Mckenzie's New World

By Bennie Rose

An apocalyptic event by a biological attack causes life as we know it to cease to exist. The world, now in chaos, throws society into a time reminiscent of colonial America. The country, divided into domains, is controlled by different cultures from the old civilization.

Exploring the country, discovering new boundaries, and assessing the condition of what remains is only possible by frontiersmen, warriors, and soldiers. Isaiah McKenzie is a man who follows in the footsteps of a modern day Boone or Kenton. Men of this caliber are the only hope for civilization. Those that remain are forced to learn the “old ways” to survive in the New World.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312712119

Book preview

Mckenzie's New World

McKenzie’s New World

Prologue

It was an era of great change in the world. A time following the end of the Cold War, when restitution was being made for wrongs committed. It was an age of going forth to third world countries as protectors of freedom and human rights. But lacking experience in dealing with situations where half the people want democracy and the other communism.

Both sides supported by misguided super-powers. Dividing the countries in half, leaving people in conflict and fanning the flames of distrust for all foreigners as a whole.

Leaving the citizens of one super-power in a constant state of turmoil and distrust of government leaders. And the other super-power neglecting the well being of its people for military buildup and the spread of communism to the point of starvation. Thus bringing on the destruction of the said super-power from the inside by its own people.

When the main government collapsed leaving the military in disarray and the country in shambles. The people of the region started splitting off and defining boundaries of the old countries that were in effect before being invaded and consolidated to form the fallen super-power. Throughout the region at strategic points along the border and in the interior were silos of aging warheads capable of mass destruction on a scale that boggles the mind. These forbearers of doom were left in the supervision of newly formed countries whose aristocrats were vying for position and whose population was divided into sects and warring against each other for control of the country.

The major concern of the world leaders was the possibility of a fanatical group or terrorist organizations gaining control of one of these missile silos and starting World War III or total world annihilation. It would only take the pushing of one button, just one button and there would be thousands of lives lost. Then there would be the retaliation and thousands more lives lost, then counter-strike after counter-strike. Also the elimination of possible threats throughout the world or countries in a position to take advantage of another country in a weakened state. Then would be the affects of fallout, and millions would suffer.

Just one misguided individual and the wrong button pushed and the whole world suffers. Just one button!!!

Chapter 1

It was a time of prosperity for the people of the Country. The age of iphones, hybrid and electric cars. Times had been a little tough, but with the recession ending jobs were more available. Interest rates were at an all time low and loans more accessible to the average person.

Seemed like everybody was ready for their slice of the American Pie and it looked like it was within everyone’s reach.

The U.N. was busying itself trying to consolidate the world military as a global peace keeping force. It wanted to stop border conflicts and promote basic human rights throughout the world.

The conflict going on in the defunct super-powers should have been monitored a little closer. But as the saying goes Hindsight is 20/20 and we are only human.

Tom McKenzie was your average Joe in most aspects. He worked five - eight hour days a week, overtime when available. Spent a majority of his leisure time with wife Kate, and his son Isaiah, who was a rambunctious 6 year old.

At the factory Tom was a mechanic by trade. In a competitive work force at the plant he was a jack-of-all trades. Fixing whatever was broken down and where ever it may be.

At home, family and friends continuously called on him for his ability in mechanical or woodworking skill. It was said if he couldn’t fix it; it wasn’t torn up in the first place. On his carpenter adventures he often took son Isaiah, who helped by holding odds and ends, and playing the thousand question game.

Tom had learned his carpenter skill from his Grandpa. When he was a boy he was raised from his 7th year to manhood by a person he idolized. His grandpa lived on a small farm in the East Tennessee hills in a hand hewn log cabin. He had built himself on land, he bought with money earned in the logging business. There was always something to be done on the farm, and his grandpa had tackled each task with vigor and a smile.

But to him his grandpa’s greatest gift was the love of outdoors. His grandpa took him on camping trips, taught him everything he knew about hunting and fishing, He learned how to track animals, tell what type he was tracking, and the weight and size. He learned the different trees, and what the wood of each was good for. The different plants, their medical use or edible value. He learned how to make do in nature with what was around him, only using it, never abusing it. He had grown up becoming an expert on the trail, a deadly shot with rifle or bow, and a well mannered young man.

After high school he had joined the Marine Corps, it was his ambition to become a Green Beret. After extensive study and vigorous training he achieved his goal. And made it just in time to pull a tour in Vietnam just before all soldiers were pulled out in ’74.

Nowadays he devoted his time to his son. He was persistent in trying to teach Isaiah some of the things his grandpa had passed down to him. And at the young age of 6 he was taking to it like a fish to water. Little did he know in a few years to come it could mean the difference between life and Death?

Young Isaiah McKenzie had grown to a strapping 5 ft 10 inch – 14 year old, with what seemed like the energy of 3 men. His skills in the back wood were the talk of his father’s hunting club. And to hear Tom tell the stories of the hunt, Isaiah walked in the footsteps of a modern day Daniel Boone or Simon Kenton.

On hunting trips no one could out do Isaiah McKenzie. Around the camp fire, after the day’s hunt, when everybody was ready to turn in, Isaiah would set and take in the sounds of the night. It called to something deep inside of him. A primal past maybe, something all men have, but have faded out of sight with years of civilization. It was the element that separated him from the rest, the reason he excelled in the ways of the back wood. He was a born hunter that fact could not be denied and his father’s pride shined on him likes the morning sun. His budding skill would help him survive in the new world to come, it would be his edge.

In school he was an average student. His interest lay in the wild, not in the classroom. He enjoyed reading about his hero’s – Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Jim Bridges, and explorers and back Woodsman. He sympathized with the plight of the American Indian, their mistreatment and down fall. He often wished he was born in the days of Boone and Kenton, for no more wilderness existed as did in their day.

He made several accomplishments as of recent. One acquiring the rank of Eagle Scout, a very prestigious title in the world of Scouting. In his Archery Club he was the best shot by far. There were several awards and trophies won for the Club in his name. He was also a member of the local War Games Club. Where paint ball guns were the weapon and outsmarting the opposing team and taking their flag was the object of the game. In the teen class, they were ranked 2nd in the state and was predicted to win next year.

Men of his caliber would be what were needed in the new world to come. His kind would be the only hope for the race of man.

Chapter 2

In the defunct Super Power things were not so easy. In Russia, political parties were continuously at each other for control. Some wanting the way it was again, others trying to embrace the new.

Small and newly revived countries had their own problems. Trying to make newly formed governments operate on non-existent funds. They had monetary problems, health problems, and police problem, all the things inherent of making a new government work.

But the racial conflicts of one county in particular was to be the beginning of the end, of thing’s as the world now knows it.

Two factions, the Serbs and the Muslims had always been at an uneasy truce. With the downfall of the Super-Power, both afraid of being ruled over by the other, started all out war for control of the country. Thus leaving the fledgling government no control over the people of its country. There had been appeals made to the U.N., but to no avail. World organizations had sent in relief for the starving population, but whatever that had been sent, was intercepted by the warring factions. With winter coming on and starvation eminent, desperate measures were being considered by the warring factions. There was talk of suicidal sects being trained outside the areas of the factions, bent on victory no matter what the cost.

Another nail in the coffin of impending Doom it seemed.

Then, the news that was to be the straw that broke the camels back. It would be the spark released into a troubled flash pan that would start a chain of events ushering on the end.

Recently the remaining Super-Power had sent its military to an East African nation. Its goal being a restoration of law and order, a humanitarian mission of helping to feed the starving multitude. Since things were going as planned, with practically no opposition. It looked as if there would be another feather in the cap of the world peace keepers, another small step to the ultimate goal of a one world government.

Now forces were at work in the U.N. to muster support for a peace keeping force to be sent to the newly formed country of the defunct Super-Power. To put a check on the fighting between the Serbs and the Muslims, and supply food for the starving. With the success in Africa and the rallying support in the U.N. it looked as if that would be the next mission.

The news was unsettling in every sense to the headquarters of the Leftist organization. There had been a great anticipation for spring, when the populace and both armies would be in a weakened state. Just ripe for the picking by a well planned third party. Now this, they had no business over here. No one wanted a foreign army over them, or being told what to do by outsiders. There had been enough of that from the defunct Super-Power.

A meeting was called of the top officials of the Peoples Leftist Arm. The Army was made of previous military leaders and soldiers from the old regime, students, and everyday common people.

Their worst fear was about to be realizes, invasion by another foreign army. We will not let it happen again, the word went out.

This was the beginning of the end!!!

Throughout the region, certain people in strategic positions in control of powerful military hardware had been appointed to positions with access to codes, procedures, and passwords to get it off the ground.

With the greedy doing the appointing, and the fanatics being the appointees, the stage was set. All was needed was the password and all hell would break loose.

The Peoples Army was in control of over 5,000 biological warheads. And now the extremist was in control of the organization. The password Red Dawn was accepted. It was taken from an old movie about invasion of the U.S.

All targets, worldwide, had been picked by military experts within the organization. There were the manufacturing, military and governing keys to the major countries of the world. It was estimated if half the missiles fired, found targets, there would be total chaos, or success in the eyes of the fanatics.

Computer experts within the organization had infiltrated the system of the missiles, with the help of the internal spies. There had been counter programs wrote and installed, giving instructions to activate the firing sequence. They were cleverly hidden in the immense networks, so it would take expert troubleshooters weeks to find and deactivate them. They were written on disc in a virus form, like a Trojan Horse. From a central command, with the right code keyed in, the firing sequence would start and could not be stopped.

The meeting of the heads of the Peoples Leftist Army took place at the country estate of the special forces training unit. All arrived at different scheduled times, in an effort to keep down suspicion. It was held in an underground chamber of the complex and was guarded to the utmost. While the leaders of the organization was in conference to decide the next step in the future of their country and the world. Little did they know the leader of the Special Forces had other plans in mind?

The commander of the Special Forces, code name number one was a product of the old rule. An officer in the Special Forces of the previous regime and staunch supporter of communism. He wanted things back the old way, and if not the old way, then no way. He had talked with his secret supporters and they decided to wait till a word of the direction the meetings were taking. Preparations had already been made. The chamber had been bugged and was being monitored around the clock. All that was left to do was wait.

And the wait did not last long, word came that the Party leaders decided to wait. They wanted to be sure outside intervention was going to happen before taking a step they may regret.

Word was sent to number one and plan omega was put into action. The delegates were to leave at designated timed also, just as they had arrived. Each had security guards to accompany them back for safe passage. The guards were Special Forces, chosen by number one as a special escort.

The only people that were of interest were the chairman of the party and the senior engineer of the computer staff. For these two alone knew the password and the code to type it in. The chairman’s code was Red and language was in a DOS code. The engineer’s code was Dawn and was a code in C language. Only each knew his own part and did not know the part of code of the others.

On the return trip, these individuals were singled out and taken on a short cut being as trouble had been reported ahead. In the mean time the wives of the two key individuals were picked up as a supposed security precaution. They were told they had been threatened and they were being taken to meet with their husbands for safety. They gathered a few belongings and went without any questions. They were being taken to the compound to be used as the bait to get information out of their husbands.

By the time the chairman and the engineers realized something was wrong it was too late. Their protectors became their captors and them prisoners for a purpose they did not yet understand.

When they rendezvoused back at the compound, there were taken straight to the command room. Awaiting them to their horror were their wives, who had been stripped and tied between posts directly beside each other.

In answer to the chairman’s demands of what is the meaning of this, he was told to sit in the chair before him and be quiet. Him and the engineer were secured, and then asked the code for the silos.

A definite denial along with threats, insults and finally pleading was given but not the code. The same question was asked of the engineer, and again the same answer was given. Number one listened with great patience and the coldness of a cobra, ready to strike. He assured both men of freedom and that they and their spouses would be returned safely to their houses upon disclosure of the code. And they were also assured without immediate compliance their wives would be systematically skinned alive, slowly one limb at a time. Then they would be drugged and the code retrieved regardless.

With great despair under the horror stricken gazes of their loved ones, they complied.

In mock ceremony number one entered the code word Red. ACCEPTED and WAITING FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION floated across the screen. Then the word Dawn was keyed in. ACCEPTED was flashed across the screen, to the silence of those contemplating the future of the world. 

It had begun, Doomsday was at hand.

Chapter 3

What was left of the Red Army just did not understand. The tomb like missile silos they were in charge of was coming to life. Targets were being chosen and the missiles were being programmed as to location and distance. All attempts to shut the procedure down, so far were futile.

The word had come to Central Command from silos all across the border, with more reporting in all the time. No one understood, how such a thing could be happening, it would mean total world annihilation. Surely, not even a maniac would want such a thing, to pass down so severe a sentence on mankind.

All attempts to shut down the processes were failures so far. Only one remained and that was to try and cut power to the silos. If this attempt failed, the only thing left to do was to contact the governments of the world and warn them of the impending doom.

What missile experts were left, was brought to Central Command under guard. The catastrophe about to happen was explained. The attempts to shut down the procedure, in detail were also explained. The last option of a complete power shutdown was asked of them.

With the ashen look of men with a death sentence upon them. They explained that it would be a useless attempt. Each silo had its own separate power supply and command computer. Both were locked away in a vault and at the pretence of attack would lock themselves in, safe from destruction. The time it would take to cut into them it would be too late. The missiles would already be armed and on their way to each separate designation.

The leaders then set about the task of contacting the military powers of the world. Apologies were made, along with the warning of what was happening. They were all told attempts had been made to stop the firing procedures, but all had failed.

The protection of the people of your nations is now in your hands, they were told. And may God have mercy on us all.

With a cold chill running down his spine the president hung up the phone. He could not believe the conversation he just had with the leaders of the defunct Super-Power. His world, his country, life as he knew it was about to cease. The thought of what was about to happen boggled the mind, our way of life as we know it, would be no more.

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon the shoulder of the aged politician. But his years in the political arena had honed his skills for the pressure of the office. Like a failsafe system kicking in, and pulling him from the depths of his depression, his years of training pooled and he knew what must be done.

His urgent call to key aids to immediately call an emergency meeting