APOCALYPSE 2073 Omnibus

by Parker James

  Though extremely efficient it was a rather large operation with over 32,000 individuals in this one single bunker alone. Yet despite that fact earlier arrivals had already been assigned quarters and it was for the most part those who had been let inside the bunker as the war first began who required the most attention. Following his brief conversation with Hastings President Andrews made his presence known as he casually walked amongst the crowd calming the new inhabitants as he did so. It was going to be a very long night with many having to sleep on cots wherever they could; the following day perhaps would be even longer. Medical attention for those who required it was being given which further gave President Andrews confidence that all was well in hand through the Major’s efforts. After about an hour the President having accomplished his task decided to check in on McCreary and Enghult in the control room and see what progress had been made on the repairs to the five reactors and the outer blast doors at bunker sites 13 and 17. A few more handshakes and some additional calming words to his fellow citizens within his care and soon the President and his entourage were again on the elevator headed down toward level 20.

  Despite the fact that the control room was also heavily guarded, upon entering the President was surprised to see Veronica McCreary sitting next to her father. She had once again worked her magic on the Agents after being relieved of her duties once the Conyers’ had arrived at the hospital. Although highly unusual and against protocol, Andrews didn’t belabor the point. Agent Phillips relieved two of his subordinates for the evening and waited outside the door with the other guards after first retrieving their side arms from the nearby wall safe. The control room was a marvel of efficiency. Monitors and banks of computers, video surveillance of critical areas available within all 20 bunker sites with the single push of a button or simple command of the voice. The lighting was slightly subdued with Professor Enghult at a large desk with schematics on a number of screens and each of the reactor rooms on yet another split screen. The five reactors that went into automatic shut-down were displayed on a separate screen in addition to the area between the blast doors in bunker sites 13 and 17. He was in deep conversation with one of the lead technicians of the damage control crews at Bunker Site 13, barely noticing as the President entered the room. General McCreary was slightly more observant and immediately rose upon Andrews’ arrival. Veronica was slightly embarrassed by her presence in the control room yet greeted the President respectfully, having met him a number of times over the preceding years at several state functions. She often accompanied her father to these events after the passing of her mother. Again President Andrews chose not to belabor the point although she lacked the security clearance to be there. Perhaps one day she would acquire it if and when her services were deemed necessary; after all, she went to Yale University on a full-scholarship having also chosen the Engineering profession as her own career path.

  “At ease, General. How goes it?” Andrews asked succinctly.

  “Rather well, Sir, all things considered. Better than expected in fact. We’ve had no further reports of damage to the adjoining bunkers or our own as well, although inspection operations continue. The other Bunker Site Commanders report allocation of food and quartering for our new arrivals proceeding as directed. There’ve been several minor incidents breaking out with some of our citizens, but they were quickly contained. Panic basically on the part of a few individuals expressing itself as anger, nothing more.”

  Rather than disturbing Professor Enghult still deep in conversation, the President decided to direct his questions to General McCreary who had been keeping an eye on repair efforts as they developed.

  “And what about the outer blast doors in bunkers 13 and 17?”

  “Well, Mr. President, that’s been Professor Enghult’s primary concern. It only took 30 minutes to ventilate the area between the primary and secondary doors and the damage control crews suited up quickly and have already begun welding operations. If you look to your left you can see them working on them now. The ventilation procedure reduced radiation levels significantly and is no longer a concern. The damage to the outer doors was not as extensive as originally thought, however Professor Enghult has decided for the sake of safety that the outer doors be plated and welded shut completely as well as the main seals. Perhaps at a later date they can be repaired but for now it seems to be the safest course of action. Once completed we’ll begin tunneling operations throughout the bunker system for interconnectivity so in the very near future those areas won’t be completely shut off.”

  “Agreed. And the reactors, General?

  “24 hours for a full assessment. Each bunker site has a dedicated reactor crew and the Professor has recommended that all 20 reactors be fully inspected including those that did not go into automatic shutdown mode. Of the five damaged reactors, barring any repairs required he recommends restart on a staggered basis over the course of two weeks as a precautionary measure should we run into any unexpected situations. Meanwhile he suggests that they continue using lithium battery power and that for the moment we do not re-route power from adjoining bunkers at this time. The bunkers are fully powered and it would just be one more item in the mixing bowl. We’re better served to concentrate our efforts on getting all of the reactors up and running.”

  “Very well then, General; I’m in agreement.”

  President Andrews remained for another half an hour as Enghult continued to work his magic before finally deciding to retire to his quarters. Once again Andrews surprised McCreary before leaving as he walked over to Enghult and patted him on the shoulder, saying nothing.

  “General McCreary, you’ve had a very long day. Are you ok until 0800?” Andrews asked before departing.

  “Good as gold, Mr. President.”

  “Well then, you know where to find me if you need me. Until then.”

  “Until then, Mr. President.”

  Andrews was not as formal with Veronica as he said his goodbyes on his very long day, putting her at ease with a simple hug.

  “Veronica, keep an eye on the old man if you wouldn’t mind,” he said with a fatherly whisper in her ear accompanied by a simple smile.

  And with those words Andrews headed to his quarters to catch what few hours of sleep he could, if any at all. It was now well past 1am. Much had to be explained to his wife Linda. Tomorrow, later on today in fact would prove to be just as trying a day as this one had turned out to be. Many plans had to be made and of the highest priority was the integrity of the bunkers.

  McCreary was relieved that Veronica was with him. On several occasions he had nodded off, having had such a very long and difficult day himself. She would let him rest where he could. In the course of the last 24 hours he had survived an attack on his helicopter and further assault on himself and his charges in the form of the Conyers, finally arriving at the primary bunker site only to witness the end of the world as he knew it. Despite his innate strength his fatigue had gotten the best of him. The hours seemed to pass quietly as Veronica watched Professor Enghult continue to work his magic, yet soon 7am arrived and the President was again in the control room after once again consulting with Major Hastings. Seeing all was well up above he relieved the Major and had a junior member of the Joint Chiefs take over command in the main area of bunker site.

  “Get some rest, Major Hastings. Well done,” Andrews said.

  “Thank you, Mr. President.”

  The control room looked exactly as it was named. 4000 square feet in all it was jam packed with technological equipment that made it almost seem small. Although there were only several individuals within the room at the moment, soon it would be staffed with a multitude of military personnel as plans were put into place. Those plans would be decided in this morning’s meeting about to occur shortly. McCreary had just woken up, Veronica allowing him that last final hour of restless sleep sitting in his chair as she monitored the situation herself, ready at a moment’s notice to wake her father should the need arise. It did not, thankfully, a
s all seemed to be going well in the other bunkers with damage assessment and repairs continuing as directed by Professor Enghult. Over the course of the night she silently wondered to herself whether the Professor was man or machine, or possibly even both.

  Upon the President’s return Veronica made herself scarce, knowing that she no longer belonged there. She greeted the President cordially prior to departing for her own quarters and some desperately needed sleep, but first she would again look in on Erin. She’d have something to eat after her sleeping, but for the moment she had no appetite whatsoever.

  “So, General, how goes it?” Andrews asked immediately upon entering the control room...

  “Well, Mr. President, I’ve periodically touched base with the other Bunker Site Commanders and as they say, no news is good news.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear,” the President replied.

  McCreary had bags under his eyes at this point but with the 0800 meeting with the Joint Chiefs and Bunker Site Commanders coming up shortly, President Andrews was reluctant to relieve McCreary until after that meeting occurred. The President then turned to Professor Enghult.

  “Professor Enghult, your status report if you will?” he said.

  “Well, Mr. President, I have been in contact with the damage control crews at the seven bunker sites damaged by the two nuclear blasts. Of course priority has been given to the two damaged blast doors throughout the evening. As you can see on the display monitors the plating and welding has continued and we are also continuing positive ventilation of the areas. I would estimate the work to be 70% complete and it should be accomplished within the next several hours. At that point we’ll terminate ventilation and again check for residual airborne radiation levels. I’m optimistic. Of the five nuclear reactors which went into automatic shutdown mode it will take another 12 to 16 hours for a complete inspection prior to any repairs and a staggered restart as discussed earlier. As of now the only damage found has been in Bunker Site 17. Due to the seismic activity there has been slight damage to the cooling system and initial repairs have already begun. Overall the structural integrity of the bunkers has remained intact; only minor yet repairable damage has been found. It’s perhaps the best of all possibilities. Yet on restart of the generators we’ll have to proceed cautiously. Our other course of action has always been to re-route power from the 15 generation units still fully functional, yet I see no need for that. I believe in all sincerity that we can recover and restart all of the nuclear generation units.”

  “Very well, Professor,” President Andrews responded. “How long will it take for site to site tunneling operations to be completed once begun?”

  “Approximately 3 weeks, Sir, if we begin tunneling simultaneously from both sides as initially planned. The equipment and drilling crews are already geared up and are ready at a moment’s notice, so it’s a simple matter of going from point A to point B. We’ll have access to the other bunker sites; the installation of the magnetic rail systems will take a bit longer.”

  “And should we have an incident with any of the power units at a later date are we offered any protection?” Andrews further asked.

  “Yes, Sir. We initially tunneled 50 feet outward from the main Atrium on level 10 in each bunker and placed protective doors at either end of the entranceways. After drilling operations commence the tunnel doors can be closed at a moment’s notice should any future incident occur within any of the reactors preventing possible radioactive seepage from the other sites. As an added precautionary measure pre-placed explosive charges will be located at the midway point within each tunnel adding a further level of security.”

  “Very well, Professor. Once we accomplish the restart of the power generation units one by one and are absolutely certain that they are fully operational and safe we’ll begin the tunneling operations immediately thereafter. At that point we’ll begin to discuss the time schedule for the construction of the magnetic rail systems. I don’t want all of these operations occurring simultaneously until we’re certain that our power units are 100%. I want this bunker system fully functional and interconnected according to your original designs. It seems that we’re going to be here for a very long time.”

  “I’ll make the arrangements as far as scheduling the tunnel operations in advance so we’re ready to go when the time comes. Once begun, we’ll have the tunneling crews working around the clock, Mr. President.”

  “Thank you, Professor,” the President responded.

  Andrews then turned to General McCreary.

  “General, how soon can we anticipate the restoration of communications going under the assumption that NORAD withstood the attack?”

  “Sir, I believe one week with the shielded drones once the EMP disturbances have lessened. I have no doubt that NORAD did withstand the attack, but should they not have the remaining drones have been dispersed amongst a number of bunkers as well as area 51 and this will be our first level of communications to be brought back on line. The satellite systems will take longer, but despite that fact we’ll be able to begin our reconnaissance operations and contact our allies with the drone fleet to assess the situation on the surface on a planet wide basis, assuming we have the proper coordination.”

  Without saying it the President understood McCreary’s meaning, and that was simply the fact that those allies who withstood the attack was as of yet unknown.

  “Very well then, General. Let’s concentrate on the bunkers at this point and then continue with what needs to be further done once communications are restored.”

  The President looked at his watch, it was 0750 hours. Within ten minutes the first of the daily conferences would occur with the other Bunker Site Commanders and Joint Chiefs. There was a knock at the door and as Phillips opened it the Chiefs all filed in ready for the meeting, each in dress uniform. It was ironic that the President was without his jacket; shirt sleeves rolled up. It was the new normal. He walked over to the coffee pot and got his morning cup, handing one to General McCreary as well. He neither offered nor encouraged the others to partake except for Professor Enghult. At 0800 the split-screen monitors once again came to life with 20 visages of each of the other Bunker Site Commanders. It was a relatively brief conference, the President basically reiterating the

  information told to him moments earlier. He did however ask each Bunker Site Commander for a brief run down on the situations occurring within their own realms. The only directive he added was that all individuals within the bunkers were to participate in the basics of daily living.

  “Have our citizens participate,” he said. “Let’s give them some structure as they absorb what they already know to be true. Additionally, I want a full and complete head count on the number of individuals within each bunker. Gentlemen, we’ll conference again at 1400 hours. At 1800 hundred hours I shall be addressing all of our citizens. Conference over; Andrews out.”

  Again the cavalcade from the Bunker Site Commanders; “Mr. President,” as the meeting adjourned.

  Professor Enghult, the morning conference with the other Bunker Site Commanders now over switched the screens back to specific sites that he continued to monitor within various bunkers while the President indicated to the Joint Chiefs to accompany him to the conference room adjoining the Oval Office. Phillips once again opened the door to the control room for the President and Joint Chiefs as they all filed out and removed themselves to the other conference room. As they took their respective seats the President began the meeting with several simple words, spoken quietly and pausing between each.

  “Food, Gentlemen. Food.”

  President Andrews paused, allowing the importance of his words to sink in. Andrews looked around the table at each and every member of the Joint Chiefs as he then continued.

  “You are all aware of our limitations. The bunkers were designed to support 1,000 individuals for a period of up to 20 years, the remainder of those suspended in animation. This technology has already been proven but until we get the bunker
systems fully under control and can assess the situation on the surface we shall temporarily limit the suspension operations on a large scale basis. I’ll be discussing these matters with the Conyers’ upon conclusion of this meeting. With so many individuals contained within the bunker system our burn rate on current food stocks will not support us for an extended length of time. Our greatest hope is that Professor Enghult’s plans for the repairs discussed earlier go exactly as planned and then contingent upon this we shall begin interconnecting the bunkers with our ultimate goal of expansion, but most importantly hydroponic food generation. All of these individual operations must come together seamlessly in order for our ensured survival within the bunkers considering what has occurred on the surface. So let us be optimistic. I want all of you here this morning to contemplate upon these difficulties with which we are presented. Any ideas that you come up with will be heard and fully appreciated, so I ask you to put your minds to it.”

  The President then turned to General McCreary.

  “Phil, I don’t care if you have to move a cot into the control room, that’s Professor Enghult’s home for the foreseeable future. I wanted him alone in there last night. I think he works better that way but have two of the control room technicians join him in case he runs out of speed. They are to do exactly as instructed yet are not to interrupt him in any way.”