Chapter One, Atomic Bomb Baby
I could go back and almost feel as if I am living that moment again. The day the world changed forever. It was a cold, windy fall and the Halloween holiday was just beginning. Although Halloween was vastly the new excitement in the neighborhood, I was more busy with my work that day. I had been stuck inside my house for a while as I had to transcribe all documents that somehow just appear on my lap and overwork all my schedule. I was shuffling papers as I organize the reports from inside sources from China and the Korea. The keyboard clicked away every report that will eventually make its way into Washington when I flipped through pages on the PRC and accidentally knocked over my coffee cup. "Damn it, I just finished this report!", I grudgingly grabbed the cup from the floor and started the process of cleaning up my clumsiness.
As I soaked the coffee with some paper napkins, I started to drift into deep thinking, what if the Republic of China and the reports on the possible bombardment of the homestead could happen. I mean... we are at war currently and if China decides that enough is enough... 'Knock Knock'! I jolted a bit from the sudden yank from my drifting. Alarmed, I looked over my desk and stared at my pale oak door. Strange, I wasn't expecting visitors at this time of day, maybe it's the mailman with something? I dropped the wet, stained napkins in the trashcan as I stood back up When I opened the door, I came face to face with a short man in an Army Uniform. His insignia on his shoulders relates to the title of Coronal.
Immediately I saluted and straightened up. "At Ease Soldier, I'm Coronal James Patterson and I've been sent to offer you an opportunity." As he talked, he handed me a folder with papers. "Sir, What is this opportunity?" I could hear my voice cracked a bit and felt very embarrassed. I took the folder and opened it to only see a paper with a fill-in form and a pamphlet for a "safe haven" on a Government oil rig off the coast of California. "Just fill that form and get your luggage. We got orders to take you immediately to the safe zone. Once you finished, meet me at the vertibird outside with your decision. Congratulations on the acceptance again, Lieutenant Phachara." and like that, he left around the corner. Looking back on the brightly colored pamphlet with some sort of logo with an E, I turned over and read the imprint and stared at it.
Now, I've heard of groups like the Vault-tec corporation doing things like this to "preserve humanity" crap on Television but I never actually was worried about anything like that. To be honest, when I first heard of the Safe-House programs/project from that Vault tec. representative, I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, why would anyone simply let people (Normal civilians I might add) into a safe location for FREE? It seems suspicious but here I am, with a folder full of information about this alleged location that could protect me from the nuclear annihilation that everyone was so cooped up about. If it was on any other occasion or any other time, I would've just thrown this as far as i could outside the window. But today was different, I actually felt a sense of urgency to sign that paper.
My brother had called earlier to mention that he will disappear for a bit to work on a research base on a similar oil rig. I was busy with typing the reports that I shrugged it off as his daily business and nothing out of the ordinary. I grabbed a black pen and signed the form, originally having thoughts of such a silly fear that every American seems to have. Must've been a hell of a day for the Coronal, having to pick up a low-ranking Lieutenant to god knows where. The sun was just rising too, shame that this Saturday will have to begin with me leaving my home for some safe place. According to the Colonel, I had to pack up and be deployed immediately to this location.
I grabbed my luggage, filling it with as many items that I valued including my metals that I received and packed it all along with my officer uniform and rushed outside. The jets roared past the skies above my neighborhood when I came out of the building. I could hear distant vertibirds flying and strangely all heading one direction. The bird chirp and the cars started to roar as the day was just beginning, and boy, did that day begin. I had no idea my timing is so impeccable, seriously. As I handed Coronal the documents, I turned and took one last look at my home, a home I thought I wouldn't come back for just a bit. Colonel Patterson checked the documents, closed the packet, and nodded to the pilot. The time was 6:30 when we lifted off and steered west, following the other vertibirds.
The leaves rustled away as the engine roared back into life. My last thoughts from the view of my apartment were that this urgency for the pickup must've been utterly important. Sure, maybe these high and mighty generals might need me for a project inside this "Enclave", but I didn't understand my impact at that time. I understood that this might have been connected to my brother's involvement with a project called "Safehouse" or something like that. I honestly have no idea then that my brother's involvement in Safe House sealed my fate to survive. Apparently, my brother created some breakthrough in a Virus prototype in one of the government sites and plans on utilizing experiments in an enclosed environment. He had received high commendations for his great mind in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if something would hold my brother back.
"Coronal, Sir, why are all the vertibirds in this area going the same direction?" The Coronal, who is now in a T-51 Powerarmor, peered at me, "You're not the only pick up this fine Saturday Evening you know, I got orders from the very top, like very top, to evacuate all VIPs on the list. You should feel lucky Lieutenant to take part of that list. Any more questions will be answered at the base." From that moment on, I would strongly remember the incoming view of the Oil rig. The Rig seemed massive, with several helipads for landing and literally hundreds of people heading inside its safe doors. The Vertibird slowed down, jolted a bit, and dropped in attitude. The landing was a bit rough, with me being lurched forward upon touching the ground.
It was 6:45 A.M California time or 9:45 Eastern time when we arrived. I climbed down and grabbed my tan suitcase, checking myself one last time, and ran toward the doors. There was that insignia again, the giant E but with more emphasis on the black and white. At precisely 6:46, a large ringing sound can be heard inside. Suddenly there was a bright light in the far distance and a large burst of sound. I knew what that siren was, I heard it all the time as practice when I was stationed in Alaska. We use to practice ducking and hiding back at school whenever we hear it. It was the sound of impending doom, reaching its nasty claws at us and attempting to grab us.
One by one, more large booms can be heard around. The iconic mushroom cloud-piercing the bright blue skies. As I stood there in terror, I could hear hundreds of screams erupting, only to be silenced in the shroud of dust that consumed the West coast. Immediately, a soldier grabbed me and pushed me inside. " Get inside now!" "Jesus Christ! Run!" and in the midst of the chaos, I somehow successfully was shoved into a lift.
The door just slammed shut and we dropped at rapid speeds. I was struck with fear that the rush of radiation would reach us, harm us or even the blast wave swatting our lift away. I noticed, in the lift, that the armor that the soldiers were wearing was some sort of insignia, a large E surrounded by the gates opened, I came face to face with a fellow in a sharp uniform. The lights were much dimmer down here. According to his metals, he was an admiral of the United States Navy. All he did was inspect all of us, pointed behind him and stated, "All science officials must report to deck C, while military officials report to Deck F.
Any other personnel must report to examination room on Deck G. There are stairs behind me that will lead to your destination. Welcome to the Enclave, the brighter future for humanity and beyond." and just like that, he just marched away. Everyone around me just grabbed their stuff and head towards the staircase. It was a big blur after that, mainly with just tiny details of me wandering into deck F and signing in. The entire time, I could vouch that it was shocking what I experienced. Truth be told, the rest of my time in the rig wasn't that interesting, just a bunch of paperwork that I had to fill. Much later, I ran into my brother on Deck C, both of us in uniform. He had been checking off some sort of list, probably the supplies or something like that when I ran into him. His uniform is a weird science one (of course, he would be, that gigantic nerd). We mainly discussed what was going on, catching up mainly.
My brother discussed how Cryogenics here on the Rig was similar to the same equipment in a distant vault meant for civilians. He appeared distraught, almost as if he had an unbearable secret that he wished to get off his chest. However, before I could indulge in his work that got us here, the egghead co-worker of his came up and instructed me to report to the cryo chambers. Apparently, from what I could remember from the blur of paperwork and questioning, these enclave people want me to be frozen until they need me. Something about long-term reliability? Something related to my skills from Anchorage? I really hope it wasn't the latter as I feared that I had to go back into combat. That battle left me with bad scars, mentally and physically.
After my experience in that Snowy hell, the last thing I want is more fighting. My brother acknowledged the request and gave me one last hug. I'll still remember that moment, him hugging me like a last goodbye. A lot of this went over my head, with me never realizing that long-term storage requires a LONG time being departed from my brother. I didn't understand it but… it was my last experience in the presence of my brother.
He pulled away and quietly said that he had to stay and manage all the new experiments that the enclave request of him. I answered back a goodbye and headed off into Level H. I didn't really get a good experience at the enclave after that. When I did arrive inside the cryogenics bay, a bunch of scientists angrily mentioned how I was late and that I need to get in my pod. They were saying that I am jeopardizing the objective about purity or something. They weren't really nice, or patient. And in just a snap, I stepped into my white cryo pod and they initiated the countdown and then… pitch white. The everlasting ringing in my ear signaling a fresh start in a brand new world, a world after the fallout. Because even if the Great War had ended, War… War never Changes.
