Nuclear Midnight

by Cole, Robert

  ‘You're fighting for yourself, Alex,’ she corrected. ‘You want to kill. You love it. You want to see them die. You don't care how many. Can't you ever think about life, about me, about the future?’

  ‘Don't be ridiculous!’ He turned away suddenly and walked over to the fire, feeling angry and not knowing how to reply.

  ‘Well I'm not going to watch you die,’ she called after him bitterly. ‘If we lose the battle, I'll return to the Welsh community and catch one of the boats for Ireland.’

  He nodded without looking around.

  ‘If you change your mind about the fighting, I'll be here,’ she added, striding off.

  He saw no more of her that night.

  The next day, at dawn, the column shunted forward on the last forty kilometre hop to the city. Alex was riding on the back of one of the Lorries, next to Cliff and Roy. Cliff had guessed from Alex’s face that the night before things had not gone well with Elaine. Roy, however, lacking Cliff’s perception, had asked bluntly what had happened. With equal bluntness Alex had filled in the main points of their disagreement.

  For Roy it had never occurred to him not to fight. The subtlety of Elaine's argument was therefore lost on him. ‘They want to wipe us out; we've got to stop 'em,’ was his verdict. As far as he was concerned that was the end of the matter.

  Cliff agreed with Roy, but he also understood Elaine.

  ‘I think she realises that you need to fight,’ he said. ‘What she's not so clear about is why you have to be in with the front line assault groups.’

  He was watching Alex intently when he said this and Alex knew it was a question and not an explanation. ‘I need to be in the front line,’ he said, frowning heavily. ‘I could never live with myself otherwise.’

  Cliff nodded; clearly he had expected this. ‘I guess I haven't been through the sort of traumas you have,’ he shrugged. ‘I haven't been interrogated, or had to watch helplessly as the people who have tried to help have been dragged off by the military. It doesn’t touch me nearly as deeply as it does you, but if Elaine were my girlfriend I wouldn't be in such a hurry to throw myself into the front line.’

  Cliff had had his say and never mentioned the subject again. His words, however, did not fade quite so quickly. They reverberated within Alex, setting up a doubt and conflict, which he could not easily resolve.

  At midnight two hundred men massed in a small valley, hidden between two long lines of hills. They had been divided into two squads. Jeff would lead the assault on the armament supplies with one hundred and twenty men and Terry would be in charge the remaining eighty men which he planned to split into two squads to blow-up the train links either end of section seventeen. Each squad was equipped with ropes, cutting equipment, explosives and a map of the city. In dry runs the plan had been practised many times. Two surface ducts would be dis-mantled and the men lowered down the shafts on ropes. When they passed near the position of disused tunnels marked on the map, they would cut through the shafts and enter them. The force would then divide to attack their assigned targets.

  Terry walked quickly up and down the lines of men, flashing his torch as they went. He had strapped to his waist his favourite hunting knife; hand grenades, a revolver and he had an automatic rifle lashed to his back. He radiated confidence and already he was looking forward to the spoils of victory. From Alex’s description, the city was the equivalent of a gold mine; it could be ransacked almost endlessly to provide all that would be required to rebuild the country. And he had every intention of being one of the leading architects of that new society. With this victory would come the recognition he so badly needed. No one need ever know about his pre holocaust days. So it was with pride that he strode along the ranks of all these men under him. Command seemed to come so naturally to him. He always felt cheated if he wasn't in control.

  The end of his parade brought him to Jeff, who was crouched over a map.

  ‘Are they clear on their orders?’ Jeff asked, without taking his eyes off the map.

  ‘Perfectly,’ Terry replied.

  Jeff grunted and put the map away. He stood up.

  ‘Well…’ he said, ‘ready or not we can't waste any more time. Give the order for them to move out.’

  Terry wheeled sharply round. ‘FORM YOUR SQUADS AND MOVE OUT QUIETLY,’ he called.

  The ranks closed, then bunched into two sub units, which quickly and silently began moving forward.

  CHAPTER 16

  Terry waited until the vibration of the train thundering along directly underneath had died. He flashed his torch on to his watch, then gave the signal to his men to start laying the charges. So far the operation had gone like clockwork. They had met no military personnel on the surface, the ventilation ducts were where they had expected them to be, and the disused tunnel system was at the exact depth specified on the map. They were still at full strength and on schedule. Yet not everything was going to plan. Most worrying had been the discovery that the tunnel system above section seventeen was far more extensive than the map indicated. Once the train link to the sector had been cut, the plan was quickly to seal all remaining points of access into the sector. But it was now clear that the map had only shown the larger tunnels. In fact, they were interlaced with a network of smaller passageways, any one of which could provide an alternative route into the sector for the military.

  The man in charge of laying the explosives called quietly, ‘What time delay do you want set on the timers?’

  Terry hesitated, again checking his watch. The other half of his command was at the other side of sector seventeen. The agreed time for detonating their charges was three o’clock. ‘Set the timer for ten minutes he ordered.’

  The man nodded, conveyed the message and hurried off. In the shadows Terry could hear him whispering harsh orders to his men. Soon everything was set and Terry led his troop to shelter some distance off, in case the shockwaves from the blast caused cave ins.

  As it turned out the blast made the whole tunnel system shake and brought down several roof struts near the company, but no one was hurt. Several seconds later an answering rumble indicated the other party had also been successful.

  The destruction of the rail link was the signal for Jeff to begin his attack on the armaments. Within minutes the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard coming from somewhere beneath them. It wouldn't be long now till the waking military realised what was happening. Terry called on his men quickly to complete their work. According to his map, three tunnels converged into one just before entering sector seventeen. His orders were to seal this tunnel as close to the sector as possible, but now also they would attempt to shut down as many of the smaller ones that branched off it as their limited supplies of explosives would allow. He led his men past the point of convergence until they were nearly over the sector. Here, finding an area where part of the roof had collapsed, he ordered some of his company to lay charges, while he took the rest further on. Each time they passed side tunnels men dropped back and began preparing for demolition. Within half an hour they had successfully sealed the main tunnel and eleven minor ones. But their explosives had run out with another four tunnels left open. Terry had no choice but to station guards at each of these to watch for signs of the military.

  Now all they could do was to wait for some news from Jeff. It came just before four o’clock in the form of a runner. He was completely exhausted and reeked of gunpowder and sweat, but his face told of a hard fought victory. ‘We've won,’ he said triumphantly. ‘We've sustained casualties, but we are now in complete control of the armaments.’

  The news was greeted with cheers and much excited talk. The men appeared to think the whole thing was going to be a walk-over. Terry had to growl at them to keep their voices down. Immediately he sent news of their success to the surface. Other men from his company were waiting at the top of the ventilation shafts with two way radios, precisely to relay such information back to headquarters.

  Below ground, Terry ordered his men
to resume their guard along the tunnel. This was the most difficult time, the waiting. Terry felt like a tightly wound spring ready to snap.

  ‘There's still no reply,’ said the radio operator, looking up.

  ‘Keep trying, keep trying,’ Marcus urged. He saw the pale faces of Dimintri and Matthew at the other end of the van and knew they were sharing his anxious thoughts. Sighing to himself, he walked over to a window and stared out into the blackness of the night. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming need to escape into that blackness. On impulse he flung open the door of the van and stepped outside. The night air was crisp and refreshing. A slight breeze ruffled his clothes and cooled his face. His watch showed five thirty. The military had agreed to meet the survivors at the main entrance to their city half an hour before. What could be keeping them? And what kind of brinkmanship could this be, putting the lives of so many people at risk? He found their behaviour incomprehensible. He only had to give the order and half the city would be destroyed. Dimintri and Matthew would have done it already, saying that a dangerous enemy needed to be given just enough rope to hang himself with. But Marcus still held out; he didn't want the deaths of all those civilians on his conscience. They may have been naive in turning a blind eye to the military's activities, but they were hardly collaborators. And who's to say the survivors wouldn't have done the same thing in their place?

  Frowning, he turned to look toward the east. It would be dawn in an hour. Already a faint glow of purple outlined the hills. He could just make out the silhouettes of the tanks of the Scottish community perched high up, like blunted serrations of a saw. Everybody was waiting; he had only to give the signal. What fools the military were. Did they think he was bluffing?

  Finally he could take it no longer. The dreadful possibility that something had gone wrong made it imperative that he should move. He strode back to the van.

  ‘We've waited long enough,’ he told the radio operator. ‘Give the order to destroy sector seventeen.’

  The operator flicked a few switches on his radio set and began relaying Marcus's instructions. Dimintri and Matthew came up behind Marcus.

  ‘You were both right,’ he said before they could question him. ‘We can't wait any longer. It could be a trick.’

  The operator turned back to Marcus. ‘They report that they can't reach Terry.’ He narrowed his eyes as he continued to listen to his headphones. ‘They say they can hear the sound of gunfire coming from some of the ventilation shafts.’

  ‘Gunfire?’

  ‘And explosions,’ the operator added.

  ‘Tell them to keep trying,’ Marcus ordered.

  ‘Yes, Sir.’

  Marcus turned to Dimintri and Matthew, feeling the perspiration prickling his face. ‘And tell all the tank units to move up immediately and cover all the entrances to the city,’ he added.

  For the next few minutes the radio operator was frantically busy. Marcus stood by the door of the van and stared out in the direction of the city. He felt totally useless; he had made a fatal miscalculation. He thought of the fighting that must be going on in the tunnels over sector seventeen at this moment. Now everything relied on the abilities of Jeff and Terry.

  As the dust and smoke cleared it was obvious that the roof had held. Terry swore viciously under his breath. The tunnel was too wide and too well constructed to be sealed with hand grenades. Without explosives, their hands were tied. Already the military could be seen creeping through the rubble toward them again. A few rounds were enough to send them diving for cover, but their answering volley was devastating; no one could hold out under that onslaught. Once more Terry and his men were forced into full flight.

  The confident Terry was now at a complete loss to know what to do. The military had burst out of two of the unsealed tunnels almost simultaneously. Nearly half his company had been cut down before he knew what was happening. From then on they had been forced back and back. Each time they made a stand they lost more men; now only a handful were left.

  They came to an intersection of three tunnels. Terry chose the most dilapidated of these, hoping to cave it in if the military followed. Driven by their own terror, they ran a long way before slowing down to listen for signs of pursuit. By now their strength was all but spent. The men collapsed where they stood, into the mud and slime, and lay there for many minutes, but there were no pursuing footsteps. Only the sound of water could be heard, as it spilled and gurgled its way from a hundred different cracks and crevices. Terry shone the beam of his torch over the roof and walls. Everywhere there were decaying props and cross-beams. They had been splashing through water for some time, now they could see that they had come to a halt on a spit of accumulated mud and silt between two pools. The impression was of workings that had been abandoned long ago.

  He shone his torch on the remainder of his men. Only six were left. Soaking wet, covered in mud and panting heavily, they were a pitiful sight. Their ammunition was almost exhausted; they already looked defeated and bewildered. But this was not the time to give up. Jeff, he knew, would have no qualms about blowing the whole place up if he was threatened. It wasn't a comfortable position to be in, to feel one was sitting on top of a huge powder keg. After giving his men a few more minutes to recover, he set off again at a rapid pace.

  For much of the next half-hour they laboured to clear a path through numerous obstructions. In places, the roughly-hewn floor dropped and they were forced to wade through evil smelling water, which reached to their waists. At other times a rock falls had all but sealed the tunnel and they had to call on more inner resources than they thought they possessed to dig their way ahead. But Terry remained cheerful; he thought he had found where they were on the map. According to him, this part of the system would eventually lead them to the surface over two kilometres away.

  After some time the tunnel began to climb steeply. The walls dried out and it was much less interrupted by falls. Further still, its shape began to change, becoming broader and higher, with thick, evenly spaced roof struts. Even lengths of electric cable and light bulbs hung from the rafters. There were also many more side tunnels, some of a considerable size. But along these tunnels they caught the faint sounds of gunfire and explosions. Terry called a halt and strained his ears to hear. The battle was raging somewhere behind and below them. Jeff must still be holding out against the military. He felt a pang of sympathy for him. Although the men he had with him were the best the two communities could offer, they lacked the enemy's sophisticated weaponry, and had had little training in small arms. Their resistance could only be temporary. With renewed vigour, he set off again, his men dejectedly tagging along behind.

  They had a sickening sense that he had little concern for their welfare. When they asked him where they were going, he seemed more irritated by them than anxious to explain. Perhaps he was as lost, as they were. But he had the map, and in the circumstances nothing would be served by their trying to strike off on their own.

  At another junction of several tunnels, Terry paused briefly, pointed to one and dived off down it at once. But by the time the rest of the company had caught up with him he had stopped again, and was staring at a wall of broken rock barring their way. The sight made him groan aloud. He sprinted back past them to the intersection and tried another of the forks. From this, too, he soon emerged shaking his head. The men watched him open mouthed as he waved them impatiently after him into the third tunnel and with a curse bade them follow.

  This tunnel climbed steadily upward in a series of sharp twists and curves, then straightened out. Terry was slightly ahead as usual as they rounded the last bend. Suddenly, with an exclamation, he halted and his torchlight played over the ground. They had stumbled on the bodies of a number of military personnel, recently dead, their chests ripped open by bullet wounds.

  Fifty metres further along, this tunnel, too, ended in a pile of broken rock and rubble. Against it, clutching at it, fallen before it, were all that was left of the other half of their company. They lay in the
attitudes of violent death, as though in the last few moments of their lives they had been trying furiously to burrow through that impenetrable wall.

  The men could not understand the scene at all, but Terry could, and all the energy seemed to drain from him as he stood aside, pressing one hand against his face.

  Eventually a spokesman for the others asked, ‘What does this mean, chief?’

  The man had to repeat his question before Terry looked up.

  ‘Can't you see what's happened?’ Terry demanded, in a voice surprisingly calm and composed.

  ‘No, you tell us,’ the man replied angrily. ‘You have the map and you know where you're leading us.’

  ‘Quite true, quite true.’ Terry shone his torch in his face. ‘Well, for your information, we are now at the other side of sector seventeen. This is the last of three tunnels leading out of the sector. It appears all three have been sealed by our dead comrades. Yes, my friends,’ he continued grimly, ‘it seems that instead of chasing us through some old tunnels, the military decided to travel straight through and attack Jeff. They must have found these men on the way. And, of course, there was no way out for them because they had already closed all the exits from the sector. Caught in their own trap, so to speak. Now do you understand?’

  ‘But there are probably some smaller tunnels they missed,’ one of the company suggested.

  ‘I didn't see any, did you?’ Terry answered casually. He gestured towards the bodies. ‘It's obvious they didn't either, or they wouldn't have been trying to claw their way out of here.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do about it?’ said another, a tall, scared looking man. ‘Where do we go from here?’

  Terry smiled at his serious expression. ‘Go’ he said. ‘We don't go anywhere. Even if we could dig our way out of here, it would take us hours. I reckon Jeff will be blowing up the dumps any minute now. Ironic, isn't it, we came through the holocaust only to be blown up by our own bombs! Oh God, it's so funny!’