Chapter 1
Distant Early Warning
On a hot June day, the sound of gentle waves and a lakeside breeze was broken only by the sound of an idling diesel engine and smalltalk.
"Hey, do you have any plans for the summer? Kyle asked.
Cara started speaking but was abruptly cut off by the ringing of the nextel. Cara answered.
"Hey, Tom what's up?"
"I need you to come back to the box and talk with management." Tom said. "It's Important."
"Am I in trouble?" Cara asked.
Tom Continued. "No, you're not in trouble, but Mr. Rutherford and Derrick Fulton want to see you and about 30 other people. They didn't say why except that it was non-diciplinary."
"Alright, I'll be on my way, bye." Cara hung up the phone. "We need to go to Headquarters, management wants me for some reason."
Cara shifts the ambulance into gear and manuvers it onto the street. During the drive, cara wonders what could possibly be going on, a low sense of dread hangs in the atmosphere. After the seemingly hours long drive, Cara arrives at the shiny glass and steel building, standing like a shining beacon to all who pass on the nearby road, disproportionately big for the suburbs, yet dwarfed by the nearby metropolis of Chicago. Cara steps out of the ambulance and walks to the entrance of the transparent structure. She is escorted by another employee to the second floor conference room, where she takes a seat next to her nameplate on the table.
A tall man with a black polo shirt and black pants stood in front of the tables of confused workers. It was David Fulton, the special events and special deployments manager. His voice, assertive, but not unfriendly, spread throughout the room.
"Good afternoon, you all may be wondering why you're here." A man in a full military dress uniform stepped out from the corner of the room and stood next to David. "The UN has ordered us to mobilize 30 CCT crews to Japan. Colonial McKinzie will take over from here.
Col. McKinzie's voice boomed through the air. "My Name is Colonial Daniel McKinzie, with the UN 8182nd Airlift wing. You have all been selected for deployment due to a UN request through FEMA and will be deployed as employees of a private contractor to the US Government and will be paid as such. You were specifically chosen because you all have shown excellence in your careers here. Now, let's get down to business."
"UN Scientists in Texas and Nevada have been tracking a large object in space headed towards Pacific Ocean Just off of Japan. Japan's EMS system is stretched thin and UN activity in the area is at risk of collapsing the system all together."
"We need some help on the UN compounds over there, and our own resources are also stretched thin. On your tables you will find UN Government Contractor badges. You will carry these at all times. You will show up here tomorrow at 11:00am sharp for your bus to the airport. Dismissed."