Post-Pandemic: A New World

Chapter Thirty Eight: A rising power

September 20th 2025

It had been two weeks since the Phoenixes had finally arrived in San Francisco and The Plaza had become a thriving settlement. The seventy survivors who the Phoenixes had met there had joined Them after being informed of the St Peter's Virus's true origin and were astonished to learn that society had been controlled for almost a century by a secret cabal of global elitists who sought to wipe out all of Humanity except for Themselves to give Humanity "a clean slate" as They called it. The Phoenixes had shown Them the evidence on the laptop They got from Area 51 and the U.F.O that housed the Alien that had come to Earth to unleash a bioweapon that made Humanity immune to a deadly parasite that sought to turn Them all into mindless Parasite Zombies. Of course, the leaders of the Phoenixes had kept that final detail under wraps out of fear that it would cause mass panic across the City.

The Phoenixes had renamed San Francisco Plaza to "Ivan Makarova Memorial Plaza" in His memory. Everyone now saw Ivan as a hero since He had developed the Antidote that saved Them all from the St Peters Virus. Farms had been established outside of the Plaza and trading depots had been set up throughout the Plaza. Using old radio equipment, the Phoenixes set up "Radio Phoenix" to bring survivors over to the Plaza. Signs had also been set up on the streets leading to the Plaza, saying that sanctuary was not too far from those who saw Them. Now, just over ten thousand had made the Plaza Their home and hundreds of merchants visited the Plaza almost every day to trade resources. A system of Democracy had been established for the Phoenixes to elect on who lead Them and Bridge had been elected "Alpha Phoenix". Anna became Bridge's advisor and a Council was being established where "Beta Phoenixes" would oversee things such as Healthcare and the production and distribution of resources. The Phoenixes had chosen to take on a new name in light of this, calling themselves "The First Phoenix Alliance" and taking control of the area known as "Richmond District". Many settlements throughout the District had joined the Alliance, such as George Washington High School and the Botanical Gardens. Even the Bowling Alley, who had been hostile to any potential threats, had agreed to join. This bolstered the Alliance's numbers to twenty five thousand and have Them a strong reputation in San Francisco. A Militia, led by Joe Mason, had also been established to enforce law and order throughout the Alliance, as well as protect the F.P.A from any outside threats. Despite a sense of worry that remained in the wake of the revelations that had been made, there was a sense of hope, as the Age of the First Phoenix Alliance had begun.

Bridge was inside of His new office at Ivan Makarova Memorial Plaza and was cleaning out the place with Anna's help. The office had previously been used by the final owner of the Plaza from before the Fall and had been abandoned for months. Bridge wiped the dust off the desk and said "I swear We should get some janitors around here or something". Anna opened up a filing cabinet and found nothing inside. She then looked at Bridge and said "Why would the files be cleared out?" Bridge scratched His head, thinking for a few moments and then said "Maybe the owner was up to something shady?" Anna smirked and said "Maybe We should get up to something shady then?" Bridge looked amused as He said to His now girlfriend "Maybe, but first lets save the world". Bridge and Anna had grown close during Their journey across the U.S and had made it official between Them a week after arriving in San Francisco. They had had two dates since then and Bridge had been considering Their future. But He was deeply concerned about the future of the First Phoenix Alliance and the Human Race, as a meeting regarding the search for the Antivirus was about to take place. Bridge looked at His watch and said "The meeting's in five minutes, We should head to the statue". Anna obliged and the two of Them exited the office and walked into the Plaza.

The Plaza had become a thriving trade hub and survivor sanctuary over the previous two weeks, civilian Phoenixes could be seen all over the Plaza, trading resources with each other and managing the community that was being built within the Plaza. A school had been established in an old clothes store, managed by a few High School and Middle School teachers who were lucky enough to survive the Fall and field hospitals had been set up in Pharmacies all across the Plaza. The Phoenixes were all sleeping in the various bed stores throughout the Plaza and many families slept on beds right next to each other so that They would still feel close. Phoenix Militia soldiers patrolled the Plaza, with rifles in hand so that They could enforce the laws that were being established by the leaders of the First Phoenix Alliance. Luckily there had been no crime as of yet and all was well in the F.P.A. There were of course many pregnant women, having got pregnant thanks to the Antidote that Ivan unleashed eight months prior and Bridge knew that They would be brining the next generation of Humanity into this world and knew that it would be difficult for Them to give birth without the support of the families They had lost during the Fall. Fortunately Rachel Jones was a specialist in the field of pregnancy and had set up a support group for the virgin mothers. They were being taught on what foods They should eat while pregnant and on how to breastfeed Their children once They were born. But of course, a lot less children would be born if the Unity Order succeeded with Their plans of wiping out the majority of the Human population, which was the main subject of the meeting that was taking place that day: the continued search for the Antivirus.