Nike's Chariot

Where Minerva's Shield ended, Nike's Chariot begins. Thirty lives were spared on the day of the cataclysm, not by the firepower of armed forces or law enforcement, but by a simple coin, a medallion cast from an unknown metal. On the surface, the goddess Minerva's likeness was cast. That eerie, ear-shattering sound will never be forgotten. They remember it in the quiet hours and it haunts them in their sleep. The indescribable horror of such noise echoes in their souls and will forever change their perception of what really happened that day. Faced with too many questions and no apparent answers, an intrepid band of 12 hand-picked explorers sets out on an expedition to seek supplies and perhaps other survivors. Even more so, they seek the truth of what really happened that day. What they find instead is nothing but more questions. Yes, it was obvious that all signs of people have vanished. The countryside has been torn apart by nature gone mad, but was there something more sinister at work? Through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas they travel, encountering one challenge after another. Turning north, they cross Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and into South Dakota, resolutely heading towards the abandoned Black Hills Ordnance Depot, where Minerva's Shield was first uncovered. There planned destination is Nekoma, North Dakota. Shocked by yet another unforeseen discovery, this hardy band of adventurers is thrown into the middle of a global conflict that defies explanation. It was the end of the world. Or was it?