by Cliff Deane
“What? Dolf, did I hear you correctly, unlimited distance and instantaneous communication between AIs?”
“Yes, well, at least within the solar system, but it should be Galaxywide. Einstein provided the basic theory of folding time and space to create instantaneous travel, he said it was like folding a sheet of paper to get from one end to the other without traveling the full length of the paper. Look, Hank, I’m a sailor, not a scientist, but that is the gist of it.”
“Yes, I see,” said General Morse, I agree, we must find and save that communications breakthrough. I’ll get with General Merritt and have him get right on it. Hell, I’ll have him bring every computer and every piece of paper in the DARPA files if necessary.”
“Excellent idea, Hank. Once you have captured this bit of code, I’m pretty sure I’ll have another tidbit of info on this new technology. I hope you don’t mind, but I want to prove a theory of mine that may not pan out, so please bear with me. I don’t want to say too much about it until I’m sure.”
“Of course, Dolf, I’ll get right on this. Wow, what a concept, and if it actually works, we’ll have an incredible opportunity, here. Look, if you don’t have any other fantastic revelations for right now, I’d better get to work on saving that new tech.”
“No, Hank, nothing more for right now. I’ll get with you as soon as the mapping of the Mag occupation is complete: out, here.”
5 May 2118
Headquarters Building
Fort Benning, GA
Following the communication with Admiral Perry of the Mars Space Defense Force (MSDF)General Hank Morse immediately contacted General Tom Merritt at Fort Benning.
“Tom,” said an excited General Morse, “I have a most important mission for you that must be accomplished immediately.”
“Yes, sir, and what must I do?”
“Tom, I can’t go into much depth here, so please don’t ask too many questions. You are tasked with sending a Ranger Company as a security force to DARPA at 675 North Randolph Street, in Arlington, VA. You will also need to send a major detail to do the heavy lifting. The mission is to recover every computer, storage cube, every filing cabinet, notes on desks, wastebaskets, hell, anything that has writing or typing. I don’t know how you might find them, but if you can find any of the scientists or computer geeks, take them with you back to Benning.
“What we are looking for specifically are the data cubes storing the latest Personal AI updates. That’s all I can tell you right now, but at least you will know the primary mission goal. I hope you have some good cyber guys still alive at Benning, because, Tom, this is really important. I promise to put you on the top of the loop as soon as the President approves. Are you with me, here?”
“Yes, sir, of course,” replied General Tom Merritt. My mission is to secure the DARPA complex in Alexandria in Virginia and take everything back to Benning. I’ll have everything set up in a secured hanger and get our cyber guys, and we do have seven of them remaining, working on finding the data and codes for the latest Personal AI updates. I think I’ll send Lt Colonel Abraham to supervise the collection. He just finished up a major mission for the CDC and is ready to get onto the next thing.”
“Tom, did I hear you say, Lt Colonel Abraham? I thought he was a Captain.”
“Oh, yes sir, I frocked him to LTC to get a Doctor, a Major, in line as to who was in charge of the mission.”
“I see,” said Hank Morse, “good thinking. Are you going to go ahead and promote him?”
“Yes, sir, I think he is a real asset, and as an LTC he won’t be getting that kind of flak from anyone else. Do you approve?”
“Of course, I approve. Tom, I told you that you have the go-ahead to promote whoever you need to fit into the puzzle. Speaking of which, how is your command structure shaping up?”
“Sir, I think it may be too early to tell, but we’ll make it work. Oh, and please tell the Prez that Operation Trap is proceeding nicely. I have to tell you, sir, those Tunnel Rats are making quite a difference in our progress. This might surprise you, but we have more Rangers volunteering for Tunnel Rat duty than we need. My guess is that since our new Army is light in the leadership department, a willingness to go down into those dark assed places may improve their chances for promotion, and they are right. Then again, I, however, choose to believe that they are simply being Rangers. Is there anything else, sir? If not, I’d better get my butt in gear and get the DARPA Mission on the road.”
“No, nothing else, Tom, but while your folks are there, make sure they are aware of possible Mag Nests. Our statistics guys tell us that there could be as many as ten-thousand of those ugly bastards still around Alexandria. Oh, wait, one more thing. Tom, keep this under your hat, we are losing this war at present. The Mags are moving into the hinterlands by the millions, and they are consuming everything in sight. If it weren’t for your efforts to set up roadside resupply to the locals who are fighting back, it would be even worse.”
“Yes, sir, I understand. I think I’ll step up the aerial mine laying operations to slow them down.”
“Good idea, keep me informed, out, here.”
6 May 2118
President’s Conference Room
Cheyenne Mountain
General Morse and Admiral Huxley requested a meeting with President Holcomb and his Chief of Staff Simon Ward to provide an update on the available military force in the Continental U.S.
The 75” computer screen displayed the Forts and Bases across the nation. “Sir, we have prepared this fact sheet to outline the condition of each military facility. We will, however, focus only on those with an actual, or salvageable, command structure. This slide provides our most up to date status. Mr. President, as you will see, it is not good. Those listed in black had not come back online and were presumed to be total losses.
“Red indicates that there were limited availability of resources but are lacking a functioning command structure. Yellow indicates salvageable command structure and available combat forces which can be brought online for Anti-Mag operation in the next fourteen days. Green displays those Forts which are currently functional and actively engaged against Mags.
“Those areas in black are primarily the smallest facilities, such as Depots, Reserve, and National Guard training facilities. Of the nation’s Reserve Forces only a handful have come online, and those have a minimal cadre and a total lack of munitions for their weapons systems. I have directed those Reserve personnel available for duty to commandeer any source of weapons and munitions, such as gun stores. At this point there just isn’t much that we can do to provide assistance as they are so few in number and so widely dispersed.
“There are some reports of retired military personnel organizing the local populations into effective anti-Mag operations. Militias across the country are also effectively combating the Mag invasion. Perhaps the most effective of these is in the Prescott, Arizona area where a retired Army Colonel, Cynthia Sharpe has been able to form the Prescott Militia and several spinoffs throughout the Prescott Basin region of Northern Arizona.
“This group seems to be well supplied and very well led. Colonel Sharpe estimates the region will be predominantly Mag free within the next thirty days. We have become aware of the advances in Prescott via a radio station, KFNA, which is the voice of the Prescott Militia. We have also been in contact with KFNA. Their primary needs at this point are the hummingbird drones that we are using across the board in anti-Mag Ops, Like Air Force Base (AFB) made delivery of two-hundred drones, Night Vision Monocles, and uniforms.
“General Merritt is busy meeting with survivor units across the country, in all branches of military service. He is evaluating the available forces and the existing leadership. Tom reports that he is making promotions at every stop, and some of these promotions, both Officer and NCO, go as deep as three ranks.
“He has also ordered a vast expansion of Operation Mine. The Air Force is laying hasty anti-personnel minefields ahead of the advancing Mag invasion. Sir
, this effort will not win the war, and considering that we could be looking at, as many as fifty million Mags in the U.S. alone, this effort may not even significantly slow them down. It will, however, whittle them down by some big numbers.”
“My God,” said President Holcomb, could there really be that many? Fifty million?”
“Mr. President, I am loathe to say it, but our statisticians estimate that of the four-hundred-million Americans, 75% died from the pandemic, and as many as half of the one-hundred-million survivors turned into Mags. Human losses are far greater due to deaths of those over sixty, those under ten, the sick, and others for, oh so many other reasons.”
President Vance Holcomb began rubbing his temples, as he often did to try to stave off a looming migraine. “Thank you, Hank, please continue.”
“Yes, sir, General Merritt also reports that every large Marine, Air Force, and Army Base and Fort have come online and are currently engaged against the enemy in ops like Trap.
“Unfortunately, sir, the Navy has only one recruit training base. It is located just north of Chicago on Lake Superior. I have ordered that it is to be closed and the personnel there transferred to the southernmost Naval Bases before the coming winter. All surviving Navy Seals have been ordered to provide security and appropriate anti-Mag operations that present themselves.
“Sir, as you can see from this next slide, the true availability of U.S. Military operations against the millions of Mags now swarming across the country is but a very small drop in the proverbial bucket. As our forces expand outward from their home base, they grow ever weaker due to a diminishing supply line. At some point, we will have to go into a holding and consolidation mission, similar to the Western Forts of the late 1800’s.
“General Merritt has begun to both create and support militias across the country based on the Prescott model. In this way, a finite number of our military will be available to assist and recruit local forces to fight the Mags.
“The Air Force assures me that they can provide air supply and deployment to these small detachments. Our own Green Berets are highly trained in this exact type of mission. They will be training volunteers in a crash course in militia tactics to include guerrilla warfare.
“Our surviving Special Operations Forces will be used for rapid deployments against Mag concentrations by assisting localized militias when confronted by overwhelming numbers, or a heavily entrenched enemy. As these special ops personnel are distributed across the country, the SOF units deployed will, whenever possible, be those closest to provide the mostest.
“My personal belief is that the Air Force can, certainly, provide this support, at least in the short term. They, like all branches of our military, suffer from a lack of personnel, as in aircrews and support personnel. Add to this the simple fact that the more teams we get on the ground, the more difficult the task of resupply.”
President Vance Holcomb said, “Hank, that is one hell of a bleak picture you have painted. Tell me, bottom line, can we win?”
“Sir, these creatures will only win if they can kill every human in uniform, but there is no short-term solution. It will take a minimum of three or four years, and that is discounting the efforts to retake the major cities, like New York. In truth, Mr. President, we don’t have even a remote idea of how to retake a city like New York or San Francisco.”
“Wait, Hank, didn’t you say that come winter the northern states will force the Mags to move south? Won’t that resolve the problem, at least with the likes of New York and Chicago?”
“No, sir, I’m afraid that is most unlikely as these cities have huge undergrounds. If the Mags cannot find other sources of food, they will survive on rat meat. This is, of course, all supposition, but it does seem like the most reasonable scenario.”
“And the rest of the world?” asked the President as his voice trailed into a whisper.
THE END
TO BE CONTINUED IN AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
Books by Cliff Deane
The Vigilante Series
Vigilante: Into the Darkness
Book one
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: Into the Fray
Book two
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: The Pale Horse
Book three
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: No Quarter
Book four
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: The Way West
Book five
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
Vigilante: Indian Territory
Book six
Post-Apocalyptic Justice
The Oort Chronicles Series
Red Alert: Missiles Inbound
A Prelude to Apocalypse
Book 1
The Oort Plague
The Pandemic Apocalypse
Book 2
America Fights Back
The Mag Apocalypse
Book 3
About the Author
Cliff Deane grew up in South Charleston, West Virginia. At 17, he left school and joined the U.S. Cavalry, as a Private. 35 years later, he retired as a Lt. Colonel, spending 10 years Enlisted, and 25 years Commissioned.
Cliff holds a High School G.E.D., a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and English, a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Management from West Virginia and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College.
After retirement, a love of the American West took Cliff to Prescott, Arizona, which he has called home for many years.
Today, Cliff and his dog Katie reside full time in his 44’ Toy Hauler. He and Katie just go where the wind blows, as long as the wind blows them to Sturgis, SD in August.
