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OK here's the premise: A deadly genetically engineered virus accidentally escapes from a bio warfare laboratory in some country.
This virus is airborne, massively prolific, and can be borne thousands of miles on the winds, infecting anyone it comes in contact with.
It is y-chromosome linked, and affects only men. Women are not affected by this virus.
It attacks the central nervous system, and causes certain death within a week of infection.
A small percentage of men, about 1.2 percent, proove naturally immune.
The virus begins spreading in the middle east, and follows the trade winds, spreading unstoppably across the globe.
From first appearance to worldwide infection, two months pass.
Halfway through this an antidote is developed that will save victims if administered within 36 hours of infection. Those areas which are both A. Highly advanced 1st world metropolitan centers and B. Among the last areas to be infected, do best. But even there there is just too little of the stuff, not enough time to manufacture and adminster enough. In London, UK, 8% of the male population survive. In New York City, 12% survive. In Los Angeles, 20%. In Tokyo, 37% of men survive.
However, on average 98.6% of all men on earth die.
The virus is however unstable. After four to five months it starts breaking down even faster than it can reproduce. After six months it is gone from the world.
However, in its wake it leaves a world that is terribly changed - of the 3 billion men who lived on earth before, an estimated 48 million still live. (That sounds a lot, and if they were concentrated in one place would look a lot... but scattered across the whole earth, is a paltry number.)
The 3 billion women who lived before are still alive.
So.. where would the world, and humanity, and civilisation, go from there?
This virus is airborne, massively prolific, and can be borne thousands of miles on the winds, infecting anyone it comes in contact with.
It is y-chromosome linked, and affects only men. Women are not affected by this virus.
It attacks the central nervous system, and causes certain death within a week of infection.
A small percentage of men, about 1.2 percent, proove naturally immune.
The virus begins spreading in the middle east, and follows the trade winds, spreading unstoppably across the globe.
From first appearance to worldwide infection, two months pass.
Halfway through this an antidote is developed that will save victims if administered within 36 hours of infection. Those areas which are both A. Highly advanced 1st world metropolitan centers and B. Among the last areas to be infected, do best. But even there there is just too little of the stuff, not enough time to manufacture and adminster enough. In London, UK, 8% of the male population survive. In New York City, 12% survive. In Los Angeles, 20%. In Tokyo, 37% of men survive.
However, on average 98.6% of all men on earth die.
The virus is however unstable. After four to five months it starts breaking down even faster than it can reproduce. After six months it is gone from the world.
However, in its wake it leaves a world that is terribly changed - of the 3 billion men who lived on earth before, an estimated 48 million still live. (That sounds a lot, and if they were concentrated in one place would look a lot... but scattered across the whole earth, is a paltry number.)
The 3 billion women who lived before are still alive.
So.. where would the world, and humanity, and civilisation, go from there?
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