The Phoenix Reborn Series. Book 1. The World Burns to Ashes

Command Meeting

Lincoln walked back to the Command Center, and walked into the Generals office were he had set the envelope. 3 other Colonels were hot on his heels as Lincoln sat in the seat and unsealed the envelope. A thick stack of papers was in it, and Lincoln looked at the map through the window. The Fort had taken a direct hit, and the radiation level was buried far into the lethal range.

"Why do you believe yourself in charge Colonel Masters? I believe the guidelines state in the situation when we are all the same rank, the most seniority is in command, and that would be me." Colonel Francis West said indignantly as Lincoln read the top page.

"Except we are no longer the same rank Colonel West." Lincoln said handing him the letter.

'Colonel Lincoln Masters,

By order of the President of the United States, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

In the event that General Howard does not survive a strike, you are to assume command of the survivors of Fort Indianapolis.

Major General Steven Howard'

"Colonel, despite what you may believe I was acting under orders of General Howard. The remainder of this envelope will be for my eyes only, is there anything you need before the Command Staff Meeting in 1 hour and 50 minutes?" Lincoln asked him.

Colonel West and the others read the letter quickly, and none of them had any questions. "No sir." he replied after a moment.

"Excellent, I will leave it to you three to sort through our supplies and that they are stored properly." he told them before they left knowing they had other work to do where the position of leadership had been solved.

Lincoln looked at the papers, and knew it was so he could assume ultimate command if communications were severed with the joint Chiefs. He was the highest ranking officer expected to have survived, most of them volunteering to stand as volunteers with the men needed to take out as many of the weapons as possible. The staff operating the Command Center were still assessing what exactly had been impacted, and how badly.

3 dozen bases had been largely evacuated, and most of the troops and equipment had survived inside bunkers that had been prepared for years, or natural formations that had been discovered in the past week. Lincoln was impressed with the numbers, but dismayed that so far only those with an equivalent rank had survived the strikes.

Even if the President and Joint Chiefs had survived the strikes on the White House, the area was so irradiated that it would be years before they could enter to begin cleanup and evacuation. It was so intense that communicating through the radiation would be impossible.

The map was showing the waves of radiation moving outward from the detonation sites that dotted the maps. Most major cities had been hit, and they all knew that the death toll would rise into the billions. Most of the strikes in the US had been air bursts, leaving very little actual radiation behind.

Washington D.C. was the exception, as it had been struck nearly a dozen times with super powerful 100 Megaton bombs targeting the Presidential Bunker. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Vladivostok, and dozens of other cities across Russia and Asia had been retaliated against with ground bursts. The radiation was spreading at a predictable rate, and it would be weeks before it all settled down. He had no idea how far the radiation would spread, as the particles had already traveled farther than any scientist had ever predicted would be possible.

He gathered all of the information, and walked into the conference room just as the rest of the Command Officers for the various Battalions entered. They all took seats, leaving the head of the table open for him. He displayed the current map that showed the bombs that had detonated, and where the waves of radiation were at.

"As you can see, the situation is far more severe than we expected. 250 weapons detonated across the Continental United States, and most major cities have been impacted by multiple weapons. Most were air bursts, and the levels of radiation are minimal in comparison to what Russia, Europe, and Asia. The radioactive particles are still spreading, and have traveled much further than was anticipated. We will be watching what happens, however it is far too early to know what is going to happen.

"The levels currently around the base are fluctuating, and we expect them to continue doing so for several more days. 39 Bases supporting 415 Battalions have survived, and will be ready to respond should any threats approach in our time of vulnerability. The Navy has been heavily impacted, but 3 fleets are returning to their bases as quickly as possible given the new status of our world.

"We are still evaluating the options to get to the Presidential Bunker, however it could very well be years before we are able to enter. Washington DC was impacted by 15 bunker busting warheads, and the fallout from the is extensive. Radiation levels are so extreme that communication with the bunker is impossible, and every known bunker for leadership was heavily impacted. Plans were left in place by the President, and should we be unable to re-establish contact those plans will be executed. So far with my promotion just before this tragedy struck, I am the highest ranking officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.

"This information is free to be disbursed, and I encourage to let those under your commands know. The families of those under your command will be added, and we need to know what skill sets we have available. Everyone will need to contribute to our survival, for billions have died today. So much of the world has been devestated, we can hope that those who have survived have no desire to escalate any further than what we have seen today." Lincoln told them so they would know what was happening.

"General, what are we going to do once we open those doors?" Colonel West asked.

"Colonel, that decision will be made by all of us once we have had time to allow the events to unfold. The waves of fallout have not stopped, and with the number of weapons that have been detonated we need to allow time for those levels to stabilize before we decide. For now we will prepare for the worst, and we will need volunteers to begin growing food." Lincoln responded.

They all knew that they had multiple caverns that had been designated for growing food, and they were the largest caverns. Their progressive estimates meant they would be able to grow enough food to support 200 thousand people, and even with the families of the soldiers they only had 115 thousand within the bunker.

"How long will it be before we can reassess the situation?" Colonel Peterson asked him from the 115th Battalion.

"That will be done in real time, and you will be updated daily on what the status is. Not everything will be open for the troops, and you will be notified what information must be kept contained. I will share what I can, and we will be ready for whatever comes." Lincoln informed them.

"General, how long before we need to know skills?" Colonel West asked.

"As quickly as possible, you can even make questionnaires if you would like. We need every skill we can find, as we cannot assume that the local population has survived intact." he answered. "Focus on Engineers, Doctors, Scientists, Mechanics, and those that are best suited to maintain and upgrade our systems with what we have here on hand."

They all aknowledged what he had said, knowing that there were still many questions they would have to wait for the answers for. It wasn't that he was concealing the details, they had just experienced a dramatic reduction in capability. 415 Battalions represented a third of just the Army, and did not include the other branches of the Armed Forces. It was a matter of time before they discovered exactly how many people had been killed, and how many of the people would use this as a reason to fight the military when they emerged.

He walked back into the command center and looked at the tactical map, and was surprised that bases outside of the effected areas so far were pinned on it as confirmed survival.

"Sir, Brigadier General O'Neil has established contact and has taken Command of the Western US." Captain Long reported.

"Is he still on the line?" Lincoln asked.

"Waiting for you sir, line 3." Long replied.

"Thank you Captain, keep up the good work." Lincoln said as he walked into his office and closed the door. He picked up the phone, and pushed the only line blinking. "This is Brigadier General Lincoln Masters, with whom am I speaking.

"Brigadier General John O'Neil of Area 51, we have 35 bases on this side of the country that were not impacted by any Nuclear Weapons. Are you aware of any survivors in the command structure?" he asked.

"No General, I have not. The bunkers used by Civilian and Military Command have been heavily impacted. The Presidential Bunker has been cut off from communications because of the extremely high radiation levels, as well as all the bunkers used for the Chain of Succession." Lincoln informed the man. "If we are unable to restore contact with a superior officer, or the Presidential Bunker, I have orders from the President on how to proceed with restoring and protecting the Nation and our surviving people."

There was silence on the line for several minutes, as General O'Neil processed what he had been told. "How long will it take before we know one way or the other?" he asked.

"We do not, it could be days before the levels drop for communication signals, or it could be decades." Lincoln said as the detectors were still at the upper limits of what they could read. Some places like the White House just pegged the surviving radiation detectors to maximum and did not falter. "The radiation levels are even too high to send a team in with the radiation gear."

The two men knew what it could mean, and neither of them had a desire to voice what they already believed to be the truth. "How long before you can emerge from your bunker?" O'Neil asked.

"Two weeks at our current plan, however it could change depending on what happens with the waves of radiation that are currently sweeping the globe." Lincoln told him.

"Do we still need to find cover?"

"I would strongly advise it, do you have access to the radiation detector network?" Lincoln asked.

"No, I do not." O'Neil replied before Lincoln gave him new login credentials as he could create them here now. "Holy s**t!" he exclaimed as he saw the map. A dozen cities were nothing but radiation, hit so hard by the bombs that fell that their structures had been leveled.

"You now know what I know, and we need to share information between all bases. We have lost much this day, and we must quickly rebuild what we need to protect ourselves." Lincoln said as Captain Long ran into the room.

"Sir, we have the remnants of the Canadian Government on a secure radio link. They are requesting to speak with you." Captain Long said quickly as Lincoln stood.

"I have to go General, I will keep you updated with Intel. For now share those credentials with all bases, and we will establish new ones as time allows." Lincoln said before hanging up and running into the Command Center.

"Here sir, it is Administrator Christenson of the Canadian Parliament."

Lincoln grabbed the radio and keyed the transmitter. "This is Brigadier General Lincoln Masters, calling Administrator Christenson. Please respond." he said crisply.

"Copy General Masters, this is Administrator Christenson. I have an urgent request of our American neighbors." came the quick reply.

"Administrator, with our current situation I am not sure we can be of any assistance." Lincoln replied without elaborating.

"General, our Armed Forces have been decimated, as well as our civilian leadership. We request urgently that we be allowed to join the American people completely." Christenson replied not bothering to cover the reasons behind it.

Lincoln nodded as he keyed the mic. "The same has happened here, although we do have Military assets that have survived intact. What exactly is it you are suggesting?" Lincoln asked curious.

"The Canadian Government requests that we be given admittance into the United States of America. That each of our Federal Territories be accepted as States, and our territory be protected as Sovereign United States of America Property." Administrator Christensen said as their civilian government had already accepted it would be under their terms.

"Administrator, none of our Civilian Government is believed to have survived the attack. We are preparing to protect our borders as effectively as we can, however the waves of radiation will make that difficult. Until such time as we can re-establish a working government, I can accept your proposal. We will do what we can to protect the Canadian People, however you must be aware we have severely limited capabilities. We may not be able to protect our own borders effectively, and we will need every able bodied person. Military or otherwise to step into the roles we need to protect as many lives as we can." Lincoln informed him.

"We are already informing our people of what we know, however our access to information is limited." Christenson told him.

"We will share what we can, we need you to begin assessing what assets you have, as well as survivors. We will be doing the same as soon as we terminate the communication." Lincoln informed him as the idea had occurred to him.

"Thank you General Masters, we will keep you apprised of our progress. Christenson out."

Lincoln set the radio down, and looked at Captain Long. "Can we access the emergency broadcast system?" he asked.

"We can sir." he answered quickly.

"Good, begin a broadcast. Also inform all commands to start broadcasting locally for survivors. Let them know where the radiation pockets are, and where they can seek shelter and food. Ensure that all commands know that they must agree to help however it is seemed they can in return, Martial Law is hereby declared." Lincoln said before he walked over to the broadcast terminal.

He keyed the microphone, and began speaking. "My fellow Americans, it is with a solemn heart I address you now. Today we have been severely attacked, and multiple cities have been destroyed beyond recognition. The number of dead will likely rise to over 100 million, and at this time likely includes all Federal Civilian Government Officials.

"Contact with the President, Vice President, Joint Chiefs, and much of Congress is impossible at this time. If they have survived, the area where they were sheltered is so radioactive, we cannot get communication signals to them. Despite the damage done to us on this terrible day, many of our Armed Forces have survived, and stand ready to answer the call should it be necessary to protect us from threats both inside our borders, and from without.

"Effective Immediately Martial Law is in effect, and a mandatory draft of all able bodied survivors wishing food and shelter will be initiated. Our bases that have survived will soon begin broadcasting their locations over short wave radio. We need every skill possible, and will welcome all who will decide to contribute to rebuilding our great country. As of today, we will be welcoming the people and land of Canada to our fold. We will defend them as our own, as from this day forward they shall be part of us.

"The most important part any survivor can do in this moment is to stay sheltered. At this time waves of radiation are crossing the country, and could quickly overwhelm any who are not indoors. Seal any air leaks, keep indoors, and wait for further notifications from your local authorities. Any Civilian Governments that remain should contact your local bases to coordinate any evacuation that is deemed necessary.

"God bless those of us who have survived, and let this atrocity bring us together as we forget ahead into a new world." Lincoln said before he stopped the broadcast. He knew it would be several days before they had much to report. "Begin the short range broadcasts Colonel, we will open the blast doors when the radiation levels are within acceptable ranges." he ordered.