User:Solarius/Reclamation

Reclamation

I am in the office of Colonel Michael Howard, who commands all military forces posted around Malton. It is his ultimate responsibility to not allow anything unauthorized to leave the city, alive or otherwise. The forty-seven year old man's expression is tired, and he looks out the window as our interview begins:

Five years. It's been five goddamn years since this hell of a mess began. Believe me, when I received my orders, I thought High Command was pulling my leg. A breakout of an infection which can turn the living into undead zombies...sounded like something straight out of some cheap science fiction story, like the ones that my nephew reads. At least now the worst is behind us. All that's left now is sort out the mess left behind. So I guess you want to hear it, don't you? How we were able to finally solve the Malton crisis?

Yes. Only a few scant details are known, but I'm hoping to get the full story from you.

Well son, you came to the right place. For the last few years, my job has been to gather intelligence on exactly what goes on inside that city, to provide external tactical and occasional material support, to evacuate any uninfected civilians that were still holding out, and to brief my superiors on any changes on the situation. Our intelligence came from radio transmissions from within the city as well as a weekly helicopter patrols over certain suburbs in the city. Occasionally, we got our hands on material that survivors were trying to send to the outside world, such as journals written by survivors recording their experience, fights, victories and losses. These were somehow thrown over the city perimeter wall. I believe you know something about that, don't you?

Hey, don't blame me, you guys weren't telling us anything at the time. You had a full media blackout going on. What was I supposed to do? Sit on my ass while the greatest story of my career just happened?

Fair enough, fair enough. Anyway, I suppose I should start telling you how the end of zombies came to be. Now, let's start at the beginning of the end, shall we? After the 5th Siege of Caiger Mall...

The what?

Oh, right. Well, ever since the outbreak, the people of Malton divided themselves into numerous groups. You wouldn't believe how much of a pain it's been trying to keep track of all these groups, their locations, and their activities, along side with keeping track of the zombies themselves! I swear, its ridiculous. These groups range from military-like outfits to death cults. Yeah, you heard me..Death cults. Groups of maniacs who see the ability of dying to become a zombie and then being able to revive again as some sort of freaking religion. God, you have no idea how many times I've been tempted to order a bombing run on certain buildings. A well-aimed bomb on a small building here and...BOOM! A death cult calling themselves The Burger King Death Squad would be erased from history!

Umm...

Yeah, I know, what the fuck is wrong with these people. Trust me, you don't want to know. Hell, I don't want to know.

Can we get back to...

Yeah, sure, sorry. Anyways, since the beginning of the Outbreak, Caiger Mall, a four-block mall between the suburbs of Chudleyton and Darvall Heights had stood as THE primary symbol of human resistance against the zombie hordes, and as such, was defended by several different groups. That was, of course, until the third siege, when the mall fell into zombie hands. Since then, the mall just exchanged ownders every few months. Anyway, after the 5th "Great Siege", the survivors of the siege were scattered, began to regroup and plan how to take back Caigar Mall...again. However, this one scientist had an idea. During the battle, he had collected a particularly unique sample of zombie flesh. He theorized that the flesh sample came from one, if not the original zombie. The believed that it could be used to synthesize an effective "cure" for the infection, and had the potential to permanently destroy an undead creature. He gathered a small following, and proceeded west to a NecroTech building in Peddlesden Village known as the Bascombe Building. Over the next three months, this scientist, with the help of a few assistants and paid guards, worked endlessly to synthesize his so-called "solution to this madness".

And he succeeded?

(Colonel Howard nods) On the 100th day of his work, he was able to produce his cure. He immediately proceeded to test it on one of the zombies that had been besieging his building for the last few days. Apparently, after being injected with the solution, the zombie fell down dead and didn't get up! That son of a bitch had actually made the cure!

Vita Pura, correct?

That's what he decided to call it, yes. Vita Pura, or True Life. We know today it's full effects. It essentially kills the virus that produces the "zombification", if you would. When injected upon a living human, it cures them of the infection, allowing them to truly die when killed. Zombies also are truly destroyed when they are injected with the stuff, with the exception of Brain Rotters, who...

Brain Rotters?

A certain type of zombie inflicted with what is called "Brain Rot". Some sort of phenomenon that makes a zombie resistant to NecroTech revivification solutions. I don't know much about it, you'll have to ask one of our scientists here on the base about it. The important thing is that a zombie with brain rot is harder to kill, and can't be revived easily. In fact, it can only be done under specific conditions. So, basically, a true zombie. Anyways, Vita Pura didn't work with "living" Brain Rotters. They had to be killed first, then injected in order for them to truly die.

Alright, so what happened?

Well, apparently, the zombies in the suburb noticed what was going on. I mean, people dying and staying dead? It was a recipe for disaster for both sides. It gave the living the magic bullet they needed to end the conflict. So the zombies somehow ( And I say somehow because we still aren't sure how, or even if they do, communicate amongst themselves) all decided to attack the Bascombe Building and destroy the cure. In less than a day, their number reached around forty. The scientist, whose name we might never know, decided to spread the word and give unto everyone the secret to producing the cure. Using a radio transmitter, he transmitted all the information and procedures, step by step, to a certain Nate Pwnzall. No, I don't get the name either, and frankly, it doesn't matter. What matters is that this Nate was inside the Coram Building.

The Coram Building?

he Coram building is an old office building in the suburb of Lukinswood. It houses the City Emergency Operations Center and the Emergency Broadcast System in a side room. Therefore, if you want to transmit something to the entirety of Malton, you do it from there. And so they did. The information about Vita Pura spread to the four corners of Malton. Soon, every single NecroTech facility was producing the stuff.

And the scientist?'

The Bascombe Building's fortifications crumbled shortly after the last transmission had been sent. To this day, we don't know what happened to the people inside. For all we know, they could be alive, though most likely they're truly dead, thanks to Vita Pura.

So what happened once Vita Pura was widespread?

What do you think happened? The Shit hit the fan! Survivors were injecting almost everything in sight with the solution. Zombies fell left and right, as did Death Cults, now that their ticket to "Immortality" was gone. Groups declared all out war against the zombies, saying that this was the turning point of the "war". They launched attacks, crusades, righteous slaying, purges, everything you can think of. But overall, the most popular term was "The Reclamation", for "the time to reclaim Malton has finally arrived!" There hadn't been such violent fighting since the beginning of the Outbreak. It was around this time that I finally received permission from High Command to dispatch commando squads to enter Malton and assist in taking down the zombies. Within a few weeks, we decreased the amount of undead within Malton by 70%! We had them! A few more weeks, and Malton would have been liberated!

But it still hasn't been, right?

(The Colonel sighs, and looks over to the nearby wall. On it is a large map of Malton. He points out a few buildings within certain suburbs that are highlighted red) These are the last few remaining strongholds of the zombie hordes. They have all fled into these structures, in such large groups, that we can't attack them without casualties. They known that to venture outside these buildings means certain death, and so they stay inside. We also believe that a some zombies MAY be hiding underneath the city, in the sewers. But no one is either brave enough check it out by themselves. Most notable of these buildings is The Pitman Mansion, which several survivors swear is the origin of the zombies, as well as their "hive" per se.

So until every last zombie is dead, your maintaining the quarantine?

Essentially, yes. Although the clearing out of most zombies and almost all death cults and crazies has allowed a large degree of freedom to render assistance to the people of Malton, we can't risk any chance of letting everyone out. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean we're in a stalemate. Soon enough, we're gonna win. Our hit-and-run attacks on the strongholds are taking down the zombies one bit at the time. It'll take a few weeks, but soon enough, every last one of those goddamn monsters will be dead at our feet.

Why? I mean, why aren't you guys letting the civilians out then? The cure is readily available. Any future outbreak can be contained easily in comparison. Why are you guys still holding the quarantine?

Because we don't know the source of the zombie outbreak! That's the problem! No one knows! The most likely theory is that it's something that NecroTech developed, and that's why we still have the city sealed off! We are NOT going to let it slip by us. I mean, let me put it this way: if a NecroTech scientist from Malton is rescued, and if said scientist were to be carrying the original virus on his person somehow, then all he would have to do is take it a NecroTech lab and modify the original virus to be resistant to Vita Pura! It would be Malton all over again, except that it might be worse!

So for everyone's safety, and to buy you guys more time to find the original source of the zombie virus, we're keeping Malton quarantined still?

Bingo.

Well, I believe that does answer all my questions. Thank you for your time Colonel.

My pleasure. Here, let me escort you out.

As we leave Colonel Howard's office, two helicopters fly over above us, and are headed into Malton. Colonel Howard pauses for a moment, and then says something interesting.

What no one, including me, seems to understand is why the zombie virus allowed people to revert back to the living via revivification syringes. It makes the entire situation pointless, considering both sides we're then in a way undying. It was almost as if this entire crisis was one big game played at our expense for the benefit of someone... But, then again, I guess that would just be insane, right?

Indeed it is Colonel. Indeed it is.