Nuclear Winter

by Td Barnes

  Under these conditions, SGM Weston insisted that his being the oldest made him the logical one to venture outdoors to replace the destroyed motion detector and camera located immediately outside the entrance to the mountain. An argument ensued whether the older sergeant major should go or should a younger, more agile soldier.

  “Suppose something happens to the one going. Suppose he slips and breaks his leg or worse yet, tumbles down the mountain and kills himself. We need to preserve our youth, so being older, I am the logical one to go,” he argued.

  Bradley felt the sergeant major’s knowledge and experience to be more valuable, but gave in to his argument and selected him to take risks. The radiation experts concluded that he could be outside for up to 30 minutes without sustaining a fatal dosage of radiation provided he wore a first defender suit and hood.

  Supported by a machine gun and two snipers inside the mountain entrance, he stepped out the door into the haze and light snowfall, looking like an astronaut to provide eyes to the mountain, a visual means of seeing conditions outside the mountain.

  ****

  T plus nine months.

  Bradley waited in the Command Center for the cue signaling for his appearance. In the tunnel outside the Command Center alcove sat a podium adorned with the American flag and the blue state flag of Nevada chosen by the committee to represent the new Mountain Command. He listened to the sounds of the residents of the mountain arriving and finding a place to watch the proceedings.

  Weston took the podium and brought the crowd to order, this being Bradley’s cue to enter. He stood up and checked his camouflage utility uniform before briskly exiting the Command Center to approach the podium.

  “Attenchut,” the sergeant major bellowed to those packing the tunnel in front of him. The military personnel briskly jerked to attention with their weapons at their sides. “Port arms.” The military snapped their weapons in a position diagonally across their chests with the muzzles pointing upward to their left.

  “Present arms,” he bellowed when Bradley approached the podium. The troops snapped their weapons to the vertical salute position in from of them. The officers alongside the rostrum area rendered and held the hand salute position.

  “As you were,” Bradley said when he reached the podium and greeted the troops.

  “Order Arms.” The troops snapped their firearms to their side. “Stand at ease,” the sergeant major bellowed. The military returned their weapons to their side and took a more relaxed position.

  Bradley waited until the military completed this protocol before facing the entire populous of the mountain. The officer staff stood to his left. The enlisted personnel stood immediately in front of him, and those awaiting honor by this special ceremony stood to his right. He thanked his officers, the enlisted men, and the rest of the residents for their attendance.

  Addressing everyone present, he said, “I am sure you have heard the scuttlebutt of our officially becoming a colony. I at this moment declare this body the Mountain Colony in the Jackass Flats Territory under the Mountain Command.”

  The entire populous excitedly expressed their approval with the degree of enthusiasm about him declaring statehood or announcing they could safely leave the mountain.

  He waited until it quieted down a bit and turned to face Weston. “Sergeant Major Weston, front, and center,” he commanded. The sergeant major looked surprised while he stiffly marched to a position in front of Bradley and pivoted to face him. “Sir,” he said.

  Bradley stepped up to the sergeant major. “Sergeant Major Jack Weston,” he expressed in an official tone. “You risked your life and health last August 7 while exposing yourself to potentially lethal consequences to installing detection instruments vital to the security of your contemporaries at the mountain Colony and Command. For your exemplary and commendatory deed conducted without regard for your personal safety, on behalf of the Mountain Command, I present you with the first-ever Mountain Command commendation for valor. Thank you for your service, Sergeant Major.”

  The colony clapped their hands, and one of the sergeants yelled a loud “HOOAH” that others in the military section echoed.

  “Thank you, sir,” the sergeant major said while he and Bradley exchanged salutes. He pivoted and marched back to his position while barely concealing his surprise at the award. He turned back towards the podium where he nervously shuffled his feet and glanced towards the XO in embarrassment at the attention shown him. She smiled reassuringly back at him and resumed facing the podium to observe the event.

  Bradley returned to the rostrum where he continued. “We started a military training program three months ago, that has involved each of you in one way or another. Twenty members of our colony volunteered to serve in our military branch. I am proud to report that they are graduating from the basic training phase of their military career and we will recognize them today. We will also identify four new officers who are today graduating from their officer-training course. It is my proud honor to commission them second lieutenants at the mountain Command Army.”

  He turned back to the new officers and said, “Leadership is a gift that is rarely easy but is always rewarding. People will criticize you if you are the one stepping up, making the calls, enforcing discipline, making sure people meet standards, and making sure the mission is done. Deal with it. Carry out the tough decisions. Make the hard calls. Make your NCOs make the hard calls and make your troops carry out the hard calls. A good leader takes the time to get to know his people. You cannot lead them if you do not know their stories. It is that simple. Moreover, bold leadership sometimes means taking a step back and letting others under your command shine. Everybody who has ever worked for you is better than you are at something. Your job is to encourage that and develop it and to give them free rein. Every now and then, step back and lead from behind. You become the cheerleader."

  ****

  New Life

  T plus 10 months - three days.

  The last time that the full membership of the colony had met occurred when it witnessed the graduating class of military officers and the honoring of Sergeant Major Weston. Typically, the leaders of the colony used digital means or the intercom system to pass messages or connect directly with the members of the colony.

  Today was different, a full colony meeting occurring near the center of the tunnel, required the members to either walk or ride their bicycle up to two miles to attend.

  They did so with excitement, the entire colony walking and biking through the tunnel at the same pace while conversing with one another, children and pets playing. The whole colony assembling made it a special occasion for them and especially for the children something out of the ordinary to provide a spark of life and excitement to their otherwise routine lives.

  By the colony living three separate shifts, some considered it morning, others evening, and those on a day shift thought it merely an ordinary time.

  Many members of the colony arriving at the alcove set up for this special event saw this being an opportunity to see others not seen for quite some time. They herded the children into the mess where they played while the grownups exchanged stories and visited about the community dances and other social events.

  This being a special assembly somehow raised the adrenaline levels fo where everyone became more professional. The sounds of the children greeting one another and their parents reminding them of this not being the time to play carried through the tunnel.

  One little boy sneaking his puppy into the mess whispered loudly to stop his dog from barking at the playing kids. For a moment, everyone heard the Riley child crying and its mother quietly consoling him.

  “Good morning or evening everyone. Please listen up,” the Sergeant Major bellowed to quiet down the group before him. Fold up chairs accommodated the entire adult contingent that included anyone above age 12 years.

  Robinson and Stacey Bradley stood beside him. Bradley and the officer staff stood along the west wall the main tunnel outsi
de the central mess alcove. The smaller children quieted down inside the mess to enjoy a treat prepared by the cooks.

  “We have designated ourselves the Mountain Command; however, we are still citizens of the United States. Please stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America and remain standing for a moment of prayer,” he said.

  Everyone stood and engaged in the ritual of recognizing their nation and their God. They sat down and resumed small talk at a low volume while the sergeant major, mayor, and Stacey conferred among themselves before proceeding with the meeting. One could see and feel the anticipation and excitement of the crowd while they waited.

  “Is everyone here?” Weston asked the group in general. The crowd took this to mean the start of the meeting. The visiting stopped while they gave the sergeant major their full attention.

  “I have a list of those on duty or sick call,” Stacey told him.

  “Fine. We will schedule them for another session.” He raised his voice to get the attention of the colony. “Listen up everyone. You will love today’s topic. We will talk about sex.”

  Most of the teenagers grinned and a couple of the soldiers shouted out a loud HOOAH. Weston, Stacey, and Robinson exchanged smiles. He chuckled and whispered to them. “It looks like morale is high, and our youngsters are horny.”

  “Okay, knock it off,” Weston said to the audience with a mischievous grin.

  “HOOAH.”

  Weston ignored the second Army expression of high morale, strength, and confidence. It pleased him that the man powered the yell with an overwhelmingly proud and unusually loud tone of voice that expressed the freedom of voice. It fit the tone of what he intended to say to the Jackass Flats survivors.

  Weston turned toward Bradley and the other officers. “Thank you, sir, for this privilege of addressing the command.”

  Turning to his audience, he said, “Colonel Bradley declared us being the Mountain Colony of the Mountain Command of the Jackass Flats Territory a little over a month ago. If it were not for our mountain, none of us would be alive today. Since that time, our leader and those representing every faction within this mountain have worked diligently to establish how we will continue into the future. We may never know the madness that placed us here. It clearly demonstrates the existence of the world that lacked the organized social systems that formed the United States of America. We have seen the results of modernized anarchies and tribal groups influencing superpowers to act their alter egos. We have a choice of an open future like ancient Athens or a closed one like Sparta. Our recovery, either way, depends on the emergence of totalitarianism from the ashes of the once-free world. We will remain in this mountain for years to come, so forget about the democracy that you once knew. We can only survive if we have a strong military to defend us once we emerge from this mountain to rebuild. Democracy will return, but not in our generation or the one to follow.”

  It remained deathly silent in the tunnel except for the children playing in the mess alcove and sounds of air rushing through the ducts overhead. The audience hung onto his every word. He continued.

  “Only with our military having broad powers to handle the crisis may enlighten humanitarianism emerge from this mountain. We are ten months into an authoritarian political system, and you have seen that it works for us. We have survived and may safely sleep at night, even not knowing what monsters are lurking outside our door.”

  Another HOOAH erupted into an inspirational surge of clapping, whistling, and catcalls of the agreement.

  “I thought this to be about sex,” someone yelled to which everyone laughed.

  “Keep it zipped,” Weston shot back in a same tone of camaraderie. “We’ll get to the sex in a moment. It is important that I lay out the reasoning our leaders used for what I am going to say about the subject you appear so eager to discuss.” He laughed.

  “Judging by the number of young ladies I see in the audience showing a degree of pregnancy, perhaps our sex talk is a bit too late.” He received a few snickers and friendly boos to that.

  Everyone quieted down when he continued. “President Wilson once said, ‘A leader’s ear must ring with the voices of the people.' I assure you that our military leaders here with us today do share that belief.”

  He paused and looked towards the military contingent for emphasis. The rest of the colony followed his gaze.

  “Bear with me a bit folks. Becoming a military-based society must be a drastic culture shock for some of you. Some of you may believe that the military caused us to get into this mess, but that is not entirely true. Greedy politicians seeking power and radical religious fanatics demanding compliance to their radical beliefs are responsible for bringing our planet to its knees. Politicians controlled the military in almost every nation on earth. A civilian is our commander in chief. The congress and senate are civilians and are the ones who start wars, not the military. We merely say yes sir and march off to die for our country in wars in which the military has no control. The military has fought for your freedom ever since George Washington fought at Valley Forge. Our greatest treasure is freedom — the absence of restraints on our ability to think and to act.”

  “HOOAH.”

  Weston glanced towards the interruption. “The corollary of freedom is an individual responsibility. We believe in the power of the individual. History moves forward freedom because of the desire for freedom. Written in every human heart is freedom, but only while he or she expresses devotion to liberty in the heart of their actions. Freedom is the capacity for self-determination. It is not an entity, but a condition. Freedom can expand, yet so can it contract. We do not have a constitution for the Jackass Flats Territory; however, we will not tolerate subjugation or anything that might endanger our sovereignty. While we might govern ourselves a territory, our allegiance will continue to be to the United States of America. Be assured that we are not the only survivors. Someday we will reunite a nation. It is the responsibility of our leaders to prepare the command for the future. Be assured that is the focus of this meeting.”

  “HOOAH, Sergeant Major.”

  “HOOAH for sex.”

  The entire colony sensed the sergeant major's completion with this topic and laughed at the rowdy soldiers standing up to clap wildly in agreement with the inspiration and assurance of well being that his message inspired in them. Both Stacey and Robinson ignored the crowd to hug the sergeant major while Bradley marched over to shake his hand.

  Weston quieted down the audience where several wiped their eyes tearing with emotion. It probably brought memories of the past for some and for others an inspired hope for the future. It pleased Weston to see the latter.

  “I will not be providing you dimwits with what I know about sex,” he jokingly said, while looking in the direction of the latest outbursts. “For that, I grant the podium to our first lady, Stacey Bradley."

  Stacey waited until the exuberant applause stopped and everyone took their seats. Weston joined Bradley and the others standing by the tunnel wall.

  Stacey wore the combat uniform like the others. She removed her Kevlar and laid it at her feet. “My — we have a rowdy group today, don’t we? You stuck me with this job because of my being a liaison between the civilians and the military, a job that you also stuck me with when we first came to the mountain. I am afraid the sergeant major expanded the envelope of the message when he said it is about sex.” She glanced over to a couple of pregnant ladies sitting on the front row. “It is obvious that sex is well known here at the mountain as the sergeant major said. We will address sex today in relationship to how it will affect the future of the Jackass Flats Territory once we leave the mountain. Sex does play an important, but not the most important aspect about what I, we wish to talk.” She swept her hand to indicate her speaking for all the leaders of the colony.

  “As the sergeant major said,” she continued. “We are no longer the democracy you have known. You have integrated yourself into various new occupations and area
s of responsibilities on your own since entering the mountain. Some of you have chosen to become cooks, some agriculturists, medical, teachers, etc. You have grown to support the military one way or another. This is good, very good. I will not dwell on that this evening. I want to talk about the women in this colony instead.”

  This extracted another HOOAH, but mostly from the female soldiers. Everyone laughed.

  “Go, girls,” Stacey said to give a stamp of approval for their happiness, but outspoken participation. “This is a difficult topic for me,” Stacey said. “Our Congress allowed women to vote in the United States after the American Women Suffrage movement in 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment gave you the right to vote, and it has been uphill ever since. Only in the last few years have American women managed to break through the glass ceiling in the workforce.”

  Stacey paused to look into the eyes of the women in the audience. “Circumstances have placed you in the arena of responsibility to rebuild the human race. Unfortunately, the dudes among us cannot bear children, so henceforth; it is your duty and honor to make babies. I stress the word honor. We will afford any female among us carrying a child with utmost respect and care henceforth. The once popular concept of keeping women barefoot and pregnant will not be our attitude or policy.” She smiled and continued on a light note, knowing that what she said might be true. “We assure you that you will not be barefoot.”

  The colony laughed at her inference of keeping the women pregnant, but not barefoot. The otherwise serious tone of her voice and the subject matter suppressed any reaction from the colony.

  “Now for you guys,” she continued. She glanced at some of the men and grinned mischievously to lighten the seriousness of the topic a bit. “We girls know that it is a man’s nature to want to screw anything he can.” This brought forth a few nervous laughs from both sexes.