The hum was louder now, and the hallway had lights along each side. The soldiers pushed them forward, when the hall came to an end a long flight of metal stairs dropped down onto a landing and turned down again and then again. The sound of six pairs of boots clanged down each section and finally a doorway opened into a bright room. The room had a tall ceiling, long tables and chairs made two rows down the center. Soft music was coming from somewhere and a man stood at an open refrigerator in the far corner. The man was wearing a white lab coat, his gray hair stuck up at wild angles and when he turned he had on thick black rimmed glasses. In the deep pockets of his jacket he had dropped four chilled cans of cola. Kevin and Cissy had never seen artificial light in their lives, not this much anyway. They squinted and stared in fascination, looked up to see where the music was coming from.
The man approached them, his hand extended, “Hello, I am professor Giles. Please, sit down.” He took the four colas out and sat them on the table.
Jeff shook his hand, he stared around, quite in awe himself. “I am Jeff, this is my wife Emily and our children, Kevin and Cissy.” They all sat down and the children touched the cold cans and grinned. Kevin had to show Cissy how to pop the top.
“And where are you folks from?” said the professor.
“We are travelers. We are heading to Colorado, just don't want to arrive in the Winter,” said Jeff. “Professor, where are...I mean, I know this is Roswell, New Mexico but what is this place?”
The professor smiled at the four and said, “Well, this the Walker Bunker, Sanctuary 10.” He seemed to be proud of that statement.
Emily asked excitedly, “Sanctuary...are there survivors here?”
“Oh sure, there are scientists, researchers and doctors, nurses, military, General Thomas. There is Secretary of Agriculture, Mrs. Anuba and her family, a couple of her staff and their families. Um-m, let's see,” the man thought for a moment, “There's a couple more minor cabinet members, we have a population of about two hundred.”
Jeff and Emily were amazed, Jeff said, “Two hundred, wow, how many of those are refugees?”
The professor looked a little puzzled and then said, “Oh-h, you mean civilians? No civilians. This facility was strictly in the disaster plan for specific pre-determined personnel that were assigned to this location. We were all transported as soon as the apocalyptic event occurred.”
Jeff said, “How could you have been transported after the event, all transportation went down.”
“That was all planned well in advance. We traveled in vehicles that were stored in shielded bunkers,” the man continued to brag. “Our purpose was to survive here and do research and help to restore the country to functionality.”
The man and his wife tried to wrap their minds around all of this information, Kevin and Cissy were very much at a loss but they were listening intently. Emily said, “So, what do you think happened? It has been fifteen years and there is no recovery. How are you surviving down here?”
The professor looked a bit indignant, “Well, there has been some restoration. That city on the east coast is functioning nearly pre-catastrophe. When you tour the complex, you will see how we are surviving and the good work we are doing here. What happened? Most certainly, it was an EMP. The origin was somewhere in the Middle East. Practically simultaneously, there were chemical weapon attacks in various areas of the world.” For the first time in their conversation, the older man looked sad, “The death toll was unimaginable and devastating, not just to America. The long term effects have decimated the world populations.”
He clicked his fingers at one of the soldiers, “Anyway, you are our guests. There will be plenty of time for seeing the sanctuary and for talking of doomsday things. The PFC will show you to your quarters.” He walked away and welcome trailed behind him.
Jeff felt like they had fell off into another world. The soldier motioned them to follow. When they exited the big room, they walked back up two flights of stairs and a long walkway with glass on one side stretched in front of them. As they were led down the walk, through the glass they could see a huge clear dome and two stories below, rows of healthy green crops. The walkway ended and they turned down another hall. The soldier opened a door to a small bedroom, he walked in and opened a door, a tiny room with toilet, sink and shower was between an adjoining small sleeping room with twin beds.
The soldier said, “Here you go. If you go all the way to the opposite end of the hall, there is a dining hall. You missed breakfast, lunch is in about an hour. Usually, something around there to eat.”
The soldier pulled the door shut behind him. The family of four just stood there, their packs dangling from their hands, not knowing what to say. Jeff dropped his pack to the floor, “Well, I'll be damned, I'll be double damned!” He knew that in just a short amount of time, he and his family had been sucked into a clean bright prison.
Emily said, “Well, it's interesting, it's amazing really. We can just stay for a while and be on our way.”
Before Jeff could answer, Kevin chimed in, “Yeah, Dad, it's pretty neat.” He flipped the light switch up and down and ran to the sink and turned the knob, water flowed out. “There's food and that cola was icy cold.”
Cissy was quiet, sometimes she was a very intuitive little lady.
Jeff looked at each of them, “I don't think it is going to be that simple. What I mean is I don't think they are going to let us leave.”
“Why? Why would they not want us to leave, why would they even want us here?” said Emily, a look of puzzlement on her face.
“I am not sure, maybe just because of secrecy. We will see. For now, we will go along, until I can get a handle on the situation. I don't believe they want to harm us,” he said. “Wash up a bit and let's go check out that dining hall.” And some other things, he thought.
The dining hall was just as impressive as everything so far. A buffet of cooked and raw vegetables, meats, breads, fruits and sweets filled a long stainless steel counter. Jeff had already realized that the constant hum must be huge generators somewhere. There had to be animals maybe, freezers and food storage, the whole place was lit up like an airport runway and the temperature was consistent. Of course, he had not seen any big red EXIT signs and that was his main concern.
People of all ages and varieties came in and out of the dining room and there was a buzz of conversation. Some introduced themselves, some seemed uninterested. As they finished eating, a soldier came over to them, a young man in jeans and a white t-shirt walked behind him. “Sir, this is Joe. The professor thought you might like to see more of the bunker, Joe will give you a tour.”
Jeff said, “Thanks, nice to meet you.”
The young man said, “If you are finished, you can follow me.”
They followed the young man, first to a large room next to the dining hall. There were several large flat screen televisions mounted in the room and earphones piled up on low tables in front of sofas and chairs. Shelves of DVDs lined one wall. On one or two screens, Jeff noticed that the professor or some other person seemed to be giving talks. Once again, the two children stared in amazement.
The guide seemed to twist and turn down hallways, he showed them a laundry, an exercise gym, a library with a small school room next to it. There was a clinic. Jack noticed several secure doors that said Lab, No Admittance. They got a tour of the crops, where many people gathered food and worked. Four wheelers and golf cart type vehicles passed them often, some pulled trailers of tools or supplies or food and there were plenty of armed soldiers that walked the halls.
They left the garden area and walked what seemed like a long way down a pathway. Another clear dome was far above them and in front of them was a chain link fenced enclosure. Around the perimeters feeding troughs lined up. The large area had cross fencing. They all walked to the edge of the fence and the young man said, “This is our livestock area.”
Kevin had reached for his father's arm and said in a whisper, “Dad?” In front of them was
a small herd of squatty animals that looked eerily similar to the strange animals that he and his Dad had seen months before. Girl poked her fuzzy head out from the sling around Cissy's neck and barked. Several of the animals stood up on their haunches and one hit the fence with a snarl.
Jeff opened his mouth to answer his son, when a voice behind him said, “Well, what do you think?” It was Professor Giles.
The animals rooted and growled at each other and gobbled food from the troughs. They did not all look exactly alike but similar. Some were larger, some were heavier, some had longer tails and though some had those beak like faces, some had flat snouts with large nostrils. Those big bug eyes seemed to be prevalent. “What the hell are those?” said Jeff.
The professor's chest seemed to swell, “They are food. Pretty tasty, too, don't you think?”
Emily looked at the weird animals and felt a bit queasy. Lunch, she thought.
In the other divisions of the big corrals, normal recognizable animals crowded... pigs, cows, chickens, even horses and a few goats. A man with his armed wrapped up in gauze, walked along and added feed to the troughs. The professor continued, “We have worked long and hard at breeding a meat source that is smaller, easier to feed but rich in protien.”
Jeff looked at the man's wrapped arm, “Aren't they rather vicious?”
“Well, we are still working on some inconsistencies. These can feed a lot of people. Your lunch was pork mutation # 20.” said the man.
“People out there are starving, Professor. These animals are only feeding the people here, is that correct?” Emily asked with a bit of anger in her voice. She was thinking of the three “barely alives” in Carlsbad.
“All in good time, my dear,” he said with arrogance. “Must go.” He turned abruptly and left them.
The young man stood, with his hands behind his back. “Would you like to see anything else, do you think you can find your way back to quarters?”
Jeff said, “We will be fine, thank you. Joe, do you ever leave here, go outside?”
There was a laugh, “No reason to go outside, it's not safe out there, you know. We have everything we need here, in Walker. See you at supper, it's at 6:00.” He walked briskly away.
With only a few wrong turns, they made it back to their quarters. Once inside, Jeff searched around a little for listening or watching devices. He knew it was kind of paranoid but there was something about this place that he did not like, something he did not trust. He wasn't sure that he would recognize a device if he saw one, a search made him feel better though.
Emily folded her legs up and sat on the bed, the kids lounged on the carpeted floor and Jeff plopped down in a small chair. “No aliens I guess. It's a darn weird place though,” he said.
“Yeah, something just doesn't smell good, does it. And, I don't mean that creepy meat,” Emily said.
Kevin rolled to his back, his arms behind his head, “Not so bad. Food's good, it's clean and comfy and those televisions...wow.”
“I don't like it, if we can't leave when we want to,” said Cissy. Her face crinkled in a frown.
Jeff said, “Yeah, I agree, girl.”
***
It was two days later when Jeff was asked to attend a meeting with the professor and several other residents of the sanctuary. They were interested in hearing what he had observed while traveling around. They were also impressed that he had been an engineer.
He told them how he had encountered both bad and good people, people who were doing a good job of surviving and people that were not. When he told them about the horrible conditions in the government survivors camp, where he had rescued Cissy, the former Secretary Mrs. Anuba was stunned. She looked at him and said, “Why would it be so bad there? Aren't they growing crops and self sustaining...what has happened?”
Jeff replied, “I am not sure mam. From what I saw and what the girl has told me, they handed out food and supplies for a while. I assume until the supplies were depleted. I didn't see any crops and she said that when her father had tried to grow a small garden, folks had tried to take it. I don't think there was any plan for long time survival. The only thing I saw there was desperation, disease and decay.”
The gray haired lady, put her hand to her mouth and a tear slipped down her cheek. “There were supposed to be plans. It was intended for the survivor's camps to work towards self sufficiency. I helped create some of those strategies. There was to be seeds, water storage, sanitary provisions...the refugees were to be taught to survive and recover. There were huge stockpiles of provisions and medical supplies.” Several of the people at the table shook their heads in disbelief.
He continued to tell his experiences, “The only hope that I have seen out there, has been in the small communities and family groups that have been smart and resourceful and are self sufficient. I am sorry but in my limited travels, I have not seen any signs that our government has been able to restore this country. You may be doing some interesting or beneficial work here. So far, it has only benefited the survivors right here, down in your private underground city.”
The General and the Professor maintained a stern look. The professor said, “We are not the only successful sanctuary. Our government officials and other important people were protected and assigned to various locations. The country will eventually be re-established and our work will be shared.”
The long table was lined with faces that either remained confident or stricken. Jeff decided to plow ahead, “Oh yeah, Professor, those special animals that you have...well, my son and I and another man that we met on our travels have seen those animals out in the wild, in New Mexico.”
“That's ridiculous, impossible,” said the professor.
“I know what I saw, they are out there. Hopefully they will just become food sources or maybe people will become their food source,” said Jeff. “Your restoration is too late for most, I am afraid. I am putting my money on the people of this country to build it back. There may have been some good intentions here but I see no grand results. My family and I are going to move along tomorrow and I wish you all the best of luck.”
General Thomas rose from his chair and placed his hands on the table, his gruff voice said, “That is not going to happen. You cannot be allowed to leave here.” He stomped from the room.
Professor Giles said, “Don't worry, you will be comfortable and well cared for. This meeting is adjourned.”
“Wait,...wait a minute!” Jeff shouted at the backs of the exiting men. He looked at Mrs. Anuba, “Why in the hell would they care if we left, what does it matter?”
The woman returned his look with sad eyes, “This place has always been secret, they are not going to let you leave. When you come in, you do not go out. It's really not a bad place and we can use your skills.” She gathered up some papers and followed everyone from the room, Jeff was left standing there.
The soldier in the corner said, “You are free to go now.”
Jeff gave a sound of disgust and slammed out the door. As he stomped towards their quarters, his mind bellowed, We are getting out of this place! That certainty was one thing, accomplishing it would be quite another.
Kevin met his father at the door of the quarters, he instantly barraged him, “Dad, I just remembered the donkeys. What about the donkeys? We have already been here three days...what are we going to do?”
“Okay, Kev, just calm down. The donkeys had water and they will graze. You know that I have never tied them up so secure that they couldn't break away if something got after them. If they exhaust their grazing, they will break away and wander farther,” said Jeff.
“Wander! We can't loose the donkeys, how would we pull the wagon,” wailed the boy.
Emily and Cissy stood by, looked at Jeff with big eyes, even Girl looked from one of them to the other. He said, “It's going to be fine because we are going to get out of here. We are going to make a plan right now, to get out of this place.”
The days drug by and over a week later, Jeff had s
till not figured out how they were going to escape the bunker. No matter how much he nosed around and explored, he had found no exit except those heavy metal doors that they were brought in through. With the long brightly illuminated hall, it was practically impossible to observe how those doors were controlled without being seen. He had not even caught anyone going out those doors. The family just followed his instructions and tried to blend in to the everyday life in the underground city. Jeff bit down and feigned interest in the projects that were on going and offered his engineering knowledge. Emily helped out in the clinic and in the kitchen, the kids worked in the garden and attended some classes in the school room.
Jeff had started to think about how he could blow up those doors. Even if he could manage that, how would he get all of them safely out with that big of a commotion. One afternoon, Cissy and Kevin were gathering some vegetables from the crops. They missed Girl and looked up just in time to see her trotting along after a guard that was headed up the stairs. They started after her, the guard went up to one of the long halls and made a couple of turns. He had on some type of face and head gear and had not noticed the little dog a few feet behind him. Kevin kept saying in a whisper, “Psst...stop, come here Girl.”
The soldier stopped in front of a door that was marked Lab No Unauthorized Entry, he punched some numbers into a keypad and pulled open the door. Fortunately, the dog didn't make it to the door before it closed shut. Kevin ran up and grabbed her, still whispering and scolding her. Cissy stood on tiptoes and peeked up into the wire covered glass on the door, just in time to see the soldier open another door at the back of the room. A flash of sunlight briefly filled the room, then the door slammed shut and it was hard to see that there was a door in the wall.
Cissy grabbed Kevin, pulled him along quickly back down the halls. She went all the way back to their quarters with the boy doing a fast walk and the dog tucked under his arm. They had barely got in the room and were trying to catch their breath, when Jeff came in. “Hey, what are you two up to? I thought you were working in the garden today.”
No Normal Day IV (Travelers) Page 12