The bunker was quiet, sirens on the computer screens still wailing with red radiation warnings in the Central Command Center of the bunker. Across the room, a heavy steel door sits. A bright yellow sign sits atop it saying “Authorized Personnel only. Solar Storm Protection Class One'' In the center of the one-ton door sits a metal wheel that can be opened outside if needed.
Siren lights begin to flash on the wall, the wheel begins to turn rapidly. A sharp hissing noise and smoke come out of the door and swing open with a heavy creek. Opening wide enough for multiple people to enter at the same time, men in protective armor come out with weapons in their hands scanning the area. 50 men rush out with their SIG Sauer MPX in mat black, their lights scanning the room for intruders. One pulls out a slender device to scam the area for radiation, and the screen ticks from red, and yellow to green in all clear.
With the device giving the all-clear, he pulls off his black gas mask to give himself a better view of the Central Command Center. “All clear? Status Report!” the Secret Service member yells to his team.
“Clear!” One yells in a hallway.
“All Clear!”
“Clear!”
“All clear sir! No one in the mess hall or main entrance to the lower bunker.” another member of the Secret Service says, his voice muffled by the standard MCU-2/P gas mask. He waits for orders.
“Good, I want the Secret Service spread across the bunker just in case.” He turns towards the now-open doorway. Two guards are at the door.
“Seems to be all clear,” He says to them, looking to the one on the left. “Turn on the air circulation system, the air is stale in here.” the guard salutes and makes his way. Looking to the other guard “Guess the shaking we felt wasn't the main entrance being blown off.”
“Then what the hell was it?” the guard asks his superior.
“I have no earthly idea, your guess is as good as mine.” turning his head to the main screen on the wall, it was blue and in white lettering saying “ERROR, PLEASE RECONNECT”
“Now is not the time for guessing games, I need to get the POTUS and chiefs of staff out of the inner bunker,” he says looking at the screen with a concerned look on his face.
Inside the inner bunker sits everything that keeps one of the most powerful nations on Earth running. The president, Vice-President, The Cabinet, and Joint chiefs of staff. As well as Unified Combatant Command. Sitting and waiting for the all-clear to leave this cramped confined room not built for this many people.
“Did the scientists at NASA mention anything about earthquakes?” Seth L Mckinney wonders no one in particular. At 40, he was the youngest U.S. president in history.
“I do not believe so. At least that I know of. Do you remember how hard it was to get an estimate from them? They ran around like headless chickens the minute after the U.N. session!” Lilly D Jefferson exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood of the whole situation. That's one of the reasons why she was chosen as Vice President, she knew how to lighten the mood in trying times.
“Ain't that the truth? Ha” Seth replies, going along with it.
The Intercom speaker above them all comes to life “Alright everyone the main entrance door to the bunker through The White House is still sealed. We are ready for you to open your side of the inner bunker. That is unless you all like sitting in there like a can of sardines.” The Secret Service member says to lighten the mode. A few of the generals chuckle
Seth gets up and walks over to the microphone on the wall “Hilarious director. Now get us out of here. That's an order.”
“Yes sir!” The director says with a chuckle before turning the microphone off in the inner room. He pulls out a key. In the inner bunker, the President and Vice-President pull out the same key. Placing their keys into the lock, a timer on the wall counts down.
5,4,3,2. At the stroke of one, they turn their keys and the door slowly begins to unlock its extremely complicated locking mechanism. You could hear the gears turning. Clicks and clacks and a large THUMP sound from the titanium door. Taking 3 military generals to push the damn thing open.
With the door finally open, everyone begins to rush out of the stuffy and cramped room. Many moan with stiff joints as they try to lose themselves from the squeezing room. Other doors of the same making open, civilians clamber out for fresh air. Mainly White House staff, scientists, and special communication operators for the Central Command of the bunker.
After taking in fresh air not filled with the smell of men and women, “We need to get The Network online and see how our allies held up.” President Seth Orders his top advisor in a stern professional tone he had learned during his years in the Senate.
“The Network” was created to be impenetrable to any electromagnetic disturbances. Originally set up for N.A.T.O. allies to communicate with one another during a Nuclear event. But with the announcement of The Storm, The Network was opened up to all nations of the world. Taking thousands of man-hours to construct and program. With the revelation of how vital The Network is, the U.N. declared it to be a planet-wide requirement.
“Yes Mister President,” the advisor says quickly, turning with a sense of urgency.
The Central Command is a flurry of activity, with operators running all over the place getting to broken hardware. Many parts were fried because of The Storm. It looks as if sheep are being ordered around by a sheepdog, running and yelling orders.
Dread.
Dread was the feeling in the large room. You could see it on their faces. Many try to hide it in their work to get The Network running. It was in the air, thick as a morning fog. Many of the generals have seen combat for most of their lives. Sending men and women into the fiery pits of hell known as war. But this. This was a feeling that no time behind the stock of a rifle, killing foes who want to kill you could prepare you for. The Unknown.
Of course, it’s not The Unknown that scares us. It’s what lies past The Unknown.
“I’ve got the East Coast online over here!!” an operator to the front right side of the room yells.
“Put it on the big screen then!” Seth orders
The large screen covering the wall lights up with a map of the U.S.A. With the add-on of islands and territories. The East Coast lights up with indications of all major underground bunkers.
On the right of the screen, it says:
East Coast cities Central Command -
* Portland, Maine (Online)
* Manchester, New Hampshire (Online)
* Boston, Massachusetts (Online)
* Providence, Rhode Island (Online)
* Bridgeport, Connecticut (Online)
* New York City, New York (Online)
* Newark, New Jersey (Online)
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Online)
* Wilmington, Delaware (Online)
* Baltimore, Maryland (Online)
* Virginia Beach, Virginia (Online)
* Norfolk, Virginia (Online)
* Richmond, Virginia (Online)
* Charlotte, North Carolina (Online)
* Charleston, South Carolina (Online)
* Atlanta, Georgia (Online)
* Miami, Florida (Online)
It would have been nearly impossible to make a bunker large enough for an entire country’s population. So smaller ones were built at or near major cities, with the major city bunkers being the command posts of the states. Each bunker works like an Ant Colony, tunnels interconnect the Major cities to the other smaller bunkers in the state itself.
Washington, D.C. is the main Central Command of the entire country.
“With the East Coast online we should be able to get in touch with at least Canada and Mexico’s Central Command” A tall, slender woman by the name of Ava Donaldhue, was the mastermind of “Project Ant Hill”.
“They should be getting their Networks online now, Try calling Canada,” Seth says Eagerly
“There's no point in trying video, we just need to know their status and see if they took any damage.
Buzz
Buzz
Buzz
Buz-
Nothing.
“Call didn't go through sir” a command operator claims.
“Try Again”
Buzz
Buzz
Buz-
“Still nothing sir” The operator now has a concerned look.
“Did anyone try Mexico?!” Seth blurts out to the Command Center Operators.
Blank Faces
“I tried sir! But nothing got through, it’s as if they just. Vanished” An operator exclaims.
The room grows silent, the dread is worsening. To not start a panic Project Manager Ava tries to ease the tension “It's most likely just a malfunction, we’ll get it online. Now everyone. Back to work, that's an order!”
The room comes to life again with activity. With their marching orders, they began to work on the problem at hand.
“Miss Ava, A word for a moment please?” Seth whispers to the Project manager.
Towards the back of the room stands both Project Manager Ava and President Seth. Both try to keep the concerned looks off their faces, partially succeeding only to those not paying attention.
“Cut the bullshit, Ava, why can’t we reach Canada and Mexico?”
“I saw your face. I know that face VERY well. What’s going on?” With a stern lowered voice Seth questions Ava. She hesitates to give her professional opinion. But looking at him, she could see the concern in his intense violet eyes.
“We are hardwired to Canada and Mexico, the only way to lose connection would be to cut the cable”
“And that cable is 150 ft deep to be sure it’s not affected by the radiation.”
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“You would need a plasma torch to cut the damn cable, and getting to the cable before The Storm would be suicide!” Ava exclaims to Seth.
“What all did you test?” Questioning her. Ava’s face scrunches up in offense of her professionalism. She is the lead of this project, she should be praised for the idea that united the world in communication.
In anger “Well. We shot at it in every caliber. Used everything imaginable, blades, fire, electrocution, we even threw it into a volcano to see what happens!” Her voice slowly gets louder.
“For god sake, we even tried a nuk-” She stops. Realizing what she was just about to yell. The room became silent, all eyes on the two of them.
“Get back to work!” She orders
The room goes back to a flurry of activity. Turning her head to the president, “Forgive me sir I shouldn't have been yelling.”
“It’s fine, but what were you about to say? A nuke? What are you talking about? I never authorized such a test.” Questioning her. The anger slowly builds in the arrogance of using a nuclear weapon to test a stupid cable.
“We had to test every possibility, and couldn't leave it up to chance.”
“We tested it deep underground so no one would get hurt, the test went surprisingly well. Until the mountain came down and crushed that town.” She said calmly with no remorse for the 2000 townsfolk crushed in the mountain collapse.
In shock “Christ Ava, that was you!?” Seth was now furious that she would have the program perform such a stupid test. 2000 people are now dead because of her. Just the irresponsibility of that action left him in shock, but there was no time for that now. Contact must be established with someone.
“We’ll chat about this later, and get in touch with someone.”
“Now!”
Time passes. Still waiting for word from the Command Centers of Canada or Mexico. All major cities' Command Centers are online and in contact with D.C. The surviving satellites are still operational but not able to get in contact with one yet, just the transponders showing they are still in orbit are.
Ping
An operator nodding off at his desk straightens his head and rubs the sleep from his eyes. He was looking at his computer in confusion.
Ping
Another sound comes from the computer. Leaning in to read the monitor more clearly.
Ping
It’s a message. The name I.D. reads “Hermes 15”. The message read as the following “Command. Do you read? This is Commander Johnathan Danials of the ISS. Please respond.”
“Holy shit!”
“Ava!” The once nodding-off operator yells for his project manager, scaring the room awake and aware. Turning around in his chair and waving both her and the president over to look at the impossible message.
The crew of the ISS was given two choices weeks before The Storm. One, come back down to Earth and be safe from harm. But at the cost of losing almost every satellite in orbit. The other, stay on the ISS, which had them at a twenty-one percent survivability rate. They would likely be weeks out of communication from home, they had orders if comms were lost to get every satellite in orbit operational to their best abilities. Every Astronaut and Cosmonaut agreed to stay aboard.
Ping
Just as Ava and Seth reach the operator's desk another message comes through, “Is anyone alive down there, we have a major problem.” Ava swiped the keyboard from the operator in the blink of an eye, “This is D.C. Command Center, what is your status?”
The seconds felt like hours waiting for a reply from the one hoping to connect with someone across Earth. If anyone was still alive to contact.
Ping
“Me and the other 5 Astrounats are alive and well. Shocked. But alive. The 2 Russian Cosmernauts are MIA or KIA. We are not sure. They. Vanished. Sending video now.”
A video file is attached to the message.
“Play it on the screen,” Seth says gesturing to the screen on the wall.
Looking up “Seth. I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe we should watch this somewh-”
“I don’t care. We all should know what happened. So play the damn video.” Now ordering her.
With a few clicks of the keyboard, the video plays. It’s not a pretty watch. First, they’re fine joking, then chaos. Screaming and crying for their mothers. The screen flashes with bright light. Then. Nothing. The 2 Cosmernauts vanished. The only thing left was a vodka bottle floating in the air. The video cuts back to The Network of the Nation.
The Command Center was silent, like a tomb. No one knew what they just witnessed. 2 men just vanished before their very eyes. A few operators retch into the small trashcans to the sides of their desks. A General ran to the mess hall and hurled his stomach into a trash can. Was it god? Finally, punishing humanity for its sins? Or was it Aliens finally coming to attack? Who knows. But these thoughts ran through everyone's mind.
Ping
A new message from the Commander “I have more bad news Command. It appears we are. Well, I don't know how to say this but I'll say it bluntly. We’re no longer on Earth. All the satellites still in orbit are scanning the planet and making a rough map. The entirety of North America is here, but no signs of Canada or Mexico. All their populated areas are now forested or empty. Greenland is not here with us. Hawaii appears to our estimates 50 miles off the coast of California. As well as smaller islands are dotted along the West and East coast. Words cannot describe what we are looking at up here. We will send the satellite images when they are finished”
“Is this a joke? Tommy your pranking us right? Ha Ha Ha” An operator says to another beginning to laugh panically. Others begin to speculate.
“Another world? I call bullshit.”
“Maybe aliens? But why would they put the time and energy into moving a portion of a continent? With all that seems to be territories as well. Makes no sense!”
“Maybe this is god punishing us! Maybe this is Judgment Day.”
The Command Center uproars in conversation and speculation on the message from the ISS. The noise grew louder and louder with each second.
“Alright!” Ava yells at the top of her lungs. “Enough with the speculation crap! We have a job to-!”
Ping
Another message “The satellites finished their scan of the planet. We have put it together on a map. Sending you a file now. A few things we can say at the moment that are not included. The planet seems to be smaller than Earth, about 89% the size. But from what we can tell the gravity is relatively the same. Theirs multiple oceans, we don't know the names of course. Multiple high-density populated areas we think. The map scan is not perfect with the number of satellites we have in operation. There’s a large white structure north of the land mass we are next to. On another continent an area of land mass looks burnt, possible volcanic activity”
Ping
A High-resolution image file, the name is almost poetic. “The New World” The file size is 150 TB, in normal times this would take hours to download. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
As the map file is downloaded the speculations of this “world” float around the Command Center, “An alien world? I wonder what they’ll look like” “Maybe small and grey with big black eyes! Ha Ha” “No No. Maybe Lizards! Nissssse to Meetsssss youssss. Ha Ha” the operators joking with each other. It’s nice to see some semblance of joy in the Command Center.
The map was. Detailed. To say the least. By zooming you can see the tips of mountains and you can see a goat shitting. There were intricate details of wooden ships in ports and ruined cities sunken into the Earth of this strange planet.
The full view of the mapped-out planet was the best part. The entirety of North America to the left in almost all her glory. But she was missing Greenland, her icy wasteland.
To the east, lay two elongated continents with a mix of large islands. The first is elongated vertically with an icy top.
The other is horizontal and monstrous in length, larger than Russia. Most definitely larger. The map is darted with islands big and small in the North and South sea of this one continent.
What looks like a broken hand sits at the bottom, burnt and smokey. Hot red magma seeped out of the volcano. Pouring into the sea causing smoke and ash to rise in a cloud of black death. It was as if the land was pleading to the sea for mercy, reaching out its broken hand for the burning death to take it finally.
All were studying the map in astonishment. The landmasses looked ancient. The mountains alone were proof. Cutting natural walls into the land.
On looking with the others, Seth notices something odd. “Zoom in to the top of that continent!” Pointing at the closest continent, now zoomed out.
As the operator zooms into the pointed section, a thin white line appears. Getting bigger and bigger. It wasn't a simple white line of snow. But a wall. Massive in size, the satellites calculate it to be about 700 ft high and 300 miles in length touching sea to sea. For a wall, it is massive. Let alone made out of ice, nothing natural about it.
Looking back at an operator “How's the surface level above us?”
Looking down at his monitor “The radiation levels are lower than safe levels. Everything should be back to normal” Looking back at the map, “Well. Relatively speaking.”
“In that case, send out the order for all bunkers to empty. We need all civilians to be calm, we can't have a panic.” Seth orders the Command Center lost in a train of thought, pacing back and forth. “It must appear as if nothing has changed for a couple of hours minimum, 5-6 at least, we need time to address the nation on what has happened.”
“We need to get up top now.” Looking to a chef of staff “Get the writers together for a speech to address the nation. I don't care how long it is, or how detailed it is, it must include any and everything we need to do to survive. Updates on the ISS crew, the Cosmonauts, everything.”
Turning to the main generals, “The military needs to be on high alert, we don't know who or what's out there and I’m sure as shit do not want to find out with our pants down!”
The generals salute and walk away. With marching orders in hand, the greatest mobilization in military history since World War 2 will be witnessed.
Turning to Lyla K. Summers, Commandant of the Coast Guard, “I want the entire coasts of our continent guarded, every ship, and plane, every helicopter. I don't care if it's rowboats strapped together all along the ocean. If so much as a fish pops its head up we must know about it.”
“T-minus 10 minutes to surface vault unlock. Repeat. T-minus 10 minutes to surface vault unlock” robotic voice from the wall-mounted speakers rings out with low sirens blaring
“Alright! You heard the man, get to your stations! I want everyone ready to go up in 5 minutes! And at the stairs 3 minutes before it opens! Move!” James G. Hutcherson Barking orders left and right to his men. The flurry of soldiers running around the bunker could make a man sick.
“I need a few minutes to myself. I’ll be in the mess hall. Alone. Let me know when it's almost time.” Seth exclaims walking to the mess and closing the door behind him. Sitting down on a metal chair, Seth begins to, weep. Tears of fear, something he hasn't felt in a very long time. Not since the days leading up to his adoptive parent's death. Seeing that map, brought something back to him, he could feel it in his gut. Telling him to run as far as he can, and never look back. And at the same time, run head first, fists clenched to fight.
“Be Brave, but don’t be stupid. We all burn. But, from the ashes, we rise. Higher than before.” Seth's mother told him on her deathbed hours before she passed. After his mother closed her eyes for the final time all that was left were 2 beds one occupied and one empty, folded sheets on top. Looking out the window it was grey, dark, and raining hard.
“You know” Cough “It was just like this when we found you.” Looking up from his bed at Seth. Skin pale and withered with age. Needles and wiring all along his body. A multitude of hospital machines to his sides. “Just a baby boy in a handmade basket left behind in the back of our store. You were so small.” Looking at his skinny hands, then back to his son. “A gift from god, your mother called you. We tried. Before you came along. Did we ever tell you that?”
Looking at the man who raised him. “Yes, twice I think. Dosen’t matter now. Does it?” tells his now weak father. Seeing him like this is possibly the worst thing Seth has ever been through.
“No. It doesn’t. But don’t be sad for me. I’ve lived a good life, a great life. You and your mother are the best things to have ever happened to me. Do you understand son?”
“I do fath-”
Knock Knock
“Mister President? Everything alright?” A soft feminine voice comes through the mess hall door. “We are at the 3-minute countdown to the surface door opening”
Wiping his tears away with a napkin, “Alright. I’ll be out in a second.” he says as he cleans himself up. Walking up to the door, inches away whispers to himself “Be Brave, but don’t be stupid. Be Brave, but don’t be stupid.”
Opening and walking through the door from the mess hall. The Command Center still has a flurry of activity with operators conversing with state Command Centers. Being escorted to the main elevator entrance to the now lower levels of the bunker. The room was full of Secret Service, White House Staff, and Military personnel. Noticing the President, they all move to the sides to let him join his Vice President, Who was talking with the Director of the Secret Service.
“Still in a happy mood after all this?” nudging her a little to get her attention. Even after everything that’s happened in the past few hours she somehow can be in a good mood.
“You kiddin? This is probably some of the most excitement I’ve had in a while. Imagine a new civilization to interact with! This type of thing doesn't happen often.” Lilly is grinning from ear to ear in excitement.
“Aren’t you excited?” she asks Seth.
“To be perfectly honest,” he says while scratching his chin. Trying to form the words.
“I’m not quite sure how to feel. Doesn’t that map look kinda? Familiar? Just something about it.” he can tell she's not too happy with his answer. She opens her mouth to respond to him when the speakers above them go off. Repeating twice.
“T-30 seconds remaining. Please stand clear of the platform. Thank You”
“T-30 seconds remaining. Please stand clear of the platform. Thank You”
The heavy elevator doors open with squeaks and groans of heavy metal, and the elevator shaft is bare with the only thing blocking people from falling in being metal cage fencing. The room begins to vibrate as the elevator comes down the shaft, brakes squeak as it slows into position. A final puff of air releases from the braking mechanism as the elevator settles into its boarding position.
“Doors opening. Please stand clear of opening doors. Have a good day.”
The elevator door opens smoothly revealing the nice elevator interior.
“Shall we?” Seth says walking into the spacious elevator. 10 others walk in with him, and there is still plenty of space for more people. No more enter so they aren’t cramped together.
“See you all up top. We have a lot of work to do” Seth says giving a simple wave as a Whitehouse staffer pushes the elevator button.
The elevator doors closed with ease just as they opened. A simple Bing Bong plays when it finally closes. Everyone prepares for the assent when a final voice from the speaker comes on.
“Going Up. Enjoy the ride.”