The Secret Weapon Read online

  The Secret Weapon

  Bridget Denise Bundy

  In the distant future, the world’s population has decreased dramatically to less than 200,000 people. A new government has been developed. A new society has grown, and with this change, the human kind is still deceitful, manipulative, and controlling.

  Coraset Prescott, a business executive once in a worldwide company before the downfall of man, has been a victim of a lie that lands her in prison. Once she’s out, she must get back to her life, but she will find that it won’t be so easy. Coraset’s stepfather will be threatened if she doesn’t complete one dangerous task. Will she be able to get her mission complete and save the life of her last living family member? Or will she be caught by the new government officials?

  Find out in this story The Secret Weapon.

  Content Warning:

  This book may have sexual content and explicit language. It is recommended for persons the age of 17 and older.

  THE SECRET WEAPON

  written by

  Bridget Denise Bundy

  I dedicate this story to all of my cousins that have passed on.

  LIST OF CHARACTERS

  Coraset Prescott, Protagonist

  Lewis Price, Barat Police Detective

  Devon Cobb, Mojave Prison Warden

  Muscle Man, Mojave Prison Inmate

  Goggle Man, Mojave Prison Inmate

  Rudy Remald, Mojave Prison Inmate

  Getty Solomon, Coraset’s Friend

  Brecco Jefferson, Coraset’s Stepfather

  Xavier Cassis, Barat Region Senator

  Lea Cassis, Xavier’s Wife

  Brochudo, Xavier’s Driver

  Malie Levendro, Coraset’s Handler

  Parion Middleton, Beauty Consultant

  Katarin Augustine, Coraset’s Roommate

  Aisling, Dominic’s Lover

  Chancellor Dominic Erato, Leader of the Erato Federation

  Chancellor Dominic Erato’s Staff

  Sekai, Dominic’s Head Advisor

  Jorda, Dominic’s Staff

  Hanako, Dominic’s Staff

  Lacey, Dominic’s Staff

  Reyna, Dominic’s Staff

  MAP OF ERATO

  OLD LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

  BACKGROUND

  The summer of 2026 and the world was a different place. The human population was less than a hundred fifty thousand. Cities, nations, civilizations were snuffed out by a single flu virus known as N12. The first publicly reported case was in Egypt on December 21, 2012.

  The N12 Virus was never successfully contained, and it went deeper into the African continent, east into Israel and Saudi Arabia, and north to Turkey and the Ukraine. It wasn’t long before the viral outbreak touched every part of the world. No one was immune. Once infected, a person was highly contagious for 48 hours. The host would be dead two to six days later or rendered sterile as a lasting permanent effect, but usually the final result for most was death. There was no cure.

  Erato Biotrade, a leading manufacturer in medicines and biological technology, was tasked to quickly develop a vaccine. Little did the world know Erato Biotrade already had a vaccine because they were the ones who developed the N12 Virus. They withheld the vaccine from the public on purpose, but they gave inoculations to all of its executives and employees, which numbered just over 23,000 people. The vaccine had a side effect Erato Biotrade wasn’t counting on, sterility. It was an unforeseen development they used to their full advantage.

  Within 5 years, countries began to crumble right out of existence, including the United States. Laws no longer mattered. Police, fire, and ambulatory services stopped operating. Basic utilities ceased to work. Looting, murder, and utter chaos were the order for days, even months. A once technological advanced world returned to the dark ages faster than a blink of an eye.

  In 2018 Erato Biotrade began to move forward with its secret agenda they’d been planning since the year 2000. The plan began with demolishing Los Angeles city center. A new nation was developed and built over the wiped out landscape.

  A gleaming royal palace with a marble twenty foot wall was built around it for the appointed Chancellor and her family. Just outside the palace walls were the Erato Government Center, comprised of numerous buildings that looked exactly like the old US Department of the Treasury building in Washington DC. Another wall was raised to separate the Erato Government Center from the outer areas. Those areas were divided into regions, also separated by walls, and ninety-six skyscrapers resembling the World Trade Center Towers were to be built and scheduled to be completely finished by the year 2030. Each region were planned to have twelve towers. Each one would contain the means for its inhabitants to live, work, and shop in a single location. Lastly, a fifty ft. tall wall was built around the entire infrastructure for protection. The new nation was properly called Erato, and all the regions were given names, as well. This innovative self-sustaining mecca shined like hope against the western sky.

  Word spread about this new nation, her abundance of food, comfortable living, and safety. The refugees that could migrate arrived in hopes of being allowed into her safe borders.

  Erato Biotrade took care of its employees first. They were given the best of accommodations, and most of them lived in the Barat Region closer to the Pacific Ocean. Eventually, Erato offered an opportunity to the refugees to live within its walls after nearly fifty of the ninety-six buildings were completed, but they had rules the refugees must follow. There were no exceptions.

  Integration was an organized and well executed process. First, anyone that was not inoculated against the N12 virus was administered the vaccine before stepping one foot within Erato’s walls. If someone was already showing signs from being infected, it was too late for them and they were not welcomed into Erato. The sick was either turned away or killed depending on their reaction. Second, people were tested to determine their mental capacities and skillset, and then placed in suitable jobs that fit their capabilities. If education was needed, it was provided without cost. Everyone had a job, must be on time to that job when scheduled to work, or there would be consequences. No one wanted to suffer the consequences of being exile to the Mojave Prison, which was located in Death Valley. People were assigned to live in specific regions depending on their jobs. The thousands of refugees that arrived in Erato were pretty much told what to do, where to live, how to dress, and where to work. There were no other choices.

  Erato Biotrade eventually melded into the new totalitarian government, no longer using its full business name. They called the new nation the Erato Federation or just the Federation. The CEO of Erato Biotrade, Katherine Erato, was named Chancellor.

  New laws were established. There was no freedom of speech, no right to vote, and no right to bear arms. Eight Senators were hand selected by Chancellor Erato to represent the eight regions.

  Sweeping changes continued as the Federation became stronger. Every citizen was given an identification card with a Federation ID number. The ID numbers were also used as individual bank account numbers and contact information for communication purposes.

  Erato Digital Points replaced all monies, and it could only be kept in Federation bank accounts and only accessed by using Erato Point Cards. Points were used to buy anything that was available for sale. Only the government paid points, and the amount of points depended upon the jobs of the individuals and how much they worked.

  Any debt owed to banks, credit card companies, and/or loan companies were discarded and all financial institutions were a matter of the distant past. With the Federation fully in charge, their way of life was the only way. If it didn’t benefit the new Federation, it was summarily erased from existence.

  Erato was a fully function
ing country at the beginning of January 2025, and it was the only one in the entire world. Ceremonial celebrations of firecrackers, parades, and high society balls marked the beginning of a new time and a new world.

  With so many monumental changes during a span of thirteen years, the human race was still at the brink of destruction. With no one having the ability to have children, there was no hope for the future, and without ever being told, most citizens of Erato felt this in the core of their souls. But still the citizens were grateful to have survived, deeply wishing within themselves individually for a new life and new dreams. The present was all the citizens of Erato had. That’s all they could ever hope for.

  PROLOGUE

  Coraset Prescott rested on the soft carpeted ledge of the picturesque window sill in her apartment on the 40th floor. She had a perfect, unshielded view of the western sky as the sun shined with brilliant hues of oranges and reds. It was a breathtaking sight she appreciated every evening.

  This was her set time for reflection. Coraset lived alone. She was never married and never had children. Memories were all she had of her mother and two sisters, all of them passed away during the pandemic. The only family she had was her stepfather name Brecco, an eccentric scientist for the Federation.

  Before the outbreak, Coraset worked for Erato Biotrade as Director of the International Humanitarian Aid Division. She was committed and loved her job. She was truly into making a difference in the lives of the unfortunate and destitute. When Haiti and Chile suffered an earthquake in 2010, Coraset worked tirelessly to ensure medical supplies and drinkable water reached the devastated nations. When Pakistan had major flooding, she sent pallets of bottled water, food provisions and medical supplies. Getting the supplies to the citizens during that time was nearly impossible because Pakistan really didn’t want Western society interfering, but Coraset never gave up and was successful in getting the aid into the country. When tornadoes tore through Missouri and Alabama in 2011, Coraset made sure Erato Biotrade was right there to assist afterwards. When the tsunami hit Japan, supplies were in the country within twenty four hours. She helped put Erato Biotrade on the forefront of humanitarian efforts in the world, and they were called many times to help smaller communities, as well.

  Coraset was among the privilege in 2012 to be vaccinated before the outbreak, but she didn’t realize it at first. When she noticed the main survivors were Erato Biotrade employees, she knew they were responsible for the destruction of humanity, and she was devastatingly disappointed. The very company that saved lives around the world was the ones that destroyed it.

  Bethesda, Maryland was where Coraset lived and worked before the outbreak. She had a corner office. She travelled the world almost every week. Now, she lived in the Barat Region and worked in a greenhouse as a horticulturist. She grew and harvested orchids. It was a job she chose when Erato Biotrade employees and executives were offered their choice of positions. It was out of the limelight, not in the least lucrative, and she could disappear into an uneventful life. A severe lifestyle change she never regretted choosing.

  Coraset looked down at the empty streets. The lamps were lit. Bugs were dancing around the light source. She grasped the glass of Chambourcin Reserve with her fingertips and brought the glass to her lips. She hesitated, taking in the silence of her apartment, and swallowed the last bit of her drink. Coraset stood, took her glass and bottle to her immaculately clean open kitchen. She rinsed the glass thoroughly and wiped it clean with a towel that was folded neatly on the sink’s edge. She set the towel neatly on the counter and set the glass upside down to let it dry. Coraset corked the bottle and placed it inside the cool empty refrigerator. She stopped to gaze at the white and steel interior. It looked like a reflection of what was inside of her. An empty shell, nothing to give, and nothing to warm the soul. She slammed the door closed.

  As she crossed the open room out of the kitchen area into the living room, the small computer on the coffee table came alive with a single beep. A red cursor on the top left hand of the screen blinked rhythmically. Coraset didn’t want to turn around. It was a personal message that was meant for her. Usually when an announcement was meant for everyone, her computer would simply start playing on its own and loop until she turned it off. She’d catch the news before she went to work or after she came home.

  Coraset pulled the hair band from her right wrist, and choked her long black hair into a ponytail in one swift motion. She sat down facing the terminal and pressed the space button. The Erato symbol was centered showcasing an eagle with wings spread full length in front of olive branches designed in the shape of parenthesis. A message replaced the symbol.

  FROM: 19

  TO: 7772

  NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU PRIVATELY.

  BARAT REGION, TOWER SIX, ROOM 104.

  30 MINUTES.

  Immediately, Coraset leaned back with a sigh and wondered why he wanted to meet so late. She didn’t feel like leaving her apartment that time of evening, but she knew the person behind the number. She’d go out of her way to help him anytime he needed.

  Coraset dragged over towards her shoes that were placed neatly beside the door leading to the hallway. She put on a black jacket over her black sleeveless turtleneck, walked out of the apartment, and locked the door. Wishing she was going to bed instead of going out, she shuffled down the hallway.

  The elevator door slid open revealing mirrored walls and a woman reading a glass tablet. Her attention didn’t leave the words that appeared on the screen. The pale woman was taller than Coraset with long blonde hair that stiffly lay in place framing her long thin face. The two women had seen each other before in passing, but they had a quiet agreement of not speaking to one another that suited them both.

  Once the elevator arrived smoothly at the first floor, Coraset stepped out, leaving the blonde to ride down to the grocery store in the basement level. She walked with purpose towards the glass doors and out onto the city sidewalks.

  She walked up the sidewalk passed two buildings before arriving at Tower Six. The only difference from her building was the name, which hers was called Tower Nine. Coraset entered an empty lobby, clean of any personality or décor. It had plain marble tiled floors, glass on three sides facing the street and two corridors in the back leading to rooms and elevators. In between the corridors plastered in the center of the lobby wall was the word ‘SIX’ in tall, block lettering.

  Coraset went to the left side hallway and stopped at the fourth door on the left. She knocked a couple of times before she heard an indication to enter. Coraset walked in hoping the meeting wouldn’t take long, but to her surprise, the person she thought she was meeting was not there. Instead a woman, a man, and a uniformed police officer were waiting for her.

  Lea Cassis, the Barat Region Senator’s wife, and Barat Police Detective Lewis Price faced Coraset. The uniformed police officer blocked the door so Coraset couldn’t leave. She knew Lea, but she had no idea who the detective was. Coraset was calm as she waited to hear what this meeting was about.

  “I told him you would come.” Lea remarked as she shifted her weight to one leg. She wore a long sleeve black sweater dress that stopped just below her knees and black high heel boots completed her outfit.

  Five other uniformed police officers rapidly walked in from other rooms in the apartment and surrounded Coraset.

  “What is this about?” She asked as she eyed every officer carefully. Her mind began to race. She wondered where Senator Cassis was. What was his wife trying to do?

  Detective Price stepped forward and stated, “I’m Detective Lewis Price of the Barat Region. I need to speak to you about the murder of Police Lieutenant William Donner.”

  Coraset glared at Lea who was smirking evilly. With a subdued anger, Coraset stated, “I don’t know anything about a murder.”

  “She is such a liar,” Lea whispered towards Detective Price. “She knows him.”

  “I’m going to need for you to put your hands over your head,” Detecti
ve Price ordered as he pulled out his weapon.

  The six police officers followed Detective Price’s lead and pulled out their weapons, as well. Coraset slowly moved her hands to her head. One of the police officers frisked her and when he was done, he forced Coraset’s hands behind her back, and her wrists were placed in handcuffs.

  “You really thought I wouldn’t find out.” Lea spoke as she slowly approached Coraset. She was talking about something other than what Coraset was being arrested for, but she didn’t let on to what she meant.

  Coraset stared at her, confused by her last statement.

  Lea laughed and asked smartly, “Do you realize that killing a police officer of any rank from any region has the punishment of death?”

  Coraset stated angrily, “I didn’t murder anyone.”

  Detective Price commanded, “Take her away.”

  They walked Coraset out of the apartment. When the police tried to put her in the back of the police van, she fought against them. She didn’t want to face a trial and the death penalty. She didn’t do what Lea claimed she did. She didn’t know any police lieutenant, and she never killed one. Coraset managed to head butt one of the officers and kick the leg of another before she was controlled by a tranquilizer to the back of the neck. She became weak and collapsed within seconds.

  It was over a day later when Coraset woke up finding herself in a ten by ten cell. She had dry mouth, a splitting headache, and the room was spinning. She closed her eyes and took in several deep breaths. Once she opened them again, Coraset noticed on her right side was a cold cement wall and on the left were a silver toilet and a sink. A thin slit window went down the center of the wall facing the head of the bed, and her feet were facing the only wall with an entrance into her cell. Coraset closed her eyes again. At least, the Federation didn’t kill her. In the new government, trial and punishment was all executed the same day, and since she was still breathing with a massive headache, her fate had to be prison instead of death. Now, Coraset had one question. How long was she to stay in prison?