“Sure, didn’t the girls tell you?”
“No one mentioned it to me.”
“We sure do. You have it over in your building. You saw the changing area. There are showers there as well,” he said.
“Good Lord, I’m going to go take a hot shower,” she said, getting up quickly from the table.
“What about you Randy? It will make a new man out of you,” Ben said.
“You bet,” Randy replied.
Randy let the hot water run over his upturned face. It felt unbelievably good. Such a simple pleasure. His tiredness seemed to ease away and run down the drain with the dirt and grime from days on the road. He washed his hair for the third time before finally turning off the water and drying off. He had brought in clean clothes with him and he changed into them. The old stuff he simply placed in a plastic bag and decided to throw it in the trash.
Standing there, refreshed, he realized how much better they had it than the pilgrims. They didn’t have ready built buildings, hot water, kitchens, medical expertise and transportation. Like everything else, they had it much easier than the first men and women to land on this continent and for that he was grateful.
He felt much better and had a new lease on life it seemed. It was amazing what being clean and having fresh clothes on could do for the spirit.
Rachel was having many of the same feeling when taking her shower. One thing she noticed immediately was that she had shed some weight. Maybe eight or nine pounds. She had toned up as well. She chuckled; it was one hell of a way to lose weight. She decided she couldn’t recommend it to any of her friends.
Her thoughts went from lighthearted to cold realization. She had no friends. None that were alive. She had Randy but that was out of circumstances more than anything else. When she finished she felt totally refreshed and she went back to the dining hall and found a large group had gathered once again. It was the one place they could all get together to talk about events and to socialize.
****
“I don’t know,” Ben was saying to Randy, “I understand what has to be done but just setting off seems kind of...risky.”
“I know but we have to start getting society back together again. If not, who knows what will develop?”
“But where? I mean where are we all going to meet, assuming you find a bunch of other survivors?” one of them asked.
“I don’t know yet. Where we meet is less important than making contact at this point. We need to give them hope that they are not alone and that we will all have to pull together to get back on track as a country.”
“That’s a great sentiment but we weren’t exactly together as a country before all of this,” someone added.
Most of them laughed. Not because it was particularly funny but because it was all too true.
“We have to try. It’s the only way,” Randy said.
“How do you propose we do this?”
“Kind of like a census. We collect pertinent information and where they are and when we get enough we can figure out where to bring us all together.”
“How many do you suggest we sent out?” Ben asked.
“Three teams made up of three men. Nine people in all.”
“How did you come up with that?”
“PFA,” Randy answered.
“PFA? What the hell is that?”
“Plucked from air,” Randy said.
“Great,” Ben replied.
“No, really. I think one team should go east through Pennsylvania locating mines. Another team should head south to West Virginia and the third team head to Kentucky. All three states are known for mining and caves. I think it’s our best chance of finding the most people in the shortest amount of time,” Randy told them.
“Why three man teams?”
“More protection if needed, more eyes and more brain power. Two can get on each other’s nerves fairly quickly. The third person adds a level of insulation. It offers a better total security package as well,” Randy added.
“What if we say no?”
“Then you say no. Rachel and I will just keep on going. It will take a lot longer and I really don’t relish dragging her along into unknown situations but if I have to, I have to,” Randy replied.
“So you are going to go regardless?”
“Absolutely. No offense to your group but I just believe it has to be done for everyone’s good,” Randy said.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Ben spoke up.
“I think maybe Randy is right. We need to fan out and find other people who have survived if we are going to ever get America up and running again. I, for one, am willing to go.”
A general muttering of agreement followed and Randy knew he had brought them over to his way of thinking. It also meant he wouldn’t have to drag Rachel into more dangerous situations. She could live like a human being again, at least for the most part.
****
They brought it up again at the evening meal and ended up with more people volunteering than they needed. It was decided that some of the key people should be eliminated from the selection process such as the electrician and mechanics. They were too valuable to the community to send off. They still ended up with sixteen people volunteering. It was decided that the only way to select people fairly was by drawing names which they did after the meal.
****
Rachel was despondent about not going but Randy explained the situation. Even so, she still felt like she was being abandoned by the only person she really knew. They decided that they would take the day to get ready and leave the following morning.
They spent several hours mapping out how they were going to spread out and what teams were going to cover what areas. The last thing was to decide when to meet back at the compound.
“Twenty-one days. Three weeks from tomorrow you all reunite right here,” Ben told the teams.
The following morning an incredible thing happened. The sun came out. When everyone got up the next day the clouds were gone and the sky was bright blue. Everyone rushed outside. People yelled and danced around. It felt so warm and it had been so long since they had seen the sky such a beautiful hue of blue.
“Man this feels good. Maybe we can get back to some kind of normalcy,” Ben said, peeling his shirt off and laying back in the sun. Most of the men were stripped down to their tee shirts or bare chested.
“This is a good sign,” one of the men said, sitting down and stretching out on the porch of the men’s barracks.
Randy was busy checking everything out on the Jeep. His major priority was getting on the road and finding other survivors.
“Relax man; enjoy some of this glorious sun. Who knows when we will have another day like this,” Ben said.
“I am enjoying it. I just want to make sure we have everything we need before I relax too much,” Randy replied.
Randy finished the checklist he had developed and came back to where the eight others that were going were laying around.
“We need to leave soon,” Randy said, taking off his cap and wiping his forehead.
“Ten more minutes. I want to soak up some of this sun. I had forgotten how good it feels. All I ever see is the damned black walls.”
“Ten more and we leave. Eric and Billy you guys are going with me. I’ve checked everything but we need to stop by the gate. I left a trailer with food and other supplies that the camp can put to good use. I also have a hell of a lot better guns than the ones you two have.”
“Hell, this .22 can knock a squirrel out of a tree at a hundred yards easy.”
“I have something with just a tad more stopping power than your .22. You can bring it along but I think you will want to trade when you see what I have.”
“Always willing to listen to reason,” Eric said. Billy just shrugged.
“Son of a bitch,” Ben said suddenly, jumping up.
“What?”
“Damn it. What the hell?” he said rubbing his face and arms.
“Shit. I’m on fire,” he y
elled and started brushing his body all over.
“Yikes. My arms are on fire too,” Eric added, standing up quickly and rubbing them.
Soon almost everyone was complaining and dancing around.
“What the hell is going on?” Ben said.
His face was bright red and his arms looked like he had soaked them in hot water. Everyone started to take on the same color of bright red.
“It’s the sun. We’re getting too much exposure,” someone said and they all grabbed shirts and hats and headed back inside.
When they all finally crowded into the dining room almost everyone looked like they had been in the sun for the entire day.
“Goddamn it. My face and arms hurt,” Ben said.
“Dr. Keller, I think it's sun poisoning,” Randy said, looking at Ben’s arm carefully.
“I think you’re right. Almost like radiation poisoning,” she said.
“Radiation?” several said, hearing her reply.
“It’s the ozone layer,” one man said and everyone in the room turned to look at him.
“Ozone layer?” someone asked.
“Ozone layer. Whatever caused this other shit to happen must have caused the ozone layer to change and it is no longer able to protect us. The sun is now just a deadly isotope of radioactive material and we no longer have protection against it.”
“How the hell do you know that?” Ben asked.
“Believe it or not I used to teach High School science. One of the only things standing between us and the sun's deadly rays is the ozone layer. Seems it can no longer protect us.”
Everyone sat, just looking at him. They were each lost in thought. There must have been a hundred questions they wanted to ask but they were too dumbfounded to even ask.
Finally Ben said, “Does that mean we can’t go outside anymore?”
“I don’t know how long this will last. The clouds we saw lasted almost a week now. Maybe this is temporary as well. What I do know is that you should limit your exposure to the sun as much as possible. Keep as much of your body covered as you can when you do go outside. I think you’re going to find that it is only going to get worse before it gets better.”
“If it gets better,” Ben said quietly.
This was a definite setback in plans. Randy was one of the few who had not been overly exposed. The back of his hands were red but very little else. He wrapped a scarf around his neck and got in the Jeep and drove back to the gate and retrieved the trailer. He brought in a huge quantity of medical supplies and turned them over to Dr. Keller and the nurse.
They postponed leaving until the following day assuming everyone was feeling well enough to travel and Dr. Keller gave them the okay to leave.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NORAD
“There it is,” Franklin said, pointing out the airport.
“Yep, I have it in sight,” Webber said.
“We’re getting ready to land,” Franklin told the three passengers.
Webber was busy lowering flaps, landing gear and reducing the throttles as he got ready to make the final approach. The plane touched down gently and lost speed immediately. Webber took the taxi strip to the service road and stopped the plane at almost the exact same spot they had taken off from five days before. They all climbed out.
“They must have gotten the Hummers running,” Franklin said, surprised to find one sitting at the hanger.
“Probably ripped out all the useless stuff and rebuilt it so it didn’t need any computer chips,” Webber replied.
“Still, damn fast work.”
“It will sure make things a lot easier,” the Colonel agreed.
The five men climbed into the Hummer and drove back to Cheyenne Mountain. Franklin parked the Hummer and the Colonel led them to the tunnel entrance. Three armed guards with M-16’s were standing there when they walked up.
“Halt,” a burly Sargent ordered. They all stopped.
“I’m Colonel Webber, we need to see General Martin immediately,” he said starting forward again.
The guards raised their weapons.
“Halt. If you advance further we have orders to shoot.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re Sargent Conrad aren’t you?”
“Sir, we have strict orders to arrest you and take you directly to the Supreme Commander of the Nationalized Military Forces,” the Sargent said.
“The what? What the hell is that and what the hell is going on around here?” Webber demanded.
“Place your weapons on the ground and stand away from them.”
Webber just glared at them.
“Now Colonel. I will shoot if necessary,” Conrad said, raising his weapon to his shoulder.
“Sargent, when this is over I am going to tear someone a new asshole. You had better hope that someone isn’t you,” the Colonel said laying the M-16 and sidearm on the ground. Go ahead men, do as he says for now,” Webber told his men.
“What’s going on?” Lieutenant Fargo asked.
“I’m not sure but someone is going to answer for this and it ain’t going to be pretty.”
“Hold your hands out with them clasped,” the Sargent ordered.
Webber was doing all he could to maintain his composure. No half-assed Sargent was going to treat him like this and live to tell his grandchildren about it. Asses would be kicked and pay grades lost when he was through.
The guards placed plastic cuffs on the five men. Webber didn’t protest any longer. He would get his chance when the time came. They were escorted down the tunnel and to the office of General Martin. His nameplate was missing and a neat but obviously hand lettered sign said ‘SUPREME COMMANDER – NMF’. The Sargent opened the door and went inside, leaving the five men with the guards. Webber could hear them faintly through the door but couldn’t make out what was being said. The door suddenly opened.
“The Supreme Commander will see you now,” the Sargent said to the Colonel and ushered him in. The others were left waiting.
“What the hell,” Webber exploded.
Sitting behind General Martin’s desk was the Master at Arms, Lieutenant Donnelly.
“Colonel Webber. Glad you made it back safe and sound. We were starting to wonder what happened to you,” the Lieutenant said, still sitting.
“Lieutenant you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do and I damn sure want to know what the hell is going on. Where is the General? Who the hell is the Supreme Commander?” he demanded.
“Colonel, you will lower your voice and show more military respect for me. I am the Supreme Commander of the National Military Forces,” Donnelly replied.
Webber just looked at him like he had lost his mind.
“I see, and how did you come about such a lofty position? I do believe you were nothing more than a snot nosed Lieutenant that didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. In five short days you are suddenly the …whatever the hell you call yourself.”
“Supreme Commander,” Donnelley yelled, jumping up from his seat and pounding his fist on the desk, “I am the Supreme Commander and you had better start replying in the proper military vernacular when addressing me.”
His face had turned so red that it was starting to take on a purple hue. He took a deep breath and dropped back down in his chair.
“Any more disrespect to this office and I will have you taken out and shot. Do..You..Understand..Me...Colonel?” he said, spitting each work out like it left a bad taste in his mount.
“And you listen to me. I left on a mission to find out if our Government was still intact and I don’t think your position as Supreme Commander will last very much longer.”
“What? Why? Isn’t everyone dead?”
“Not in the least. Most of the top people, including most of the top brass at the Pentagon survived quite well. We lost a few Senators and some house members but for the most part they are still in complete control. If you had of taken the time to ask me about what was going on, you might have saved your ass.
I have three men from Washington, actually the Pentagon Situation Room, that are with me. They are to take back a readiness report ASAP,” Webber said.
He was bluffing but he needed to buy some time to think of how he could end all of this.
“You have people from Washington with you?”
“You can see for yourself. They are waiting for us just outside that door.”
Donnelley sat, rubbing his chin with a distant look on his face. Webber could see he was trying to think of a way out of the situation he had created.
“Where is the General?” Webber asked.
“No longer here.”
“No longer here? What does that mean, exactly?”
“We held an election and he was voted out of office.”
“Donnelley, tell me exactly what you have done and how this came to be,” Webber said.
“Martin was losing it. He started spouting off about it being the end of the world as we knew it. The men were starting to get really spooked. I...we, thought the part about the end of the world as we knew it was probably true. I broke out the firearms and held the General as prisoner until we had an election. I was voted in office and the General was suddenly without a job. I offered to let him remain as my assistant but he refused.”
“So you decided you would now create the new position of Supreme Commander. And you decided to change the name of the military branches as…what did you say it was? National Military Forces?”
“More or less. The men picked the name.”
“And now you have another small problem. The men that came with me from the Pentagon are going to know our situation and I am expected, no, directed to fly them back to Washington by tomorrow at the latest. The Pentagon is already making plans to send a full reinforcement complement here. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is on its way already.”
“But how did they survive? Isn’t everyone dead?”
“Hell no. We stopped in Columbus, Ohio and West Virginia and found people all over the place. The attack came from the United Arab Liberation Army. They had been developing a secret weapon for some time and they dropped ten of the devices. Only two actually worked. All most all of Colorado was wiped out and Indiana and Iowa took a pretty big hit as well,” the Colonel said.
THE END - Book I - Of THE EVENT SERIES Page 20