Quaranteam Aotearoa Ch. 01

He'd called people he served with, not only his old commanding officer but officers he'd served with both while an active member of the SAS as well as after when he was in an administrative role at headquarters. The commanding officer of the reserves, even they didn't answer for god's sake. A thought struck Caleb causing him to snort with mirthless laughter. The snort turned into a giggle and threatened to become a gale of uncontrollable laughter, 'Don't tell me,' he thought, 'don't fucking tell me that I'm the ranking officer in the New Zealand Army.' The laughter tried to well out of him as the absurdity of the situation struck him forcefully. He forced it back down. Surely not, it really was too bizarre to consider; but then, where were the other officers? Why weren't a least some of them here? Surely they would have made themselves known, but they hadn't. He pushed down that line of thinking, whatever the situation was he could do nothing about it now. Better to focus on what would happen in the next few hours.

Outside the gates, the crowd continued to grow. It was obvious that people who had been congregating on the ground floor level had heeded the request to move up to the concourse level. Spaces between the crowd were shrinking as more and more people arrived. The first fatality happened shortly before three. A man dropped to his knees and was gasping and coughing. Beside him, a woman screamed, "Aaron, Aaron." Caleb and Ellie sprinted back to the gates. The woman was standing over the man, prevented from embracing him by the three children that hid behind her, clutching her legs, the man's partner Caleb thought. Within a minute he collapsed and lay still. She continued to scream the man's name. A space had cleared around the dead man, no one wanted to touch him, scared that it would mean their own death. Another woman came forward pulling the grieving widow away from the man's body, wrapping her in a hug. A second woman bent to speak to the young children, leading them away with their mother.

Caleb felt sick. It was one thing to come under fire in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, but this was his fucking home for God's sake. Realising that his niece and nephews, Sofie, Ryan and Jayden had died was bad enough. Seeing it right in front of his eyes though brought it home to him in a rush. Kiwis lived with the threat of natural disasters, earthquakes, and cyclones, but man-made catastrophes were few and far between. There had been the shooting at the Christchurch Mosque the previous year. That had been a horrible tragedy but thankfully it was an isolated incident. New Zealand was not immune to gun violence but on those rare occasions, it was more often than not a single family involved.

This virus, this Duo Fucking Halo, just seemed to come out of nowhere and decimated the country in a matter of days. This was well and truly fucked up. Caleb felt a hand take his and squeeze it. He looked to his side and saw Ellie standing there. Beautiful Ellie, he would do anything to protect her, and she would do the same for him. The drone of an aircraft took their attention away from the scene outside the gates. They both looked up to see a military transport plane, flying the colours of the United States Air Force, dropping lazily out of the sky to land at the airport. Must be a slight southerly Caleb thought if they're coming in over Johnsonville and Newlands. The plane continued to descend, eventually being swallowed up by the buildings along the waterfront. Two minutes later they sighted a second plane, flying the same path and two minutes behind that a third plane. Caleb heard Beth's radio squawk and she spoke into it. Caleb and Ellie moved closer to her to hear what was being said.

"That was Lorna, the Americans have contacted her, a Lieutenant-Colonel Ibarra. They are unloading the planes and will be here as soon as they can. Apparently, the Lieutenant-Colonel is coming on ahead with some troops to get things organised."

"Finally," Caleb said. He turned to Ellie, "Let's head down to the ground floor. Hopefully, we'll find out what's going to happen. Beth, we'll make sure you're kept in the loop."

Beth nodded as Caleb and Ellie headed back into the foyer. They called the lift and headed downstairs. On reaching the ground floor they sought out Lorna. Lorna was standing close to the gates on the lower level, and Lorna nodded to Caleb and Ellie as they approached.

"They should be here soon.," Lorna said.

Within fifteen minutes two armoured personnel carriers appeared. It was obvious from the front end of their vehicles that they had had to move cars out of their way, and none too gently by the looks of it. Caleb was glad his truck wasn't in the line of fire. The police officers opened the gates to let them in, quickly closing them behind the APCs. The doors of the APCs opened and a squad of ten troops exited each. Caleb was surprised to see that they were female USAF personnel. The thing that surprised him more, though, was that none of them were wearing protection gear. Lieutenant-Colonel Ibarra led the way over to Caleb, Ellie, and Lorna. She was about 169cm (5ft 7in) tall, her uniform doing a poor job of disguising her figure. She had large breasts and olive skin. She had broad shoulders and powerful-looking legs that suggested she kept herself in peak physical condition. Her hair, mostly hidden beneath her cap was jet black but there were small streaks of grey at her temples. Caleb put her age at about forty. Both Caleb and Ellie ripped off a textbook salute and even Lorna managed a good attempt.

"Lieutenant-Colonel," Caleb said by way of introduction, "Major Caleb Whitehead, New Zealand Army, 1st New Zealand Special Air Services Group. May I introduce Sub-Lieutenant Eleanor Whitehead, New Zealand Navy, and Sergeant Lorna, I forgot to ask her last name, of the New Zealand Police Force."

"It's Rangihau, Ma'am," Lorna offered.

"Err, shouldn't you and your troops be wearing protective gear Ma'am?," Caleb asked.

"Major, Sub-Lieutenant, Sergeant," Lieutenant-Colonel Ibarra replied. "It's not necessary, all my personnel are fully vaccinated. They received their last.....dose...from their partner just before we took off and they'll be getting another when we return in a few days."

"Yeah, we will," came a cheerful response from the middle of the squad. Caleb didn't see who'd spoken but the Lieutenant-Colonel just turned her head to look over her troops. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to.

"Do you have any thoughts on how we organise this, Major?" Ibarra asked.

"Well," Caleb said, "If you can tell me what's about to happen, I can share my insights. But for starters, I suggest we head up to the first floor where the main entrance is located."

Ibarra frowned, "Isn't this the first floor?"

"No Ma'am," Caleb replied. "In New Zealand, this is referred to as the ground floor, then first floor, then second, and so on. I realise this means a shift in thinking for your people, but it will be a lot easier for the people waiting for the vaccine, and there are a lot more of them than there are of you."

Ibarra gave Caleb a hard look and then nodded quickly, "Very good," she said. "Master-sergeant."

Another good-looking woman stepped forward. She stood rigidly to attention and saluted. "Ma'am?"

"Stay here on the....ground floor with your squad and assist the police officers when the transporters and remainder of the troops arrive. I'll do a recon of the....first floor and provide further orders once I have a sitrep."

The Master-sergeant did not bother to reply, just saluted again, and turned back to her troops. She moved off to where the police were waiting and took up positions ready for the arrival of the transporters.

Caleb led the way to the lift, asking as they walked, "So what is the procedure here Ma'am?"

"You mean, nobody has told you anything?" Ibarra asked.

"Nothing officially. My wife and I did some research before we left home," Caleb replied. "We've watched the President's speech and that 60 Minutes show. Is that for real?"

Ibarra muttered something under her breath in what Caleb recognised as Spanish. He was glad it wasn't aimed at him, at least, he didn't think it was. She let out a sigh.

"Okay, we have sixty-thousand vaccination doses inbound from the airport, with another fifty-thousand doses due to arrive tomorrow. Once the first batch arrives, we will begin administering them to all females."

"And the men get their dose by pairing up with a vaccinated woman and having sex?" Caleb asked incredulously.

Another sotto voce curse escaped Ibarra's lips, "Yes, the vaccine is lethal to men when administered directly," Ibarra explained. She held up a hand to forestall more questions. "The man receives his dose by engaging in sex with a vaccinated partner. In fact, multiple partners."

The pinging of the lift and doors opening broke the spell over the three Kiwis. Caleb hadn't even realised that they had entered the lift and ascended. This time it was Ellie who broke the silence, "I told you, Caleb. I told you it would take more than one woman to keep you safe."

Ibarra kept walking towards the main doors. As she reached them, she turned to look at Ellie, Lorna, and Caleb, "I am sorry, there's no time to be gentle with this. A single male/female bonded pair will provide about 60-70% protection for the male. With each additional female that joins the team, the man's resistance goes up. With four partners 80-90% protection. More than four and you're getting close to 100%. DuoHalo has decimated the world population and men are ten times more vulnerable. Teams of one man to many women is the only way to go."

Under the weight of facts and the determination of his wife Caleb could only nod his acceptance.

An airman stepped forward, "Ma'am, the transporters are two minutes out."

Ibarra nodded. "We need to get on. You will all be given a pamphlet explaining everything. Now Major how do we deploy the vaccine stations?"

"Okay," Caleb said, snapping out of the mood that threatened to distract him.

"How many stations can you set up?" he asked.

"All of my personnel can administer the vaccine, but I'll need most of them to keep things calm," the Lieutenant-Colonel replied.

Caleb had been to the stadium enough, watching rugby and cricket, to know the layout.

"There are thirty-six gangways that lead to the stands, eighteen on each side. Leave the first two on each side empty. Use two of those to funnel the men into the stands. There's enough space for seventy-two men if you put two to a seating block, well separated. Set up a vaccine station at each of the remaining 32. Direct the women to one of these. This means you can spread them throughout the stadium and move them through the process quickly. How long does it take?"

"We've got it down to 30 seconds a patient," Ibarra replied.

"Good," Caleb continued, "Have the women walk down the gangway, they'll have four men in their immediate vicinity to choose from and room to look around if they want. Once a team is formed, they can be moved out using the two unoccupied gangways. Let's hope no one tries to get greedy."

"So that's seventy-two males available to form a team at any one time," The major mused.

"If you want more available," Caleb said, "Then mark the pitch into four-metre squares,"

He saw a quizzical look on Ibarra's face.

"Sorry, 12ft by 12ft squares with a man in each. That should give around another 300 men available to form a team. Once a team's complete let them exit by the ground floor. That will prevent them from getting bombarded by questions as they leave."

"Captain," Ibarra barked.

Another airman stepped forward, her insignia showing her rank. She saluted smartly, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Did you get all that?" Ibarra asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Was the captain's only response.

"Well, get to it. I want those vaccine stations up and ready in ten minutes, understood?"

The captain did not waste words but snapped off another crisp salute before turning to the airmen exiting the lift. She started barking orders and the airmen responded with speed and obvious practice heading for their allotted stations.

"Right," Ibarra said. "Let's see what we've got to deal with out there."

She strode through the doors and out onto the concourse. Behind the gates was a sea of faces. All sense of social distancing had gone out of the window.

"There's three sets of gates," Caleb said, gesturing. "I'd use the centre gates for the men, they can then be directed straight to either the pitch or stands. Use the left and right gates for the women. that will funnel them to the vaccination stations on their side. Do you have the troops to cover that?"

Nodding, Ibarra replied, "We can make it work. How do we get the gates open?"

Beth, who had been standing quietly in the background, stepped forward, "I have the keys," she said.

Ibarra looked at her watch. She stepped up to the gates. An airman brought a megaphone to her, "Ladies and gentlemen," she said, trying to make herself heard over the noise of the crowd. She raised her voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please." Although people continued to talk it quietened enough for her to be heard, "My name is Lieutenant-Colonel Ibarra of the United States Air Force. In five minutes, we will be opening the gates so that we can begin vaccinating the women here." The level of noise from the men standing outside increased.

"What about us?" a man called from within the crowd.

"How do we get vaccinated?" another shouted.

"I'm sorry I do not have time to give a lengthy explanation," the Lieutenant-Colonel stated. "You will all receive a pamphlet as you enter. Please read it thoroughly. It will explain everything you need to know."

"Everything?" Caleb thought, "You'd need a book to explain everything based on what he discovered and a bloody big one too.

"Now," Ibarra continued, "If the men will line up at the gates in the middle and ladies, please divide yourselves between the left and right-hand gates. This will help facilitate a faster process. Thank you." Ibarra turned to head back into the stadium, "Sergeant," she said looking at Beth, "If you'd hand those keys to my sergeant here," indicating an airman stood to her right. Beth handed over the keys. Thank you all for your help. I hope it will make things a little more orderly. Now, ladies you should go get vaccinated and Major you should take up your position inside the stadium ready to meet your team."

Caleb didn't hesitate, "With your permission Lieutenant-Colonel, I would like to remain here for a while. Your troops are obviously good, but the crowd out there is seriously overwhelmed by all of this. Some of them might cope better hearing from another Kiwi.

"Me too," Ellie chimed in.

"And me," said Beth, a heartbeat behind her.

Ibarra looked at the three of them, You understand the risk, she asked. "None of you are vaccinated." All three nodded. "Okay," Ibarra agreed. "On two conditions, one you submit to my sergeant's authority and two, no more than an hour, otherwise you will forcibly be removed. Are we clear?"

Caleb and Ellie snapped to attention and saluted. Beth stood straight, "Yes, Ma'am," they said in unison.

Ibarra continued into the stadium to oversee the setup. The sergeant looked them over, an unreadable expression on her face, "Okay, you three heroes. What have ya got in mind?"

Caleb didn't recognise her accent, but it sounded a bit like the southern US accent you heard in TV shows, "I thought I'd position myself by the central gates where the men are entering and you two," he looked at Ellie and Beth, "should take the left and right gates where the women will enter. Sound okay?" They both nodded. "Does that work for you Sergeant?" he addressed the airman.

"Why, yes Sir, it does," The sergeant replied, this time with a slight smile on her face.

"Do you have any of these pamphlets the Lieutenant-Colonel was talking about? I thought we could read up on them while we're waiting for the gates to open and then hand them out to people."

The sergeant motioned to one of the airmen standing close by and she passed a stack of pamphlets to each of them. Caleb noticed as she handed Ellie hers, that they were titled DuoHalo Vaccination Instructions for Women. Looking down at the pile in his own hands he saw DuoHalo Vaccination Instructions for Men, he wondered what the differences were.

They each moved to their positions and in the lull, Caleb began to read.

It did not take long. They had kept the message direct and to the point.

- The vaccine is lethal if directly administered to a man.

- A man received his immunity by engaging in sex with a vaccinated partner.

- A man needed a minimum of four female partners to boost his immunity to as close to 100% as it could be.

- A bonding process occurred during the initial bout of sex which united the two of them for life and could not be broken.

- Men must become risk-averse going forward. Their partners' lives depended on their continued existence.

- A man should not attempt to have sex with a woman who was partnered with another man. This can lead to fatal consequences for the woman.

There were some pictures showing the results of this that were gruesome, to say the least. There was other information, about the frequency with which the man should attend to his partners. Attend, such a strange euphemism, you mean how often he needs to fuck them, he thought. Caleb didn't get any more time to read. The signal had been given and the gates were opening. People were starting to flood through the gates. Fortunately, there were turnstiles on the central gates so the men waiting could not just rush forward. Caleb handed out a pamphlet to each man who entered.

"Follow the directions and read this pamphlet while you're walking," Caleb told each one.

About thirty men had passed through when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man throw the pamphlet to the ground, obviously unread. The sight made Caleb's hackles rise. He checked to see that pamphlets were also being handed out by the two airmen also stationed at this gate. Caleb stepped quickly away from the gate and, reaching the man, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the line. Caleb thrust another pamphlet into the man's hand. "Read it," Caleb snarled.

"I don't need to read it," The man retorted. "It'll just be some government bullshit."

Caleb really wanted to slap this man across the face, but he held himself in check. Violence on his part would only trigger more violence from the crowd. He pulled the man back towards the gate. Caleb got right up in the man's face, "You will stand there, and you will fucking read it, cover to cover. Your life depends on it, the lives of your partners, if anyone is unlucky enough to saddle themselves with you, depend on it."

Caleb took a step back and let the man read, it didn't take long. The man looked up at Caleb, wide-eyed.

"Is this all true?" he asked quietly.

"Every word," Caleb replied.

"S..s..sorry," the man stammered, "I didn't realise."

"Well, now you do," Caleb replied tersely. "On your way and think about how you're going behave moving forward."

The man moved forward, joining the line of other men headed into the stadium. The incident had not gone unnoticed by the other men filing into the stadium. A few heads quickly dropped to the pamphlet they held.

"Nicely done major. Yes, siree, very nicely done." Caleb turned to see the sergeant standing behind him, a wide smile stretched across her face. The sergeant saluted him casually and he returned with a lazy motion of the hand, emulating her attitude. Non-comms were known for their mistrust of officers, he knew from his own time as a sergeant, but occasionally, very occasionally, an officer would do something to earn a grudging smidgeon of respect from the non-comm. All you could do was take the win and move forward, looking for another opportunity to earn a bit more. The sergeant spoke again, "The Lieutenant-Colonel said to tell you your hour's up. Please head inside and assemble your team." Caleb immediately looked to the right where, he knew, Ellie was welcoming the crowds of women. He couldn't see her. "The ladies have already been directed inside. You-all were...busy and I didn't want to disturb you." The sardonic smile was back on her face. Caleb couldn't help but grin in return.