Lt. Rollins came around the arch and beckoned the group forward, “Please follow me.”
He opened the door behind the archway which led to a downward escalator. The group lined up behind him and took their turn getting on.
Raiya hesitated as she stepped forward, “What is this?”
Jagger offered his hand as she stepped on, “They’re mechanical stairs. This way we don’t have to walk all the way down.”
She ignored the hand and peered into the darkness ahead of her, “Why is it such a big deal to walk down?”
“Dunno… maybe it’s a long way?”
“We also use this as a service entrance.” Lt. Rollins said. “We couldn’t rig an elevator down here, so instead we put this in. It’s not much, but it makes carrying heavy supplies down here a little easier.
Everyone stood in darkness as the escalator took them down the underground passageway. There was nothing remarkable to look at. The tunnel was drilled out of solid rock, obviously very quickly. The walls were rough, but wide enough for the group to pass through without having to duck.
Recessed lighting in the floor and ceiling came on as they reached the base of the passageway. A glass door stood about twenty feet away as the group stepped back onto solid ground. A small keypad rose from a small recess next to the door with a red light on top.
Lt. Rollins input his key, and then pressed his thumb against the red light. The light turned green and made a buzzing noise. It slowly began to recede back into the ground as the doors opened.
Raiya’s eyes widened as the group was led into a massive underground cavern. The whole thing was illuminated by recessed lighting. To the left, there appeared to be offices, control consoles, as well as a network of tunnels and rooms, each with specific labels on them, detailing their purpose. One had a red sign on it that read ‘science division.’
Why can’t he just take us there? Raiya thought to herself.
To the right were large gardens, enough trees to make up a small forest, and row upon row of what looked like wheat and corn. This was a perfect setup for Fort Charleston and explained how they’d been able to survive.
People in special gear tended to the plants. Some were pruning leaves while others focused on turning soil. An overhead irrigation system provided rainwater to the plants.
Lt. Rollins smiled as he turned back, “Welcome to the American Remnant Force’s Central Command.”
Raiya stepped forward and looked at the forest in amazement, “How is this even possible? Was all this here before the dragon attack?”
Lt. Rollins beckoned them to a small lift with yellow handrails. Once they were all aboard, Rollins pushed the ‘down’ button. He turned and looked out at the forest, “It took us almost ten years to do this. When the war first began, we did everything we could to create sustainable resources that would allow us to hold our position. After losing field after field of crops to a dragon attack, we decided to attempt to create an alternate option.”
He pointed up to the ceiling, “We began using our military equipment and ordinance to carefully carve out a massive cavern under the city… a sub level if you would. Once we had the cavern built and stabilized, we added full spectrum, recessed, fluorescent lighting to keep plants alive. Environmental controls keep the plants watered and the temperature just right. We then moved our engineering and science divisions down here and carved out full facilities for them to use.”
“How do you keep this place running?” Jagger asked.
“It’s a combination of solar energy from recessed panels on the surface, but also large fuel cells like the one that powers your jeep. Our cells are rechargeable, and thus we have an almost inexhaustible power supply.”
“Why haven’t the coalitions ever thought of any of this?” Jagger asked. “Our forces still try to keep our forces fed with farms above the ground. They just do the best they can to fend off dragon attacks.”
“We have shared our technology with the coalitions.” Rollins replied. “However, things like this take considerably time and resources and aren’t always possible.”
“Do the civilians live down in those tunnels?” Eric asked.
“No, they live on the surface. There simply isn’t enough space to accommodate them down here.”
Raiya’s eyes narrowed, “Where do they live exactly?”
“Well technically there are no civilians here.” Rollins said. “We each serve a purpose to aid in the military effort.”
“Yes… I saw your child soldiers on the surface.” Raiya said in a low voice.
“Such is the reality we live in. It’s not something we ever wanted to do, but as we’re running short on soldiers, we’ve had to call up a few younger recruits. However, to answer your question, the civilians live in small encampments that are closer to the shore.”
Rollins continued to beckon them forward, “Come, we have rooms set up for you in a place that may make you feel more comfortable.”
He led the group to the other side of the cavern where another lift was waiting. The yellow handlebar was in its raised position, waiting for them to board.
Rollin’s got everyone on and flipped the switch to bring them up to level two where an elevator was waiting for them, “So Jagger, what’s your story?”
“My story?” Jagger asked
“You said you were former Westcon. Never heard of anyone leaving their post.”
“He didn’t leave his post.” Raiya hissed. “He was forced out.”
“Oh, excuse me.” Rollins replied defensively.
Jagger nodded, “Raiya saved my town. She fought back a dragon and forced it to flee.”
“So, what happened?” Rollins asked.
“Paranoia happened… a mob accused Raiya of bringing that dragon down on our town because of… well just because of how she looks. I was also blamed because I brought her into the town. It didn’t even matter that she’d saved them from the damn dragon. So, we left New Framingham.”
Lt. Rollin’s eyes widened, “New Framingham? Shit…”
“Yeah why?”
“Jagger… you mean you don’t know?” Rollins asked.
“Know what?”
Raiya placed her hand on Jagger’s shoulder. This was a scene she’d been witness to many times before. Rollins sighed and gave Jagger a sympathetic look, “We lost contact with New Framingham about 8 hours ago. Our scout fighters arrived on the scene roughly thirty minutes later. All they found was rubble, ash, and a lot of burnt bodies. We didn’t detect any survivors.”
Jagger leaned backwards. He looked like he was going to be ill and fall off the lift, “They’re all dead?”
“It looks that way…”
Eric frowned, “I’m sorry man… –What about the surrounding areas?”
Rollins took his helmet off, revealing short, red, hair. He scratched his head as he looked at them, “No report of any attacks outside of the city. It looks like the attack was fairly localized.”
Jagger turned to Raiya, “Could they have been looking for you?”
“Maybe…” Raiya replied. “After the way that dragon lord reacted. He probably went back and reported what he saw…”
“And they attacked in force… Jerry… that son of a bitch was right.”
A hurt look appeared on Raiya’s face, “I’m sorry…”
The lift reached platform two, where Rollins tapped on the wall panel. The up arrow lit up momentarily as the door opened. The group filed in as Rollins turned to the keypad on the wall.
Eight small circular buttons were recessed into the cold steel plating. The bottom one read ‘CC’, which Raiya assumed meant ‘Command Center,’ while the one next to it read ‘G.’ The others were labeled with numbers going up to six.
Jagger remained silent as Rollins pressed the ‘6’ button and the doors closed. Raiya kept her eyes on him as the sounds of working machinery filled the small chamber. Though she maintained a stoic outwardly appearance, inside she felt horrible. Were they right to fear
her? Had she somehow brought those dragons down on those poor people? Was she responsible for ruining Jagger’s life?
Raiya’s heart sank as she was forced to ask herself the question she feared most; did Jagger blame her? She wouldn’t blame him if he did.
Her left cheek flinched slightly as she watched him, fighting back a tear. Clearly deep in thought, Jagger was worlds away. Likely he was burying the people he knew, metaphorically speaking. She bit down hard on her lower lip as her chest began to ache. I’m sorry.
It had been years since she’d sympathized for anyone. She’d seen many people cut down, but they weren’t people she knew or cared for. Most of them were like the people of New Framingham that cursed and scorned her.
Jagger was different, he’d stood up for her, defended her, and even gone along with her despite not being asked to. He never once grimaced at her appearance, nor did he make any comments about it other than genuine curiosity. She’d only been around him for a few days, but he was her friend. She actually wanted to be there for him.
The sinking feeling inside made her sick. She hated it. No doubt this was the down side of having a partner or letting someone get too close. Eventually it would wind up hurting.
Ding!
The elevator opened on the sixth floor, interrupting Raiya’s thoughts. Rollins stepped out and beckoned the group forward. Jagger’s jaw dropped as the group stepped into the room, “Whoa…”
In front of them was a massive suite that was above ground. They were a few stories up above the ground. The windows looked out on the city on all sides, giving them a view of everything. The furniture looked brand new and was actually clean. In fact, everything was a clean. It was all white with black accents. The floor was white and black tiles, the counter top was black granite, and while the chairs were white, the padding material was black.
In the middle of the room, on a large table, was a meal that looked big enough to feed ten people. Jagger’s mouth watered as he looked at the massive spread. Everything from a roasted chicken, to beef, to meats that Jagger had never even seen before had been prepared for them.
Rollins nodded, “This is where you’ll be staying for the duration of your visit. We hope that you’ll enjoy your time here. Food has been prepared and an assortment of clothing has been left in each of the rooms. Feel free to help yourselves. Something is bound to fit each of you.”
Jagger turned back to Lt. Rollins, “This is how you treat every random wanderer who shows up at your gates?”
“Absolutely not.” Rollins replied. “This was at the personal request of Dr. Castillo himself, otherwise you likely wouldn’t have made it through the front door.”
“How does he know about us?” Raiya asked.
Rollins shrugged, “The man has access to the city surveillance system. With the CSS, you can literally see anything going on throughout the fortress. No doubt he saw you pull up and took an interest in your… appearance.”
“No doubt…” Raiya replied.
SHOOOOOOOOO!
“What was that?” Eric asked as he ran to the window.
“F-18 fighters. They’re returning to base, likely from a counter attack on the dragons that tried to give us trouble.”
Jagger turned back in surprise, “You have an airfield here?”
“No such luck.” Rollins replied. “We have a small landing pad for choppers and transports, but nothing a fighter could use… no they’re going to the Truman.”
“The Truman?” Jagger asked.
Rollins pointed to the window on the opposite side. Both Eric and Jagger out to see where the fighters had gone. There, they could see what looked like a massive flat field that had been attached to the nearby dock with a building sticking out of one side.
Eric looked back, “What you mean that dock is a runway?”
“That’s no dock.” Jagger replied. “That is an aircraft carrier.”
“Wait… that thing is an actual ship?”
Rollins nodded, “Yes sir, the USS. Harry S. Truman, CVN 75, Nimitz class U.S. Naval carrier… probably the last of her kind.”
Eric’s eyes were wide as he pressed his face against the glass in awe, “You mean people made ships that big?”
“Yeah.”
“Can she sail?” Jagger asked.
“She hasn’t in a few years, but she’s quite capable of it.” Rollins replied. “I don’t know for certain… but think our naval brass are too worried about sending her out at this point, given that she’s important to the city’s defense. Right now, she serves as headquarters for our military command and our airfield. A lot of our older officers feel safer on her than they do in our command center.”
Jagger’s eyes narrowed as he watched the fighters land, “I thought planes couldn’t land on a docked carrier?”
Rollins smiled, “You know your history, very good. It’s true, a conventional jet fighter couldn’t perform the landing while their carrier was at anchor. The ship can’t meet the wind-over-deck requirement. That’s why most of our planes have been replaced with vertical takeoff and landing fighters. We’ve also installed special turbines on the sides of the flight deck to generate the necessary wind for the fighters that don’t have that capability.”
“I see…”
Rollins stepped back into the elevator and pointed to a small panel on the wall that looked like the old radio in Jagger’s jeep, “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call us. In the meantime, try and relax. Dr. Castillo is a busy man, but he’s punctual. He’ll be by to see you early tomorrow morning. Sleep well.”
“Are we safe up here?” Eric asked.
Rollins nodded, “Perfectly. This entire building is concrete with fireproofing reinforcing the exterior. The windows are ballistic glass with a flame-resistant coating. This place took on an elder dragon’s flame and is still standing, so don’t worry about it.”
The elevator door closed as the group sat down to eat. Eric smiled, “Well at least they’re treating us okay.”
Jagger nodded, “Yeah but I don’t think we should stay here a second longer than we have to.”
“Are you all right?” Raiya asked as Jagger sat down in one of the chairs.
“I can’t believe it… New Framingham had over two thousand people living there and the dragons just… just…”
Raiya sat down next to him, “I know…”
“Jerry, Mariam, John… everyone’s gone. I just can’t believe it. They took me in when I fled to them from my home. I was the only one to make it. I can’t believe they’re all gone now. It’s just…”
“I’m really sorry Jagger.” Raiya said as her voice cracked.
Jagger looked up at her, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Raiya was a bad liar as she knew it. The look in Jagger’s eyes told her that he didn’t believe her nothing, “Tell me the truth.”
Raiya sighed, “You can say it. I won’t get mad.”
“Say what?”
“That Jerry was right about me. That it’s my fault everyone’s dead. Had I never gone to your town, they’d all still be alive.”
Jagger reached out and touched the clawed finger of her right hand. “Look, it’s not your fault. You can’t help who or what you are. All you wanted was something to eat. That’s not a crime.”
“Jagger’s right.” Eric interrupted. “Besides you don’t know that they were looking for you. They attacked once before they noticed you were there, right?”
“Yes…” Raiya replied.
“Well then likely they just wanted to finish what they started. If anything, you just postponed them from getting wiped out sooner. New Framingham isn’t the first town to fall, you know? There’s no reason behind why or when the dragons attack.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier.”
Jagger nodded, “No I know… it never does. Just look… this was not your fault, it wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”
“Well… except the dragons.”
Eric said. “I’m pretty sure we can justify blaming them here.”
Raiya looked into Jagger’s eyes, “Are you okay? I know that’s a lot to take in.”
“I’ll be all right. Why don’t we all just get some food, huh?”
“Sounds good.”
Chapter 9
Jagger laid back on the firm mattress. He’d taken up residence in the bedroom closest to the window. If a dragon planned on attacking the city, Jagger wanted to know about it. Despite Lt. Rollin’s assurances, he didn’t feel particularly safe high up in a building. He’d seen dragons accomplish what should have been impossible and had learned to expect anything.
The suite was essentially a massive living room with a kitchenette off to the side and a bedroom in each corner. He wasn’t certain that he could sleep, so he watched the city lights as they flickered on and off. He’d never seen anything like it before, not even in New Framingham. This was a massive city, a modern miracle that shouldn’t still be standing, but thanks to the steadfast stewardship of its inhabitants, they’d managed to make it almost impervious to dragon attacks. Rubble from the old city still lined the streets, and several buildings were damaged, but the city still stood.
Jagger’s eyes began to flutter and he could finally feel himself slip into his dream world. The mattress was as comfortable as the one back home. He hadn’t slept very well since he’d left and his body was practically forcing him out of consciousness.
A knock came at the door as his eyes closed. He sat up, clad only in a white cotton t-shirt and boxers that he’d found in the drawers, “Come in.”
Raiya stepped into the room, rubbing her arms. She was wearing a dark night dress with black lacing on the seams. The outfit hugged her hips and almost seemed like it was made for her.
“That dress suits you.” Jagger said.
Raiya’s arms were crossed with her hands rubbing her upper arms. Her breathing was slightly erratic. Something was clearly bothering her, but she remained silent as she stood at the doorway.
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 11