2021 (29 page)

‘But you say this is the world’s problem, but really it’s only America’s
problem at the moment?’ queried a foreign television reporter.

The President now sighed heavily.

‘We have taken advice from
the leading expert on insects Professor Gregorksi and it is his opinion that these insect like creatures will soon develop wings and that will put every country in the world very quickly in danger’ the President assured her.

All the journalists were now very shocked
indeed and there was now considerable disquiet in the room.

‘Then soon, no one will be safe from these things?’ uttered another reporter
as they all began to look very shocked.

‘That is why we are asking all the countries of the world to forget our differences and instead come together to try and defeat these creatures. America, Ladies and Gentleman, is only the
first
battlefield. We must defeat them here, before they can spread all around the world!’

‘Gentleman, Ladies, we will now have to confiscate any mobile phones
, cameras, or mobile computer head units, as the next part of this press conference is for viewing by members of the press only. For folks at home there will be a short break in transmission to return you to your local channels whilst this broadcast is halted in respect of the victims of these creatures’ explained the President very solemnly.

Then
all the television cameras in the Whitehouse were turned off.

‘Gentleman, Ladies, we will now show you
a very brief film in order for you to realise the true extent and seriousness of this crisis, which offers not just a threat to America, but certainly I now firmly believe, a very credible threat to all mankind’ the President explained. ‘After this we will be serving you all sweet tea to calm your nerves, believe you me, Ladies and Gentleman of the press, you will need it after seeing this’ the President then nodded.

‘The following film is not to be shown or copied by anyone as we need to respect the relatives of those people shown and indeed, the dignity of the victims themselves’ a Presidential aid now insisted.

The short film of edited together sho
ts of people being attacked, killed, and even devoured by the Migrators both taken by Jack and Jenny now totally shocked everyone inside the Whitehouse press room.

Several reporters even fainted.

After a short break t
he President then spoke to them all again.

‘I am deeply sorry for shocking you all in such a manner
, but I needed to convey to you all how truly serious this situation now is. Again, I repeat, this is
not
just a threat to all Americans, but a threat to all human life on Earth!’ stated the President firmly ‘America is just their starting point.’

Everyone in th
e room now fully understood the seriousness of the crisis and certainly didn’t need anymore convincing.

The President then asked the television cameras to be turned back on and he continued with the broadcast.

‘We have just shown a short film taken within the
dead zone area, to members of the press from all around the world gathered here together in the Whitehouse. We have done so, to reinforce to them the true seriousness of this crisis’ explained the President.

‘I would now appeal for experts
all around the world to come together to find a way to stop these creatures we have named the Migrators’ appealed the President. ‘Even if we have had our differences in the past, this threat goes way beyond our petty squabbles, as this threatens the very existence on Earth of mankind itself!’ the president told everyone forcibly.

The President then paused for a moment.

‘Fleeing American soil isn’t the solution’
he added ‘as according to leading scientist Professor Gregorski these creatures are still following a firm cycle of development, with their final stage, he firmly believes, being to develop wings. If we cannot stop them before this happens, they will be capable of spreading all around the globe and there will be little we will be able to do to stop them’ the President explained.

‘
It is my firm belief however, that if the international community pulls together and unites as one, man will find a way to rid the world of these creatures.’

‘People of the world make no mistake,
this
is the biggest threat to mankind’s survival in the entire history of our planet!’

With that, the President finally concluded the most dramatic and shocking press conference in the whole of history!

Of course, within hours of his press conference all the roads leading away from
anywhere remotely near California became blocked solid! Whilst airports couldn’t cope with the numbers of people now attempting to flee the United States, Mexico and Canada!

Day Twelve:

18
^th
January 2021

The World Unites!

I
mmediately following the President’s appeal for help, offers began flooding in from every corner of the globe.

Every newspaper, television channel and radio station meanwhile covered nothing else, with newspaper front pages now filled with pictures of the terrifying Migrators as issued to them by the Whitehouse press office.

Many people were now clamouring for the international community to do something to help the people trapped inside the
dead zone area and stop the Migrators once and for all, but scientists were kept busy explaining all the things they had tried, but so far had failed!

So many people were now trying to leave the United States that soon many countries were forced t
o close their borders. In a strange about turn, Mexico was forced to close its borders to fleeing Americans. Whilst Canada took in as many people as it could, but soon it too was forced to refuse anymore, whilst its own airports couldn’t cope with the sheer numbers of people now trying to flee North America altogether.

Jack was asked if he could spy on the Migrators and his
large airship was flown down to Lodi in a large American Air Force transporter plane and quickly reassembled there.

He was also asked to
test a new compressed air powered engine that did not rely upon gas being ignited or put under pressure in any way. It relied simply upon air being put under tremendous pressure instead in a quite new and ingenious invention.

If it worked, it would have major repercussions not only for use on his airship, but also in the design of new, more powerful and more easily portable weapons that could be used against the Migrators.

Scientists in Germany, Great Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Australia, China, Ireland, Russia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Russia and many others sat with those at the Pentagon as they all jointly worked together to pool their ideas.

M
any countries immediately pledged the United States military personnel. Great Britain, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, India, Pakistan, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Africa, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and many others all sent military personnel over to the United States in huge numbers to aid its fight against the Migrators.

The general consensus seemed to be that, if countries had to eventually fight these things anyway, then it was infinitely preferable to fight them abroad rather than on their own soil and this was widely considered now as their only chance to do that.

The world’s biggest military might, China sent a special envoy to view the dead
Migrator body after which it sent plane after plane filled with troops to play their part.

During the Second World War the United States sent troops into Gre
at Britain after Britain itself had stood alone against the Nazis menace for quite some time. Now to Britain’s Prime Minister it seemed only fitting to now return that favour as it pledged as many military personnel as it could to send to America.

Jack, Stuart and two members of the United States
Special Forces Units made new trips to see just how far the Migrators had progressed along the dead zone.

The news wasn’t good
.

San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont and Jan Jose had already fallen and now the Migrators were fast heading for Monterey.

The new air
pressure engines had however proven very successful and that gave the go ahead for new more powerful weapons to be designed by the new international design team.

The challenge now, was to produce weapons that could be quickly mass produced that were also easily transportable time now was of the essence though.

With the new air
pressure engine, Jack was able to travel much further out, but every time he returned he looked a little older with worry.

Even the two Special Forces troops that went with him looked clearly upset and shocked every time they returned from their sorties.

‘The ground is just running black with them
now’ commented one soldier as he just sat on the ground and drank some water.

‘Heck, there are just
millions
of them out there’ added the other.

‘Is it rea
lly that bad?’ Joan asked Jack.

‘I tell you, Joan, the ground is literally moving
black there are so many Migrators out there now’ he uttered as he sat there looking very worried. ‘I’m not sure we’ll ever stop them now’ he admitted honestly.

‘They’re all moving i
n just one direction’ added one of the soldiers.

‘Yes
and that’s straight for Los Angeles’ uttered Jack with a gulp. ‘How in God’s name are we
ever
going to stop them?’ he questioned.

It was the same question everyone was asking and
sadly not coming up with any positive answer.

It was hoped the new air
pressured engines could power smaller weapons that every infantryman could carry, but tests proved only large artillery units were even capable of piercing the dead Migrators tough outer exoskeleton. So the simple basic design that Joan had come up with, with the help of her team of scientists, was still considerably the best.

‘
If we adapt our basic design to be fired using the new air pressure engine, at least we could fire the arrows off much quicker’ she suggested in a discussion with the group of international scientists and other experts all conferencing together in person and over the internet. ‘At least all we’d have to do is reload with a new arrow each time’ Joan stated positively ‘and with slightly shorter arrows we can both manufacture and load them quicker.’

Literally hundreds of scientists had flown in from all over the world to study the body of the M
igrator Jack and the small band of soldiers had captured, but despite all their best efforts none of them could explain how the Migrator’s body prevented flame from igniting or totally prevent electricity or even gas from working close up.

‘This could take
us
years
to fully understand’ commented one scientist.

‘Trouble is, t
hat’s time we simply don’t have’ added another as he just threw up his arms in despair.

‘We need to be sure even the new gas pressure engine works close to them’ then suggested another scientist.

‘No, that will be fine’ Joan assured them but Stuart looked unsure.

‘The thing is, Joan, we don’t want to spend weeks building these things and then arming our troops only to then discover even
they
don’t work right near them’ he insisted.

‘Yes, maybe you’re right’ she nodded.

So the next day Jack was sent to drop one of the new
gas pressured cannons right in the Migrator’s midst armed with a trigger set by clockwork.

It still worked and when he returned he reported back his findings.

‘Well at least that works’ smiled Stuart.

‘Yes, but we need more, much more if we are to stand a realistic chance at defeating these things’ insisted Jack ‘as you should just see their numbers now’ he warned.

As the days went by and
little progress had been made, the inevitable eventually happened and several national newspapers began running the headline ‘is this really the end of all mankind?’

General Iram carefully studied the latest air
pressure cannon that fired off manually loaded reinforced steal tipped arrows and he nodded his head in approval.

‘This will give those damn monsters a headache they’ll never forget!’

When he saw Jack’s latest film however and he saw the sheer numbers of M
igrators even
he
now looked worried. He just slumped down in his chair and raised his cap as he blew a worried sigh.