Our asteroid survival: A fictitional history of the ten year survival of a large ELE asteroid impact by a small, pre advised, group

by Lionel Woodhead

  The pharmacist, Fidel, who came with a partner, Cristina, was obtained on the advice of the doctor with whom he was friend of long association, and the storing of a large quantity of basic medicines, preferably in blister packs, including analgesics, antibiotics, antivirals, medical alcohol and a large quantity of vitamins of all types but especially multivitamins, C (not the ascorbic acid version), B, D and E, went ahead immediately. The pharmacist and his partner were satisfactorily accommodated with core member Francisco to save on accommodation requirements.

  The pharmacist had, within his stock, a modest collection of cheap ophthalmic glasses and we encouraged him to increase this stock whilst there was still time. These were removed into our shelter stores there being, at the early stage, no optician available to us. Five good quality camping fridges and two medium sized upright freezers, with the important facility of being powered by either gas, mains or battery, were brought in from available family equipment. The camping fridges were allocated to the medicine store to be used one (though originally two) at a time with a freezer until they became unusable except for spares. A unique, very small (possible capacity of slightly more than two, three centilitres cans of beer), electronic fridge was held in final reserve as it was available and took little space.

  The battery expert, Gabriel, initially presented us with a problem as, having received our offer, he stated that he intended to wait for government advice. Fortunately we eventually obtained his services by explaining our honest opinion of the government’s inability to support the population’s medium term survival. He was a very important asset for us as he had been the installer of the both the lead acid and capacitor batteries. He was aware of our systems and fully capable of supporting what we had. I would have been very unhappy, on many levels, had he not eventually decided to join us.

  His agreement to join us was both beneficial and, I suppose, necessary to us. He was aware of the approaching disaster and keen to make his best efforts to protect his family; (wife, Avril and twin girls of 12 years Alma and Ana). His family were, on and with their agreement, immediately moved to the holiday home where they would be protected, entertained but, most beneficial to us, unable to communicate with others.

  They were transported together with all of the items the battery expert considered necessary for both our survival and the personal comfort of his family. These articles included a very large amount of material related to the lead acid battery - cells, plates, acid (stored in an external shelter), distilled water, tools etc. which were essential to ensure the availability of the battery facility into the medium term.

  The steam engine expert, Martin Woodford (wife, Caroline, and two boys, Martin 12, Michael 9) and the blacksmith David Ashcroft (wife, June, and daughter Sarah 14) were obtained from a company in Yorkshire, England who, we had learned, made custom, model, steam engines. They had heard rumours of the asteroid and convincing them that we provided a realistic survival option was not a major problem. Their families were rapidly transported to the holiday home via a schedule flight and a car to ensure their comfort and, I suppose, our security.

  They came together with all their essential equipment (including specialist drills, acetylene gas (stored in a new, fourth external shelter built for this purpose) and electrical welding equipment, two medium sized electric lathes, etc.). They also brought two small steam engines and other chattel. This latter material was transported in one of the builder’s trucks which had been sent to England for the express purpose of their recovery.

  This truck also brought additional items which included a large amount of solder, welding rods and tools because, fortunately, there was sufficient space for them. Much of this material was stored in the house. Other important items brought on this recovery trip was an engine hoist capable of lifting two tons, two dismantled car trailers, one with car wheels (stored in the house), and an overhead electric hoist with all required roof fittings.

  The additional motor and generator mechanic Oscar Ortega Sanchez (with wife, Cecelia) were temporarily accommodated in a standard unit. He was obtained rather late and came from the company from which we had brought the generators. He brought, with his expertise, items necessary to maintain our equipment and for the future manufacture of generators. He came with a considerable quantity of valuable additional items from his place of work including a great deal of insulated wire, insulation paste, lead solder, carbon rod, (mostly stored in the house) and two electric winding machines for the making and repair of the generators (stored in the shelter) and, potentially, many other things.

  The two vets, Orlando and Brenda, were introduced by the farming group. This was a family of three; they had a young son, Oscar 15. We initially brought as much of their veterinary material (together with a great deal of operating equipment and medicines including anaesthetics), as they would allow, to the shelter. We would remove much of their remaining working material at a later date but encouraged them to increase their long term store-able medicine and surgical stocks to the extent possible. The vets recommended that we took on their veterinary nurse, Isabel and her daughter, Claudia 9. This young lady was accepted and became, especially in the early days of our incarceration, a great asset as a surgical nurse for both the human and animal population.

  The chemist, Leonardo, was obtained from the university. He was a biochemistry doctoral student with a great knowledge and some experience of other branches of chemistry. He obtained for us large quantities of chemicals such as chlorine and various acids and alkaline (stored in an external shelter) with related technical books (unusually stored in his home) that he thought would be useful in our circumstances. Alkaline elements could potentially be used for the treatment of acidic water. We had previously stored a considerable amount - several tons - of chalk in an outhouse for possible acid water treatment but an expert would be required to provide technical advice should it prove necessary.

  This chemist came with a long term, very masculine German engineering graduate, partner Christian. This option we discussed for only a short time as it was considered that the partner’s general engineering background might become very useful. They were unusually given a home to themselves being at the end of a housing run and smaller than the standard unit.

  The obtaining of military combat soldiers to train our personnel, set up and organize a defence structure was, initially, a problem. We had even considered dropping the requirement and purchasing what defensive weapons we could without this expertise. The problem was eventually solved within an internal family group which provided two experienced soldiers; one a non commissioned officer Fabio and his wife Elvira and sons Moises 12 and Oscar1 10. The other was a private Marco with wife Diana and children Elizabeth 12 and Oscar2 (his new designation as we had two young Oscars) aged 5.

  Fabio was a trained sniper with excellent stalking skills. He was a hunter, an excellent shot and an expert in weapon maintenance. He was an ideal recruit for our shelter as he would also prove to be an excellent teacher of basic military tactics. We were not be interested in the control of tactical units or in perfect discipline enforced by normal military brainwashing. Our primary military force would always be small if, later, rather well equipped. Our initial group’s main concern, at this time, was the possibility that the military brotherhood, due to their training, would be stronger than family ties. This, fortunately, proved false at a cost of only eight family members making the total of our group at that time of 74 persons.

  We hoped the military members of the group would be able to provide us with defence weapons and this was more than validated at a later date when, at the cost of an additional family of three, we included within our fold a senior quartermaster officer; Pablo. This tall, imposing, well built and handsome man had considerable military authority which proved very useful in obtaining and transporting military material. He was a long term friend of Fabio from their sniper course days, a very useful military educationalist having attended, but failed – probably due to his height and
build, the sniper course. He was, however, a very capable gunny with a wide knowledge of telescopic sights and weapons maintenance that he was able to pass onto others. He was easily convinced that his family, wife, Caterina and daughter Cristal 14, stood a much better chance with us than with any government offers that he had already considered unrealistic.

  This addition, introduced by Fabio who understood our requirements, brought not only his expertise and many weapons, including some old AK47´s, a very simple and reliable weapon but large quantities of various types of ammunition for all the available weapons. It also brought a considerable quantity of military materials including maintenance equipment, army rations (Meals Ready to Eat etc.), nearly half a ton of army dehydrated rations, a large quantity of emergency, unpalatable, ration biscuits, cold weather clothes, some body armour including the latest version of dragon skin, some tents, some basic telescopic sights, military binoculars including infrared and laser range-finding capability with their batteries, communication equipment, medical kits including a large quantity of modern lice, rat and flea eradicators which we considered could become very important, four small mortars with various types of ammunition and supplies, some explosive material with detonators (we stored this in an external shelter) and other material to about eight tons. This was removed, under his authority, and transported in a military vehicle with authorised, electronic recognition, military passes. The families of Pablo and Fabio were also transported within this vehicle.

  Transport over long distances was, at this time, severely restricted but Pablo had information as to the military and police road blocks and was therefore able to arrange a virtually uninterrupted journey. All this material was very welcome and proved useful later in that it probably saved our society.

  When within about twenty kilometres of our shelter the material and the two families were transferred to a small lorry overnight (in two loads) as the original vehicle could be traced and it would have been risky to have removed the transponder. Two bicycles and clothes were transferred into the military vehicle; the former to act as extraction transport. The military vehicle was then driven close to its official destination from where Fabio and Pablo, the drivers, cycled to the shelter and disappeared from official knowledge.

  With the addition of the military stores, including the dried food, we had now filled well over three quarters of the food floor and a considerable area of the extension. Some of the long term container protected food was now stored in one of the out buildings.

  We then gave up on the energy supervisor (this person had proved unnecessary) and the metalworker (unavailable; but as we had a blacksmith and a skilful metallic engineer this was not of real concern) and took on a carpenter, Manuel, at a cost of three family members, wife Laura and daughter Linda 14 making a total of 81 members.

  We intended to encourage those in two nearby (four kilometre distant) houses to join us near the time of the disaster. Our very obvious excuse was that this addition would benefit us as it removed a source of attraction to the outside world but, in reality, I believe it was a humanitarian gesture to compensate for our guilt that we could do no more.

  There was a need, before the impact, to remove, without others not destined for the shelter being aware, all acquired materials to the shelter. This was initially performed by the invited families taking, by appointment, what was to be offered to a central location, normally the builders yard or one of his work areas, from where it was taken, by vehicle, to the shelter site. Here it was initially stored in the house and outbuildings which soon came near to bursting with our guests’ contributions.

  About three months before the impact something took place which, though having apparent short term benefits, would, after the impact, bring a period of what I considered unfair recrimination and anger, within our “original group”, against myself and Fabio. A very wealthy man, Ricardo, was brought before us; having been introduced by the builder who was a long term friend of his. This person had, somehow, obtained early information about the coming disaster and wanted to protect his family. He had a large house about fourteen kilometres, by road, from our shelter on the other side of the valley. This house was about one hundred and fifty meters above the altitude of our shelter being at the highest point in his area. He had a large, old, nuclear shelter, associated with his house, which had been built in the 1960´s. He had maintained this as a wine store and on receipt of information about the asteroid had made efforts to convert it to a new role as a survival shelter for his family.

  The rich man had filled the shelter with food and fuel, which again he had somehow obtained, but had found that there was insufficient space to store enough for his family of ten persons. His wife, Caterina, Son Jago 15 and daughters Jacinta 13 and Raquel 11. His brother Ramone, Ramone’s wife Mercedes, his sons Santos 14, Pancho 13 and daughter Patricia 11.

  Ricardo had asked the builder, Thomas, to join him in return for increasing the size of this shelter possibly by reinforcing the house. The builder had explained that there was insufficient time to carry out such work but came and spoke to our group. In essence he asked if he could make a counter offer which might benefit not only us but several persons currently external to our then “original group”.

  The offer, that we accepted (We had sufficient room), was basically that in exchange for offering the rich man’s family accommodation within our shelter a large portion of his stores would be added to that within our shelter. It was agreed that the family would become part of our “original group” and be subject to our organisation. The family’s shelter would then be made available for other persons that we could chose from personal contact in a nearby village; actually the persons we were considering lived about twenty five kilometres distant.

  On our agreement we added a considerable amount of diesel to our fuel reserves being, in total, about seven thousand five hundred litres which left over two thousand five hundred litres of diesel in the family shelter. If we had left the full reserves of diesel and food at the site it would have severely limited the accommodation for anything else so the removal of the material was practical in every sense.

  To our food reserves would be added another six tons of very expertly, vacuum stored cereals, meats, and fruit and several tons of similarly stored pasta together with thousands of tins and another two hundred units of best Jamon. This addition was very considerably more per new inmate than our original store and would allow us additional options after the impact.

  We also took most of the families store of wines, other alcohol and over a thousand two hundred litres of scarce olive oil (we had only managed to obtain less than twice this amount ourselves) with other potentially useful equipment including a two seated micro light aircraft (This, we considered, might be useful when looking for survivors after the impact if we had sufficient resources to include them in our group), two hang gliders, three parachutes and two medium sized, modern, four stroke motorcycles together with a very well maintained classic 650cc BSA from the late 1950´s with considerable spares. This low technology vehicle would be comparatively inefficient in its use of our petrol reserves but would be more easily maintained in the long term and would not be greatly affected by any possible EMP. Much of the material was stored within the shelter and the rest in the house or outbuildings. A specialist item being some good quality, modern, ham radio equipment, licensed to Ricardo. This was left at the rich mans shelter. We would not want to use the equipment at our main shelter into the medium term.

  We were also pleased to find that he had, in his garage, some excellent grinding equipment being far superior to the basic units we had in store. There was also a small four wheel drive vehicle (this became most important later) from which we drained the fluids and removed the battery to the local shelter. The grinding equipment was taken to our shelter and allocated to the blacksmith. The removal of this material, by lorry, had to be performed very carefully to avoid suspicion as fuel was, for reasons not then made clear by the authorities, becom
ing rather scarce.

  A sufficient quantity of tins, one hundred litres of olive oil and other items, including thirty units of Jamon were left in the family shelter. This should last the proposed inhabitants, with reasonable comfort, for over a year. There were only two toilets, both connected to the main drainage system, so we donated a portapoty in case the main drainage system failed. Access to the main drain would initially be blocked from inside the shelter to prevent blowbacks during the expected atmospheric disturbances.

  Water was pumped into the shelter via a hand pump from a drilled well (part of the rich mans initial effort to support his family) into two, two hundred litre holding tanks; a spare pump unit was also available. We also provided our future guests with a considerable number of smaller plastic water containers so water storage should not be an immediate problem for the guests.

  This shelter itself was basically about twenty meters by fifteen meters by three meters with very thick walls and roof. It included some EMP protection in its cement reinforcement. This we connected to earth via cables connected to some low resistance copper tubes hammered into the earth. We attempted to improve on this as far as protecting the internal equipment. To achieve this we passed cables, connected to the earthing bars, through a hole drilled at a high level through the wall. These we connected, inside the shelter, to a large metal box constructed for this purpose which as then encased in metal foil. The drilled hole with the cables was sealed with concrete. Into the box (Faraday cage) we placed the protected equipment. The metal of the four wheel drive, enhanced by being covered in metal foil, was similarly connected to the earth in an attempt to preserve its electronic components.

  Nearer the time of the impact we offered this accommodation, shortly before they left to the government shelters, to ten members of four young families that were well known to us. They lived in a village within twenty kilometres of the rich mans shelter. These families included two twelve year old children, a boy and a girl, who would, initially, have to put up with considerable privations; being alone in a relatively small, uncomfortable accommodation, for a long period, with only adults for company.