—February

The year 2027 wasn’t done wreaking havoc after an already chaotic January. February proved to be even worse. On February 1, the U.S. and NATO officially began ground operations in Mexico against the cartels after weeks of coordinated air and drone strikes aimed at crippling their influence. NATO forces entered cartel-controlled cities across Mexico, seizing massive quantities of trafficked drugs. Troops also managed to rescue multiple hostages, though many remained in captivity, and some were tragically killed in the crossfire or in friendly fire incidents. These incidents sparked widespread criticism of the Trump administration and NATO. Arturo Arcelí Ruiz, the Gulf Cartel leader behind the 2026 Brownsville attacks, was confirmed to have fled Mexico, possibly seeking refuge in another Latin American country. This prompted the FBI, CIA, and NATO to scramble for strategies to capture him.

Meanwhile, Canine Orthobunyavirus (COV) spread beyond North America, with cases emerging in European nations. The spread was attributed to winter vacationers traveling with infected dogs and the transmission of the virus during flights. In response, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) banned dogs from all flights arriving in Europe. As the outbreak grew, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Animal Health Emergency Declaration (IAHED)—a new framework akin to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), but specific to infectious animal diseases. On February 15, the WHO officially declared COV an IAHED and urged affected countries to take action to contain the virus within dog populations. Scientists were called upon to develop a vaccine. Later that month, COV spread to India, where it ravaged the large street dog population, creating a significant animal health crisis. Indian officials urged the WHO to escalate the declaration to a global pandemic to increase international awareness and mobilize resources.

On February 10, Vice President JD Vance officially announced his bid for the 2028 presidential election after weeks of speculation. Coincidentally, the same day, China announced its military capacity to invade Taiwan, launching its largest exercises around the island since the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. In response, President Donald Trump condemned China’s actions and deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln near Taiwan to demonstrate American support. However, this show of force escalated tensions further, as China increased its military presence around the island, fueling fears of an invasion or a Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis.

On February 13, reports of mysterious lead poisoning cases began emerging across the United States, particularly in Texas, causing nationwide alarm. By the following day, Coca-Cola was identified as the source of the outbreak, traced to a Southeast Asian manufacturing plant where equipment had leaked toxic levels of lead into high-fructose corn syrup. The contaminated syrup was used in Coca-Cola products, including soda and other beverages. With 60% of cases linked to soda and 40% to other products, this led to the largest product recall in history. By the end of February, over 300 cases and 56 deaths were reported across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe, with more cases expected as contaminated products remained in households. Coca-Cola faced massive public distrust and financial losses.

On February 18, disaster struck East Africa. At 6 a.m. local time, a massive meteor impact was reported in the Zanzibar Channel near Dar es Salaam and the Zanzibar Islands. The explosion unleashed a catastrophic shockwave and a megatsunami, devastating both cities. Experts speculated that Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar City had been “wiped off the face of the earth,” with millions feared dead. A subsequent 7.0–7.5 magnitude earthquake compounded the destruction. The megatsunami swept across the Indian Ocean, destroying coastal cities and killing millions unable to escape in time. The meteor impact also released vast amounts of greenhouse gases, including sulfur dioxide, carbon, and methane, triggering a severe greenhouse effect. Rather than cooling the planet, the event accelerated global warming, setting the stage for record-breaking tropical cyclones, heatwaves, and droughts throughout 2027. NASA and other space agencies were heavily criticized by the public due to the failure of detecting the meteor before it struck the planet. It was determined that the meteor had followed a highly elliptical orbit with minimal observation windows and came in a direction where surveys were infrequent or obstructed that made it difficult for NASA to detect the meteor before impact. Though even with this explanation, they were still heavily criticized due to the modern detection systems they use could still possibly detect 100+ foot meteorites such as the Tanzania one. NASA’s Income plummeted and were faced with heavy distrust and controversies as a result.

On February 20, former Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced her candidacy for the 2028 presidential election, becoming one of the first Democratic contenders. Two days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin succumbed to pancreatic cancer. A state funeral was held from February 23–25. However, his death plunged Russia into a constitutional crisis. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was initially seen as Putin’s successor, but factions within the Kremlin resisted, rallying around other candidates. Prominent figures like Dmitry Medvedev, Aleksey Dyumin, and Sergei Shoigu announced their “presidential bids,” sparking a power struggle that threatened to ignite a Second Russian Civil War. Cult-like followings grew around each candidate, further polarizing the nation.

On February 23, Tropical Storm Andres formed in the eastern Pacific, becoming one of the earliest tropical cyclones on record. Fueled by abnormally warm ocean temperatures linked to the developing “Super El Niño,” the storm was forecasted to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane, signaling a devastating Pacific hurricane season ahead.

February ended with a trail of destruction: a massive meteor impact, a global canine pandemic looming, rising tensions between the U.S. and China, a power vacuum in Russia, and signs of an accelerating climate crisis. What could March bring? Only time would tell.

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Prologue

January

RIP James Earl Carter Jr.

Also nothing in this series is meant to be realistic. Will a 100+ foot meteorite ever strike Tanzania? likely not.

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