The lull was the initial sign of victory. It was not a peaceful silence, but the hollow, exhausted quiet that comes after the storm. The incessant, background rumble of coughing that had been the dismal tally of the Red Zone had ceased. The manic, red-alert chimes of the System had fallen silent. All that remained was the gentle whoosh of wind over the charred earth where Zone 2 had once stood, and the subdued, methodical work of the decontamination crews.
The [LEVEL RED] alert in Reuben's dream, which had smoldered for weeks like an ember on his conscience, at last flashed and dissipated. In its place was a simple, somber line.
CONTAMINATION EVENT: CRIMSON STAR. STATUS: CONTAINED.
FINAL PROJECTED FATALITIES (Pre-Intervention): ~1,428,000.
ACTUAL FATALITIES (Post-Intervention): 8,447.
