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THE LAST FAREWELL [SEC2014]
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The Last Farewell.
Lieutenant General Baxter was about to earn his pay and then some. He sat in his bunker 300 metres below Washington DC. As a 3 star General he was normally not doing much at all, waiting perhaps for his next star and a real assignment. In the meantime, he watched over the Jason Protocols, named after the Greek legendary hero. If anyone ever overheard the term, they would equate it with the movies and not give it a second thought.
Oh, it was a good cushy job. The Jason Protocols were known to only a small handful of people and he was perhaps one of 5 people who knew everything. This was way above top secret. So far above, that if he ever had to enact the Protocols, he would, for a short time, Command the entirety of the United States. Not just the Military, everything. His position has a nick name, General SHiTeF.
He looked at the big screen and thought that he was about to get that chance. Today was the day when he would actually earn his past 3 years of pay. There were five civilians in the room. They were the Science Team. He thought of them as the SHTF Geek Squad. They too were earning their pay right now.
Finally, after an hour of deliberations and a few secure phone calls, they had their report. Two days ago, an asteroid about half the size of the moon had impacted the sun. Nothing had happened for a long while. Now a Coronial Mass Ejection was in progress and it was going to hit Earth. It was off the charts, way off. They were waiting for more data but it appeared as if our little planet would be hit by a small piece of the sun. It would hit the Northern Hemisphere directly.
General Baxter walked to his desk and opened the big Leather bound folder on his desk. He usually thought of it as the SHTF colouring in book. Well, each page was written in huge letters and a thick red marker pen was sitting next to it to strike out each line as he issued the orders. He opened it, tabbed the microphone and said, “Attention, this is not a drill! Enact Jason Protocols – Stage 1” He drew a big red line through those words in the book.
Stage 1 was the readying of aircraft and ground vehicles for the very fast airlift that would get appropriate people to their classified bunkers in such a way that almost every bunker contained enough people with the right skills to survive. The fact that 60% were military did not worry him. In fact, it was essential that those chosen to live would have the best training and that was military training. Over the next four hours more and more data was coming in. The internet was going crazy, such an event could not be kept secret.
The Government was playing it all down and claimed they would have the right information for everyone as it was needed. Yea, right!
He studied the screens carefully, watching for the onslaught of mass panic. It would not be long. He tabbed his microphone and said, “Enact Jason Protocol – Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5.” He used his big red marker again. Well, that was that! His job was mostly done. His entire position existed solely to decide when to enact the various stages and for how long. Now all he could do was to watch events as they unfolded.
He said, “All screens to monitor bunkers.”
The one hundred and two monitors that covered the side walls, all switched to cover the cameras in the arrival area of each bunker. It took less than a half an hour for the first people to arrive. The Military personnel did so with style, the civilians with confusion. Many had just been pulled out of wherever they were and ‘detained’ by Federal Agents. They were driven to an airport and put on a jet or driven to a staging area and handed over to the military. Many would have their immediate family with them but many were chosen because they did not have family. This was especially true of academics and scientists.
Of course, all of the military brought their families. It was only fair and someone had to propagate the species afterwards.
Lieutenant General Baxter was about to earn his pay and then some. He sat in his bunker 300 metres below Washington DC. As a 3 star General he was normally not doing much at all, waiting perhaps for his next star and a real assignment. In the meantime, he watched over the Jason Protocols, named after the Greek legendary hero. If anyone ever overheard the term, they would equate it with the movies and not give it a second thought.
Oh, it was a good cushy job. The Jason Protocols were known to only a small handful of people and he was perhaps one of 5 people who knew everything. This was way above top secret. So far above, that if he ever had to enact the Protocols, he would, for a short time, Command the entirety of the United States. Not just the Military, everything. His position has a nick name, General SHiTeF.
He looked at the big screen and thought that he was about to get that chance. Today was the day when he would actually earn his past 3 years of pay. There were five civilians in the room. They were the Science Team. He thought of them as the SHTF Geek Squad. They too were earning their pay right now.
Finally, after an hour of deliberations and a few secure phone calls, they had their report. Two days ago, an asteroid about half the size of the moon had impacted the sun. Nothing had happened for a long while. Now a Coronial Mass Ejection was in progress and it was going to hit Earth. It was off the charts, way off. They were waiting for more data but it appeared as if our little planet would be hit by a small piece of the sun. It would hit the Northern Hemisphere directly.
General Baxter walked to his desk and opened the big Leather bound folder on his desk. He usually thought of it as the SHTF colouring in book. Well, each page was written in huge letters and a thick red marker pen was sitting next to it to strike out each line as he issued the orders. He opened it, tabbed the microphone and said, “Attention, this is not a drill! Enact Jason Protocols – Stage 1” He drew a big red line through those words in the book.
Stage 1 was the readying of aircraft and ground vehicles for the very fast airlift that would get appropriate people to their classified bunkers in such a way that almost every bunker contained enough people with the right skills to survive. The fact that 60% were military did not worry him. In fact, it was essential that those chosen to live would have the best training and that was military training. Over the next four hours more and more data was coming in. The internet was going crazy, such an event could not be kept secret.
The Government was playing it all down and claimed they would have the right information for everyone as it was needed. Yea, right!
He studied the screens carefully, watching for the onslaught of mass panic. It would not be long. He tabbed his microphone and said, “Enact Jason Protocol – Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5.” He used his big red marker again. Well, that was that! His job was mostly done. His entire position existed solely to decide when to enact the various stages and for how long. Now all he could do was to watch events as they unfolded.
He said, “All screens to monitor bunkers.”
The one hundred and two monitors that covered the side walls, all switched to cover the cameras in the arrival area of each bunker. It took less than a half an hour for the first people to arrive. The Military personnel did so with style, the civilians with confusion. Many had just been pulled out of wherever they were and ‘detained’ by Federal Agents. They were driven to an airport and put on a jet or driven to a staging area and handed over to the military. Many would have their immediate family with them but many were chosen because they did not have family. This was especially true of academics and scientists.
Of course, all of the military brought their families. It was only fair and someone had to propagate the species afterwards.
edit on 3/11/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)
12 hours in and he was watching one particular bunker on the big screen. Coded DEN01, it was the Denver Airport bunker and it was filling fast.
Every Senator, Congressman and State Governor, their loved ones and a great many men of industry had tickets. This was also where the President and
his staff were located.
General Baxter took a catnap in his leather chair until he was shaken awake by his aide. He drank from the mug of coffee he was handed and when fully awake he nodded. His aide provided a concise briefing. First strike of the material would in the middle of the Pacific. Already, all satellite communication was down and their information feeds would come from either land bases or submarines transmitting via ELF frequencies.
The first short video was apocalyptic. The camera did not last long, even shielded as it was. The entire city of Honolulu burst into huge flames that spread quickly. Lush rainforests were incinerated. Well, that was nasty. That short video and a few others made their way to what remained of the internet. The General asked for views of the major cities.
They were in shambles. Wild panic was everywhere. People in many cities were heading for the underground to survive for a few hours more.
The strike continued, Asia, the Middle East and Europe all fell into disarray and then succumbed to the brutal fire. As the strike hit the East coast and slowly moved across the Nation, the General did not move from his desk. He felt a need to watch the destruction of his people and the remains of most of the human race and everything mankind had achieved. It did not take long. There were few reports. No satellites had survived, many land lines had been destroyed.
A single report from a submarine had some information. The strike had extended down into the Southern Hemisphere as far as the Tropic of Capricorn. Damage past that point was only severe rather than catastrophic.
General Baxter gave his final Command. He said, “Enact Jason Protocol – Time Factor Six Months.” Six months would elapse before any bunker doors could be opened and his decision was final. There were several reasons for the six month period. Three months was the minimum he was authorised to set, but he chose six months. It would be enough time for all of the fires to be put out. It was almost winter now, and six months would be the minimum to decide if the planet had gone into a mini ice age and that was a good possibility considering the fires currently burning. He had another reason, known only to a tiny handful of people.
For the foreseeable future, General Baxter was simply answering questions from all of the other bunkers. He was the go to person to solve problems. Of course every bunker was commanded by either a General or an Admiral and quite frankly they were self-sufficient. There was no way that General Baxter could help in a material way so the other bunkers did not bother him much after the first few days, with one exception.
General Baxter took a catnap in his leather chair until he was shaken awake by his aide. He drank from the mug of coffee he was handed and when fully awake he nodded. His aide provided a concise briefing. First strike of the material would in the middle of the Pacific. Already, all satellite communication was down and their information feeds would come from either land bases or submarines transmitting via ELF frequencies.
The first short video was apocalyptic. The camera did not last long, even shielded as it was. The entire city of Honolulu burst into huge flames that spread quickly. Lush rainforests were incinerated. Well, that was nasty. That short video and a few others made their way to what remained of the internet. The General asked for views of the major cities.
They were in shambles. Wild panic was everywhere. People in many cities were heading for the underground to survive for a few hours more.
The strike continued, Asia, the Middle East and Europe all fell into disarray and then succumbed to the brutal fire. As the strike hit the East coast and slowly moved across the Nation, the General did not move from his desk. He felt a need to watch the destruction of his people and the remains of most of the human race and everything mankind had achieved. It did not take long. There were few reports. No satellites had survived, many land lines had been destroyed.
A single report from a submarine had some information. The strike had extended down into the Southern Hemisphere as far as the Tropic of Capricorn. Damage past that point was only severe rather than catastrophic.
General Baxter gave his final Command. He said, “Enact Jason Protocol – Time Factor Six Months.” Six months would elapse before any bunker doors could be opened and his decision was final. There were several reasons for the six month period. Three months was the minimum he was authorised to set, but he chose six months. It would be enough time for all of the fires to be put out. It was almost winter now, and six months would be the minimum to decide if the planet had gone into a mini ice age and that was a good possibility considering the fires currently burning. He had another reason, known only to a tiny handful of people.
For the foreseeable future, General Baxter was simply answering questions from all of the other bunkers. He was the go to person to solve problems. Of course every bunker was commanded by either a General or an Admiral and quite frankly they were self-sufficient. There was no way that General Baxter could help in a material way so the other bunkers did not bother him much after the first few days, with one exception.
edit on 3/11/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)
DEN01 was of course the exception. Everyone from the President down wanted answers that General Baxter simply did not have. Every Senator,
Congressman, their families, they all thought nothing of contacting him directly in spite of the rules that forbade it. He was actually quite affable
in these dealings usually repeating himself tirelessly. No we do not have any further information, no we are underground just like you are, no, all
the external cameras are down, etc etc.
That went on for a week until The President called. “General, we are running out of food and the second food storage door will not open!”
The General replied, “Mr President, did you or anyone read the instructions? Those rooms are filled with Helium Gas to prevent food spoilage. It takes a day to cycle the Helium out and replace it with normal air, Sir. Mr President, that first food storage area should have lasted 1 month. You should be on half rations. Sir, you must control everyone’s food intake!”
The President chuckled and replied, “General, these are Senators and wealthy people, we have two years’ worth of supplies, we will be out of here in six months, it is not much of a problem. The other bunkers can help with any shortfall. Thank you for the instructions, I think we can last today on what is left.”
General Baxter breathed deeply and made a sensible decision. He left his desk and went to a special room. He opened a safe and took out two keys. He walked sedately to another room and used one of the keys to unlock the security door.
Inside was a control console. He inserted the remaining key, turning it just enough to activate the console. He keyed in DEN01 and had confirmation on the screen including the location, Denver Airport and a short summary of who was there.
Satisfied, he turned the key fully on and punched the big red button. On the screen a lovely message was displayed, “DEN01 Destroyed.”
Every bunker had a 1 Kiloton device hidden in the lowest basement just for such emergencies.
He chuckled. The other food storage areas in DEN01 were empty. Who in their right mind would want 8 thousand self-serving politicians and their entitled families to survive? Not one of them had ever done a hard day’s work in all of their lives.
As he walked back to his desk he mused at how stupid the politicians where. Did they really believe that they would be wanted in a brave new world? What possible use would they have been? What possible use would all of those leaders of Industry be to anyone? Well, the problem was solved.
Denver had always been designed to specifically house those miscreants and to terminate them. That was the last task he had to do. He sent out a communique to all stations informing them of the sad loss of DEN01 due to an unknown but catastrophic incident.
General Baxter felt really good about the future. This time, the mistakes of the past would not be made.
That went on for a week until The President called. “General, we are running out of food and the second food storage door will not open!”
The General replied, “Mr President, did you or anyone read the instructions? Those rooms are filled with Helium Gas to prevent food spoilage. It takes a day to cycle the Helium out and replace it with normal air, Sir. Mr President, that first food storage area should have lasted 1 month. You should be on half rations. Sir, you must control everyone’s food intake!”
The President chuckled and replied, “General, these are Senators and wealthy people, we have two years’ worth of supplies, we will be out of here in six months, it is not much of a problem. The other bunkers can help with any shortfall. Thank you for the instructions, I think we can last today on what is left.”
General Baxter breathed deeply and made a sensible decision. He left his desk and went to a special room. He opened a safe and took out two keys. He walked sedately to another room and used one of the keys to unlock the security door.
Inside was a control console. He inserted the remaining key, turning it just enough to activate the console. He keyed in DEN01 and had confirmation on the screen including the location, Denver Airport and a short summary of who was there.
Satisfied, he turned the key fully on and punched the big red button. On the screen a lovely message was displayed, “DEN01 Destroyed.”
Every bunker had a 1 Kiloton device hidden in the lowest basement just for such emergencies.
He chuckled. The other food storage areas in DEN01 were empty. Who in their right mind would want 8 thousand self-serving politicians and their entitled families to survive? Not one of them had ever done a hard day’s work in all of their lives.
As he walked back to his desk he mused at how stupid the politicians where. Did they really believe that they would be wanted in a brave new world? What possible use would they have been? What possible use would all of those leaders of Industry be to anyone? Well, the problem was solved.
Denver had always been designed to specifically house those miscreants and to terminate them. That was the last task he had to do. He sent out a communique to all stations informing them of the sad loss of DEN01 due to an unknown but catastrophic incident.
General Baxter felt really good about the future. This time, the mistakes of the past would not be made.
edit on 3/11/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)
That was great! I've recommended this site to other writers here, ones I think deserve a broader exposure. I'd hate to think just us relatively few
here at ATS got to enjoy your story. There's a new flash fiction story every day, many by amateur writer such as yourself.
You can post it here.
365tomorrows.com...
You can post it here.
365tomorrows.com...
edit on 3-11-2014 by DAVID64 because: (no reason given)
Thank you all. If only real life would imitate fiction, what a wonderful world it could be lol.
P
P
originally posted by: DAVID64
That was great! I've recommended this site to other writers here, ones I think deserve a broader exposure. I'd hate to think just us relatively few here at ATS got to enjoy your story. There's a new flash fiction story every day, many by amateur writer such as yourself.
You can post it here.
365tomorrows.com...
Interesting site. The 600 word limit is a bummer though. I like to develop a story but nice site. I bookmarked it.
P
a reply to: pheonix358
Nice story, and one I could actually see come to fruition, though I don't wish for it.
I does set up the premise for a follow on though. Hop to it!
Nice story, and one I could actually see come to fruition, though I don't wish for it.
I does set up the premise for a follow on though. Hop to it!
originally posted by: TDawgRex
a reply to: pheonix358
Nice story, and one I could actually see come to fruition, though I don't wish for it.
I does set up the premise for a follow on though. Hop to it!
Bit busy to take on another project. Have two books that I am writing and one being edited at the moment. So ... maybe later!
I wonder if a Senator reads it, would they start getting nervous,
P
originally posted by: SyxPak
a reply to: pheonix358
Very well done!! Loved that Satisfying ending!!! Syx.
Lol, must be bad when everyone cheers because the Politicians came to a fiery end.
I am still laughing. Now, mail this story to every congressman and senator in the US. Could cause a real stir if the chickens start to question their ultimate roosts.
P
There is justice after all ! Thank you it was a clever story I kinda felt sad for the general but then i realized that he was more than happy to
make his final decision lol.
Excellent !
Excellent !
originally posted by: Jennyfrenzy
a reply to: pheonix358
Absolutely loved it, just read it 3 times
The ending was so darn gratifying
Three times! You must of loved it. Thank you.
P
Great idea
I loved the way it flowed and the General is well liked
Of course people like the General ending.. The contingency of government plans are exacting
Note-someone should have told the general.. Its easier if they dont make it to the shelter
good read
I loved the way it flowed and the General is well liked
Of course people like the General ending.. The contingency of government plans are exacting
Note-someone should have told the general.. Its easier if they dont make it to the shelter
good read
a reply to: pheonix358
That was great. you sure you haven't read the govt apocalypse manual?
S and F
That was great. you sure you haven't read the govt apocalypse manual?
S and F
a reply to: pheonix358
That was really good! It's funny because I was thinking to myself "Why in the world would we actually save politicians!" HA... then you killed them off! Good one!
That was really good! It's funny because I was thinking to myself "Why in the world would we actually save politicians!" HA... then you killed them off! Good one!
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