Yield (86 page)

The seasoned photographer steadies his body and lifts the 45-pound camera into position. Neal exhales a long deliberate breath, holding perfectly still as he starts to record
.
His hands twist the long lens, focusing on two North Koreans wearing short-billed green hats almost a hundred feet below.

The men are heatedly talking close to one of the car fires. One of them is examining something on a small digital device, pointing south down the street. The other, a cruel-looking man with three gold stripes on his collar, gestures back to the rows of soldiers still assembled.

The troops salute and begin running towards the alley mouth the KOMO sat truck smashed through minutes ago.

“
They
’
re looking for us,
”
Neal whispers. His right eye narrows inside the viewfinder. The photog adjusts his shot down the street, stopping on several heavily armored black transports parked below a burnt-out Starbucks sign.

“
Let
’
s send what we have,
”
Jonathon whispers. His stomach swims with more butterflies each second that passes.

The cameraman jumps inside the sat truck and hands the camera to Dave.
“
I know,
”
Neal says, staring into the engineer
’
s wide eyes.
“
Just make it work. Our side needs to see this.
”

Dave shakes his head. He glances back at the equipment rack. Fresh bullet holes punch circles of light right through them.
“
There is no way
…
”

“
Try,
”
Jonathon insists. His eyes drift down to the stained concrete.
“
You know she would have wanted us to.
”

“
Alright,
”
Dave says after a long pause. He twists a coax cable into the rear outputs of the camera and flips it back on.
“
Check my scopes,
”
the engineer says.
“
Hopefully that tone decided to take the night off.
”

Seattle
’
s refugee camp fills with ceaseless legions of the worn. Their haunted souls stagger in through a pair of razor-wire gates. A sea of green tents lines the middle of the encampment, reflecting prominent stadium lights that kick on all around.

A massive picture board stands encouragingly at the front entrance. It welcomes hope from those who enter. Images and descriptions of lost loved ones fill it, overflowing onto the fence for another 50 feet. Even in the darkness
,
people huddle around, trying to catch a familiar glimpse of someone they
’
ve lost.

The outer camp area is covered with white tarps. They zigzag over tiered rows of metallic poles. Large signs hang above the various sections, their thick black letters separating need from vengeance. Military recruitment. Information. Food. Medical help. Growing lines snake everywhere as people seek answers and aid.

Inside the camp
’
s cafeteria rest dozens of split-bench tables. Bodies cluster around the small TV sets interspersed within. Their eyes are entranced by the flickering screens, hypnotized by the nightmare of a new World War. Grainy aerial shots dissolve from what used to be Los Angeles to the devastated scenes in New York and Washington, D.C.

“
This new footage,
”
a halting voice reads over the damage,
“
shows all that
’
s left from four of our greatest cities. CNN
’
s Atlanta headquarters has received exclusive video out of Seattle, bypassing an unknown media blackout still in place around much of the country. The destruction is on an unprecedented scale.
”

The shattered cities are destroyed in circular levels. The inner rings of each are completely gone, leaving only charred dust surrounding a deeply carved blast crater. The middle rings are filled with burning debris, still pulsing brightly in the night. The outer ring is covered in heaps of twisted metal and concrete blown out by the force of the initial blasts. Piles of wreckage stretch out toward every horizon.

“
Emergency services were overwhelmed within hours of the explosions, creating overcrowded hospitals that have been forced to turn away even those most critically injured. Additional relief efforts have been mobilized in the affected regions, but it
’
s feared that the survival rate will still be less than five percent per city.
”

Stuttering video of nighttime explosions and weapon fire dissolves on screen. Tomahawk missiles launch from racks atop naval warships. They scream through the black anxious to inflict their deadly wrath. More fire in rapid succession,
thundering off in a blaze of anger and soot.

“
There are new reports of massive counterattacks against the capitals of the Axis nations,
”
the anchor continues.
“
The Department of Defense tells us multiple nuclear blasts have destroyed Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang late last night in retaliation for Monday
’
s attacks. It
’
s not known how many of the Axis leaders were still in those cities, but the D.O.D. believes most are either dead or in hiding. The potential death toll from this first counterstrike could be as high as 44 million.
”

Cheers erupt inside the cafeteria, celebrating genocide with a roar.

“
Teach you to screw with the U.S.,
”
an angry voice shouts. He slaps the hand of another survivor. Glee is etched onto their faces.

The mob stares proudly at images of the foreign obliteration of life. The extermination of another culture is scarcely tempered by anything
resembling
humanity. Instead, vindication burns eagerly inside hundreds of hateful eyes.

“
At home, there is still no statement on the condition of the President or his cabinet officials. We do know that senior leadership was in Washington at the time of the D.C. blast. Rescue and recovery efforts thus far have both been unsuccessful.
”

The CNN anchor pauses. New video of the White House and Congressional ruins plays through his on-air monitor. Patriotism crumbles to an ashen ground.

The pristine white stones of our capital
’
s proudest monuments lie in scorched pieces,
their scattered revolt stretching freedom all across the National Mall. Fires from ruptured gas lines burn liberally over miles of wreckage. Only the flames unite and march on in protest.

“
Secretary of Defense Bryan Rose is now in control of our troops and has been sworn in as Commander-in-Chief,
”
the anchor continues.

Clips of the 51-year-old Secretary of Defense taking his oath of office dissolve to his first Presidential speech. The power and experience behind his light gray eyes seems out of place somehow. They stand out in stark contrast to his youthful appearance. He looks more like a movie star than a leader with his streaked brown hair and sun-kissed skin.

“
What was done to us cannot be undone,
”
President Rose begins in a charismatic southern accent.
“
The horrors we
’
ve endured will echo across the world for generations to come.
”

*  *  *

Living quarters around the refugee camp are tight. Sleeping bags and blankets are huddled together under anything that can block the weather.
It isn’t
raining, but moisture
still
hangs in the northwest air, making everything feel colder and heavier than it should.

“
We will not just accept this fate, for this is also the fate of the entire free world.
”
President Rose
’
s passion shouts out from a handful of radios scattered throughout the camp.
“
This country is unlike any the world has ever known. Our way of life and our strength have surely been tested, but we will not falter. We will not yield.
”

A group of children plays in a puddle nearby. The youthful ignorance of race and religion blinds their happy faces. Families talk and smile by the fires, oblivious to the words changing the very world around them.

“
Now is the time to rise up and overcome. Now is the time for action.
”

*  *  *

“
Tracking the war now,
”
the anchor
’
s voice begins again.
“
Fighting in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans continues for another day. U.S. forces succeeded in stopping the Axis
’
advance along the coast, but not without heavy cost. Smoke from the damage could be seen for miles on shore
…
”

Terra sits in front of Chris by a bonfire under the stars. His arms surround her, pulling the girl back into the safety of his embrace.

Fireflies illuminate their faces, flying and dancing through the sky. Terra smiles. The glittering lights bloom and arc up into the night. Their glow swirls across Terra
’
s fair skin, bathing her in a gentle yellow light.

“
We
’
ve also received new images from KOMO-TV out of Seattle, showing the enemy
’
s advance might already be farther than initially thought. Foreign military were reportedly spotted on American soil, several miles north of Seattle
’
s blast crater. However, CNN lost communication with the news team before details could be confirmed. We will update you as soon as we
’
re able to reestablish an up-link. The Department of Defense is refusing to comment on the story at this time
…
”

Hearing footsteps, Chris glances back. A familiar shape emerges from the darkness and kneels beside them. Chris smiles before realizing something is wrong.

Devin
’
s eyes are locked on the ground. Chris looks up at him, his curiosity soon turning to fear. The fireman
’
s body is shaking.

Dread shoots through Chris. He starts to rise just as Terra puts an arm to his chest. He stops, looking back at her in surprise. A peculiar warmth fills her face. Gently, she lifts the edge of a blanket resting against Devin
’
s body.

The firelight dims then flickers back
,
catching on the angelic face resting peacefully in the fireman
’
s arms.

Hesitating for only a moment, Terra lifts the child out of Devin
’
s grasp and into her own. Her timid heart swells with wonder.

The fireman lays a hand on Chris
’
s shoulder. His words stammer out, their pain rising unsteadily to Devin
’
s lips.

Anger flashes first in the basketball player
’
s eyes. They fill with rage before tears begin to roll down his face. He jumps out of the fireman
’
s grip and stumbles closer to the fire, wanting to scream
—
to run as fast as his body will take him. But his brown eyes just stare jealously into the flames. Both burn without control, sending sparks viciously up to the heavens.

“
In a statement, the D.O.D. says the military isn
’
t releasing casualty figures at this time, but we
’
re told that all forces have been called up to active duty to confront the new threat at home. A re-institution of the draft is also expected this week by President Rose
…
”

Eager men, unrelenting anger on their faces, already stand at the camp
’
s military recruiting booth. A line stretches for hundreds of feet behind them. It feeds,
g
rowing as quickly as its inhabitants
’
thirst for revenge. At the end, several patriots look disdainfully back at a group of men in tattered robes clustered by the fence line.

“
Across our homeland, racist attacks against those of Iranian, Russian, and Asian descent have been brutal
…
”

A gro
up of six Muslims sing
their evening prayer in unison. They kneel along the fence toward Mecca, laying their heads gently upon the earth.