Chapter 29
February 15, 1984
Gainesville, Florida
It was odd to Bob Graham that he was agonizing over this decision more than the death penalty changes he was presented with last week, but such was the nature of a world hurtling towards war. The civil defense director had printed mailings to go out to every household in the state, inside official envelopes, instructions on how to shelter in case of nuclear attack. The cause for Graham's agony was the fear of causing panic, potential rioting, and lives lost to the incipient violence versus the lives lost from adequate protection. Furthermore, if the mailing were sent out, Graham would also give a speech that night, declaring the closing of all schools and universities statewide and shifting to an official state of emergency. This would include curfews for all Floridians under the age of 18, to ensure that they were not aimlessly roaming the streets. The curfew's span was to be from 8 pm-7 am. All employers that utilized teenagers were to do so only between 9 am-7 pm. If they could not abide by that, they were to have the teenagers stay home. For adults, the curfew would be set from midnight-6 am. Anyone working overnight shifts would be allowed to travel to and from work during the emergency period.
The curfew would also be used for the movement of essential personnel and goods. Florida is home to a number of private art collectors, and the state had offered security for a number of those works, which would be catalogued and each owner given a receipt that contained a tracking number for each of those works they gave to the state for storage. The storage site was the Mount Dora Catacombs, a highly secret, privately created shelter underneath an orange grove northwest of Orlando. The families that built it back in 1961 had done a good job, but as some of the owners had died off, one of the remaining owners had contacted the civil defense office to ask for assistance after the Cuban dogfight. The state came in, quietly upgrading some of the facility, along with finishing the escape tunnel. It had just been completed, with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers detachment from Jacksonville, a week ago. Renovation had been done on the interior rooms to maximize space usage, since few children would be in this shelter, unlike the situation when it was built. In finishing the tunnel, additional storage space had been created for the artwork. Capacity was now 150 instead of 100, which would include some emergency management employees who could assess the damage done in Central Florida, through Roentgen meters and Geiger counters that were wired to the surface via the shed that covered the entrance. Furthermore, the shelter door entrance was reworked so it could be opened from the inside through the addition of pneumatic hinges. It covered a hole in the civil defense plans that was apparent based on fallout projections after a strike, and would be a location that could be used to stage potential rescue efforts once the radioactivity had declined.
Oh, and the families that owned it? They had an armory built into it in 1961. .357 Magnum pistols with 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Security wouldn't be an issue here.
By 2 pm, Graham had to make a decision, lest a delay occur in the post office's processing of the envelopes for mailing. Every day, every minute counted now for any state or local official trying to plan for Armageddon. While there was almost a perversity to it all (really, how does one plan for Armageddon? was the thought on many a emergency planner's mind), the fact was that being prepared would save lives, and if there was any hope for humanity surviving the inevitable nuclear exchange that would follow the outbreak of hostilities, it would come from those who worked to ensure survival in dark days. At a loss for what to do, the governor of Florida bowed his head, folded his hands, and prayed to Jesus Christ for guidance, for wisdom, for courage, and for the safety of the lives he was entrusted with protecting as best as possible.
*****
At 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time (7 pm Central Time in the Panhandle), Governor Robert Graham stood at a podium, with flags and officials behind him, in a studio at the University of Florida and addressed everyone over radio and television. The envelopes were in the mail. The mental blow caused by the mere receipt of them would be heavy, and the governor was going to give everything he had to try and soften the weight of that blow.
"Good evening. I am coming to you tonight from the University of Florida, where myself and other state officials have been meeting with experts from the university on a number of challenges we may face in the days and weeks to come. Our nation is currently facing another world war, the third in seventy years, and the only one with the capacity to completely destroy the world if the terrible weapons of war that America and the Soviet Union have been building for decades are used. We pray fervently to God that he may spare us the trial that events are thrusting upon us. However, as surely as there is evil in the world, we must be prepared, all of us, to face this trial should it come to pass.
Tonight, the state of Florida has mailed every household an envelope, bearing the official seal of the state, that contains information regarding your area in the event of war. We have stockpiled food, water, and basic medications, but it is paramount that you prepare yourselves. We do not have the means to feed, hydrate and clothe the entire state. For anyone who can, we urge you to prepare by purchasing two weeks worth of non-perishable food and gathering water in sealed containers or bottles, as well as ensure any recurring medications you take are refilled. The emergency management office and the agriculture commissioner have both worked diligently to ensure that grocery store shelves are stocked and pharmacies have medication, so as many people as possible can be prepared. I must make this perfectly clear, though: As of 8 pm, we have every supermarket patrolled by state police, local police or national guardsmen. All food purchases will be held to reasonable limits, set forth in the envelope mailed to you this evening, and anyone who fights, riots, or otherwise causes order to be disturbed will be arrested and held for the duration of the crisis, as proscribed by the Florida Emergency Powers Act of 1984, passed last week by our state legislature. Understand that if you are arrested and held, you will not be able to protect yourself or your family in the event of an attack. I urge you consider this when you are purchasing your groceries or other supplies.
We face a trying time, and it is imperative that we band together, work together, show mercy, kindness and understanding, as God has taught us. As you are likely aware, I have spent my governorship traveling the state, spending a day working various jobs that each of you perform on a daily basis. I have seen what wonderful, good, hard work Floridians perform, and I am so very proud to be your governor. We have endured hurricanes, floods, and even a previous war scare, and we have made it through those tests every time. We are doing our absolute best to protect as many of you as possible from the horrors of potential nuclear war, and we ask that you do your part. Together, the state of Florida can get through this. Lastly, on a personal note, I ask that you all pray for those who are going to be on the front lines, for those safeguarding our state in the air, sea, or on land, and for those who are working around the clock to prepare for the worst. They are performing difficult, stressful work over long hours, and they need your prayers. [Diverging from the text] If you are able, please visit your city or town hall, and ask what you can do to assist in preparation for war. Anyone and everyone will be needed should the worst occur. I will keep you updated as events warrant. Thank you, good night, and may God continue to bless the state of Florida and the United States of America."
*****
Miami, Florida
The Rivera Task Force (they were using RTF to anyone who asked, and if the questioner didn't know what R stood for, too bad) had spent the day receiving house deeds and combing them for clues as to which was Rivera's. Unlike the Biltmore, there were no joke names or obvious people listed in the owner's name. Klima finished his pile and dropped it in a file box in frustration. "It's all vanilla, every last one I looked over. No indicators, nothing to help us. Have we gotten anywhere with the feds on identifying who his two Agency friends are?" "Nope," replied one of the ASA's. "The US Attorney and the FBI both made it clear that we had a renegade Cuban roaming around the state with a potential war about to erupt, but the CIA is still the CIA. They never say anything unless they absolutely have to, and, to be fair, they are probably pulling their hair out already trying to decipher when, where and how the Soviets attack."
"Dammit, I know, I was an officer in the Federal Republic, but at least détente was in effect then, and we didn't have to worry too much. Now, Andropov's "retired," which probably means he died and nobody wants to say anything, and they promoted their chief KAL 007 denier from head of the military to head of the country, which the Soviets have never done before, which means either they are scared shitless or they're about to invade all of Europe, and Ogarkov's part of the school that thinks he can win a war using chemical and nuclear weapons. All this happening, and we've got a smart, well-armed drug lord from fucking Cuba running around with guys who worked for the CIA and are also smart, because if they weren't, we probably would've found this son of a bitch already, but instead, we're looking through fucking house deeds hoping something makes sense enough for us to investigate and get a warrant!" Klima hurled his empty Coke can against the nearest wall in frustration.
"Could be worse, Jan. You could be playing security guard at the Winn-Dixie." The detective who uttered that chortled at his own joke, which a few others joined in on. Not that any of this is funny. Guarding grocery stores, worrying about rioting and when....IF the missiles come. Gotta stay positive, Klima. Can't act like it's a given. Nothing's a given, not in this world. "Fair point, Tommy, I could be playing rent-a-cop." Should I even be playing a real cop? When do I decide this is pointless? When the missiles are flying?
. That being said, there's room for fixing the last chapter to include more detail, so I will take another swing at it.
