“Okay,” he said. “Follow me.”
The three looked around as they walked down a long corridor, past a couple of dozen open rooms.
If they were expecting lush accommodations, they’d have been disappointed.
The facility was bare bones and no frills. Unpainted walls, uncarpeted floors, not a painting or decoration anywhere.
Captain Edwards couldn’t help but think this would be a terrible place to spend three years or more of one’s life.
It looked more like a prison than a shelter.
The people they passed eyed them with equal parts curiosity and resentment. Some still looked angry for having been herded out into the cold, and obviously blamed these men for it.
They were herded into a sparsely furnished room with a simple nameplate on the door.
LESTER G. MANNIX
General, USAF
Air Force Chief of Staff
This room, unlike the others, was decorated but barely so.
An unframed public affairs poster of the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds flying their red white and blue F-16 jets past the Statue of Liberty was taped to one wall.
An unframed photo of Mount Rushmore adorned the other wall.
Apparently the general was a minimalist.
The three visitors walked to a point just in front of the general’s desk and assumed the position of attention.
Colonel Leatherwood saluted for them all.
“Sir, Colonel Leatherwood and party report as ordered.”
Mannix returned the salute and stood.
“At ease, gentlemen. Introduce yourselves, please.”
“Sir, I’m Leonard Leatherwood, the new base commander. This is Dave Smith, my deputy. I believe you’ve already met Captain Edwards.”
“Hmmm, yes indeed. He led the crew that broke into my bunker and forced me out into the cold.”
Edwards flushed red and wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
“Oh, don’t sweat it, Captain. You were just following orders.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“Colonel Leatherwood, do you know why I’ve called you here?”
“No sir. Not exactly.”
“I called you here because your predecessor made a career-ending blunder. He decided it was a good idea to overrule a decision by our Commander-in-Chief and Joint Chiefs of Staff to house our continuity team on your base for the duration of the freeze.”
“Yes sir.”
“I want to make sure you don’t make the same mistake.”
“Yes sir. I mean no sir. I mean, I won’t sir.”
“Very good. I want you to do four things for me.”
“Yes sir.”
“First, since whoever discovered our bunker couldn’t keep his freakin’ mouth shut, it seems everybody within a thousand miles knows we’re here. I want you to post sentries outside the bunker door twenty four hours a day, regardless of weather conditions, to make sure no one tries to evict us from our shelter again.”
“Yes sir.”
“I want you to direct the base civil engineer to patch that hole he put in the south end of our structure. And I want it completed within seventy two hours. If it’s not completed within seventy two hours I want him dragged before me to explain why.”
“Yes sir.”
“There is a convoy of trucks on its way from Washington with furniture and supplies for the bunker. We were going to spirit them in and out of here at night, but since our cover is blown that no longer matters.
“The weather has delayed them considerably, but they should be here sometime tomorrow. I want them escorted to the bunker. My people will offload them.”
“Yes sir.”
“How many is that?”
“Three things, sir.”
“Good. I like colonels who can count. How many things did I tell you I had for you?”
“Four, sir.”
“Okay. Item four is this. I will have my executive officer report to your office at fourteen hundred hours daily. You will block out that time on your calendar and meet with him each day. He will tell you of any assistance we may need. In turn, you will tell him of anything going on at the base which might affect my operation.
“Any questions?”
“No sir.”
“Good. Is this your first base command?”
“Yes sir.”
“Congratulations. You’ll hate every minute of it.”
He turned to Captain Edwards and said, “Captain, who are you bringing to see me next?”
“The Staff Judge Advocate, sir.”
“Very good. The new magic number is thirteen. Got it?”
“Yes sir.”
“Anything else from any of you?”
All were too intimidated to reply.
“Good. You men are dismissed.”
-41-
Captain Edwards was back at the bunker two hours later, this time with Captain Augustus Perry in tow.
“This is Captain Edwards to see General Mannix.”
“Hold on a minute. I’ll get him.”
“Welcome back, Captain Edwards. My number is seven.”
“My number is six, sir.”
Perry gave Edwards an inquisitive look.
“Don’t ask,” Edwards whispered.
The door opened and the same three men stood in the same positions beyond it.
This time the short man didn’t look at the visitors with any particular suspicion.
Edwards had thought to tell Perry to remove his jacket and to leave it in the car.
“Follow me, gentlemen.”
They were led to the same stark office, although Edwards noticed the general had decorated since his previous visit.
There was now a photo of his family adorning the corner of his desk.
It was the only thing on the expansive desk, and looked rather lonely.
Since he outranked Captain Perry, Edwards reported for both of them.
“Sir, Captain Edwards reports as directed.”
As he spoke he snapped a sharp salute. The general returned the salute and said, “At ease, gentlemen. Please take a seat.
This time Mannix stood from his chair and walked around the desk to shake Perry’s hand.
It was a courtesy he hadn’t afforded Colonel Leatherwood or Lt. Col. Smith and Edwards wondered why. Then it occurred to him a man in the general’s position and with his experience was probably a good judge of human character.
Leatherwood and Smith tended to send off vibes of incompetence and timidity. Perhaps Mannix read them and decided instantly he didn’t like them.
Captain Perry, on the other hand, had a reputation as a fine attorney and excellent prosecutor. He exuded self-confidence and got things done.
The general seemed to like him immediately.
Edwards wondered what the general thought of him.
“Augustus is a name you don’t hear much anymore,” Mannix said as he shook the captain’s hand. “My grandfather was named Augustus.”
“Mine too,” Perry said. “I was named after him.”
“And I’m guessing a lot of people call you Gus.”
“Yes, sir. Even my wife did, before she passed.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Any objection if I call you Gus?”
“No sir, none at all.”
“Let me explain my situation, Gus. The people you see in this bunker are part of the continuity team that is going to rebuild the United States government after the world thaws out again.
“Attorneys tend to be a bit smarter about the constitution and the workings of the federal government than the average Joe.
“Can I assume you know about the continuity clause in the constitution?”
“Yes sir. It is incumbent upon the Executive Branch to provide for the continuity of the United States in time of war or national emergency.”
“Very good. You quoted that almost verbatim.”
“I studied constitutional law in law school.”
“Excellent. So you more than perhaps anyone else on this base understands why this bunker was built, why we’re here and the seriousness of the crimes committed by colonels Wilcox and Medley.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And for the record, Gus, I’m neither a blind nor an unreasonable man.
“I can understand the anger felt by both men when they felt we were only out to protect ourselves from the freeze.
“And their anger would have been acceptable, if only they’d left it at that. But they went further. They let the word get out about the bunker when they should have kept a tight lid on it. They should have realized from the way it was built in secret that it was a highly classified project.
“Instead they let the word get out and let a mob gather. A mob with torches and pitchforks and guns who were just itching to murder every living thing inside this bunker.
“And if they’d done that… if they’d murdered all of us, they’d also have doomed the United States of America. For we’d have absolutely no chance of getting this country running again after the thaw.
“You see, Captain, every person in this bunker was specially selected for their abilities. Every man is either at the top of the food chain in his respective area of expertise, or possesses the corporate knowledge we need to reconstitute the federal government.
“We’ve got the top experts in transportation, procurement, business relations, finance and a thousand other areas. And yes, we brought our family members in here with us. But they perform an essential role too.
“The suicide rate among men who’ve lost their families in this country is over sixty percent. Were you aware of that, Gus?”
“No sir.”
“It’s true. Most men who’ve lost their families to the freeze or to violence no longer wish to live. We could have left our families out there, but most of them wouldn’t make it without our help.
“We’d know that and it would eat on us. And more than half of us would likely find ways to end our own lives.
“And that would make it impossible for this great nation of ours to recover.
“Do you understand where I’m coming from?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. It’s imperative you understand. Because when you prosecute this case, you’ll not only have to convince the panel of the importance of our being here, you’ll also have to convince them we didn’t build and occupy this bunker out of malice or self-preservation.
“You’ll have to convince the panel, and the base populace, that we did nothing wrong. That we had the continued success of the United States at heart. And that it was our patriotic mission to be here. Can you convince the court martial panel of that?”
“Yes, sir. I believe I can.”
“Good. There’s something else I want you to do.”
“What’s that, sir?”
“This is a time of national emergency. We are under martial law. The death penalty is authorized by the MCM for treason under these circumstances.
“I want you to seek the death penalty. I want those two traitors lined up in front of a firing squad and shot for all the world to see. I want to make sure no one else gets the itch to try their folly again.”
-42-
While Edwards and Perry digested his words General Mannix crossed the room where seemingly his office’s only amenity sat on a table.
He popped a pod of Folger’s into the Keurig and pressed the button without even asking how his visitors liked their coffee.
Mannix was a man used to giving orders, and quite comfortable in doing so.
If he wanted his guests to have black coffee in its purest form, with no additives or flavors, then that’s the way they’d have it.
He took each captain a cup in plain white ceramic cups.
“Gus,” he continued, “This is a good-sized base. No offense, but I was surprised to see a captain running the SJA office. I’d have expected a colonel or a light colonel to be in charge over there.”
“There once was, sir. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Clark. He was shot while gathering food at a truck on the interstate. They found his body two days later. No clues, no suspects.
“Major Stoner shot his whole family and then himself.
“Major Bennett resigned his commission when the thaw came and walked back to Seattle to see if his family survived. I hope he made it. He was a good friend.
“Like it or not, sir, I’m it. Unless you want to bring in an outside prosecutor. But I assure you I’ve got over a hundred cases under my belt with a better than average conviction rate. I’ll do a good job of it if you’ll let me.”
“I get that sense about you, Gus. And I know you’ll give it your all.”
He turned to Captain Edwards and asked, “And what about you, son? Do you think I’m going a little overboard for wanting those men executed?”
Edwards hesitated.
That was enough to imply he has some reservations about the general’s plans.
“Let me make myself perfectly clear, captain. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve sent men into battle to die. Hell, I’ve sent men on what amounted to suicide missions, because their deaths were not as important as the success of the mission.
“I’ve sacrificed a few lives to the greater good: the saving of many more lives.
“I would give my own life in a heartbeat to help preserve this nation of ours.”
He repeated part of the statement, a bit slower, for added emphasis:
“In a heartbeat.
“Our mission was almost destroyed because somebody took it personally. They let word leak that there were a bunch of hoodlums and scallywags holed up in a bunker, living the high life, while everybody else was struggling just to keep from freezing or starving to death.
“And if that weren’t bad enough, they led an assault on the compound and tried to put us on trial.
“I want to send the strongest message possible that such actions are not to be repeated.
“Letting them off with a slap on their wrists will not send that message.
“Sending them to Fort Leavenworth Military Prison for a couple of years, or even longer than that, will not send that message.
“Having their hearts explode by the impact of five .556 bullets from a firing squad, and letting the base populace watch as their lifeless bodies crumple to the ground… not that will send a proper message.”
“Yes sir. I suppose it will.”
But Edwards’ face belied his words.
Mannix went on.
“Captain, you may not agree with me. You may even think I’m a madman.
“And you’re free to feel that way, as long as you don’t voice it out loud. This is America. We’re all free to think what we want.
“I think what those men did was treasonous.
“Never mind what’s going to happen to them. Think about what would have happened to the United States if they had succeeded.
“If they’d had us arrested this bunker would have been overrun by the base populace. They’d have looted it not only of our supplies but our food stores as well.
“We’d have been acquitted. Our court martial panel would have seen to that.
“But it would be too late. By the time the bunker had been cleared it would have been useless. All the supplies and provisions guaranteed to keep my people alive to reconstitute the government after the thaw would be gone.
“We no longer would be protected from the freeze. We’d have to fend for ourselves like everyone else.
“Would we have made it?
“Some of us certainly would have. I certainly would have. I wouldn’t let any sissy freeze keep me from saving my country.
“But in the end we’d lose people. An awful lot of people. Only fourteen percent of United States citizens survived the first freeze.
“That’s a truly dismal percentage, and it should be even higher this time.”
“But sir… I thought this freeze was going to be shorter.”
“And by the way, there are no more meteorites coming after this one.”
“I don’t understand, sir. If his freeze is going to be shorter, why do you believe the casualty rate will be higher this time?”
“Because before Saris 7 struck it was all over the news the freeze would be seven to ten years. It was a long time, but those people who thought they were tough enough to survive it had a goal to reach. They knew how long it would be.
“They sucked it up and dealt with it, and fourteen percent of them persevered.
“This time it took the general public by surprise. They didn’t know it was coming.
“This time they don’t have a clue whether it’s going to last for six months or six hundred years.
“And there’s no way to get the word to them.
“Most of them will take their own lives. They won’t want to sign on for an open-ended ordeal. They’ll put a gun in their mouth and pull the trigger.
“They’ll give up.
“The same thing would have happened to my people if they’d been kicked out of the bunker and forced to survive on their own.
“Sure, they’d have the advantage of knowing when the thaw was coming.
“But that wouldn’t put food in their bellies. That wouldn’t give them a warm place to sleep at night, where they could go to bed without having to worry about the fire going out while they slept and freezing to death.
“If that had happened… if we were kicked out of this bunker and forced to fend for ourselves, think of the consequences.
“If I lost ninety percent of my people, how in the hell could we reconstitute the federal government?
“Without ninety percent of our corporate knowledge, our technical experts, we’d be dead in the water.
“And the United States of America would cease to exist.”
-43-
It wasn’t all bad news.
Not everywhere in Texas, that is.
Final Dawn: Book 12: Where Could He Be? Page 14