Protocol One

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Are you better?” Tony asked as he entered my room. “Or do I still suck?”

  “Both.” I stood from the bed. “Look, I don’t want to fight. I don’t. So, please, other than because I said so, can you explain to me please, why we can’t help those people in town? We have plenty.”

  “Yes, we do. We have plenty for our survival,” Tony said “And you know what? We have plenty to help a family, and maybe even a family after that. But where does it end? When do we draw a line at what cuts into our survival. Everything here, Anna was done to prepare us for the long run. To hold us over until we are self sufficient. We cut into that, we cut into our insurance. Did you ever hear the expression 'don’t feed the strays'?”

  “That is cold.”

  “That’s the truth. We hand out, they’ll come back. If they know they can get it, they’ll not do for themselves. Then what happens when we turn them down?”

  “That family, Tony. It could have been us.”

  “It wasn’t. And you can’t feel guilty because you have and they don’t.”

  I sniffled.

  “Are you sick or are you crying?”

  “Neither. I’m cold.” I walked over to the chair and grabbed the worn, but thick gray and black striped hooded sweatshirt.

  “Did you know every time you wear that, Peter brags that he gave that to you?”

  “He did.”

  “He still brags.” He stepped to me and pulled the hood over my head, pulling the strings.

  “I’m sure I look like a dork right now.”

  “A cute one.” Tony held on to the draw strings. “Listen to what I am going to say. So I don’t sound cold or like a dick, or that I suck. Time has taken us past the point where we can just wave out our hand and say, 'join us’. Time does damage and makes people desperate. Now, you can argue that it is all the more reason to help them, and I will argue that it is a mistake. We have it good. People would kill... and I stress kill to have what we have. If we just let anyone in, we chance having the same thing happen that occurred with the fire hall people. I know you feel bad. But you can’t save the world.” He walked over to my brandy and poured me a glass, handing it to me.

  I thanked him and said, “Don’t you want to try? If not the world, then just a speck of it?”

  “No, I don’t. I worry about you and my daughter. Your safety.”

  “What about her future?”

  “That too.”

  “Then you don’t care if all she knows is these walls. These kids in the bunker with her. You don’t want her to experience the world out there.”

  “Not if it means her safety.” Tony replied.

  “But if we help people …”

  “Anna…”

  “Listen to me. If we help people, we can get them strong enough to rebuild this world right along with us.”

  “I hear you. I do and that … is a great idea … but. It has to be executed correctly. In order to even help a speck of the world it has to be done right. There has to be a process, a standard we set. A way we handle the help. All of which would include having enough to help. That would include more hands on. We don’t have a lot of us. The more outsiders we bring in, the more chance we take of losing control of what is ours. This is ours, Anna. It is not unrealistic to believe there will be people who want to take from us, over and over. And we don’t have the manpower to fight a big takeover. If we go out there with care packages, eventually someone is gonna search out where they came from.”

  “So let me get this right. You’re not really cold and heartless. You really would want to help people if you had the means and the muscle of protection behind you.”

  “Absolutely. And a place to put them, because this place will get tight. I’m not giving up my space.” He took a sip of my brandy and handed back the glass. “Sorry, I like our joined rooms.” He winked.

  “Okay.” I stepped back and walked to my dresser. “I’ll be back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  I lifted another glass and the bottle of brandy. “I need to talk to Gil.”

  Tony crossed one arm over his waist and looked at me.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Should I be worried? I mean, you’re taking booze and are dressed seductively in that ugly hooded shirt.”

  “No worries.” I crinkled my nose.

  “Anna …” He called before I left. “No matter how drunk you get him, you won’t get him to side with you on this one.”

  “Oh, I’m not going to get him to side with me. I’m going to convince him to stay.” I headed to the door.

  “Okay. Now I am worried.”

  Booze in hand, I smiled and left and sought out Gil.

  He was on the third level of Hive One. Peter told me he was in his room.

  When I arrived there his door was ajar. I called out and walked in.

  “Hey,” he said. “This a surprise. That’s a good look for you.”

  “I brought you a drink.” I closed the door using my foot.

  “You shut the door. Are you seducing me?”

  “Tony thinks I am.” I poured him a drink.

  “Even better.” He took the glass. “But I must tell you, Anna, you don’t need to get me drunk.”

  “You’re a married man, Gil.”

  “Anna, come on. You know that marriage was a political move.”

  I gave him a closed mouth smile and clinked my glass to his. “Sorry I said you suck.”

  “You’ve said worse in twenty years.”

  “I have.”

  “I heard it was pretty ugly out there for you.”

  “It was.”

  “Maybe you should leave.”

  I exhaled and sipped. “Gil …”

  “You know I had this fantasy that you were gonna come back and say you thought about my offer. That you were absolutely in love with me and would go anywhere with me.”

  “Gil.” I looked at him seriously. “I will always love you. That will never change. You have a special place in my heart that no one can touch.”

  “Even Tony?”

  “Even Tony.”

  “Are you in love with him?” he asked.

  It took a few seconds for me to take a sip and then I answered. “I don’t know. I do care very much for him and very deeply. Enough that I won’t leave him.”

  “Figures.” Gil downed his drink and poured another.

  “Gil, you had to figure eventually I would move on.”

  “Yeah, but it took the world to end, Anna.”

  I laughed, then turned serious. “I need to ask you something and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me.”

  “This sounds serious.”

  “It is.”

  “Do I need another drink?”

  “Perhaps.”

  He grabbed the bottle and splashed some in both of our glasses. “Ask.”

  “It’s a two part question. I didn’t say anything when Tony mentioned it, but I am doing so now. Do you have all that stuff that Tony said you did? The food storage, fuel, water, and whatever?”

  “Anna …”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Second part. Was he right on what you wanted to do with it?”

  “I’m not a monster, Anna.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “You know me, I have always been prepared. I have always been infatuated with these things. I... had this vision that with my advanced knowledge of the needs, I could get ready for the end. I would have everything needed to rebuild society the way it should be redone.”

  “So you did have the idea that you would rise from the ashes, extend your arms to the starving masses and say, ‘here I am, I give you food and shelter’, bow to me?”

  Gil curled his lip and grunted. “Anna, come on. You make it sound so evil and dark lord like. Yes, in a sense I would draw them in but only to create a long term functioning society.”

  “That you’d run.”
>
  He didn’t answer, he took a drink.

  “Doesn’t the government have a similar plan?”

  “Ah, yes they do. Sort of. It’s a very structured continuity plan. It could fail because they favor those who can contribute more.”

  “How long will the government’s plan take to initiate?”

  “At least six months to a year. They’ll start out with food depots which will cause riots. People will be huddling around a truck to get one MRE or a gallon of water. And then fighting when it’s gone. It won’t work. You have to build a society with people who want to build it with you, not those who are afraid to live without your help.”

  “How about your plan? How long would that take?”

  “Everything is set in a chain. You go to one facility, get what you need to get to the next. To be operational and ready, three months tops. Remember, my plan doesn’t involve a huge cabinet of decision makers warm and cozy in a bunker.”

  “Oh, yours is simple. One dictator to say what happens.” I said with sarcasm. “How many people do you think you can recruit as opposed to the government?”

  “Recruit?” He laughed. “Get. Save. Help. Whatever you want to call it. Lots. I would hope.”

  “Do you plan on overthrowing the government when it rises from the ashes, or do you plan on being the government they have to bow down to?”

  “Anna …”

  “So, are you gonna put your own food trucks out there?”

  “Um, no. My plan was to go out and entice the survivors. I have means to build an initial above ground shelter, then use those people to build another and so on.”

  “Rise from the ashes with wide open arms.”

  “I have known you for twenty years and I can honestly say this is the first time I can’t read you. Are you making fun of me or hating me?”

  “Neither. I am …” I spoke soft, and maybe seductively on purpose as I poured him more brandy. “Giving you your fantasy.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Stay Gil. Don’t leave. Stay here. Do your plan. However you see fit, but you do it from here. It was so bad out there. People are dying. And this … this is just a small, tiny dot of what is left. I don’t care how you go about it, but I don’t want another child to die out there if we can help them. Is this a way to help them?”

  “It is. Why …why are you so passionate about this?”

  “Because I lost a child and so did you. I need a reason to focus. I need a cause and I don’t want to live in a bunker with twelve people. I want to live in a world filled with people. That... is living.”

  “It’ll take time, Anna, and rules. Are you sure?” he questioned.

  “I’m sure. Just get on it now.”

  “Tony is not gonna like this.”

  “Yeah, he will. Once he sees the good in it. So …are you going to Texas? Or are you staying here and doing this?”

  “Oh, I’m staying.” He raised his eyebrows a few times. “I’m definitely staying.”

  “Then here’s to our starting a new future.” I lifted my glass to his.

  “Things are going to get interesting.” He stepped closer to me, brought his glass to mine and smiled. “Here’s to a new future.”

  49 – A New Hope

  FOUR MONTHS LATER

  March 1

  Things took longer than Gil’s optimistic, no longer than three month time frame. But in order for it to work, it had to be set up and initiated perfectly.

  Spencer found a purpose. He worked with Gil and Ben on trips. To my surprise, and it should not have been, the first hidden depot with fuel, trucks and building supplies was located outside of Louisville. It also had four more men that were part of Gil’s plan.

  They didn’t expect his initiative to start until the year mark. Spencer said Gil merely told them he had great incentive.

  We couldn’t leave and begin the project until the shelter was built and enough supplies were moved to our location. It wasn’t supposed to be the main location, but it was.

  Ideally, as far as weather went, it wasn’t a good choice. We were in the middle of a mini ice age, as Peter explained it. We made contact with the space station that sent pictures down for our viewing.

  It looked like the earth wore a white beanie.

  We were at the tail end of that beanie. The pictures were breathtaking. However, we weren’t moving. I found it hard to believe that there weren’t people alive and struggling up north. Not everyone was able to go south.

  It was still early.

  The weather was screwed up. Because we were already submersed in cold, there was no real defining winter. We did get snow. Not much though and that was a blessing. Peter made his prediction that our summer would run from July to September and maybe we’d hit fifty degrees. That was this year. There was hope for next year. Year Two after the comet, we would start planting.

  Melissa had her interior farm growing pretty well. In fact we had surplus and started using that obscene amount of left over aluminum foil to wrap dehydrated vegetables and put them in cold storage.

  The entire project, which we would forever call Protocol One, was mapped with strict rules, regulations and guidelines to follow as far as who we let in.

  It had to be that way. Six months had passed since the comet struck earth. That was a lot of time to build bad feelings and desperation in people. Although, I still believed there was a lot of good left.

  Tony told me I all but gave my blessing to Gil to live out his lifelong fantasy of being a dictator and ruling the world.

  Not the world, just the country. I was fine with that as long as we did it for the good and didn’t take a dark turn.

  Tony was doubtful that the project would even get a foothold. Me, I was confident because I gave a very ambitious man an even more ambitious project.

  I did win one argument.

  In the rare joint effort guidelines set by Tony and Gil, we went into Elwood City and brought back twenty-six people.

  I wouldn’t use the word rescue, because they were alive. They were cold, starving and some were actually pretty sick. Four of them died from complications of some sort of virus. But that was a lot less than would have died if they had stayed in Elwood.

  We retrieved them and kept them on the third floor of Hive Two. They were under surveillance and medical watch. Skyler, while not qualified, gave them psychological evaluations and just to test them, Tony made each one of them spend two hours alone with Peter while he talked about constellations.

  A mental endurance experiment.

  I thought that was mean and disrespectful to do to Peter. After all, he was a brilliant scientist. He didn’t mind though. He got to know everyone and even made a friend of a young man who was a science enthusiast.

  The good news was, for the most part, the ill recovered and were an active part of our project just in time for the first Christmas.

  I didn’t know how that would go considering we were up to eight children. Six of them were still the Santa phase.

  But we took Christmas back to the old days. Where it was about the spirit of it and had real meaning. Nelly made candy for the kids and Duke along with Skyler and one of the Elwood City men, went into town and scavenged for toys. They got a few that weren’t destroyed.

  It was a good first Christmas.

  I still missed my son horribly, and thought of Jackson every day. I was grateful for the music he left behind.

  We built, we worked, and the countdown was on.

  The government rose from the ashes before us, sent out trucks with food to nearby survivors. It failed fast and had problems with mobs, just as Gil had predicted. They retreated to rethink their plan.

  I asked how Gil knew it was going to happen and he simply said he knew the head of FEMA and that was who was running it.

  The first official day of Project Protocol One, or execution day, was at hand and I was excited. The first trip would be two vehicles. One going east, the other west. A six hour trip. No more. We’d increa
se that when the weather was not as cold, although it felt like a heat wave when it hit thirty-two degrees.

  We’d look for people and help them if they needed help or bring them back if that was what they desired. Bottom line was to get them help and let them know where we were.

  With the Elwood city people and the men from the hidden storage facilities, we had quite a large security force.

  Tony was in charge. Gil didn’t put him in charge of that, Tony took the honors. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  Gil did notify Damnation Alley of his plan to look for survivors. He didn’t tell them how elaborate his plan was or all that it entailed, but I suppose Gwen knew her husband better than he believed she did.

  Gwen showed up the day before execution day with two armed guards in a pretty decked out Humvee. She claimed exhaustion, needed to sleep, whined a little and stayed clear of everyone.

  The next day, bright and early we were ready to go. The first truck had pulled out and Tony and I stood with Gil in the bay.

  “You know the rules. Radio check every half hour.” Gil stated to me.

  “Got it.” I said.

  “Do not stay out long, any trouble come right …”

  “Hey, Gil,” Tony interrupted. “I got this. I’m with her. We’re good. See you in about six hours. Let’s go, Anna.” He took my arm.

  Gil dismissed him. “Are you sure,” he said to me. “I can’t convince you to let someone else do this?”

  “No, this is what I want to do. I have been waiting for this day. So I …” I stopped talking when Gwen barged into the bay.

  “Gil.” She called out his name, paused, hand on the wall, leaned forward to catch her breath.

  “You’ll get used to the steps,” I said.

  She ignored me and marched to Gil. “I was trying to shower. I hadn’t even finished shaving my legs when the water shut off. They said there’s a three minute time limit. That is absurd. No one can get clean in three minutes.”

  “I do.” I raised my hand.

  “As I said ...” She glanced at me then back to Gil. “No one can get clean in three minutes. So can you please do something about this? I need …” Suddenly her eyes moved to the blast doors. “Is that my Humvee parked there? Why is it running?”