THE ARK

Brad and Amy walked into the Command Center. They had both slept quite well the night before. This fact seemed a bit ironic considering that they had just awakened from a fifty-four-year slumber.

Brad was pleased to note that he was feeling completely normal; the effects of the sleep were gone. He had enjoyed harassing Amy, at breakfast, by telling her that she looked as good as anyone who had been born eighty-six years earlier. This comment had earned him a bruise on his upper arm.

As they entered the Command Center, RJ was in her office studying reports about the Mountain’s status following the sleep.

“What’s new RJ?” Brad asked cheerfully.

“Not much, I tried to talk to Carter this morning but he’s still real out of it. Doc says he was malnourished and wasn’t taking good care of himself. He was awake but didn’t seem to know who I was.

“We started broadcasting the greeting about twenty minutes ago. It transmits on all frequencies once every three minutes.”

“Is there anything new on the satellites? Amy Travers asked.

“Nothing yet. What’s going on in your area?”

“All two hundred members of the primary team are awake, and work has begun to dismantle the two chambers on this floor. We’ll have those rooms redone into personal quarters as soon as possible,” Amy explained.

“All personnel are checking out their areas of responsibility and making sure all is in order. There are teams in the pit getting everything ready for us to rejoin the world,” Brad added.

“Good, let’s get this going then.” RJ reached out and depressed the intercom. “All personnel this is Anderson, prepare to open outer doors.” RJ hopped out of her seat, “Let’s go watch,” She said and the others followed her out the door and to the main tunnel.

Upon reaching the main tunnel, there were crews sitting in the two massive loaders, waiting for the orders to start the engines up. There were eight Humvees rising on the elevator from the pit. Four were faced each direction down the tunnel. In each vehicle were half a dozen heavily armed soldiers in full combat gear.

As soon as everyone was in position, RJ contacted the Command Center and gave the order for the large West doors to be opened. In moments, there was a grinding sound as the massive doors started to part. The doors started moving, and the engines of the two west facing front-end loaders roared to life. As the door moved, the wooden wall was visible a few inches beyond. The wall was bulging inwards and many of the support beams were partly rotted through. The wall was intended to last thirty years less than it had, and its condition proved this. The two loaders approached and lifted their buckets high in the air. They rested the buckets on the upper supports and slowly increased pressure as they lowered them. The weakened supports quickly gave way and the old wall caved inwards under its heavy load of dirt. Both machines backed away and then went to work removing the dirt, stone, and broken wood.

At the same time that this was taking place, there was a duplicate effort underway at the smaller east tunnel. However, when the doors opened the loaders had a much easier time since the wall and much of the dirt were already gone.

As soon as the loaders had cleared a large enough opening, they moved back out of the way and the Humvees raced past them and exited the tunnel. When the Humvees had cleared the tunnel, the loaders returned to their task and pushed all the debris out of the tunnel entrance, and into a large neat pile.

The exiting Humvees split going in different directions. As they traveled, they dropped off soldiers every two hundred yards along the perimeter fence. These soldiers would inspect the grounds and the fence and make notes of problems that needed immediate attention. As soon as this was complete, they would remain on guard until the intrusion detection system was again operational and all repairs were made. The next step was for two Humvees to head for the residential quarters outside the west entrance, where their crews would ensure that the buildings were unoccupied. These men would also obtain the preliminary reports on the structural integrity of the buildings to help determine what would be needed to get them habitable again.

The last two Humvees would remain with two guards at both the East and West gate. Immediately after securing the gates, the guards at the gates retrieved collapsible poles from the Humvees and extended them to their full ten-foot length. The poles were securely clamped to the side of each gatehouse and an American Flag was raised on each.

Since there was not actually a US government anymore, the act of raising the flag was strictly symbolic, but RJ had insisted on it anyway.

Two hours later Brad appeared at the entrance to RJ’s office. “I got the report for you.”

“Good, Brad, What have they found?”

“There is minor damage to the perimeter fence. It’ll be repaired by tonight. The intrusion detection system is functional. But it’s been turned back off so the fence repairs can be made. There is a team working on the perimeter cameras. They’ll all be online again tomorrow sometime. We have communications with both guard posts. The post on the East side is in rough shape and needs some work. We can’t get any power there yet and are temporally moving a small generator out there. West side is in good shape. There are phone and radio communications there.”

“Sounds good, actually it’s much better than I had feared,” RJ commented

“I agree. I suspected much worse.”

“What’s the condition of the East tunnel doors?”

“Minor damage, nothing we need to worry about right away. They were using saws to try to cut their way in, there was also the remains of an acetylene torch.”

“How about the residential quarters?” RJ asked.

“It looks like there has been no human or animal habitation. They’ll need some work, preliminary reports estimate that only about ten percent of the rooms are currently habitable,” Brad explained. “I have a repair team on the way to see what all will be needed and to get a time frame.”

“Excellent. When will we be ready to move beyond the perimeter?”

“Hopefully, after lunch. We’re getting the equipment checked out now. Have you gotten anything from communications yet?”

“No, we’re still transmitting on all frequencies, but nothing,” RJ explained.

“RJ, I’ve asked everyone that’s been to the perimeter and there has been no sign of animal life; a few insects, but nothing else.” Brad’s voice took on a concerned tone as he said this last part.

Rather than comment, RJ just nodded her head.

They both remained quiet for several moments. Finally, RJ said. “Let’s see if we can get anything out of Carter, by then it’ll be time for lunch.”

They entered the health center and went to the triage area. The first person they saw was Abby lying on a hospital bed trying to look relaxed. There was a needle in her arm that attached to blood filled tubing.

“So I see you’re doing your duty,” Brad said with a smile on his face.

“Since I hate needles so much I figured it would be better to be one of the first, that way I wouldn’t spend the next few days thinking about it,” Abby explained.

One of the things that the sleepers were required to do was immediately begin donating blood as needed to build up the available supply in their blood bank.

It would take only a few days for them to be fully stocked and then they would be required to report for donation as needed on a rotational basis.

After a few teasing verbal jabs at the already uncomfortable young woman, Brad followed RJ over to where Carter rested.

Normally Carter would have had a private room in the main hospital, but there was still minimal staffing and since there were no other patients, it made more sense to keep him here. As they approached he was lying on a standard hospital bed, there was an IV in his right hand. He had been cleaned up and shaven but he still had an unhealthy look to him.

As they walked up the nurse approached, “He’s awake, you can talk to him unless he gets agitated, but I wouldn’t be too hopeful.”

They thanked her and slowly approached the bed. “Hey Dale, how are you feeling?” Brad asked in a quieter than normal voice.

Dale whipped his head toward them; his eyes were wild with fear.

RJ slowly reached out and took hold of his hand. At first, he started to pull away but then relaxed. The fear slowly melted from his face and was replaced with sorrow. “Ich abwarten lange,” Dale said sadly.

Brad and RJ looked at each other and after a moment, RJ said. “I’m sorry Dale, I don’t understand. Can you say that in English?”

There was a look of confusion on Dale’s face and a long pause before he spoke again. “I waited for so long. Long, long time.”

“I know Dale. You waited by yourself for a very long time.”

“I waited. I was lonely but I waited,” Dale said

“You took care of all of us while we slept,” RJ said.

“I waited and waited and waited, but you never came.”

“We are here now.”

“I was so lonely.”

“Dale, do you remember my name?” RJ said.

“I waited and waited and was so lonely.” There were now tears in Dale’s eyes as he spoke.

“Dale, do you remember my name?” RJ said again.

Dale did not react to her.