Surviving the Apocalypse

Rescue Operations

After clearing medical, Hanna walked into her office, knowing that as soon as General Mars was finished he would be brought to see her while the rest of his staff and the Cadets underwent their turn. She however was thinking of doing something she had never considered before, which was acting as a rescue service for locations nearby. She knew of several Camps already that would take the assistance, and turning on the radio had over a dozen Camps with anywhere from 30 to several hundred were in need of rescue. She did the numbers just over half an hour on the radio, 15,000 men and women clamoring for help before she picked up the microphone.

“This is Hanna Storm at Camp Hope, operations frequency 166.666 Mhz. We have a secure location with plenty of supplies, any survivors in Camps that are in need of rescue may contact us on that frequency. We provide rescue only, we do not have supplies for trade. Any Camp requesting assistance should do so only for the cause of evacuation. Good luck and may God bless us all.” She finished her broadcast just as Melissa brought General Mars.

“Holy s**t Storm, what the hell happened since you graduated?” he asked walking in to her office.

“A shitstorm sir.” She said making him laugh at the irony between his question and her answer.

“How lucky am I this time?” he asked her seriously knowing the risk from what he had seen from the windows of the bus.

“You are the luckiest man alive. Lucky that Montgomery knew the busses were there to transport your people. Lucky 480 soldiers volunteered to risk it all to save your butts. Lucky that we even allowed them to volunteer to risk those asses to ride to your rescue. You know the saying, you don’t risk good lives for those who don’t know they are lost already.” She replied as he whistled.

“Damn, that is bad. Thank you, I know it could have gone very differently.” He said shaking his head looking at the map. “So, not a joke at all, was it?”

“No, you can review the orders yourself if you wish. It was one of those absolutely off the wall emergency preparedness response that has to have a putz like me selected every 20 or so years. It just happened to go to s**t 3 months after it was finalized by Congress in that one in 100 trillion chances of ever being activated.” She said as he actually laughed when she offered him the full packet and he saw the seal. He had seen it once before in his career, and knew it couldn’t be faked as it was an Eagle holding a scroll and a burning arrow.

“Heavy lies the crown.” Mars said as she looked at him pointedly. “What is the plan?” he asked.

“Surprisingly, we aren’t fully set up yet, it has literally been two weeks, and I only started on the shelter here a few months ago at best. We are building and improving as we go, but listening to that tells me a lot of people are still waiting to be rescued. I am debating the pros and cons of actually doing it.” Hanna told him pointing at the numbers.

“We can only do what we can reasonably do. It would be unreasonable to think your Camp could sustain another 15,000 right now. You may have done well with just 5 or 6 thousand, but you are pushing 11 now and the strain is showing.” Mars said bluntly as Montgomery walked in as well.

“Don’t even think it missy, the only reason it wasn’t an unholy s**t fit this morning was emotional attachment.” Hellen said making Jason and Hanna laugh.

“I agree, seeing this even I would be bashing you around the ears if it weren’t my own life that was saved because you did it. Perhaps in a few months when your current teams can catch up with the work they already have, adding more people in large numbers with no ability to adapt between them, disaster.” Jason Mars told her as she nodded knowing it was accurate.

“You are both right, we can’t risk the men to do that every day. Truth is we got extremely lucky to have achieved that with no losses.” Hanna said as another voice come over the radio.

“General Storm, this is Lt. Colonel Vincent Pendergast of the 1325th Recon Division at Camp Dwight. 2,210 souls in need of rescue. We have cleared ½ mile around our base, and can hold for some time, but we will take casualties.” A call came over the radio.

All three of them looked at each other as she put the location up on the map, their direction of clearing was leading them that way already, and 90 percent of the route had already been barricaded when they went to rescue General Mars.

“Ok, this one makes sense as well. How do we do it though?” Mars asked as Hanna looked at it.

“Well I don’t know about anyone else, but after that fight rescuing you, I managed to get my fire ability to level 4. With most of the road already secure, we can reasonably bypass this entire section of the city and have mostly smooth driving through it. That leaves us 4 blocks to plow through and do the same, which would open a transport corridor for the trucks and busses. Between the two we can load over 800 at a time. 3 trips and we have the Camp and it’s contents of hardware and equipment secure in Camp Hope. 2200 soldiers that we can refrain for proper combat operations, and we might be able to clear 10 blocks per day.” Hanna told them with a smile.

“How long to clear the city at that pace?” Mars asked.

“We figured the city was 26,000 blocks give or take. Clearing 10 blocks per day, we would be looking at 7 years or so for the entire city. I would say 5 as some areas will go faster like the housing subdivisions, while the city core and apartment complexes could take a little longer to clear.” Hanna told them.

“So we assign what 50 men for the dozen trucks plus another 10 as drivers for the busses and load them all up and just drive them back?” Montague asked looking at the plan.

Hanna shrugged her shoulders. “I mean it will probably be a little more involved than that, but give me teams 1 and 2 with Engineering team 1, and we should be able to handle it no problem.”

Hellen nodded as she saw the cameras they had patched into showing that the corridor the trucks had made was clear, the barrier could be easily lowered and even reshaped to open the new path they needed to get to the next location. “Are we really going to go into the rescue business?” she asked.

“Only when the benefits are worth the risks. Maybe after we claim Depot Oscar we will go wherever we want, until than, we stick to what is reasonable.” Hanna said as she grabbed the mic.

“Camp Dwight, this is Camp Hope. Hold one night and rescue will arrive by 0900. Do you have any vehicles capable of driving during an evacuation?” she asked.

“Capacity for 300 only, need fuel.” He answered quickly which didn’t surprise her.

“0900 have 1100 ready for transport, personnel only. Equipment and personal effects will be loaded separately.” Hanna told him.

“Is it safe?” Pendergast asked her.

“Nothing is guaranteed Colonel, there is some risk, but we are reasonably sure it is minimal. Which is why we are willing to risk your rescue. We help those who help themselves, so if the immediate area around your base is clear, we will help rescue your people to our Camp. Hope, out.” She told him making the message clear to the open channel they were on. Security for operations was a must if you expected rescue, as was their motto. Camp Hope helps those who help themselves. More than one had tried to negotiate rights for their people to join to be told the same thing. No handouts, even asking for one means no rescue will be coming.

The next morning Crystal jumped in the front truck with Hanna, the driver and shotgunner both having earth abilities they could use on the fly. They had built most of the road blocks for the initial push, both of their abilities now level 4 as well. The 3 teams she had requested all loaded between 12 transport trucks and 11 busses that rolled through the secured corridor through the heart of the city. It was unnerving to hear the zombies screaming and yelling as they tried to get through and over the walls, the surface so slick and high they couldn’t get a purchase to climb over.

“Ok, that is freaky.” Crystal said voicing what they all felt as they ripped through the clear streets. Before long however the streets were full again, the truck slamming into them at full speed with the reinforced bumper and front end. The blunt blades also cut the zombies into pieces as they flew into the truck, often jumping in front of it to be torn apart by the strategically placed ‘blades’. “Somehow, better.” She said making them laugh.

“Feel lucky you only have to make the trip twice. Drivers and shotgunners are making it 4 times today, if not 6.” Sergeant Davis said making her chuckle as Crystal would indeed be with Hanna and the commanders of the base as it emptied quickly. Every time they went past an opening in the buildings, one of the three of them would build a barrier wall as they moved, especially at the intersections that connected the roads. The glass was just as easy to turn to metal as any other Earth, which they did of all the highrises up to the tops of the fifth floor. The ones they missed, the others covered as their strength began to fade and Hanna took her third dose of Evojuice when they found the zone that had been promised was clear of zombies.

Within minutes they were at Camp Dwight, all 23 of the vehicles pulling up with their own already positioned. Opening the first truck, it had 100 gallons of the diesel they said they needed, their own people taking the cans and filling the 6 buses they had with it.

“Is that going to be enough?” he asked as each bus was only getting about 15 gallons.

“For the first trip to Camp Hope, yes. There we will fill them while the people are unloaded. After that it will be smooth sailing until all your people are in the Camp.” Hanna told him.

“Hope it wasn’t too difficult getting through to us. I know it is at least 10 miles away from your Camp.” Pendergast said as the people seamlessly loaded.

“12 actually. We however have a travel corridor all the way here now. Yesterday it was just part of the way as we had turned down the road a few blocks. As you can see, our rigs are designed to take down a few zombies who get in our way.” Hanna said as he saw the armor made it into deadly projectiles even if none of the edges were actually sharp.

The first hour waiting for the vehicles to return was the most nerve racking for General Pendergast, nearly half his troops taken to who knew where in one swoop. When they returned and the number was 30 trucks now, Hanna was a little confused when 200 Guards and 100 Combat Engineers stepped out with a letter to Hanna.

“Orders from General Mars ma’am.” He said as his men went right to work building a defensive wall that was 40 feet tall, 10 feet thick and made of Earthmetal her level 3 Earth ability users could make with their abilities. She opened it to see his explanation that the secure uplink was necessary for strategic command asset control.

“What is happening General?” Pendergast asked her.

“Lt. Colonel, under Strategic Command authority, this asset is being claimed by Camp Hope on behalf of the General of the Army of America. We first need to return your men to Camp Hope for initial evaluation, but this will become a new posting. Would you like the Commander Post?” she asked him.

“It will need major improvements to be able to withstand the zombies ma’am. Camp Hope might be secure, but Camp Dwight is far from it.” Pendergast said as she pointed to what the Engineers were doing. She knew between these 100, they would be able to cover the entire perimeter of the Camp with a wall they could use for automated defense systems.

“It might take a few days to secure everything, but I think we have it covered. Like I said, still have to transport you and your troops to Camp Hope.” She told him.

“This is the Wildfire Protocol isn’t it? I saw the alert, but didn’t have proper clearance. Our Colonel was the base commander, who we lost the first night of the outbreak.” Pendergast told her.

“It is indeed Lt. Colonel, I imagine there are a lot of bases, Camps and outposts in a similar position to you. It just means my work is more complex than I was hoping for in the near future.” She said with a smile as the vehicles pulled out again leaving only a few hundred people in the base. The 7 trucks from the engineers remained as their own transports, Hanna knowing now that she wasn’t looting the entire base for every scrap of hardware she could get.

By the time the trucks arrived for the final group, everyone but the guards and engineers loaded up, the situation relatively calm for how much noise the vehicles had been making. Every person in the convoy amazed as they went through the corridor, every inch of it secured against zombies. The fall they had to endure to get out above the 5th floor meant most were killed on impact. Those that weren’t, the bodies were so badly broken they could no longer move anyway, the tires of the trucks easily flattening them as they went through.

When they got to Camp Hope he was amazed to see the walls and point defense systems, and knew this place would survive anything that was thrown at them. Even the medical screen and initial processing was thorough and quick as the AI could look up their service records and compile profiles based on that, as well as the access to previous social media accounts and school curriculum that they took for each year.

“Do I want to know what all this is for?” he asked as he looked at his new profile with the hud that Nathaniel had crafted that made people less freaked when they realized being a member came with a system that tracked absolutely every aspect of their life, knowledge and experience.

“Normally our system would suggest a appropriate assignment for the Camp, but as you are a special unit as it were, it isn’t necessary. At Camp Hope we only help those who help us help them. In your case, you helped us rescue you by having a secure place we could stop and load residents. You made the risk we had to take to actually rescue you, manageable. As such, everyone is expected to contribute to the Camp via a daily assignment. Some people work construction, the greenhouses and fields, cattle, mining, you name it someone does it so the Camp as a whole can survive.” She explained as they walked into the Command Center.

“So, what is this about needing the Secure uplink intact from Camp Dwight?” she asked as Nathaniel cleared his throat.

“It is the one thing we don’t have in the equipment left by the President. The encryption can’t be cracked with what we have here, even if we could, we don’t have a proper authenticator. All of that, is at 3 locations in the valley. Depot Oscar, Camp Dwight and Outpost Eisenhower.” Nathaniel explained showing them the file that he saw it in.

“I am sorry, what is your rank?” Pendergast asked Nathaniel.

“Lt. Colonel, this is Nathaniel Stone, our resident tech expert. You will quickly find that this command isn’t like any other you have been in. He is a civilian but his command equivalent would be Colonel.” General Mars informed him easily as the man nodded.

“So it is based off command equivalency. Ma’am, Sir, not that I doubt you, but can I see the Wildfire Communication Directives?” he asked as General Mars handed them to him.

When Pendergast saw the name Hanna Storm as General of the Army, contact frequency the one he used, he shook his head in surprise. “So you were the 20 year backup plan that had the proverbial s**t storm a few months later. That is rough, but I stand ready to serve ma’am.” He said standing at attention.

“At ease Colonel, lose the ma’am in the future.” She said as he nodded.

“What should I call you than?” he asked.

“If you can’t bring yourself to call me by Hanna, or hell even Storm, General will do. Call me ma’am and I will make you give me 50 pushups every time.” She answered making Mars and Montague laugh.

“Yes General.” Pendergast said amused at her attitude about it. Something he would make sure his men understood. “As you have seen with your own eyes, Camp Dwight was not established without having a constant supply of support to sustain operations.”

“Colonel, within a week we will have the basics you need to support 2,000 people over the long term. For now, the supplies will be sent by Camp Hope to the personnel stationed there. 2 weeks rotations.” Hanna ordered looking at him before she turned to James and Nathaniel. “We need priority Alpha defenses positioned at Camp Dwight as well as a tier 7 uplink between the two Camps.”

“Uplink will take 2 days to setup and ensure it is working. Using the Strategic Command weapons however will have to be done at one of those 3 locations. It has to have a verified biometric reading from an authorized device.” Nathaniel told her.

“Engineers report that they will have the dense completed within the hour and will be returning with personal belongings of previously stationed personnel.” James told them. “Priority Alpha point defenses will take 3 weeks to install the systems and power generation needed.”

Lt Colonel Pendergast looked at him surprised. “Most military builders inflate their timeline to months, why so efficient?” He asked.

James looked at him. “First, I am not military. Second, the world has changed and my leader has said Priority Alpha. That means the 22 other projects going on in this Camp take a back seat and we use the manpower to get the work done as quickly as possible. Installing radar dishes, missile launchers, laser defense systems and Gatling guns on the wall, it is going to take 200 men a week to get it all done.” James said shaking his head slightly as he looked down like he was holding back.

“Lieutenant Colonel Pendergast, our philosophy may be foreign to you, but you need to remember that the people you are interacting with at this particular table are as high up the food chain as you are. In fact, the Camp Council would have responsibilities aligned with a Brigadier General. James here, is our Construction Councilman. Just for future reference.” Hanna said as his eyes went wide.

“It’s not even that, just because I don’t have a Rank insignia on my shoulder, doesn’t mean I should be respected less than any other man in this Camp. I make my contribution every day, same as every other person doing dozens of jobs that you cannot do to support yourselves. Never forget that without civilians like me and my wife, soldiers like you can’t survive same as me. We need each other if we are going to make it through this night made. You respect me and my work, I respect the work of you and your men to keep us safe.” James said bluntly as was his way. “Besides, those zombies screaming behind those walls was just as creepy to you as it was to me. So don’t act all brave when I am out there doing similar s**t as you with far less weaponry.”

“Wait, civilians even go out in that?” Pendergast asked.

“A third of the Scavenger Squads are trained civilians.” General Montague said firmly. “They do the same training side by side with the soldiers they are deployed with. Hell, Crystal is a civilian.” She said as he looked at her standing next to Hanna like she belonged.

“We need to return to the topic at hand, a week before Camp Dwight is operational. How long to have the greenhouses built and animal pens?” she asked James.

“If we use Combat Engineers it will slow wall construction to half. If we use civil, we are looking at 2 weeks after the defenses are live. I would recommend we use it as a true base, deploying scavengers, wall builders and civil engineers along with a gardening and livestock team. Give it 3 months and we could have it supporting 5,000 people.” He told her.

“Do we have personnel from those divisions that can handle an independent assignment?” she asked knowing they would need cooks, as well as several others.

“I have 20 people that could be trusted for an extended assignment. Rose would be perfect to lead the greenhouse and farming operations. Her husband David would be perfect for livestock operations and butchering.” Pamela offered.

“Franklin can handle the Engineering Teams.” James said.

“Marvin has ideas as a cook, it would be a great opportunity for him.” Melissa said knowing the Camp personnel well.

“Sounds like we have everything we need but a base commander Colonel.” Hanna said looking at him.

“You trust me to lead?” he asked.

“I have a week to retrain you before any of those personnel will be assigned there. You have a week to prove to me you are up to the challenge, or I will find someone else who is.” Hanna told him bluntly. She wasn’t sugarcoating the fact she would be scrutinizing him closely.

“How many soldiers would be there?” he asked.

“Well, that depends. I would say most likely no more than 500 enlisted soldiers. But all of the Combat Engineers are civilians, there will be what 3 teams of Scavengers?” she asked Montague who nodded in agreement. “If a third are civilian there is another 20, the civil engineers are of course civilians so there is another 60, the gardeners, cooks, livestock teams, there’s another 40 each. You will have far more personnel at your Camp than just soldiers. How you interact with them will be part of the test you must pass. Our motto is the words we live by. If every person from 16 years of age and up contributes a days worth of effort at their chosen or assigned task, we guarantee safety, security, shelter and food. Soldiers provide safety and security, but they suck at providing food as you learned yourself. So thinking of the residents as military vs not, is the wrong way to earn their respect.” Hanna told him.

Pendergast nodded as he looked at her. “That is why Hanna or General, it isn’t disrespect but being approachable by civilian and military alike.” He said as she nodded.

“That is why no one jumps to attention just because someone of rank entered a room, no one salutes one another. It isn’t disregard for rank or lack of respect, it is simply the rules of conduct have changed. Tomorrow, these very people that cook your food, grow it, built the shelter you will sleep in, you will train with in the morning for two hours of physical training. Tomorrow evening, we do combat training and arena rankings. Even the school kids have their own leagues. We respect each other because we are all doing what needs to be done for everyone to survive.” Hanna told him seriously.