Nuclear Spring

by Td Barnes

  It is hard to tell if Bradley chuckled or scoffed in humor. Otherwise, he ignored the comment.

  “Ray and Sammie, please brief us on the Grizzly, our grizzly bears.” He glanced at the Sergeant Major and chuckled again at the remark about virgins. Before you start, I want to share a joke.

  “An 18-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up and appeared before Allah. He said, Oh, Allah, I did your bidding, but I have a request. Since I am only 18 and spent all my time in terrorist training school, I have never been with a woman. So, instead of 72 virgins, who also won’t know what to do sexually, can I have 72 prostitutes?” Allah regarded him for a moment before replying. “The 72 virgins are here in heaven because assholes like you murdered them before they could experience the pleasure of sex. So, you are here to service them. Since they’re virgins, they’re quite sexually ravenous; and, frankly, you’ll be on constant, exhausting duty.” The bomber responded, “Well, I guess I can live with that. How hard can it be to keep 72 women satisfied for all eternity?” And,” Allah replied, “Who said they are female?”

  ####

  Two Days Later-1910 hours

  The music playing on the paging speakers stopped for an announcement. “Captain Callahan’s recon squad just now entered the south portal,” The long-awaited announcement ended two days of worrying about those on the expedition outside the mountain—expressions of relief rippled throughout the Command Center. Moments later, Captain Callahan himself called to advise of their safe return and to seek instructions.

  “It is Captain Callahan, sir,” the Sergeant Major said after answering the intercom call and switching to speaker mode. Bradley leaned close to the intercom so his low voice would carry.

  “Bradley,” Bradley announced himself.

  “Sir, it is a go,” Callahan replied.

  “Radiation levels?”

  “Low. We crossed a few hotspots showing residual radiation, but nothing to concern us.

  “Thank you, Callahan. Grab some chow. Collect and get a reading on all the dosimeters. I’ll take your report at 0800 hours.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Bradley wished to know the results of the recon but realized the team needed time to refresh and dine. The recon report could wait until the following morning.

  Bradley wandered back to his quarters to find Stacey sitting on her Army cot arranging her footlocker. On her work desk, a video was playing on the MacBook Air computer that Stacey used to communicate with others inside the mountain through a modem network. Sitting on his work desk was an identical computer that he used for his research in the vast technical online library housed inside the mountain.

  “You’re not watching the video?” He asked.

  “I was until I started rearranging my furniture.” She joked but did not laugh. “Tom, do you recall when the refugees and we from Beatty arrived here at Jackass Flats? I’ll never forget the viciously hot sun. It shot through the damaged ozone layer to attack the sparse succulent desert vegetation and anything living. Everywhere I looked; I saw soldiers and airmen carrying military cots, cooking essentials, sanitation systems, fuel storage, and military weapons and ordnance from the staging area into the mountain. I have never seen anything so well organized in my life.”

  Bradley could not tell if she was depressed or remembering. “I recall it very well. I was most impressed with someone thinking to provide us with the bicycles complete with spare tires, tubes, and parts. Is there something that I should know, or are you traveling down memory lane?”

  “, I was thinking how lucky we are to have our children here with us.”

  “I remember quite well.” He looked at her to see if something else was on her mind. She moved on to what she was doing, but the thought lingered in his mind. It reminded him of the joy they felt when their son, Jerry showed up at Amargosa Valley with a girlfriend and joined the cattle drive to the mountain where their daughter, Samantha already arrived as a member of the Homeland Security contingent sheltered here.”

  The evacuees found the overall evacuation experience unforgettable with lines of people forming in a large alcove located between the Command Center and the #1 mess. There, the quartermaster and a group of Nevada National Guard soldiers issued an Army cot and a footlocker to each new arrival.

  Two female soldiers formed the single individuals in one line and families in another to further grouping of male, female, couples, and families. They further grouped the families by number and ages of any accompanying children. Soldiers at the head of each line entered a laptop computer a brief bio entry for everyone, issued them a number, and printed their name on a strip of color-coded plastic for posting at the entrance to their assigned alcove.

  At another table, three soldiers worked in unity to assign the individual or family an alcove based on the classification number assigned them. The need to maintain records of everything continued even with the world on the verge of ending.

  At the end of the processing line, a group of soldiers waited like check out boys to assist the individuals and families in obtaining an Army cot, footlocker, and a box of miscellaneous personal hygiene items from a counter in the quartermaster alcove.

  Based on the assigned number, a soldier for everyone then assisted the new arrival to the designated alcove with those assigned quarters close to the quartermaster alcove carrying their cot and footlocker by making two trips.

  Those further in the tunnel awaited their turn to use the handcar to transport their cot, footlocker, and possessions with the assisting soldiers organizing their handcar trips to consolidate loads for multiple alcoves in the same vicinity.

  Overall, the entire operation proved to be very efficient with minimum stress to the civilians. Bradley later commemorated this military professionalism to the company commander and his XO.

  Stacey noticed him being in deep thought when he entered their alcove. Now she wished that she not added memories of the past to what was burdening him. “Would you like to eat out?” She joked as if they that a choice in the matter.

  He smiled to acknowledge her joke. “Sorry, Hon. Had some things on my mind. Care to take a stroll?”

  Neither spoke at first as they walked through the tunnel past chemical lighting that identified each alcove as to its use. As usual, an entourage formed behind them consisting of the tunnel’s cats, guinea hens, and a rooster who escaped from the animal farm at the south portal. Bradley’s dog, Sarge made sure that none of the others got too close to his human masters. Children playing in the tunnel stopped to greet Tom and Stacey in a show of respect. Other couples are also taking a stroll greeted them, but did not interrupt their stride. Four teenagers passed them on the rail handcar, giggling about something as they continued wherever they were going.

  Stacey said, “Our people are contented,”

  “I hope that doesn’t change. As you know, I sent a recon to the Emigrant Valley two days ago, and they returned a few minutes, ago. I’ll receive their report in the morning, but I expect I’ll be spending some time there.”

  “Why Emigrant Valley?”

  “Area 51. It is the source of some high-tech equipment needed here inside the mountain to allow us better defense when we start farming and raising livestock.”

  “Defense?” She asked, bewildered., Bradley had not discussed his concerns with her.

  “Yes. Defense against whoever is scouting us from the air. We do not know who or why. We must be prepared if they come with bad intentions. We have things they want and need that we can’t afford to share.”

  “Oh.” Being an experienced military wife, she did not expect him to elaborate. She brushed her hand along the rock wall of the tunnel. “I feel secure here. I’m not sure that I’m ready to face the challenges waiting for us on the outside.”

  “Nor am I,” he replied. “I wish Jack could have seen us coming out of the mountain,” referring to SMG Jack Weston, Bradley’s confidant, and friend, the first death inside the mountain.

  The next morning, Bradley
walked into the Command Center to find Callahan waiting and the Command Center full of staff gathered for his briefing. Seeing Bradley enter, he motioned that they needed to talk. “Sir,” he said after moving out of hearing of the others arriving and in some cases pouring themselves a cup of coffee from carafes brought in from the mess hall area during the break. “I saw a low-flying plane overflying Groom Lake in what appeared to be a grid pattern. That’s not something that our Air Force would be doing.”

  “I agree. Did your team find anything that we can use here?”

  “Sir, that part went well. The Groom Lake facility has a considerable amount of equipment that escaped the EMP. There, they kept everything concealed in metal enclosures to protect exposure to surveillance satellites. We found things like dozers, loaders, and even full tanks of petroleum products. We hit a treasure trove in this regard. I imagine this attracted the aerial surveillance or reconnaissance, which most likely means we are also under surveillance.”

  Callahan’s report was what Bradley expected. Nonetheless, he felt more anxious about hearing Dr. Hains’ report. The more Bradley thought about it, the more he wanted to keep Hain’s report private and on a need-to-know basis. With that thought in mind, he located Dr. Hains and drew him aside. “Doctor, I prefer we not get into detail on the subject of cyber-warfare. Most of the staff know that we are forming a cyber-warfare unit, but I do not want the details known. You and I’ll discuss your findings later in private.”

  Dr. Hains stared into Bradley’s face, and stated accusingly, “You’re not just a military man, are you?”

  Bradley looked him straight in the eye. “No, I am not.” He replied, hiding his thoughts behind a blank expression, and saying no more while he slid back into his tight-lipped actuarial need-to-know world of secrets.

  ####

  Chapter 2-Exploitation of Groom Lake

  Bradley lay on his back in the army cot and stared at the air vent attached to the rock ceiling. He could not sleep. He listened to the steady flow of air and the occasional sound of something banging on the duct pipe somewhere inside the mountain. These were familiar sounds unnoticeable because everyone was used to them. He thought, “The way the tube carries sound, imagine what it would be like as a speaker, picking up and broadcasting every sound of the mountain.”

  He looked over at Stacey’s cot and saw that she was sleeping. Scanning his eyes around their rock quarters, he looked at the family photos stuck on the rock walls. Like most all the residents of the mountain, he and Stacey had no photos predating the EMP attack. Lost were all the family photos, childhood trophies, and such in the past. The only connection to life and history pre-EMP attack lay in the mass archive of videos, photos, and documents preserved inside the mountain’s archive alcove to provide a reference to the past.

  His thoughts turned to the reported sighting of another recon plane searching in a grid fashion. “Who are they?” “What are their intentions?” “They have to know that we are here. If they are friendly, why haven’t they contacted us to check on our well-being?” He became wide-awake at this thought. “They will contact us when they are ready, and they will not be friendly.” His thoughts turned to the defenses of the mountain.

  The need for secrecy in deploying the Grizzly and the yet to be named cyber-warfare operation complicated matters for those concerned. Decisions regarding deployment did not always make sense to those lacking the need-to-know. Bradley wanted both projects started, but doing so in secret and with him planning to be at Area 51 complicated matters.

  He privately cornered Sammie about her mysterious weapons system at Groom Lake and learned little. She insisted that it was a proof of concept weapons system and not intended for operational use. The more she hedged on deploying the weapon, citing lack of testing as an excuse, the more Bradley wanted to learn about its capabilities. The two of them agreed that she would go to Groom Lake with him where they intended to test the weapon and decide on deploying it afterward. They all agreed that Ray needed to remain at the mountain to set the two Grizzlies up as mobile units to stay hidden inside the mountain until required.

  In two days, he and a select few planned to leave the mountain at Jackass Flats on a secret exploitation and recovery mission to what everyone now identified as Emigrant Valley. The planning for this mission occurred much thought. The overwhelming responsibilities shared by Bradley and his leadership staff were producing one flare-up after another because of the strong opinions differing on how to accomplish it. Tension existed throughout the mountain at the thought of the commander of the mountain, the military commander, and some soldiers, along a few select civilians leaving the mountain on an expedition. Anything disturbing the tranquility of the mountain caused such concern and anxiety.

  The XO, Lieutenant Colonel Barlow, Colonel Bradley, and the Sergeant Major headed to the Command Center from the mess hall area with the XO briefing them on the way.

  “RadSafe personnel have set up dosimeter distribution stations at each portal, for anyone leaving the mountain. They will collect the film from everyone upon return and read the amount of radiation accumulated by the person.”

  “Has Callahan decided on who he is sending with the advance party?” Bradley asked.

  “By the last account, he is still working on his deployment plan. He does not want any female soldiers leaving the mountain until we have a better handle on the radiation levels.”

  Bradley shooed a Guinea hen and her keets out of the way as he added, “Sammie will be going with my team. She says she needs two days to retrieve a device that she wants to add to what we have here inside the mountain. We are taking two trucks and three mechanics. Motor pool has the trucks operational and loaded.”

  Annoyed by the noisy fuss the hen made over being disturbed, Bradley said. “Only the French would have domesticated a creature like this.”

  The Sergeant Major chuckled. “I would rather put up with the noise than have to live with the lice, worms, ants, spiders, and ticks that the hens eat here inside the mountain.”

  Barlow grinned and glanced at Bradley to continue their conversation. “You make this mission sound easy.”

  “We have the experience of two war deployment under our belt, but still, it is not as easy as it sounds. We are splitting our defenses, as well as support personnel such as cooks, medics, and Radsafe personnel.”

  “I agree with the concern for the safety of our women— those carrying a child. I think that we all agree that they are the survival of humanity.”

  He saw her smile and added. “I am not including you, Colonel. I am not feminist. Am I profiling? Hell yes! If you can pop out a kid, you must avoid exposure to radiation. Otherwise, you do not count.” They both laughed.

  “Thank God that I can’t have kids. I’d rather go to war than raise a brat.” She joked but long ago confided to Bradley the loss of a child during birth that left her unable to bear children.

  “Jane,” he said, calling her by her first name rather than rank. “I want you to take command of the mountain.”

  “What?” Barlow stopped in her tracks and stared at him in shock at this unexpected remark.

  Bradley stopped as well and paused his comment, a clear indication of this being a spur of the moment decision. Barlow inclined her head and stared into his eyes looking for something to signify the reason for this unexpected approbation.

  Bradley continued, his whispery voice straining to emphasize plausibility. “I am promoting you to the rank of colonel. I want you to take command and free me to lead this mission to Groom Lake. We have survived and are now embarking on a role of rebuilding. I understand that was the focus of your military training before the EMP. You do not know much about my background. The black world of electronics and spook work is where I am best suited. I need to concentrate on setting up the Grizzly and the cyber-warfare unit.”

  “Sir, there is no way that I can fill your shoes. You always delegate authority to the specialists in their tradecraft, and as a good leade
r accepts responsibility. There is no need to change what has worked for the past four years.”

  “Well said, Colonel, but I’m not buying your bullshit,” he said with a chuckle. “, Jane, we have done an excellent job of cross-training everyone inside the mountain so that farmers can fight and fighters can farm. In time, we will see democracy return and capitalization return. You are better qualified to lead us in that direction. I suggest we promote Captain Callahan and assign him to handle all ground troops. We have restricted our female soldiers from any front-line combat positions, but they will be perfect for staff warfare projects within the mountain. I’ll head up our black projects, which are now our salvation from stronger adversaries that might be licking their chops to take what we have.”

  Barlow knew from his tone and reasoning that the decision was final. “I feel honored, but scared when I think of the challenge ahead. We are the highest tech people on earth, yet we are starting over. Imagine those out there who survived, but did so living and scrounged off the land like in the Stone Age. How are we going to handle them when they find us? That scares me more than whoever is checking us out from above.”

  “It scares me as well, but in a different way. One carries the responsibility to kill and the other the responsibility to save. The killing is the easier of the two.”

  ####

  Two days later, the advance party stood ready to deploy to lead with the exploitation and recovery team following in two hours.

  Bradley located Captain Callahan standing on the right side of the lead JLTV, The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) that recently replaced the Humvee used by the US Army, USSOCOM, and U.S. Marine Corps.

  They exchanged salutes after which Bradley motioned for Callahan to follow him, walking far enough that no one could overhear them. “Captain Callahan, we have kept you at the rank of captain while we promoted others because you are indispensable as the CO. I am recommending that Barlow promote you once we have everyone settled in. Rank has not meant all that much while a small unit and confined inside the mountain. That is about to change. I have asked Barlow to take command of the mountain to free me up for black operations with the weapons that we are about to deploy. She will make your promotion official once we return.”