UPDATE
Part IV: A Brave New World
Armageddon + 14 Days
The Last City on Earth [2]:
One could say Cleveland, Ohio was the luckiest city on earth. The Russian warhead aimed at the Midwestern city either missed by a few hundred miles, or never left the ground.
By an act of fate Cleveland was now the most powerful city in America, with the largest airport, and the largest industrial sector, it now had a monopoly on modern manufacturing and transportation in the remains of the country. However Cleveland was now also the most populous city.
People need to be fed. People need to be kept clam. People need to be led. Or there will be riots. There will be bloodshed. There will be anarchy.
The Cleveland Troubles started when the Mayor stepped down from office two day after the attack. His wife and children were in New York City for a wedding during the attacks. He had to stay behind and help manage and prepare Cleveland for a war. After the strikes were reported that NYC suffered multiple direct hits, the suppressed depression that lingered from the death of the Mayor’s youngest daughter in a car accident became clear. Two days after stepping down a mayor, he committed suicide.
The new Mayor was also a Republican, but unlike Mayor Voinovich he held little of the previous Mayor’s charm, political skill, or popular support. Unsure of himself and fearful of making a mistake, he called an emergency committee made of many of the most prominent political and business figures in Cleveland. They soon had manipulated themselves a large amount of power from the Mayor.
Within hours of the nuclear strikes, any surviving Air Force aircraft returning from missions in the Soviet Union found out that Cleveland had the only runway long enough to allow their planes to land. Due to the unauthorized work of Cleveland Hopkins International tower control personnel, most that did survive the cross continental flight found a safe place to land.
In the crucial first week after the strike, the newly formed Mayor’s Council imposed martial law and overzealous rationing policies. In enforcing these new policies, two Cleveland police officers shot a young African-American child who was wandering in the streets with a toy gun after dark. His body was found riddled with 18 bullets the next day.
When the officers were unpunished from a police tribunal (citing the emergency the city was in) the young boy’s neighborhood and many of the surrounding neighborhoods erupted into riots. The police force attempted to quell the riots, but when many rioters began to get their hands of powerful firearms, the Cleveland police were soon finding themselves out manned.
The local National Guard unit was called in to help stop the riots. In scenes that would be reminiscent of the Mai-Lai massacre, soldiers untrained in the finesse of stopping a riot simply gunned down rioters in the streets.
As the death toll of the rioters rose, the spread and fury of the riots rose. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the local newspaper ran the headline:
NO Mai-Lai in My Town.
The handful of Air Force bombers and fighters refused to carry out bombing strikes in civilian neighborhoods as the Mayor’s Council asked. It was then that the Mayor’s Council and the local National Guard unit sent out an all call for any remaining Ohio National Guard units to reinforce the outmanned troops in Cleveland. The arrival of the armored units, especially their tanks, quickly put an end to the riots. By the end of the first week, Cleveland now had one of the largest Armies in the surviving areas.
Incidentally it was because of this call for reinforcements that the FEMA team had heard of the survival of the city of Cleveland. Cleveland expected to naturally become the provisional capital of the United States, the departure of the FEMA team after their brief layover left a bitter taste in the Mayor’s Council’s mouth.
As refugees poured into the city, they began to set up "Relocation Camps" to isolate the refugees from the locals of Cleveland, who knew what diseases they brought.
*The Refugee was standing in line outside one of the half dozen Relocation Camps outside of Cleveland. The 100 acre camp was surrounded by a double layer of tall chain link fences, both electrified, barbed wire and patrolling armed guards.
The refugees were only let in through a small gate which led past a small table, were a clerk sat flanked by a guard. Finally after days of waiting, the Refugee stepped through the archway and up to the small table. The clerk asked a barrage of questions without looking up:
“Name?”
Answer.
“Date of Birth?”
Answer.
“Previous City?”
Answer.
“Any Military Experience?”
No.
“Any Agricultural Experience?”
No.
“Any Tradecraft Experience?”
No.
After furiously scribbling on a form he said “Go down to the next station.” Followed by a loud “Next!”
The Refugee walked though half a dozen more stations. His clothes were confiscated for “health reasons” and he was handed a loose fitting blue jumper in exchange. Passed from station to station, he was quickly relieved of his paper money, his hair (also for “health reasons”), and all of his personal belongings except for a family photograph.
After losing everything he owned, at the last station he was handed a card. On the card was his name (in small print), his age, and a serial number, #12147 (in large print). It notified that his building was A5B. Ominously printed in large letters at the top was the phrase “REFUGEE RESTRICTIONS.” On the back the phrase “DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD” was printed in large block letters. He placed the card in the top left pocket of his jumpsuit, were a hastily sewn white capital “R” stood out prominently.
The Refugee walked to “Residential Block A,” down one of the dirt rows outlining the crudely constructed wooden buildings. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And down to the second building on the left. A, B. He walked over to a small cot on the floor, where a hastily scribbled “#12147” placard was placed on the center of the bed. He placed his photograph beneath the pillow and went to study a paper near the door.
After looking at the schedule tacked to the inside of the door frame he saw that it was getting close to dinner, and time for “formation.” The Refugee hastily ran out. He didn’t want to miss another meal.
