Young Writers Society

⸺ Summary ⸺

This short story (fanfiction) aims to cover the activation of the First Wave sleeper agents of the United States Strategic Homeland Division (also known colloquially as The Division) during the initial spread of the Dollar Flu (also known as the Green Poison) on Black Friday in 2015. However, this story will cover the First Wave agents activated in Seattle on the West Coast, far away from New York and Washington D.C. in the East that have already been covered in the Division games. 

Note(1): This is just a trailer since I am quite busy with exams and so won't have much time to write. Any kind of feedback is appreciated! [For future uploads, I may post here or depending on how things goes, on AO3 (Archive of Our Own).]

Note(2): I'm not an American, and I'm from Southeast Asia. So I apologise in advance if anything written here is completely wrong or inaccurate. Cheers and I hope you enjoy this short trailer!

⸺ Trailer ⸺

Monday, 30 November, 2015

3 days after Black Friday

206 Harvard Avenue East, Seattle

“Daddy! Daddy!” 3 year-old Tom Wills raced for the door the moment he heard the door open, and jumped into the arms of his father, Nicholas Wills. He had just returned from a 9-hour shift at the local vehicle services centre, and works there as a full-time mechanic.

“Oh, Tom! Have you been behaving yourself?” Nicholas smiled as he picked him up from the floor and carried him to the living room.

“I-want-to-watch-TV!” Tom replied gleefully.

“Honey, you’re home?” Katelynn Rich, Nicholas’ wife, called from the kitchen.

“Yes, I’m back! It’s been a long day today!” Nicholas replied before turning his attention back to his son. “Alright, little guy, let’s go watch some TV!”

And with that, Nicholas plopped down on the sofa in the living room, joining his 11-year old daughter Chelsea, who was busy roleplaying with her Barbie toy house at the side.

Switching the TV on with the remote, Nicholas realised the local news channel was on at the moment. But, having not been keeping up with the news lately, he decided he should spend some time on it before switching to cartoons for his kid.

“... has been convicted of first-degree murder and will spend 20-years in imprisonment.”

A pause.

“Breaking news. Reports have emerged of a new mysterious illness circulating in three American states in the East Coast: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This was reported by the CDC during a press release just 30 minutes ago. At least 300 people have been confirmed to be infected thus far and as a general precaution, all school openings in the 3 states have been delayed for at least another week. Health experts have speculated that it could be a new variant of influenza, also known as the flu.

We have reached out to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more information but so far, we have received no reply. In the meantime, New York Governor Gibson Martin has issued a statement, calling for calm as the government tackles the situation and advising the general public to put on masks as a precautionary measure.

Current known symptoms of the mysterious illness include fever, overall discomfort and fatigue. There have also been reports of nausea and rashes as additional symptoms, but they cannot be independently verified. An unnamed official has noted that as Black Friday sales are still ongoing in many cities, it is highly possible that this illness would reach many more American states in the coming days and weeks. New York Governor Martin has said, however, that he would not disrupt Black Friday sales over a simple “health scare” and reiterated the government’s efforts to identify and contain the virus. Dear viewers, please note that this is an ongoing development and we will deliver any updates as soon as we receive them...”

“Oh no…” Nicholas muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for Tom to hear.

“Daddy, I-want-TV!”

“Alright, alright, Tom, you’ll have your TV,” Nicholas forced a smile as he switched it back to Disney Channel, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse suddenly popped up on the screen. Satisfied that his son was now being entertained, he went over to the kitchen where Katelynn was at.

“How’s dinner?” Nicholas asked as he went over, taking in the sight of a wide array of scrumptious food.

“We’re going British just for today,” Katelynn smiled as she presented to him a platter of his most favourite — homemade fish and chips.

“That's my favourite! Thanks, Kate!”

Nicholas leaned in and quickly planted a kiss on her cheek before helping her to bring the food over to the dining table.

Having no school since it was the year-end school holidays, the kids were staying at home but given a surge in vehicular usage, Nicholas had no choice but to stay on at his workplace for a couple extra hours. Today was an exception, however, and he was glad he managed to come home to enjoy some of the world's best fish and chips.

“Come on, kids, it’s dinner time!”

“Yay! It’s fish and chips!” Chelsea squealed with delight as she grabbed her younger brother and raced to the dining table.

“Be careful, Chelsea. Don’t drag your brother like that next time,” Katelynn warned. “Or else you might cause him to fall.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“Chelsea, listen to your mother,” Nicholas added firmly.

“Yes, daddy!”

Sometime later, the family of four tucked into their food eagerly, and enjoyed every spoonful of fish and chips, along with a side of tartar sauce and mashed green peas - one of Nicholas’ favourite side dishes. Being a fried food type, the kids had no problem eating, although Chelsea did reject the green peas - vegetables wasn’t something she had a particular interest in - but Nicholas and Katelynn made her eat it anyway.

“So, how was school today?” Nicholas asked.

“No,” Katelynn smiled. “Daddy always asks us how our days are like, so I think it’s time we ask how his day was today.”

“Daddy! How was your day today?” Chelsea asked, looking at her father expectantly.“Oh- it was- good!” Nicholas struggled to formulate a response. “Good because I can have dinner with all of you today!”

“Daddy-home-nice!” Tom said, while playing with his food. “I-love-daddy!”

“I love you too, Tom,” Nicholas grinned, and patted his son’s somewhat bushy head.

“Daddy, is repairing cars fun?” Chelsea added. “My friends in school always tell me repairing cars is boring! There’s like… nothing interesting about it.”

“Chelsea,” Nicholas replied gently. “Your friends don’t know everything about repairing cars. It may seem boring to them, but it is actually really fun! It’s like… playing with Lego! If a part is broken, you have to replace it with a new part and it’ll be as good as new!”

“Really? But I don’t like Lego. It is boring.” Chelsea grumbled as she stuffed another spoonful of fish and chips. “There’s nothing fun about building things.”

“I think, maybe we should ask mummy how her day was,” Nicholas said, changing the topic.

“It was… it wasn’t very eventful. The bakery was closed today, so I didn’t need to work. I picked up the kids and cooked some nice lunch, right Chelsea?”

“Yes mommy! The best spaghetti ever!” Chelsea replied.

“Spaghetti!” Tom added.

Soon, the family of four had their bellies filled, and now it was time to wash up and prepare for the night.

“Chelsea, teach your brother some phonics! Or you can choose to watch some Leapfrog with him! I’ll come over later!” Nicholas called out before heading into the kitchen, where his wife was, busy doing the dishes.

“Yes daddy!” a voice called back.

“Honey,” Nicholas called as he wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her. “I think I shall help you with the dishes this time.”

“Whoa! What’s with the sudden change?” Katelynn replied, evidently surprised, since Nicholas rarely helps with anything in the kitchen, especially washing dishes. “Or is there something wrong?”

“No, you’re thinking too much,” Nicholas smiled as he began scrubbing a plate with a sponge drenched in soap. “It’s just… have you seen the news?”

“Not yet. What happened?”

“There’s some talk of a new virus in the East Coast,” Nicholas replied, sighing. “I’m not sure how serious it is. In fact, nobody knows. But I think perhaps it’s time to stock up on food and some basic necessities. With the Black Friday sales still going on, surely the virus will arrive here soon.”

“Sure, after all, we don’t have much food at home either. It’s about time we do some shopping,” Katelynn agreed. “But, how serious is this virus?”

“I’m not sure. But I plan to call my dad later to ask him about the situation. You should check on your parents too, just in case.”

“Alright, we’ll do just that. Is grocery shopping tomorrow okay with you?”

“Not really, but I think I can get the day off tomorrow. I’ll have to clear it with River.”

“River? He’s your supervisor right?” Katelynn asked. “I’m sure he’ll allow it. After all, aren’t you two great friends?”

“You give us too much credit,” Nicholas shook his head. “At work, we are employer and employee. If I do anything wrong, he’s the one who punishes me.”

“Okay, okay,” Katelynn raised her hand defensively. “I’m not trying to suggest anything, or stir up anything. But we are still going grocery shopping tomorrow, right?”

“That depends on what happens tomorrow,” Nicholas grinned as he leaned in and planted another kiss on her cheek.