by Miles Maresh
Brothers Frank and Evan were both attorneys and found themselves assigned to work together as civilian logistics organizers for the recovery effort. They were both glad to be assigned to inside work out of the Arizona heat. Their little brother Justin was an actor before the EMP, and was assigned manual labor putting up new transformers. The restoration of the Phoenix area would have to happen in stages, Of the 3 million people in the area, before the EMP only about 300.000 were left. Many had fled the area while Phoenix was under the threat of nuclear attack. With that possibility lessened, Frank and the other organizers planned to restore power and supplies to the west valley area around Luke Air Force Base, Although Luke had used to be on the far outskirts of the area outside Glendale, other suburbs had grown around it and there were plenty of vacant houses in the area that could be annexed. Anyone that still lived in the house they had before the crisis was allowed to stay, but only the west valley would be provided power and resources for the time being.
Clint who had been a rancher in Texas was really a jack of all trades as ranchers were good at many different things. Clint was assigned to restore the EMP stricken vehicles to working condition. Most that had not been crashed into walls, just needed to have the computer ignition bypassed and Clint replaced his own lost Blazer with a new Hummer. The military also wanted the vehicles to be EMP resistant as military vehicles already were. It had not been cost effective for manufacturers to provide the technology in passenger and commercial vehicles which was part of the problems that arose. Most military vehicles were shielded with lead which acted as faraday cages. With so many passenger vehicles left and a limited supply of lead shielding, Clint worked with military engineers to provide a more plentiful alternative. They came up with new technology which was deemed classified. Clint and the other mechanics were not told how it worked, just how to install it. The military was rightly concerned that the Chinese would mirror the technology. For now, the U.S. had a technological edge on China because they had not developed the shielding except for their military.
Mary Rice accepted a position teaching high school. It was not like her old job in inner-city Chicago, but she did find that many of her students had problems just as severe as her old neighborhood. About half the students were native to the area. They either had parents who were military personnel, to they had lived in the valley all along and had never left. The other half were refugees, like Mary who were brought in from stricken areas. They had seen things no child should ever have to deal with and there was some tension between the natives and the newcomers. Mary shared a house with her son Andre, who attended the middle school and her college age daughter Megan. Megan had expected to stay with Barry, but when he left to go to basic training, she moved back in with her mother. She was upset with Barry for joining the military, but she understood that colleges would not be reopened for a while and he felt a duty to assist his country in the war. The experiences they had crossing the country together had grown their relationship closer and she hoped Barry would rejoin her once the war was over. For now she took a job teaching children not much younger than herself.
David finished officer training and was briefed on the progress of the war. He was surprised to find that the Chinese had launched limited nuclear strikes from their submarines. They had hit Alaska, Western Canada and Washington State. Almost no one lived in those areas after the EMP, but the U.S. had launched a counterattack and used nuclear bombs on several Chinese cities. The President also ordered EMP attacks on China which did not have the new shielding technology the United States had developed. China was crippled, but had not surrendered and had threatened a ground invasion of the U.S. Because most of the west coast had been hit by North Korean, or Chinese nuclear strikes the ground invasion was expected to come through Canada or Mexico. Canada was closer to China, although their own nuclear strikes had left some radioactivity in the area, Mexico was farther away, but China had already established protectorates in several South American countries and the supply lines would not be so far. Because the U.S. cities were being re-established in the southern part of the country, the Chinese might attack in the North where cities had been left mostly empty. David’s Special Forces outfit was assigned to do reconnaissance on the Canadian border while another group was assigned to watch the Southern border, most of which already had a wall. If the Chinese launched a military invasion David was to call in air strikes on their positions. If the Chinese had brought their own civilians, David’s outfit was instructed to put up barriers and not let Chinese civilians cross the border.
Although Justin was young, fit and athletic he did bit like working outside in the Arizona heat. He had no chance or regaining his former life as an up and coming actor but he lobbied to get an inside job. His wife Mariah was more fortunate. As a stockbroker her professional skills were not needed, but as a college graduate she was assigned to process incoming refugees. Because she had been one herself, she had empathy for them, but not all refugees wanted the semblance of law and order the new community was based on. Mariah did background checks on all incoming residents. Although there were no records of what they had done since the EMP, it was necessary to explain where they had lived and how they had survived. There were a few smaller compounds like David’s farm, but many had looted and murdered other people to obtain their supplies. There were also small groups of people around the country that had resorted to cannibalism. Suspected looters and criminals were not let in the community as were people that refused to accept the jobs they were assigned.
Jim took Kaitlyn back to Denver, which as the country’s new capital had been cleared of the stalled vehicles and had the power restored. Because most of the money that had been in circulation was electronic before the crisis, paper currency was not plentiful enough. Much of the security of paper money had also been compromised. Many bank vaults had been looted and smaller businesses around the country had their cash reserves stolen. One of the reasons Denver had been chosen as the new capital was that it had a mint which could issue new U.S. banknotes, Most of the restored areas around the country were using military script, but as communities evolved the military could not be expected to act as a treasury department. After dropping off the drug dealers at the police station. Jim drove Kaitlyn to the capital building, where the president had his office, He then drove to the local army recruiter and volunteered to go back on active duty if they needed his assistance. As a decorated Army Ranger Jim was a little bit older than the military used to accept, but with several crises still affecting the country, the military was accepting all recruits and especially veterans coming out of retirement. As an officer Jim was assigned to lead a convoy going to Fork Knox Kentucky, to secure the nations gold supply. Fort Knox was in an area that was not being restored but the United States Bullion Depository itself is on the Fort Knox military base and Jim’s unit was to secure the base and transport some of the gold to a new storage facility outside Denver. U.S. currency was not technically backed by gold, the nation’s gold supply did allow its currency to be accepted as more than just paper money. If all the gold reserves were kept in a less populated area, the chance of a Chinese invasion seizing the metal could cripple the recovering U.S. economy.
As a former financial planner Kaitlyn was assigned to the team protecting the U.S. economy, money supply and the new U.S. currency. Most paper wealth had disappeared, capital wealth still existed and anyone that survived was allowed to maintain their property. Because so many people had perished the U.S. government annexed large areas, not to dispossess people of property but to provide housing and assistance in restored areas. Corporations that had survived due to capital investments, were also allowed to reopen although with strict government oversight. Price gouging and hoarding of supplies were outlawed in the reopened businesses. Any one that had a house or business in an annexed area was allowed to retain their property, but they had to register with the government. No one was allowed to own multiple residences to rent out themselves. Because many refugees had left their h
ouses in the north, low cost loans for houses in the restored areas would be provided for homeowners who wished to give up their rights to their northern residences. Because it would be many years before power was restored to the north, most refugees readily agreed. The new U.S. currency would still be called the dollar but it was markedly different in size and design from the old currency. Existing military script could be exchanged at an agreed upon rate, but old currency had no value whatsoever. It was not an ideal situation as wealthy individuals that had most of their money in investments were now almost destitute, but the idea was not protect the wealthy any longer.
Because David had been deployed to the northern border on a classified mission. His wife Jennifer returned to her profession as a nurse. She had been an emergency room nurse in Pittsburgh before the EMP hit. In the months at their farm she had treated ailments from cuts and scrapes to broken bones but fortunately had not any injuries or conditions that required surgery, She had a dwindling supply of medicine as the time at the farm drew to a close and she was glad to be back at a normal hospital with power, medicine and doctors. Many of refugees not from her farm had more serious medical issues. There were a lot of gunshot wounds from people that had experienced violence, She knew her family had been lucky enough to avoid serious injury in their encounters, Many of the refugees also came in malnourished as they had ran out of food long before their evacuation to the south. Diseases were also rampant as the malnourished individuals had lived in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. The lack of medical professionals was also a problem and Jennifer had her daughter Judy fill n as a substitute nurse. Judy wanted to go to medical school and Jennifer thought it would be a good experience to be a nurse first, especially since medical schools may not be re-opened for a while.
Chapter 26
Because we did not have a border wall with Canada, many military planners thought a Chinese ground invasion would come from the North. David’s new Green Beret battalion was to conduct covert observations on both sides of the border to determine if an attack was imminent. China had already stationed troops in Canada, as the county had been hard hit by the EMP. The Chinese claimed that their goal was to help the Canadian economy recover, but as more and more Chinese civilians arrived it became obvious that his was a colonization effort. Because the northern cities of the United States were very much like Canada, it was feared that the Chinese would expand its colonization efforts into the United States. Since the military had effectively abandoned the northern cities to concentrate on rebuilding in the South, the Chinese could move in and establish strongholds in cities already built. They would still need to rebuild the power grid and endure the harsh winters, but it they colonized North America without a military response by the United States, they would be well entrenched by the time the U.S. decided to rebuild in the north.
The U.S. military had already built hastily constructed barriers on all major thoroughfares between Canada and the United States. Because the border was so long and unprotected, there were still many accessible routes where the Chinese could set up military transports to move their civilians into the northern cities. President Ryan informed the Chinese that any attempt to cross the border, either by military or civilians would be treated as an invasion. If they expected the border to be open to civilians they were mistaken. The civilians that crossed would be treated as an invading force and suffer the same fate as if they had been military. The Chinese had already learned that President Ryan was not bluffing but they felt they could secure the cities from within before they moved civilians in. David’s group spotted Chinese paratroopers coming into Michigan and Illinois. Thousands of Chinese troops were dropped behind the border to secure the cities of Chicago and Detroit. Both cities had been mostly evacuated by the U.S. military. There was only a small peacekeeping force left behind to repel any gang activity. With another winter coming, and no food left, even gang members from the north were headed south. David reported on the paratroopers and asked how they should proceed. If the Chinese had come across in a convoy, they would have just given the coordinates to the military for a missile strike on the invaders. With the invaders within the cities they hoped to acquire, removing them without destroying the city in the process was going to require more covert operations.
Jim’s Army Ranger battalion was successful in escorting a larger military group to secure the Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. His group loaded up the gold they wanted to transport to Denver and headed back. With half the nation’s gold in their possession the convoy was escorted by Apache Attack helicopters and armored Humvees and support vehicles. Breaking into Fort Knox to steal the gold was impractical and if anyone wanted to acquire it, even the well protected convoy was still the weakest link. Even though the mission was shrouded in secrecy, word got out, and rogue groups decided to make an attack on the convoy. Most of the attacks were easily repelled because the attackers did not have the military capability of the troops protecting the gold. The worry of a Chinese attack to take the gold seemed to be realized when the convoy was midway across Kansas, The Apache helicopters leading the procession detected armored vehicles and troops in hiding. The tanks were identified as Chinese models. The convoy had 20 miles before they could hit the attackers’ positions and Jim called for a halt while he conferred with the military. The options were to have the Apache Helicopters take out the troops, but the Chinese tanks would need to be destroyed with missiles dropped from Stealth Bombers sent from U.S. military bases. The problem with dropping the bombs was that in addition to destroying the tanks, it would severely compromise the roadway the convoy wanted to take to get the gold into Denver.
President Ryan was incensed that the Chinese were still attacking the United States. They had signed a peace treaty after Ryan had been forced to respond to China’s limited nuclear strike with a stronger one aimed at the Chinese mainland, He called the Chinese Prime Minister and complained that the terms of the peace treaty were not being followed. Attacking the U.S. to go after its gold reserves was an act of war and the Chinse massing on the Canadian border was also seemed as a hostile act. The Chinese leader said that his country’s major cities had been devastated by the nuclear fallout. They needed to move citizens Canada and North American cities to escape the fallout. Ryan knew that was not true. The attack on China had been massive in scope but limited in the amount of radiation released. While millions of Chinese had no doubt died in the blasts, that was comparable to the loss of life the Chinese attacks on the U.S. caused. Ryan knew the military had left whole areas of China untouched, including major cities. The Chinese leader told Ryan he would call off the attack on the gold if he allowed him to annex Chicago and Detroit. Ryan told him that he did not have any bargaining chips and they would be no deals. Ryan told him “If you don’t remove your troops from Kansas and our northern cities, they will all be destroyed and we will launch another stronger attack on China.” He knew the Chinese had fired their last nuclear missiles from submarines after the U.S. had destroyed their nuclear sites on the mainland. The Chinese leader complained about the unfairness of the U.S. actions but said he would call off the attack on the gold convoy. He claimed he did not have any troops in northern cities, but Ryan knew paratroopers had recently dropped the troops in there. He would have to take care of that differently.
Jim had the convoy proceed once the Chinese had withdrawn from their positions. Jim knew Ryan had obviously come to an agreement with the Chinese, but he hoped he had not given up much, if anything. Jim thought he should have threatened the leader with his country’s annihilation. Invading the middle of his county to steal the basis of their economy was a blatant act of war and the response should not be a compromise. When they arrived in Denver, Jim was called in and learned that his Ranger Battalion would join the Green Berets and other covert operatives to expel Chinese paratroopers from northern cities they had just infiltrated. Jim realized he would be working with David again, although maybe not in the same area.
Chapter 27
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The Chinese paratroopers that dropped into Chicago and Detroit were thought to be preparing for a Chinese colonization of these mostly deserted cities. Chicago still had some gang activity whose members were scrambling to find what little resources remained in the city. The Chinese troops were better trained and equipped than the gang members and they quickly dispatched of any that did not flee south. The only people left in the city were a few people that managed to stay hidden from the Chinese troops. Most of these were preppers that had sequestered themselves and their families in well concealed and provisioned shelters. The small military garrison that had been in Chicago quickly left when they saw about 1,000 paratroopers landing. Although a similar invasion was happening in Detroit, Chicago was seen as the more important city to recover and the military forces decided to take one city at a time. It would have to be guerilla warfare to take out the invaders without destroying too much of the city itself. Every Special Forces soldier the U.S. military had left was dispatched to the Chicago area. These included the Army Rangers, the Green Berets, the Navy Seals and other operatives from more clandestine organizations.
The Chinese had no idea the U.S. forces were marshalling outside the city and were going from door to door searching for survivors hiding in the city. They sent out small garrisons of 5-6 soldiers out together. The U.S. forces outside the city launched their counterassault from the North except for the Seals who came in from Lake Michigan. Although the U.S. had a total of about 1,000 soldiers which matched the Chinese numbers, they had the advantage. They had power and were better provisioned than the Chinese who were living in powered down houses of the city with only the supplies they had managed to drop in with the troops. The Americans also knew the city better and only had to lay in wait to eliminate the invaders. To avoid a free for all where they could get caught in their own cross fires the military made an organized progression across the city, killing all Chinese troops they encountered. Using suppressed weapons to not give away the fact that the counterattack was underway the U.S. military quickly regained control over most of the city. They surrounded the small headquarters the leaders had set up in City Hall. The Chinese military leaders surrendered once they realized the majority of their troops had been eliminated. Many of the U.S. soldiers wanted to execute them but Col. Allen in charge of the counter insurgency said the Geneva Convention rules still applied and they would provide humane treatment to those who surrendered.
