Mase, Anthony, Isaac, and Major Daniels were in the Control Center, staring in shock at the main viewscreen on the wall. It showed that disaster had struck Los Angeles. The Pacific Ocean had moved in and reclaimed the city for its own.
Only a few of the city’s tallest buildings were still visible above the dark blue, turbulent ocean water, and even those showed a tremendous amount of earthquake damage. Most of the windows in the buildings were broken, and several were leaning over at odd angles as if they were about to teeter and fall into the swirling water below. Numerous helicopters could be seen flying over the cataclysmic scene broadcasting to the few still operating media stations.
Debris and countless bodies were plainly visible in the swirling water around the surviving structures. Even as they watched, one of the remaining buildings seemed to tremble and then disappeared as it collapsed on its foundation, allowing the ocean waters to swallow it with little effort. On the roofs of a few of the buildings, people could be seen waving frantically to the circling helicopters, but none dared land for fear of not being able to take off again.
“From the scans we have taken, an area of nearly 4,200 square miles has been taken over by the ocean,” Major Daniels reported as she looked at the latest data from the orbiting satellites.
“Millions of people must be dead from this,” Anthony spoke in a low voice. “Where’s the help; why is no one trying to rescue those stranded people?”
“There is no organized federal government left,” Mase responded. He was briefed daily on the evolving situation on Earth by Major Daniels. “Only a few of the state governments are still functioning. For the most part, most communities are finding themselves on their own and having to rely on their own resources.”
“There is earthquake damage throughout California,” Major Daniels continued as she studied some data coming across a computer screen. She turned and looked intently at the others. “Numerous communities are begging for help from the damage suffered in the earthquake and the influx of people. They are being overwhelmed and have no resources available for the refugees.”
“There is no help for them,” Anthony spoke his eyes glued to the screen that showed hundreds if not thousands of people clinging to the wreckage and drifting out to sea. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to know that there was no help coming.
Mase walked over and turned the viewscreen off. It was too depressing to watch, and he could tell by the shocked silence in the Control Center that everyone had been affected by what they had just witnessed.
“Earthquakes have been gradually increasing for the past several weeks now,” Mase informed them. “The situation on Earth will deteriorate even more rapidly now as the neutron star gets nearer. The disaster in Los Angles is going to be repeated hundreds if not thousands of times.”
“It’s just hard seeing it for ourselves,” Isaac commented, his face ashen from what he had seen on the screen. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I just spoke to Jackson Pierce at the mass driver and they are well underway with disassembling it. We sent him some extra help so he can get the parts stored safely and properly.”
“I wonder if we will ever need it again?” asked Anthony, looking at the others. “Star One is gone, and the Earth is in shambles. Even if people survive, I seriously doubt if they will need any raw materials from the mass driver.”
“You’re probably right,” replied Mase, looking at Anthony. He knew taking the mass driver apart was a big project, but if they ever needed it again at least they would still have it.
“I’m getting a broadcast from an underground bunker in the Northeastern United States,” Corporal Stewart spoke suddenly as she listened more intently to the broadcast. “A General Marcus Young is claiming that Senator Farley has been removed as head of state. Local state governments are being given full authority to deal with the current National Emergency and the Federal Government, other than some parts of the military, is being disbanded.”
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. They hadn’t expected to hear anything like this. They wondered if the disaster in Los Angeles had anything to do with it.
“Is this for real?” asked Anthony, raising his eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of a General Marcus Young before.”
“I once knew a Colonel Marcus Young in the marines,” Captain Struthers mentioned. “He was a good officer. If this is the same man, he would have been unwilling to go along with Senator Farley’s ambitions. If he had the support, he could very easily have removed Farley from power.”
“I guess we will just wait and see,” Mase said, wondering what the ramifications of this would be. It would be a huge relief not to have to worry about the crazed senator anymore. “This doesn’t change anything, but it might make the situation on Earth a little better for the survivors, at least for a while.”
“I wonder what happened?” Anthony asked as he looked around the small group. “Farley must have pissed off the wrong person.”
-
Mase was standing in a secure bunker two hundred feet beneath the recently finished Tycho City cavern. The bunker was forty feet wide and over three hundred feet long. He gazed carefully at the six long rows of glass cases that were laid out before him. The cases were stacked four high, and there was a human body inside each one. Each case was hooked up to monitoring equipment, and a low hum could be heard throughout the bunker.
“How many people are in here?” he asked, turning to face Doctor Klein who was standing next to him.
“Nine hundred,” Doctor Klein replied as he glanced at the monitors on a stack of cases. He made a notation on a computer pad he was carrying and seemed to be satisfied with the readings on the cases. “We have another six hundred in the second bunker and Steffan has started work on the third.”
Mase nodded as he stepped over and gazed at a young woman in one of the cases. She looked as if she were just sleeping. “How long can we keep them under?” he asked, turning back around to face Doctor Klein.
“We’re not certain,” confessed Klein, hesitantly. “This deep sleep drug was perfected by Doctor Wruggi on Star One. I have spoken in depth to him about it, and he feels like one year should be safe. More than that and we could lose some people.”
“So it wouldn’t be practical to keep them under for two years then,” Mase said, feeling disappointed. He had hoped to be able to keep the sleepers under until after the neutron star and black hole had passed and all construction work in the new Tycho City and the ecological habitats was completed.
“There is a way,” Doctor Klein said, hesitantly. “If we rotate the sleepers. Allow this bunch to sleep for a year, awaken them, and then put a second group into deep sleep.”
“How many people can we put into deep sleep with the equipment and resources we have?” Mase asked.
He had originally considered putting everyone except for about five hundred essential personnel under until this crisis was over. It was taking longer than he had thought, and he strongly suspected his original plan was not going to be feasible.
“We’re not going to have the time or the resources for more than three thousand,” Doctor Klein said after a moment. “The time it takes to construct a deep sleep chamber as well as the necessary monitoring equipment makes it impractical to do more than that. We could rush everything, but it might result in us losing some of the sleepers.”
Mase nodded. He had hoped for greater numbers, but three thousand were that many more people who were not going to be eating or consuming other valuable resources. It would probably be wise to get with Isaac, Steffan, and Jolene to discuss further expanding their food resources. He wondered how difficult it would be to add several more ecological habitats to raise food. He knew they were being stretched pretty thin with all the projects they were working on.
A number of the mining operations on the lunar surface were in the process of being shut down, and he would also have the crews from the mass driver available shortly. That might give them the experienced peopl
e needed to build additional habitats for Jolene.
“Keep me informed if you need anything,” Mase told Doctor Klein. “As you said, we don’t want to rush this; if more people have to stay awake than we originally planned, we’ll just have to find a way to deal with it.”
Mase still wanted to visit the newest ecological habitat and check out the fishponds. Then later, he was going to have Anthony fly him over to Farside to meet with Adam Strong about whether to keep the observatory complex open much longer. Mase knew that shortly they would start feeling the effects of the neutron star and black hole, even here on the Moon.
-
Warren Timmons was in the Control Center talking with Major Burns and General Mann. General Mann was on the com system and currently speaking. “I have checked into this General Young,” he was saying. “He was a colonel in the marines and a fine officer. There is no doubt that he has indeed gotten rid of Senator Farley. He has made several broadcasts and pretty well disbanded most of the military, ordering them to return to their homes and help their families.”
“Should we look for more survivors?” Warren asked. “We have several military bases close by that might still have stores of supplies that could be used to feed additional people.”
“I don’t think so,” said General Mann after a moment. “Our best security is no one knowing we’re here. Between the heavy rain and the earthquakes, the surface is pretty well impassable. I think it’s best if we hunker down in our bunkers and try to wait this out. I know that numerous people have been taken to caves and other shelters around the country. Once this is over, we can try contacting them.”
“The earthquakes seem to be getting stronger and more numerous each day,” added Warren, recalling the tremors that seemed to be a normal part of their life now. “The seismographs never seem to stop registering new quakes.”
“Another good reason for us to stay inside,” General Mann commented. “The outside conditions are steadily getting worse. Anyone you send out to look for survivors could find themselves casualties.”
Warren let out a heavy sigh. He knew the general was right. Their first priority had to be to the people that were in their shelters and making sure they survived.
-
Trace was standing on the porch of the house looking around. Everyone had gone into the bunker and were now staying there. The house shook slightly, and he could even see the trees swaying. After a moment, the tremor stopped and only the light rain remained.
“Another earthquake,” Phillip Galleger spoke as he stepped back out onto the porch carrying two cups of coffee, one of which he handed to Trace.
Two people were staying in the house on guard duty to ensure that no one came snooping around. Since the three men that Trace had killed earlier, there had been no signs of any other trespassers. It probably had helped that they had gone down to the beginning of the long driveway and dropped several large trees across it.
Trace nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. “We’re starting to get several of them a day. I just hope the bunker can stand up to them if they get worse.”
Phillip’s attention suddenly focused on the drive. “Trace, I think I saw some movement down at the bend.”
Trace put his coffee cup down and picked up his rifle, bringing the scope up to his eyes. He watched for several moments and then put the rifle down, looking confused. “There are three kids down there. Looks like a teenager and two younger ones.”
“Kids!” Phillip exclaimed, and then his eyes narrowed. “It could be a trick to lure us out.”
“I don’t know,” Trace replied doubtfully as he picked up a pair of powerful binoculars lying on a nearby chair. He put them to his eyes and after a moment, laid them back down. “That teenager is Stew Donaldson and the two kids are his younger brother and sister. Something’s wrong.” Trace knew the Donaldsons; they lived a couple of miles down the road.
Trace stepped off the porch leaving his rifle. He still had his nine-millimeter pistol at his waist if he needed it. “Phillip, stay here and cover me. I don’t think this is a trick, but let’s play it safe. I will go talk to Stew and see just what’s going on.”
Trace walked slowly down the drive. The light rain had changed to a mist and the closer he got to the bend, the clearer it became that it was indeed the Donaldson kids.
“Stew, what’s wrong?” Trace asked as he finally reached them. The three were standing there looking lost and confused.
“It’s our parents,” Stew sobbed. “Two men came to the house demanding that we turn over all of our food to them. Mom told us to go out the back before they saw us and come here to ask for help. We’ve been walking for several hours in the mud and rain. I didn’t think we were ever going to make it.”
Trace looked around and saw that there was no one else in sight except the three kids. “Let’s go up to the house and get all three of you cleaned up and something warm to eat.”
“What about mom and dad?” asked Stew, worriedly. “Those men might hurt them.”
Trace was quiet for a moment. “Let me worry about your parents, I’ll go check on them as soon as we get the three of you taken care of.”
Trace took the kids up to the house and turned them over to Phillip. They also used their handheld radios to call down to the bunker and inform them of what had happened.
“What are you going to do, Trace?” Phillip asked with concern in his voice as he saw Trace pick up his rifle with a determined look upon his face.
“I’m going to go check on the Donaldsons,” Trace answered as he checked his rifle and made sure he had several extra clips of ammunition. He heard steps on the porch and his mom and dad appeared. Alice went immediately to the Donaldson kids and began attending to them.
“What’s the plan, Trace?” asked James, seeing his son was getting ready to leave.
“I’m going to the Donaldsons and check things out,” Trace replied as he popped the clip out of his pistol and made sure it was fully loaded.
James stepped closer and spoke in a lower voice. “Trace, if those were looters there’s little chance that the Donaldsons are still alive.”
“I know, dad,” replied Trace, softly. “But this way I can make sure they don’t come here or attack another family.”
James nodded. He understood and agreed with Trace’s reasoning. “You want any of us to come along?”
“No, I’m going to take a shortcut through the woods and come up behind the Donaldson’s house. It should be nearly dark by the time I get there.”
“Be careful,” Phillip cautioned. “These men could be dangerous.”
“I doubt whether these men will be expecting any trouble,” Trace responded as he slipped on a dark colored poncho. “I’ll be back as soon as I’ve taken care of this.”
Phillip and James watched from the porch as Trace walked over to the woods and vanished from sight.
“There’s an old game trail he can take almost all the way to the Donaldsons,” James spoke as he watched the forest where Trace had entered. He let out a deep breath, knowing he would be worried about Trace until he returned. “The Donaldsons are good people, something like this shouldn’t be happening to them.”
“What do we do about these three kids?” asked Phillip, looking back toward the door of the house. He could hear Alice trying to soothe the children.
James was silent for a moment. “If their parents are dead, then we take them to the bunker. I’m not going to turn these kids out alone.”
“I wasn’t asking you to,” Phillip responded as he looked inside the door at the three Donaldson kids. “We will make room for them.”
-
It took Trace a little over an hour to make it to the Donaldson’s house. It was nearly dark, and he could see no lights inside the old wood farmhouse. Trace decided to wait a few minutes before making his move. Once it was dark, he would go up to the farmhouse and see just what had happened.
Trace waited patiently and soon everything was covered in a v
eil of darkness. Moving as stealthily as possible, he reached the house and began to make his way around it toward the front where the porch was. He was almost there when he heard two men talking.
“At least there was food here in this house,” one was saying.
“There’s more in the cellar over there,” the other replied. “There are enough jars of canned food to last us for months.”
“It’s a shame you had to kill the woman,” the first man replied. “I would have liked another turn with her.”
“You got her first,” the other replied. “Besides, by killing them the food will last longer. We also don’t have to worry about watching someone. Take my word for it, it’s better this way.”
Trace felt anger spread through him. It was evident these men had killed Fred Donaldson and then raped his wife. The Donaldsons had been a good family and friendly neighbors. They had even been offered a place in the bunker but had politely refused, saying they would be fine at their home.
Trace edged to the corner of the house and risked looking around it. The two men were sitting on a couple of chairs with a small Coleman lantern on a table giving them light. Both looked as if they hadn’t taken a bath or changed clothes in days.
Laying his rifle down, Trace pulled out his pistol and chambered a round into the firing chamber. With his thumb, he slid the safety off. Then he stepped out into the open where the two men could see him.
“Don’t move a muscle,” he warned in a cold voice. “Where are the Donaldsons?”
The two men looked at Trace in shock and then at each other. They had rifles but had left them inside.
“Who are the Donaldsons?” one of them stammered.
“We didn’t find anyone in this house,” the other added, his eyes darting from side to side as if looking for a weapon to use.
“The Donaldsons are the people you killed and whose food you have been eating,” Mase replied as he raised his pistol.
“Crap,” one of the men said, standing up. “Look here mister, we will share the food with you. It’s getting scarce as hell, and there’s plenty of it here. We hadn’t eaten for days until we found this farmhouse. These people were hoarders keeping all of this for themselves.”
Star One: Tycho City Survival Page 20
