“Thank you General. This is most useful. Anything else you can tell me about the base?”
“They shoot first and ask questions later. If they don’t know who you are you will not live long.”
“I see. Thank you again,” Feng replied and hurried off to see the General.
~~
Feng waited impatiently for the General. He had been instructed to stand and wait until he was summoned. Nearly an hour went by before a guard came and escorted him to the General’s office.
“It is good you came when you did. I was just about to have someone come and get you. This is much better for you. I take it you have some news for me?”
“Yes General. I have been informed that such a base was created near Guiln in western Guangxi Chuang. It is near the Yu River I was told.”
“Guangxi Chuang? And none are closer?”
“None that anyone knew of,” Feng replied. He was hoping the General would be pleased but he couldn’t tell.
The General walked over to a huge map of China and looked for Guiln.
“Where is this place? I don’t see it on the map.”
“Sir. It is very far south, over 1900 kilometers from Beijing.”
“Show me,” the General ordered.
Feng walked to the map and studied it for several seconds and at last located Guiln.
“That is a long way from here. We need airplanes. It will take far too long to drive that distance,” the General said.
“Sir. We have found that the old cars work. Maybe some of the old airplanes will work as well. Has anyone tried one yet?”
The General looked at him for several seconds and sweat broke out of Feng’s forehead.
Finally he said, “Very good Feng. That should have been thought of sooner. I will have Major Tun look into it immediately.”
“Very well General. Will there be anything else?”
“Not for the moment but make yourself available. I may have other uses for you,” the General said dismissing him.
Tusan was indeed happy. Feng’s suggestion of the old planes may well be the answer to gaining the upper hand. He could fly his men to Guiln and they could secure the base. Once that was accomplished he could have a team of his best scientists sent up with instructions to awaken the satellites so they could spy on the Americans and Russians. If he could do that it would only be a matter of time before he could formulate a plan to attack them and wipe them from the face of the Earth once and for all. General Tusan smiled at such a thought.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
USA
“How are you feeling?” Randy asked.
“I’ve been better but at least I’m back on solid foods. That gruel they were serving was enough to make me go AWOL,” Colonel Webber replied.
“How about you? I heard you had Captain Richardson placed under house arrest.”
“I did. He was challenging me and not working with the group. It seemed like the best way to handle it.”
“What are you going to do long term with him?”
“Richardson and three others are being banished. We are flying them to Baja and turning them lose. We will give them provisions but that is all,” Randy said.
“Whoa, hard core. You are getting tougher I see.”
“I hope not in a bad way but I can’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch. We would become like the Freemen in Utah.”
“And speaking of them, I understand they are amassed at our boarder and probing into Colorado. Do you have a plan to take care of that?”
“We do. We have decided to fly over low, let them know we are watching them. We intend to drop leaflets that warn them that if they attempt to cross over to Colorado the next plane would be carrying bombs. Something subtle like that. We are still working on the wording. As you can imagine, Major Miller wants to just tell them we are on the way to kill all of them.”
“That kind of sounds like him. You said Major, you are promoting people now?” Webber asked.
“Colonel, you said I was in charge in your absence and I feel that goes for all areas. Miller is one hell of a solider and we need ten more just like him. I thought it was the least I could do,” Randy said, not knowing how the Colonel would take it.
“I couldn’t agree more. I would have done the exact same thing. I even considered it when he came back from his last combat mission. You beat me to it.”
“I’m glad we agree. I have placed him on the board to replace Richardson as well.”
“Good addition.”
“Thank you.”
“What else is going on? I feel so out of touch with everything,” the Colonel said.
“It seems like you are pretty well informed to me Colonel. I haven’t been able to slip anything by you.”
“Hell, I’m sick, not dead.”
“Honestly sir, how do you feel?”
“Not so good. I have my good days but mostly I feel like hell. Some days I don’t even want to get out of bed. They think it is cancer but without the proper equipment it is just a guess really.”
“Cancer? Ah Colonel, please tell me they’re wrong.”
“I hope they are but I am having some classic symptoms and they are pretty sure that’s it.”
“Can they do anything for it?”
“Chemo. But I’ve ruled that out. No way am I going to sit around and die piece by piece. No Chemo for me.”
“But it could extend your life.”
“As what? A vegetable? I don’t think so.”
“Has Rachel talked to you about this?” Randy asked.
“Everyone in the hospital has taken a run at me. Yes, Rachel gave it her best shot. Said she would give me a big hug if I would do Chemo. I almost gave in,” he said and chuckled.
“If it would help, I’d give you a big hug too.”
“Uh..not sure that would help me change my mind.”
“Just trying.”
“How are the people getting along?”
“Really well. We have only two people in jail and that was for minor stuff. Drinking too much and making a fuss. Other than that, it’s really settled down. Everyone seems to be on the same page.”
“And what about that Whittler fellow?”
“We flew him to Mexico and turned him lose. It will take him a while to get to his friends in Utah.”
“Damn Randy. You just might make a good military man yet.”
“No disrespect sir, but I hope not.”
“Twit. Get out of here, I think I feel a little sick. Sorry,” he said.
“I’ll get the nurse. I’ll check in on you later.”
The Colonel didn’t reply, he just waved Randy away. He was looking really bad to Randy.
CHAPTER FORTY -TWO
USA
“How much longer will this system work? I mean it was fine when there were just a few thousand of us but with our growth in population it is bound to break down,” Pierson said.
“Look, I’m open to suggestions. I understand we are quickly approaching a time when working for food will no longer be valid. But look at the obstacles. What do we base a new system on? Gold? Diamonds? Silver? What? We have the largest amounts protected but there are millions and millions, if not billions of other deposits of gold. Same with silver and diamonds, forget it. So what would it be based on?”
“Randy, trying to keep everyone totally equal simply will not work. We have to have a monetary system at some point.”
“And then we will head right back to where we were before The Event. We will start to have different economic class divisions. That leads to unrest and bam, we have wars.”
“We can’t change human nature Randy,” Pierson insisted.
“But we should be able to co-exist without class struggles.”
“Pierson is right Randy. We will probably always have some separation of classes. No matter what system we rely on, some will work harder, some will be lazy, and others will try to take the easy way and find a way to steal or scam people,” Sims added.
“That’s the best we can say for mankind?” Randy asked.
“Randy it would be nice if we had a Utopian society but let’s face it, it isn’t going to happen. Sure we are close to that right now but like Pierson pointed out, we can’t remain this way forever.”
Randy sat back in his chair and laid his head on the headrest. He knew they were right but damn it, things were going so well now. No locked doors, virtually no crime, and no one going without. Why does it all have to revert to the way it was?
“I hear you. I understand what you’re saying but I don’t have to like it.”
“None of us like it Randy,” Margaret said.
“Okay. But on top of this problem we have now made contact with Russia, Italy, France, Britain and Germany. We know China is lurking out there. The world monetary system is based on gold because it was agreed upon by all major nations. How do we get around that little detail?” Randy asked.
“We need to find a way to bring all the world leaders together and come up with an agreeable solution. I don’t think any one nation can dictate what the standard should be,” Sims added.
“That’s easier said than done with our current travel capabilities. It will be a ways down the road before we can get across the ocean,” Randy said.
“We could go by boat. Not everything the Navy has is computer activated and controlled. Lots of old cruisers are still floating and with some effort they could be seaworthy again,” Kevin Brown replied.
“That is an excellent idea Kevin. We could send a team to one of the naval bases on the east coast and have them retrofitted. We could talk to all of the overseas parties we can contact and arrange a meeting place. It would be the first gathering of survivors,” Randy said excitedly.
“We would need an agenda of all the important matters to discuss so we could maximize the usefulness of the meeting,” Margaret suggested.
“Another excellent suggestion! We could get the list to the other nations so they could be ready to talk about them,” Randy said.
“We would want to leave time to just talk about other problems that we face or they have already faced. It could be a chance to exchange ideas about ways of doing things,” Sims said.
“Alright, at our next meeting everyone think of as many items as you can to add to the agenda. Once we get a list we will transmit it to the other countries. We will give them time to add to the agenda and find a meeting place that we all can agree on.”
“We need to keep it informal. No political agendas. We don’t have much of a world left so posturing should be eliminated as much as possible,” Margaret replied.
“Judging from the tone of the transmissions, I think that is entirely possible. I don’t think anyone is even remotely thinking about world domination. Let me add I’m not so sure about China however. They still refuse to acknowledge transmissions and we have seen a huge increase in military buildup,” Randy said.
“They have always been the wild card. No way of knowing what their intentions are. Democracy was a long way off before The Event and I’ll bet it has set them back even further. I’m sure they think we had something to do with this,” Major Miller said.
“Well, we’ll ask them to come to the meeting if and when it can be arranged. Maybe something good will come out of it,” Randy replied.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Sims added.
The rest of the meeting was about the routine items. Interstate 25 had two lanes now open all the way to Castle Rock and would be clear into Denver within two weeks. At Monument they had found two huge warehouses, one for Wal-Mart and the other for Monument Foods Distribution. Everything usable was being transported to Colorado Springs.
Over fifty percent of the population in Colorado Springs was now using the new electric or propane cars. Within the next six months all gas vehicles would be replaced. Converting the larger trucks was still someplace down the road.
While the water levels were no longer rising, huge amounts of each coastline had been reclaimed by the oceans. On the west coast pretty much anything west of Interstate Five was now under water. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles no longer existed. The Baja Peninsula was almost totally under water.
The east coast had fared no better. The Atlantic Ocean had reclaimed the entire eastern seaboard. The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building were the only two that had some portion still above water. As far as Florida was concerned, the ocean had covered huge portions of land. Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Keys had vanished. A large section of Orlando was now a lake.
It wasn’t just the United States but all of the land masses that were bordered by oceans and large seas had lost considerable land mass.
The upside was that the ice caps, both north and south were stable and no longer melting from what they could currently ascertain. If nothing else, it had slowed down.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
USA
“Can you believe almost a whole year has gone by?” Randy asked.
“The earth is rotating faster,” Sims replied.
“Still. Anyway let’s get an update on everything we have going on.”
Each person gave an accounting on his or her area of responsibility. Many of the basic needs were now taken care of and almost every area was showing improvement in creature comforts.
Electric cars were quickly replacing the gas engine ones and the distance and speed had improved marginally. The need for gas was declining with each week.
Water, sewage, and trash removal were all functioning with only minor problems. Using much less disposable materials had reduced the need for larger landfills. People were aware of the problems of the past with plastic. Styrofoam was seldom used except when absolutely necessary. Aluminum and tin cans were being recycled and glass was the next area they had targeted to begin work on.
Crops were showing improvement. Nothing like before The Event, but it was getting better. More and more people were planting small gardens, putting less of a strain on transporting food from Denver and other major cities.
The weather had settled down but UV rays were still a problem. Only a few hours could be spent in the direct sunlight each day.
People were allowed to leave if they wished but very few did. Most returned within the first week when they found out how hard it was to survive on their own. They were allowed to take what they could carry with them and that was all.
Crime was almost non-existent. There were a few drunks upon occasion but it was minor. Since hard liquor and beer were controlled and rationed, very few incidences occurred. Any major offences were dealt with immediately and harshly according to the Constitution. Any that abused another person were immediately banned from Colorado and flown to some remote place. There were no second chances. The first offence was their last.
Several planes had been flown over the Utah Freemen and pamphlets dropped. At first it seemed they were going to remain defiant but a squad of planes dropped bombs on the outskirts of where they were gathered. Within two days it was determined they were heading west, away from Colorado. An offering to accept anyone that wanted to seek sanctuary and would abide by the Constitution was welcomed.
Only a hundred and twenty took up the offer. The rest just moved on. It meant that the problem still existed but at least they had some breathing room.
Colonel Webber was still hanging on but his days were numbered. He refused chemo and was determined not to give in. Randy spent as much time as he could with him. He had done so much for the people that it was hard to imagine what it would have been like without him.
Over ninety new babies had been born during the year and sixty-two others were expecting. One of those expecting being Rachel with her second child. They had decided to name him after the general if it was a boy. So much was still left to be done. The calendar issue was still not resolved.
Other nations had survivors and their input would be necessary as well. How to account chronologically about the faste
r rotation of the earth was unresolved as well. Roads still needed to be cleared further east and south.
One of the biggest challenges was determining how they could interface with the rest of the world in a better way. The estimated population was broken down as: The US had 57,950 in Colorado Springs and 18,200 in the Utah area. From the other countries that the US had been able to contact it was known that Italy had approximately 32,450 gathered in Rome and a further 18,000 in Naples. France reported 41,800 in Paris and Marcel. Russia reported 61,500 in Moscow and 6,480 in Leningrad. China had not made contact or was refusing to. Their numbers were an estimate based on satellite photos. The number was put at 89,800 in Beijing. Other smaller groups had been spotted in various other locations all over China. Germany was reporting 21,000 in Berlin and 3,850 in Munich. Other countries had not made contact as of the end of the second year after The Event.
The world population was estimated to be between 360,000 – 400,000. Of course many other countries had yet to be contacted. All of the Southern Hemisphere was unaccounted for. Several attempts to redirect a satellite to the south had ended up in failure.
The current population was a far cry from the seven billion people inhabiting the planet before The Event. Incredible progress would have to be made before face to face meetings with other country leaders would be possible.
One thing was certain as they started their third year. It would bring about major changes. Some for the better, and some for the worse.
The agenda for the first meeting of surviving nations was being prepared and locations discussed. Work had started on the old heavy cruiser USS Salem. Commissioned in 1947 and decommissioned in 1959, it had been preserved as a museum ship. Over 3000 people had been diverted to work on the rehabilitation of the vessel. Had they waited a few months longer, the Atlantic would have reclaimed her as well. Quincy Massachusetts was slowly being consumed like most of the eastern seaboard.
THE BEGINNING Book Two (THE EVENT) Page 31