The United States...a final beacon of hope and civilization still standing. After World War III and the calamity that soon followed after across the world. In combination of global warming and radioactive fallout, a majority of the Eurasia continent had become uninhabitable, while large areas across the globe became flooded. Volcanic eruptions occurred along the pacific ring of fire and resulted in mass devastation in land mass and air quality, with large portions of the sky being bolted out by the smoke an ash, and air quality taking a massive blow as the atmosphere was filled with contaminants, plunging the world into darkness.
Most nations that survived World War III ended up perishing into the calamity, with small nations becoming nonexistent, and larger nations becoming a shadow of their former selves. The United States was not immune to these disasters as it too suffered from the effects of the calamity. However like a few large nations, it was able to survive and recover.
From across the rest of the world, people who had survived flocked in masses to the country, seeking refuge and salvation from the wastelands of Eurasia, making the US one of the few remaining beacons of society still standing.
Since the war and calamity, the United States had increased in size, assimilating Canada, Mexico, Quebec, and Cuba into it's borders, while keeping a joint coalition of surviving Latin and South American countries from invading the newly established borders.
However everything would change again as if God himself acted and enveloped the entire country in a bright flash of light, and thus the beacon of society vanished without a trace. However in another realm, a new beacon of civilization and power had emerged.
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"What the hell?" Fifty six year old president Mark Kingsman shouted as he looked around in his office. Out of no where a bright flash engulfed his office and momentarily blinded him. Looking around he saw nothing out of the ordinary everything looked just as it had been before.
His thoughts however were quickly interrupted as two secret service members barged into the office. "Mr. President! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." President Kingsman answered as he rubbed his head from a headache that was growing from the flash. "What the hell was that?"
"We don't know sir. All we saw was the flash, we came here thinking you were in danger, sir." One of the SS members responded leaving the president rather confused. He hit the intercom on his desk contacting his aid. "Emily, contact NORAD, get me an update on what just happened."
"I'm trying sir, but I can't contact anyone. All the lines are down." His aid responded through the machine, bringing more confusion but also concern to the president. "What? What do you mean the lines are down?"
"Mr. President, I can't reach anyone! All the phones are working!"
"Damnit! I'm heading to the Pentagon! If anyone asks where I am you let them know." He said to Emily and looked to the two SS members still in his office. "You two with me. We're going to get to the bottom of this..."
...Out side, things were looking grim as civilians and law enforcement were wandering about aimlessly, seemingly in confusion, concern, and fear, no doubt having experienced the flash as well, as if the phone lines and communications were down, no doubt their worry. Each person was wearing a respirator mask provided by the government due to the to the toxicity levels in the atmosphere. The car ride was rather short as the President's limo arrived at the security checkpoint to a rather surprised security staff who let them through anyway, despite the unexpected visit.
Around Kingsman, staff were running around with files and pieces of paper, trying to get a hold on the situation at hand as all communications and satellite feed just went dark without an explanation.
Inside the control center it was total chaos. Staff were running from station to station, people were shouting orders, and every monitor and screen that was used in surveillance and monitoring of military assets just went blank. "Get those satellites back up and running! I want contact reestablished with our navy and bases! I don't care how you do it just do it!" Secretary of Defense John Keller began shouting as staff around him were trying to get a hold on the situation. "I want answers to what just happened by the hour!" He turned and came to an unexpected face to face with President Kingsman.
"Mr. President! I didn't expect you to be visiting!" He said rather startled by the sudden appearance. "I came to try and get an explanation for what's going on. All communications are down. I'm assuming you're as clueless as I am?"
"Yes sir. We don't know what happened. Some sort of white flash enveloped the whole room and all our monitors just went haywire, and we lost contact with the outside." Keller explained as Kingsman nodded. "I assumed you would say something like that. That same flash occurred in my office just recently as well and all communications went down. I can't reach NORAD or anyone else outside!"
"This is not good sir. We're trying to reestablish communications and satellite feeds as soon as possible, but we're having no luck with that." Keller said before one of the staff called out. "Mr. Secretary, we just got contact back with out of our fleets!"
The two men looked surprised before gathering around the staff member who had regained communications with said fleet as a voice began coming through. "This is Admiral Ryker of the Enterprise fleet, to anyone out there who can recieve this please respond immediately!"
"Admiral Ryker, this is the Secretary of Defense responding to you from the Pentagon! What is your situation?"
"Finally a connection. We're reporting the Occurrence of a strange bright flash that engulfed our entire fleet and took out our communications. Our navigational radars are all jacked now but we believe we're two hundred miles off the eastern coast. How copy?"
"Understood Admiral, we're currently in the same situation as you. We're working to reestablish nation wide comms and satellites. Please standby." Keller responded as he turned back to the president. "I already have a bad feeling of this whole situation sir."
"Mr. Secretary! We can't reestablish connection with the satellites! They aren't there anymore!" A member of staff announced which confused Keller. "What do you mean they aren't there?"
"Sir, they aren't there! There are no satellites!"
Immediately mental alarms began to go off with the secretary's head as he began to fear the worst of the worst. "Bring us to DEFCON 2! Alert all military assets of the situation as soon as we reestablish communications, and get me reconnected with NORAD!"
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The USS Enterprise (CVN-80) was the flag ship of the Enterprise fleet, taking position in the center between several Alreigh Burke destroyers, and Constellation frigates, with a single Virginia fast-attack submarine lurking underwater.
As of now since the flash, the fleet had been put into disarray, with loss of long range communications with other naval assets and a majority of the chain of command, having only managed to regain communications with the pentagon, receiving the order to go to DEFCON 2.
On the flight deck, F-14/E Super Tomcats of Alert one group were being loaded onto the EMALS catapults as they were being prepped for take off for the task of scouting along the perimeter of the fleet's currently operating radars, while also being armed and loaded with full compliment of munitions as of precautions. As of now, no body knew what was happening, and the Admiral was hoping that sending aircraft would get him answers he needed. The first two Tomcats thundered down the bow catapults and were launched into the air, with another two taking off on the port catapults as both pairs of aircraft flew in different directions to investigate the surrounding oceans.
"Angel two-one to two-two comm check."
"Copy that Angel two-one read you loud and clear."
Two Super Tomcats flew side by side as they were sent out by the carrier to patrol the surrounding sea, having recently lost contact with a majority of friendlies and malfunction of long range radars, they were being scrambled to run patrols with other pairs of aircraft. However from the horizon, the two aircraft identified what looked to be land mass.
"Angel two-two to two-one, have visual on what looks to be land mass on the horizon. Can you confirm?"
"Affirmative two-two, have visual on landmass. This can't be right. Portugal should be father away than this. Let's move in to investigate."
The two aircraft hit their after burners as they zoomed through air past the speed of sound, breaking the sound barrier twice as they flew over land, creating multiple sonic booms in their path. However it wasn't the ash covered, charred, nuclear wasteland of Portugal they were expecting, but it was rather lush with green fields and vegetation, along with several massive fields of crops with what looked to be small shacks and towns scattered about.
"My god. This...this can't be real!" The pilot of Angel two-one said as his co-pilot looked from his seat in the rear. "Holy shit. This can't be Portugal!"
"Enterprise this is Angel two-one reporting findings. Have identified what looks like landmass several hundred miles from fleet, how copy?" The pilot said as he received a response from the ship's flight control tower.
"Repeat Angel two-one, what you said can't be possible." The operator on the other end responded as the two Tomcats continued flying over. "Can confirm, have visual on landmass. It's all green and full of vegetation. How copy?"
"Copy all. Continue to investigate. Report further findings as you go." The operator responded and the two jets continued flying deeper into the mysterious landmass. Unknown to them, their presence had stirred up quite a commotion down below, and their arrival had not gone unnoticed.
In front of them, two blips appeared on radar which alerted them something else was flying with them. "Angel two-two, Angel two-one, contact on radar bearing dead front, at altitude two thousand yards and closing."
"Copy that Angel two-one, reading same radar contact. Recommend we investigate?"
"Affirmative, but arm weapons. We don't know what's waiting for us."
The two jet swinged their wings out and their missile bay doors opened up, revealing their compliment of weapons as they were ready for a fight if one was to come. The contacts they were detecting couldn't be jets as they were moving too slow, believing them to be low flying aircraft such as helicopters to be more fitting. However what they would encounter would be what they could've never expected as two red objects came in visual range.
"Have visual on radar contacts, confirming as...what the fuck?" The pilot of the lead jet said as they came face to face with two bright red dragons, coming straight at them. "Shit! Break, break, break!"
The two jets broke off in two separate directions as the dragons passed between them. "Angel two-two did you just see that?"
"Affirmative. You weren't the only one. My co-pilot identified what looked yo be a saddle and someone riding them." Before the other pilot could speak more, several more blips appeared and began closing on the jets at the same altitude and velocity as the two dragons that were behind them. "Looks like we woke the nest. More contacts approaching from multiple vectors."
"Enterprise this is Angel two-one reporting contact! We've been engaged by dragons I repeat, engaged by dragons!"
"Angel two-one please repeat what you just said." The operator responded sounding rather confused. "We're being chased by fucking dragons! How hard is that to understand?"
"Angel two-two please confirm Angel two-one is not speaking any nonsense." The operator requested not believing what the first pilot was saying as the second pilot came up on the radio. "Can confirm. We're being intercepted by multiple red dragons!"
"Very well. Capture photographs and video recordings for evidence and return back to the ship immediately. Do not let these 'dragons' follow you back."
"Copy all. Angel two-two stay on my wing and activate camera pods. Let give these suckers a fly by." The two jets jointed up together as their co-pilots activated the camera pods, bringing them into a slow turn as they passed by an entire squadron's worth of similar dragons with people riding on them, taking pictures and recording video footage for evidence of the encounter before flying off in a large arc and making for altitude where the dragons struggled to follow behind. "Alert the General of this encounter immediately!"
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The Cabinet of the United States was now meeting within the cabinet room discussing of the current situation that was taking place nation wide, and to address and bring up topic of issues need addressing as the President sat down to begin the discussions. "So, I believe you all are some what aware of the situation we find ourselves in?"
They all nodded, well of aware of recent events and the 'White Out' as it was being called. "As of 10:30Am yesterday, a bright light had enveloped the entirety of the nation and knocked out all communications within the entire country. As well as our loss in the satellite network. I don't expect any real answers right now, but rather a hypothesis or theory's that may explain or have insight to what we're dealing with. Anyone?"
Secretary of Defense spoke up. "Well Mr. President, I can safely assume we are not under attack. Or any I myself am aware of."
"Why's that?"
"Because, after restoring most of communications with all military assets, we have confirmations and reports from our forces in the Mexico province that Guatemala and all of South America is gone."
This raised some questions and concerns among the cabinet who began giving questions. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" The Secretary of State asked as Keller shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly I have no clue. All I got was our soldiers who were holding the SAC forces at bay were reporting nothing but ocean along the frontline."
"So that's it? It's all just gone?" The Secretary of Homeland Defense asked baffled as land would appear to have simply vanished out of thin air for no known reason. Though many believed this to be in relationship the white out. "As of now, all our forces are however accounted for and are maintaining surveillance of our oceans as we speak. Air Force is scrambling twenty four seven to maintain patrol flights across the continent." Keller continued as he gave out the last of what he had to say.
"Secretary Jim Donnas. Anything to report regarding internal affairs?" Kingsman asked as the Secretary of Homeland Security spoke up. "Well sir, the people are frightened. Most are beginning to believe another calamity is taking place, and we have reports of riots stirring up along the country, as well as increase in Antifa terrorist activity which police, FBI, and national guard are moving to neutralize and eradicate before they can cause anymore harm to the public." Antifa was originally a group dedicated to opposition in so called fascism of right-wing ideology through 'peaceful protests'. But after their attempts to interfere in mobilization of military forces in WWIII, they were relabeled as an extremist terrorist group. Kingsman sighed. "Those brain dead bastards just won't come to reality now will they. Very well, so long as they are dealt with and under control they shouldn't be much of a problem."
"But what of the white out? And our loss in communications?" The Secretary of Commerce asked. "Last I heard, we still have no contact with Britain, Russia, or Japan. Not even Brazil. And trade ships that we sent out and should have received back have not been arriving anymore. At this point all exports and imports are at a halt."
Indeed this was concerning and rather confusing among the cabinet as neither had an explanation for these occurrences...until Keller spoke up. "I believe I might have something that would better help explain our situation." He brought out a small tan folder. "Shortly after the white out, we managed to restore contact with the USS Enterprise off our eastern coast. They reported similar events and had sent out several patrols to investigate our waters further out. What they found is rather puzzling." He opened the folder and withdrew several folders, setting them on the table for everyone to examine. "Just only several hundred miles from our coast, they identified what appears to be landmass, which those who know geography should know that is impossible as Portugal is several thousand miles from our coast. But what's more is the land they found is green and lush with vegetation, and forests, completely opposite of the nuclear wasteland that place should be right now. Even more strange is they encountered these strange creatures from the landmass." The members began looking through the photos and were rather confused and surprised when they came across the photos with red dragon, with someone riding atop them with saddles.
"So what? We somehow ended up in fantasy land? This has to be some sick joke." The Attorney General said as he refused to believe this. "I find it rather as a valid explanation for what happening." The Secretary of Interior said as she gave iff information on her part. "Yesterday before 10:30AM the air quality was unhealthy and full of pollutants. However after 10:30AM according to recent surveys of air quality, airborne pollutants have been reduced by ninety nine point nine nine percent." The news brought shock to everyone as the Secretary repeated her sentence. "Again, ninety nine point nine nine percent. Something even with our air filtration towers would've taken decades, yet was accomplished in only mere seconds. How is this even possible?"
"Folks, I know this maybe hard to comprehend, or flat out insane to believe," The Vice President began speaking as he was giving an official answer to their current situation. "But I believe we may no longer be on Earth anymore."
"So if we aren't on Earth, where are we then?" The Secretary of Labor asked as no one had an answer to that. "That is a question I hope we find an answer for and soon. However we may have another matter." The Secretary of State said. "As of now, we just violated the airspace of an unknown nation. That would explain those dragons and the people riding on them."
"Indeed." The President agreed. "That could be of concern. For all we know we could've just started a war with them unpurposely, and they could send a retaliation for all we know. I suggest we try and avoid any conflict in this new world while we can. Last thing we need are our first impressions to be a war."
"Agreed. Perhaps we can send a small task force to make contact and request meeting with their leaders or diplomats to hopefully resolve this before any blood gets spilled." Keller suggested as everyone was in agreement.
"So, that concludes this topic. Ben, what have you to report of our crop yield?" The Vice President asked the secretary of agriculture. "Well sir, it's remained the same within our agriculture complexes, but if air quality and return of normal sunlight have returned, then I believe our yields and production could greatly increase."
"Very well, with higher yields, we will have reduced risk of food shortages and could potentially lift the ration pact on food consumption. That'll make our people very happy."
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development was next to speak as he gave his report. "Our efforts in urbanizing and restoring the infrastructure in the Mexican Province have been delayed due to the war knocking at our door. But with the SAC gone, we could have no further delays and could complete our efforts in Mexico within a few years to a couple of decades." Increasing the quality of life for the people of Mexico had been a priority of the government to help the people of the once separate ruined country.
"Our experimental fusion reactor is now fully developed and efficiency proven." The Secretary of Energy said as she gave her report. "With decades, we could have our entire nation running off of the atom without having to deal with any radioactive waste."
"Very well. For now we will focus mainly on restoring our communications and phone lines. Message NASA and SpaceX. Tell them to have those reserve satellites ready to launch within the month. The sooner we get the internet back up, the sooner our people will feel more relaxed. I'll be addressing the nation whole with the week to make them aware of our current status. Until then...this meeting is dismissed."
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"General Santiago! We have an urgent situation that requires your involvement!" An officer of the Iberian Imperium said as he rushed into the General's office, where a man with a rather dashing thin mustache was seated and going over several pieces of parchment from that contained orders from his majesty himself. "At ease good sir. What could possibly need my attention at this very moment?"
"Our detection towers detected two unknown flying craft entering our airspace! They were so fast our wyverns were unable to catch them!"
"Two unknown flying craft? Have the Métropoleons been sending their air force into our territory?" The Iberian General asked as as far as he knew, only the Métropoleon Kingdom utilized aircraft in their air forces, while every other civilization used wyverns. "We don't know sir. They were arrow shaped and only had two wings instead of four, and had unknown markings on them. We thought it best to report this occurrence to you as soon as possible."
"Very well. Is there any direction where these aircraft originated from?" Santiago asked as the officer gave him an answer. "Yes sir. They came from the west, and flew back west when they departed."
West? But there were no lands ever found there. Only nothing but ocean. "Curious, I'll send for a fleet to investigate the waters out west. Hopefully we'll get some answers and some insight into where these things came from. You are dismissed." The officer saluted an exited the office, leaving General Santiago alone again. "Strange aircraft? If no the Métropoleons, who else could be utilizing aircraft?" He stood up from his desk and looked outside the balcony of his office where he looked down upon the capital city of the Iberia, Madrid where paved roads decorated the upper class residential areas and a wall separated the slums. In the center was the royal palace that housed the royal family and several nobles who were close friends of the family, with towers sparkling like gold reflecting in the sunlight. Truly a sight to behold for anyone who visited or lived within this great city.
"Well, time to inform his majesty of this occurrence, and round up a fleet to investigate."