The Sun was bright and warm, and Blade enjoyed his breakfast, luxuriating in some decent weather for a change. Then he watched the morning news...

"City officials have refused comment, but so far more than a hundred people have been brought to this hopsital alone in the past hour. Sources have informed us that more than five thousand people have died! While it has not been confirmed, the symptoms seem to resemble Ebola, the dreaded virus that killed hundreds in Africa. As of now, the city's hopitals have told us that they will no longer take any new patients! I repeat, they will not receive any new patients! Stay away from the hospitals, police officers have been put on guard around them..."

The scene panned back to show a small crowd of people being kept back by a trio of policemen, it was obvious that only the weakened state of most of the crowd prevented the situation getting ugly.

Cursing, the SWAT officer threw his toast down and hurriedly left his apartment. All hell was breaking loose! Why hadn't someone from the department called him? They'd need every man. Behind him the TV continued...

"It has been reported that the military, under Presidential authority, has been given permission to deploy onto the streets by the Mayor. I repeat, not the National Guard, but the Army! And to make matters worse, an as yet unknown group has been killing people in the South side, survivors have spoken of their attackers chanting "The Brood comes!", which may be linked to the incident at the art museum--

The interview was cut short, gunfire rang out, and the camera fell onto its side, showing feet, then falling bodies...In the studio the production crew frantically called on the reporter or camera man to answer them, then the camera was lifted up, and a wild looking man was holding the reporter, with a knife to her throat.

"The Brood Comes! Embrace the true faith or suffer damantion!"

The TV picture went red as she died, and then the station cut to commercial.\

Outside the precinct house a small battle was going on, some folk had the desperate hope that the police, as a force of order, could either help or get them treatement, while others were just venting their frustration as Armageddon loomed and they no longer feared jail, when far worse was loose.

The first Blade knew of this was when a bunch of Columbian refugees ran across the street, being chased by some armed skinheads. Seeing their quarry escape due to the diversion, the thugs went for the newcomer, and smashed the car's window with a steel bar. When you're in the best part of a ton weight of lethal weapon, there's no need to pull a gun, Blade just accelerated straight forwards, and three of them either went over the bonnet or under the wheels.

A cloud of tear gas wreathed the police station, and at least a dozen bodies were sprawled nearby, he ran to the doors while buckshot pellets were being traded with bricks. If his fellow cops hadn't recognized his car he'd have been another body as soon as he got out.

"Outta the way!" Angel cried as he pulled the younger man in, then fired his revolver at the maniac charging the doors with a Molotov cocktail. The bullet shattered the bottle and he went up in a sheet of flame, screaming before his lungs carbonized.

With that dealt with, Angel grabbed the SWAT officer in a bear hug, "Jeez am I glad to see yer ugly face! Half the squad's down with this crap, and five more were shot or knifed. Whole city's went to hell in handbasket!" His eyes had the wide open stare of a man deeply shocked.

Out of a force of two hundred and twenty officers, only thirty had showed up today. Many had called in sick, or used it as an escape to hole up in their homes, or head out of the city...They got word that the Army was coming in, and where normally have got the police department raging about their territory being encroached on, they greeted the news with relief.