Chapter 354
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There was some hope after June 1st. Mason said they had one final way to stop the asteroid. And there were still the rumors of a shelter under the White House. This shelter had been built to house the president, first family, and key cabinet and military officials in the event of nuclear war. In theory this shelter could withstand a direct nuclear hit, but there was only one way to know for certain. And it was based on the theory that a rescue team could eventually come to rescue the president, bring him to safety. Allegedly Mason still planned to bring himself and his family here, and give orders to the other Arks. But even if these rumors were true, exactly what power would Mason have to enforce his orders? The Arks would be seperated from each other by an ice age. They might be able to share intel, but each Ark would essentially become it's own country. A part of Eve still hoped to be chosen for this shelter. Eve knew she had little hope of being admitted here, she was neither family, nor did she have essential skills. Few believed that ELE could be stopped. And the rumors of the president's private shelter also made D.C. a target. Crowds were already gathering outside the capitol. Many seemed prepared to take the shelter by force, killing any government agent they had to. There was still some hope, but not much.
Over the next week Eve tried to do her job. She was basically on call 24/7. She mostly did her job in the day, and shared a bed with Zoey at night. Everyone suspected that Zoey and Eve were lovers, but it raised little attention. The crowds were gathering outside Washington, even reverand Walker had arrived. Walker seemed to have become the mob's leader. People were desperate enough to believe that Walker could lead them in a rightous final battle against this modern Babylon. Mason was trying to organize soldiers to protect the capitol. But most were being used for retrievals. And even brave soldiers feared the mob and were desserting. Keeler, a marine, was in charge of the president's bodyguard. Most likely he and the other marines would be on the front lines of this battle. Keeler was advising the president to keep a few marines around him for protection. Eve didn't know if Keeler was trying to keep a few of his brothers relatively safe, or wanted to protect his president. In the capitol, the enlistment age became twelve, many of the refugees were drafted. Mason could offer little incentive, other than extra rations. Admittedly, that was enough for some. Ofcourse some collected the extra food, then desserted almost immediately. Those caught desserting were whipped, and/or branded with a hot iron, then put back in uniform. The capitol was apparently that desperate.