Final Dawn: Escape From Armageddon

by Maloney, Darrell

  Once all of the construction was completed within the compound, a twelve foot privacy fence, made of sheet steel, would be erected completely around the compound. For privacy, the contractor was told. Hollywood celebrities wouldn’t want the paparazzi using telephoto lenses to take photos of them pulling weeds from a quarter mile away.

  The fence, it turned out, would be one of the most expensive parts of the project. Sheet steel wasn’t cheap, after all, and a fence that was twelve feet high and four hundred yards square would require a lot of steel. The cost for the fence alone was over two hundred grand.

  But hey, after all, what good is $211 million dollars if you can’t spend it on something useful?

  There were some other stipulations in the contract as well. In the interest of privacy for their patients, the treatment center wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible. There would be a huge septic system built for the compound, so that there would be no need for sewer tie-ins with the city. Mark had already reviewed the geological survey and knew that there was a hundred year supply of water eighty feet below the site, so the contractor would dig wells to supply the residents and for irrigation.

  And the kicker would be the electrical requirements. A second wind turbine would be constructed in the northwest corner of the compound. It would only be a third of the size as a commercial turbine, but capable of pulling twelve megawatts per hour on a breezy day.

  The power from the turbine would go directly into a large battery bank which would take up 200 square feet of floor space in the dormitory’s basement. Solar panels on the building’s roof would add more power to the battery system. And lastly, when battery capacity fell to forty percent or less, one of two large diesel generators would automatically kick in. All electrical requirements for the compound would be drawn from the batteries, which would never go dead.

  Redundancy. It was the key to survival.

  Of course, the contractors were told that it was all being done in the name of self-sufficiency and privacy. Their patients, the high-society celebrities and political figures, wouldn’t want outsiders like electric company repairmen coming in and maybe snapping their photos to splash across the front pages of the tabloids. So the electrical systems would all be maintained within the treatment center, by treatment center engineers.

  If it all sounded strange to the contractors, they didn’t let on. They were used to building odd things at the whims of others, and as long as they got paid, they didn’t care.

  Mark stayed at the site long enough to verify for himself that everything was on schedule.

  Then he walked to the top of Salt Mountain. It was a mere 300 feet high, not really much of a mountain. But it was fairly steep in some places, and the winding path that avoided the steepest parts was almost half a mile long.

  Once at the top, Mark surveyed the area. As he had hoped, he had a clear view of Interstate Highway 10, the main east-west thoroughfare that cut a path through central Texas.

  He planned to install a video camera on this spot to keep an eye on I-10 traffic while they were in the mine. It would be tied in to the main security console, and would give them a good idea when it was safe to venture out.

  Also, by keeping track of the vehicle traffic after Saris 7 hit, they’d have a pretty good idea of how many others were able to survive.

  Mark made a mental note of the things he’d need to install the camera. The ground appeared to be rocky soil, instead of solid rock. He’d be able to install a pole with a set of post hole diggers and a 50 pound bag of sacrete.

  It would be a pain in the ass lugging that 50 pound bag up there, of course, but he’d manage. He looked to the south to get a quick estimate of how much coax cable he’d have to run to the nearest ventilation shaft, and how much flexible conduit he’d need to protect the cable from rats, rabbits and squirrels.

  It would take at least four trips to get everything up here, he figured. Then he kicked himself for coming up empty handed. He could have brought the pole and conduit up with him and left them up here. Since he didn’t plan in advance, he’d have to make an extra trip. He’d have to try to plan better in the future.

  He took out a little notepad he kept in his pocket. At least a dozen times a day, he found himself scribbling notes for himself. Things to buy, things to do, things to make. He very naively thought that stocking a shelter for forty people for five to seven years would be an easy thing to do.

  But it turned out that it was a lot more complex than he’d ever imagined. And every time he crossed an item off of his “to do” list, he thought up two more things to replace it.

  Mark looked at his watch and realized he needed to get back down off the mountain. He’d made a verbal commitment to the various companies who were shipping things to them that someone would be at the mine every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from nine to five. And he had two large generators and a load of lumber due in today.

  Mark walked back down to his pickup, said goodbye to the construction foreman, and drove away from the construction site. Once out of view, he turned down the access road to the mine.

  He was very careful not to let any of the construction workers know that he was affiliated with the mine in any way. That was the one question they might answer that he could not explain. If he was an addiction treatment specialist, here to construct a big treatment center for a big California conglomerate, why in the world was he hanging out at the mine a quarter mile away, driving a forklift and unloading lumber from a truck?

  That was a question he had no good answer for.

  -13-

  Mark, Hannah and Sarah fell comfortably into a routine. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Mark ran errands, placed orders, and talked to contractors and salespersons of various goods. On Wednesdays through Fridays he stayed at the mine, doing various things on his “to-do” list. He posted a sign at the entrance to the mine for the truck drivers to sound their horns when they showed up with a delivery.

  The girls spent their mornings shopping for supplies. They were bringing their loads directly to the mine now, since the storage locker was filled to capacity. Mark had built a dozen rows of shelves in Bay 11 of the mine, and they had nicknamed it “Walmart.”

  Sarah had even taken the time to paint signs to hang over the entrance to the bay. The biggest one, a full three by five feet, was painted in blue and yellow, just like the retail giant where they purchased most of their supplies. From a distance, it looked pretty good.

  A smaller sign, in the same color scheme, said “Take what you need, but need what you take.” They assumed that once everyone was assembled in the mine, and knew that supplies were limited, that some of the residents would hoard things. And that meant others would not have socks, or underwear, or shampoo, because the hoarders had taken so much of it.

  So the sign would be a friendly reminder for the mine’s residents to take only what they needed.

  The girls also decided early on not to provide shopping carts or bags at their “Walmart.” They reasoned that if one had to hand carry everything he got from the supply room, he’d be less likely to grab things he didn’t really need.

  At least, it sounded good in theory. They’d find out in a couple of years how it worked in practice.

  They sorted the items by category, just like in a retail store. Toiletries and personal items on one row, men’s and boys clothing on another. Women’s and girls clothing on another. They placed labels on the shelves to establish permanent locations for each item, and then placed only two or three of each item in its assigned location. Another way to minimize hoarding.

  The rest of the items were placed in boxes, which were labeled and stacked in the very back of Bay 11, behind a sign that said “Employees only.”

  Sarah said that once everyone was assembled and the mine was sealed, she’d volunteer to be the store manager and keep the shelves stocked.

  Both girls took classes as night. Hannah was studying to be a midwife two nights a week, and taking first aid training two othe
r two nights. Sarah was taking cooking classes and psychology. She expected the worst of people to come out after months or years in the mine, and she wanted to know how to help people cope with their stress.

  Mark spent much of his evening hours recording television shows and movies for the mine’s TV studio. He had obtained two high capacity digital video recorders and put them on two different televisions in his house.

  Each DVR could record eight different channels at once. Through a system of USB cables and splitters, he was able to record programs from sixteen television channels at once, and store the data on high capacity external hard drives.

  By routing each scheduled program onto a specified drive, he’d eventually wind up with one drive full of 400 different sitcoms from the 1960s. Another would hold 200 different dramas from the 1970s. Another would hold the entire professional football season for 2013.

  Mark bought 110 of the external hard drives. His plan was to set up an internal television station within the mine that would run two dozen or so channels of recorded programs. He hoped it would help keep the mine’s residents from getting so bored with life underground that they went crazy.

  So every evening, Mark would look at the program guide and schedule several hours of programming, and switch out the drives as they became full. It was a royal pain, but it would pay off by providing entertainment for the years they’d be underground. And even after they broke out, for that matter, since there would be no one around to run the television stations anymore.

  During his three days a week in the mine, while he was waiting for delivery trucks, Mark busied himself on several different projects. The lumber was fashioned into cubicles in Bay 8, which he planned to turn into an entertainment area. Each cubicle would be twelve feet square, and would contain a large digital television and a living room set.

  On the wall outside the six cubicles he planned to build floor to ceiling bookshelves to hold the hundreds of DVDs and books they planned to bring into the mine.

  The cubicles would be places where a person, or a small group of persons, could go to watch a movie in private, without bothering or being bothered by others. Or to read in a quiet environment.

  Also outside the cubicles was a large lounge area. One of the nice things about the salt floor was that it had about the same consistency as a hard wood. He was able, therefore, to nail tack strip around the lounge area, then add carpet and padding. After he added several couches and easy chairs, it was just like home.

  Well, if your home is 300 feet underground, that is.

  Mark’s finishing touch was an 80 inch digital screen television that could be easily seen throughout the lounge area. The mine was already wired for cable and internet, so after the TV was tuned in, he turned on CNN. Then, after he was finished with the lounge, he stepped back to take a good look.

  And he decided it would be a good place to while away the thousands of hours they’d be underground.

  At the front of Bay 8, just inside the bay where it connected with the main corridor, and faced the entry tunnel, Mark installed what would become his security station. It was L-shaped, and included twenty four monitors. Each one would be attached to an outdoor camera.

  Each camera would be top of the line. It would have an ultraviolet capability for night vision, and would automatically switch to daytime with zoom and pan capability when there was sufficient daylight.

  All of the cameras would be equipped with a very sensitive motion detector as well. A security guard only had to sit at the console and watch the monitors to see what was going on for a quarter mile in all directions. If one of the motion sensors detected movement, an alarm would go off and that camera would automatically be transferred to the main monitor. From there, the security guard could use a joy stick to zoom in and pan to find out exactly who was out there and what they were up to.

  There was also a fixed camera at the front of the mine that would be aimed at a post which had a number every twelve inches. Like a rain gauge, it would keep track of how much snow accumulated on the ground while they were in the mine. It would also record the outside temperature at any given time from a large thermometer affixed to the top of the pole.

  But that was just one of the projects on Mark’s list, and it was months from being completed. First he had to buy all of the equipment and run three or four miles of cable.

  -14-

  JAN 27, 2014. 24 MONTHS UNTIL IMPACT

  Mark was sitting at home eating what was left of a Papa John’s pizza. He loved Papa John’s, and planned to order a boatload of them to freeze before they went into the mine.

  The phone rang, and he picked it up. It was his brother Bryan with bad news.

  “Hey, bro,” Bryan began. “I got laid off today. You know of anybody who’s hiring?”

  The question caught Mark totally off guard. His younger brother chose not to go to college, but instead took an apprenticeship with the largest electrical firm in San Angelo right out of high school.

  Now Bryan was a master electrician. One of the best in the city. You’d think he’d be the last one let go.

  “The company is downsizing.” Bryan explained. “They’re trying to save labor dollars to keep from declaring bankruptcy. So the guys I’ve been training for the last three years, who just now got their certifications, those are the guys they’re keeping around. Because they’ll work for half of what us old timers get.”

  “But isn’t that risky on their part?” Mark asked.

  Bryan replied “Hell, yes, it is. If they screw something up, it could get people killed. And certification doesn’t mean they’re flawless. It just means they’re licensed. Experience is what prevents accidents. And without me and the other masters around to double check their work, the odds of them making a bad mistake are a lot higher.

  “I hope it doesn’t happen. But they’re taking a big gamble. They’re hoping they can save some money by laying off their talent, and hoping they don’t have to pay big bucks in lawsuits later on.”

  “I don’t know of anybody who’s hiring electricians right now, but I’ll make some phone calls. What’s your price tag?”

  “I was making $110K. I’ll go down a little bit, but not much. And thanks, big brother.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t found anything yet. And you mean to tell me you’ve been coming over here and stealing my beer while you’re making six figures?”

  “I’ve been going over there stealing your beer because you’re not smart enough to stay at home and drink it yourself.”

  The two shared a last laugh and then hung up the phone.

  And Mark started to think.

  Later that evening, as they lay in bed discussing their plans for the following morning, Mark brought up Bryan’s situation to see what Hannah thought about it.

  “You know, we’ve been saying for awhile that there’s so much we need to do, and we weren’t sure if we could get it all done in two years. What if we brought Bryan in to help?”

  Hannah thought about it for a minute, then replied. “Well, that would take care of the electrical system. He could do all of it himself, without any outside help. And then we wouldn’t have to worry about you screwing it up.”

  She smiled as he cast an evil eye at her.

  But she was right. He was no master electrician. And a bad wiring job in the wrong place could spell disaster. Could even start a fire that might kill them all.

  “But,” she asked. “Can we trust him to keep his mouth shut?”

  “Yes. Bryan has a lot of bad habits, but one thing he can do is keep a secret.”

  Hannah said “So offer to match his salary, so he can keep the same standard of living, but swear him to secrecy before you tell him about Saris 7.”

  Hannah called Bryan the next day and asked if he had any plans for the Super Bowl. He said he was planning to hang out at one of the sports bars, watch the game and try to pick up a date for his own private after-game party.

  “But you’re prettier tha
n any of the girls there.” He said. “If this is an invitation, I’ll take it. You know I’ve always had a thing for you. It’s just too bad my brother got to you first.”

  Hannah laughed. “Okay, Romeo. You know if you ever made a real pass at me I’d kick you square in the balls, right?”

  “Yes, and that’s the only reason I never have. But I figure as long as you and Bonehead don’t get married, I consider you fair game.”

  “Well, I guess it all boils down to ‘Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?’”

  Dirty Harry was one of Hannah’s favorite movies.

  “Well, now that you mention it, you and Bonehead do make a cute couple. And there are plenty of other fish in the sea, after all…”

  “Good boy. Maybe you have some brains in that head of yours after all.”

  After the first half of the Super Bowl ended, Hannah switched off the television and told Bryan that she and Mark had something to discuss with him.

  Mark told him that they were willing to match the $110 thousand dollars he had been making to work with them on a major construction project.

  But, Mark was quick to emphasize, Bryan had to keep the project a secret. From everyone. Even the floozies he took home from the bars.

  Then they told him about Saris 7. And they never got around to watching the rest of the Super Bowl.

  -15-

  As it turned out, bringing Bryan on board was one of the best decisions they’d made to date. It gave the three of them more time to do other things, it took care of the electrical power problem, and Bryan brought some fresh ideas into the mix.

  One of the things he asked the trio was about life after the breakout, when the world thawed to the point that living on the outside was possible again.

  It led to a long discussion between the four of them about the ethics of gathering provisions and supplies from a desolate world.

  “Wouldn’t that be looting?” Sarah had asked.