by R. K. Sidler
“What makes this possible,” Sasha asked.
“I think a number of conditions have to be met. This is probably an area affected by a magnetic shifting of the poles. If the ground conditions are just right, this valley is most likely operating as a natural electromagnetic field of sorts. That would explain the sky as well,” Mr. Bayek explained.
From what little his audience understood about such things, it sounded reasonable to them. The fact was, there was life in this valley and it was much more appealing than what they had just traveled through.
“I’d like to take some readings with the equipment I have and see what more I can learn. But, I’d bet this is as good a place as we can hope to find,” Bayek offered.
“Sure,” Weston said, “I don’t see any reason why we can’t spend a day or so right here and recuperate while we see what we have here. In fact, I’d like to send along some of my men with you, just in case, and when you are finished, we’ll go over your findings and decide on our next course of action.”
Mr. Bayek nodded his head in agreement and said, “We will go first thing in the morning. You can send whomever you like, and I’ll bring some of my students as well.”
As their meeting came to an end, Weston invited Sasha, whom he had become rather fond of in the past few weeks and his former executive officer, Lt. Emil Gonzalez, to remain behind. When they were alone, Weston explained what he wanted. “I think it’s safe to say that we have an opportunity here. I don’t believe we will find what we had hoped to find. I intend to make a go of it here. How do you two feel about that?”
“Sounds fine with me skipper,” Emil said. It was an easy decision for him. The Navy was his family. His mother had died when he was young, and he never really got along well with his father. He doubted that he was still alive and he had no real intention of trying to find out. He did not feel bad about that, and when he took the time to think it over, he never did come up with an answer as to what that said about him.
“Yes. I think it is good idea,” Sasha said in his heavily accented English. It was a little different circumstance for the Russians. They were far from their homeland, and knew the realities of trying to return.
“Okay then. I want the two of you to select ten men from our crews and explore the valley. Go as far as you can, and map out as much as you can. I think it would be best if we were to divide this crowd into manageable groups. If it is as good as it looks, we may just be able to make a fresh start here.”
His two junior officers nodded their heads in agreement. At first light, they would gather their necessary supplies, and head out into the valley.
―
People were becoming more restless as time passed. Many were showing signs of sickness, and all were made weak from even the slightest physical effort. It was agreed to establish a semi-permanent camp. The water was safe to drink and the conditions in the valley were virtually free of radiation. Weston was finding himself more and more the authority figure as people deferred to his judgments. It was a natural affect stemming from their behavior since they had first met him. They needed a leader, and by default, he was theirs.
Ten days after they set out, Sasha and Emil returned with their men. They looked exhausted, but better than the ones who had stayed behind. While the rest of the men found themselves a place to rest, the junior officers came to see Weston. “Sir,” Emil started saying before he was interrupted.
“Call me Weston, Emil; you too Sasha. Our Naval service is behind us now.”
They nodded in unison. “Here is a rough outline of the valley,” Emil said handing a sheet of paper to Weston, “The valley floor maintains the same distance from the rim throughout its entirety. There are only two other openings into the valley, one at the opposite end, which is roughly nine miles distant, and one on the north side approximately four miles from here. That is the larger of the two. The one on the end is almost a choke point only manageable by foot.”
“What about natural resources?”
“Trees, grass, water, all through the valley. We saw herds of elk, deer, cattle, and a variety of other stock and wild animals, and fish were jumping in the lakes. We saw a few hot springs as well, although we didn’t test the waters, only saw the steam rising off them. We figured we should get back as soon as we could.”
“What do you think of it Sasha?” Weston asked to ensure he knew he was also included in the decision making process.
“Very good … Better than that,” he said pointing toward the direction from which they had come.
“Okay. We’ll have another meeting tonight. You two go knock off for a few hours, and I’ll spread the word to a few of the others who will be involved with making these decisions.”
―
They sat around the fire as the sky above them finally gave way to the night. The stars were visible as they spoke quietly to one another under their blinking light. The valley itself was filled with noise in comparison to the world around it. The waterfall, and its small river, coursed through the valley floor in an endless cycle. It was a comforting sound, which lent itself to relaxation. Not in an ideal way, but in a manner which none of those present had experienced since the day of the event. Many of the people were suffering from exposure, others were traumatized, but hope remained alive.
Weston, Emil, Sasha, Mr. Bayek, Lt. Lukin, Dr. Ramirez (who was among the first group of survivors found), and Chief Stewart were present.
“We have a number of things to decide,” Weston started by saying, “The most important thing we have to focus on is survival. You all have expressed your desire to make a go of it here. Since there are only three access points into this valley, I think it is prudent that we divide our numbers to settle at those three points. It will serve as a protection for us to manage whatever else may find its way here, and will act as a point of reception for those who may wonder in as we did. I’d like to have your thoughts on how we go about that.”
Therein followed several hours of discussion leading to what they hoped was a strategy for success. Every possible scenario and consideration was deliberated. When they finished, they were in agreement. They decided for the sake of returning to familiar customs, they would name the three villages. The place they were now would be called Gateway. The village on the opposite end of the valley would be known as Bardin, named after the captain of the Nevsky. And the village in between them would be called Mezzo, according to its location. Weston and Sasha would remain in Gateway, Emil and Lukin would go to Bardin, and the Chief “Stew,” Dr. Ramirez, and Mr. Bayek would settle at Mezzo. Their thinking on this was that while medically trained people would be at each village, anything requiring significant attention would be able to be handled in a centralized location.
It was agreed that the main considerations would be the division of assets. Half of the people would remain in Gateway, while the other half was split between the two other villages. Women were to be divided evenly because their numbers were much less than those of the men. Anyone of special abilities and talents, whether they involved medicine, science, agriculture, construction, and so on were separated into three groups. Those who were to move on to Mezzo, and Bardin, could take as much of the materials and supplies as they could transport. The reason for this was that four days journey from Gateway was a city that offered additional supplies. They did not know what other resources might be available for the other two villages outside of their locations.
They agreed to conserve as much of the natural resources available to them in the valley itself. Even the animals were to be managed to ensure sustainable and healthy numbers. Now it was time to get some rest before carrying out their stratagem.
When morning came, anticipation was high; as rumors had circulated that something was about to happen after two weeks of idleness. Everyone gathered around a raised mound of rock where Weston eventually made his appearance.
“As you know we sent scouts into the valley. We are going to set up two villages in addition to this
one. We will need a collective cooperation among those who wish to remain here to conserve what we have available, and to build on that. If any of you wish to move on from here, for whatever reasons, you are free to do so. If you do not find what you are looking for, you are welcome to return. For those who wish to leave, we will give you provisions to help get you started on your way. We ask that you decide now, because there is much work to be done.”
After these last words, Weston stepped down from the rock formation, and walked to the supply area. Three dozen individuals waited there to receive what they could carry. They had their own reasons for wanting to move on. Some were motivated by a search for remaining family members, while others were just too traumatized to willingly accept that this is what life had become. Weston shook their hands and wished them well as they walked out of the camp. They were last seen cresting the ridge of the northern escarpment heading east. They would never be heard from or seen again. After another twelve months, their own numbers indicated the harsh reality of their new world. Little more than six-hundred remained in the valley.
****
While introducing himself to his new Security Force, Keith recognized two faces in the crowd. He had no idea how they could possibly be here, but he was happy to see someone familiar. When he was finished, he stood by the door shaking each man’s hand and welcoming him onboard. The two individuals, now smiling as they reached him, were told to stand off to the side. When everyone else had gone, Keith closed the door and turned to the men.
“Not that I’m not glad to see you two, but how in the hell did you end up here Wallace,” he asked of former Special Forces Sergeant First Class Ronald “Tiny” Wallace.
Wallace was not only a few inches taller than his former Captain, but also about twenty-five pounds heavier. There were no small features on the man. “Me and Cam took a detail to bring some of our equipment to the mountain. The old man himself assigned me to it and ordered me to stay with it until it was returned. If I dared come back without it, he‘d have my ass.”
Former Sergeant Ritchie “Cam” Camarillo was the antithesis of the other two men. He stood five feet seven inches tall, and weighed one-hundred fifty-five pounds soaking wet.
“They allowed you to stay after you brought…..what did you bring anyway?”
“We brought all of our Nett Warrior systems. The Colonel was pissed too, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He was afraid he wasn’t going to get them back. I guess he was right,” Wallace said solemnly. “Anyway, after we waited in line for hours, we finally made it inside. The officer in charge seemed interested in what we had, and gave us an escort to where it was to be taken. Since I wasn’t planning to leave until I got our stuff back, we hung out with some of the quartermaster guys. A few hours later we found out we were here to stay.”
“Yeah,” Keith said in understanding.
“How’d you get here sir, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“My father, invited me and my wife for a tour,” he said looking both men directly in the eyes. They nodded in understanding.
“Well, since you are the only guys I know in this outfit, guess who’s gonna be my new assistant and chief clerk,” Keith said with a grin.
“A clerk,” Camarillo said with resignation.
“Yeah, afraid so Cam; at least until we get outside again.”
“When is that gonna be sir,” Wallace asked.
“I don’t know Wallace, probably not for some time. But we will have to be ready for when it happens, and we’ll have to do our part while we are in here.” They nodded their heads in understanding. “Both of you come with me to the office. I’m going to have to pick a few supervisors for the shifts, and I want your input because you will have to work closely with them too.”
―
The following morning Keith sat in his office looking over the files of the five men he had decided on the previous night. Wallace and Camarillo sat in the outer office with those men. Keith waved his hand to let Cam know he was to show the first man in. The first four were all middle-aged men who had civil criminal justice experience. For what they were going to do while inside, he thought they were the best men for the job. Like his father, Keith thought the best solution to a problem was to put the proverbial round peg into the round hole. All four seemed competent enough and that settled his first order of business. The last man was something different. When Keith read his file, he wondered if it would have made more sense to let him run this operation. He was a former F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Arizona office with fifteen years of experience.
Keith thought there might be some animosity between them once he learned that his new chief’s claim to fame was being his father’s son, so he decided to feel him out to see if he might want some kind of reassignment. Keith gestured for him to be shown in. He stood behind the desk and offered his hand as he approached, “Nice to meet you Trent, my name’s Keith.” As the two men shook hands, Keith first noticed his eyes. There was a smile on his face, but that did nothing to hide the coldness of those eyes. Keith had taken other lives in the line of duty, and he knew the look of those who took pleasure in it. He was looking at one such person now.
“My pleasure,” Trent Gibbs said as they both took their seats.
When anyone was able to focus on him without being repelled by those eyes, they noticed a very ordinary man. He was of medium build and average height with no other distinguishable features including his brown hair and brown eyes. There was an aura of confidence around him, however, and those who had worked with him, knew that aura was grounded by achievement.
“I’m not one to mince words so I’ll get to the point. Looking at your experience, you are much more suited to this position than I am. But, it’s been entrusted to me and I intend to do the job. That being said, would it pose a problem working under me?”
“Not at all,” Gibbs answered instantly.
“Why not,” challenged Keith.
While there was no mirth evident in his eyes, there was an expression of either amusement or respect or both emanating from the former fed in response to the question. After a moment, he replied. “I don’t think we will be here, underground, forever. I believe, sooner than later, we will make our way outside. Things will be different. What I once was is no more. What you once were will probably be again. I am content to wait and do whatever is necessary until that time comes. It may be that I will inherit what you are doing now, or that I will be given a chance to do something similar outside. I do not see us as competing for anything.”
Keith thought about that. It made sense and there was really no glamour or perks relative to either man’s job. It truly was a completely different environment. He could see now what his father was accomplishing with discarding military uniforms and rank. People were not being paid; they could only draw rations and equipment. Incentives were collective not personal.
“Okay. I already have my shift commanders. What I had in mind for you was to handle all investigations; anything assigned to me by my superiors, as well as anything that presents itself over time. Until such work is necessary, you will assist in training rudimentary investigation and interrogation techniques. What do you think?”
“I’d like that.”
“Your office is two doors down. All reports come directly to me. You are separate from the shift commanders and they will be told that. You can have two men to assist you. When you know who you want, let me know.”
“There is one man, a former agent of mine actually, who I would like.”
“His name,” Keith asked as he picked up a pen.
“Culver, Ryan Culver.”
Keith wrote the name on a pad of paper, “You got him. Whenever you have another name for me, give it to Wallace. That’s the big man outside the door. He’s my assistant,” he said getting to his feet.
They shook hands once more as the man left his office. He signaled for Wallace to enter. “He took the job. I don’t think he’s going to be a pro
blem, but you let me know if he gives you or anyone else a hard time.”
“Don’t worry about me boss, I’ve dealt with stranger cats than him,” Wallace said.
FOUR
Shortly after Terri left their apartment, Keith decided to explore as much of the complex as he could. Terri had adjusted well by keeping busy with her work. She was excited by the prospect of getting her doctoral degree in a few more years and was focusing her time and efforts to accomplish that. That was fine with Keith. Their relationship was back to normal, considering what they had gone through, and he was engaged in his own activities.
Everyone in the mountain was required to pursue educational courses. If they already had a degree in one discipline, they had to take up another. It was reasoned that if someone had special skills in one area, then they would be much more beneficial to their fellow survivors with two or more. It was a productive way to use their time anyway. There were no days off, and people who were pursuing a degree could trade working hours with educational hours. Once they completed a degree from their educational center, there was no further obligation to pursue another. If someone wanted to obtain multiple degrees, it was their choice. The extensive computer network that they had facilitated study of any curriculum one desired. It was the culmination of more than a century’s worth of education collected from library and university databases throughout the world. All of the world’s literary classics, and educational disciplines, were available at the stroke of a few keys.
The only time people were excused from work was due to injury. There was no allowance for time off due to illness because no one ever showed signs of being sick. Some reasoned that the series of inoculations they all received was responsible for this. Others said germs did not live underground, and yet others claimed that their food was enhanced with vitamins and minerals, which kept diseases in check. It was all a conspiracy to keep them working they joked.
