Surviving the Apocalypse

Uncle Ramon

Ramon Storm was using his helicopter for the first time since the outbreak his brother had warned him about before he had killed himself 6 months prior, Brigadier General Harold Johnson having succumbed to a heart attack just 8 weeks into the disaster that was unfolding. His target was Camp Epsilon outside of Oswego, where his brother had lived. The team he had sent for his niece had never arrived to her house, overwhelmed blocks away before it was leveled in the firestorm from a mis dropped Napalm bomb. He feared Hanna was dead, even though he had promised his brother he would protect her at all costs. They were still 250 miles away when their detection system detected radar painting their hull, the system alerting them.

At first he wasn't concerned, thinking a sore had somehow been missed being shut down in the chaos that was the evacuation. That all changed however after a few seconds when active radar began locking onto them, the screeching alarm indicating it was a full blown anti air system. "Turn us back now." he ordered as the chopper dove for the ground while the pilot executed a turn that had him glued to the edge of his seat and harness because of the g forces being generated.

10 seconds later it stopped as they flew back out of the range of the system, the map clearly showing there was 5 small towns and a medium sized city between their current location and where Camp Epsilon was. He had no idea what was going on, especially since there hadn't been any sort of system like that deployed in this relatively quiet part of the world.

"Get us back to base, have Camp Epsilon determine who exactly deployed that thing and shut it down." he ordered as the pilot used his radio to relay the orders.

Hanna arrived to the research lab where she had met with Crystal every other time, wondering why Crystal had been so cryptic in her communication. Fortunately she didn't have to wait long as the single SUV screeched to a halt across the small lot from her, Crystal barely waiting for the vehicle to stop before she ran to Hanna.

"At least your father didn't decide to come." Hanna said as Crystal laughed without humor.

"My father decided the grave was more suited to his future." Crystal said evenly as Hanna saw her eyes were red and puffy.

"You have my sympathy." Hanna told her.

"Thank you, but I am not here for that. I have to ask a very serious question and hope you are the one I need to speak with."

Hanna was a little intrigued by the wording, knowing that it couldn't be good that she was here talking instead of running the Camp herself. "You can ask." she said making sure she didn't commit to anything before hearing the request.

Crystal sighed as she tried to determine the best way to approach the subject. "Camp Epsilon is a network of small Camps made in the months leading up to the outbreak by a General who utilized every ounce of his influence to get us the supplies we had. My father's death has necessitated his arrival to stabilize the Camp and promote the next Commander. This morning he attempted to do just that, only to be stopped by an anti air system that attempted to lock onto his helicopter. I am praying it is under your control and you can shut it down so he can do this. If not, I am not sure what will happen to our Camp." she said deciding she needed to reveal at least that much.

Hanna was a little surprised by that, as she had been alerted to the detected aircraft that had breached their detection grid. "It is mine, but I will not shut it down. If it is so important, I will allow a single chopper entry into the grid. Inform him to transmit IFF code 4270 when he enters. I expect an audience with him as well for this favor." she said crossing her arms.

"You won't shut it off?" Crystal asked.

"Not a chance in hell I shut it off, he is lucky I will even permit entry into the area." Hanna answered stubbornly as she nodded.

"I will inform the General. He will likely arrive at Camp Epsilon at 1000 tomorrow, I will bring him here at 1200." Crystal said before nodding to her and running back to the SUV her men had never even got out of before it left as quickly as it had arrived.

At 1200 the next day Hanna was standing in almost the exact same place she had been the day before, every safety precaution still in place when two SUVs entered through the nearby gate they had made for Camp Epsilon to access this meeting point. This time however the 5 men from the front SUV and 3 from the rear exited fully armed with military grade equipment before Crystal got out from the driver's side at the same time someone exited the passenger side.

She watched as the men made a perimeter around them, carefully walking at a measured pace that obstructed her view of the General until he was only a few feet away. As soon as she saw him she smiled at the look of astonishment on his face when he saw her.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Hanna said as he looked her over. She looked at his men when she suddenly scowled at the one she would never forget. "You have some balls returning here after what you did Lt. Colonel Sharp. If you ever enter my territory again, you will never leave it alive." she said as he looked at her confused.

"Junebug, what the hell is going on?" Lieutenant General Roman Storm asked before looking at Sharp.

Hanna walked right over to the Lt. Colonel and slapped him across the face so hard it split his lip and left a bruise that was turning purple in front of their eyes. "I have 67 women and 82 children who were separated from the father's and brothers because this man ordered it. If he ever enters my territory again, I will exact vengeance for each and every one of them." she said as his eyes went wide. "Yeah, I watched you issue the order for your men to do it. Leaving every one of them at that depot for dead because you apparently didn't have room to take them."

Roman Storm looked at him and the bruise on his face, and knew that his niece had at least a strength ability. "We will discuss this later Colonel. Get back to the SUV as I have a feeling my niece could kill you without breaking a sweat." he said as sure as if he had said the sky was blue. "How the hell did you survive?" he asked turning to look at Hanna with surprise in his eyes.

Hanna looked at him with a smile. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you Uncle Roman." she replied as he nodded.

"Man the perimeter men, ensure no zombies are in the area." he ordered them as Hanna chuckled.

"Relax men, if you want privacy Uncle just send them back to your vehicle. I assure you my men are no threat and this area is secure against zombies." she told them before they could move.

"Hanna, I have seen a lot of things. What I have yet to see is somewhere that is secure against zombies without immense firepower. I see none in this area."

"Uncle Roman, this isn't my first rodeo. The walls surrounding this compound are 20 feet tall and 5 feet thick. Once a week we dispose of the zombies on the outside with what we are calling Greek fire, which eliminates the ones who wander up to it before they can overpower it." she told him as his eyes went wide.

"How much do you mind her knowing?" he asked pointing at Crystal.

"Is she the new Commander of Camp Epsilon?" Hanna asked him as he looked at her critically.

"That has yet to be determined, I thought it more prudent to meet the person who has an active anti air system and refuses to shut it down for a military General." he answered.

Hanna nodded as she looked at Crystal. "She has a lot to learn, but she has a good head on her shoulders and she learns fast. She would make an excellent Commander for Camp Epsilon. Either way, I don't mind what she hears." she said as he nodded.

"I will take that under advisement. Not your first rodeo, that means your father's crazy ass experiment actually worked and he was able to transfer his temporal reset ability to you. Wasn't he?" Roman asked her as her eyes went wide.

"How could my father have an ability? He died months before this..." she trailed off as Roman nodded and pulled on the chain around his neck that held his dog tags.

It also has a flash drive that he had kept on his person at all times for 9 months, his brother having given it to him before his death. "I have no idea, but he said it wasn't the first rodeo. He warned me it would happen and gave me what I needed to establish the 6 Camps under my control. He said that you needed to have this if we were to have any hope of surviving. He said you would know how to unlock it." he told her holding out the large flash drive.

Hanna took it nervously, wondering just what she was supposed to do with it. "Yeah, that isn't helpful at all. Did he describe this ability to you?"

Roman nodded. "Told me that it reset time whenever he was killed. That he alone could remember what had happened, which allowed him to make changes each time he repeated it. Beyond that he only told me the name of it and warned me this would happen and when. Beyond that I have no clue."

Hanna nodded as that was exactly what had happened to her the first time she had been killed. She however had no idea it had come from her father. "Than yes, his crazy ass experiment did work."

Roman chuckled as he looked at her closely. "I have a feeling that if I offer to take you to my main Camp you are going to refuse. So I won't offer. What I will offer is my support with whatever it is you need."

"I don't need anything Uncle Roman, except answers about what the hell is going on. Answers I suspect you don't have." she told him with a smile. "And you are correct, I won't be leaving with you. My Camp is too important to me to abandon my people."

He nodded as he looked around. "Your people really designed and built these walls?" he asked as she smiled.

"Earth ability level 3, makes it simple really. That however is just the beginning of what we can do." Hanna said with a smile.

"Yes, I read reports about your drones. The SAM system was a surprise we weren't ready for." he told her as she smiled.

"Well, since I know it is you now, we will definitely have to work together as allies. I however was dead serious about Sharp, if I ever lay eyes on him in my territory again, I will rip his head off before I crush his skull." she replied.

Roman Storm nodded knowing she was a Colonel herself, and likely quite capable of following through with her threat. "I didn't order that if that is what you are thinking."

"I know Uncle Rom, you aren't that type of person. Here is my frequency, I will transmit what we know so far when I return to my base and you make contact with me. Once I have half an idea what this says, I will let you know my next steps." she told him.

"We are doing everything we can to survive Junebug, if you need our help, let Crystal know or myself once I return. She will be the new CO of Camp Epsilon, seems she had an excellent reference I can't overlook. I wish I could stay longer, but duty calls." he replied before she hugged him and they each went to their vehicles before leaving.