Project Terminus (4 page)

Bill said, “Damn, it’s so quiet and peaceful here. I almost hope God does give the earth an enema. If He does, you know He’s gonna insert the nozzle at DC.”

Wade and Highlander both smiled.

In a quiet voice, Wade said, “I know you don’t really want a collapse, Bill, but I understand what you’re saying. The country we grew up in is almost unrecognizable. And we both know it’s not going to get any better. It’s comforting to know that if and when the shit hits the fan, we’ll be prepared not just to survive, but to thrive.”

By July, Fort Terminus went from concept to functional. There was a high capacity, off-grid power system, which included two wind turbines and a motorized solar system that tracked the sun. It was capable of producing more than enough power to cover their anticipated requirements, including electricity for cooking and heat since the smoke from burning wood could give away their location. They decided they would use the wood stoves sparingly, and only during stormy weather and/or at night. Springs were located on both ends of the plateau and spring boxes were constructed to capture water. Highlander crafted and installed a grated floor system in the cave, strung lights, and installed a heavy-duty aluminum entrance door. Planting bushes and strategically placing boulders in front of it further concealed the cave opening. The shaft exit at the top of the mountain was capped with an aluminum hatch and named “the crow’s nest.” The vantage point provided unrestricted views of the valley floor and would serve as a sniper position if needed. They analyzed the defensive and offensive potential of Fort-T, and decided on where future watch posts would be manned, how best to access and conceal them, where they would place claymores, and which trees would ultimately be wired with C4.

Chris and Wade put together yet another list of survival supplies.

Bill and Randal produced an impressive list of weaponry.

Going over the armaments list, Bill told Randal, “With our contacts, we can get everything on here, but it won’t be cheap.”

Randal said, “That’s a fact. Unfortunately, getting our hands on some of these items will take awhile, so we should start now.”

Maggie and Becky had a list of medical equipment and supplies that would rival any military field hospital in the world, and a toiletries list that was going to make a Cape Coral Walgreens manager very happy.

Handing the list to Wade, Maggie said, “Here you go, Honey.”

Wade looked over the list and started shaking his head from side to side. “Balls, Maggie, I can’t believe you forgot a CT scanner.”

Maggie made a scrunched up face. “That’s very funny, Wade. You asked me to get you a detailed list. That’s what I did.” Then she turned and walked away.

Wade grimaced. After catching up with her, he said, “I was just kidding, Mags. If this is what you want, this is what we’ll get.”

Maggie looked at him and started laughing. “You look like a lost puppy, Wade. I was only kidding too.”

Tina had a list of every book, pencil, and sheet of paper she would need to teach April and Adam through high school, and if necessary, into college. She also had an impressive list of music, which included over 10,000 songs on several different MP3 players with external speakers, and an extensive library of how to books.

Carol put together a list of recreational items, including footballs, soccer balls, baseball equipment, badminton, horseshoes, and even a portable basketball hoop. For indoor games, she included numerous board games, card games, puzzles, drawing and artistry supplies, and a variety of boy and girl’s toys. She told Wade, “I included a bunch of Christmas decorations, several American flags, and picture books depicting Americana, including the celebrated holidays.”

Sean gathered information on every piece of equipment necessary to construct, manage, and maintain a hydroponic garden of epic proportions. “Wade, this garden can produce enough fresh veggies to feed us indefinitely. And the best part is that it takes up a small amount of space. I also added a large amount of non-hybrid Heirloom seeds, including wheat and oats, for future use.”

Linda was in heaven, and every day she was at Fort T, she practiced her campfire cookery. One weekend when they were all together, she prepared a simple but delicious evening meal consisting of fresh caught wild trout, potatoes au gratin, peas, fresh baked bread, and an assortment of fresh veggies. Dessert was homemade German chocolate cake.

While they were sitting around the campfire drinking coffee after the meal, Bill looked at his wife, belched loudly, and said, “When we get back, I’m building a fire-pit in the back yard and gettin’ rid of the kitchen range and microwave.”

Linda smiled sweetly and said, “I appreciate the compliment, sweetheart, but if you do that, I’m getting rid of a husband.”

Everyone laughed, including Bill.

Wade was impressed by everyone’s work. During their July 4
th
get together, he gave them an update on where they stood. “You guys have done an outstanding job in a very short time. Now we need to start getting this gear together and into the Fort. Unfortunately, we can’t have anything delivered here, but I’ve set up a shipping location in Atlanta. That’s reasonably close. We’ll pick it up and haul it here ourselves.

By October they had a five-year supply of food, more than half of the other supplies they intended to stock, and backups for every piece of critical equipment. They started on the final design phase of the Fort. The remainder of the year flew by, and problems for the United States and the world continued to mount.

For Wade and the others, the nightly news was greeted with dumbfounded skepticism. The lack of reporting on the potential dangers to the country was obvious. Which was troublesome. Because the news failed the “gut test,” they doubled down on their efforts to complete Project Terminus.

Eighteen months after the purchase of the land, Fort Terminus was operational with every survival and tactical item imaginable fully stocked, and they took turns manning it for a few days to a week at a time. Five hundred gallons of treated gasoline was stored. They had two heavy-duty modified 4-wheelers, night vision and thermal imaging scopes, two-way radios, and silencers for select weapons. The solar system powered various sized DRASH military tents, one of which included a bathroom, a composting toilet, and a shower system. The five years of dehydrated and freeze dried food was augmented by a hydroponics section for fresh fruit and vegetables. Extra food would come from fishing the numerous creeks and the river running through the valley and hunting the variety of wild game available. They also had an impressive array of weaponry secured in Fort-T’s armory, including eight M4 carbines, a SAW, a Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle, an M24 sniper rifle, half a dozen .12-gauge shotguns, twelve handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammo for each weapon. Randal and Bill also managed to obtain claymores, frag and smoke grenades, disposable anti-tank weapons, and enough C4, det-cord, and primers to blow up half the county. They also had dosimeters and clothing to protect themselves from radiation and diseases such as Ebola carefully stored in each family member’s locker.

Every item was tested and retested, and anything electronic was encased in a copper mesh cage for protection against an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse). With the crow’s nest cap in place, the cave maintained a constant temperature of 57°F and the relative humidity was consistently less than 50%, making it the perfect place to store buckets of survival food and other heat sensitive items. The chickens, goats, and rabbits were kept at a country house in Florida belonging to a friend of Linda’s, to be taken to the Fort when the time came.

A gun was never fired at Fort Terminus. Although the fort was in an extremely remote location and it was unlikely someone would hear shots, they weren’t willing to take the chance. Instead, Randal had a friend, who was a retired Army Ranger and owned 1,000 acres of land in Florida’s panhandle. With Wade assisting, Randal took the women, Sean, and Highlander, to a remote area of the property for two separate training sessions comprising two weekends of twenty-four hours each. When the training was complete, each one could fieldstrip, clean, and reassemble every weapon in their inventory. And they were all adequate shooters. He taught them how to use the night vision devices, the radios, and taught them hand signals, and instructed them in basic combat and patrol techniques.

Everyone in the group was in good health, but they knew it was critical to be in the best condition possible, so they began rigorous workout regimens.

By mid-December it looked like a collapse of the US financial system was imminent. Unemployment had skyrocketed and inflation was running rampant—a gallon of milk cost over six bucks. Gas went from around two fifty per gallon to over five dollars, and people were understandably nervous.

In mid-January, Wade and Maggie were sitting on the dock watching the sunset.

“Wade, how long do we have?”

He shook his head slowly from side to side as he spoke. “I wish I knew, Mags.”

Maggie met his eyes; a worried expression weighed down her words. “Best guess, then?”

Wade hesitated and said, “Mags…a guess is worthless. I thought it would happen before this. You know that.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Will we make it until the fourth of July?”

Taking her in his arms, he held her close and said, “I don’t see how, Honey.”

By early February it was obvious to anyone willing to look that the world economy was sliding into the abyss, and at a Project Terminus meeting they decided to withdraw their money from the banks, cash in their investments, and purchase gold and silver coins.

In the early morning hours of a Sunday in late February, Russia invaded Belarus. That same evening, China invaded Taiwan. The president failed to respond until late Monday morning, when he publicly condemned both attacks. The stock market, however, was not waiting to hear what the president had to say. By the time the last word left his mouth, the DOW was down 3600 points, which was the level-three threshold that automatically ended Wall Street trading for the day. In less than an hour the next morning, the DOW lost another 3600 points and the market shut down again. That same evening, at the height of rush hour, Islamic terrorists attacked the New York City subway system, killing over 300; and rammed the Verrazano Narrows Bridge with a barge filled with explosives, killing an additional 500 Americans.

Without waiting for either to be called a terrorist attack, Wade called Randal, Chris, and Bill and simply said, “New Horizons.” The code phrase meant an immediate departure to Fort Terminus. When he ended the call, Maggie started packing.

At Bill’s, Wade found him and Linda making final preparations.

Looking up from the box he was taping shut, Bill said, “Looks like the pooch is screwed, Boss.”

“You have a way with words, my friend, but yeah, it looks like the pooch is screwed.”

“Linda and I are on our way to pick-up the livestock and their supplies. Then we’re outta here. You know he’s gonna impose Martial Law, with travel restrictions. Plus, the banks will close. There’s gonna be hell to pay. We need to be at Fort-T before that happens.”

“That’s a fact. What do you need help with?”

“Nothing. This is the last box. See you at the Fort.”

Wade returned home to find Maggie watching Fox News.

“Anything new?”

Maggie looked stressed. “Not really, Honey, they’re just confirming what we already know.

Although Maggie knew this would happen, the moment of implementing New Horizons was still a shock to her.

Wade put has arms around her. “Maggie, we’re prepared for this. We’ll be fine.”

Shaking her head sadly, she said, “I know we will, Wade, it’s just that…it’s like an old friend’s on her death bed and there’s nothing you can do except watch her die. It’s just so sad.”

Fifteen minutes later, they left for Fort-T, arriving ten hours later.

When the trucks were unloaded, they were moved to a designated area, the gas was drained, and portable wire cages were installed to protect them from an EMP. Then they were covered with camouflaged netting and brush. Randal and Bill wiped the tire tracks from their exit point off the forest service road and they were declared secure.

The twelve chickens, one rooster, a buck and two doe rabbits, and three goats were placed in the small building that would serve as the barn.

Project Terminus was completed, and Fort Terminus became fully occupied and operational on a rainy, windy evening in March. Gathered around a small TV connected to the satellite system, they watched Fox News as they ate their first “occupied” meal at Fort Terminus.

The DOW duplicated its drop of the previous two days and fell another 3600 points shortly after the market opened. They listened to Greta Van Susteren: “That’s a 60% drop in just three days, folks. But the big story of the day isn’t the DOW. At one pm this afternoon, the president declared a National Emergency and implemented Martial Law nationwide, which includes immediate implementation of the Executive Order giving Homeland Security the legal right to come into your home and confiscate your food, your guns, your water, your gas and…well, almost anything.”

Greta went on to explain the restrictions on travel; the curfews, which were different in different areas of the country; and the absolute travel bans in certain areas. She continued, “The president also issued a new Executive Order, rescinding the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the ability of the Federal Government to enforce state laws with active duty troops. He has since ordered thousands of active duty army and marine troops into the streets of the cities. And…
and…
at the same time, he placed all state National Guard units under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security. The president also said that in the near future it might be necessary to have official government issued papers to travel anywhere. This is very troubling, folks.”

The news went on to report about food being scarce and the overwhelming run on the banks, forcing them to close. No one was shocked by Greta’s report.

When the president issued the order to deploy active duty military troops to patrol the streets of American cities, the majority of commissioned officers who had families, resigned. Randal, who was now a captain in the Green Berets but on leave, was one of them.

Wade stood and addressed the group. “I’m afraid the worst is yet to come, and we have a lot of work to do. I suggest we all get a good night’s sleep. I’ll have a work detail for everyone tomorrow.”

The first day at Fort Terminus was relegated to history.

******

February became March and March crept slowly into April. They spent the time fine-tuning every aspect of Fort-T in preparation for a total collapse of the United States. The statistics broadcast daily bore testimony to the scope of the disaster. The DOW had fallen to less than 1,000 points, the dollar was virtually worthless, there were riots in almost every metro area, and the FEMA camps were open under the guise of taking care of the citizenry. After taking Belarus, Russia turned its sights on Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. A month later, and without a shot fired, they annexed those countries. China suffered massive casualties when it invaded Taiwan, but ultimately prevailed and officially declared the Island of Taiwan a part of China. When the Taiwan campaign was complete, emboldened by the lack of response from Washington and its allies, China moved quickly to take over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, claiming they were necessary to protect their homeland from aggression from the South China Sea.

During the construction phase of Fort Terminus, Wade insisted that every piece of electronic equipment was encased in a Faraday Cage for protection from an EMP. To accomplish that, Highlander constructed a full copper Faraday Cage inside the cave and anchored it to the granite walls. He also lined the inside of the cave door and the hatch to the crow’s nest with copper wire mesh. All sensitive electronics and back up electronics, including wind turbine parts, extra flashlights, and NVDs were stored in portable Faraday Cages in the cave. The head-end for the wind-solar system and the two 4-wheelers were encased in their own Faraday Cages.

On a Sunday in April, while the Terminus group was eating a late night supper and watching the news, the TV went dead. Within minutes, Wade determined it was the result of an EMP. The USA had officially returned to the Stone Age.

“Those bastards,” muttered Bill. “Who do you think did it, Wade?”

A grim faced Wade said, “My money’s on Russia. Maybe China, but I think Russia’s the likely culprit.”

Highlander took Wade and Randal aside and told them both of the wind turbines were inoperable and the charge controller for the solar system was toast too. “I’ll have them back on line in a couple of hours.”

Wade asked, “How many backups do we have, Highlander?”

“There are three sets for each wind turbine, and we have six charge controllers.”

Wade thought for a moment. “Don’t replace the turbine parts yet, but get the solar system back on line.”

“Why?” asked Highlander.

Randal answered for Wade. “If you take out a country’s infrastructure, especially ours, you have to expect an appropriate response. And trust me, Highlander, that EMP did
not
destroy our military capabilities. If we haven’t already, we will strike back.”

“But what does that have to do with replacing the turbine parts?”

“If you’re the one who launched the EMP attack, and you know there will be a response, wouldn’t you want to follow up with a second attack to get some of the military electronics that will be exposed during the response?”

“But how will we know if there’s a second attack?”

Wade said, “We’ll know when the charge controller you replace burns out again.”

The second EMP attack came two days later. Highlander asked Wade if there would be a third.

“I doubt there’s anything left of the aggressor country, so, no, I don’t think there will be a third attack. But a nuclear attack is a different story. Go ahead and replace everything that’s burned out and get us back on-line.”

Fort Terminus had two ham radios. They were capable of transmitting, but were used for informational purposes only. The day after the second EMP attack, Highlander took one out and set it up in the supply tent. When the sixty-five foot dipole antenna was strung between two poles at the rear of the plateau, he hooked it up, turned it on, and started listening.

“I have a station in Melbourne,” he said to no one in particular, then started writing furiously.

Handing sheet after sheet of paper to Wade, he continued listening to the operator in Australia. After thirty minutes, the transmissions ceased and Highlander scanned the airways until he picked up another station in Minnesota. Writing down the information the Minnesota operator was broadcasting, Highlander continued listening until the man signed off for the day. Turning to Wade, he said, “Holy shit!”

Wade had been reading the notes as Highlander handed them to him. “Yeah, holy shit!”

Wade told Randal to get everyone together in the mess tent.

Linda made fresh coffee and some hot chocolate for the kids, and after everyone was seated, Wade briefed them.

“You all know about the second EMP attack. That wasn’t a problem for us because we were prepared for it. For the past two hours, Highlander has been monitoring two different ham radio stations. One is in Melbourne, Australia and the other in rural Minnesota. There’s been a nuclear exchange between several countries, including the USA. Official information is unavailable, but at the moment here’s what we have. Two days ago, nuclear attacks were launched on New York City, DC, Norfolk, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Whidbey Island in Washington State.”

He looked around the room at their fear-filled faces, understanding the impact of the news he was sharing. “Eight cities in Russia were attacked, including Moscow. Six cities in China, plus London and Paris were also hit. India and Pakistan attacked each other, and there’ve been nuclear strikes in Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and in North and South Korea. It was a limited exchange and it’s over. At least it’s over for now. While we can’t be one hundred percent sure of this information, we have to assume it’s reasonably accurate.”

Not everyone in the world understood the effects of a nuclear war, including the residents of Fort-T who had grown increasingly horrified as he spoke.

“I know you’re concerned, but we aren’t going to feel any effects other than radioactive fall-out. No blast, no heat, no fires, nothing like that at all. We’re in a good area here. The prevailing wind patterns will channel the majority of the fallout around the Fort. The lower level radiation should fall to earth very quickly and shouldn’t be a problem for us. But we do need to be concerned about high-level fallout—the radiation in the upper atmosphere. That will take a long time to fall to earth. We have radiation monitors and everyone will have to wear a dosimeter badge, but that’s about it. If fall-out readings reach a certain level, we’ll stay in the cave; and if we have to go outside for any reason, we’ll use the containment suits. Also, that overhang up there,” he pointed to the granite ceiling over Fort-T, “will stop most of the fallout from reaching us. We’re in good shape. Maggie, you and Becky get the radiation kits together, gather whatever other medical supplies are necessary, and get it all in the cave. And distribute the dosimeter badges. Highlander, set the radiation meter up in the center of the Fort.”

During the first two months after the nuclear war, there were two instances where the radiation meter went off. Although the levels were low, to err on the side of caution, they spent a total of ten days in the cave. For the next two months, Fort Terminus cautiously followed a routine of watches, school for the kids, gardening, hunting, fishing, and general maintenance and training. When it was apparent the fallout threat abated, Randal sent out daily patrols.

“We can’t be the only people who selected this area to survive in, Dad. And I’m confident anyone with the foresight and moxie to survive has to have the same thought processes we do. If they’re out there, I want to know where they are, what their capabilities are—and more importantly, who they are—without them knowing we exist.”

Highlander was monitoring ham radio stations in several different countries, including four in the United States. Reports indicated the worldwide situation was bleak, with only Australia left reasonably intact. The rest of the civilized world had fallen into anarchy. Scant information was coming out of the Third World countries, but it was believed they were in much worse shape than the industrialized nations. The Middle East was locked in a Sunni-Shite civil war, and the survivors were simply exterminating each other.

News from the nuked areas was almost nonexistent; it appeared there were few survivors. Adjacent areas not directly affected by the nuclear detonations were in chaos, and, like everywhere else in the Western world, there was no food and armed gangs were raping, pillaging, and plundering at will. What had once been the USA was now a dangerous and inhospitable place.