The Bunker Chapter 1
[FONT="]Part VI: There Will Come Soft Rains[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Bunker:[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter [1][/FONT]
[FONT="]“Sir?” The Aide asked, nervously knocking on the open door frame. “Did you hear the news? CNN is breaking it right now. Is it true?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Slowly, almost too calmly, drifting out of the television’s speakers from inside the room, the anchor’s voice was emotionlessly reading the news. “A nuclear weapon has been deployed in West Germany. As of now, it is unknown which side the weapon was used by and who the weapon used on. Both the American government and the Soviet Premier are denying that authorization was given…”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Senator turned wearily around in his chair to face the Aide. Creased lines of worry crossed his exasperated face. The Senator had just been reading a bill before the Aide walked in. “The TV is on.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Aide opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could the Senator put up a hand and interrupted. “Don’t worry I know about Germany. I just got off the phone with the head of the Defense committee. The story is true. Someone did use a nuclear weapon.” He didn’t tell the Aide the next part. No one was supposed to know the full truth.
God Damn It! We did it! We dropped the first Bomb![/FONT]
[FONT="]It had been a few long days since the airliner was shot down, and the fighting started. The President wanted a formal declaration of war, and while a state of war was declared quickly, it had put every other bill and debate on hold. And now everyone said that
their bill was the most important to vote on before the bombs fell.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Senator shoved the 157 page bill off of his desk and into the trash bin.
As if in the post-Apocalyptic world the value of North Eastern Nebraskan farm subsidies would be important. And the Congressman who had proposed the stinking bill was already home snug in some bunker in Nebraska, called home by the Governor.
Did the Nevadan Governor even have authorization to do that? He couldn’t. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Turning his thoughts back to the situation at hand, the Senator turned to the Aide. “I want you to start packing your office. The box needs to be small, and do it quickly if you can.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Aide nodded and glanced quickly back into his own office, filled to the ceiling with boxes upon boxes of paper. “What should I take?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Personal items” the Senator replied. “We won’t need any of those stupid bills.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]When the Aide left the room, the Senator closed the door and picked up the receiver on his phone. After dialing a number that he had never hoped he would ever need he began to talk.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Hello? Yes this is the head of the Joint-Congress Continuity Committee. I need authorization to execute OPERATION ODYSSEY. We have a go? Alright give an all call to the Senate and House. We are going to GREEK ISLAND.”[/FONT]
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[FONT="]“…We’re going to need you to go the front office.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Over the last few days students had been pulled out of class, their families fleeing Washington DC as quickly as they could. A surprising few had been pulled out, knowing how bad the situation in Germany was getting. His parents had insisted that he and his sisters went to a public school. He felt the eyes of all of the other students tracking the back of his head as he plodded down to the front office. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Kid slumped into the chair outside of the Principal’s office. He had been called to the front office. He was nervous. He’d never been called down to the office since he started High School 4 years ago. Why was he being called down now?[/FONT]
[FONT="] “Hi!” The Principal said. “Your mom is coming to pick you up, something about an Orthodontist appointment?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Kid was surprised but fought to hide it. His braces were taken off last year and he didn’t need an orthodontist’s appointment. Something was wrong. It had to be a signal or code for something. “Thank you ma’am.” he said. “Have a good day.” The Kid’s stomach flipped. The TV was on in the corner [/FONT]
[FONT="]“A nuclear weapon has been deployed in West Germany. As of now, it is unknown which side the weapon was used by and who the weapon used on. Both the American government and the Soviet Premier are denying that authorization was given…”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“You too” the Principal replied as he walked out the door to the office. She didn’t hear the TV. There were more important things to attend to.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Mother was sitting in the car out in front of the school. As the Kid got in she looked nervously over. “Your father is on his way home from work, and he said to pack you most important things.” His father, home from Congress? Things had really hit the fan. [/FONT]
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[FONT="]The Maid stood with the Daughter in the foyer of the massive Arlington mansion. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Are you sure you aren’t coming with us?” the Daughter asked.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Honey,” the Maid chided “in all of my 87 years no one has taken better care of me than your family, but sometime you have to move on.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]She kissed the Daughter on the forehead. God how she’d blossomed, the Maid thought. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“I’d just be a waste of space and food.” The Maid explained. “Honey, don’t you worry about me. You promise?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I promise” the Daughter said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]There was a knock on the door. The Maid, spryly for her age, walked up and pulled the door open.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A MP stood on the other side “Miss, I believe you’re coming with us?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Daughter turned around one more time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Go.” The Maid said, shooing the Daughter off like the time when her friends would pick her to go play. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Daughter smiled, hugged the Maid one last time, and went with the MP to a waiting black sedan. The car pulled down the driveway and off into the distance.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Maid turned all the lights off in the house and closed the door behind her for the last time. She was heading toward the National Mall for one last errand. [/FONT]
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[FONT="]The Aide stepped off of the helicopter onto the tarmac. Along with nearly 2 dozen other officials and key members of their staffs, he had flown from down from the lawn behind the Capitol Building to… Where exactly?[/FONT]
[FONT="]A handful of military trucks were waiting on the runway for the officials. They clamored in everyone helping each other, whether Republican or Democrat it didn’t matter. After the passengers settled in, the trucks drove through the empty streets of the town. He looked over at the man sitting next to him. It was the president pro tempore of the Senate looking calm. The Republican bastard had fought in World War II with the paratroopers, and it looked like could handle another war. Strom Thurmond looked the Aide right in the eyes and smiled. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“How are you doing son?” Strom asked.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Well enough, sir.” The Aide answered.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“You don’t have to sir me, Congress is not in session.” Strom laughed. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Aide’s stomach lurched.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The truck pulled up to the gate of the hotel. Armed guards swarmed all over the premises. At the gate they were patted down, and fingerprints and Congressional IDs were checked, double checked and finally checked again.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“We don’t want any freeloaders.” A guard said to a disgruntled Congressman.[/FONT]
[FONT="]They were led to a ballroom, where a secret door had been opened to reveal a heavy, massive and opened steel door. Lead by guards and members of Congress that had already arrived, the Aide finally found his bunk. Home, Sweet, Home he thought.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Father was arguing with the soldiers. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“What do you mean they are not coming with me? They’re my family for goodness sake.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Kid watched with growing horror as Father was getting angrier, that was never a good sign.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Sir, you are coming with us now, your family will be going to the safe house by and alternate route. There is no reason to panic. Now, would you please come with us?” The Sergeant said calmly.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“YOU WILL TAKE MY FAMILY WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!” Father had exploded.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!” A third voice joined the fray. The Major strode in and stepped right up to Father. Pulling a pistol out of his holster he pointed it right at Father’s head. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The house was dead silent.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Now,” the Major said calmly, “your family will be safe. I promise you. They will come to no harm. But sir, you are a leader of this country and we need you safe. I hope you understand that.” He holstered the pistol. “I will take them down personally to see to their safety. I’m so sorry that it has to work this way.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Father slowly nodded, he was coming to his senses. Father spun around and kissed Mother as hard as he could. “I’ll be back soon.” He said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I know.” She replied.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Father was taken into a Jeep which roared off, sirens blaring. Mother was crying.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The rest of the Family, Mother, the Kid, and little Sis, and the Major got in the car for the long ride south.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]The Maid walked down to the National Mall, thousands of people, either in sporadic last minute protests or an act of resignation, others were awaiting the rapture and calling for still other to repent.
The Mall was a scene of chaos.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Maid slowly walked up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and sat at his feet. This was as good as any a place to die.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]“Sir, the last of the Congressman that could be located is in the Bunker, OPERATION ODYSSEUS is complete.” The Colonel in charge of security said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Good, close the bunker doors, the families should be arriving soon. They can under no circumstances know that we are here until they need to know, understood?” The Senator asked.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Colonel nodded.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Sir, the twenty mile exclusion zone is complete!” And orderly ran up breathless.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Get the men back quickly to help the families in-process. Fill every room in the hotel; double up if you have to.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The orderly saluted and ran off.[/FONT]
[FONT="]So far things were going according to plan.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]The Kid was roaming the hotel. There were blackout curtains, pulled tight in every room. All the doors were locked and guards were posted at every way to the outside. It had been hours since they had arrived and well he was bored. Praying for salvation was interesting for only so long. [/FONT]
[FONT="]He walked past the indoor pool for a fifth time and noticed that someone was actually swimming in it. Not just someone, but a girl about his age.[/FONT]
[FONT="]He walked into the pool room. She smiled and got out of the pool and introduced herself.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Kid cracked a smile.
The end of the world couldn’t be that bad after all.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Strom Thurmond was yelling at the soldier manning one of the bunker’s radios.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO GO TO CHEYENNE?”
[/FONT] [FONT="]“Sir, that’s all I know! I’m sorry.” [/FONT]
[FONT="]“WELL TELL THE PRESIDENT THAT MOUNT WEATHER IS MUCH CLOSER! AND THE FUCKING SOVIETS DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT!”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Sir, I’ll try, but I can’t assure you anything."
Strom walked off.
Nothing was sure anymore.
Nothing.
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[FONT="]Fin Chapter 1[/FONT]
