2051
Prologue: The Ocean's Rising Fever
By Dreaming of Everything

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, I just mess around with it. Likewise, I don't own the poem "The Fever," which was written by Kimiko Hahn; I just shamelessly abuse it.

Author's Notes: The prologue's really exposition-heavy, but it's really just the beginning of the set-up of the story. Bear with me at least a little bit longer. None of the other chapters will look like this, I promise.

Thank you to my betas: mmouse15, who never fails to be incredible; hradzaka, who's not at fault--this is entirely my own problem; and yamihikari, who's so good at catching those little things, and also understand the beauty of non-dedicated speech.

oOoOoOo

"The coral reefs are changing color,
the black and crimson bleached away:
the ocean's rising fever,

in every drop the seas over,
damages the membrane of symbiotic algae
and coral reefs change their color."

--from "The Fever," by Kimiko Hahn.

oOoOoOo

"Today, the first of July in the year 2010, marks our inauguration as a news channel! I want us to be known for our journalistic accuracy and credibility… Our devotion to the Truth…"

20 September, 2017

"A new report was released today by the International Global Warming Research Organization, and they say that the world is in dire straights. Several countries have already released statements reaffirming their dedication to the cause of environmental protection; the American government has yet to respond.

"The report starts by restating the now well-known fact that global temperatures are, in fact, rising. They go on to state that the average temperature is increasing by more each year than in previous years, which had already been predicted in previous reports. However, the rate of increase is exponentially higher than had been expected.

"In accordance with this, the commission has re-analyzed their recommendations for preservation. Among the strict new measures they're encouraging are requests for greenhouse gas emissions worldwide to be cut by as much as 80 percent or more; billions of dollars allotted to researching further solutions and preservation measures; a total ban on tourism in highly affected areas, including all coral reefs; and strict taxes and penalties on resource-heavy activities.

"The second part of the report was what the scientists called a 'partial list of negatively impacted species.' They went on to say that they have 'neither the time nor resources to compose a full list.' Many valuable commercial species were on the list, including several varieties of fish, tying into a report made by the National Marine Wildlife Foundation earlier this week.

"In other environmental news, scientists are predicting that this year's hurricane season will be even worse than it has been in past years, despite hopes to the contrary voiced after the devastating storms of last year…"

16 August, 2018

"Today the National Health Organization has announced that cancer and AIDs have replaced obesity and related health problems as their biggest concern…"

31 January, 2026

"Three days ago, the government placed a ban on catching, selling or even eating all non-farmed fish species, and released new, strict regulations on fish farming practices, joining most European nations in a move ecologists say is helping to 'bring us back out of the dark ages.'

"Rioting still continues in Alaska and Oregon as fishing communities respond to the news, and there have already been three reports of movements to form independent nations. It is still unknown how this will affect Native American Indian fishing rights. This is joining news from a week ago that an unknown disease has been devastating rice crops, although it has yet to reach the Americas. For this reason, rice imports have been banned in the United States and Canada…"

18 November, 2034

"Worldwide starvation levels have reached a new high, and scientists are blaming global warming for altering weather patterns, creating flooding and droughts. It is unknown whether global warming is also responsible for the diseases that have started appearing in most major food crops including, most recently, wheat and potatoes.

"Here's our reporter on-site at a demonstration encouraging biodiversity, which some scientists believe will help prevent foodcrop disease. Katherine?

"I'm here with one of the demonstrators, Paul. This is Sindi, who's asked to have her last name withheld. She has informed me that she's a volunteer at a seed bank, where obscure varieties of seeds are stored in case of ecological emergency, such as the Irish Potato Famine. Sindi, what do you have to say?"

"Ten years from now, I'm going to be saying 'I told you so.' This is just further proof that huge farms all growing the same single variety of each crop is such a bad idea… No genetic diversity! One disease they can't protect themselves from, even with the poisons you call fertilizers and pesticides dumped on them, and you lose the world's food supply…"

2 March, 2035

"Rioting over hunge

r has broken out on every continent excluding Antarctica as the continuing famines go on unabated..."

9 January, 2037

"Unemployment levels in America have reached record highs, although they remain lower than the global average. Officials are blaming this temporary slump on illegal fishing operations, such as the one stretching over four states and two Canadian provinces that was uncovered this week…"

17 April, 2039, 2 PM EST

"—In a totally unexpected and unprecedented incident, nuclear war has broken out in Europe and Asia. It is currently unknown what has sparked the incident and what US involvement will turn out to be—"

17 April, 2039, 7 PM EST

"As the president of our country during this time of war, I find myself struggling to pick the best option for our country and our people. I'm as human as any of you are, and as fallible. I can only do my best, but I know that a majority of you, as the citizens of the United States of America, a global leader in freedom and democracy since our conception, over two hundred years ago, have elected me because you believe that I am qualified to serve our country as its leader in these troubled times.

"Because I believe that the safety of our people is essential beyond all else, I have elected to remain neutral and uninvolved in the current nuclear war. If we are attacked I will, of course, defend our borders and our citizens, our families and our children, but until then I believe the best course of action is…"

24 April, 2039

"New reports show that the short nuclear war that has shaken the world and obliterated most of the Middle East and Eastern Europe was, in fact, a mistake.

"An illegal and experimental nuclear-weapons program in a small Middle Eastern country whose name has yet to be released apparently misfired in what has been termed 'a devastatingly stupid mistake' by our previous president, McLane, setting off a chain reaction. 'It blew like a powder-keg,' McLane went on to say. Although he had initially planned to run for another term as president, he withdrew last year saying that he 'washes [his hands of this whole stupid business.' He continues to have a faithful following who hope he will enter late for the '40 elections as a third-party candidate…"

29 December, 2048

"In a completely unexpected move, Australia has shut down all outside contact and completely closed its borders, allowing no movement in or out of the country, keeping both naval and airborne forces patrolling to prevent border breaches from occurring…"

5 October, 2050

"A mysterious new disease has appeared, worrying the scientific community deeply, although the public remains more skeptical.

"'After everything we've been through—the hurricanes from global warming, the Week-Long War, the collapse of every goddamned source of food we've got from meat to produce to starches—what's another problem, let alone a disease? It's better than starving to death because food's too expensive for any average worker and you need a doctorate to get a job as a manual laborer, let alone anything that actually pays, and the government certainly isn't going to keep your kids from starving,' writes one of our readers, a mindset apparently shared by much of the public. Studies show that public belief in the government, private and public media, any sort of authority and in the inherent goodness of humanity is at an all-time, unprecedented low.

"The disease's origin has been tracked to the south of Mexico, but scientists warn that they're still a long ways from developing a cure, let alone a vaccine. Containment strategies have been initiated, but some prominent members of the scientific community have expressed doubt that they will be successful…"

8 February, 2051

"Hello. I'm Ian Losh, reporting for Channel 17 news. I'm replacing Keith Lesson, Georgia Kerr's replacement, both of whom were lost in the plague, which continues to devastate the world, although, thankfully, it seems to be dying down in North and South America. The only continent to escape unscathed has been Australia, as far as we know, which has remained in total isolation since before the outbreak, prompting conspiracy theorists to place the blame on them. The government has not addressed such claims.

"The plague has also been blamed for the dissolve of Africa into warring tribal factions, which has been described as 'inevitable' by some experts. 'The political boundaries were all artificial,' says one scientist who asks to remain unnamed. 'In any stressful situation, they're going to crumble, to make way for more natural ones. If there was anything left of the Middle East, it would be the same situation all over again. However, it was fractured too badly, in the Accidental War…'"

30 May, 2051

"In a new emergency situation trumping even the statement that earth's oil reserves have been fully tapped dry, NASA has announced that a large asteroid is on a collision course with earth.

"'We have no idea how this escaped our notice,' said one NASA representative. 'Our best guess is that there was a mid-space collision between this asteroid and some other object, altering the asteroid's path and sending it spinning towards the earth…'

"Scientists have just released another report saying that a strategy to protect both America and the rest of the earth has been developed: scientists will attempt to explode the asteroid before it reaches the earth, splintering it into pieces small enough to burn up as they enter the atmosphere, rendering them harmless…"

11 June, 2051

"NASA has announced that, while the asteroid has shattered, it was larger than expected and it's not known whether the pieces will vaporize as they enter the atmosphere. Whatever happens, it will be a bright night tonight as they approach North America, the only region expected to have any direct hits, although a large enough impact could have world-wide implications.

"Several fringe groups have gained huge numbers in face of this possible 'apocalypse,' making cultists a serious political threat for the first time since the Klu Klux Klan, and religious ones for the first time since Puritan witch-burnings. Astronomers continue to release statements saying that this is a perfectly natural phenomenon, if one with particularly bad timing, and not a punishment from God sent to cleanse the wicked from the earth. Many prominent religious leaders disagree."

19 June, 2051

"—and we give our thanks up to God for delivering us out of the rule of heathens with His gift of holy Fire, which rained down on us through the night and threw up the soil of His Earth to eclipse even the brightness of the sun in the sky. We give our thanks to Him. Amen."

"Hello, there, and good evening! This is Jessica Engstrom, with the nightly news. Thanks be to God for that spiritually enlightening and beautiful prayer, recited by our very own Faith Consultant, Amaiah Ivarson. Thank you, Amaiah!

"And now, I have the new Spiritual Guidelines released by our own American Government, once more in the hands of moral Christians.

"Always remember to refer to our God with proper reverence and respect. If you ever witness some sinner failing to do so, file a report with your local police station, which will be sure to correct the issue.

"Ladies, don't forget that impropriety is a failing in your duty to God. Your hair length should fall below your shoulders and above your elbow, as mine does; no makeup is ever to be worn; all undergarments should be plain. Clothing should be conservative. This will also be enforced by your local police force, starting this Monday."

"Gentlemen, remember your daily Public Prayer, your duty as the gender closer to our God, amen. Also, don't forget your service day! To register, please present yourself at one of the Service Stations in your nearest town.

"Never forget that Sunday is for prayer. Anyone caught doing something else will be publicly executed for crimes to society.

"And don't forget that the natural world is God's greatest gift to us! We encourage you to spend Saturdays in your local park, or in the countryside. There will be rewards for those who worship Him through gardening or other forms of stewardship of our natural world. Those who desecrate it will be punished—report those who fail to honor these rules of simple, good living.

"Ex-President Johnson and ex-Secretary of Defense Keller both continue to resist arrest, and it's believed that they may be working in tandem. Any information relating to their arrest will be rewarded, both spiritually, morally and tangibly.

"In other news, heathen rioting continues and we recommend that all God-fearing citizens stay indoors where our Stewards of the People are able to protect them…"

23 June, 2051

"Rioting continues across the nation, as far as we know, but communication is breaking down. A few areas remain loyal to the now-splintered United States of America Under Our God the Deliverer of Justice Through Fire From Heaven, but our own area seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of anarchical rule. Other areas have started forming their own city-states, but attempts at organization never seem to get very far.

"One of the last schools left in our region was hit last week by a crashing plane; we've recently discovered the source of both the flight and the crash. It was an attempt to reach Australia, whose condition is largely unknown but widely believed to be better than anywhere else's. Immigration here on our own continent seems to largely be northwards, away from the gang violence of the Mexican border and towards the newly-formed country known colloquially as the Canadian North—cold but stable, which is more than can be said of our own home right now.

"It seems unlikely that anyone will receive this transmission, but here's some advice for anyone who is. Be careful when alone; always try to be in groups, and the larger the group the better, although we also recommend that you know who you're with; don't trust just anyone. Stockpile food whenever and wherever you can. It might seem plentiful right now, but it's not going to last. If you can find vegetable seeds or an already semi-established garden, it will be invaluable. Good luck if you depend on medicines; try breaking into a pharmacy, but don't get caught by any desperate drug addicts doing the same. Try to remain human as we all go through this; it's easy to go after the children who've lost everything, but that doesn't mean that you should. Be careful when it comes to organized groups offering you something that seems impossibly good…"

"Today is the first of July in the year 2051, and this is our last transmission before our oil supply is exhausted and the generator gives out. All other power sources have been lost. I don't know why we've done this, these past months."

"It's because we decided to devote our lives to journalism back when we were getting our degrees."

"Right. And because there's nothing else to do, is there?

"I don't suppose we have anyone watching anymore, but my thanks to those who are. And I suppose that if anyone knew, I would be somewhat famous. All of us here would. Not everyone gets to give eye-witness reports on the end of the world."

--end Prologue--