Chapter 89 - (5) Pentagone

As soon as the CEO had finished speaking, the Chief of Staff butted in again. "Yes, you heard right! We believe Zombies are adapting on a global scale. Combined with the ability of individual Zombies to continue to adapt and gain power, we believe a new individual Super Alpha Zombie is about to emerge!"The Secretary of Defense said, "Look here, why is that such a cause for alarm? The Zombie population is around 30,000,000,000 today. That number is far more important than the abilities of any one Zombie. Why do we care about this?"The Dean took the microphone. "Mr. Secretary of Defense, for the sake of the record, let me explain how the Zombie life cycle proceeds. Once an infected human has completed his transformation and nearby food resources become less abundant, it forms a colony with other Zombies. This colony is headed by a female who acts as a queen and layer. She guides the colony, renewing generations and passing on useful genes to the newborns. This nest structure is very similar to a clan system, whereby each nest is independent. When there's a food shortage, wars between clans break out."He paused for a moment. "However… this wasn't always the case. During the Great Wave, the Zombies seemed to be somehow working together on a massive scale. It seemed that they were animated by the common goal of spreading Virus Z even further."The Secretary of Defense snorted. "And here I thought that infected humans were driven by a mindless, insatiable, cannibalistic fury! You expect me to believe that a Zombie, a mindless animal, could have organized all this? Are you trying to make a fool of me!?"The Dean sighed. He hadn't been looking forward to trying to get this man to listen to reason. "Understand one thing, Mr. Secretary: Zombies aren't stupid! Yes, they've lost much of the mental capacity they once possessed, but they're far from mindless. They possess discipline, and the most common Zombies, known as 'Walkers,' act in groups of 10 to 200 individuals to subjugate the enemy. Dr. Goldberg began this research, and it continues to this day. It has led us to deducing that a 'caste' even higher than the queens has made its appearance… that of the Alpha." His gaze narrowed. "Unfortunately, we have little solid intel in that area, and we can't guess what the role of a Zombie Alpha actually is."The Secretary of Defense replied, "You keep talking about Alphas or even Super Alphas leading a new Great Wave, but where's the evidence for this? All we've seen today is footage from one drone of a very ordinary-looking Zombie walking on some water! I've not received a single report about this thing you're telling me is vitally important!"The Dean replied, "The only time a Hunter team successfully penetrated the Black Zone in question was during Operation Twilight, which took place in Sevastopol. There were no survivors to bring back any material evidence. But our theories are sound."The Secretary of Defense smiled patronizingly. "How convenient! And I assume you want billions of dollars more to deal with this supposed imminent threat, without providing me with the slightest piece of evidence that it really exists? Was not a single survivor able to testify, affirm or dispute the conclusions of Dr. Goldberg—who, I remind you, was executed for this crime!"The raucous naivety of the Secretary of Defense was settling a blanket of uncomfortable embarrassment over the room. Operation Twilight, even if hidden from the general public for reasons of national security, was well-known within the US Armed Forces and among the Hunters as one of the most important operations in history.Though the Secretary of Defense's incompetence and belligerence was infamous, he held such a position of power in the modern world that nobody was willing to openly dispute him.But the Dean didn't give up. "The evidence, Mr. Secretary? The evidence is that we're still alive in this room. In November 2027, London and Paris fell and the infestation spread to Los Angeles. All hope seemed lost! But overnight, the epidemic stopped. Even while humanity was on the brink of extinction, we were able to regain ground, secure both Americas, and begin the Reconquest program!"He turned to face the President and address him directly. "This is no coincidence, Mr. President, it's the work and sacrifice of brave men! Operation Twilight saved humanity, whether anyone here wants to admit it!"