by Parker James
“What the hell is going on up there, Phillips?” McCreary barked.
Phillips turned to the President.
“Mr. President, it’s General McCreary on the line.”
“Voice and visual activation, General McCreary,” Andrews said to the computerized tablet which he now held before him.
“Mr. President, there’s a flurry of activity down here. What is your situation?” the General asked.
President Andrews responded calmly.
“Have all teams stand down, General. All is well. We’re taking a brief moment to overlook the Atrium. Continue with your meeting in the conference room; the inspection of Bunker Site 1 is proceeding as planned. Repeat, all personnel are to stand down and go about their business including those within the Dome.”
McCreary didn’t need to be told twice.
“Understood, Mr. President. Would you mind if I left two Agents behind to await your arrival on Level 10?” the General asked.
“Negative, General. Orders as given. All personnel are to go about their business as usual. All is well; those are my orders.”
“Very well, Mr. President,” the General replied.
“We’ll be about five minutes before we reach Level 10.”
“Copy, Mr. President. McCreary out.”
The orders were given by McCreary as directed. It was a picture perfect drill, yet totally unnecessary.
As the military personnel on Level 11 had not followed General McCreary’s orders to the letter, neither would the General strictly follow the President’s. McCreary had all personnel stand down but ordered two Veteran Secret Service Agents to await the President’s arrival until he safely arrived at the military facilities located on Level 11. Alspait would neither be faulted nor reprimanded for his precautionary actions, nor would the General. Caution as the rule was the better part of valor. The orders to stand down to the remaining forces having been given McCreary turned to the other members within the conference room, who prior to this event had been feverishly pouring over schematic diagrams and reports detailing the functional operations of the 20 unit bunker grouping before everything came to a screeching halt. They quickly went back to business after observing the situation transpire which in fact had turned out to be a false alarm.
“Elevator, terminate vocal surveillance; permit visual observation within the Dome only until my departure,” the President said.
Captain Alspait in the Dome above heard the President’s words as he spoke; he would be permitted to visually confirm the President’s safety until the dedicated elevator arrived at Level 10 but he would no longer be able to overhear him. Alspait returned the monitors to visual surveillance mode so that the Delta Force Team Members could once again fully monitor the elevators and continue with their task of ensuring the absolute security and integrity of all access points leading to the very important Dome which prevented the radiation outside the bunker from entering.
“Well, that was fairly interesting,” the President said matter of factly as he turned to Joe with a slightly cynical smile on his face.
“I’d say so, Mr. President,” Joe responded somewhat at a loss for words having witnessed the event.
Once again President Andrews returned his gaze to the wide open Atrium having a bird’s eye view, not only admiring the beauty of its but also the windowed sleeping quarters surrounding its perimeter 10 stories high. He wondered to himself if somehow it was a waste of space and more of his fellow citizens could have been saved from the nuclear holocaust that had occurred on the surface but also knew that the weak point was the availability of food supplies to support those already currently housed within the 20 unit bunker grouping.
“The sarcophagus effect,” Joe whispered under his breath not even realizing that he had said it out loud.
“What’s that, Joe?” Andrews asked.
“I’m sorry, Mr. President. The sarcophagus effect is what they called it. When I first came on the project this portion of the bunker was in the mid-completion stage. Having worked on some of the older bunkers I wondered whether so much space was being wasted that could potentially house more people should the bunkers ever become necessary. I had mentioned it to some of the other construction workers who had been here longer and was told that Professor Enghult in the early design stages actually had a team of psychologists participate in its design. They coined the term the sarcophagus effect in that should the bunkers ever become necessary it was not only the physical safety and well-being of the inhabitants that was critical but also their emotional state of mind. Without this open space the inhabitants perhaps would feel smothered which could be just as harmful to their overall health, especially if we had to stay here long-term. As we continued with the construction of the Atrium and the final structure began to take shape I could see the wisdom in it. That’s also part of the reason why most of the ceilings are 12 feet high in the lower 10 Levels.”
President Andrews nodded in agreement, understanding fully. Still holding the tablet in his hands the President said “Computer; schematic diagram Level 11; Bunker Site 1.” The diagram came up immediately as he turned to Maxwell.
“Joe, I assume you’ve been on Level 11. Is that correct?”
“Several times, Sir. Mostly for minor maintenance tasks.”
“When we reach Level 11 Major Hastings is going to take the lead, so I want you to sit back a little. What I’d like you to do before we get there is tell me anything that he’s not going to tell me. Is there any sensitive equipment located on that Level that I should know about?”
“If you look at your schematic, Sir, you’ll see that the entire Level has a main corridor running down the center of it which contains the weapons lockers. Immediately to the right would be Major Hastings’ quarters and beyond that the communications center monitoring the security situation in the elevator, the Atrium, and the Dome and is also in direct communication with both the control center located on Level 20 as well as Major Hastings’ office directly above in the Atrium. That’s basically the only sensitive equipment on that Level. At the end of the main corridor would be the brig, and directly upon entering the Rapid Response Team will be located to the left in the Ready Room. Female service members quartering will be to the left while male service members quartering is to the right. That barracks is slightly larger; I believe out of the 1,000 service members approximately 30% are female. It’s laid out fairly well and despite the number of military personnel it houses Level 11 almost seems spacious. Its location is due to its proximity to the Atrium in order to maintain control but just as importantly it’s strategically located to protect the food stocks and sensitive equipment contained within the Levels below it. So to answer your question directly, Mr. President, the communications center is primarily the only sensitive equipment to speak of. Other than that it’s basic military quartering.”
President Andrews was well aware of military life having personally spent six years in the Air Force. He was perhaps one of only 100 people in the world who had ever taken down an automated drone nearly fifteen years ago. Perhaps it was the primary reason that he had initially been elected to political office. Drones were already the norm even back then, with the ability to pull four times the G-force than manned aerial vehicles. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. Andrews had been attached to NATO forces in Eastern Europe, one of the many hot spots at the time. Manned aerial vehicles were mostly relegated to visual reconnaissance; they simply couldn’t outfight the drones. He had poured through all of the computer code of the many variations. A drone regardless of its mission would automatically go into attack mode upon sensing any adversarial aerial vehicle within a 10 mile radius. He beat it simply by doing the unexpected. He encountered the drone on a routine reconnaissance mission and after being detected first gained altitude so he wouldn’t have to face it head on which would in all likelihood be a death sentence. Once having done so he came at it from above flying erratically and when close enough unleashed three random double bur
sts from his wing mounted guns, throwing the drone into evasive maneuvers. The drone’s computerized system momentarily calculating he quickly unleashed two missiles which further confused its navigation system as he again unleashed his guns randomly. He had put the drone in a box and one of the two missiles found its target. Although at the time drones could outfly any manned aerial vehicle, they couldn’t outrun a missile that was faster than it. His name stemming from that one event was known from that day forward and when he ran for the Senate representing Washington D.C. He won out over a six-term incumbent in what could only be called a landslide. It wasn’t simply due to his experience in battle; he won the election more so on the many debates that were held. His future actions in the Senate had gotten him elected to the Presidency on his own merits. The world was just beginning to collapse in on itself and the government had become divided into two camps. One faction advocated aggressive military action on the part of the United States while the other camp was for multilateral cooperation amongst nations for the benefit of all, which he was integrally part of and extremely passionate about in a logical manner. Perhaps he would have lost that first election had it not been for taking out the drone, but neither his heroism nor patriotism could be called into question. Otherwise in all likelihood he would have been labeled a liberal hell bent in what some in the government were calling appeasement. Although he didn’t know it even Joe had voted for him, the only time he had done so in his entire life. Joe had long ago given up on the candidates offered up by the major parties but after listening to one of Andrew’s Presidential Debates found himself agreeing with his reasoning and was inspired to head to the polls. Although running as an independent Andrews similarly won the Presidency in what could also only be called a landslide victory.
“And how is the morale situation?” Andrews asked further.
“Well, initially Mr. President there was some intra-service rivalry. An occasional fight broke out here and there and a number of individuals were put in the brig; some even demoted. Once North and South Korea went to war and were completely wiped off of the map that pretty much ended right then and there. It put a time stamp and perspective on things. Those folks might be from different military branches of the service, but from I’ve seen and heard they’re one single unit now with a very clear sense of mission.”
“Thanks, Joe; that’s what I wanted to know. Here’s how it’s gonna go when hit Level 11. Major Hastings is going to be somewhat formal. I want you to sit back a little bit and let him take the lead; you’ve told me all I need to know. I have six years in the military so I know the drill, and believe me I’m not going to miss a thing. I also have the luxury of being Mr. Nice Guy due to my position, so my primary concern is to boost morale. Understand that you’ll be giving the Joint Chiefs their own personal tour tomorrow and believe you me that when they hit this Level they’re going to go strictly into military mode. They’re not going to miss anything either, and if they see one thing out of place they won’t confront any of the service members directly but they’ll come down like a hammer head on the officers and it’s only going to roll downhill from there. These are career military personnel who have risen to the highest level of their profession, and when they reach Level 11 they’re going to go on autopilot and be more concerned with proper military procedures and decorum than the bunker site. Stick close to General McCreary. He might come across as a little gruff but he’s a good man. Throughout your entire tour expect to be confronted by a multitude of questions. Answer every question as concisely and thoroughly as possible and offer no personal opinions unless asked. These folks like to come to their own conclusions. For now our goal on Level 11 is basically a meet and greet, then we’ll move on to the more sensitive areas of the lower Levels. I’m going to make tomorrow a little easier for Major Hastings unless I see something totally gone astray. You’ll understand what I mean when I do it. Are you ready, Joe?”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Joe replied with an even greater degree of respect. It struck him that Andrews was not only an extremely intelligent individual but his social skills and adeptness at achieving his goals a rare thing. Maxwell was more certain now than ever that he had voted for the right man and glad that he’d done so, taking that one single day off to head to the polls despite his many other commitments.
“Elevator; revert to visual and voice mode; proceed to Level 10,” the President said.
Alspait was now once again in full command of that very important access point to the Dome. Within moments the group had reached Level 10 where Bunker Site Commander Major Hastings was awaiting the President. As the doors opened he saluted the Commander-in-Chief who summarily returned his salute. Tablet still in hand the President did not mention that Maxwell had already given him a comprehensive briefing and would allow the Major his due.
“Level 11,” the President said and within a moment the doors opened to the military facilities. Andrews was surprised to see the two Secret Service Agents awaiting him despite his prior orders to General McCreary. He’d let it go; there were more important matters to attend to and simply said “Gentlemen, thank you for your concern. You may return to your duty stations but please look in on the First Lady in the hospital facilities on Level 19.”
“Yes, Mr. President,” the Agents responded in unison as they entered the elevator in which the group had just departed. The doors closed as Major Hastings began his tour while the President still had his shirt sleeves rolled up. The tour was basic; the President noting all of the structures that Joe had previously described to him and had seen nothing out of place in any grandiose sense; minor infractions at best as the military lifestyle goes. When reaching the barracks the President found all personnel at attention and standing in front of their bunks stacked three high, yet chose not to address them as a group. He asked a name here and there and shook a few hands as Major Hastings conducted the tour as well as those of the Rapid Response Team. As the Major completed the tour he introduced the President to the senior ranking officers as Andrews noticed that there was a Ranking Colonel amongst them.
“Well done, Major,” the President said purposely in front of the senior officers outside of the barracks so the lower ranking troops could also hear. May I see you in your office for a moment?”
As they entered the room Major Hastings wasn’t quite sure whether he should take the seat behind his desk or allow the President to do so. Andrews solved the problem by taking the chair opposite the Majors. The door was left open while Maxwell waited patiently outside. Andrews held up his ever present tablet and spoke.
“Computer; voice and visual communication; General McCreary.”
“General McCreary, Mr. President,” was the response.
“General, is there anything of significance to report requiring my attention?”
“No, Mr. President. Everything is in order. We’ve had no reports of any incidents from General Rodriguez as of yet occurring within any of the bunkers other than minor medical issues primarily of an emotional nature as the citizens have been informed of those cities destroyed in the initial attack.”
“And you’ll be handling the 1400 conference call with the other Bunker Site Commanders shortly?”
“Affirmative, Mr. President.”
“Very well, then. I’ve just completed my inspection of the military facilities located on Level 11. It has come to my attention that there is a ranking Colonel amongst the senior officers. As Major Hastings has been designated the position of Bunker Site Commander I find this inappropriate.”
Major Hastings listened to the conversation glued to his chair, wondering what was going to come next. The President spoke in a completely authoritative voice.
“Major Hastings is hereby promoted to the rank of Colonel effective immediately. I would like you to have Margaret draw up the papers and have them on my desk ready for my signature upon my return to Level 20.”
“As you wish, Mr. President,” McCreary replied.
“Andrews out,” the P
resident said as he turned to Major Hastings now suddenly a Colonel with those few simple words. The President rose and looked at Hastings who was stupefied, thinking he was just about to lose his command.
“Colonel Hastings,” Andrews said. “I have found everything to be in proper military order and think it appropriate that your rank be commensurate with your position as Bunker Site Commander. Congratulations, Colonel. Well done.”
Hastings had risen simultaneously as the President rose from his chair and saluted him once again, receiving his return salute in short order.
“Please thank the troops on my behalf.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
And with that Andrews, Maxwell, and Phillips headed to the elevator only several feet away and the doors closed as the President said “Level 12.”