Chapter 218
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At the end of January there seemed some hope that the fighting might actually stop in America. Pope Peter and cardinal Matthews were trying to organize relief efforts in plague-infected areas. Peter was in the collective states, Matthews was advising Mason directly. Rumor was that Matthews has always been more of a hardliner than Peter. He'd threatened to withold humanitarian aid unless certain dictators agreed to protect aid workers. Now they were working together, trying to get Mason and Douglas to negotiate a peace treaty. In the meantime, they were helping medical teams on both sides coordinate and share intel. Two sides, suppossed to be enemies, working together to save innocent lives. Seemed like a good start to end World War III.
In early Febuary president Mason was preparing for his annual state of the union. Eve and her comrades feared what he might say. It was almost two years since 2/4. Who would've thought people would think of the days after that to be the good old days? But people had come together, worked towards the common cause of saving the human race. Israel and Pakistan had even worked together, now they were nuking each other. In the last year there had been a mushroom cloud in Illinois, and thus far five million Americans had died from the plague. More than three million in the Collective States, almost two million in the United States. It seemed hard to imagine exactly how things could get worse over the next year. Eve had little doubt that it was possible.
Sunday Febuary 4th 2035. Exactly two years since the world changed forever. It was also 532 days until impact. President George Mason made his annual state of the union address. Eve watched intently with Jacob and other comrades.
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Mason: Durinf the civil war president Abraham Lincoln said "I do not claim to have controlled events. I confess plainly that events have controlled me." Just as Lincoln's actions were controlled by slavery, seccession, civil war, so my actions have become dictated by the asteroid. With the survival of the human race at stake, certain actions became neccessary. I realize that they were hard on people. But in less than two years we built shelters capable of sustaining six million lives. There has been much loss lately. But our country has held unto it's integrity. We remain a nation that takes in refugees. Recent immigrants, willing to fight for our country, are fast becoming American citizens. There are ofcourse, always fringe groups attempting to destabalize our government by killing innocent civilins. Now they've obtained deadly biological weapons. By working together we can defeat them. These terrorists are not the face of the rebellion. The rebels, led by general Douglas, and several state governors, are frightened individuals, doing what they can to protect themselves and their families. Therefore, I make an offer of amnesty to the rebels. Those who dessert the collective army, and swear an oath never to fight against the United States again, will not be prosecuted. You, and your families, will have all the chances you've already earned for government Arks. We have 532 days until impact. The time for fighting among ourselves is over. We have two choices, live together, or die alone.
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Eve thought about what Mason said. She also went out of her way to avoid hearing other people talk about this. Most likely some would dessert, returning to the country they'd been born into. Eve didn't want to know specifics, she wouldn't be an informant, not again. If her comrades desserted, Eve would probably look the other way. But she wouldn't leave. Maybe the original cause no longer applied. The woman who brought Eve into the rebellion was gone. But what could Eve go back to. Her parents were dead, she was a fugitive. Maybe staying would mean her death. But it was All Eve had left. She had nowhere else to go.