“I’m asking you, not telling you,” Captain Wargo said with a touch of annoyance. “Or, rather, our Minister is asking you on behalf of all humanity.”
“You’d better explain,” Plato told the Technic.
“Certainly.” Captain Wargo leaned forward. “You know what it’s like out there in the world. It’s a real jungle. Mutants everywhere. Roving bands of looters and killers. The few outposts of civilization don’t stand much of a chance, do they?”
Plato didn’t answer.
“There’s no need for me to tell you how bad it is,” Captain Wargo went on. “You know. Even in the area under the jurisdiction of your Freedom Federation, even in the Civilized Zone, it’s not safe to be out alone after dark. I’d be willing to bet it’s not even completely safe here in your Home.
Am I right? Have any of the mutants ever managed to scale the walls and attack you?”
“We’ve experienced a few incidents,” Plato conceded.
“See? What did I tell you?” Captain Wargo pounded the table. “Don’t you think it’s about time all of that changed? Wouldn’t you like to see the world the way it was? Peaceful? Prosperity for all?”
“This world has never known true peace,” Plato said. “And in the prewar societies, only the rich knew prosperity.”
“True. True,” Captain Wargo said. “But you must admit it was safer for the general populace before the war than it is now.”
“Perhaps,” Plato allowed.
“Anyway,” Captain Wargo continued. “You know as well as I do that everyone is barely scraping by today. There’s never enough food or ample clothing or medical supplies.”
“Do the Technics intend to remedy the shortages?” Plato asked.
“With your help,” Captain Wargo replied.
“How?”
“Follow me on this,” Captain Wargo said. “Before World War III, there was an eastern branch of the Institute of Advanced Technology.”
“Located in New York City?” Plato guessed.
“Exactly. Shortly before the war they succeeded in perfecting a new strain of seeds. Fruit and vegetable and grain seeds, radically different from anything seen before. These new seeds could grow in barren soil and required absolutely minimal amounts of water. They were designated the Genesis Seeds. Can you imagine what those seeds could do today? They would be a godsend! Farmers everywhere would be able to grow crops again in abundance! Starvation would disappear! Once we’ve reestablished the food supply, we can devote our attention to meeting other essential needs. It would be fantastic!” Captain Wargo stopped, his face flushed with excitement.
“And I take it you want Alpha Triad to travel to New York City and retrieve these Genesis Seeds?” Plato deduced.
“Precisely!” Captain Wargo answered.
Hickok laughed. “You’re out of your gourd!”
Plato held up his right hand for silence. “This is a very grave matter, and some clarification is needed. Let’s consider your statements. You say these Genesis Seeds would deliver us from our agricultural bondage to a land contaminated and polluted by massive amounts of radiation and chemical toxins. Let us suppose for a moment these seeds really exist.
Even if they are found, and they can do all you claim, they won’t necessarily make the world a safer place in which to live.”
“But it would be a start!” Captain Wargo said. “If ue don’t have to devote so much time and energy to food, we can channel them to our other problems like the mutants and the degenerates.”
Plato pursed his thin lips. “The scenario you paint sounds encouraging. But look at the reality of your request. Wasn’t New York City hit during World War III?”
“It was,” Captain Wargo admitted. “We know the Soviets used thermonuclear devices sparingly during the war, apparently with the intent of conquering the U.S. instead of wiping us off the face of the earth.
They preferred to use neutron bombs and missiles on most of the populated centers they struck. But New York and a few others were exceptions. New York was hit by a hydrogen-tipped ICBM.”
“We understand the Soviets still control some of the country,” Plato mentioned.
“True. They occupy a belt in the eastern U.S., but New York City is not included in the area they control,” Captain Wargo said.
“So getting back to New York City,” Plato stated, “how do we justify sending our Warriors into a contaminated zone, into a potential hot spot?”
“New York isn’t hot anymore,” Captain Wargo said.
“You’ve verified that fact?” Plato demanded.
Captain Wargo nodded. “Let me explain.” He paused. “You said you’re familiar with prewar history?”
“Extensively,” Plato affirmed.
“Good. Then you must know about the two Japanese cities hit by nuclear weapons during World War II, way, way back in the 1940s. I think their names were Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
“They were,” Plato declared.
“Like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, New York City was hit by an airburst of incredible magnitude. It obliterated a huge area and razed most of the buildings within a twenty-five-mile radius. But because it was an airburst, the fallout was minimal.”
“Why was that?” General Reese interrupted.
“Fallout,” Captain Wargo elaborated, “is produced when a nuclear explosion takes place on the ground. The blast sucks up tons and tons of dirt and carries it into the atmosphere. All of this dirt then becomes radioactive, and when it falls back to the ground you get your fallout. But in an airburst, because the blast takes place up in the sky, no dirt is sucked up, and without the dirt there’s nothing to fall back down. So no fallout.” He cleared his throat. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit, all right, but within thirty years of the strike you would have been hard-pressed to find any trace of the explosions. Both cities were densely populated. Both had lush landscaping and many flowering gardens. And if Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely safe a few decades after the nuclear bombs were dropped, then New York City, from a radiation-contamination standpoint, is safe by now.”
“Hmmmm,” Plato said, reflecting.
“So you won’t need to worry about your Warriors getting radiation poisoning,” Captain Wargo told the Family Leader.
“Then let’s tackle another issue,” Plato said. “What makes you think the Genesis Seeds are still there?”
Captain Wargo smiled. “Because we know the building the seeds were stored in is still there.”
“How do you know this?” Plato inquired.
The Technic frowned and gazed at the wooden floor. “We’ve already tried to retrieve the Genesis Seeds.”
“You have?” Plato asked in surprise.
“Yes. We’ve sent in a few teams.”
“How many?” Plato broke in.
“I can’t remember, offhand,” Captain Wargo said. “A few.”
“What happened to them?” Blade queried.
Captain Wargo sighed. “They failed. The first squad didn’t even make it to the site of the building. The New York branch of the Institute of Advanced Technology was destroyed in the blast, all of it except for the lower levels. And the Genesis Seeds were placed in a vault deep underground. That’s another reason we feel the Genesis Seeds are still there.”
“What happened to your other teams?” Blade asked.
“The second squad reached the site and radioed they were going underground,” Captain Wargo answered. “That’s the last we heard from them.”
“No idea what happened to ’em, huh?” Hickok chimed in.
Captain Wargo’s thin lips twitched. “Oh, we have an idea. In fact, we know what probably got them. The Zombies.”
Plato straightened in his chair. “The Zombies?”