“What about cell phones?”
“We know what the home addresses are of these as well, unless it is a disposable phone.”
“Ok, go on.” Cindy prompted with a small smile.
“We verify the caller, validate that they are symptom free, and confirm the addresses of the people dialing in. Next, we plan out the extraction route and timings associated, and call the person back with instructions, including anticipated time of extraction.”
Lieutenant Sanderson pointed to her left, and the camera followed where she indicated.
“Over there is a convoy of transports, with armed escort vehicles, ready to proceed to the extraction area and pick these people up.”
The camera focused on a row of school busses, flanked by aggressive looking military vehicles, sporting machine gun turrets, in a parking lot across the street from the safe zone. Lieutenant Sanderson continued as the camera swung back to her and Cindy.
“People are asked to stay inside their houses and allow our armed personnel to clear the area – make no mistake Cindy, we have had to take risks and use force. After we are satisfied of the safety of the operation, we come right to their door to pick them up.”
“Wait – what kind of safety risks are you expecting with these ‘extractions’?” Cindy asked, slightly flustered. She had swung sharply to face the Lieutenant as she asked her question, and her hair had swung in front of her face. She distractedly flipped her hair back over her shoulder.
Lieutenant Sanderson watched her do this with mild interest. She considered for a moment before answering.
“There are some risks to these operations. Most of these are caused by people panicking. For example, we have been clearing the main thoroughfares and highways of all traffic, yet some folks still insist on disregarding curfew and no-travel zones.”
Cindy’s expression invited the Lieutenant to elaborate.
“There have been some ... incidents, with people tying up strategic infrastructure. We have also run into a few elements of criminal activity and have been ordered to deal with these with extreme prejudice by Presidential Order.”
“We are also having problems dealing with sick people. Some of these people...” Lieutenant Sanderson swallowed as she considered her words. “They act erratically and aggressively, and we have had to use force on several occasions to deal with them.”
Cindy’s jaw dropped in shock at this news. The easy smile was no longer evident. “Wait a second. You’ve... had to shoot people?”
Lieutenant Sanderson continued.
“That’s why it is so important for people to stay inside their homes.” She smiled reassuringly at Cindy. “But it’s not so bad. We have only had to deal with a few isolated incidents, and our troops are more than capable of protecting their charges.”
Cindy was somewhat reassured by this and continued the interview.
“Ok. So, once you have collected the people that called in, you bring them here?”
“Correct. We have enough facilities here to house nearly fifty thousand people!”
The camera panned around as Lieutenant Sanderson stated this. The safe zone had been set up in a downtown park that was several city blocks in size. Temporary facilities and tents were set up as far as the eye could see. The entire zone was cordoned off by two sets of reinforced fencing with concertina wiring on top. The fences were separated by an open area roughly fifteen feet in width. Soldiers could be seen patrolling this area. The front gate area was framed by two guard towers, and an additional tower was set further back inside the zone. A handful of army vehicles were parked near the gate.
It looked a lot more like a jail than a safe zone.
“People are first led into the processing buildings, where they are tested to ensure they are infection free.”
Cindy interrupted at this. “How do you test people for HAPS?”
“We have protocols to follow in testing subjects for infection. We have also been issued scanners for this purpose.”
“So, these scanners catch anybody that is infected?”
Lieutenant Sanderson regarded Cindy for a moment before smiling at the reporter. “We have a high degree of confidence in our equipment and people. Miss Cho, I assure you that those that make it into our safe zone are uninfected individuals only.”
Cindy was about to ask another question but stopped. She put her finger to her ear as she received instructions.
“Folks, we will continue with this interview shortly. We will now send you back to our studio for some breaking news.”
With that, the feed was transferred back to the studio. Tammy addressed the viewers immediately.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have new information to share with you about HAPS. This information was leaked just a few minutes ago, and we can not identify the source of it as of yet. However, all of us at Channel Eight are convinced of its authenticity and want to share it with the public. We apologize in advance and warn you that the images you are about to see are graphic and offensive.”
The picture went dark and was replaced by the scene of a brightly lit room. A closed-circuit camera shows a group of people and a series of autopsy tables. Several high-ranking military and other official looking individuals surround two coroners, who in turn surround a cadaver on one of the autopsy tables. One of the coroners spoke up.
“The subject is a 45-year-old male, of no known address. He was one of the first subjects positively identified with HAPS in America.”
The camera zoomed in on his body cavity, which had been opened from his lower belly through his upper chest. The ribs were peeled back as if some gory, morbid gate had been opened.
“The first stage of HAPS affected the stomach lining and portions of the intestines. Upon closer examination, it appears that microscopic holes were drilled in both stomach and intestines. However, these holes were not drilled into these organs. These holes were drilled from the inside out.”
A couple of folks shuffled on their feet, clearly uncomfortable with the description. A science advisor in the background stepped forward at this point.
“The microscopic agents
