by Td Barnes
“That’s very true, but lacking the means to support their troops, the commanders have no choice. We are still evaluating our air, sea, and ground-launched cruise missiles. We’re in good shape submarine wise, but took a hit with our carriers in the Indian Ocean around the Persian Gulf during the nuke exchange.” The colonel paused before continuing.
“And we’re confident of the Chinese merely showing off and stepping on their dick with that missile launch?” Bradley asked. He thought for a moment before continuing. “Why would they trigger their doomsday devices? Does our Intel believe the Chinese reacted because of their botched missile launch or did they relate it to losing their supply of oil in the Middle East?”
“We don’t know. I believe that having lost the country’s leadership, someone may have panicked. Our OTV2s in a low-inclination, low-earth orbit have located all the missile launch submarines in the world except one. We can take them out anytime we want to, but the sub that launched the missile at Taiwan is missing. It slipped through our defenses at Taiwan, so it has us apprehensive. We do not know if the sub penetrated through our detection sensors with luck, or do the Chinese have a new stealth submarine about which we do not know its location or intentions. What is your situation here?”
“Much better than how you described the cities. You can see that we have a large Mormon population here who are organizing everyone into a family concept where we share the livestock and food. We are drilling water wells that we will power by the wind and are constructing greenhouses to grow our own food. We have robust and tight security, but will we be able to hold back the refugees - I do not know. What is amazing is the number of engineers and specialists living in this small village. We have a well above average level of brainpower.”
“That, Colonel, is one of the things about what I am here to discuss with you. Let’s take a little ride.”
****
Chapter 3 - Jackass Flats
Yucca Mountain
The noisy Pave Hawk helicopter lifted off in a cloud of dust and ascended to an altitude sufficient to clear Bald Mountain before heading east across Carter Flat, flying slightly over 18 miles in a volcanic fault line formed into a nondescript volcanic ridge bearing the name Yucca Mountain. The trip did not last long enough that the pilot even offered his two passengers headsets so they could talk above the noise, making it difficult to hear Bradley’s raspy voice while they traversed over the dry, brown Amargosa Desert, immediately north of Death Valley and west of the Nevada Test Site. The helicopter raced across the drab mix of indigenous desert grasses, cacti, shrubs, creosote bush, with some Joshua trees, and the rare yucca plant covering land that Bradley later learned to be sacred to the Western Shoshone and Southern Paiute Indians. Nothing moved, but scrawny jackrabbits, sidewinder rattlesnakes, and desert colored lizards
“NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission used this no man's land for secret development of nuclear rocket engines before the EMP attack,” the colonel shouted back to Bradley. Bradley nodded his head that he understood, but did not attempt to converse over the noise of the helicopter.
Yucca Mountain appeared in view a long, zigzagging ridge rather than an actual mountain that the name inferred. Nonetheless, it presented an impressive sight forming a high mountainous barrier around Jackass Flats. They did not see any signs of human activity until they topped the ridge and the other side came into view, revealing a massive military operation in the process.
The helicopter raised a cloud of dust while landing on a marked heliport located in front of the north portal of the former Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Bradley looked through the fog of dust in amazement at the amount of existing infrastructure. Clustered near the entrance sat an entire village of office trailers, a first aid station, and numerous other facilities that once served an army of workers over a period of years while they blew $8 billion on this much-needed project that died after becoming an environmentalist-backed political boondoggle. Outside the portal remained many office trailers, a guard shack, fire hydrants, and miles of orange-colored plastic fencing for protecting the endangered desert tortoise.
The tunnel into the mountain could have well passed for a railroad tunnel. The north portal entered the mountain level with the floor of the desert with a vertical wall exposed volcanic tuff rock where the excavation created a 25-foot wide entrance. Massive air transport ducts exited out of the mountain at the top of the tunnel where they turned and extended upward to draw air vertically into the conduit. A heavy explosion-proof door molded into the entrance beside an air duct pipe similarly molded to ensure the security of the entry against explosive devices and even gas. Railroad tracks entered the tunnel where they extended the entire length to exit at the south portal.
A manually powered handcar sat parked on a short rail spur immediately outside the north entrance where the track branched from the paths extending out of the tunnel to various loading docks. Military trucks of the Nevada National Guard’s 593rd Transportation Company generated a deafening roar while arriving at a receiving area. A dispatcher coordinated their entrance into the mountain depending on where in the tunnel they needed to offload and the time necessary to discard their cargo. Those loads requiring specialized equipment to unload them went to one area while those requiring only manual labor went to another. Bradley watched in wonderment while 12 fully loaded trucks carrying cement lined up at the portal entrance for their turn to enter the mountain. Off in the distance, he could see empty trucks leaving the area. He later learned that the vehicles had earlier joined at his location, discharging their cargo and now departing at another portal after driving through five miles of tunnel.
Two military police and three men wearing hardhats waited outside the helicopter for Bradley and the others to dismount. The MPs checked the Air Force colonel’s ID and excused themselves after he vouched for Bradley, who stood out with his looking more like a cowboy in his western attire. The colonel introduced those waiting as being Department of Energy engineers there to brief Bradley on the facility. Bradley remained clueless about what this meant and continued to scan over the massive amount of infrastructure left on site. He mentally inventoried the existing assets that he might need at Beatty in the future. Everywhere he looked, armed military police were intercepting arriving trucks and personnel, checking the ID of anyone on arrival. Most of the arriving vehicles bore Army markings with Army drivers. Most of those directing operations were Army; however, much of the cargo bore Air Force markings. “This is definitely a coordinated military operation, but what?” He thought.
The engineers rolled out an extensive site drawing showing the central tube-like tunnel that took nearly 22 years to excavate. The Yucca complex inside the long volcanic ridge lay in a U-shaped tube a little over five miles long and 25 feet wide unearthed deep beneath the mountain. Cathedral-like alcoves branched from the central tunnel where unknown to Bradley, several remained equipped for scientific experiments. Much of the scientific equipment remained usable as if someone expected a restart of the project. Smaller emplacement drifts extended towards the middle of the U-shaped central tunnel constructed for the storage of nuclear waste.
The entire facility sat above a deep aquifer that provided a source of drinking water also for future irrigation for crops and watering of livestock. He attempted to review the drawings, but could not with everything occurring around him. He appeared interested while mentally evaluating this as a venue to retreat to from Beatty. He saw enough to convince him of the security of this remote place; however, it lacked a food source, and a means of pumping the water claimed to be present by the engineers. His plans for greenhouses for food might work here provided he could somehow offer water. He brought his thoughts back to the present where he wondered why the Air Force colonel brought him here and about the reason for the hurried work activity.
The engineers concluded their brief of Bradley and excused themselves. The Air Force colonel and Bradley escaped the hot sun by retreating to the more refreshin
g front of the tunnel where the colonel finally revealed to Bradley the purpose of the trip and briefing.
“Sir, we have a situation. Years ago, we organized a doomsday team to provide shelter for certain people should we ever have an event like this. Unfortunately, the attack caught the individuals slated to command the shelter out of state. The powers to be have selected you to take charge of a modern-day Noah’s Ark in their place,” he started. “I understand that you are our nation’s expert on EMP, so I will not insult your intelligence by discussing the situation in which we find ourselves. You, yourself remarked at the number of top-notch residents you have in Beatty. Living in Beatty, Tonopah, and the Las Vegas Valley are much of the brain force of our nation's nuclear and DOD technology. We cannot afford to lose that knowledge and talent, especially now that we must rebuild from scratch. We will house these people and their families here at Jackass Flats until things settle down enough that they are safe on the outside. You now command this subterranean facility.”
“I am not sure that I understand,” Bradley stuttered. “You are saying that I am to command a group of civilians?”
The Air Force colonel could tell Bradley did not understand his commanding a military unit there to protect and manage the civilians. “I am sorry, Colonel. I neglected to mention that we have activated a specialized Nevada National Guard company for deployment to the mountain. You met Captain Callahan. He is the CO of the 92nd Civil Support Team for WMDs, weapons of mass destruction. He commanded a joint force unit of soldiers and airmen headquartered in Las Vegas in the event of a domestic chemical, biological, or nuclear event occurrence. We have restructured the 92d to include top specialists from the six Nevada Army Guard major commands. Your S-2 and S-4 come from the Joint Force Headquarters. Your S-3 originates from the 421st Regional Training Institute, your XO the executive officer of the 422nd Signal Battalion. We selected the rest of the troops from our best in the 17th Sustainment Brigade, 991st Aviation Troop Command, and the 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment. Your motor pool personnel come from the 593rd Transportation Company. These are seasoned warriors with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are including a couple CIA UAV design specialists from Area 51. For UAV operations, we are including some special ops personnel from a joint Air Force and CIA installation hidden not too far from here at Yucca Flats. Your command responsibility will include both the military and the civilians.”
Bradley watched a dust devil twisting through the valley. “You must be kidding. We are in the middle of a desert. I do not know how I am going to feed myself, much less a gaggle of Ph.D.s that probably could not find their ass with both hands. Noah only contended with a boat ride and lived off stored food with no one coming to his door asking for a handout. We, on the other hand, will not have commercial electricity for many years. We will create little new food and must defend against a continual onslaught of attackers seeking what food we might have. I assume you have a solution for the water and food needs. I see by the number of trucks that someone is taking care of logistics for this project. That leaves the question of security. I understood you to say the National Guard troops have seen combat.”
Bradley thought about the proposal for a moment. “It may be a century before most of these people can continue their trade. I assume that what the government has in mind is my ensuring their knowledge is passed on to future generations.” He blankly stared into space for a moment, nodding his head while processing his thoughts. The activity he saw going on assured him of this being a far-reaching undertaking. “I understand the wisdom of this. You will believe that I am a hard bastard when I give you my want list. I once published a book on what would be needed to start over after an EMP attack, so I do have a feel for what we will need.”
The colonel laughed. “Your boss at DIA said that you are an expert on doomsday survival and a bastard for a diplomat. He warned me that I might wind up with your boot up my ass. Sounds like he knows what he is talking about. What you see will ease your mind before we leave. We have nuclear-powered power supplies that will last for many years for the electrical needs of the mountain. Not far from here is the Amargosa Valley agriculture center that is under irrigation. Of course, the pumps in the irrigation wells are history now, but the crops are far enough along that we can harvest them. They cannot haul the feeds and vegetables to any cities, but we can bring them here and are collecting everything while we speak to can for storage. Over 500 head of cattle is on the way by cattle drive for slaughter. We will sugar cure the meat, and it will last for years. We will no longer have a use for much of our military force so we will have several years of MREs for you. Also, we have reached out to nearby military installations to gather housing comfort necessities for your occupants. We are worried about that lost sub, so count on preparations at the mountain being a 24-hour operation. If it was the Chinese that hit us, we know they still have fangs that can bite us.”
Bradley felt overwhelmed at the thought of the proposed establishment of a base here in the desert. The logistics alone were overwhelming. “What about the people at Beatty and Amargosa? We can’t possibly take everyone in.”
“You won’t,” the colonel replied. “We are evacuating Beatty. You saw us dropping off enough MREs to feed the locals for a few days. Mostly, those are for those not evacuated. The evacuation must occur immediately before the people in Las Vegas realize the lights are not coming back on, and that there is no water to drink, bath, or even to flush toilets. The grocery stores are selling everything like crazy, but that will turn entirely to looting in another couple days. The food in the deep freezer and refrigerators will go bad at about the same time, and people will panic. Highway 95 from Las Vegas is one of the few routes for people getting the hell out of town. Sir, I do not know why I am telling you this. You are the expert. I only know what I have seen the past few days. I am the Public Affairs officer at Nellis picked to coordinate this effort simply because of my contacts. I am a pilot, but have never flown anything faster than a KC-135 tanker.”
“Well, you are right on them getting out of town,” Bradley said. “They cannot refuel their vehicles so they will arrive in Beatty out of gas, and of course, Beatty will have no gas, so we can expect to have starving people stranded there. The streets will fill with the dead in a few days in this heat. I agree that we must get the residents out of Beatty immediately and it does make sense that we bring some of them here.”
The colonel noted Bradley scanning the inside of the tunnel, looking at the loose rocks on the floor. “You saw the staging area outside and the truckloads of cement entering the mountain. Inside the tunnel, we have roughly 500 men and women preparing to pour a concrete floor tonight throughout the five miles of tunnel. DOE finished most of the alcoves before bringing in their equipment, but they did not get around to finishing the main tunnel. Once we have poured the floor, we will bring in much of the supplies using the handcar. Mainly, I want us to get the supplies delivered on site and leave it to your people to place them at the mountain. We do not want these trucks to be on the road when the refugees start abandoning the cities to seek food and water. Even now, our security personnel is ensuring that no one is following the trucks here to the mountain. However, we are concerned about the number of soldiers and airmen who know about this project. That cannot be avoided and is something that you must be wary once you are on your own.”
“Understood. Getting back to the locals, many of them will want to take their chances elsewhere, so I am guessing you will want to bring roughly 200 people from Beatty and the Amargosa Valley. That will include those deemed essential and those with trades that you will need once you start farming and rebuilding society. I figure we’re talking about 350 people if we add the military and those chosen for protection.” The two colonels planned for the next hour, concluding when they noticed a distant cloud of dust from the first military convoy headed their way loaded with fresh vegetables and fruits. Even further behind, the dust cloud of the convoy appeared that of a gen
uine old west cattle drive.
Bradley said. “I must leave it to the experts to choose who qualifies for admission. I do know what I will need in the way of personnel to support such an operation and will insist on having the final say in that area. I must make some hard choices, but my being a stranger in the area makes it much easier. Fortunately, I have not developed any strong attachments to the people yet. However, I have met some amazing individuals that I will certainly want in my trenches. I do request that my married military personnel bring their families provided their spouses pass screening for compatibility for what lies ahead. Do not bring me soldiers softened at Princeton. I want soldiers hardened in combat. I want hardy minded pioneers with a roaring desire to survive against any odds.”
“I assure you, Colonel, that you will have personnel who are specialists in dealing with civilians and nation rebuilding.”
Bradley knew from his studies and experiences that the future now belonged to the survival of the fittest. “I insist that you prescreen everyone before admission and screen out anyone with chronic conditions requiring long-term medical needs, or those deemed unfit both physically or mentally by doctors for a permanent stay in a subterranean environment. Keep it simple,” he ordered. “Allow no one in my mountain who will not be capable of carrying their part of the load or will be dependent upon others. Do not accept any liabilities. No one gets a free ride. We cannot afford them if they are not contributory.”
“Understood. It is your ark. Let’s get it done.”
****
The residents, already excited by merely seeing the presence of soldiers, rushed to assemble beneath the shade trees around the ballpark when they saw the helicopter return to drop off Bradley. Adding to their haste was the helicopters immediately thundering out of the town towards Las Vegas even while Bradley walked from where they dropped him off and towards the shaded picnic table now used as the speaker podium. He found Mayor Robinson and they called for a meeting of the community leaders where he laid out the plan to those assembled with his heart going out to the people of Beatty having already accepted Stacey and him one of them.
