Читать книгу New Earth: The Sedna/Kern Incident - R.D. MDiv Pittman - Страница 4

Alex had the Pentagon operator connect all his former facility managers to his secure phone in his Pentagon office for the nine o’clock conference call.

“Agnes is everyone on the line?” Alex asked.

“Yes General, I took a roll call and everyone on the list is present.”

“Thank you Agnes, now route this through the scrambler and disconnect your side.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I assume all of you are familiar with what we’re now facing. As of this moment I’m implementing the survival strategy that was in place before. Everyone from the west coast to the east coast will assume your original positions, you are to immediately inspect your facilities, determine what material and supplies you will need for a sustained two-year period post event. All military commanders are to reassign your military units as before, get critical armor and airplanes into their respective locations for storage, our depots have been untouched and are in good shape. Admiral Hanover is heading up a task force to move most west coast Naval, Marine and Army personnel inland and will set up bivouac areas in eastern California. The Pacific Fleet is being moved to the Gulf of Mexico, the submarine units will stay on duty at their assigned locations until shortly before the comet hits the earth, then they will go into deep waters to ride out any tsunamis that may develop in the Pacific. The several thousand civilian technical specialists are being notified and will be dispatched to their originally assigned facilities. I will establish my headquarters at the Coeur d’Alene facility. We will maintain communication using the same numbers and terminal prefixes as before. On January 2^nd I will announce to the world what we have learned and as you can imagine pandemonium will reign supreme.

“That’s why you must work non-stop from this moment on to be prepared before the whole fabric of society breaks down. You must get your supplies and foodstuffs ordered and in transit before wholesale riots take place. People are going to panic, your facilities could come under siege, therefore you must ensure all adequate security measures are taken. I’m placing at your disposal three hundred heavy cargo planes at Air Force bases across the nation to move men and material and to retrieve supplies and food at vendor locations throughout the country. Colonel Brad Cole at Nellis will coordinate the utilization of these planes to meet your mission requirements. Now I’m open to questions,” Alex paused and waited.

“General, who do we take orders from, you or the President or the new President-elect when he is inaugurated?” Admiral Byers asked.

“President Cantwell will address the nation on the day I appear at the UN, he will explain that I’m in control of the entire survival strategy as the President-elect and the Cabinet would not be up to speed to handle the threat. Remember, they haven’t even been sworn in yet. Oh yes, and one final note. He promoted me to a fifth star as a congratulations on a job well done, but the more I think about it, I’m not so sure,” laughter could be heard in the background.

“To answer your question you will take your orders from me for now.”

“What if the President issues a conflicting order?” General Tymes asked.

“I’ll see to it that he doesn’t General,” Alex responded.

“How do you propose to keep him from doing that?” Monroe interjected.

“They’re both reasonable men, bear in mind Cantwell literally abdicated his authority to me.”

“General, what if these vendors say they can’t release that much inventory at one time or they put us off for weeks or months?” the General followed up.

“I want all of you to pay close attention to what I say, if you encounter even the slightest resistance, you tell them this,” that General Hanken has your GPS coordinates locked, if my trucks or one of my planes pulls up to your dock and the requested material is not there well, you don’t even want to know what happens next.” Murmurs of approval could be heard in the background.

“Seriously though, we’re not going to go around threatening people with cruise missile strikes, just remind them that General Hanken has a long memory, he’ll not forget those who are a friend, but he will definitely remember those who aren’t.” More cheers and clapping in approval.

“General, you mentioned possible sieges at our facilities, how far do we go in dealing with civilians?” General Paul Amos of Nellis AFB asked.

“Paul, regrettably we must ensure the integrity of these facilities, remember many of these facilities are not just military. We’ll have critical civilian personnel at some sites to help restart the country after the event. To answer your question, I want a kill zone clearly marked with signs to that effect; these zones are to extend five hundred yards from all facilities. You and your men are authorized to use lethal force to defend that installation at all costs.”

“That couldn’t be stated any clearer, thank you General,” Amos replied.

“Ladies and gentlemen some of us won’t make it to next August, but who does remain must step forward and take the mantle of challenge and meet it head on. All of you are highly skilled and experienced, the nation is fortunate to have such a fine group of leaders as yourselves to meet the coming threat. Now go out and perform at your best level, we are all counting on you.”

Sandi was sitting on the couch while Alex conducted his conference call and overheard the entire conversation and questions.

“You handled this pretty well, and the pep talk at the end was exactly what they needed to hear.”

“So are you suggesting I keep my day job anyway?”

“I know this…your night job is pretty damn safe too. After last night, I’m hiring you on as a permanent employee.” Alex smiled, gave Sandi a hug, then got back to business.

“Would you get hold of Ted Jeffers at the FBI and have him meet me here along with the Chief Justice?”

“Relax, I figured as much, I’ve been in touch with both, they’ll be here at three today. Now you sit down and I’ll rub your neck, you’re getting all tensed up.” Sandi massaged Alex’s neck while kissing him to soothe his mind and body. She was more than a rock to him…she was the elixir…the fuel…that gave him the drive he needed to maintain his pace.

Alex brought Ted Jeffers, Director of the FBI, and Chief Justice McKinney into his office. He spent the next hour detailing what was going to happen. As he went through the scenarios both had their own reaction from stunned disbelief to utter despair. Alex outlined what he had done to date and the UN announcement time frame.

“Alex, it looks like we’re back to square one. There won’t be any fear of early or unauthorized disclosure that I’d have to circumvent, so where do I fit in?” Jeffers asked.

“Ted, I want you to combine the FBI and the CIA into one agency. We all know once the word is out, total chaos will erupt. There are those who will try and take advantage of this. Some people will become agitators because it’s what they do, others will agitate as a means to an end. You and your agent’s job will be to thwart those who would impede our plans.”

“That’s pretty broad Alex. How much power are you granting me in these matters?”

“Pretty much unlimited Ted.”

The Chief Justice then spoke.

“General, I spoke to the President-elect prior to coming here, he did not allude to the impending crisis only to say that you had critical information you would impart to me. Based upon what you have just told me I suggest you declare martial law, suspend the inauguration and the convening of Congress until after the event so we know where we stand from a survival standpoint.”

“Yes, I agree with the Chief Justice, at least it should provide some sense of ‘somebody’s in charge’,” Jeffers offered.

“Very well, but Chief Justice I want you to run this by President Cantwell first. After the speech to the UN, I will address the nation that evening to make those announcements. I’ll ask that Allan Haverty, the acting FEMA Director, prepare the Mount Weather and Congressional survival sites ready to take the newly elected President, his Cabinet, and Congress to their respective bunkers. I’m going to Idaho to reestablish a command headquarters. We have much to do gentlemen, and one hundred eighty-six days to do it. Let’s make the most of that remaining time.”

“Alex, would you have a problem with me and Marcia being assigned to your bunker in Idaho?” Ted asked.

“My feelings would have been hurt if you hadn’t asked,” Alex replied.

Thus began the most ambitious national effort not seen since the New Deal followed the Great Depression. The entire government and military networks swung into action, former facility managers rushed to their old sites to review readiness status. Vendors from tents to cots, blankets and socks, were contacted and emergency war orders placed. MRAP rations vendors as well as dried food vendors nationwide were ordered to produce and provide massive amounts within days. Many protested at such a short time frame, but were given Alex’s warning, compliance was immediate and unquestioned. The Air Force began scrambling fighter jets wings and tankers squadrons to their previously designated bases. Specialty combat units along with heavy armored units were dispatched to predesignated bases.

The Pacific Fleet, under orders from Admiral Hanover, began heading to the Panama Canal for stations in the Gulf of Mexico. All Naval, Marine and Army land based personnel were put on twenty-four hour notice for war footing status. The U.S. Coast Guard would maintain vigilance along the entire coastlines of the Americas. Shortly before impact their fleet would be sent into interior rivers as far inland as possible. A 24/7 air search supplemented by satellite reconnaissance was implemented to protect the U.S. borders from foreign intrusion.

Numerous sites were designated for bivouac areas in the high desert area of eastern California. Seven thousand six-man tents that could withstand a chemical attack were ordered. Temporary water storage tanks with a total capacity of ten million gallons of potable water were being moved to the sites in addition to the six million individual water bottles. Portable hospital units, generators, thousands of oxygen tanks for the troops to withstand the fouled atmosphere, fuel storage tanks, command communication centers, field kitchens, portable toilets, thousands of critical items hit the massive supply pipeline. Fax machines and vendor phone lines lit up nationwide in an unparalleled display of economic might.

The nourishment needs of a forty-five thousand man contingent camped out in the desert for possibly two years was enormous. It necessitated ordering fifty metric tons of rice, thirty metric tons of dried beans, forty metric tons of processed flour, fifty thousand gallons of cooking oil, portable refrigerated storage units capable of holding one million packages each of corn, green beans, carrots, and other assorted vegetables along with eight million pounds of ground beef, turkey slices, hot dogs, sausages, and twenty-six thousand cases of various domestic beers were in transit within seventy two hours. The stress levels at vendors plants skyrocketed, it was 24/7 nonstop production, plant managers slept on cots, assembly line workers grabbed a few winks of sleep in their cars or wherever they could. The sound of America gearing up was deafening, it would have astounded even Henry Ford.

Admiral Hanover forewarned his senior officers all hell was going to break loose on January 2^nd and they better damn well be prepared. If that meant no sleep each and every officer would do so until their part of the mission was accomplished. No excuses, this was a life and death situation they were facing…failure was not an option.

Colonel Brad Cole, Flight Operations Officer at Nellis, had a team of sixteen air controllers managing a fleet of over three hundred C-5, and C-17 cargo planes moving back and forth across the U.S. carrying millions of tons of food and supplies, equipment, military personnel, and civilian technical people. Alex subcontracted with cargo delivery companies that provided another four hundred heavy cargo planes. Domestic travel began to feel the effects of the increased air cargo activity as military transports took precedence over commercial airline flight schedules. Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Charleston, Boston, and Pittsburgh were hardest hit, primarily because most of the vendors were located in those cities. The various vendor plants had military trucks alongside contracted big rigs parked at their docks waiting to be loaded with ordered material. Refineries worked non-stop to produce jet fuel and diesel for delivery to the military on an emergency basis.

As the sites in eastern California were being staked out and set up, a continuous line of military trucks began the trek to the sites. Interstates I-10 and I-15 were clogged within forty-eight hours of Admiral Hanover’s orders. Military MP’s were dispatched to move civilian traffic to the side of the road giving the military convoys priority status. The lobbyists for the casinos in Las Vegas, furious about the disruption of gaming revenue, frantically bombarded the White House switchboard to no avail. I-15 was a lifeline between them and southern California. Traffic had come to a grinding halt because of the military convoys. It wouldn’t take long for people to notice the activity… then the questions would begin.

“Mr. President, George Neff is on the line, do you want to speak to him?” his secretary asked.

“Go ahead and put him through I’ll take it.”

“Hello George, what’s up?”

“Mr. President, we are getting reports of massive military movements, and some companies have acknowledged orders from military units at unprecedented levels. Can you tell me what is going on?” Neff asked.

“Where are you George?”

“I’m at the D.C. bureau right now,” Neff replied.

“Can you be here in thirty minutes?”

“I’m on my way.”

George Neff, NBC anchor of the nightly news, the most watched newsman in America, walked into the White House and was greeted by the President’s secretary.

“Good afternoon Mr. Neff, the President will see you now.”

Neff walked briskly toward President Cantwell, they shook hands, the President motioned for George to have a seat on the couch.

After the formalities offering George something to drink, the President got right down to business. Why had he extended a personal invitation to answer the question at hand?

“George, we’ve crossed paths many times during the past year, we’ve worked well together, you’ve been fair in your coverage and I’ve tried my level best to be open and honest with you. My better judgment tells me not to reveal to you what is behind this extraordinary movement of men and material, but I want to be frank with you. One word of caution, if you divulge any of what I’m about to tell you before January 2^nd I will not hesitate to bring you up on charges of violating the National Security Act.”

“If what you’re about to tell me is to be announced publicly on January 2^nd, then I agree not to report any details before that date. And being the reporter that I am, I want an exclusive sit down interview afterwards as part of the deal.”

“That’s fair, I agree to that.”

“What I’m about to say will no doubt stun you more than the takeover plot ever could have.”

“My God, what could be more stunning than that?”

“If you’ll remember the whole premise behind the cover-up was based on a comet called Sedna/Kern p236. Supposedly it had been knocked out of its orbit and plunged into the asteroid belt resulting in a stream of asteroids headed toward earth. This ‘rogue’ program ran unnoticed at two critical observatories for nearly ten months. Since those two observatories were the only assigned teams, observation of that area of space was impossible. They both received false readings generated by the ‘rogue’ program. One month ago Professor Kumar and his team at Cal Tech accessed a satellite outfitted with special filtering equipment allowing scientists to look at the sun without the glare of the sun’s surface interfering. They discovered the comet Sedna/Kern has indeed been thrown off of its original orbit and is headed for earth. It’s expected to hit earth on or about July 1^st, approximately one hundred eighty-two days from now. Nine separate teams of scientists from around the world have performed exhaustive analysis on the data; in their words the data is incontrovertible. The planet will suffer a strike by this comet. They have asked General Hanken to deliver the grim news to the UN on January 2^nd, and I agreed. So, now you can understand why I need you to hold off reporting anything until then.” Neff sat stunned, the color drained from his face, his jaw slightly open, his heart rate soaring and his mind a complete blank for a moment.

“George, are you okay?” the President inquired, worried that Neff might faint.

“Mr. President, forgive me. For once I’m at a loss for words. I can’t quite believe everything you’ve just told me. After all we’ve been through to have this happen…where do I begin?”

“George…there’s more incredible news. The Chief Justice, Attorney General and I have conferred. We’ve decided to appoint General Alex Hanken as the man in charge of the country’s affairs during this crisis. The day this announcement is made to the world he will announce that martial law will go into effect and the inaugurations and convening of Congress will be suspended until we can assess where our country stands after the full impact of the comet strikes are known. There are some very tough decisions to be made in the coming months. Millions of lives will be lost initially, followed by millions more who will die from injuries, starvation, and disease. There’s a distinct possibility those numbers could skyrocket if the comet breaks into several pieces as it enters the earth’s atmosphere. General Hanken, as I’m sure you’re well aware, is eminently qualified to take the mantle of leadership at this difficult time. Everyone felt he could better position the country for an optimal chance to survive this threat. Having an inexperienced President with a Cabinet that has yet to be formed…well, it was a formula for disaster…they all agreed it would be impossible to get up to speed quick enough. Alex is very concerned that the American people would begin to view him as a power hungry dictator…he is anything but that. He and Sandi were right in the middle of packing for their much anticipated return to California, looking forward to a well-deserved retirement when this situation arose. George, I am asking you to help frame the news to portray General Hanken as the country’s best hope for survival. With Alex at the helm...we have a good chance of surviving this catastrophe.”

“You let me handle the PR Mr. President. I can assure you the country is going to want Alex at the helm during this crisis, no offense intended to you of course. Off the record how do you feel our chances of surviving are at this time?” Neff asked.

“Preliminary analysis does point to a very high survival probability for our nation, but without a doubt the nation will suffer severe damage. If we have ocean strikes then our coasts are at risk. There are post event effects to take into account, acid rain, crop and food distribution interruptions, and potential disease pandemics that circle the earth. These things will take their toll as you might expect, but again the calculations don’t anticipate the U.S. to incur as much destruction as the European and Asian countries.

“Well, at least there’s a ray of hope in all of this gloom,” Neff said. “Mr. President might I add, your action to step aside, is not only selfless…it’s an ultimate expression of your patriotism.”

“Alex is scheduled to speak to the UN assembly at ten a.m. Eastern. I’d like to address the nation at seven p.m. with Alex going live to the country after I’m finished. Can you arrange this?”

“No problem sir, consider it done. Mr. President, how will you tell the average American there won’t be enough shelters to house two hundred sixty million people in time? What can they do or what should they do?”

“Let’s reserve that issue for Alex to address…I’m sure he has the perfect answer for that…we need to remind ourselves he has been here before.”

“I need to track General Hanken down to get more details from him.”

“Yes, I’ll call his office at the Pentagon maybe he’s there.”

Alex had just finished a phone call with Brad Cole at Nellis AFB, when his secretary announced.

“Sir, it’s the President.”

“Mr. President.”

“Alex, I have this pesky George Neff guy who wishes to speak to you about upcoming events. I’ve already filled him in on things and the need to maintain secrecy until after you’ve made the announcement.”

“Thank you sir, please put George on the phone.”

“General, why am I getting a déjà vu feeling about all of this?”

“You and me both, can you be at my office at say 2:00 this afternoon?”

“I’ll be there you can count on it.”

“Good, see you then.”

As George Neff approached the massive Pentagon complex his thoughts bounced around in his head like electronic balls in a game—get the story—to get reassurance everything will be okay—to stark terror. Walking into Alex’s office he was met by Alex and Sandi, the now famous Dynamic Duo as they were dubbed, who had put together the far reaching survival plan in reaction to the false asteroid threat. Sandi excused herself.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I have a full agenda waiting for me,” Sandi said as she left Alex’s office.

Neff sat down across from Alex and briefly stared at him. Both men’s eyes peering deeply into to each other’s mind then…Neff spoke first.

Alex let him speak uninterrupted; he knew this was a process every American would go through. Several times Neff would start a conversation only to have his emotions pour forth preventing him from speaking. After what felt like an eternity Neff summoned control and asked a coherent question.

“General, what can you possibly say to the American people?”

“George, I’ll tell them exactly what they need to hear, not what they want to hear; and that is they should use their homes as a survival shelter, begin stockpiling two years’ worth of fresh water and nonperishable food. They will need plenty of blankets for the winter months, the Surgeon General’s office will have minimum daily intake requirements published along with guidelines how to meet those benchmarks. Many will not survive; it’s a reality we all have to face. Those who do survive will be met by a world in a desperate struggle to recover from near total devastation. I’ll simply tell them the truth…they deserve nothing less.”

“Hopefully they’ll appreciate that and I’m certain there are those who will simply give up. The religious fanatics will be pouring out of the woodwork to whip people into a frenzy. I can’t speak for all of the media, but my hope is our industry will do our best to debunk those people. Am I right to assume you and Sandi will resurrect your original plans?”

“Yes, fortunately that part is ready. As you’ve aptly observed the movement of men and materiel is already underway it’ll continue unabated until we’re fully prepared. All my commands are on a 24/7 schedule until we’re confident we’ve done everything we can to prepare the nation.”

“General, the President informed me of your promotion. You’re now the only five star sitting General, the sixth in our history, this country is in your hands. I for one couldn’t be more confident in someone other than you. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get ready for all of these announcements. Thank you for your time and give my best to Sandi.”

“You’re welcome… and George…we will get through this.”

Alex called Pete Cernak in Coeur d’Alene to check on the status of the main facility.

“Hey Alex, how are you?”

“Pete, I’m coming to that facility the first week in January and making it my permanent headquarters. How many of those two room suites do we have in place?” Alex asked.

“Well, there are eight private rooms each one has an office, with an option to build four more. Plus a total of five hundred individual rooms in honeycomb stack formation.”

“Get those options finished, inventory everything in all the facilities and get replenishments if needed according to the punch list for those sites.”

“Whoa, what’s going on here, I thought we were shuttering these facilities?”

“Pete, I’m not at liberty to discuss anything right now, let me say that getting those facilities ready by yesterday is not soon enough. General Monroe is sending two hundred troops to provide security there. They’ll be arriving there tomorrow morning. I want them housed in the other facilities, not the main.”

“Well, we won’t have to replenish anything. Last time you were here you left before any of the supplies were used. The remaining security people were bivouacked down at the new air base here in Coeur d’Alene. I’ll get the construction crew up here right away. I think they already have the modules for those additional suites in inventory. It’ll just be a matter of trucking them up here and bolting them to the floor. I think they built an additional two hundred of those individual units and they’re just sitting there. We have more than enough room to install them, along with another entire shower and toilet unit with sixteen heads each. The plumbing is a simple fix to add if you want.”

“Fantastic Pete, get it done and let me know the cost so I can wire the funds when completed. Pete this isn’t a several week process either, it must be accomplished in just a few days, if they have to work 24/7 in shifts then do it…whatever the cost.”

“Alex, you’re scaring me, something big is up. Can I ask if your plans include me and my daughter?” Pete asked.

“Pete, I’m surprised. Do you think I wouldn’t include my Project Engineer on board along with my family and me? Be assured, you and your daughter are definitely on the priority list.”

“Thank you Alex, what about the other three living facilities, do you want me to see if I can fit more modules in there too?”

“No, we’re going to have a total of three hundred soldiers plus a lot of equipment at those three locations; I don’t want anyone to get claustrophobic. Oh, I almost forgot. I need you to reserve a space in the main facility for a mobile hospital unit being sent from Ft. Lewis. They’ll need a space about one hundred by one eighty in dimensions, and it’ll need plumbing, sewer, and electrical access.”

“Okay, I’ll mark off the space this afternoon after I call the guys at the module plant.”

“Good. That’s it for now Pete, if you think of anything else just go ahead and get it, and let’s double the bottled water supply at all locations. Here’s my direct fax number at the Pentagon after January 2^nd I’ll be relocating to the main facility along with my family and a few key people.” Alex finished his call with Pete, and decided to call on an old friend.

“May I speak to Dr. Terry Logan?” Alex asked the operator at Cedar Sinai Hospital.

“May I say who’s calling?” she inquired.

“Yes, this is General Hanken.”

After a few minutes a familiar voice said. “Well, Alex, what brings you to talk to an old lowly drinking buddy like me?” Logan joked.

“How’ve you been Terry?”

“Great, now that you saved the country, all is well again.”

Alex laughed. Then his tone turned more sobering.

“Terry, I’ve got a problem and I need your help.”

“Jeez Alex, you need my help, that’s a new one, what’s going on?”

“Terry, I need to staff a unique hospital with the very best physicians and nurses. I am going to need a general and orthopedic surgeon, an internal medicine person, and an obstetrician/gynecologist.”

“Well heck Alex, you know we have the best in the country, I’m guessing that’s why you called here isn’t it? Just what is it that you’re proposing?” Logan asked.

“Terry, I’m asking you to gather these medical specialists so I can meet with them this coming Friday at the Pentagon. I’ll provide transportation round trip and any expenses incurred. I want only the best, and I want them to be capable of handling stressful situations, either unmarried or married with few or no children.”

“Okay, something big is going on here Alex, what the hell?”

“Terry, trust me, this is a matter of national security. If I could tell you I would.”

“What about me, I’m an old fart like you. Can I come and find out what this is all about?” Logan asked.

“Terry, I expect you to be there to help me convince these people that they should be a part of this program, so your age is not a factor; your looks however may be a problem.”

“Hey, watch it, or I’ll tell Ellen,” Logan immediately realized his gaffe. “Jeez Alex, I’m so sorry, forgive me, I just—.”

“Terry, it’s okay, forget about it, I’ve moved on. In fact, you’ll get to meet Sandi, she’s a wonderful lady.”

“Good. I’ll get word out to the candidates today and tell them we are invited to the Pentagon, all expenses paid, to attend a special meeting with you.”

“I’ll arrange for non-military SUV’s to pick up everyone at the hospital Thursday evening and drive you to Burbank Airport where my staff jet will fly the group to D.C.”

“Alex, it’ll be great to see you again.”

Alex looked forward to seeing his old friend again, but worried how Terry would react to the reality of the situation, and for that matter how the assembled physicians would receive the invitation without Alex being specific about the threat.

The Chief Justice called Alex Friday morning to inform him that the Congressional leaders had been briefed. There was consensus from both political parties that to convene the Congress under this cloud would not benefit the country. Elena and Andrade arrived at Andrews Air Force base early Friday morning and immediately whisked away to Alex and Sandi’s home in Georgetown. Sandi put them in one of the guest bedrooms along with a bassinet for the baby, and a nanny was available when necessary.

Alex entered the conference room for the ten o’clock meeting with the doctors from Cedar Sinai Hospital. Everyone stood as Dr. Logan greeted him.

“Alex, it’s been too long.” Alex hugged Terry like old times.

“Alex, let me introduce everyone, this is Dr. Janice Compton, she is a gynecologist and obstetrician; the gentleman there is Dr. Ethan Marks, our orthopedic surgeon; next to him is Dr. Kellen Fortune, general surgery; and finally Dr. Carrie Hathaway, a pediatrician and internal medicine specialist.”

Alex shook everyone’s hand and thanked them for coming on such short notice.

“Please have a seat. As you know our country has been faced with several crisis’s in the past months, and I’m now facing another, just as sinister and dangerous, if not more so than the previous events. I have asked you here because I plan to assemble a medical unit of specialists to be housed at my command center as this latest crisis unfolds. I’m unable to tell you what the crisis is at this time. You’ll be informed on January 2^nd in my address to the UN, and once again that evening when I speak to the nation. This announcement will likely cause worldwide panic; chaos and anarchy will most assuredly break out across the entire globe. We’ll not be immune from that happening here in the U.S. We plan on seven hundred military and civilian personnel to be housed at my headquarters facility and another three hundred personnel in close proximity who will all need occasional medical care. You’ll have the finest lab equipment and instruments at your disposal, all you have to do is ask for something and it will be there. We are bringing in two state of the art field hospital surgical operating rooms. In addition, I’m setting aside five private exam rooms equipped with current technology data bases for your use. Again, no expense is too much; if you need it, we’ll provide it,” Alex stopped for a moment to allow questions.

“General Hanken, I can only assume that we are looking at long-term isolation. How long do you expect this crisis will last?” Dr. Compton asked.

“Good question, my scientific advisors calculate that we should expect to be in a survival mode between one and two years. Then, when it’s safe to emerge, we will do so.”

“What are the living conditions going to be like?” Dr. Marks inquired.

“Well Dr. Marks I’m quite sure they won’t be anywhere near as nice as the Foggy Bottom Double-Tree Inn where you stayed last night. The facility has two bedroom suites for each of the doctors, fully furnished; there are communal showers and toilet facilities with privacy a main concern in the design. Probably the best way to describe the facilities is to say it will be similar to an upscale college dorm with a master kitchen for preparing meals for a large group. Each suite has a small refrigerator for personal choice indulgences, a plasma TV with a DVD/CD player, with three thousand movies and TV series on file in the library, and nine hundred music cd’s, you are welcome to bring your own music as well.”

“It’s obvious to me that we’re going to be hit by an asteroid or asteroids, so the original plot to take over the government wasn’t just a hidden agenda, the threat was real?” Dr. Fortune asked.

“No, that’s not true, and on January 2^nd you will find out exactly why.”

“Is the facility you want us to live in safe?” Dr. Hathaway asked nervously.

“Dr. Hathaway, the facility is built inside a mountain, guarded by a twenty foot high, five foot thick blast door that takes fifteen minutes just to open or close. Inside the blast door is another twenty foot door, it has six inch steel, and is a hermetically sealed door with vacuum pumps to flush toxins or microbes from the air before contamination of the interior facility can occur. The facility has state of the art air purification and filtering systems and its own oxygen manufacturing capability, each system is backed up by a second redundant one.”

“I’d like to ask how many of you have children?” No one acknowledged.

“How many of you have significant others?” All of them raised their hands.

“So, General, will we be allowed to bring our significant other even if we are not married?” Dr. Janice Compton asked.

“Yes.”

“Then where do I sign up?” Compton retorted.

“I’m in,” Dr. Fortune said.

“Well, I’m not going to let Janice hog all the fun, I’m in also,” Dr. Hathaway announced to a light laughter.

“Alex, you know I’m in,” Terry Logan stated. Everyone’s attention turned to Dr. Marks, who was clearly struggling with what to say or how to respond, finally—.

“I have a problem, my mom and dad live in Thousand Oaks, I’m not sure I could just leave them in the outside world. It’s going to get pretty ugly out there after several months.”

“Dr. Marks, you have a valid concern and you’re right, it will likely decay into complete anarchy outside the facility walls. If you think your conscious would affect your work, then I strongly suggest you withdraw your name from consideration.”

“General, wait a minute, Ethan what a selfish attitude. Millions of people are going to die. You’re being offered a unique opportunity to be one of the founding fathers of a new world. We’re here to assist the very people who are going to kick start civilization. We’re going to be a part of the building blocks for a new Earth. Your parents are an important part of your life; I understand that, they have just as much a right to survive as a three year old. Ethan, this is not about age or they had their moment in time, but if everyone adopted your position the whole goddamned world might as well die all holding hands and hugging each other for the last time,” Dr. Hathaway fired across to Marks. Everyone remained silent for a moment.

“You’re right Carrie, I guess it is pretty selfish of me, I’m in General.”

“Do you have any dentists lined up?” Logan asked

“Yes, a lab tech and an assistant,” Alex replied.

“General, we’ll need at least two operating room techs, a regular nurse, and a lab tech.”

“Terry can you handle that?”

“I’m sure between all of us we can recruit the necessary personnel.”

“Okay, here’s the plan. I want your team at the Burbank Airport on the morning of January 2^nd. I want you to board the corporate jet and be in the air before I make my speech to the UN, scheduled for ten Eastern, that’s seven Pacific. There’s a satellite fed TV on board and you’ll be able to watch my speech while in the air. You’ll arrive at the facility and settle in to your new quarters; my family will already be there. A highly trained security detail will be on site. You’re allowed two suitcases only, that’s all the luggage the jet can hold. Submit your specialty instrument and equipment needs to Terry as soon as possible so we can get them to the facility before all hell breaks loose.

“Any questions?” There were none. Alex stood and shook everyone’s hand again.

As he concluded the meeting he said, “I look forward to seeing all of you soon.”

Walking back into his office Alex sat down to rest his mind. Thoughts were running rampant, so many dying needlessly…the choices people were going to have to make…life and death choices. He knew what was coming, and there was a sense of hopelessness, the feeling that there was nothing he could do about it…the weight of his conscious bore down upon him. He knew he had to stay focused…so many people were depending on him.