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                    I. The Announcement

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  "This is Ginny Begoden of CNN and this is a Special Report, today, Monday, July 13, 2125. We interrupt regular programming to inform the public that a catastrophic event has taken place that affects all of us.  The United States, and most of the population of the world, have been sterilized. CNN has learned from government sources that the story is true and we received verification of the event from the Center For Disease Control in Atlanta.  We have known for over a century that the Earth is over-populated, but no one expected a complete spraying of everyone with a vaccine that offers to us, without permission, a birth control solution."

   There was a pause as footage from around the world flickered without any voice over. The images of fires and overturned police cars needed no explanation.

   "No one  has claimed responsibility for this act of terrorism against humanity. No one has told us where these jets were loaded with the anti-conception bombs. No one has said where the jets took off thirty six hours ago or how they circled the globe undetected, dropping huge containers that exploded during dropdown and disbursed anti-conception gas on 92% of the known peoples of earth. Direct skin contact is unnecessry. It can be inhaled or transferred to the bloodstream by touching and item or person exposed to fine particulates. Transmission will be thoroughly accomplished from the food supplie world-wide.

   The United States of America was included in this mass sterilization attack. According to our sources, the operation began at 3:00 o'clock A.M.  Friday and ended early Sunday around 3 A.M. Pacific Time. Those responsible have not been named. They were organized and took off from landing fields all over the globe, our sources have confirmed. The White House and the military have refused to comment. Six hundred fifty nine missile-capable jets fired on the people of the earth, miraculously avoiding being intercepted by world military defenses. These fly-overs were unprecedented and, until now, thought impossible. The contraceptive is reported to have a ten year life span, at the end of which humans will begin procreating again. For now, information we received two hours ago from an insider blames the high cost of paying for and sustaining too many people on earth as the reasons for what was termed by our source as 'A necessary though horrifying agression against humanity.' There are many unanswered questions, the first of which is what happens to us if the serum becomes permanent and there are no more births after ten years? Terrorism is what Senator Listlesson of Kansas Territory called this treasonous and infamous act. We go now live to Kansas Enclave where he is vacationing with his family.”

   Disbelief gripped the country as U.S. citizens turned to tv and radio or began a frantic search of the web for confirmation and more details. Webbsters reported seeing or hearing the waves and waves of jets overhead and huge explosions in the clouds, but the planes were too high to be seen. People world-wide blogged that there was no warning. Popular belief seemed to be that humans are not capable of controllingl their religious based practices of unchecked procreating in praise of their Gods. Unable to curtail the great numbers of people who have ever lived on earth, the decision was made and executed. International law was suspended and the problem, at least for thenext decade, has been solved. Scientist argued that a lot rested on the vaccine ending and restoring fertility without proof that it would work. Permanent sterilization is the fear and the most brilliant minds of the world concur that there is nothing to do but wait.

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                II.  Home Front

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   As the morning progressed the story unfolded and the Sander family, like millions others, did not take the news well. They parked their daily activities and plans to live in front of their best information source.

  Mary dropped her backpack at the door and near skidded  into the living room where her family was gathered around the wall sized vid-screen. Moma was in the center of the floor crying. Dad was walking back and forth in front of the screen nervously mumbling and flinging his arms about with futility. He wanted grandchildren. Miranda Sander wanted unlimited rights to life everywhere. Mary knew they were not going to get either wish if what she just heard was true.

  On the screen were pictures of protesters flooding streets of major cities, their cell phone recordings sent to tv stations for broadcast. News organizations were working to create live feeds with foreign affiliates to deploy news crews. Why buy video when you are well equiped to film your own and transmit instantaneously by proprietary satellites.

   “Who did this?” Mary demanded. “No one has the right to take away my decision to have children for ten years. And who knows what will happen ten years from now. I could be permanently barren!”

  Lawrence Sander and his wife, looked at their daughter with confusion in their expressions and mouths open to speak but no answers were fothcoming. Mary wanted answers, her arms imploringly spread from the sides away from her blue jeaned hips, palms forward, shaking from the exertionof her run up the stairs and into their presence.

   Behind her parents, the newscaster continued a non-stop monolog of unfolding events, “...rioting broke out in Bangladesh and the temples of India are over crowded with the faithful making offerings and prayers. In New York, the United Nations was stormed by people who took off work to demand answers and find out who was responsible for the mass sterilization of the planet. Washington is inundated with citizen calls demanding an explanation.”

  Dad looked away, trying not to show the tears in his eyes. He rubbed hard at his face to get rid of the threat of overt weeping. “We have no proof that this is true. This could be, I don't know, some kind of a hacked prank. Somebody infiltrated our tv, radio, and the internet to spread this, this lie. This may not be true, dear."

  “Be quiet and listen!” the usually sedate and undemonstrtive mom, hissed the order.

  Jinny Begoden of CNN’s calm voice continued to fluctuate with emotion as she read off the teleprompter just receved information.

  “...The State Department released a statement that it was not the USA or any of its allies. They are investigating. No one has taken responsibility for this supposed temporary sterilization of humanity. A White House briefing will be held as soon as the President has the results of their investigation to share  with the country.”

   “That’s not very helpful,” Mary yelled at her mother. “I don’t believe any of this. Dad's right. This is some kind of haox. If the President doesn't know about this, it can't be real, right?"

   Groping. Mary was like her dad trying to make sense of something that was impossible. 

   She watched her dad resume pacing and say, “I hope you are right, Mary. Still, the earth is over crowded and countries have been unable to contain their birth rates. I've been reading about it for years and the shortages are getting worse. We can not feed the world any more. We can barely feed ourselves. There are too many of us.”

   As if Jinny Begoodan was the fly on the living room wall of the Sander family, she crooned, “This could be a hoax, but air sampling has confirmed both the origin and the potency of the drugs in the mist that descended on us this morning. It came from a lab in South Bend, Indiana." 

   Mary’s brother, Bud, leaped stairs to get down fast to give them the news. “It’s true! I called the professor of Reproductive Research at UCLA and she said the substance will do what whoever dropped it say it will do. The drug apparently is a sterilization measure designed by the Russians as a weaponized gas. At least the chemicals have been traced to Russia. They may not be responsible for dropping it, Professor Maddoinski told me, but they may have designed it.”

 Mary ran to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, “How reliable is this lady?"

   Bud stared at his sister, not shrugging out of her grasp, actually glad she was near him. He was scared too but had to hold it together for her, for all of them.

 "Very reliable. She has contacts all over  the world." He took three deep breaths before he continued. "Professor Maddoinski predicted the last wave of anti-conception riots in China last year and was spot on with the text of the last Paris Peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia! She says we had tripled growth rates over the last ten years, an unprecedented growth spurt due to poor countries joining the developed countries club.” Bud was in his last year at Cal Tech and the Sanders tended to trust him as a reliable source for scientificr information. 

   Dad tried to make sense of what he was hearing. He vaguely recalled something about riots somewhere and if Jews were talking peace again, that sounded about right. Or not. “No! No, it’s got to be joke. No one can stop people from having babies. No one!”

   “That’s a news alert!” Bud pointed to the big screen. Jinny was saying “...We go live to the oval office of the White House where President Diana Kennedy will address the nation.” The switch-over pause was inervating. Did they have to put the Presidential Seal up first?

   “Good evening my fellow Americans. Last night I gave the United States combined military forces the order to drop the population limitation mist on the people of our planet. We are approaching figures of nine point five billion people. The earth can not continue to support so many people. Remain calm. This was done with the cooperation of every United Nation’s member country who voted unanymously for this solution to world hunger and to put an end to massive migrations of lesser nations into Europe and Australia. Drastic measures had to be taken. War and destabilization of regimes around the world had to be ended. Immigration due to drought and rising sea levels have caused an overwhelming number of hungry people into forcde migrations north and south, from mostly the middle east and Africa. We considered long and hard, but we had to close all borders. Additional measures have to be taken immediately. Projections are that food may run out for all of us inside three years if we do not act decisively now. Euthanasia centers are scheduled to open in forty eight countries, including The United States of America at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning in whatever time zone you reside. There is no easy way to say this. There are too many of us and I am asking the terminally ill and the patriotic citizens of the US to sacrifice their lives to save the rest of us. I am asking for one hundred million salvation volunteers.”

   Dad sank into the thick cushions of the sofa, mom dropped to the carpet and sobbed uncontrollably into the bend of her elbow. It was true. Not only had babies been made impossible, they wanted voluntary suicides.

   "I will address the nation with further updates daily as we solve this cirsis together."

   The screen went dark and CNN Jenny was back, talking fast, heard by no one in the Sander family. Time simply stopped.  Sam bought in bottles of water. Mary thought about making sandwiches but the idea of food caused her stomach to rebel. She went to comfort her mother instead.

  “This is not happening,” mom wailed. Sam tried to get her to drink but she pushed him away, spilling the contents down the fornt of her plastic dress.

   “Oh, it’s happening all right,” dad said and Mary roused, procured some paper tower from the kitchen and dried off her mom who seemed unaware she was there.

   “Look at it this way,” Samson, the most rational and scientific oriented member of the family said. “They could have just lined up families and shot them or dropped atom bombs on unsuspecting countries who have no defenses. We are safe, food will return to the grocer shelves again, and a more reasonable policy on bearing children will be instituted for when the anti-baby vaccine wears off. It will wear off. It will!”

   Mary had marginally collected enough wit to add,  “In ten years I’ll be forty five. I won’t be able to have kids then!”

   “I will,” Samson said. “I put my sperm in a bank two years ago. It did not look like I was going to get married, so I took precautions. Young sperm versus old sperm seemed about right. With all of us living under one roof, it did not seem right to bring in a wife and start a family. Taking my Masters was the better idea apparently.”

   “That does not help me,” Mary bawled, tears running fast and plentifully down both cheeks. She was engaged as of three months ago and they were saving for an apartment and the food for the wedding. 

   “What is he saying,” Dad was staring at the tv.

   It was the Secretary of Defense. “NATO is on alert. Small nuclear countries are threatening to launch their arsenals against the US, China, and Europe. Our interceptor missiles deployed in space code named, Armageddon, have been activated and the platforms will protect the US and our allies and countries bordering our allies should anyone be foolish enough to attack us. The President has given us the go order to defend the homeland. We are ready, be assured. Remain indoors. Martial Law has been declared for all American territories. We will keep you updated as events unfold.”

   The screen went dark and the Civil Defense graphic came on line with the doppler alert horn signaling important information was about to follow. The message began to repeat.

   Mom fainted and Mary sent Sampson for smelling salt. Dad dropped his face into his hands and tired to think of how all this was developing  too fast. Way too fast. He shook his head, warring with denial.

   As if a switch had been flicked, he sat up and looked around the room wildly. “Sam, get the duck tape,” he ordered his son. “Mary, forget about mom, help me bring in those rolls of heavy plastic I bought twenty years ago. We have to prepare for radiation.”

   Mary and Sampson exchanged glances. “Dad. That won’t work,” Sam told him. “That’s like duck and cover. Radiation travels on the wind and we could never cover all the inlets. The water will be polluted and we will not be able to stay alive very long with a tub full of clean water.”

   “We have to do something,” Mom said weakly with a nose full of chemicals that had jerked her to consciousness. “I’ll help you, Henderson.”

   There was no arguing with them. Each member of the family took turns listening to the Civil Defense channel on the radio and for any further updates on the emergency broadcast network. Duck tape and plastic seemed to be the only placebo offered by most newscasters.

   No one outside NORAD and the White House knew that the suburbs of San Francisco in California Territory would be the first area stuck by nukes. Mary saw the bright light as her world ended. Her concern for  Jason, her fiance, and having babies with him, were her last two thoughts.

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~Lady A~