| General Fiction posted April 2, 2014 | Chapters: |
...35 36 -37- 38... 
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Exploring the bunker & making plans.
A chapter in the book Yosemite
Determining the Enemy
by michaelcahill
| Background Catastrophe strands survivors in Yosemite. Who's the enemy and how do they fight them? What kind of war needs to be waged. |
Previously, the contents of the bunker begin to be revealed. Top Secret papers are discovered that appear to be from the United States, but are they official? The enemy looks to be in the middle east allied with scientists from Russia and around the world. There appears to be backing from the Chinese. Nothing is certain. The search and discussion continue as we join Christine and Johnny in conversation.
Christine looked as angry as I'd ever seen her. She spoke in a low tone, "This report isn't from the United States, Johnny. At least, not the official United States that we know of. This is bullshit, off-the-grid, behind-the-back crap. There's no way the President, or anyone in the real government, knew about any of this. There are terrorists working within our own country...American terrorists. Our own people, gone right off the friggin' deep end. Jesus, Johnny, it's "Dr. Strangelove" and it's no joke."
She hit on something that bothered me from the moment my eyes took in those words, TOP SECRET. The sense of spy movie irked me. It looked so cheap and "Hollywood Movie" to me. What the hell would something so sensitive be doing locked in a file cabinet, guarded by two, wet-behind-the-ears, recent, soldier-school graduates.
"We", didn't start anything. These fools did. Nick and Mark were clueless patsies with no idea what they guarded. Some high-stepping, military uniforms barked orders at them, and they ran to fetch. But, that still didn't tell us what happened. It did tell us what all of this equipment was doing here. Where in hell did these psychos go? Why did they leave? Why hadn't they returned? Damn, that last question sent a chill down my spine and back up again.
I motioned to Annie. She came over to where Christine and I were. "Let's have a meeting. We have to make a plan. Get the others. Let's take a coffee break."
Everyone looked pleased to be sharing a moment of peace. We conversed about nothing and sipped coffee for a little while. It seemed like a needed break to me. We were human and acting like it felt good. This group of people were of the finest quality, proving themselves over and over in every way. The honor of being held in their esteem surpassed anything in my life. Time for business.
"Our friends are here in Yosemite. Our enemies are numerous and seemingly everywhere. We have an idea who they are and where they are. We even have an idea what they are doing. The world is in extremely bad shape. How bad we don't know. How many people are dead, we don't know. Are there any allies out there? We don't know. Is there anything left of the United States of America or any of the countries that were once our friends? We don't know. This paradise that we live in is a target. The enemy wants. They can't have it. That is our current state. What's the plan? That is what we have to determine. Now is the time."
Nikolai wasn't about to wait. He spoke first, "It is everything needed, to transmit anything you ever dreamed of transmitting. This is all provided the panels deliver enough power. It's all here in perfect condition ready to go. Whatever they can do, we can do."
Annie jumped in, "That's not all. There are tunnels extending forever. We haven't reached the end, Johnny. There is an additional bunker a mile north of here in a valley. There's a heliport there with a helicopter. A helicopter, Johnny. None of us knows a damn thing about flying a helicopter, but it's there. Who knows what else is there. We've found vehicles and weapons. A lot of it hasn't been used in decades. Tree roots are growing through some of the rooms. But, some of it is pristine and ready to use right now."
Just as I planned to speak, Jonesy came strolling up. That was a sprint for him. He sat by Ma. He didn't speak very often, but when he did, it usually held some significance. We all became still to listen as he spoke, "I was a talkin' to the Royal Canuk Mounted Police fer a minute or two. Least wise that's who they sez they was. The signal kinda gived out. They sez to call 'em back in two hours."
Leave it to Jonesy to drop a bombshell like he just saw the first rosebud of spring. "What did they tell you? Is there a Canadian government? What do they know about the U.S. or the President? What…"
Jonesy kind of waved his hand slightly. That worked to silence me. He continued, "They didn't say all that much. They said they was doin' okay and was happy ta hear from me. They sez they'd heard from a few folks in parts of the U.S. They didn't have much time to chew the fat. They just gave me some channels we could chat on and all. Y'all can ask 'em yourself in a little spell."
Linda came running up and joined in, "I'm getting some transmissions, Johnny. They're faint and hard to make out. We don't have things set up yet. But, it isn't English, that much I can tell you. It isn't all the same language either. Some of it's Asian, that much I do know. The rest of it, I couldn't tell you. It isn’t French, Spanish, or anything similar. I'd recognize those."
I could feel that tingling sensation in the back of my head again. At first, I anticipated Christine sending a little hello or something. But, it wasn't that. It was that same image as before. Boats on the water and the words or feelings or rescue. Over and over, rescue, rescue. Christine caught my eye. Lester was holding the back of his head. Mark looked distressed and held his head. Damn! The compound. Would they be able to maintain order this time?
I wanted to continue this meeting and make plans. But, getting back to the compound and making sure all remained calm took priority. "We have to check the compound. They're transmitting the rescue images again. Make blocking that signal your number one priority." Nikolai nodded as I caught his eye. I looked at Annie, "You and Jonesy keep at the radio system and see what you can find out. Don't talk to anyone except those Mounties. See what you can find out. Hopefully, we'll be back in short order."
Christine and I headed in a hurry towards the compound. My head ached and, no doubt, hers did too. The desire to discover a peaceful scene at the compound went without saying.
The buzzing in my head ceased as suddenly as it started. Could it be that Nikolai had found a way to block it already? That was wistful thinking. But, it felt good to think like that. Maybe our trip to the compound would be a short one.
We came upon a peaceful compound. Carlos had an older man and a young woman over by the dream team and seemed intently questioning them. We went to investigate.
Christine smiled and spoke first, "Looks like you have everything nailed down here. Who are these two?"
Carlos looked pleased with himself and responded confidently, "Jerry here", he nodded towards the older gentleman and continued, "He went a little berserk when the attack hit. We noticed the prisoners getting squirrely and knew something was up. This one began running around telling everyone to get ready and the like. Sarah here", he put his hand on the young lady's shoulder and smiled as he continued, "she was trying to set him straight, telling him it was a trick and to resist, like we've all learned. He wouldn't listen, so Turner grabbed him and cuffed him. He's calming down now. I think Sarah here might be able to help you guys. She seems to see other things the way you do Christine. She says she saw Chinese soldiers on ships with Persian flags. She's Iranian."
I jumped in, "Hi Sarah. You saw Chinese soldiers? Are you sure? How do you know?"
She was eager to answer, "I recognize the writing from the artwork my grandfather collected. The characters are different in each language. The Japanese characters are smoother and rounded, the Chinese characters have many more lines and jagged edges. There's more to it, of course, but I recognize most of the writing."
"Good work Carlos. You're promoted to Six Star General Elite." That got a big smile. "You can let this guy go. I think he gets the picture now. We'll take Sarah here with us. I want to ask here about some details. We have some more plans to discuss with Ma. I think the camps in good hands. We'll see ya soon."
Carlos look pleased as we turned to leave.
Christine whispered in my ear, "What's up grandpa, I'm not young enough for you?"
Sarah just stared at us as we burst out laughing. But, it wasn't long before she was laughing too, unable to resist.
Christine looked as angry as I'd ever seen her. She spoke in a low tone, "This report isn't from the United States, Johnny. At least, not the official United States that we know of. This is bullshit, off-the-grid, behind-the-back crap. There's no way the President, or anyone in the real government, knew about any of this. There are terrorists working within our own country...American terrorists. Our own people, gone right off the friggin' deep end. Jesus, Johnny, it's "Dr. Strangelove" and it's no joke."
She hit on something that bothered me from the moment my eyes took in those words, TOP SECRET. The sense of spy movie irked me. It looked so cheap and "Hollywood Movie" to me. What the hell would something so sensitive be doing locked in a file cabinet, guarded by two, wet-behind-the-ears, recent, soldier-school graduates.
"We", didn't start anything. These fools did. Nick and Mark were clueless patsies with no idea what they guarded. Some high-stepping, military uniforms barked orders at them, and they ran to fetch. But, that still didn't tell us what happened. It did tell us what all of this equipment was doing here. Where in hell did these psychos go? Why did they leave? Why hadn't they returned? Damn, that last question sent a chill down my spine and back up again.
I motioned to Annie. She came over to where Christine and I were. "Let's have a meeting. We have to make a plan. Get the others. Let's take a coffee break."
Everyone looked pleased to be sharing a moment of peace. We conversed about nothing and sipped coffee for a little while. It seemed like a needed break to me. We were human and acting like it felt good. This group of people were of the finest quality, proving themselves over and over in every way. The honor of being held in their esteem surpassed anything in my life. Time for business.
"Our friends are here in Yosemite. Our enemies are numerous and seemingly everywhere. We have an idea who they are and where they are. We even have an idea what they are doing. The world is in extremely bad shape. How bad we don't know. How many people are dead, we don't know. Are there any allies out there? We don't know. Is there anything left of the United States of America or any of the countries that were once our friends? We don't know. This paradise that we live in is a target. The enemy wants. They can't have it. That is our current state. What's the plan? That is what we have to determine. Now is the time."
Nikolai wasn't about to wait. He spoke first, "It is everything needed, to transmit anything you ever dreamed of transmitting. This is all provided the panels deliver enough power. It's all here in perfect condition ready to go. Whatever they can do, we can do."
Annie jumped in, "That's not all. There are tunnels extending forever. We haven't reached the end, Johnny. There is an additional bunker a mile north of here in a valley. There's a heliport there with a helicopter. A helicopter, Johnny. None of us knows a damn thing about flying a helicopter, but it's there. Who knows what else is there. We've found vehicles and weapons. A lot of it hasn't been used in decades. Tree roots are growing through some of the rooms. But, some of it is pristine and ready to use right now."
Just as I planned to speak, Jonesy came strolling up. That was a sprint for him. He sat by Ma. He didn't speak very often, but when he did, it usually held some significance. We all became still to listen as he spoke, "I was a talkin' to the Royal Canuk Mounted Police fer a minute or two. Least wise that's who they sez they was. The signal kinda gived out. They sez to call 'em back in two hours."
Leave it to Jonesy to drop a bombshell like he just saw the first rosebud of spring. "What did they tell you? Is there a Canadian government? What do they know about the U.S. or the President? What…"
Jonesy kind of waved his hand slightly. That worked to silence me. He continued, "They didn't say all that much. They said they was doin' okay and was happy ta hear from me. They sez they'd heard from a few folks in parts of the U.S. They didn't have much time to chew the fat. They just gave me some channels we could chat on and all. Y'all can ask 'em yourself in a little spell."
Linda came running up and joined in, "I'm getting some transmissions, Johnny. They're faint and hard to make out. We don't have things set up yet. But, it isn't English, that much I can tell you. It isn't all the same language either. Some of it's Asian, that much I do know. The rest of it, I couldn't tell you. It isn’t French, Spanish, or anything similar. I'd recognize those."
I could feel that tingling sensation in the back of my head again. At first, I anticipated Christine sending a little hello or something. But, it wasn't that. It was that same image as before. Boats on the water and the words or feelings or rescue. Over and over, rescue, rescue. Christine caught my eye. Lester was holding the back of his head. Mark looked distressed and held his head. Damn! The compound. Would they be able to maintain order this time?
I wanted to continue this meeting and make plans. But, getting back to the compound and making sure all remained calm took priority. "We have to check the compound. They're transmitting the rescue images again. Make blocking that signal your number one priority." Nikolai nodded as I caught his eye. I looked at Annie, "You and Jonesy keep at the radio system and see what you can find out. Don't talk to anyone except those Mounties. See what you can find out. Hopefully, we'll be back in short order."
Christine and I headed in a hurry towards the compound. My head ached and, no doubt, hers did too. The desire to discover a peaceful scene at the compound went without saying.
The buzzing in my head ceased as suddenly as it started. Could it be that Nikolai had found a way to block it already? That was wistful thinking. But, it felt good to think like that. Maybe our trip to the compound would be a short one.
We came upon a peaceful compound. Carlos had an older man and a young woman over by the dream team and seemed intently questioning them. We went to investigate.
Christine smiled and spoke first, "Looks like you have everything nailed down here. Who are these two?"
Carlos looked pleased with himself and responded confidently, "Jerry here", he nodded towards the older gentleman and continued, "He went a little berserk when the attack hit. We noticed the prisoners getting squirrely and knew something was up. This one began running around telling everyone to get ready and the like. Sarah here", he put his hand on the young lady's shoulder and smiled as he continued, "she was trying to set him straight, telling him it was a trick and to resist, like we've all learned. He wouldn't listen, so Turner grabbed him and cuffed him. He's calming down now. I think Sarah here might be able to help you guys. She seems to see other things the way you do Christine. She says she saw Chinese soldiers on ships with Persian flags. She's Iranian."
I jumped in, "Hi Sarah. You saw Chinese soldiers? Are you sure? How do you know?"
She was eager to answer, "I recognize the writing from the artwork my grandfather collected. The characters are different in each language. The Japanese characters are smoother and rounded, the Chinese characters have many more lines and jagged edges. There's more to it, of course, but I recognize most of the writing."
"Good work Carlos. You're promoted to Six Star General Elite." That got a big smile. "You can let this guy go. I think he gets the picture now. We'll take Sarah here with us. I want to ask here about some details. We have some more plans to discuss with Ma. I think the camps in good hands. We'll see ya soon."
Carlos look pleased as we turned to leave.
Christine whispered in my ear, "What's up grandpa, I'm not young enough for you?"
Sarah just stared at us as we burst out laughing. But, it wasn't long before she was laughing too, unable to resist.
 Recognized |
Lots of speculation as always. But, what is true and what is not. They try and sort the truth from the supposition. More about the cause of the disaster and who the enemy might be is coming to light. Still many questions remain unanswered. Input and suggestions still welcomed. Thank you for all your help.
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