The Event (Book 1): Survival (3 page)

              "I'll leave you all to discuss it amongst yourselves. Feel free to look at any of this research for yourselves, this is everything we have on them. We have scientific reports, field reports from guards, and survivor reports from people such as yourselves from seeing them out there. Let me know what you decide. We will then either find you housing, or get you ready to leave. I leave it up to you." I said, and left the conference room. From the looks on their faces, I assumed they would all stay, but I had been wrong before.

              I settled back in the map room, planning our first runs to take out some of these bridges. It was time to start this northern area. I had decided on the middle bridge across the canal, as it was the largest, and newest, so it would be the better maintained, as being our northern access. One bridge to the west, and of course the southern bridge would be fortified also. Three access points to watch, versus the entire fence line. Plus plenty of farmland, real houses, and beaches. Power would probably be an issue, but we had solar panels, and I was sure we could find more, plus the carrier could supply power for a time. The infrastructure, water, gas, sewer, that's what I was worried about. How much of it was still functional, what would it take to fix it, and how hard would it be to keep it running? A knock on the door ended my thoughts.

              "We have all decided to stay," John said, entering the room, "Most of us are just not cut out to be on the road like that. And we feel that we could really be useful here, so you have 36 new people to command, Admiral."

              "Wonderful, I'm so glad. We can definitely use the people. And please, it's Sheldon, not Admiral. I only took the title because I am former Navy, and there were sailors onboard when we got here. They wanted me to be in charge, and started calling me captain, then admiral. I went with it to smooth things out, but you don't have to call me anything special."

              "Ok. So what happens now?" he asked.

              "I'll let Val know to find places for you all. Most of the base housing is reserved for those working out there, what isn't being used for farming stuff that is, but we do still have plenty of houses. We will also get you guys set up with some training in different areas. We need people to help maintain the ships systems, and work on food production. I'll let the department heads decide on who goes where. We try to make sure every place has the people to operate."

              "Alright. Should I have everyone start packing our things, since we won't be in the trailers much longer?"

              "Sure, why not. It shouldn't take Val long to have you assigned bunks. I know she probably started working on it as soon as you showed up." I said, walking with John down hallway. We came to the personnel office, where Val already had lists printed with bunk assignments for the group. I had John take them to the group, and had the rest of his group paged back to the trailers. I instructed one of the sailors working with Val to have the training team meet them and take them to the training room after showing them where the bunks were so they could learn how to read the space designators, a series of numbers in every room that told you where you were in the ship, as well as what the room was designed for. Since those are operational Navy space designators, and a lot of the rooms were no longer used for what they were intended for, that last part got ignored now. They would also determine who was getting specialized training in certain areas, like maintenance for the ship systems, radar operators, hydroponics, farmers and the like.

              Knowing all that would be taken care of, I went up to the bridge to see what was going on. Shift change would be happening soon, and it would be dark in an hour or two. According to Murphy's Law, this is when the crap would usually hit the fan.

              "Admiral on the bridge." rang out as soon as I walked in. I really did hate the formality, but the sailors seemed unable to get it out of their heads, so I lived with it.

              "As you were, as you were," I said for probably the thousandth time, knowing I would say it a thousand more, "Status update?"

              "Nothing on radar, gate and fence line report no contacts, all systems appear to be green." said the OOD, a Chief Petty Officer, or CPO, Chief Brandon Smith, who had stayed behind. I liked when he was on duty, as I knew he kept a close watch on everything.

              "Evening Chief, good to see you. At least I'll be able to sleep tonight knowing you're up here." I said.

              "Thank you sir. Have a good night."

              "Am I ever going to get you to stop calling me 'sir', Chief? You know I only made it to E-2 while I was in." I asked, grinning and shaking my head.

              "Probably not, sir." he answered, with his own smile.

              I headed down to my quarters, hoping for a good night's sleep. I had plans for tomorrow and I wanted to be rested.

Chapter 3

Aug. 29, 2020

              I woke up to the smell of coffee. Since I knew I didn't set it up the night before, I was curious. Getting up and throwing on some jeans, I went to the living area.

              "About time you got up, lazy ass," Roger said, "When are we getting started on this pet project of yours?"

              "I assume you are talking about the northern peninsula?" I asked, taking the proffered cup.

              "Yes. You've been looking at those maps a lot more lately, and taken plenty of satellite pics. The base is as secure as it can be, and everything is running so well you don't even bother taking charge of anything anymore."

              "Guess nothing is a secret around here, huh? I was actually planning on asking for volunteers today to get it started. It's going to be a process, just like setting up the base was, but I think it is very doable."

              "Then we better get started. Any idea what the first steps will be?" Roger asked.

              "Yes. Securing the northern border first with the canal. Most of those bridges will be destroyed, but the most central one is a drawbridge, so I planned on getting enough power to it for now to raise the bridge. Then we secure the western bridge, destroy the rest. The southern bridge will be the most difficult I think, since it will require several areas being secured." I explained, showing him the maps. I had it all marked up, clearly showing which bridges were being taken out, and which saved.

              "How long do you think it will take to do the bridges?"

              "I'm hoping to have the bridges destroyed and secured within a week. I will send two ships, one to the west up the Potomac, one to the east, through the bay here. The eastern group will secure the southern bridge, and the northern bridges up to the drawbridge. They will also power up the bridge long enough to get it raised, and we will set up a solar station for it later." We continued our discussion of the plan as we made our way to the bridge.

              "OOD, please make a general announcement. I would like anyone willing to volunteer for an extended mission to report to hangar bay 3 in one hour for a briefing." I ordered. Roger and I then made our way back down to the galley for some breakfast.

              "Mmm, I smell biscuits and gravy." I said as we entered the passageway. We both got our trays and went into the Officers' Mess, a smaller eating room away from the main galley. It was usually quieter, less people.

              "Wow, Michelle can cook man." Roger said, as we finished our meals and put our trays up.

              "I know, that's why I put her in charge." I chuckled.

              We went aft towards hangar bay 3. There was a scaffold set up there to stand on so I could talk to large groups and see everyone. There was a fairly large group there already. I went up the ladder to the platform, and turned to the crowd.

              "Alright everyone, here is the run down. There is an area to the north of us, a peninsula that covers most of what used to be Delaware, and part of Maryland. It has farmland, and cities, as well as docks for smaller ships and boats. We can secure the entire area fairly easily. I have a plan, now I need volunteers." I said. I could see several people looking around, seeing who was paying attention, who looked like they would volunteer, who was serious, and most looked like they were listening at least.

              "I will go into detail with the volunteers. This will be dangerous, but no more so than getting us here, or securing the base." I ended with. Most seemed to be thinking about it. "I will give everyone a day to think it over. Roger will have a sign-up sheet in the Operations office. Go by there and give your name. I plan on stating preparations tomorrow morning. I need to know how many are going. I would prefer to have two teams of ten to go ashore, plus the two demolition guys on each team, along with two engineers to set up solar panels. More would be better, and safer. This is also on top of ship’s crew that would not be going ashore. I will pick the teams from the volunteers' tomorrow afternoon. Thank you in advance, and have a good day."

              I went back down the ladder, and started back towards the bridge, Roger close behind.

              "I'll head back to the office, get that sign-up sheet set up. It's good to have a goal again." Roger said, turning down the hallway towards the Operations office.

              I went to my office to look at what ships we had available to go, as well as current supply levels. We could afford to send plenty of food for the crew if they limit it to two meals a day. We also needed to ration the amount of ammo sent with them, so I needed to make sure that they were good with a sword too, just in case.

              Looking at the available ships, I decided on the Port Royal and the Leyte Gulf
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Both had almost full fuel tanks and enough crew to run them. I called to the bridge to pass the order along to prepare both ships for the mission. Both had been refitted shortly before the Event, so they were in great condition. I also ordered the helicopter fueled and inspected. I also wanted a bird's eye view personally of the area, to make sure other settlers hadn't already moved in.

              Once all the initial preparations had been done, it was after lunchtime. I decided on a quick workout. It had been awhile since I took advantage of any of our recreational facilities. My favorite, since we managed to find a cruise ship and tow it to the base, was the swimming pool. Thankfully we managed to get enough power into the cruise ship to power the circulation pumps, and a few rooms onboard. It was a nice getaway, when I could find the time, which was rarely.

              I went to my quarters and changed into some workout gear, then decided to take my practice swords too, get a little sparring in hopefully. I passed several people on the way to the gym, which was located in the aft part of the ship, one deck below the hangar bay. As I walked in, I noticed several people already in a small sparring tournament. I put my name in the rotation and stated warming up. Most of the guys were pretty good, but new to swordsmanship. They had the speed, and some had decent reflexes, but none of them really had a feel for an opponent's moves just yet. They were too defensive, which is fine on a sparring mat, but out there would get them killed quickly.

              Finally, my turn came. It was against one of the newer kids we had in the security force. He had speed, but he was brash, and cocky. My reputation with a sword was something the new kids always wanted to test. Most of them could outgun me any time, but they knew I was lethal with a blade. We started, and I let him advance on me, make me circle a bit, made him think he was backing me up. After I let him have a few close calls, I feinted and knocked the sword out of his hands, then rushed him. The wide eyed look was enough.

              "Never telegraph your moves. The way you move your shoulders is a dead giveaway every time. Most of these infected won't pick it up, but if you ever come across a smarter one, or an attacking group of humans, they might. You're good, don't get me wrong, and you're fast. Just work on using you're core strength instead of strictly shoulder muscle." I told him, as I lowered my sword. Granted they were just wood and padding, but the point was the same. I wanted these guys to come back in one piece.

              "One other piece of advice, for all of you. Learn to fight Florentine, two sword style, like me. One is fine, especially with the speed most of you have, but sometimes they rush you, and you need a second blade to keep you alive. Shorter swords, less reach, but you can be faster, and take out two at once if need be. Good job though, all of you. Keep it up, and don't neglect your target practice either." I said to all of them. I toweled off, and then headed back to my quarters for a quick shower.

              After cleaning up, I went for a walk around the ship. I visited Shayne in Engineering, just to see how the new people were taking to the training.

              "They seem to be learning it well, some faster than others. We have had a few issues with the water intake pumps, but they seem to have been cleared up now. The engines are operating well within normal temperature ranges, and all ventilation systems seem to be operating normally." Shayne told me. I knew he was always on top of stuff like that. With the few nuclear engineers we had that stayed behind, there was enough knowledge on board to keep the engines running. Otherwise this ship would have been a time bomb.

              I next walked up to the galley, to check on Michelle. It was in between meal times, so I should have been able to catch her.

              "How goes things in the land of food?" I asked as I knocked on her office door.

              "The hunting teams haven't made it back yet, so meat is really low, but veggies are good, and I have plenty of recipes I can use that don't require a lot of meat. I have several decent cooks, and the dishwashers stay on top of things. I would like to stockpile some of the meat for some chili recipes soon since the weather is about to turn." She said. She was always thinking ahead, and was excellent and planning large meals, perfect for this type of situation.

              We chatted for a few more minutes, then I took my leave and headed up to the Security office. I wanted to touch base with Tony and make sure we had the ammo to spare for this bridge mission. I didn't want the teams on land for any longer than necessary, so ammo could be shorted, but I didn't want them defenseless either.

              With the last of preparations done for the day, I went in search of a card game. I knew several were usually going at any given time, between poker, spades, or hearts, I could usually find something. After going to several bunkrooms without much luck, I went back to my quarters. I decided I better work on my admiral's log some, before too much happens and I forget.

August 29, 2020 - Admiral's Log

              Another few days with no injuries, or calamities. The wall is secure, crops are growing-ish. We did have a small group of survivors find us, 36 total. We are going to start on the northern plan tomorrow. Hopefully by the end of winter we will have it cleared of Infected and totally secured.

              I set my pen down and started to think. Winter was coming in only a month or two. Once it got that cold again, our hydroponics would be the only source of vegetables we had. I knew we were stockpiled as much as we could, but it was always a worry. Hunting in the winter was usually a little better for some reason, at least for deer.

              That thought triggered another. I called the captain of the gate guard on duty and posed a question to him. He gave me the answer I thought I was going to get. "No sir, we haven't seen nearly as many wild animals as we used to."

              That was weird. Once the animals broke out of the zoos, we had lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, all sorts of wild animals. Our hunting surely couldn't have killed off that many of them, it was controlled. Other survivor groups could have been hunting them also, or they started moving to better suited areas. Either way, their available meat stock was drying up it seemed. Well, that was a problem for another day. I gave up thinking for today, laid down, and went to sleep.