The End

DECEMBER 7, 2014

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

Conner sat in his quarters staring at the stark gray walls. The air was stale and cold and the lights gave off an eerie luminescence that fit his mood. He had just come back from burying his son. His wife was able to keep a sense of composure during the ceremony, but now she sat in the other room sobbing. Her sobs echoed off the concrete and steel walls of what would be his home for a long time. He had attempted to console her but his attempts failed. He knew it would take time for her to get over the death of their only son.

While she did not find fault with him, she was angry that he did not show more emotion. If only she could read his mind, he thought; the sense of loss, anger and sadness filled him up, but he also needed to suppress it so he could be effective as the new president.

His mind then started to focus on the task at hand. He needed to lead his country through this catastrophe and hoped that on the other end there would still be a country. He did not want to leave her during this time, but he knew he must go meet with Griswald and Vice President Cruz to discuss their next move. During the flight to Colorado, Griswald was able to report that all military in Afghanistan had made it out safely and that they were heading directly for the eastern seaboard.

Conner had also been able to speak with the Australian prime minister again. He had pledged their full support to assist the United States. The prime minister still was unsuccessful in garnering more information on the attacks. Conner felt anxious, he felt he needed to act quickly to show those responsible that while they had hit the United States hard the country was not out. Conner and Griswald had gotten into another back and forth over the use of their nuclear arsenal against those enemies. What Conner did not expect is that his new VP sided with Griswald. Cruz’s support of what they called a more “diligent and cautious” approach had taken Conner by surprise; he had just assumed that his old friend would agree with him. Conner had decided not to make any decisions until he could process Griswald’s and especially Cruz’s objections. When he stood up to leave his quarters he thought of going to his wife, but stopped himself short and just left. He walked down the dimly lit passageways of the bunker toward the command post. He had called another meeting to give his thoughts on what type of response should be given and when.

When he approached the door to the command post, he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Cruz coming from the opposite way. They both greeted one another and Cruz asked to speak with him privately.

Without knowing another place to go, they both decided to just find the closest closet and chat. After checking several doors they found a small storage closet that would suffice.

“Brad, I’ve thought a lot about our meeting last night and while I have reservations I’m with you on whatever decision you make; however, I am concerned about General Griswald.”

“In what way are you concerned?” Conner asked, crossing his arms and looking curious.

“I can’t peg it, but I think I overheard him say something like ‘I won’t let this happen’ in relation to your proposal.”

“Really? Hmm. Well, let’s not jump to any conclusions. The general seems like a good man and I understand his concerns, I have them, too, but I have a responsibility to take care of this country and to ensure we can rebuild without the threat of further attacks. Now, if that’s it, let’s go to the meeting.”

Both men left the closet and went to the command post. It was a large room staffed by over a dozen Air Force and Army personnel who sat behind computer consoles. All along the wall were large monitors, many of them were dark. No one in the room seemed to take notice of Conner or Cruz. It might be that they did not know who they were. They both walked past everyone and into the briefing room that looked over the command post. Inside the room was a large table like any board room would have. There sat Griswald and his staff. When both Conner and Cruz walked in, the general and his staff stood up. After a few pleasantries everyone sat down.

Griswald started the meeting by saying, “Mr. President, I have compiled everything you asked for yesterday concerning a nuclear strike plan.”

Leaning forward on this table Conner said, “Great, general. Please proceed.”

“Mr. President, we have available to us the weapons to strike multiple targets in each of the following countries, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, North Korea, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Syria.”

“Once ordered, how long for the strikes to be over?”

“From start to finish, about 30 minutes sir.”

“Okay, good; let’s move on; have we been able to reach the prime minister in Turkey and Israel?”

“Yes sir, we have. They are pledging whatever support they can. Israel has expressed their concern for their own safety, of course, and cannot at this time devote any military assets to us.”

“What about our neighbors to the south?”

“Sir, you mean Mexico or South America?”

“Both.”

“We have been able to contact the military in Mexico and they are dealing with the same situation we are, Mexico City was not affected, but easily half of the country was. I haven’t been able to reach the Mexican president. We have reached out to your counterparts in Central and South America and they wish to express sorrow for the attacks and want to give us as much support as possible.

“Please set up conference calls with all the leaders you can get and patch them through to my office directly after this meeting. I want to talk to each one and attempt to get what support we can get.”

“Sir, can I be frank?” Griswald asked.

“Sure”

“If you go through with these nuclear strikes, I am not sure how much support we will get from the rest of the world.”

“I understand your concerns and you might be correct, but what are we to do, nothing?”

“Of course not, sir, but we should make sure we know who did this before-.”

Stopping Griswald mid-sentence Conner started yelling, “General, how many times do I have to hear you make this same concern? I have heard you! We do not have the luxury of time or the assets at our disposal now to conduct a full investigation. What we do know is that in order for someone to carry out this attack, they had to have substantial resources; and while this might have been a terrorist group they were financed and provided direct support by a nation state. We know who our enemies are, they are on that list. Our enemies are laughing at us right now and who knows, they are probably plotting further attacks!” Conner finished yelling and then slammed his fist against the table.

Everyone in the room and around the table just stared. They were all a bit taken aback. Conner sat there fuming and looked at each person in the room. Griswald sat motionless at the opposite end of the table.

Conner started to speak again, this time he only spoke loud and determined, “General, your concerns have been noted; I appreciate you and respect those thoughts but you stress the need for more information; what you don’t offer is a plan. While it is easy to give critique and criticism of my potential plan, you offer none of your own. I alone hold the responsibility for this country’s safety.” Conner finished and turned and looked directly at Cruz, who sat next to him.

Cruz returned the look and said, “Mr. President, I have expressed similar views myself, but whatever decision you make, I will support.”

Nodding his approval, Conner turned to Griswald and asked, “What about you general?”

Still sitting in awe of the lambasting he had just taken, Griswald did not respond right away. The silence in the room made many feel uncomfortable. Finally he answered, “Mr. President; I am sworn to follow and obey the Commander in Chief and I will do so; whatever you decide I will follow.”

“General, please put our nuclear forces on standby for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If there is nothing else, I think this meeting is over. Please put me through to all of my counterparts, starting first with any NATO allies we have and then with those leaders in Central and South America.”

“Yes, sir,” Griswald answered.

Conner stood up and left the room. After closing the door, he stood just outside the room for a moment. Some of the military personnel behind their monitors looked at him; he wondered if they had heard his tirade. He ran through the events that had just transpired in the briefing room. He did not want to kill millions of people, but he didn’t know what else to do. He thought of those dictators and mullahs in Iran and how they were probably celebrating the fact that the United States had finally fallen. That thought alone made Conner angry; he could not escape taking the attack personally. His thoughts then went to Griswald and what Cruz had mentioned. He did not want to consume himself with Griswald’s supposed comment, but he was a bit nervous. These were unprecedented times and right now anything could happen, he planned on keeping an eye on Griswald.

San Diego, CA

Gordon yawned and stretched his tired and achy body. The sun’s initial rays were pushing their way through the eastern clouds. Gordon and Jimmy were staged at the central park waiting for his scavenger party to show up. Gordon had stayed up into the night working on a plan that would ensure their survival. Three two-man teams would scavenge daily for food, water, fuel, medicines, vehicles and weapons.

He assigned each team a specific task; one was to go get food and medicines, the second water and the third to find vehicles and weapons. The hours would be long, but what else did they have to do now? Beyond the scavenger teams his plan called for a hospital, a team of gardeners that could start to work on converting one of the parks into a garden, perimeter security, school and community maintenance teams. The community would meet daily to get their rations delivered to them based upon what they found the day before.

He was concerned about Mindy and the board’s cooperation. Everyone had not shown up yesterday to be added to the list, so he wasn’t sure if everyone would be in agreement with his plan or if he would have a divided neighborhood, something he desperately did not want.

He and another team convoyed to the Carmel Mountain mall, a large series of strip malls about 5 miles away from his neighborhood. There they split up so they could adequately cover more territory. He sent Nelson with another man to recon a potable water reservoir close by. If his hunch was correct, there could be water in the tank. If there was, they would seize it, isolate it and conduct daily water runs.

During the drive, Jimmy just chatted about nothing and Gordon took the time to relax. It wasn’t long before his relaxation turned into sleep.

Gordon was jolted awake by Jimmy punching him in the arm and yelling at him to wake up.

The first store, a grocery store; was teeming with people. Mobs were carrying out armfuls of food and supplies.

“What should we do?” Jimmy asked leaning against the steering wheel looking at the people running around.

“Ahh, let’s see,” Gordon said sounding a bit foggy from his short nap.

“Bro, that looks like a cluster fuck.”

“I think you’re right, but I need to go in and see what I can get, keep the truck back,” Gordon said.

Pulling his pistol out of his shoulder holster he press checked it to confirm if it was loaded. Ensuring Jimmy was armed and prepared he left for the store. Gordon counted dozens of people coming in and out. All along the front of the store and into the parking lot, debris and crushed food items were strewn. Gordon wore a large backpack and made sure he kept his jacket unzipped so he could get his gun if needed. To Gordon the mob was proof positive the word had gotten out. Knowing his odds of securing a large cache of food and supplies was limited, he still had to go get what he could.

Upon entering the darkened store, his assumptions proved correct. Walking briskly down the empty aisles, he grabbed what lone can or packet of food he could find or pick up off the floor. Seeing the pharmacy right away, he proceeded toward it. The pharmacy shelves were stripped bare too. Jumping over the counter and into the pharmacy was easy since someone had smashed the windows. He picked up what he could and stuffed it into his pack. Feeling frustrated after spending twenty minutes with not much to show for it, he left the store.

He exited the dimly lit chaos of the ransacked store to witness what would soon become the new normal. Jimmy and the truck were surrounded by three men. They were rocking the truck back and forth all the while taunting and yelling. Jimmy returned the taunts and screams. He also was threatening them with his gun, but the threats didn’t stop them.

Gordon began to run toward Jimmy. He unholstered his Sig, held it above his head and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun made the men stop. They turned and looked at Gordon who pointed the gun at the closest one and yelled, “Back the fuck off! Step away from the truck!”

“Hey, bro, chill!” yelled the man who Gordon had the gun trained on.

Gordon’s situational awareness was still there. While he kept his gun on the one man, he was also tracking the other two. He noticed the other two took a few steps back but the one man did the opposite. He took a step toward Gordon.

“Get the fuck out of here now!” Gordon yelled at him.

“Hey, bro. This your truck? Let us borrow it.”

“Get the fuck out of here NOW!” Gordon yelled again.

Taking another step closer to Gordon, the man yelled something in Spanish to his two friends. Gordon didn’t understand what he said, but whatever it was made the other two start to advance again.

“If you don’t listen and back away from the truck, I’ll shoot you!” Gordon commanded.

Gordon was feeling a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, fear coupled with anticipation. Time started to slow for him. His eyes shifted from the man to his front to the other two and back again. His hands were firmly grasping his pistol. He then noticed the man was looking over his shoulder at something behind him. Sensing that he needed to look, he glanced back quickly to see three other men running toward him. They were 40 feet away but closing fast. Gordon instinctively looked back to confront the original three just in time. The first man had closed the distance and was feet from him. Without hesitation Gordon shot the first man in the face. The back of his head exploded then he fell to the ground with a thud. Gordon advanced, stepping over him, and took aim on the next man. He squeezed the trigger, unleashing another 9MM round. The bullet ripped through his chest and the man fell back. The third man turned and ran. Showing no mercy, Gordon aimed and shot him between the shoulder blades. Knowing that a threat still existed, he swung around to address the other three but they had stopped their advance and were running away. The distance was too great for the capabilities of his pistol, so he didn’t waste the bullets. The shooting had slowed the looting and ransacking of the store. People were standing in the parking lot staring at him. The voyeurism lasted only moments before everyone went back to looting.

Hearing the truck door behind him; he turned and saw Jimmy slowly getting out of the truck. His face told Gordon the state he was in. He looked over the three lifeless bodies that surrounded his truck. Only in movies had he ever seen anything like this before. In fact, he had never seen a dead person except for his grandparents a few years before.

Gordon re-holstered his Sig and walked up to the first man he shot. He knelt down and started to check the man’s pockets.

“What are you doing?” Jimmy asked clearly looking disgusted.

Not looking up at Jimmy, Gordon responded, “Seeing if he has anything of value.”

“Are you serious, man?”

Gordon looked up at Jimmy with a blank stare, “Jimmy, you better realize that this is the new world we’re in. They might have something that we could use. Now go check that one,” Gordon ordered nodding in the direction of one of the dead men.

Jimmy looked at the body next to him and said, “Fuck that, man, I’m not doing that.”

Finishing his search of the first man, he walked up to Jimmy. “If you’re not going to help, then step aside.”

Backing away to let Gordon pass. Jimmy walked back to the truck and got in. He watched in bewildered amazement as Gordon searched the dead men. Only two days after the attacks and the world was going to shit. His thinking had not caught up with the realities of the new world, as he thought Gordon did not have to shoot all three. The entire situation made him very uncomfortable and out of place.

Gordon got back in the truck. He began to wipe blood on his pants, “Not much on those guys. I have an idea, though; there’s a Home Depot just down the street. I want to go there and get seed for our gardens.”

Jimmy sat motionless and quiet.

“Jimmy, snap out of it; we need to go.”

“I just don’t understand why you had to kill the other two guys. The first one, sure, but the other two had stopped,” Jimmy said speaking in a low tone.

“I can see why you would think that, but I will say it again. What you saw out there is just the beginning. We will have to kill more people just like that. I did us a favor by killing them now. Hell, I might have saved a life. Those guys were up to no good. I only wish I had a rifle. I would have shot the other three.”

Looking over at Gordon, Jimmy queried, “Seriously? You would have killed the other three guys?”

“Yes, Jimmy, I would have,” Gordon said, not pausing a second to think of the answer.

“What happened to you over in the war man, did it fuck you up?”

Gordon looked down at Jimmy’s shaking hands, Gordon stopped defending his actions. He knew he needed to help his friend as Gordon just realized he was in shock.

“Hey buddy, I know this is tough for you. But please trust me when I tell you I did it to protect us all, especially your family. If they could have they would have probably killed you,” Gordon said with a softer tone.

Jimmy kept seeing images of what just happened over and over in his mind.

“Let me drive, okay?” Gordon said.

Jimmy just nodded and got out of the truck. Gordon slid over behind the driver’s seat and started it. He watched Jimmy slowly walk around and get back in. The drive to Home Depot was quiet as both men processed in their own way the events that had just occurred.

USS Makin Island, Indian Ocean

“Yes!” Barone yelled, responding to the banging on the hatch to his quarters.

The hatch opened and a young Marine lieutenant stepped inside.

“William my boy, so glad to see you son,” Barone said with happiness in his voice as he stood and approached the young Marine. They both embraced, patting each other on the back.

“Dad… I’m sorry colonel; good to see you too.”

“Billy, it’s just Dad when we’re together; you know that,” Barone said back. He motioned for his son to sit down at a small table in his room. “I’m so glad you could make it for dinner with your ole’ man.”

Billy was Barone’s only son; he had a daughter, too, who was still in high school back in Oceanside. Billy looked very much like his father but with a slender athletic build. Billy had followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Marine Corps after college. While his father went on to become an infantry platoon commander out of school, Billy saw his future in the air. He became a fighter pilot, flying AV-8B Harrier Jump Jets. It was just a coincidence that he was onboard the Makin Island. Billy had been on a West-Pac deployment with his unit as part of the 11^th MEU. Barone could not have been more excited to have his son with him as they started this new mission together. He had not had a chance to speak with him since they arrived, and now they’d be able to catch up. Billy always looked for his father’s approval and did what he could to always support and make his dad proud.

“Dad, I have to say; it would have been nice to see you before you made that huge announcement.”

“Sorry, son, timing was everything; I knew you’d be with me and I had to move fast the minute we boarded the ships,” Barone said.

“I understand, I just got some heat from some of my colleagues.”

“So, tell me, are they on board with this?” Barone asked looking concerned and earnest to hear his son’s thoughts.

“At first there was shock, but everyone agrees that our mission should be back in California not on the East Coast.”

“I’m sorry, son, can I offer you a drink?” Barone asked pointing to a bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on his desk.

“That would be great, thanks Dad.”

Barone stood up quickly and grabbed the bottle and two plastic cups. As he poured, he asked what was a sincere and sensitive question for him, “Billy, tell me honestly; do you agree with this decision? You can be honest with me; I trust and respect your opinion.”

Billy raised his eyebrows in surprise; it was not often that his father asked him about a decision he had made. This really struck him as odd, but he also felt proud that his father trusted his thoughts enough to ask. “Dad, I don’t know how it could have gone any different. I look at what’s happened and think we need to be home protecting our families. So, yes, I agree with your decision; I know in some people’s eyes we are now traitors but I know enough about history to know that we will be judged by those generations later who have a clear view of everything in its context.”

“Thank you, son, I appreciate your candid thoughts. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I just couldn’t go along with leaving our families defenseless at home; I only wish we could get back sooner. I estimate that if all goes smoothly, we should be pulling into San Diego within three weeks. From there we’ll be in a better situation to assess the situation on the ground.”

“Dad, what happens to us once the president finds out?”

“Billy, you don’t have to concern yourself with that now, I will take full responsibility once and if, I emphasize if, we are charged with anything.”

“Why would you say, if?”

“Because I don’t know if our country will survive this. I fear it will rip itself apart and when it comes back together it may not look like the country we left.”

“So in some ways we aren’t risking it all, because there may not be a country to mutiny against in the end.” Billy said, nodding. All of a sudden the bigger picture was becoming apparent to him.

“Right now, our concern needs to be getting to Diego Garcia, where we will try to drop off those who don’t want to go with us. We also need to pick up additional supplies and from there we’ll head onto San Diego,” Barone said, before he took a drink of his Jack Daniels.

“Dad, whatever you need from me let me know. I support you 100 percent.”

Barone reached across the table and patted his son’s hand and said, “Thank you son.”

They enjoyed the rest of their dinner together with conversations about home. After Billy left, Barone sat back down and poured himself another drink. He looked around his state-room, the cold, gray steel walls and piping that zig zagged across the ceiling. He liked his life in the Marine Corps, a room like this had been his home on and off for a long time. Upon their return to San Diego, he wasn’t sure when he’d set foot on a ship again. The journey home would be full of potential surprises and possible conflict. The paradox of it all was that the worst case for him personally was that the country returned to normal. He would surely be arrested, court-martialed and jailed for a long time. He wasn’t hoping for the country not to recover, but he was betting it wasn’t going to. He longed to be with his wife in Oceanside who was alone. He could not bear to think of what might happen to her and his daughter, Megan. He had been married for 28 years and wasn’t going to leave her alone and in need. Everything had become complicated, but he felt what he was doing was just. He decided he wasn’t going to concern himself with the distant future, whatever would happen would happen. After pouring another drink, he looked at it before he quickly drank it down with one gulp. The effects of the whiskey were starting to take hold. He welcomed the feeling. He wouldn’t have very many breaks, so getting a bit drunk was his way of escaping the realities of his self-imposed situation.

San Diego, CA

Gordon’s Home Depot plan had proven to be a good decision. As Gordon liked to say, “It was a target rich environment.” He gathered every packet of seed, batteries, flashlights, gardening tools, junk food, drinks and miscellaneous supplies he could take. The way the ransacking was going at the strip malls that day; he was surprised that no one had broken in yet. It took him 15 trips and 2 hours to bring everything back. The darkness of the stores made the scavenging difficult. Gordon laughed to himself about how finding things in Home Depot was tough when the lights were on. Each time he returned with a full basket he could see the shock wearing off of Jimmy. They exchanged some casual banter back and forth. Gordon had liked Jimmy from the first time they met. They both shared similar values and raised their children in the same fashion. Gordon also appreciated Jimmy’s sense of humor and respected his business prowess.

“How are we looking for fuel?” Gordon asked, after dumping his backpack of candy bars into the bed of the truck.

“We could use some, let’s top off over there,” Jimmy said pointing to a new model Chevy Tahoe.

“Sure, pull the truck over there and get the siphon going. I’ll grab some empty gas cans and toss them in the back, too.” Gordon said, putting his pack back on and heading to the store again.

Gordon gathered up all the gas cans he could find and came out to find Jimmy petting a dog.

“What a sweet dog,” Jimmy said, crouched down petting the gray pit bull.

“I think that’s it,” Gordon said tying down all the scavenged items in the bed of the truck. He ignored Jimmy and the dog.

Jimmy kept petting and talking to the dog in a high-pitched voice.

“Let’s head back, make a drop and see if we can make it back out maybe somewhere close before it gets dark,” Gordon said walking around the truck to talk to Jimmy.

Jimmy was still petting and talking to the dog.

“Helloooo,” Gordon said.

“Yeah, I heard ya’,” Jimmy answered then followed up with, “Do you think he’s lost?”

“No, I don’t. He’s just scavenging like us, now let’s go. We’re wasting time.”

Jimmy gave the dog one last pet and kissed the top of its head before getting behind the driver’s seat. He started to pull away and saw the dog starting to follow them. As he weaved around parked and stalled cars in the parking lot the dog kept following. This happened for about 2 minutes before Jimmy stopped the truck and jumped out.

“What are you doing?” Gordon asked looking agitated.

Jimmy grabbed the dog and put it in the cab with them. He then looked at Gordon and said with a grin, “I promise I’ll feed him.”

“Whatever, just remember that dogs use resources,” Gordon said, shaking his head.

The dog leaned against Gordon and licked him.

“Mason, will love her. Plus this will help him with everything that is going on.”

Jimmy put the truck in gear and drove on, heading west toward their community.

Driving on the freeway was not easy, the constant weaving in and out made driving slow. Gordon noticed several other cars operating on their way back, all were older models. People were walking the highways in greater numbers than just the day before. They were peering into abandoned cars looking for what they could take. What he couldn’t understand is that people were stealing TVs and stereo equipment. They held the belief that those items still held value. They didn’t know that those things weren’t worth the plastic they were made with. The economy had changed and the only things of value now were those items that could keep you alive. He wondered how the other two teams made out. If Nelson, had secured the water tank that would make the day a huge success. The only issue would be holding it; they would have to use additional man-power and resources to keep it.

When they pulled up on the main gate, one of the new guards opened up the gate manually and let them in. They drove in and saw a large gathering in the central park.

“What’s going on there?” Jimmy asked out loud.

“Not sure, pull up over there,” Gordon said pointing to an area next to the park.

The gathering consisted of about 50 or more people and Mindy was standing at the head talking to them.

“Great!” Gordon said loudly and sarcastically as he finally saw who was speaking.

They pulled up and Gordon jumped out before the truck even came to a final stop. He approached the group at a quick pace.

“I want to thank you all for coming out and for your trust. Your board will work to make your lives better and this community functioning properly.” Mindy said. The crowd’s applause turned to loud chatter when they saw Gordon.

Mindy saw Gordon, too and turned to greet him. “Mr. Van Zandt, I am so happy to see you,” she said putting out her hand.

Gordon didn’t shake her hand. He quickly stepped beside her and quietly asked, “You’re not causing trouble are you?”

“Gordon, I am not here to cause trouble but wanted to explain myself to whomever would hear. I first want to apologize to you for my words and doubt yesterday. I also want to say that we want to work with you to make this transition go smoothly.”

Gordon was surprised by Mindy’s comments. He hesitated before saying, “Mindy, I’m glad to hear that, thank you.”

“When you have time, I’d like to see what you’ve done so far. Can we help with the administrative side of it?” Mindy asked.

“Sure, I’d love that; let me unload what we were able to get today and talk with our other two teams before, okay?”

“Sure, take your time. Just meet me at my house later,” Mindy said, smiling.

Gordon felt surprised and relieved. Just a day ago it looked like getting the entire community together would be an issue and only complicate what was a complicated problem. Gordon watched Mindy stride away with her typical confidence.

As the sun began its westerly descent, it proved that regardless of the bombs, death and chaos around them; Mother Nature still was able to show her beauty. It made Gordon feel small knowing that nature did not care what humans did to themselves. The sun had been rising and setting for billions of years and would continue to do so for billions more without them.

Gordon’s thoughts were interrupted by the wetness of Jimmy’s new dog licking his hand.

He squatted down and started petting the dog, “Hey, girl, how ya’ doing?” The dog didn’t have a collar but must have been someone’s dog by the way it displayed its affection. Hearing the truck horn, he knew it was time to get back to business. Walking back to the truck he went through a mental checklist of everything that had occurred so far that day; food, check, seed, check, batteries, check, tools, check, dead bad people, check….