u/band-man

November 1st, 2028

Radisson Hotel

Cape Canaveral, FL

USPG Headquarters

Oliver Rossi spun his old fidget spinner in his hands. It was a nervous habit, and God knows he's been plenty nervous these past couple months. His hands had been full since declaring Cape Canaveral as the headquarters of the USPG in Florida. So far only the communities directly attached to the Cape, ranging from New Smyrna in the North to Sebastian Inlet in the south, and the western half of Merritt Island across the water as well. Now he waited in his hotel room on the top floor of the Radisson that's been repurposed as a temporary capitol. Waited for a response from Fernandina, on whether they'd agree to his proposal to enter the USPG 2 weeks ago. He knew that asking St. Augustine Beach, or the collection of haphazard settlements and washed up boats on the beach formerly known as Daytona would make more sense, but Fernandina was the real prize in his eyes. The two manufacturing plants would be a major boon for his boss, Hugh Desmond. Imagining all the paperwork that could be made if they got their hands on it made the young bureaucrat Rossi shake his leg too, along with the fidget spinner. It's not like the Fernandinans could easily say no, the Blount Base is practically next door, they'd want that extra protection, surely.

Rossi's mind started to wander as he fidgeted. His fidget spinner was white and blue, with a New York Yankees symbol in the center. He'd gotten it as a gift from his younger cousin, Ruby a dozen years ago, a graduation present after getting his Master's degree in political science from Columbia University. He was already 27 back when he got it in 2017, but he hadn't seen Ruby in years, and she'd grown like a weed, about to start middle school. She knew how he liked the Yankees, and not much else because they hadn't met in years. The last time Oliver saw her was when she graduated high school a few years back, and planned to go to community college for a couple years as a backdoor into Columbia, majoring in engineering. She'd been a student there when she went back home to the Bronx for the summer. ‘I should have invited her to stay at my place, I could have done something to save her and my uncle’, Oliver thought. He white-knuckled the fidget spinner, trying to make the guilt go away. He'd hardly used the spinner for the past decade, just kept it in a junk drawer with other random knickknacks. But as he cleaned out his home and office in early August, ready to move as part of Desmond’s plan to grow USPG control outside the Northeast, he came across it. Oliver tried to pack lean, not knowing how much space he could spare in the new hotel he'd be staying, but he kept the fidget spinner as an old memento of lost family, and hope for a new life for the people left alive. He had to always stay busy, to make up for those he couldn't save.

At that time, his secretary, Jenny, came in.

“Mr. Rossi? I have an update on the Fernandina deal.” At that moment, Oliver shot straight up in his chair, slamming the fidget spinner on the desk, a bit harder than intended. “Yes? What did they say?” “Well, there's good news and bad news…” His shoulders sagged at that sentence. “Give me the good news first, please.”

“Well”, Jenny said, “They've decided to enter a trade deal with us. The details will have to be ironed out of course, but it seems they're willing to cooperate with us and provide the resources we dearly need.”

“Let me guess”, Oliver said, “The bad news is they don't want to join us.”

Jenny looked down. “Yes, exactly. Apparently they plan to rely more on Irish aid in the future, since their main plant has HQ in Dublin.”

Oliver ran his hands through his thinning hair. “Of course, that's a prudent choice. Why kneel to the powers-that-be just down the road when you can pretend to kowtow to some absentee landlord on the other side of the world! And a fully intact nation to boot! My God, I'd be surprised if they didn't choose that!” Oliver shouted.

“Mr. Rossi?”, Jenny asked, cautiously.

“I'll be fine. Besides, odds are that if things go well for us down here, we'll incorporate them sooner or later. Blount and the Beloit are just down the road, if they decide to stop cooperating it's not like it'll be hard to subdue them. They've given us what we want, anyway, if their word is to be believed. It'll be like a trade deal between nations, simple as.”

Oliver drummed his fingers on his desk. “Besides, we have our hands full trying to feed the people in our domain as is. Thank God for the farmers out in Merritt Island, or else we'd really be screwed. Imagine trying to start a new government and you don't even have eggs! You know how these people feel about eggs, they can make or break a government!” Oliver threw his hands up in disbelief at, well.

Everything.

“I don't know what the hell Hugh was thinking, sending me down here. Last time I went to Florida was the summer before lockdown, when I went to visit my grandma in Sarasota!”, Oliver exclaimed.

“Being a NYC council member for 2 years probably helped too”, Jenny added.

“There were far more qualified men, what do I bring to the table? My degree? My people pleasing skills? I know my credentials are solid, better than some of my fellow Brooklynites. And hell, it's probably because I'd gotten to know Hugh well these past few years. We'd not always agreed, but when I was sure he made the right decision, I backed him to the hilt. You should've seen him go against this one guy from the Upper West Side. I forget his name, some Nuyorican. He…” Oliver suddenly stopped his train of thought, which had started derailing.

“Yes, Mr. Rossi? What about him?” Jenny asked, puzzled.

“Nuyorican! Puerto Ricans, my God, of course! That's what I can do!” Oliver jumped up suddenly, clapping his hands together. “Sir, I don't foll-” Oliver turned to Jenny. “Jenny, I need the name of every local government and community leader who was born in Puerto Rico. And not born and came here as a kid, I mean recently. If they lived there in the past 15 years, and especially have family there, I wanna know. Search from here to New Smyrna if you must. I don't care if they're the head of a PTA, I need a legitimate tie to Puerto Rico, please. I need a foot in the door.”

“With all due respect, sir, I don't follow.” Jenny asked, slightly concerned.

Oliver beamed. “You know that food shortage I was concerned about, earlier? I think I know how to start solving it.”

Finally, after much ado, we turn to Amelia Island, in early June, 2028. There's fractured records of such events at the time, as they were destroyed in future accidents, but what exists paints a nasty picture. Looting, stealing, and especially fleeing. By 2030, nearly 2,000 people would leave the island for good, be they tourists who got trapped or families who had lived there for a century. But, their absences would be somewhat relieved by the people who would land over the night of June 6th-7th, when several transatlantic airplanes were redirected to Fernandina Airport, and the various ships who came to Port who lacked a home country to return to, totalling over 1200. There's even a tale of a seaplane from central florida landing in the Amelia River, apparently there was a restaurant on the water, with a few people in the lake when the Vanishing happened. A seaplane happened to be on the lake at the time, and with 5 people crammed in, told the people of Fernandina where they came from and who else was left. It's not known if anyone ever came back for them... The plane people would also include someone rather notable; Victor McNeil, from Boston. He was on a plane down to Orlando, and was over the ocean when the Vanishing occurred. His flight got redirected to Fernandina, and by 2030 would be one of the people to leave Fernandina, specifically for the fledgling USPG in Canaveral. But, he has the special distinction of being my 6 times great-grandfather.

Another 350 plane people would not stay in Fernandina, and would move to Canaveral, Miami, or up north to the Outer Banks, and some even to the Carribbean. You may notice a trend of people constantly moving in these early post-Vanishing. Well, for these people the way of life they've known forever just got uprooted, effectively, especially the visitors, tourists, and people off the planes. On the night of June 6th, and especially on June 7th, nearly 40,000 people on Amelia Island had a decision to make. Stay put on this little lifeboat of civilization, and harbor the storm together, or head to greener pastures, wherever they may be. And sure enough, plenty of people would. But over the next decade, that stream of people leaving would dry up. The community of Fernandina Beach, and Amelia Island as a whole, would be eternally bonded from the Vanishing, having weathered the storm, and being closer for it. At least, most of them would be.

A fact I want to reiterate is that the Amelia Islanders were actually on the older side. By 2028, The median age was 56, with an above average median salary, but that's mostly due to people living there commuting to further places for work. Many of these upper class people who suddenly lost their livelihoods would be the ones to flee Amelia Island as expats. The ones left behind, the ones who worked there, or couldn't afford a way out, will be the foundation of future Amelian community. Now, to really get down to brass tacks, let's see how the civil government dealt with this.

As mentioned last time, John Martin and "Hupp" Huppman were the remaining Nassau County commissioners who represented Amelia Island, and would survive the Vanishing. However, in the weeks and months after the Vanishing, realizing the county government they represented had been 'Raptured', according to Hupp, they decided to take their belongings, their staff, and family out of Fernandina Beach, landing in Cocoa Beach in July 2028, just a few weeks ahead of the USPG arriving. With Hupp and Martin being effectively run out by citizens and city officials demanding responses to this crisis, they were unceremoniously dumped into the dustbin of history, living the rest of their days as minor officials in the new USPG government.

The day after the Vanishing, June 7th, would see local sheriff's office and utilities stretched to their breaking points. The power wasn't completely busted, as there was a local FPU (Florida Public Utilities) branch at Fernandina, which was notoriously awful at communication and customer service, and had a long history of overcharging. This will only get worse, as in decades to come, the FPU will hold many citizens in effective bondage due to debt. The water treatment plant was functional as well, so people had drinking and bathing water as well. For local government, after the sheriff's office and Good Samaritans helped with emergencies for the first week, the session of the Fernandina City Council on Friday was one for the ages. The meetings had never had the highest attendance, most cott councils in America didn't. But with so many suddenly left without a job, it became a vital outlet for grievances. People weren't out of food yet, the constant ships coming in from phantom countries would give sustenance through the next few months. In fact, this council's first motion was to institute a rarioning scheme for Fernandina Beach. Anyone going to the local WalMart and Publix would have to prove identification and certain neighborhoods would only be allowed to go at certain times, and would have their spending capped at $150 per week for single households, and an extra $50 per child under 13 per week, with it being $25 per child per week for 13+.

This system was met with major backlash. By 2028, recent inflation has meant that getting $150-200 worth of groceries at WalMart was stretching it thin. And Publix, where a small cereal box went for $6, forget it. A trend that had started after the 2020 lockdown and inflation became stratified at this point. Those who were upper class and single, or an older couple who had kids leave the nest, went to Publix, where "shopping is a pleasure." Everyone else, with families, would go to WalMart. This would be a greatly unifying experience for many, having to go to the same store as the lower classes, meeting with them, and seeing their lives, especially when the store would become RyamMart in the 2040s. The city council also had major decisions involving imports and exports. It was decided that lacking any serious national governmental authorities, it would oversee the business of of the Customs Port, and any and all traffic to and from that port would be dealt with by a special committee, who'd include corporate member of the local WestRock plant, Michael Davenport. Michael, while not chairing the Customs Committee, would prove an influential voice for years to come, and especially involving a very important matter.

On October 14th, 2028, an envoy from the USPG-controlled Blount Island was sent to the Fernandina Beach mayor's office, hoping to reach a deal. The representive, Sergeant Connolly, hoped that the island, along with its major paper production mills, could be of great use to the fledgling Provisional Government. Connolly was instructed that an answer would be accepted within 2 weeks. Now, Mayor C. Genece Minshew was a few weeks from reelection. Things were bad enough in the city, and she hoped that making a deal with the Vanishing to deal with, but with this new offer of allegiance, if not being absorbed into the fold, would prove very enticing. It would give them an economic lifeline, a connection to New York City, and other surviving communities in the former US. She believed it could prove very beneficial and symbiotic, and wanted to agree, telling Connolly he would receive an answer before the deadline.

Mayor Minshew had a lot to account for. Over 20,000 souls lived in the bounds of Fernandina Beach, with almost as many living on the island outside those bounds. She had a responsibility to think of all the people on the island she represented, and since Hupp and Martin flew the coop like the chickens they were, it fell on her shoulders. She decided to call up a commission to deal with this problem. The members of this included old Joyce Tuten and Michael Davenport, who both had similar ideas, but for alternate reasons. They decided they didn't need the USPG controlling them. Henderson had recently made contact with the Westrock leadership in Dublin, and the rest of the local executives, decided that it'd be wise to hitch their wagons to Dublin, who were really too far away to micromanahe them, and have a steady lifeline of capital coming in through work at their mill. Tuten, meanwhile, said they were, "a bunch of Yankee liberals trying to shove their socialism down our throats". Both equally valid reasons, of course.

Davenport has gotten plenty of flack in retrospect for planting the seed of WestRYAM claiming dominion over Amelia Island, but to his credit, how could he have predicted the next 40 years. He was making a safe bet, in his eyes. A government stationed in Canaveral, and especially with Blount Island staring at them down the road, basically, could easily subdue them and bend a knee whenever they felt like. But if they took a stand, made ties with the far flung Irish company, who wasn't even an official government entity, that would leave Fernandina Beach free to do whatever it pleased, as its own city-state. As flawed as his plan would be in the end, I can't fault his logic at this moment, even though he'll have plenty to answer for in years to come.

With the decision made, Mayor Minshew would officially proclaim on Halloween 2028 that Fernandina Beach while they would gladly do business with them, they would be free and independent of governmental ties to the new USPG in Cape Canaveral. Sergeant Connolly would accept this, and sent word to Representative Rossi in Canaveral that Fernandina Beach was not willing to be drawn into the USPG fold. Rossi was quite unhappy, with such a lucrative mill and port just out of reach. But, having heard that Fernandina would still do business with them, he took it better. He knew his history, and that after the American Revolution, and things had chilled after 1812, the US and Britain had a profitable relationship free of political ties, but with beneficial trade deals to be made instead. Rossi figured that maybe one day, a new slate of leaders in Fernandina would accept the offer they knew to always be open. And while he may not be the one to welcome Amelia Island into the fold, he knew somebody might, eventually.

On June 6th, 2028, at approximately 8:35 pm local time, the people on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States faced the most devastating apocalypse in history. All traces of human civilization, sans those on the natural barrier islands, or in lakes and rivers, vanished. The research notes of the late great Dr. Bemis have detailed several instances of what happened and its rules, so I won't go over it all again.

Instead of going over Amelia Island, I want to cover the areas surrounding it. The northern, southern, and even Western neighbors of the Amelians will come up several times, especially to its south, so it's best to get acquainted. Immediately north is the state formerly known as Georgia, and its barrier islands. Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, and of course, St. Simon's Island. The first being little more than a conservation area and beach, the second being a small community, centered mostly around a golf course and water park, but St. Simons is special. It isn't just a larger community, but also has its own airport, which would be a major boon for the fledgling community, and even a means for competing with Fernandina. In fact, St. Simons would be a destination for several people in our story, trying to escape both the Amelian and USPG factions through its airport.
A bit further north, and we hit one of the big ones; the Savannah Archipelago. The islands around the old city of Savannah, Georgia including Tybee, Wilmington, Whitemarsh, Dutch, Talahi, Elba, and others. These would group together to form a rudimentary society from disparate parts over the next few years. The islands had for greater surviving infrastructure, like grocery stores and especially the natural gas production facilities on Elba Island. From these disparate parts, the Geechee communities would start to grow and become the cultural force we know later. Further north is South Carolina, but at that point we start to intersection with the Outer Banks, which is well outside this story's purview. Let's turn our gaze south of Fernandina, of Amelia Island. Black Hammock Island, almost directly south of Amelia Island, is a sparsely populated, rural island, which was home to a nature preserve pre-Vanishing. Black Hammock will unlock its massive agrarian potential in coming years, to the detriment of so many of its inhabitants.

For further south islands, an overview of some of the surviving local infrastructure on and around Amelia Island is necessary. State Road 200, which runs from Fernandina towards the Gulf Coast, was almost completely gone, the only remaining bits out of Amelia Island were towards the neighboring Piney Island, along with the railroad bridge it runs parallel to. The northern end of SR A1A, which runs most of Florida's coast, survived, and in fact connected several other barrier islands. The surviving highway happened to connect itself, through surviving islands, to nearby Blount Island, an artificial port island and marine base in the middle of Jacksonville. We'll come across Blount Island, this route, and its troops several times down the line, so let's get better acquainted. What historians call, "The Blount Chain", is the chain of islands that carry the highway some 20 miles from Blount Island to Amelia Island. It went across Black Talbot Island, Fort George Island, with its Huguenot memorial park, through the Timucan Preserve, turning at the only populated island of these, Little Marsh Hill, and then further along the 105, hooking left finally to Blount Island, with all its industry, shipping, and manpower. The relationship between the two islands will swing between camaraderie and hostility over the next half century, depending on who's in charge on each island, but what's most important, is that there was even a connection in the first place. Amelia Island has more commodities than most, with its port, marina, and airport, but its connection to Blount Island, far, far down the line when both are in the UFRA, will be vastly beneficial to increased growth and prosperity. For some, at least. An important note of Blount Island is 2 ships that survived the Vanishing at Jacksonville's Mayport Naval Station, which would head here soon afterwards; the USS Beloit, and of course, everyone's favorite guided-missile destroyer; the USS Farragut. The Farragut would head to Canaveral soon enough, after a rendezvous with its brand new USPG reoresentatives which it would carry to the Cape, but the Beloit would stay put at Blount Isand, for some time, and it won't be the last time we hear from them. Also at Blount is Blount Island Command, a Marine Corps support facility. Commanded by Col. David Merles since July 2025, it's home to 1200 service members, government civilians, and defense contractors, who needless to say, will be instrumental for providing personnel go the fledgling USPG in Florida. It cannot be overstated how vital these resources surviving are for Hugh Desmond, what I'd give to be a fly on the wall when he found out that he has not just a toehold in Florida with the Cape Canaveral and Patrick's Space Force Bases, but also a Marine Support facility on a deep water cargo port, along with 2 Naval vessels. While several of these service members would stay, its top brass, including Merles, would see redeployment elsewhere in the USPG, as one of the highest ranking members of the Marines still surviving. The amount of cargo on Blount, along with port capabilities, would be a godsend for Floridians for the early days of the Vanishing, as regular shipments of supplies from dead countries would still arrive for weeks.

To wrap up, south of Blount we have, well, the rest of Florida. There's all the small surviving cities, like St. Augustine Beach, New Smyrna Beach, and the Big Dogs, Greater Merritt Island and Miami Beach. Starting South, there's of course everybody's favorite libertarian haven, the Conch Republic. They have their hands full with their own issues, like the Gitmos, and establishing stable enough food sources for so many people with no arable land, so they won't have the chance to meddle in Amelian affairs. Miami, aka SoFlo, would stand proud for a while, though cowtow to USPG in the next couple decades before being absorbed. And of course, Greater Merritt Island, home to so many people that would one day go toe-to-toe against the Amelians, but they're all just children by the end of the 2020s, with some not even being alive in 2028. The future core of the Floridian USPG, immediately post-Vanishing, was as messy as the rest of Florida, with the marked advantage of having not one, but 2 military bases at Patrick's and of course Cape Canaveral. This would change when Oliver Rossi came to town. On August 11th, 2028, the USS Farragut landed at Port Canaveral, carrying Rossi, the designated governor of what was to be USPG-controlled Florida. A week later, on the 18th, Rossi made a speech at the Radisson Resort hotel, which would be used as the "temporary" USPG headquarters (for over 50 years), declared Cape Canaveral to be the capitol of the new USPG territory in Florida, and wished for more civil government beyond the Cape to join under them. Soon after, more and more towns along the Cape would join under them, and by 2030, USPG control would stretch from New Smyrna Beach in the North to Melbourne Beach in the south, with just the land around Sebastian Inlet proving difficult to control. The decision for Blount Island's forces to not immediately seize Amelia Island is one that's earned Hugh Desmond a few brownie points in history books. If he were a completely tyrannical madman as some Minutemen liked to paint him, he would've seized such an easy target. Instead, Desmond, through Rossi, would send feelers to the Island in October 2028. We'll cover Fernandina Beach's response next time, but simply put, they refused the offer. With that grand overview of Amelia's Neighbors, next we'll see what becomes of the Island itself.

Down Under Restaurant Big Piney Island Fernandina Beach, Florida June 6, 8:28 p.m.

We've been together since way back when Sometimes I never want to see you again But I want you to know, after all these years You're still the one I want whispering in my ear

The old song echoed throughout the bar, where only a handful of regulars still lingered despite being a half hour from closing time. The radio played the oldies station, a favorite of the owner, Brad. He'd been the bartender for 30 years, and despite the hard hit from Lockdown some years back, the place had certainly recovered, but not to the point of the glory days in the 90s. Now it was mostly older, retired couples sitting around.

One of them, Diana and Jackson, were dancing to the song playing aloud. You're still the one I want to talk to in bed Still the one that turns my head We're still having fun and you're still the one

This was Their Song, the one they'd been fond of since they met, and played at their wedding 43 years ago that night.

You're still the one that makes me strong Still the one I want to take along We're still having fun and you're still the one Yes, you are

Diana and Jackson haven't had the easiest 43 years, their daughter moved to New York for a job opportunity, and has hardly talked to them or seen them since she moved nearly a decade ago, and their son has been bouncing from job to job for years while living in a trailer park in South Florida. But at this moment, none of their personal issues mattered, they still had each other after all these years, and danced as they drank in one of their favorite songs.

Changing, our love is going gold Even though we grow old, it grows new.

While the bar was still lively, despite only a handful of people still there, Brad decided to ring out Last Calls, as the place would close in under half an hour. Jackson called up for a third shot of Jack Daniels before they went home. Fortunately Diana was driving that night, having only had a Busch Lite at the start of the night. As Jackson downed his Jack, another song came on,

Southern nights Have you ever felt a Southern night? Free as a breeze Not to mention the trees Whistlin' tunes that you know and love sing.

Jackson and Diana got up to dance again, as another old favorite came on. This played at their high school school homecoming dance, and it still got them moving 50 years later. Brad also admired the view outside, the fading pink twilight giving way to the darker shades of night. He contemplated the song playing at the moment, Southern skies Have you ever noticed Southern skies? Oh, its precious beauty lies just beyond the eye It goes runnin' through your soul Like the stories told of old Brad wondered how the first colonists felt when they saw the skies above Fernandina, the endless stars, not polluted by all the streetlights or blinding airport lights practically right next door. A plane had flown in a couple hours ago, and even though it hadn't been in the direct path, the plane engines still roared loudly in the bar, disrupting the music. Brad hoped he wouldn't hear another plane all night. In fact, Brad really longed for a good old Southern Night, where there wasn't so much around, just peaceful nature. But for all his wishes, Brad still loved Fernandina, and his bar, and especially the handful of regulars that still loved the oldies.

Feels so good Feels so good, it's frightening Wish I could Stop this world f- And at that moment, the radio cut out, and the lights flickered off for a second before coming back on. The people around the bar stopped dancing and wondered where the music went. Brad went to his radio and fiddled with the stations. All of them were off, even most of the AM ones, except for the nearby Mexican station. "Okay, I think we're closing early," Brad said. "Time to go home, while I figure out what's happening with my damn radio. Make sure to call your designated drivers too, we've not had any accidents all this year and I want to keep it that way!" But as Brad said this, he heard cars idling nearby It looked like that the entire westbound lane of the highway was backed up, into Fernandina Beach. Meanwhile the eastbound one was completely empty. Brad figured a really nasty accident must've happened, something that closed every lane up ahead, and started to think he should really stop testing fate with all his hopes and wishes. Jackson and Diana went to their car to leave, wanting to call ahead to their friend in St. Augustine, but it wouldn't connect, there were no bars on their phones. The people at the bar were starting to get concerned at the apparent lack of connection to the world beyond their island, but were reassured from the view to the east of Amelia Island, that things hadn't gone totally wrong. The bar patrons who drove here went to their cars and drove to their homes nearby or in Fernandina. But at that time a car rushed past them and someone stormed inside the bar, up to Brad, still playing with his old radio. The frightened man shouted, "IT'S GONE, IT'S ALL FUCKING GONE!!!" Brad, growing confused and somewhat scared, asked "What's gone?" "EVERYTHING! I just drove in from Yulee, over the bridge, and was checking my mirror when I heard a horrible crunching, crashing, and splashing behind me. I revved my engine, making it some way ahead of the noise, when I checked my rear view mirror. You know what I saw, instead of the bridge I drove across seconds ago? FUCKING ZILCH!!! THERE WAS NOTHING BUT WRECKAGE FROM PART OF THE BRIDGE I WAS JUST FUCKING ON!" Brad was getting very riled up from the shouting, piled upon everything else happening tonight. "So wait, is everything past the river just, gone? Like all of Florida, a mile down the road, just trees or something?" "Yes!", the man exclaimed. "I even took video of it on my phone, look!" Brad looked as the man frantically took his phone out and showed him. Brad's stomach dropped at seeing endless trees and marshes where he once saw the rest of the highway, and urban sprawl. "T-that's not real. That's gotta be AI or something, what kind of person shows up to a bar thats closing an-" "It isn't AI! I have it on my phone, undoctored, no little star watermark, it all checks out, I promise. I was on my way back from Publix, getting some stuff for lunch tomorrow, and now, I- oh god. My lunch, my job. My work is in Jacksonville, it's not even around, I..." The man dropped to his knees, as the full weight of the situation dawned on him. "I just wanted to stop by the first places I could find. I tried talking to the guy at the Oyster bar down the road but he shut me down. Thanks for talking to me. I guess I'll go home, seems that Fernandina is still in one piece, at least. I hope to god this is all just a nightmare and I wake up tomorrow to tell everyone at work about this. Hope to see you around, um-" "Brad." "I'm Crawford. I might come by and buy a drink, when I wake up, or course", he added with a chuckle. As Crawford stepped out the bar, Brad noticed it was dark now, and the night sky seemed much more illustrious than last night. There seemed to be more stars, as if the light pollution had died down, and the cars on the bridge grew even more backed up and exasperated. Whatever tomorrow may hold, Brad would never forget this southern night for the rest of his life.

In the beginning, there was Everything. Really, you've likely seen pre-Vanishing pictures of the Earth, of life in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The world seemed to be bursting at the seams. Beijing, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Capetown, Sydney. Skyscrapers that pierced the heavens, endless sprawling cities housing millions, even tens of millions. All that abundance gone in an instant. I paint this image because to tell you about Amelia Island after the Vanishing, you need to know how much was lost in that disaster. How much that island came to depend on the outside world, and what waa left for the island after the Vanishing. The best way for that is to know the long history of Amelia Island before the Vanishing, because there really is a lot.

In fact, Amelia Island has more history before the Vanishing than after it, having been settled by the French, briefly, in 1562, until the approximately 350 french colonists were expelled or slaughtered in 1565 by the Spanish. Spain would establish the Santa Maria mission there by 1573, and the island would be named after it for some time. The mission was abandoned in 1680 after the inhabitants refused relocation orders, but would be reinhabited after British raids on a Spanish mission in present-day Geechee. The British woukd take the island in 1702, although Spain would soon get the island back. It was in 1735 where the island would gain the name Amelia Island, after King George II's daughter. Britain would get the island in 1763, planning a small settlement near where the Old Town sits, but in 1783, Spain would ultimately retake it, but the influx of Anglo/American settlers to the town would result in a rebellion in 1795, which would suppressed. In 1811, Fernandina Beach would become the final city plotted by the Spanish in the New World, with Fort San Carlos in the center of the town, facing the Amelia River. Now you're probably wondering why I'm talking about colonial history of Florida so much, when the story of the Amelian Commune really gets started after the Vanishing. We'll to understand the Beginning, we have to see what happened before the Beginning. Otherwise, how could you understand the Beginnjng properly? Now, the real history of Amelia Island and Fernandina picks up in 1812, when one of the more famous rebellions starts again on the island, which would see one of the most consequential flags raised upon the island; the Patriot Flag of the Republic of East Florida. In 1812, President James Madison funded an expedition led by George Matthews and John McKee, who would land an invasion on the island, and capture Fernandina, hoping to use the lightly guarded settlement as a launching point for the larger garrison at St. Augustine. Now, admittedly most of these insurgents weren't native Amelians, but from southern Georgia, around neighboring St. Mary's. The expeditions ultimate hope was to instigate a rebellion in East Florida so the United States could then annex the independent Republic of East Florida. In March 1812, approximately 300 men would capture Amelia Island, with aid from some American gunboats, and raised the Patriot Flag on the island, with the now iconic figure holding a bayonet, with the phrase, "Salus populi suprema lex esto", or "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law". Stirring words, taken from the Ancient Roman statesman, Cicero. The Republic of East Florida, however, would not be long for this world. The Patriots and American soldiers they allied with would have differing goals, and would see little progress in the weeks and months after initial occupation. When Congress got wind of this little invasion, they feared war with Spain, and demanded an end to hostilities. By 1813, patriot and US forces would withdraw entirely, and the Republic of East Florida, its flag, and its words, all seemed to be destined for the dustbin of history. That is, until a very dedicated man on Amelia Island, well-versed in its history, would revive it in the mid 21st century.

This isn't the final flag-producing rebellion of Amelia Island, of course. It wasn't even the only one in the 1810s. Up next is one led by one of the most infamous scammers in history, whom Ronald Durham obviously took inspiration from, with his "Orinoco plan" in the 2030s; good old Gregor MacGregor. MacGregor is far more notorious for being the "Cazique" of "Poyais", but a few years before that, in 1817, he decided to take advantage of Spanish weakness in Florida and American desire to expand. So, in June 1817, he led an assault of less than 200 Americans on Fort San Carlos. The forts commander had left, and took down the flag, so MacGregor raised a flag, the Green Cross of Florida, and despite having less men than the 1812 expedition, proclaimed "The Republic of the Floridas". In September, running out of money and fearing the Spanish easily recapturing the fort, MacGregor left with his officers for the Bahamas. However, the Spanish would be beaten back thanks to hasty defenses by remaining leaders, and the Republic wouldn't fall immediately. Soon after this, a French privateer would come and claim the island amd raise the flag for the revolutionary Mexican Republic, which was still 4 years from winning independence, and becoming a monarchy as well. This mexican controlled era wouldn't last, and Amelia Island was badly managed for months, becoming a den for smuggling and privateering, leading to the U.S. capturing the island with no fight in 1818. Soon after this, Spain would start talks ro cede all of Florida to the United States, due to events on Amelia Island and the Seminole Wars starting around the Florida Panhandle, and would be officially American territory in 1821, after a lengthy congressional ratification battle.

Now that Amelia Island, and all of Florida, is American territory, the old Fort San Carlos fell into neglect and was abandoned, with plantations and farms springing up around the island. But, another Fort would be built at the north end of the island, called Fort Clinch, in 1847. The fort was pentagonal, had deep corners to shoot multiple cannons from, and holes to hide and shoot behind. Fernandina would also see expansion south in the 1850s, when railroads came to the island. The rails couldn't be laid on the swampy lands to the north, so a new town was platted out, and the northern edge of town became a sleepy backwater. In 1861, at the onset of the Civil War, Fort Clinch and Amelia Island became a safe haven for Confederate shipping. But, thanks to the rapid advancement of artillery, Union forces blasted the brick walls of the fort and Amelia Island fell in March 1862. By 1863, the island was home to a school and orphanage for the freedmen who had been recently emancipated, and the children, with 1/4 of children being in public schooling a decade later. To follow Fort Clinch, however, it would be in "caretaker status" from 1869 to 1898, when it saw brief use as an Army garrison in the Spanish-American War before being left abandoned and deteriorating for decades. As a part of the New Deal, the fort would be reconstructed to its Civil War style, and 256 acres would be set aside near the fort for a state park, opened in 1938. For WWII, it was closed, becoming a communications and security post, opening to the public again after the war ended. In 1972, the fort was added to the NRHP, and aaw regular reenactment of military life during the Civil War, operating from 8 am to sundown, which was pretty late on June 6, 2028.

For Fernandina Beach, after the Civil War, it saw extended growth as a major southern port, being the Eastern terminus for Florida's railroads, but for the rest of this time I'll mostly be running through major events and the major sites of interest for later Amelian history, up through early 2028. Now, Fernandina isn't the only town on Amelia Island. Most notable is Franklintown, which was founded as a black community outside Fernandina. Franklintown had been founded after the Civil War by freedmen, and stayed for nearly a century. They even had their own beach, American Beach as its later known. Founded in 1935, American Beach was the seaside destination for Black Floridians in the area. It was founded as a resort community by Florida's first black millionaire, A.L. Lewis, founder of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company. American Beach saw several famous faces through the decades; Zora Neale Hurston, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, James Brown, and more. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 desegregated public beaches, less black families sought American Beach as a destination, although it would become a place of protected heritage in history by the early 2000s. However, Franklintown itself wouldn't be so lucky. By the late 20th century, much of the land was seized for highway A1A, and hotels, forcing many of the families to move. By 2028, much of Franklintown and American Beach would rely on private wells and septic tanks, which would ultimately be a blessing in disguise.

In the late 19th century, Fernandina Beach was hailed as “The Queen of Summer Resorts", and saw many rich Yankees have their vacation homes in town, several of which still stood by 2070, but only one still stands as of 2278. In the early 1900s, shrimp catching became a major industry, after Sicilian immigrant Sallecito Salvador devised a new way to catch shrimp; use motors on your boat so you can drag a shrimp net across deeper waters. Shrimping would become a famous part of the island, holding famous shrimp festivals every May, with some guests deciding to stay and enjoy the island, even through to early June. Amelia Island's light house is the oldest one in Florida. Constructed in 1838, its light reaches out over 20 miles. As of 2001, the lighthouse came under control of Fernandina Beach, from the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard still controlled its beacon, however, which was very helpful in the days and weeks after the Vanishing, showing that there was still safe, existing harbors amidst the Green Wall. The Amelia Island Marina, later the Fishing Port, was the islands major site for deep going fishing vessels, dry storage containment, and all serious fishing needs. What was once the site of a popular hobby and past time on the island would prove to be a major lifeline by 2028 and beyond. Nassau Marine Terminal is perhaps the most important site outside the major mills, both before and after the Vanishing. It doubled as US Customs station, was a popular deep water port, and held over 300,000 ft² of warehouse space. The terminal handled ship traffic and trade from across the world, especially the Carribbean islands, proving a vital lifeline and proof that the island could have a potentially independent trade relationship if severed from the rest of the country. Amelia Island's independent sewer treatment and utility plants were instrumental to potential self-sufficiency, as was the Metal Fabrication plant at the north end of the island. By 2026, it even had a plasma CNC machine, and could weld and cut countless metals, proving a vital resource for future metalworking and construction across the area. The Amelia River Waterfront Park would prove a popular destination after its grand opening in April 2026, being a spot for live music and celebrations, it would be the spot for multiple momentous events after the Vanishing. As for local media, there weren't any movie theaters or tv studios on the island, only local community theater groups and some independent production companies run out of people's house, but the (relatively) largest one, although nobody knew it at the time, was WVOJ, 1570 AM. A local AM radio station which played regional Mexican radio hits by 2028, it was the only local mass media to survive on Amelia Island, and when more influential people figured this out after the Vanishing, the stations days playing Mexican music were numbered.

The Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport is another major cornerstone of the island. In WWII, a training facility serving for the larger nearby Naval Station at Jacksonville was developed. In 1946, it was given over to Fernandina Beach, and would become a reliever airport for flights headed to the larger Jacksonville airport. Needless to say, the night of June 6th to June 7th, 2028, was one of its busiest and most consequential dates of operation. That brings us to two of the most consequential places on Amelia Island; the WestRock paper mill, and RYAM. We'll cover the deeper ins and outs of company personnel of 2028 and beyondin due time, but to take RYAM first, it started as Rainier Pulp and Paper Company in San Francisco in 1926. It opened operations across the Pacific Coast, and used cellulose from trees to create a premium, bleached pulp for paper. In 1931, it would collaborate with Du Pont to produce rayon, and by 1937, would change its name to "Rayonier', as some clever wordplay, and would open the Fernandina Mill in 1939, acquiring timber stands in the southeast U.S. as well. In 1957, another mill would open in Jesup, Georgia, and in 1978, Rayonier would be purchased by ITT, becoming ITT Rayonier. Over the rest of the century, Rayonier would spread its business everywhere, acquiring timber rights in the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, and opening offices in Beijing, before being spun off from ITT in 1994. In 1999, HQ moved to Jacksonville, FL, to move closer to its main operations. In 2004, Rayonier became a real estate investment trust, figuring its land holdings could get it more money. In 2014, Rayonier split in two; Rayonier would handle real estate and forest resources, while the new RYAM would manage performance fibers division. By 2028, RYAM in Fernandina produced cellulose products like filters, foods, even pharmaceuticals. There's even LignoTech, which they collaborate with nearby to study producing bioethanols, which proved incredibly controversial and unpopular with Fernandina citizens in the 2020s when proposals for a biofuel plant in town got struck down in impasses in 2026. However, their dreams of local bioethanol production wouldn't stay dormant forever... WestRock, likewise, has its own complex history WestRock was founded in 2015 after a merger between papee/packaging manufacturers MeadWestvaco and Rock Tenn, the former being a merger between the Mead Coporation and the West Virginia Paper Company, or WestVaco, which each can be traced to the 19th century. WestRock was Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, near Atlanta, and in 2017, purchased the largest pizza box manufacturer in the U.S. The company would acquire several more companies and holdings until 2023, when WestRock and Dublin-based paper packaging company Smurfit Kappa agreed to a merger, becoming Smurfit WestRock in 2024. Now Smurfit had been founded in 1934, and had merged with Dutch company Kappa Packaging in 2005, becoming Smurfit Kappa. Admittedly, I've been dropping the Smurfit when referring to Smurfit WestRock, which I've been doing for two reasons, which really show where my biases lay. First, Smurfit sounds weird, it reminds me of the little blue cartoon characters the Old Ghentish crew loved before the Vanishing, so I can't take it seriously. Second, as you'll see later, I'm not the biggest fan of the Irish side of the operations. As oppressed and downtrodden as the Irish have been throughout history, you'd think Ireland, and later EIRA, would have a little better treatment of smaller, less fortunate communities after The Vanishing. Or perhaps future events are more a symptom of capitalistic values superseding human morality. Either way, I will usually refer to Smurfit WestRock as the American side of the merger, WestRock, for the time being, which won't matter for too long, because after the RYAM merger later, they become WestRYAM. Let's round out our extensive survey with an overview of Amelia Island' government as of early June 2028. There were 5 County commissioners for Nassau County, which Fernandina is the seat of, with 2 of them representing Amelia Island. John F. Martin, who represented District 1, aka Fernandina Beach, and A.M. "Hupp" Huppmann of District 2, which includes South Amelia Island. The 3 remaining district commissioners, including the Chair, represent the rest of the county, and would not survive the Vanishing. Fortunately, Martin was elected vice-chair, so he'll be the senior political figure between him and Hupp, and they'll have to answer for after the rug known as America gets pulled out from under them on the evening of June 6th, 2028. Franklintown, American Beach, and Amelia City are all unincorporated communites, and lack governments of their own. Fernandina Beach has several local government institutions, chief of which is the Mayor, C. Genece Minshew, and City Commissioners, who I won't trouble you with for 2028, since all would be replaced by the next year, except for Joyce Tuten. Another major figure to know is Sarah Campbell, City Manager, who has been very populwwill provide vital local leadership along with the other two in the years to come.

That sums of the winding, complex history of Amelia Island, the people, the companies, and the important fixtures of it by June 2028. I decided to be thorough, giving a grand overview of this all so you'll appreciate just how much this island's world will get flipped upside down by sunset on June 6, 2028, when most of the rest of the world simply Vanishes.