Bridge to Nowhere

Seeds of Humanity

The six Arcadian cities are on red alert and buzzing with activity. Citizens, according to their tunic color, move to emergency stations and prepare for an imminent nuclear attack. They have built the cities and prepared for the possibility of attack. They practice the red alert drill monthly. The drill has become routine.

Citizens are excited to run through the drill; Now that Operation Hard Shelter is operational, the experiment will last two years, after which everyone will return home to their families. The work is rewarding, and the pay is generous. Living in the underground city is free, so most people plan to emerge topside with ample savings. This drill is different, though. The experiment is underway. People are excited, yet hopeful. It's just a drill.

Colonel Cruikshank sits at his desk in his elegant, neo-modern quarters. He views a call with General Mahon as he massages his aching leg. The few muscles in his thigh that remain are hard and knotted. His agony is intense, but the colonel will not show his pain. Pain is an old friend. Unwelcome and uninvited, but a frequent visitor.

"Jack. Now that Arcadia is the legitimate government of the land, I would like to extend an invitation for you to be a founding member of the council, alongside Jon Anderson and myself."

"It will be my honor and a privilege to serve on the council. I am here at New Arcadia in the bunker on level three with my men. I'll move down to the city once the storms begin. Everything is going according to plan. FEMA is prepared to provide support to the topside population."

The colonel winces in response to a torturous muscle cramp. "It pains me, but there will be no help for the topsiders. No matter what you have prepared, it will never be enough to sustain the population. Let them loot, fight, fuck, and kill one another as they starve off. Humans will destroy whatever the asteroids don't. We will offer no aid. Your men must protect the city perimeters against any survivors who may happen upon us. I will not have topsiders mixing with the few and fortunate. Secure the city perimeters. That is your mission."

"That's different from what we've said in presidential briefings. I want to confirm we're on the same page. We've made plans."

The colonel chuckles. "Politics and poppycock, Jack. We had to tell them what they wanted to hear. Politicians wouldn't have known what to do if we had told them the truth."

"Of course. OK. We will proffer no aid. No one knows about the cities. The locations are secret. It won't be difficult to defend the cities."

"I knew you were the right man to sit on the council, Jack," Cruikshank laughs wickedly.

General Mahon hesitates before joining the colonel in a conspiratorial laugh.

The colonel senses a vibration and freezes. His eyes widen, and ears perk as his smile fades. He hears a deep rumbling sound rushing toward him just before it hits. WHACK! The tremendous sound of a collision hits the underground city. Books fly off shelves. A statue of a samurai, dressed in combat armor, falls to the floor. General Mahon is still laughing when he is knocked off his feet by the tremendous jolt. The city's main dome vibrates like a bell. The quake passes through the floor of the underground city like a rolling wave, knocking people off their feet.

Cruikshank touches a thin screen. "Sky Command, report. Were we hit?" Before the commander can respond, the colonel opens another call. "City control, damage report." He touches the screen again, opening a third communication link. "Kobalt, double the City Guard, and I want Black Guard patrolling the cities. Put down any discontents but keep it quiet."

Reports flow in. "Sky Commander here, sir. We tracked an impact in Maryland. It was quite large. Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas are affected. We received a significant seismic jolt from the impact. We will monitor and update you with more information as we have it."