The Bullet That Killed The World Read online

  “That´s how an American soldier speaks!

  “Well of course, the first time I saw one, I broke the back with

  a baseball bat until I was arm strength.”

  “Here we are all soldiers, but the situation getting worse.” “And what you want, to invent a bubble of good atmosphere

  on Mars and we move from planet?”

  “I bet some people are already thinking about it.”

  “Come on! Do not be ridiculous. It is easier to end this scourge to set foot on the moon, which is closer; even imagining that the moon had atmosphere, club strippers, cable TV and football.”

  At that time, the discussion came to an end when the soldier fell to the ground.

  “Shit! Scream. “I told you, this guy will be a bloody zombie in

  a few hours!”

  “If you’re so sure, why do not you take the gun from his bag and hit a shot in the brain?”

  At that time the Russian engineer intervened.

  “Here nobody is going to shoot anyone. We do not kill our own people.

  “Oh no? Why do not you get your head out of the plane and you tell the walking dead?”

  “Let me examine it, then we’ll see what we do with it.”

  The Russian doctor was the highest of all and his blue eyes looked like two pieces of ocean over her rosy cheeks. He removed his helmet and dropped half the security outfit to show others. His suitcase, pulled a syringe. He squeezed her right bicep with a very fine powder covered with yellow glove and pulled out a pair of blood samples. In this situation, they turned off the audio transmitter and chambers of helmets, except Russian biologist who focused on studying the boy’s blood.

  “And now? Do we expect to wake up and try to eat them all?” The Russian looked at him with those eyes sky, but with a little

  hellish flame burning in his eyes. He took a breath of patience and

  examined the samples under a microscope. “Tell me no little black shits in your blood.” “It’s early to know.”

  “Well, hopefully to land and have the general that we were chased by a group of infected and irresponsible removed his helmet as we ran to the plane.”

  Others looked surprised.

  “If you do not believe me, why do not they ask the copilot? He was the one who helped him put the helmet again before set foot here.”

  One of the American soldiers walked steadily into the cockpit and demanded the copilot to appear before others.

  “That says this madman is true?”

  “It is true. The man was drowned and removed his helmet, but it was only a few seconds.”

  “A few seconds? In a few seconds she defiled a family, a nei- ghborhood in a few hours, a few days in a county, and in a few months, there was no sign of human activity in several states! Do you understand? He had a wife, two children and a dog! Now I have at my feet a soldier to being a zombie, and tell me that the man lacked air and therefore removed his helmet. Would you throw it from here as a ball or we drop it gently with a backpack parachute on his back?”

  The pilot listened to every word coming out of the back and suspected for a moment that perhaps the conversations were being monitored. With the stable plane, left in automatic mode to attend the meeting.

  “No one has crossed his mind that from the headquarters may be listening to everything we say?”

  “Relax Roy, and turn off the computers.”

  One of them broke away and started checking the plane.

  “Listen everyone, and I do not care if you are recording or not,” said the soldier from the background, “but no parachutes in this plane.

  “What do you say? In all airplanes which are no parachutes.” “Well, in this no.”

  “We sent a suicide mission. It is a one-way ticket.”

  “Lying seems to be well-trained military. We flew towards Sta- lingrad. Out of danger,” he said the soldier fainted yet looking. “Let’s get with your chest up and waving to the upper successfully. Is mission is accomplished, period.”

  “I’m with you. Moreover, certain that our friend will awaken from time to time one of us and not a ... you know. But why the hell no parachutes in this plane?”

  “Because we do not need.”

  “Do not. No parachutes because if something went wrong.”

  At that time the commander’s voice from the radio cabin was heard.

  Everyone ran to listen. All, but the young man unconscious.

  “Soldiers, it is my duty to inform you that from the time of his departure, have been aware of their actions. Everything that happened during his mission has been monitored by senior mili- tary officers cooperating with this operation, and unfortunately, a couple have disobeyed orders. We know they have on board a soldier exposed to the virus and therefore run the risk of getting infected upon their return. They must give the mission terminated at the cost of failure. By unanimous vote, we terminate the secu- rity protocol, and self-destruct sequence begins.”

  “Self-destruction?”

  “I am sorry to be so, but each reconnaissance aircraft sent to the United States must meet the standards of the mission. They

  have enough time to pray and repent. It hurts to lose good men like you, but we cannot risk the lives of millions of people.”

  At that time the Russian engineer intervened.

  “I demand to speak immediately with my superior.”

  “I’m sorry, soldier. His superior is me, and this is not my word, but to everyone.”

  “But I have the results of the man who was exposed, and are

  negative. No one on this plane is infected by the virus Z.”

  “We appreciate his years of service to the country and...” “Fuck you, fucking asshole! You’re killing your men! You heard

  the doctor, no one is infected.” “So sorry.”

  -General, wait,” said Roy, “speaks the pilot of the aircraft. We are in the ocean, let me crash the plane into the void and will not be guilty about killing us. Sorry, I cannot call otherwise. My men and I are grateful to serve with honor, and will be our unanimous decision as soldiers die by our own hands. We are aware of the danger they expose them if we play Russian soil. I give you my word. In these coordinates, I’ll come down and dashed the plane into the sea. Right, soldiers?

  “YES SIR!” All cried loudly.

  “And listened to his men, general, that’s all I ask.”

  “All right, I trust his word of honor and that of his men. Good luck, boys.”

  Closed transmission.

  “What are they doing standing there like mummies? If there is a bomb inside the plane, we must disarm!”

  “And who of us is an expert in explosives?”

  Copilot folded his arms and motioned with his chin the guy

  lying on the floor.

  “That cannot be true!” Dimitri said.

  The six actives searched every site possible to find the artifact that send to the afterlife. Finally, in one of the compartments, they found the bomb. The rectangular screen showed a count- down of 4:36 minutes at that moment. They gave her slaps in the face unconscious soldier, but he was gone. 4:11. They looked carefully how much tool serve to dismantle the pump. 3:29. They sprayed water on his face, but did not awaken. The shock knocked him very strong. The space where they planted the bomb was so small that barely fit the arms and part of his head. Other collea- gues rose to Roy. The pilot took air in front of the screen with a flashlight between his teeth and observed a chilling 2:21. From behind, a voice was heard. It was the soldier who had regained consciousness.

  “What’s going on? What are top of each other back there?” “Boy, it was better you were still sleeping.”

  “What do you say? This is the engineer of luck!”

  They did not waste more time and helped him up. They no- ticed that did not move, and Roy asked:

  “What happens?” “Is different.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The system. I had not ever seen by examinin
g the artifact he added.”

  “No give me stories, cut cable!”

  “That’s the problem. I never saw a bomb with five cables.”

  “That means we have an 80% chance of dying?” “Do not say stupid things and let the guy do his job.” “How much you are on the screen?”

  “Nine seconds.”

  “Dammit, cut now!”

  “I’m sorry, I cannot do it. They will not die for my bad decision.”

  That said, he jumped besieged by the eyes of others. They counted on her mind ... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

  Some clenched their teeth. Others closed their eyes tightly.

  He spent more time than indicated, and the boy laughed out loud.

  “You’re a fucking asshole! Did you know?”

  Some beat him fondly, Roy shook his hair, and Russians applauded by moving the head sideways. Who would think to joke like that?

  When the shock subsided, one of the soldiers said:

  “Where was the part where we do not kill our own people?” Russian bowed his head, and Roy said:

  “It’s true that we failed on a couple of things, but this man is not contaminated by the virus Z. So, I gave my word to crash into the ocean and not going to meet. We’re going to land somewhere and we’ll see how to get to show that we are not carriers of the virus.

  On the other hand, at the General Headquarters Air Navy, the indicator bomb went off.

  “It looks like your pilot really kept his word.” American General scratched his chin and replied:

  “They’re good guys, the best, well trained and willing to any- thing but to die. That’s what gives them away, his youth. I bet you are still in the air.”

  “But…”

  “Nothing, are extremely bold, found and defused the bomb. At this time, give the order to intercept and shoot them down.

  That plane should not put its landing gear on the ground.” “What we say to the press?”

  The general looked disdainfully and pulled out a Cuban cigar from his pocket.

  A few minutes, took off two fighters. The aim was to oblit- erate the reconnaissance aircraft. The fighter pilots did not sin ignorant. His mission was to end the lives of seven men of their own. They were also aware of the seriousness of the matter and feared the spread of a pandemic unabashedly, as happened with the American continent. Sukhoi Su-35 advancing at a frightening rate, at any time have visual contact with the target. They cal- culated the time of takeoff reconnaissance aircraft, altitude and heading.

  “What feels convicted?” “¿Off the hell?”

  “No, the undead.”

  “That’s the problem, they do not feel anything.” “How you will be one of them?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Of at least they have a chance to exist. Us would be reduced to ashes had not turned off the damn pump.”

  “¿This guy lost his head or what?”

  “Calm down man, just think about it. We were about to ex- plode in the air without notice. Possibly, at that point we would be talking about anything stupid, and suddenly, BOOM! ... Is it fair?”

  Everyone looked shocked.

  “Never mind, just think how much you can accept death. It’s not the same thing an old man up for years, with a pair of tubes

  that supply some oxygen through the nose, and with the cold, dry throat, goodbye because he knows his life, by law, he came to end, a person with perhaps young terminally ill, and who would torture the idea that their days vanish like the sand of those old watches. Or we dedicated a sacrificial life where suddenly our own boss tells us that we will explode in midair. Can you imagine? It’s like boxing will train for life, listening to our coach repeat that must smash his face to the other until he was lying on the canvas, and when you’re ready to test your claws, manager tells you to hear that you let your ass kicked because, quite simply, the fight is fixed. Fuck! What would you do?” he asked Dimitri.

  “I break my opponent’s face and then spit on my coach.”

  “There is! Until that smells of Russian books and lab he would beat.”

  “That it is. They trained us all to survive and serve our country and how do they respond? Putting a bomb if someone yawned outside the suit. Why they did not sink the damn bullets when they announced that Los Angeles could not be infected? What would cost California remove one of the stars of the flag? Now no flag or people. There are only stupid beings wanting to swallow gut, and are not able even to change a light bulb.”

  “But it not confirmed that the epidemic was initiate in Los

  Angeles.”

  “The truth, there are many versions. Others say it was in Nevada.”

  “Hoaxes! That story that a person was exposed to radiation from a piece of rock that came from space, in Area 51, is a Chi- nese story.”

  “Why cannot it be true?”

  “Because what Area 51 is a lie to sell beer in a green jar with antennas. This virus he created a madman who wanted to play God and ended up being the devil himself.”

  He spoke the pilot.

  “Gentlemen, I have activity on my radar. It seems that two aircraft are approaching in the direction of collision.”

  “The core of the story is not swallowed crashing into the ocean.”

  “Then you come to destroy us?” “What do we do now?”

  “Let’s wait to see what comes,” Roy said with trembling finger on the fire button.

  “Wait? Do not you remember put a bomb on this plane and were already counting the minutes suggested when we repent of our sins?”

  “Now it is the end...”

  “I do not think we are going to strike down like a bug. Maybe they just want to know what we’re made.”

  “I can tell you. We are made of stardust.”

  That was the last voice heard within the reconnaissance air- craft. The men aboard the fighters complied. An error in the mis- sion meant a potential threat to millions of people, not knowing that the virus is pierced only by a Z transmitter that will provide sufficient information to a healthy receiver. That’s why it was for- bidden to use knives or shoot against them. A splash in the eyes or dark wound DNA, and goodbye to your regular diet. Con- tagion took you to a state of paralysis where the body was ba- rely supported by Spotless Mind. So, when the goal was accurate distance to an absolute demolition, a pair of missiles split into several pieces to reconnaissance aircraft, with all its healthy crew. Automatically, the combat aircraft gave the confirmation of the impact and returned to the base.

  Chapter 2. Iceberg.

  Atlanta Georgia.

  Iceberg: Company specialized in the development of cryonics.

  Iceberg Company was created by Dr. Paul Miller. His revolu- tionary step in the science of preserving human bodies in freezing, proved to be one of the most impacted progress in the field of modern medicine. Although, really, it was not healing anything, but to preserve bodies with diseases that currently have no cure. The project aimed to be so promising that the government was interested immediately investing millions. After the elections, the new president promised to continue to pay dollar for dollar if he showed that a body subjected to extreme cold back alive. The select team of Iceberg was prepared to unfreeze one of his pa- tients, who had paid to awaken in the future if they already had HIV vaccine at the time. The truth is that the brightest minds of Iceberg, Dr. Rachel Hayes, had recently won the Nobel Prize for Medicine to publicize the ultimate cure of AIDS. Still, this was a problem, because the man signed a ten-year freeze, and had just two and a half. Following an agreement with his lawyer, who ac- cording seemed more than a deal with the mafia, it was concluded that there was no need to keep it preserved longer when their target was based on healing the human immunodeficiency virus.

  It was when the principal members of the Presidential Palace attended the event of return of a body subjected to 196 degrees below zero. The event took place without media or relatives of the patient, for the simple reason that the staff Iceberg in charg
e

  of these functions, only completed the freezing phase, but the matter ended their winter slid between hypotheses. Anyway, Mi- ller, director of the center, and its main icons, the prestigious Dr. Rachel Hayes and her husband Dr. Donovan O’Connor, were as- sisted by experts in the field.

  Cryogenic process was operated from amnion, the mother computer. The programming system was so complex that bor- dered the limits of perfection. Once Amnion told that the body was ready to thaw, the information went directly to the camera system cold and is returned to its initial position. The bodies came up, but froze head to save, in case of leakage of liquid nitrogen, the critical part. As the temperature rose, the protectant fluid oc- cupying the place of blood was discarded and, again, the veins and arteries were stocked with the blood of the patient, which remained preserved in a special tank under the camera.

  The estimated for both freezing and thawing of a human, time was around six hours, but an error in programming the computer mother accelerated the process, making the chamber opening be- fore and the body fall rigid cold in front of everyone. Upon impact with the ground, he came off head as a rolling ball glass. After the failure, the funding freeze people were removed immediately.

  It took several days, and the owner of Iceberg sank increa- singly into an economic hole. And, to top it off, came billed de- mand patient who had broken against the president. Miller acted as a kind of demonized Zeus throwing thunderbolts to whichever person or object is crossed on the way.

  “You must calm down,” she said in gentle tones.

  “How do you want me to calm down if Iceberg collapses be- fore my eyes? Or rather, Iceberg sink this ship with all its crew. Sound familiar?”

  “Of course, it sounds like, but this is not the Titanic, and we’re not defeated yet.”