by Parker James
“Colonel Hastings here, Mr. President. What may I do for you, Sir?”
“Colonel, how goes things in the Atrium?”
“As well as can be expected, Mr. President. There are no issues of significance to report,” Hastings replied succinctly.
“Very well. Our inspection of Bunker Site 1 is proceeding as scheduled. I apologize for bothering you with such a mundane matter, but would you please have two meals sent down from the Commissary to Level 15?”
“Absolutely, Mr. President. They’ll be sent down immediately.”
“Thank you, Colonel. Andrews out.”
The President looked over toward Joe.
“Are you hungry, Joe?” he asked with a kindness that belied Andrews’ earlier questions regarding the hydroponics program.
“Yes, Mr. President. I wouldn’t mind a bite to eat. Thank you, Sir.”
“Good. Let’s take a quick look on the progress of the power generation unit. Restart is to occur at 2400 this evening. Then we’ll sit down and go over some more schematics of the lower Levels before we tour the remainder of Level 15.”
President Andrews had known Secret Service Agent Phillips long enough to not even ask if he would care to join them for lunch. Phillips was dedicated to the point that he would allow absolutely no distractions while on duty guarding the President. He would wait quietly once they removed themselves to the break room and position himself outside the door, especially since he was protecting the President by himself and didn’t have his usual contingent of three additional agents according to standard procedure.
“Let’s take a quick walk Joe,” the President said.
President Andrews, Maxwell, and Phillips entered the power generation unit located midway down the main corridor and to the right. It was in the center of the Level and also guarded by two armed Delta Force Team Members for the purpose of security and observation. The main entranceway was partially enclosed in glass for visual observation except for the two main entrance doors located in the center. They could see clearly through the glass windows of the operations unit beyond which the nuclear reactor lay. Further beyond that was the second service elevator which only reached Level 15 and went no further. Should the reactor core ever need to be ejected from the bunker, it could be accomplished by use of the dedicated elevator; the power generation unit was fully encased in lead and compartmentalized. The entire three piece unit was positioned along runners above the floating floor as had been explained to the President by Professor Enghult earlier in the day. As much power as the unit was able to generate, in size it was relatively small, technology having advanced exponentially over the past several decades. Once entering the anteroom the President and Maxwell saw Dr. Emil Lazzario through the enclosed glass of the control room. He was sitting at the main console and the President could see on the monitor the face of Professor Enghult as well as the interior of the power unit itself. A number of schematics were being displayed, yet other than that the operations room consisted of two additional work stations and was completely jam packed with computerized monitoring equipment.
The President had met Dr. Lazzario earlier in the day. Approximately sixty years of age and despite his peppered gray hair and very thick glasses his face was youthful and an underlying intelligence written all over it. Born in Rome he was a prodigy at a very early age and his parents had brought him to America in order to advance his studies in nuclear physics, eventually earning his P.H.D. from Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute at the age of 22 on a full scholarship, the youngest ever to do so. Grants came in from all directions. Similar to the Conyers’ the military had scooped him up nearly 20 years prior. Early in his career his efforts and designs were integral in converting not only the Naval Fleet over to the newer technologies of his own design but he also put into place the failsafe measures at nuclear power plants eventually adopted worldwide. The nuclear power generation units within each bunker only had the need to operate at 25% capacity, with a total life expectancy of 200 years. Dr. Lazzario had also pioneered technology that enabled the recovery of spent fuel rods utilizing high intensity ionic bombardment. No longer was there a need to find a secure location to store spent fuel rods and worry about their eventual seepage into the environment based upon their radioactive half-life. At the time it was an earth shattering breakthrough, yet now seemed a cruel irony with massive amounts of radioactivity currently winding its way across the globe; thousands of nuclear warheads having devastated the earth above them.
Although brought to America at a relatively young age there still remained a very slight hint of his Italian accent, giving Lazzario an air of worldliness. Despite his accomplishments e was a humble man. His parents had insisted upon returning home each day from his daily studies that his native language be spoken solely within the home so that he never forget his heritage. It grounded him despite the fact that he spoke four languages fluently. It was not as imperative today as it had been all those many years ago; being 2073 computerized universal language translation was commonplace but there was always that slight delay. One would have thought it would have made the world a closer more unified community. That could have been the path taken, but with resources in the preceding decades ever more scarce and overpopulation a never ending concern, international competition for those very scarce resources flared. It was survival of the fittest. Upon seeing the President and his entourage through the glass of the reactor control room, Dr. Lazzario rose from his chair and unlocked the door as he approached Andrews and his small contingent.
“Mr. President,” he said with an almost imperceptible accent. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, Dr. Lazzario. Please do not let us interrupt your efforts in any way. I am simply touring the bunker and am well satisfied with my inspection of the reactor this morning. We’re touring the remainder of Level 15 for my own personal edification. Would you mind terribly if my entourage and I use your break room as we review schematics while we have our lunch?” Andrews asked.
“Not at all, Mr. President. Please, if you will,” Lazzario replied as he pointed to a doorway off to the left of the anteroom.
“While I have you here a question comes to mind I neglected to ask this morning. I understand similar to the damage control crew you also have 20 dedicated technicians on staff. May I ask the general procedure for restart this evening and how things are proceeding so far?”
“A six hour procedure, Mr. President. Currently we have green lights across the board on both a diagnostic basis as well as visual inspection. Of our 20 nuclear technicians contained within the bunker currently there are four within the unit itself making final preparations while both myself and a secondary technician monitor operations within the control room. Upon initial restart capacity will be brought up to 5 percent for the first two hours. If all is well we’ll then proceed to 15 percent capacity for an additional two hours and continuously run visual inspection of the equipment and diagnostic analysis. Two hours later we bring the unit up to its full 25% operational capacity required for the operation of this bunker and monitor operations. Assuming we still have green lights across the board we then return to business as usual. During the procedure Professor Enghult and I understand you’ll personally be monitoring the procedure from the control room on Level 20. During the procedure the remainder of our staff will be on precautionary standby; six technicians will be suited up in radiation resistant gear and should anything go awry they’ll be on-site within moments. At this point I can honestly tell you that I anticipate no problems whatsoever.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lazzario, that’s all I needed to know. Please go about your business and do not let us interrupt you in any way. I thank you for your efforts.”
“Not at all, Mr. President,” Lazzario replied as the group then headed toward the break room.
Phillips had already visually inspected the break room, and seeing that it was empty was confident in the President’s safety and positioned himself outside the door. There was a knock at the main
doorway leading to the anteroom and one of the guards handed Agent Phillips the two containers of lunch sent down by Colonel Hastings. Phillips closed the doors to the power generation unit and walked the meals over to the President and Maxwell who had found a table in the corner of the room. Andrews placed his tablet down on the table in front of him as he opened the container, speaking to his computer as he did so.
“Schematics; Level 15,” he said, and instantaneously had a view of the entire Level. “What are we looking at, Joe?” he asked as they began their meal.
“Well, Sir, as you can see the power generation unit is located to the right of the main corridor within the center of the Level. If we were facing the unit from the main corridor upon exiting the elevator is quartering for the nuclear technicians and their families; beyond the power generation unit is equipment storage for maintenance and repair. To the right of the main corridor the raised floor runs throughout the entire section, while the first 48 feet surrounding the unit remains completely empty for quick access. That’s basically a manual back-up disconnect of the power conduits should the unit ever need to be ejected from the bunker. There are also connections to the main battery banks located on Level 20. The main computer banks also located on that Level run off of the batteries continuously. I’m not overly familiar with the specifics, but the remainder of the space beyond the unit basically contains cooling system valves, piping, radiation gear, and anything and everything required for the maintenance and repair of the unit. As I understand it initially half of the staff was relocated to Level 12 when we first went into automatic shut-down mode but have since been relocated to their primary quartering. Since it’s encased in lead and quite safe, both Professor Enghult and Dr. Lazzario deemed it appropriate that the nuclear technicians be relocated to their primary quartering based upon that fact.”
“And to the left of the main corridor, Joe? I noticed that the secondary section was lined with lead,” the President asked further.
“The lead, Mr. President, wasn’t as precious a material to obtain. In that section there is no false floor except that to the right and left of the main service elevator. To the left of the service elevator there are two rooms. One contains three turbo fans and the secondary room contains the scrubber units and ductwork. To the right of the elevator are two more rooms, again exact duplicates of each other. Both rooms contain 3 turbo fans each as well as the secondary scrubber rooms for the oxygenation system running throughout the bunker. The ductwork runs along the back wall within each scrubber room and then through the false flooring within each Level. That’s the primary reason for the lead doors. The amazing part is that the turbo fans actually run off of the heat generated by the battery banks located on Level 20; it’s completely energy neutral. Possibly not the best location for the scrubbers but the equipment had to go somewhere and space is one thing that we don’t have a lot of. The remainder of the second section contains all of the magnetic rail system components including the passenger and rail cars for movement throughout the bunkers once tunneling operations are completed. After that occurs and the equipment is assembled this area will basically be empty and become available for whatever purposes deemed appropriate.”
“That’s good to know, Joe. Let’s hope hydroponics lives up to its expectations and one day in the very near future we’ll be able to fill this room with additional food supplies.”
“I’ll pray for the same, Mr. President,” Joe replied in all sincerity.
“The turbo fans and scrubbers?” Andrews asked, “Are they monitored?”
“Constantly, Mr. President; two personnel at all times as well as computer monitoring within the control room. Each turbo fan and adjoining scrubber rooms are completely visible through glass enclosures. There’s dedicated staff located on Level 20 who also hold the responsibility of monitoring the battery and computer banks continuously. The repair technicians located on Level 12 supplement their ranks; they work very closely together.”
Joe was just finishing up his meal when the President reached for his tablet and asked if Joe had any children.
“No, Sir, it’s just my wife Angela and I. We’ve only been married for three years and the way things were going weren’t quite sure we wanted to bring another human being into this world, although we debated it a great deal.”
“Understandable,” the President replied. “My wife and I debated the very same thing. He then spoke to his computer. “Visual observation; Oval Office and reception area; split screen.”
Andrews could see his two children playing in the Oval Office, too young to fully understand how much their world had changed in the past three days since the nuclear attack had occurred. He turned the screen around so that Joe could see them.
“My pride and joy,” he said. Turning the screen around again he saw Margaret sitting at her desk, giving one of her planned interviews while she also had a screen displaying the President’s children in the Oval Office so that she could keep an eye on them.
“Computer; transfer visual to hospital facilities; Level 19.”
Andrews then made sure that his wife was safely carrying out her mission within the hospital, comforting those soon to be released. She was sitting in a reception area with a number of patients gathered around, some crying as she held on to an elderly woman who had lost two sons in the attack. He knew it was going to be rough on Linda and hated to send her knowing rightfully it was his responsibility, but it was also imperative that he completely understand the full workings of the bunker in order to do everything within his power so that those who still remained survived. He was glad to see the Secret Service Agent Phillips had dispatched to accompany the First Lady was not more than five feet away.
“Voice and visual communication; Mitch or Anya Conyers.”
It was Mitch’s face that appeared on the screen.
“Mr. President, how may I help you?” Mitch asked.
“Professor Conyers, Mr. Maxwell from the damage control crew and I will shortly complete our inspection of Level 15. I would like either you or Mrs. Conyers to meet us on Level 16 within fifteen minutes to begin our tour of The Sanctuary. Would that be problematic with your preparations?”
“Not at all, Mr. President, Anya can handle things down here on Level 19. I’ll leave immediately and await your arrival on Level 16 personally.”
“Thank you, Professor, we’ll see you shortly. Andrews out.” Continuing the President then said “schematics; Level 16; Bunker Site 1.” Turning to Maxwell the President said “Let’s take a walk across the corridor, Joe” as he rose to place his empty food container in the trash can. Following his lead Joe did the same. As they entered the sectioned room across from the power generation unit the President could see all of the structures that Joe had described earlier. Again, except for the secluded turbo fan and scrubber rooms running along the back wall there was no raised panel flooring and the I-beam support structures were clearly visible. Andrews could see that the room was absolutely filled packed with equipment for the magnetic rail system but his attention was directed more toward the scrubber units located on either side of the service elevator.
“Give me a run down on the oxygenation rooms, Joe,” Andrews stated again looking at his watch. It was slightly past 1400 hours and General McCreary would be in the midst of the mid-day conference call. Joe sensed the President’s time was running short and would be as concise as possible, heading straight for the back wall.
“As you can see, Mr. President, each of the units to the right and the left of the service elevator are mirror images of one another. As mentioned earlier Level 15 above and below has a lead lined floor as well as the doors leading to this room. The power generation unit is also fully encased in lead. That’s three levels of security should there ever be a breach in the nuclear power generation unit. The primary function of the oxygenation units is to remove carbon dioxide and oxygenate the entire bunker. Its secondary function is temperature and humidity control. To your left you’ll see two separ
ate rooms; one contains three turbo fans while the second room farthest from the service elevator contains the scrubber units and ventilation ducts. The two rooms to the right of the elevator are exactly the same. We’re only required to operate at 50% capacity; one complete unit can control the entire bunker allowing for periodic maintenance.”
President Andrews interrupted.
“And do we currently have the ability to supplement any of the other nineteen bunkers?”
“No, Mr. President, not at the moment. Once the bunkers are interconnected we will have that ability, but first tunneling operations have to be completed.”
Andrews was surprised that Professor Enghult hadn’t built this ability into his design, yet in a sense the multiple layers of security protecting the units from possible radiation exposure with overcapacity built-in accomplished this task to a certain extent.
“And what degree of maintenance is required?”
“Minimal, at best, Sir. The only moving parts in the six turbo fans are self-enclosed maintenance free bearing systems. They simply have to be changed out periodically and then refurbished. We have repair parts for each entire unit. Within the scrubber unit rooms is the ductwork running along the back wall which is interconnected throughout the entire bunker; the primary reason for the false floors on most of the other Levels. Those areas that do not contain false floors have the ventilation system run along the ceiling. The scrubber units require slightly more maintenance than the turbo fans; perhaps once monthly on a rotational basis. That’s why we have double the required capacity. Again, once all of the bunkers are interconnected the factory facilities in the outer ring have the ability to fabricate any replacement parts required through automated manufacturing. In effect, Sir, that makes the lifespan of the unit’s indefinite, contingent upon interconnection.”
“Very well, Joe. I’ve seen enough. I’ll go into more depth on the schematics and specific functions of the other bunkers after restart later on this evening. Let’s head down to Level 16; my time is running short.”