Gundam SEED Rebuild

by MWSeraph

As pro- and anti-Coordinator factions threaten to tear the Earth Sphere apart, an assassination attempt on George Glenn is thwarted, changing the course of history. What happens to the Cosmic Era, now that George Glenn has survived a changed man?

5. Chapter 5 - Zodiac Rising

Gundam SEED Rebuild

Ch. 5 - Zodiac Rising

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. The Lockheed and Donnelly families, Glenn's immediate family, and Doug McLaney are my OCs. Andria Yamasaki is Titanic-X-21's OC. Mark Allen and Mackenzie Allen are ZAFT Convoy's OCs.

Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people. - William Shakespeare

Glenn Inc. Headquarters, Fort Worth, Texas, Atlantic Federation - America, Feb. 10, CE 54

George Glenn frowned as he watched the chaos unfold on the TV. It was helicopter footage of one of his company's subsidiary offices, Glenn Aerospace on fire. Police and Glenn Inc. security were clashing with Blue Cosmos-aligned black block rioters throwing improvised projectiles. Protective details were formed around the firefighters struggling to do their work extinguishing the blazes the rioters were trying to spread.

"This is Renaldo Rodriguez, broadcasting live from Los Angeles," the reporter in the CBN helicopter reported, "I'm looking down at the scene right now, where just ten minutes ago, an anti-Glenn protest turned violent when armed individuals believed to be members of Blue Cosmos LA and Labor Revolution AF started hurling heavy projectiles and firebombs through the office windows of this Glenn Aerospace branch. LAPD riot units and the company's private security are working to hold off the crowds, but due to city directives limiting the use of tear gas and other more potent nonlethal measures, the LAPD is unable to advance on the rioters without risking further confrontation and injury to their officers. The protest-turned-riot is believed to be in response to allegations that radical Coordinator rights groups are responsible for the recent outbreak of the Type S2 Influenza, and yet a culmination of long-standing racial and political tensions in Los Angeles, now being steered towards attacking Coordinators and Republicans as a whole."

Glenn shook his head as his company property was vandalized. He tapped on his desk control pad to change channels. The screen then changed to yet another reporter, this time from Atlantia Independence News, on the ground and standing to the side of the angry mob. The young man was wearing a tense expression, given that he was within range of the rioters. "The situation on the ground has just gone from tense to violent as we're seeing people armed with improvised weapons get egged on by Blue Cosmos and other far left environmental activists to clash with police and threaten Glenn Inc. employees and innocent bystanders alike. So far, the LAPD has managed to hold the line, but is failing to push back on the increasingly aggressive rioters due to restrictions on use of non-lethal riot control measures. The imposition of the restrictions by the Los Angeles mayor and city council were based on highly publicized allegations that largely Natural ethnic minorities were being racially discriminated against, even as BPS crime reports showed a eighty percent of the city's violent crime being perpetrated by ethnic gangs against their own people and other ethnic groups in poorly policed areas. Police union activists and indie journalists also suspect the timing of the new measures as anti-Republican and anti-Coordinator incidents continue to flare up in major cities across the AF, some pointing out the Workers Party mayor's history of anti-Coordinator statements and partisan vitriol against Republican figures and lawmakers."

The camera shifted towards the police line of riot shield wielders as the front-most activists cursed them and even struck blows against them with their bats and bars. "As you can see behind me," the reporter continued, "the police are just being pelted non-stop with verbal and physical abuse from these people. Just behind the police barricade, you can see the firefighters working to extinguish fires from arsonists throwing Molotov cocktails and firebombs through the office windows and into vehicles. They're having to do all this as they are getting pelted with projectiles themselves-"

"Hey," one of the rioters looked at the AIN crew, "stop filming us!"

"He's AIN," another yelled, "get him!"

Glenn clenched his fist as the reporter's face turned to fear. "Whoa... me and my cameraman are going to have to run now. These guys are chasing us." The footage became shaky as the AIN crew started running, with the sounds of threats from the rioters chasing them. "Come on, to the van!" The footage cut out from the camera.

The First Coordinator felt disgusted as he shifted through the other channels, even those critical of him. There were sporadic incidents of civil disorder in large cities throughout the AF primarily over the Type S2 Influenza and dissatisfaction with the lack of available solutions, but there were some especially violent riots being co-opted by Blue Cosmos against Coordinators, political, and even corporate rivals alike. Much of Atlantia's Pacific Coast states were seeing the greatest concentration of such confrontations, with the burning and picketing of Glenn Aerospace in Los Angeles, anti-BC libertarian and BC 'anti-fascist' militias clashing in Portland, Seattle, and Canadian Vancouver, and racial riots in San Francisco. Even military bases in the San Diego-Tijuana area were reported to be preparing to mobilize in the event of further deterioration and National Guard deployment by California and Baja California, which so far had not happened. Any coverage of the growing Type S2 epidemic had been swept into the background as a result. The old pioneer could not help but be irked by this misplaced coverage in his opinion.

'Still, sitting here and weeping over this isn't going to improve the current situation,' Glenn thought. Pushing the civil discord out of his mind, the engineer businessman turned back to the issue of the Type S2 Influenza. He pulled the list of influenza cases up on his computer, and selected the most recent case reported from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Martha Lockheed, the wife of his friend and life-saver, Adrian, was now fighting for her life and her baby's in the hospital's ICU.

When his son, Jeff texted him about what was happening, he had just gotten out of a business meeting with the representatives of G.A.R.M. RD. As a sometimes partner and competitor to Glenn Health, G.A.R.M. was the brainchild of world-renowned Atlantian geneticist Ulen Hibiki. George knew Ulen from the former's early days of advising the latter on refining the techniques of Coordinator engineering, ensuring safe and successful births. However, when the issue of the mother's womb and genetic compatibility of the baby in the final outcome of the process were discovered as factors, Ulen Hibiki became more and more obsessed with trying to perfect Coordinators beyond G.A.R.M.'s original mission of healthcare. When Hibiki started to propose the use of the artificial womb to control the growth of the human embryo and leave the natural mother outside of the birthing and decision-making, he was rebuked by much of the scientific community, including some pro-Coordinator advocates. Even George Glenn himself scaled back his collaborations with Hibiki, personally limiting Glenn Health's partnerships with G.A.R.M. to vaccine and medicine RD. He respected the man's dedication to finding solutions to the issue of Coordinator genetic incompatibility and fertility, but Ulen's rhetoric about a 'Coordinator to surpass all others' did not sit right with him. The Type S2 Influenza of course, was the main topic of cooperation between the two companies at the moment, but Glenn did caution his researchers about what was to be shared or not.

After he received Jeff's message, he was naturally worried and concerned for Adrian and his family. He sent out personal emails and messages to his friends about the Lockheeds, asking for support, encouragement, and even prayer for Martha and Elias. However, it was following those things that a proposal from his future daughter-in-law took him off guard.

Flashback

Feb. 9

"I'm sorry, but genetic enhancement at that stage of development?" George Glenn knew Andria Yamasaki to be a daring and bold woman, but her proposal was by far a new level of risk, even for her.

"It's the only way to save the baby, and Martha at this point," Andria reasoned, "there's no other alternative available, but if we are successful and both of them survive, we could use the data gathered to develop an actual vaccine that would work for Naturals, even pregnant mothers and the unborn."

"Andria..." Glenn replied, "enhancing his immune system is one thing, but developing a vaccine from the attempt is another."

"Even so," Andria told him, "we cannot give up and throw in the towel just like that. Every day that passes without a cure is time wasted, and those jerks on Capitol Hill trying to subpoena you don't really give two hoots about the influenza crisis as long as they can scalp you. George, you taught me and Jeff that doing what is right is always worth the opposition you're faced with. If we don't take this chance now, Adrian and his family will have agreed to this for nothing."

End Flashback

Glenn was sure that Andria was taking a risk. But he also trusted her judgment. If this did work, then there was a chance that a vaccine could be developed.

However, there was also another thing that concerned Glenn: Derek's emotional state and apparent awareness of his brother's situation. Despite his son and Andria's efforts to calm the boy, he seemed to sense his family's suffering and emotional state. Glenn's eyes narrowed. That was an indication that perhaps there was something more... what was it, though? Was it a new type of ability? Or was it something different?

'Poor little boy.' The former pioneer empathized for the little boy who endearingly called him 'Uncle Glenn'. These matters of life and death were too much for a three year old to be thinking about. His eyes softened as he looked back to where an image of the family sat on the was a family friend gathering from last Christmas, when he and his wife invited the Lockheeds to his Texas home. In the photo, he and Helen were standing in the center next to Adrian and Martha, all of them smiling. Jeff and Andria were also in the photo to Helen's right, and Derek was being held in Adrian's arms. Derek's smile was bright and cheery as the group said 'cheese!' for the camera. He reached out and picked it up. "Kid doesn't deserve this..." he murmured.

He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, in hopes that the good Lord would spare the Lockheeds.

Februarius One, PLANT L5 Colonies

The colony of the PLANTs known as Februarius One was a hub of activity. Not just in terms of their civilian population, but also due to their medical technology and activities. They were the center of the PLANT's medical industry. And right now, they were a crucial element in trying to find a cure for the Type S2 influenza virus.

Tad Elsman was overseeing the main research facility as the Chief Supervisor of the Februarius Biochemical Laboratory. He was currently sitting in his office as he observed the latest news reports on the S2 crisis. "Things just get worse by the day..." he thought aloud. He then turned his eyes to the news coverage of the ongoing crisis on Earth.

It was the Hunter News channel that was on the screen. Since George Glenn's speech after the attempt on his life last year, Hunter News had gained a favorable reputation among the Zodiac Alliance members for fair coverage on the issues. There was even talk of sending some of their public advocates onto the network to curry favor with the rest of the public, and to even recruit George Glenn and other prominent Republicans in secret.

"Casualties and hospitalizations continue to rise around the world as the influenza spreads with no signs of relief," the newscaster reported, "as more and more people grow sick, others are turning to desperate measures to try and contain the epidemic. And some are even calling out that the PLANTs are responsible for this, even though there has been no evidence to prove their claims."

It was then that the screen shifted to include coverage of numerous national capitals around the world. Washington, Brussels, Taipei, Nairobi, even Olofat among others were rocked by competing demonstrations and protests by various political factions. "Many people have been calling for the Coordinators to desist in their activities in creating this new virus, but there have also been others who have called out on rumors being spread by Blue Cosmos supporters. The most prominent has been George Glenn himself, along with his chief operations officer at his company."

It was then that the spokesperson of Glenn Incorporated was shown speaking to various reporters outside of the Fort Worth HQ. "I can understand your frustrations with this company and people up in the PLANTs, but let me assure you that there is no way that Coordinators could even engineer something like this," the person said. "There have been tests done by our company, Coordinator and Natural alike, to prove it. The data speaks for itself when I can safely say that there is no way that even the smartest Coordinator could pull off such a feat. This virus is one hundred percent naturally developed."

A reporter from a local outlet then spoke up. "A source from the local Workers Party affiliate is claiming that Mr. Glenn is bribing the President for favorable contracts in the Type S2 research," she posed, "we would like to hear what Mr. Glenn and his company say to those claims.

At this point Andria came on. Giving a commanding glance, the spokesperson nodded humbly and stepped aside as Andria took the lead. Her eyes were hard as she spoke directly to the camera.

"To those who claim we are bribing the President, I can say with one hundred percent confidence that we have not resorted to such backhanded tactics. Our interest has been solely to better the human race through honest policies and open-minded ways of innovation. Unlike several other companies who I will say have tried to bribe US into standing by, we will not rely upon bribery to get our messages across or favorable contracts. Our policies of putting people first before profits has led us to become a top rate company, and I can say we shall stand by that decision. Bribery is not part of our modus operandi."

Here her eyes flashed. "To resort to such tactics is something that only the greedy do. And you very well know who you are..." She let the sentence hang before continuing. "So I can say we are looking at contracts that we can turn to out of our own will."

It was then that another, less than friendly reporter came forth, from United News. "However, the fact remains that there are several members of the Assembly that are already talking about subpoening your boss, yourself, and other prominent individuals of your company," he said in a confrontational tone, "it is not a falsehood to say that members of the public and the AF government do not express the same level of optimism as you do. You also cannot seem to refute the possibility that Coordinator terrorists may be behind this disease, let alone the lack of a solution. All those, and the fact that Coordinators are not falling sick to this have a lot of innocent people in fear."

Andria remained calm as she addressed him. "If that we're the case, then what would their objective be? We have done research and testing. We asked several of our brightest Coordinator employees to try and make this virus. The test proved it was impossible." Then she narrowed her eyes. "As for your second question, it's simple: their immune systems are far stronger than most Naturals. But it should not be seen as something inhuman, as with all diseases, some people are actually more resilient against certain pathogens than others. As a matter of fact, we are hoping to use the very technology that makes Coordinators more resistant to viruses to create a vaccine for Naturals." There was another brief chorus of questions as the TV transitioned again.

The screen switched back to the Hunter News newscaster. "Those were statements by Andria Yamasaki, the COO of Glenn Inc. However, the Workers Party majorities in the Atlantic Federation Assembly continue to push for Glenn and others in the medical industry to testify on the Hill. Workers Party Senate Majority Leader and Atlantic Social Democrat Coalition Chairman Corey Hern made his remarks in the Federal Senate calling out both George Glenn and his Republican allies in a scathing speech."

"Hmm..." Elsman narrowed his eyes at the coming speech. It was pretty much assumption at this point that every time a member of the Workers Party of the AF had something to say, it was to always find blame with Coordinators and their Natural supporters. True enough, the wizened visage of the old Workers Senator from Virginia appeared, standing at the speaker's podium.

"I find it most disappointing that not only have Mr. Glenn and his associates stonewalled our efforts to ensure accountability in his dealings with the federal government, but that his defiance is being aided by certain members on the Republican and Federalist isles of the Senate," Hern said in a cool tone, "they appear to be fine with playing political games with our majority in the midst of this epidemic, and our President seems to lack the will to investigate his own administration's contracting process with Glenn Inc. and other firms. The company says they have not resorted to bribery, but who's to say that they haven't through shady backroom dealings? For all we know, Glenn and his allies could be pawns of the Zodiac Alliance, which has a history of Coordinator extremist beliefs in the L5 colony cluster, not unlike the Ubermensch beliefs of the old Nazi Party. And that, my friends, is something we cannot allow or accept." Elsman clenched his fist at the dig Senator Hern took at the group he was a member of.

"Shortly after this speech, the Senate Minority Leader and Atlantia Constitution Coalition Chief Representative, Republican Senator Mark Lockheed made the party's counter response to Senator Hern, with fellow Republican Senator Mark Allen also joining in." The TV screen then showed Senator Lockheed with several other allied senators in the hall. Now Elsman was sitting up. His eyes locked onto the senators, one of which was Senator Allen himself.

"Senator Hern and his colleagues are engaging in a partisan witch hunt against an innocent and distinguished AF citizen for their own selfish gain," Lockheed firmly stated, "instead of allowing Mr. Glenn and his associates to freely work for the good of this country during these trying times, they seek to score points with the anti-Coordinator radicals who continue to encourage racial divisions and poison our body politic."

He paused for a minute to let it sink in. Lockheed then continue, "it is also very disappointing that Senator Hern has resorted to ad hominem attacks labeling Mr. Glenn and us Republicans by implication as pawns of the Zodiac Alliance. I would like to remind him that even if the ZA were the Coordinator supremacists he labels them as, we Constitutional Republicans do not practice or subscribe to racial supremacist beliefs, be it Natural or Coordinator. He and his party also seem to forget that many of the people residing in the PLANTs at L5 are still AF citizens with rights, and do not deserve this sort of scorn and slander."

Allen was the next one to speak. "This kind of rhetoric is similar to what the socialists and communists of the old AD calendar did to those they disagreed with. They accuse their political opponents of being Coordinator racial supremacists, and when having the follies of their own behaviors and attitudes exposed, the Worker and Nature Parties play the victim and call us Nazis." He took a breath before continuing. "Let me make clear, that Nazism, or any other form of racial supremacist ideology is poisonous and should be rightfully rejected in an open and free society. However, what we are seeing from the legislative majority is a reverse McCarthyism based on victimhood ideology promoting class warfare and revenge. It is time to call these subpoena schemes for what they truly are... communist propaganda and show trials. The Workers Party would do well to stop attempting Soviet-style inquisitions of Mr. Glenn, and making themselves completely unworthy of the institution of the AF Assembly and the powers vested in it by the people." His eyes were hard, and it was clear from his tense posture that he was trying to keep his infamous temper in check. The crowd of reporters suddenly chorused their numerous questions, and some objections as Allen stepped back from the podium.

The screen then returned to the newscaster. "Even with the Type S2 outbreak and the increasing number illnesses and deaths worldwide," he finished, "the political crisis and partisanship show no signs of abatement or resolution as anti-Coordinator groups continue to agitate for stricter actions against those they deem responsible for the influenza. What this means for both the nations of Earth and those in the PLANTs remains uncertain, except for the fact that the eyes of the world are once again on George Glenn during yet another time of great crisis. This is Renaldo Sanchez reporting for Hunter News." The TV then cut out to the commercials.

Elsman sighed. "Things are not looking so good..." he muttered. It was then that his phone buzzed with a notification. Picking it up, Elsman saw that it was the ZA's secretive code line. He looked around before he tapped it.

'All stars gather in the Auditions Room for next performance.

-P.Z'

Elsman knew what that meant. He closed down the line and stood up.

It was time.

Zodiac Alliance Safehouse - Februarius

It was nighttime in the colonies as Siegel Clyne quietly walked towards the designated location. He was careful to keep his face concealed under his grey fedora, and avoid eye contact with strangers. He narrowed his eyes as he approached, scanning left and right discreetly.

'Can never be too careful with some of these UN peacekeepers being on Blue Cosmos' dime...' he thought to himself. He had to admit that the security situation was a lot more precarious than he had expected. A number of them were genuinely good people who could care less about BC rhetoric and ideology, but a growing number actually believed the lies. Last week he had even seen a pair of UN peacekeepers attacking a Coordinator woman all because of her bright silver hair and purple eyes, calling her a patchworker and space monster. Thankfully a second group of soldiers intervened and broke it up before it could get worse, but that small incident was only one of many that made him worried.

And it also worried his friend, Patrick Zala. Zala was insistent on having a military force to defend themselves, at least in the short term while talks were worked out. While he knew the other man had a point, it meant that BC could take advantage of that fact and claim that the Coordinators were planning to invade and wipe out the planet below.

Conspiracy theories such as that were damaging to Zodiac's cause for Coordinator rights and reconciliation with the nations of Earth.

'If only we can make more direct negotiations with the sponsor nation leaders instead of these UN bureaucrats and peacekeepers...' He finally looked up, seeing he had reached his destination. Looking around to make sure he was not followed, he quietly, but firmly rapped on the door. The door creaked open a little and a single eye peered out from the darkness. "State the code."

Clyne cleared his throat. "For the stars we reach..."

"Twelve months we need," Siegel finished. The door opened and he was let inside. As the door closed, Siegel took note of the plainclothes guards watching the door and windows with weapons clearly smuggled from Earth. Some of the weapons were copies of those used by the modern militaries and the peacekeepers, others were of older and clearly underworld reputation like AK-47s. The group consisted of both men and women, with a fair smattering of Naturals mixed in. In part, thanks to the public crusade by George Glenn and Natural activists from the AF's Republican Party, the Zodiac Alliance was actually beginning to garner support not only among Coordinators, but even some of the Natural workers living in the PLANTs.

"Mr. Zala is waiting for you," Natural sympathizers whispered to Siegel.

The Coordinator nodded as he made his way past the group to the back room where Zala was waiting. The co-founder of the ZA turned to face Siegel as he entered. "Welcome old friend," Patrick said in a friendly, but also serious tone.

"I got your message about tonight's meeting," Clyne replied.

"Of course," Patrick said, "and I'm sure you're well apprised of what is going on down on Earth, especially the AF." There was a mixed tone of amusement and frustration in Patrick's voice.

"I am," Siegel responded.

Patrick Zala then turned to one of the laptops around the meeting room, and turned it on to show the visage of George Glenn at a meeting, with Senator Lockheed in the frame introducing him to other politicians. The photo was marked as being taken by one of the ZA's sympathizers inside a Constitutional Republican Party meeting in Virginia. "George Glenn certainly is making the splash in the political scene more then ever," Patrick remarked.

"Yes. And he's doing a good job, trying to remove the stain of BC ideology," Clyne stated in a hopeful tone of voice. He had been worried for George Glenn that day he was nearly assassinated, but now the man was surrounded by good Natural citizens supporting him, and some political heavyweights in the AF government coming to his side.

"It's not that simple Siegel," Patrick cautioned, "Blue Cosmos had decades to curry favor with Atlantia's political elite and other nations. Powerful people finance Blue Cosmos as an easy way to amass power. Glenn only became openly political after one of them tried to murder him."

"True," Clyne conceded.

"In the meantime," Patrick mused aloud, "we are in international territory, out of the reach of any sort of constitutional protections by any of our traditional homelands. Supposedly, international law by the most civilized of nations is supposed to govern these very colonies, but you and I know that those bureaucrats in the UN only answer to themselves and the highest bidders. Once Blue Cosmos started giving them money for their environmentalist agendas, they turned a blind eye to the abuses the sponsor nation garrisons under their jurisdictions. With the autonomy the garrison commanders are given, they might as well be oligarchs of their own little space juntas."

Clyne nodded and hummed in acknowledgement, knowing that those unfortunate statements were true.

"It's fine and dandy that Glenn and his allies are attempting to disrupt Blue Cosmos and their corrupt establishment backers in the Atlantic Federation," Zala went on, "but the fact remains that as long as we are here in the PLANTs, we are effectively less represented and disenfranchised as a whole. We moved out into space hoping to occupy ourselves with productive pursuits away from Earth, only to find ourselves in a cage. Unless we find a way to communicate with our supposed supporters on Earth, nothing is going to change for the better of us Coordinators in space."

"I agree," Clyne said somberly.

It was then that footsteps were heard in the hallway. Clyne stood and headed to the door. He opened it to see a certain silver-haired woman with striking blue eyes.

"Ezalia," Siegel greeted.

"Already started without me?" The young and energetic Ezalia Joule flashed a smile with a teasing tone.

"Actually, we've hardly started," Siegel replied with a bit of a laugh.

"Good," Ezalia smirked with a hand wave, "because you know how I hate to miss out on this."

The two male Coordinators let her in. "Nothing passes you, Ezalia," Patrick complimented with a proud smile, "even though you are pregnant with a son."

The woman looked down at her belly and patted it. "True," Ezalia remarked. "If there's one thing I hope to do, it's make a better world for my son."

It was then that another member entered. It was another young man with short brown-green hair. Upon seeing Ezalia, he had a confused expression.

"I thought you were going to rest at home," Yuri Amalfi expressed.

"Sorry. But I just can't stay at home when meetings like this are going on," Ezalia remarked.

"Yuri," Siegel said cheerily as he embraced the man.

"Siegel, Patrick," Yuri greeted as he hugged Siegel. Patrick smiled and nodded back.

"Hey, don't I get a man-hug," Tad Elsman jested, grinning with hands stretched. Yuri also returned the gesture. "Good to see you guys!"

Soon enough with several more friendly hugs and exchanges, the whole leadership of the Zodiac Alliance was present.

"So, what's the plan right now?" Ezalia asked.

"First things first," Patrick reminded before gesturing to Tad Elsman. "Care to update us, Tad," he prompted.

He nodded and began to speak. "As you all know," Tad began as he read off his data pad, "the Type S2 Influenza Crisis on Earth is continuing to accelerate without abate. There is still no viable vaccine to counter this virus, and in the process, anti-Coordinator groups like Blue Cosmos and its allies in the radical socialist and environmentalist spheres are using this as an excuse to perpetrate even more persecution of us Coordinators."

Tad then tapped on the data pad to bring footage of the riots on planet Earth on the large screen. The regions of the greatest focus and severity were the Atlantic Federation Pacific Coast states, the Eurasian Federation Middle Eastern and Western European states, and the Northern China provinces of East Asia.

"We only have a limited time in which to develop a vaccine for this thing," Tad continued, "and with each passing day without treatment, the race riots on Earth continue to grow worse, not to mention the number of terror attacks and threats by Blue Cosmos affiliates against our facilities here in the PLANTs."

"How is progress on that front," Herman Gould almost scoffed with impatience.

"Ah," Tad looked rather startled, "we're receiving more samples from the Earth day-by-day. Progress is slow but-"

"Bottom line it, Elsman," Gould barked.

"In short, there's a limit as to how much time we have left," Tad hastily explained.

Jeremy Maxwell was less than impressed. "Disappointing results, Elsman," he berated in a cool tone of voice, "and you and your team are supposed to speciallize in biochemistry with the most advanced facilities in the world."

"And you are part of the chemistry division," Tad shot back. "You could also assist in this, given you are supposed to represent the best chemists in the world."

"You both are disappointing," Gould interjected, "neither of you are particularly representing us Coordinators well as pioneers of science or the next evolution."

The group looked to him. "So what do you think we should do then, Gould?" Clyne asked seriously.

"I say we let the Naturals squirm for a bit," Gould shot out rather quickly, "given how we are immune to this disease, it will prove once and for all why Naturals need us more than we need them."

"Have you forgotten there are Natural people who support us here?!" Eileen shouted.

"Those animals? Why should we care about them?!"

"They are the ones who drove us up here!"

"They don't deserve to die like this!"

"Why should it matter?! We both are humans, aren't we?!"

These and other shouts erupted from the group, filling the room until Zala finally had had enough. "Quiet," he raised his voice. "This should not be an issue!"

"Zala," Gould grunted.

It was then that Siegel rose up. "Fellow members of this council," he reasoned, "I must remind you all that Zodiac is a human rights group for the purpose of reconciliation between Naturals and Coordinators. We agreed in our covenant that under no circumstances are we to accept any form of supremacist ideology and actions whatsoever."

He paused for a bit, before throwing this forward, "imagine how George Glenn would think now if he saw us behaving like this." The group fell silent at this.

"That man has always said that we should never elevate ourselves above Naturals. Why? Because we have the same base DNA. And second, he was always hoping that we could help humanity evolve, not descend into the darkness of bigotry and hatred." Clyne continued, "he has always held out hope for us, and we should follow his example. Not to put ourselves as a super-race, but as members of the human race to help others move up. We are better than those who advocate for arbitrary identity due to a specific set of characteristics, and we should hold ourselves to higher standards than such people."

"I second that sentiment," Eileen quickly replied.

Zala nodded in agreement.

"George Glenn has refused to give up on the rest of humanity," Ali Kasim spoke up, "and he's still fighting the good fight in his homeland. We would do him the most honor to conduct ourselves as he does with his Natural friends." The group all looked at one another, feeling ashamed at their actions.

"Speaking of Glenn," Yuri then said to break the tension, "what's going on with him in the Atlantic Federation?"

It was then that Eileen answered as she manipulated her datapad to show the others on the large screen. It was a report showing two photos. One was of Glenn and a group of medical experts and doctors walking into a branch of the Atlantic Federation's Disease Control and Neutralization Task Force in Atlanta, Georgia, the other the front of a hospital, specifically the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville campus in Florida.

Eileen looked to the others. "From what we see, it appears that Glenn and his conglomerate are trying to find a cure as well. Based on our sources monitoring Glenn, our hero so far has not made any progress that we can discern as of yet. However, it is said that the Workers Party and the Nature Party arm of Blue Cosmos are coordinating to get him subpoenaed before the Assembly."

Murmurs and grunts of displeasure rang from the rest of the group. Parnel Jesek remarked with a headshake, "even with Glenn working with the AF government, those haters have to keep harassing him."

Siegel's eyes then narrowed onto the Florida hospital. "And what of this particular hospital?"

Eileen hummed a bit. "The details are sketchy at the moment, but word is that the COO of Glenn Inc., Andria Yamasaki, along with George Glenn's son, Jeff, are personally involved with one of the Type S2 victims admitted there."

Soft murmurs arose in response, many questioning what the son of George Glenn and his most trusted adjutant were doing in Jacksonville. It was them that Patrick Zala decided to ask Eileen. "What's so important about this particular patient, Eileen? It must be someone important enough to warrant our attention."

Eileen's brows furrowed as she said, "does the name Lockheed ring a bell?"

That got people's attention. "As in Senator Mark Lockheed," Ezalia put out. NOW people started talking.

"Wait a minute, don't tell me HE'S caught it too," Parnel Jesek complained.

"Isn't he that Natural AF senator that Glenn hangs out with," Louise Leitner asked.

"Who else would it be," Tad answered.

"Great," Orson White groaned, "what else can we expect from Naturals lacking in immunities!?"

"When did this happen," Ali Kasim asked.

Siegel sweated at the apparent news. Looking to Patrick, the Scandinavian saw the Atlantian frown hard. Patrick normally had a subdued personality, but when he frowned, it was very serious.

"It's not that he himself has caught it," Zala remarked.

Yuri looked to Patrick. "What? Then who?"

"I suspect it may be someone close to him..." Patrick's eyes hardened as his voice trailed off.

"Well," Eileen said as she clicked on another image, "we did see this person go in with a companion." The photo showed two AF Navy officers in the parking lot of the hospital, dated from yesterday. Eileen then zoomed in on the brown-haired officer, who seemed to be in a hurry. A few others watched as well.

Jeremy Maxwell looked at Eileen. "Who is that?"

"That is Lt. Commander Adrian Lockheed," Eileen replied. The group all stared in shock.

A bell went off in Siegel's head. "Wait, isn't that the man they say who-"

Zala's eyes widened a bit. "The man who saved Glenn...?"

Eileen nodded affirmatively as the name sank in. In the aftermath of the Cape Canaveral shooting, none of the Zodiac Alliance members expected the son of a prominent AF senator to have been the one to save George Glenn's life. But in some ways, it affirmed that not all Naturals were against Coordinators, and that they actually had real allies with some political clout in the ever growing hornet's nest of BC radicalism across the AF.

"Before this," Eileen added, "our agents found out from witnesses that Jeff and Andria were seen helping a pregnant woman into the clinic with nurses, and taking care of a small child."

That was all that was needed for Siegel to connect the dots. "His wife...?" Seigel asked in worry.

"It would seem to be so," the woman shook her head solemnly, "that is all we can infer."

This sent shivers down the spines of several of the Zodiac members, especially some who were expecting children themselves. Ezalia was not particularly that fond of Naturals, but as a mother-to-be, she felt for Adrian and his wife. Ezalia looked to the two leaders of the ZA. "What do you expect the outcome to be?" she asked softly.

Patrick and Siegel were silent, having no real answer. Patrick turned to Tad with an expectant look. Tad had a tragic look about him. "Based on our own medical models of the virus," he sadly explained, "ninety-five percent likelihood of fatality for the mother, since the child would somehow be infected as well. Both of them, unless there is serious form of intervention, would likely die in just a few days."

Now it was Eileen who was shocked. "But how can that even be possible?!" she blurted. "It didn't happen with previous flu strains!"

"Well, this is clearly unlike any previous strain," Tad said, "my team studied this thing's genetic structure, and it is not like anything we've ever seen before. I also didn't help that the Torino protocol was in effect for those years, or we would have found this out a whole lot sooner."

The room fell silent briefly as they digested the fact that this flu strain was a whole lot worse with pregnant women and their children.

It was then that there was a knock on the door. Clyne turned and headed over, making sure to be careful as to whom it could be. "It's me, Connie," a Zodiac agent said, "can I come in?"

Seeing that she was one of their own, Siegel opened the door for the agent. "Connie," he asked, "what did you find out?"

"Exciting news, and not-so-exciting," the Zodiac agent said in an urgent tone of voice.

"Let's start with the exciting news then," Siegel requested. The other ZA leaders nodded in agreement, giving Connie the cue.

"There was an information leak from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville," Connie explained, "there's chatter that a major medical operation is about to take place, and Yamasaki is personally overseeing it."

The group all looked at one another in surprise.

"Lockheed's wife," Eileen realized, "what are they doing?"

"They're trying to save her life... and her baby's..." Clyne remarked, his eyes widening in realization.

It was then that Tad put two and two together. "Of course," he said, "how could I have not thought of this!? Mrs. Lockheed and her child just may be the missing link!"

A few others looked at him in confusion briefly.

"We Coordinators have enhanced immune systems that are projected to be effective against virtually every virus and natural pathogen for the next number of generations, perhaps decades," Tad explained, "but remember that the First Generation Coordinators would have embryonically been Naturals. Normally, the procedure was performed on healthy babies and healthy mothers, though not always with the best genetic compatibility." That last statement drew a few grunts of displeasure, particularly from White and Gould.

"However," Tad added, "what if the procedure was used as a medicine of sorts, with an infected baby to strengthen his immune system into fighting back against the virus?"

Now this was news to them. Eileen looked to him. "And if this does work...?" she asked.

"If I'm reading this right," Tad concluded as he looked at the image of the clinic, "the operation might be an attempt to not only save the baby, but also an attempt to derive a vaccine from the genetic enhancements if it succeeds."

"Then we could use that to develop a vaccine... in cooperation with Glenn Health!" Clyne remarked.

"Spectacular," Eileen gasped with a cheerful tone.

Patrick allowed himself a hint of a small smile. He was not an openly happy-go-lucky person, but when it came to good news regarding the Lockheed family, he allowed himself to enjoy some tinges of satisfaction.

"And..." it was then that Ezalia carefully cut in with, "the 'not-so-exciting news'?"

It was then that Connie's expression fell. "Well..." she clenched her hands together rather nervously, "since word of this operation did get out... Blue Cosmos knows about this as well..."

Everyone fell silent at the implications.

"You're kidding," Yuri facepalmed.

"This puts us in a very uncertain and precarious position, given BC's dislike of us..." Clyne mused.

"And just about half an hour ago," Connie said as she went over to a computer. After a few seconds of skimming through a video sharing website, she founs what she was looking for, "this was released by an anarchist group with ties to Blue Cosmos in the American South."

The group all gathered around to see what it was she had found.

It was the video of masked anarchists in black, with banners that the ZA members recognized as the red 'A' symbol for anarchy and the chilling symbol of Blue Cosmos. Laid out on the table in front of them were an assortment of firearms and, including many older model AKs, many likely stolen or illegally sourced. Many of the anarchists were wielding their pistols, rifles, and shotguns in a menacing manner.

"We of the Revolution are joining hands with our brothers of Blue Cosmos in response to the crime against nature that is taking place in that Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville," the head anarchist spoke in a menacing low tone of voice.

"In this facility, people are going against the laws of nature, introducing the filth of modern industrialism to Gaia's seed. They are intending to generate an artificial life form that currently resides in space above us, waiting to make their move upon the true heirs to this blue planet we call home! We, alongside our brothers, call on these abominations that wear human flesh to shed it and show us their true nature as agents of this darkness that inhabits our skies!" he snarled.

"As the poor Naturals of this dear Earth are ravaged by this disease, these Coordinators and their supporters show their Western, imperialistic privilege by creating yet another test tube patchworker to replace us. Join us as we, the defenders of the oppressed descend upon Jacksonville and say 'no more' to these capitalists and their abominable offspring replacing our children." It was then that the leader raised his rifle into the air.

"In solidarity with our sacred Earth and workers of the world," he called, "for the preservation of our blue and pure world!"

"Death to Coordinators, death to capitalism," the other anarchists chanted, "for our blue and pure world!"

With that, Connie shut down the channel.

"Oh no," Kasim gasped.

"I don't like where this is going..." Siegel muttered.

Zala's eyes narrowed. "..."

"Millions have already viewing the video," Connie said, "and there's a rash of other anarchist and environmentalist groups issuing similar threats of protest, and even armed rioting in Jacksonville."

"What should we do?" Tad asked worriedly.

Patrick went straight for the real question. "Any response from the police?"

None so far," Connie reported, "this video was just released half an hour ago, and the net is being flooded with more videos of declarations by other anti-Coordinator and anti-Glenn groups."

Patrick was perturbed as he rubbed his head. "How many protestors and activists are we potentially looking at?"

"Their numbers are large... up to where they could overwhelm them by sheer volume alone," the agent said softly.

"Too many..." Yuri remarked.

"What are our options for dealing with that many?" Clyne asked.

The ZA members looked to each other. The answer was complete silence with a few shrugs in between.

It was then that another knock on the door sounded, penetrating the silence.

"Ugh, now what," Louise Leitner rubbed her hair in aggravation.

One of the other members approached and opened it. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Not to eavesdrop," a male Australian accent was heard on the other side, "but if I may offer my thoughts."

The door opened to expose the speaker. The person was a male in his early to mid-thirties, with short round black hair and orange eyes. He was clearly one of the guards, as he had a vest filled with magazines, a pistol slung to his side, and a rifle slung behind his back. The way he carried himself cast an aura of military experience about him. Seigel recognized him at once.

"Mr. McLaney," Siegel welcomed the man, Doug McLaney, who was a Natural. As he came in, some of the less-friendly members of the leadership gave him stares.

Doug was perhaps one of the only Naturals that had some competence in regards to affairs with his own genetic type. It helped as his wife was a Coordinator too.

"Excuse me," Louise was indignant, "but no one at this meeting requested your input!"

"That should not matter," Zala said. While he was not a big fan of Naturals, he did recognize Doug's competence.

"That's right," Eileen reminded, "the purpose of this alliance is not only to unite us Coordinators in the PLANTs for our rights, but to also garner sympathy and support among Naturals like McLaney here." At that McLaney gave a cocky grin. "Besides, he's come a long way to taking on our cause, even though his PMC was forced to retract their security services."

"Darn straight, Eileen," McLaney cheered, "if there's one thing I can't stand, it's someone throwing a temper tantrum over something as trivial as genetics. I mean my wife is a Coordinator. I could care less about her genetic type. I love her for who she is. Not what she is. Besides, I gave up a lot of my previous life for this cause, and I hope you all can reciprocate that sentiment."

Louise huffed, while Gould and Maxwell continued to regard McLaney with wariness.

Yuri felt very uncomfortable with how the three were starting this off, so he quickly moved the discussion. "So what suggestions can you offer," he asked.

McLaney smiled at Yuri. "Well, you know how the Blue Cosmos are bloody for media attention for their crowds," he began, "especially if they feel they can give the impression of having widespread public support and turning out their base of basement mongrels."

"So what you're thinking is that we turn this against them?" Yuri asked.

"Well," McLaney scratched his head, "it's not like we have that many sympathetic outlets outside of Hunter News and AIN covering this on live TV." However, he did smirk suddenly, "but I think we should have our agents on the ground not only leak BC's plans, but also get the police some help."

Siegel quirked an eyebrow. "Go on," he said with interest.

"What I mean is," McLaney said as he went over to one of the consoles next to Connie, "we get our agents to call in some grassroots support for the good old Lockheed folks." He tapped in a few commands and some names came up. "Also, I think we should get the Allen folks in too. Given how their line produced some well-known soldiers in the past."

"Using our agents to get militias and counterprotestors to meet the opposition," Kasim asked with some alarm, "isn't that risky!?"

"Not if it's done right," McLaney replied, "Blue Cosmos operates from a flawed supposition that every Natural must feel jealousy and hatred for Coordinators, and that those who object to their methods and ideologies are greedy for money, power, and advancement. However, if we can encourage a large enough counterprotest to meet the BC demonstators on camera, it would shatter their illusion that their support is unanimous." McLaney then smiled, "and don't worry about those patriot militias. Many of them are former military and law enforcement that carry their oaths into their civilian lives. They will not do anything to jepordize the police or fire the first shot."

"I see where you're going with this," Tad remarked. "If we get supporters on our side, then they will be shown that Naturals are not all of the same mindset!"

"And the militia will be for if things go south," Zala mused.

McLaney turned to Zala. "Actually, those BC and commie pajama boys like to act tough for the cameras," the Natural supporter said, "but when stared down by real opposition, they are really cowards that hide behind playing the victim." He then threw out, "just look at where Glenn Inc.'s headquarters is. Other than back-and-forth protests, you really don't see those BC and Antifa freaks trashing the place, because it's in a city where the citizens and police don't stand for that crud, neither does the state as a whole. While of course we can't be too overt in these sort of activities on Earth, but if we stoke enough support for the anti-BC opposition here and there, you'll be amazed at the results."

Zala saw where he was going. "You know, Doug, I think I can see where your talents could lie," he mused. "And you're right. Stirring up some support could benefit us in the long run." A rare smile crossed his face.

"McLaney," Ezalia spoke up, "how do you know all of this?"

"I served in the AF Air Force, and I'm familiar with Adrian Lockheed by reputation, and how the family gains the respect of the people with service and integrity. Plus I was a PMC pilot before I left, and I know a few vets who are in those kinds of patriot groups. One of them even went to school with me in my youth. And my granddad told me about the fighting that took place during the war. Along with the AF's assistance during the Battle of Darwin up north," McLaney replied. This caught the attention of the others in the room.

"When the Republic of East Asia was rampaging through Southeast Asia and into the Oceania region during the Reconstruction War," McLaney related, "they attempted to invade the Australian mainland through its northern territories. Naturally, the Oceanian military was severely outnumbered and outgunned. On paper and in projection, they were to lose many battles and lives to the East Asian onslaught." The others could see how that would be possible. "However, what they didn't count on was that despite being outgunned, we Aussies refused to surrender or submit to their occupation. Not only did the army continue to fight, but even the average citizen got whatever gun or weapon we had, and made their visit to our homeland their hell on earth. Despite all the reprisals and atrocities they could think of to break us, the citizens of Oceania just soldiered on, to the point that the occupation soldiers started to break down in battle order and discipline. When the AF finally arrived, the East Asians were all but shattered."

Tad was actually impressed by that. Even Zala had a smirk on his face.

"It is the same thing with Blue Cosmos," McLaney added, "like the East Asians of the Reconstruction War, and the Eurasians when they invaded Alaska during the same war, they thought of themselves unstoppable, because they never met real opposition until those points. Goliaths are known to be proud and haughty until they meet their King Davids."

"That is true," Clyne mused.

"So," McLaney suggested, "I think it is about time we helped some good people send a wakeup call to those little Bolsheviks. Leak this information to the right people and supporters, and let the show begin."

The group nodded. "Connie," Siegel looked to the agent.

"No need to ask twice," Connie said as she sent the word out via wireless coms.

As the agents on Earth got the instructions and began disseminating information on the net to the target group, Patrick Zala muttered, "and so the die is cast."

End Chapter 5