.

Naomi reached the back seat, grabbed her daughter, and forced her to the floor. She dropped and tucked her child underneath her, as the cloud smashed into the bus. It slid the heavy vehicle backwards, and up onto the school's sidewalk, as every window in the vehicle shattered.

At Cannon International Airport Flight 329 from Philadelphia had just unloaded and Stewardess Charlene Kellogg walked Ashley Granger off the plane.

"Ashley do you see your daddy?" she asked.

Ashley stood on her tiptoes and looked around the airport.

"No, I don't..." suddenly the lights went off around the airport, as computer screens, TVs, and anything else electronic shut down.

Charlene stood there looking around as everything failed. She just happened to glance out of one of the massive windows. A Delta jumbo 747 jet had just lifted off. It started falling, and slammed onto the runway. It exploded into a ball of flames. A plane landing on another runway, hit the ground hard. With its wheels smoking, it slid down the long runway, where the pilot guided the plane onto the grass.

"Oh my GOD what's going on?" she said, just as the pressure wave from the nuclear explosion shredded the top of the aircraft they had just exited, and the roof of the concourse. Hearing a noise, Charlene looked up, and saw a section of the roof coming down. She shoved the little girl to safety as it hit her.

Danielle was in the kitchen making breakfast for her husband who had a flight at noon. Standing there at the sink, she felt the tears ran down her face as she thought of her daughter.

"Tina, where are you?" she quietly said.

Mike walked into the kitchen and saw his wife of sixteen years standing there crying. With a sigh, he moved up behind her. He gave her a hug and a kiss and whispered in her ear, "Hey, I love you."

Danielle turned and looked at her husband and whispered back, "I love you, too. I am just so worried about Tina."

"I know sweetheart, but those people seemed like they knew what they were doing. Now we know there was blood on the ground so someone was hurt, they probably just took her by accident not intent." Reaching over he turned on the TV and turned CNN on.

On the screen was a picture of the UN building. As the reporter came on Mike turned up the volume. 'Good morning everyone, I am standing outside the United Nations Building where I have been told by a confidential source that a closed meeting is taking place, called by the Secretary-General. What the meeting is about, we don't know, but it was important enough that if any nation missed it, the word is that they would see any and all loans canceled for three years. This is Cynthia Hope for CNN at the United Nations.'

Danielle listened to the TV as she slid the last eggs onto the plate, and said, "Here's your eggs and bacon Mike. Want some more coffee?"

"Thanks, honey," Mike said as he took the plate he glanced at the clock and saw he has an hour until he has to report for his flight. "Yes, some more coffee would be fine."

Danielle walked over, filled his cup, and set the pot down on the oven pad. Leaning down she kissed him and said. "I love you. I just want my baby home." She then started crying as she thought of her little girl.

Mike pulled his wife into his lap and held her as she started crying, "I know, baby. I miss her too, and so does Sampson."

As he said the name, they heard a tail slap the ground at the mention of his name.

"Sampson, she will come home..."

Judy Whitman was just sitting down on the couch with her first drink of the night. Her feet were propped up on the coffee table, and her black pants and white shirt were tossed over the nearby chair. The twenty-six year old blackjack dealer for Harrah's Casino was relaxing after working nine hours on her feet the night before, when the whole wall exploded behind her. The pressure wave hurled the woman across the room and slammed her into the wall, where she blacked out from the pain of a dozen broken bones.

Smoke was drifting over the city, while up near highway 80 the 'Circus Circus' Hotel and Casino burned as the firestorm swept through the buildings in the area. All over the western side of the city, fires erupted everywhere. Fire trucks refused to start in the city, and thousands of pile-ups happened all over, just from the EMP burst alone. Then the pressure wave hit, and thousands of buildings were ripped to shreds.

Jenny was sitting at her console studying the sensor logs when she got a strange warning tone.

"What the hell is that?" she said.

Looking over at the other board, she saw a red light blinking on the touch screen. Reaching over she slid the board closer to her and started reading the warning.

"Oh my God!" she said as the blood left her face.

Typing the commands, a holographic map came up and showed the location of the detonation. Looking at the sphere, she touched the flashing X, and it zoomed into sight. Her eyes went wide as she saw the city she grew up in, going up in flames. Looking down at the board, she pressed the intercom.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Thompson to all hands. Red alert, I repeat Red Alert, there has been a nuclear detonation on Earth. We have casualties, Commander White to the bridge, please. Medical! Prepare for thousands of wounded with massive radiation overdoses and critical wounds."

Looking over at flight ops, she saw Kathy sitting there looking at her.

"Kathy, bring us out from behind the moon. Set our course for the Earth and Reno, Nevada. Jessica, Amy, please report to the bridge."

The two AI's were there before she even finished the request.

Both Amy and Jessica said at the same time, "We know, Tammy. What are your orders?"

"Do we have anyway to decontaminate the area? If so, then start up your replicators. We are going to need it. Also, we need all our pilots for SAR. Use the mechs to scout for life signs. What can we do about fighting the radiation sickness, blindness and all the other effects from this blast? Amy we need to know if this was an accident or deliberate. Get me some information."

As she started to issue more orders, Ted ran on to the bridge wearing just his pants, carrying his shirt and dripping water from his wet hair.

"Sorry I got you out of the shower, Ted." Jenny said.

"Status report, Jenny?"

"I have set course for Earth. We are preparing to deploy all our shuttles in SAR mode, along with our mechs. Amy and Jessica are looking for a way to remove the radiation and Amy is also looking to see what caused..."

"It was a Crytherian demolition charge in the one megaton range. Center of the explosion is directly under 'The Brander's' base, just outside of Reno."

They all hear the gasp from behind them and a small voice said, "Momma, Daddy."

Tammy shuddered at the thought of what has just happened to The Biggest Little City in the World. Then she heard a gasp coming from behind her. Turning she saw Tina running out the door.

"Tina, come back."

"I've got her, Commander. She is in one of the transport tubes heading for her quarters. I will meet her and talk with her."

Tammy wiped the tears from her face, and replied, "Thank you, Amy. Please notify the Admiral if you have the chance ... and the first officer as well."

"I have notified the Admiral. He is leaving the United Nations, now. The shuttles are inbound for their pickups. I am waiting for confirmation from Lieutenant Commander White, now. I am sending the recall notice."

Amy stood there listing to Ken explain to the United Nations what was going on, then the data stream from the ship reached the holographic emitter on Kens waist. Walking over she interrupted Ken's speaking. Leaning over to whisper in his ear, she delivered her report.

"Sorry to intrude, Admiral, but your presence is required on the ship. There has been a nuclear detonation outside of Reno, Nevada. Scans estimate that that the weapon was a one-megaton demolition charge. Scans from the ship say it is Crytherian in origin. The death toll is estimated at fifty thousand, and rising by the minute, with tens of thousands more wounded."

Ken looked at Amy with a horrified look on his face, and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Admiral. I am," Amy said.

Everyone near the front of the assembly saw the young mans face go pale as the women told him something.

Ken turned his head and looked at the Ambassadors, and said, "I am sorry, but I was just told some horrible news. A Crytherian one-megaton warhead has just been detonated outside of Reno, Nevada. The death toll is in the tens of thousands and many more than that are wounded. To my home country, I offer what medical aid I can. We will start airlifting anti-radiation serum to save the wounded. We will also start airlifting the most critically wounded out. The USS Washington is leaving lunar orbit and will be over the blast site in ten minutes. Our shuttles will launch right after she enters the Earth's atmosphere. So that you all know this was not an attack, we are assuming it was a demolition charge because the Crytherian who was responsible for the Reno area, was the mass murderer called 'The Brander'. Good day."

They quickly faded out of sight and disappeared, leaving the Assembly Hall in turmoil. Ken and his men ran towards the doors and out of the Assembly Hall. While behind them, the ambassadors started arguing among themselves. The two guards do not even realize Ken was there until he slammed into the doors and they went flying when he forced the doors open.

Ken did a visual check on them, and said, "Sorry about that, sometimes I forgot my own strength."

Racing for the elevators, Ken came to a stop as they opened, and guards started pouring out. Activating his chip he said, 'Cindy land outside the main doors, we will board there.'

'Roger, Admiral, coming in now.'

Turning they headed for the glass doors, and hit them as the shuttle came in. It flared to a landing in the main courtyard, crushing the fountain and the flagpoles as it landed. They saw the ramp coming down as they burst into the sunlight. Putting on an extra bit of speed, they ran up the ramp as the guards boiled out of the building, yelling for them to stop, as they clear the threshold the bullets started pinging off the hull as the door slammed shut and the ramp retracted.

Ken caught his breath for a second, and said, "Go to full power."

"Already there, Sir," Cindy flipped the com over to ship's frequency and said, "This is Washington Primary, inbound. ETA is fifteen minutes."

"Roger, Washington Primary we are inbound to the planet's atmosphere. ETA in five minutes."

Cindy listened to the report and responded, "Roger, we will meet you after you enter the atmosphere, any word on Harpy One?"

"Harpy One is picking up her cargo now."

Down on the East River, people along the shore watched in amazement as the huge ship appeared and three giant 'robots' were quickly pulled out of the water and up into the ship. One of the spectators on shore lifted his camcorder as the ship slowly lifted up into the sky and when it reached two hundred feet, it disappeared.

Inside the ship, Tammy turned on her com unit and said, "How long until we hook up with the ship?"

"Twenty minutes, Tammy," Lynn said with worry in her voice.

Tammy can hear the worry in her voice and said, "Lynn I am praying your family is okay. Do you want to be relived until after this is over?"

"No, Ma'am. I will be okay," she said.