The War of Sand

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

 2314

Seattle, Washington

USNA

The siren wailed overhead, flashing purple lights that were dimmed out by the bright sunlight pouring in. It was strangely quiet for a second; everyone had gone still in shock. No one had expected an attack to come through. And then, when the situation finally sunk in, there was a lot a noise as students quickly left their food and seats, heading to the incubators that lined the window walls around the entire floor as quickly as possible. Alyce and Cameron were lucky- they were standing right by one, so they were able to avoid the stampede of students heading in all directions and were one of the first people to sit down.

Alyce pulled at the red seat belts, strapping them across her chest in a large X and locking them in place. She fumbled with the oxygen mask but managed to secure it in place over her mouth and nose. She breathed deeply, feeling a bit dizzy. Whether it was from the increase of mostly pure oxygen or from fear, she couldn't tell.

There was a strange sound, similar to the way old trains sounded on their tracks before the current types replaced them in the late twenty first century. The clickety clack was brought on by the titanium shutters that rolled over the outside of the windows, sealing out the sunlight. They were left in the dark save for the purple flashing lights, which left an eerie glow to the room.

Alyce forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. She couldn't have a panic attack now. But all she could think of was old war scenes and stories she had seen and heard about in history lessons. The destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by nuclear bombs, the destruction of Australia and New Zealand during WWIII, the genocide of the pacific islanders only a few decades prior. All the destruction and suffering of innocents crossed her mind and the idea of something like that happening now made her nauseous.

"Alyce!" Cameron's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Look at me. Listen to my voice and breathe."

Alyce obeyed, starring into his unusually serious brown eyes. She felt him grab her hand and squeeze. She stared down at their interlocked hands. She was seized by a strange thought. If they died holding hands, would they awaken in heaven together, still holding hands? They were connected, so if she were to be struck by lightning, right there, the electricity would travel through her body and over their interlocked fingers, shocking Cameron as well. In a way, it was a comforting thought. She wouldn't die alone.

"You're not going to die." 

She looked up to see Cameron scowling at her. Had she said that out loud?

 "Yes, you did. And you're not going to die. None of us are. Look." 

She did. The shutters had stopped making their old train-on-track noise. They had completely covered the windows. She knew that from the outside, the school would look like a giant, metallic armadillo. Not a single window or red brick would be showing. The school had turned itself into a bomb shelter.

"We're safe..." Alyce whispered. 

"Yes." Cameron gave her hand another squeeze. "Soon enough, we'll go underground and be even safer."

That's right. Alyce suddenly remembered: In the case of an air attack, not only would learning centers turn into bomb shelters, they would shift and start to go underground. She had only experienced it once before. It had felt like riding an elevator, which was what people used to get to different floors before gravtubes took over. She remembered the way her stomach had rolled up inside her, a brief sensation of weightlessness that was completely mild compared to the way gravtubes made you feel.