The Great Collapse

Police guarding the White House

## Belligerents

### Belligerents

United States PoliceUnited States National Guard, Seaboard attacks, Protestors and rioters

## Casualties and losses

### Losses

Around 400,000 people

The Great Collapse was a major historical event in American history, although some use *The Great Collapse* to refer to effects of the Jinanvirus as a whole, on a worldwide scale. Only months after the outbreak of the Jinanvirus, which was created by Seaboard Technologies, Washington, D.C., the location of the Federal Government of the United States, became target to attacks of all sorts.

Pyro, biological, and radiological warfare were all tactics employed by few Seaboard attackers, staring in 2017. Poisoning of water lines, disruption of cargo supply, and destroying electrical grids led to the city as a whole being fairly uninhabitable. The government's inability to cope with the rapid deterioration led to many riots, mostly from residents who were unable to retreat to other areas of the country.

By January, 2018, most civilians had left the city due to the increasing exposure of highly-weaponized strains of SARS-CoV-MOD UTIL, according to United States Colonel Allen. Not only that, multiple radiological weapons used across the city rendered most streets inhospitable. The remaining government officials began evacuation protocols, including the president- who was killed while attempting to do so sometime in early 2018.

Between January and March 2018, power, internet, and cell service systems across the country began to go out. Workers who normally maintained them abandoned their posts, as did most government officials and military personnel. An "every man for themselves" situation had become, which only accelerated the pace of the collapse. In the fall of the Federal Government, the Seaboard Territories were able to form in the Northeastern United States.

## Timeline of the Collapse

* 2017
	+ March: The Jinanvirus is first reported in Jinan, China, and is highly contagious.
	+ April: The virus gains worldwide news, with its source unknown. Symptoms are not yet severe enough to cause global panic.
	+ June: World governments analyze the threat, choosing to dismiss safety protocols due to their potential economic drawback. It is assumed the virus will dwindle and disappear in the winter. Later in the month, Europe and US report the first cases of the virus.
	+ July: South America becomes a hotspot for the virus, even in the far south where it is winter. Australia experiences cases, and notions of cold weather stopping the virus become questioned.
	+ August: The WHO declares the Jinanvirus a public health emergency, causing worldwide concern and conspiracies to begin.
	+ September: The virus spreads rapidly in Africa, and later in the month, every country has declared cases. China begins extreme measures to combat the spread of the virus, but is ridiculed as the symptoms were not yet significant enough to be seen as warranting.
	+ October: A new strain of the Jinanvirus is detected, which is far deadlier, and reemerges in subjects who had previously been cleared.
	+ November: Deaths from the virus skyrocket into tens of millions. Healthcare systems, not able to compensate for the unforeseen events, begin to be strained worldwide. Many governments begin to require or even pay non-essential workers to stay home.
	+ December: Governments and health organizations implement strict travel restrictions, quarantine measures, and public health campaigns to control the spread of the virus, though deaths continue to rise exponentially. China begins harsh quarantine and blockading programs, reportedly exterminating groups who are considered super-spreaders. China blockades almost all trade and travel. Washington D.C. reports severe toxins in all major water lines in the city, leading to many evacuations and investigations.
* 2018
	+ January: The failure for the US government to handle and contain the Jinanvirus, or be too controlling and harsh according to some, leads to country-wide riots and protests, causing billions in destruction. Supply shortages of all kinds become apparent worldwide.
	+ February: The value of various forms of currency across the world plummets. Inflation becomes rampant, and many populations begin to turn on the wealthy and elite. Many are targeted, especially in the US. Police forces across the US disband, and without protection, private mercenary groups become common for high-paying clients. Worldwide power blackouts occur as, due to labor and supply shortages, power plants cannot be maintained.
	+ March: Washington D.C. experiences a major attack to their infrastructure, destroying most electrical plants in the area. The city, as well as most of the US, lose their cell networks. The world wide web collapses shortly after. Without supply lines to D.C., the city is nearly abandoned. Many politicians and military officials leave their post in pursuit of their own safety and wellbeing. Seaboard takes control of Connecticut in the Northeast. Martial law is declared. The US President is ousted from power.
	+ April: Rogue, unrecognized forces deploy chemical attacks in Washington D.C., and around the capitol. Without the manpower, military response is limited, and the US capitol is left smothered in radiological toxins. The rest of the capitol is evacuated to an undisclosed location in the region.
	+ May: Without central leadership, the US rapidly shatters from the top down. The federal government attempts to keep a grasp, but due to limited personnel, power behind finances and authority, little is done.
	+ June: In a unanimous effort, most of the remaining leaders of the US Federal Government disband, seeing the case as futile.
	+ July: Remaining national leaders in D.C. group up with military leaders in Norfolk, Virginia. While on vast reserves, it is understood that deploying them will deplete them immediately. The leaders make the decision to consolidate their resources into a defensive, militant force, choosing not to use reserve supplies in mass until there is promise of generating more.