DAMNATION ALLEY NEW VERSION

 

DAMNATION ALLEY NEW VERSION

While it had been long thought that ANY enemy, nuclear, attack, would have wiped out populations, via nuclear radiation, a proposal had come to “light”.

The idea that, because nuclear detonations, on, or over, land, would have left the nation so radioactive that no on could enter, for as along as 1,000 years, this is why, very secretly, a new plan was created.

The plan would be to use nuclear warheads to flash-boil hundreds of millions of gallons, of sea-water.

If the plan worked, on both coasts, it would be like Noah’s flood, from the Bible.

The flash-boiling would create Sunami’s, which were so tall, and so powerful, that cities would be flooded, so fast that no one would have time to evacuate.

As for the unknown party, which would, actually, use this tech, they must have known that even sunami’s could not reach from coast to coast.

This, in many peoples opinions, was the reason why missiles were aimed not just at the East, or West Coasts, but into the Gulf of Mexico as well. The United States was to fall victim to a new version of Noah’s great flood.

The biggest problem that the military had, was the fact that every missile, under American control, was targetted to stop an attack, from over the North Pole.

When the attack came from the East, South, and West, it took so LONG to reset the missiles flight paths that, maybe, 10% actually launched.

There was no time to even activate the Emergency Broadcast System. Cities were flooded, so fast.

Bodies, by the hundreds of thousands, floated on the waters, most “frozen” in shock, at such quick death.

Only the nations military reservations would be spared the worst of the disaster. This as emergency doors slammed shut, locking soldiers inside protective shelters.

The waves crashed off of one another, ripping homes from foundations, and blowing windows out of buildings.

The same, “monster” waves would crash through power stations with enough force to black-out whole cities.

Even those who managed to make their ways to bomb shelters would find themselves, in “black holes”, as flood waters would short out even heavy duty fuses.

Guaranteed safe circuits failed, as flood waters meant that circuits could not re-allign.

If anyone had asked the survivors what feared, most, for, during this time, the answer would not have been food. The answer would have been to ask how long the shelters could remain submerged, before the oxygen gave out.

For the next two weeks, most of the United States would be covered in water. The very situation which NO one had thought to plan for.

When the military would hear nothing, from any shelter, for over three weeks, the worst was assumed. Enemy forces would have come in, by boat, and set up operations.

No one considered that the reason might have to do with the submerged substations. That, and the question of how a generation, addicted to computers, would handle the World War Two tech, of gas-fed generators.

All that the military could do was watch and wait, until the flood waters receeded.

The problem was that, by the time the waters receeded, the automatic resets, on most electric facilities, were out of allignment. Most had been made for either five minute, or ten hour, resets. None were programmed to reset, after such a long interruption.

Even the Pentagon agreed. The military would have to risk going forth to restore energy.

Once the water levels receded to a point, where the garage doors could be, safely, opened, a military reservation would bring forth a classic piece of machinery.

A vehicle with three, huge, compartments, which included the “bridge/sleeping” area, a central unit, containing 10,000 gallons of fresh water, and a third section, containing enough supplies for a three month trip.

Since even satellite dishes had been knocked out, by the waves, individual base commanders would follow emergency orders, regarding disasters.

Each machine, or LandMaster, would take a specific heading, rendering aid, when possible. The eventual goal being to link as many of the bases as possible, to re-establish communications.

Still, the teams did not know what they would find, once the waters had receded. All they knew was that goal number one, was to restore energy. Number two would be to re-establish communications, and restore the federal network.

It would be out of the Illinois branch, of the U.S. military that vehicles labelled “LandMaster 1, LandMaster 2, and LandMaster 3” would cruise forth, to report on the post-attack condition of Illinois.

Post-launch, LandMasters 1 & 2 would be confronted by bullies/terrorists, who had seized control, even as the waves hit. 1& 2 would spend weeks just trying to restore federal law and order.

This while #3 was busy, in other area’s, instructing the public on how to re-start electric sub-stations, and water purification plants.

In every case, that the LandMasters found, local government had been informed, in advance, both of missile approach, and impact zones. Result: mayors, and city council members had fled the low-land area’s, and decided to let the public, and the military, deal with the results of the waves, and the flooding.

This was LandMaster 3’s biggest problem, from the start.

Not just re-activating utilities, but teaching locals how to keep utilities on-line.

It would be LandMasters 2 & 3 which would learn the reason why tradesmen had stayed in safe places, even as the water receded.

At three, electricians union headquarters, the military had to manually re-activate power, to allow the automatic lockdowns to release the electricians.

It would seem that, at atleast two, of the union halls, workers had been glad that union leaders had UPDATED the rations, to be used in event of nuclear war. The same, union, members, who had complained, about additional dues, had stopped complaining when the attack came, and they were forced into the shelter.

Atleast they had food to eat, which was only about one year old.

At the third, union, hall, it seems that members had voted DOWN a request for more dues. Result, when closed up, all they had was very stale rations.

When released, they agreed to swap fresh food for services.

Since the attack had occurred on the water, and had been dispersed, by the liquid, five, consecutive tests verified that the water was safe.

This is why, in one area, while the military showed locals how to bring water treatment back on-line, the LandMasters removed radiation filters from hose lines, and re-filled tanks, from the same bodies of water.

While, normally, it would take just one week for a soldier to travel from coast to coast, it took the LandMasters weeks, if not months, to move along designated routes.

This had even more to do with bringing services back on-line, then it had to do with the terrain.

Each vehicle remained on location until communications, with military command, had been restored.

Locals, at other locations, soon learned what the raised roof sections were for when, at one location, the waves had hit with such force that they sent an avalanche down a mountain-side, cutting off cities, on two sides of the mountains.

This is why people looked on as a roof panel slid back, with a rack of missiles being exposed, then lifted above the compartment sight-line.

On-lookers wondered if the explosion might bring down more of the building. That is, until they watched the missile launch, then split into sections, causing dozens of tiny explosions, which only shift the loose rock.

After this, civilian construction equipment began clearing the pass.

While this work was going on, the LandMaster would “sneak” away, to an un-remembered military surplus store, to stock up on rations.

One thing the military had to admit. While the LandMasters were not “beauties”, their builders built in everything that they could. Including gas performance.

What really surprised the LandMasters crews was how little progress that the invading forces had made, into the interior of the United States.

It would, seem that, just as the colonists had held back the British, from re-taking the thirteen colonies, so, too, had modern people used what was at hand, to hold back the invaders.

This, while the invaders THOUGHT that the waves, of floods, would have driven the “weak” Americans further in-land, what the invaders found was just the opposite.

Instead of empty streets, and cities, barren of life, what the invading forces found, and which hampered their progress, was a never-ending series of make-shift barriers.

It seems that the invading soldiers had been taught to fight, and kill. NOT to remove obstacles.

This is why Massachussettes LandMaster 4 found out, while on its patrol route.

What LandMaster 4 learned was that, instead of removing barriers, to make progress, the soldiers, simply, crawled over barriers, and hauled weapons, and supplies, over the barriers.

What shocked the American defenders was that, no matter how many, of the enemy of the attackers who were shot by defenders, more attackers just kept coming.

It would not be until LandMaster 4 sent a U.A.V. airborne, that the machine found out how to force the enemy to withdraw.

With coordinates locked into the firing computer, another cover slid back, on the top of the LandMaster, and a rocket-pod elevated into firing position.

Once the targets were selected, four missiles were sent over the civilian-built barrier. Each missile, designed to impact a vacant building. Each strike would send debris falling on the invaders.

Sure enough, with the collapse, of five buildings, the enemy retreated, at full speed.

After that, LandMaster 4 would take the time to show the survivors HOW to re-activate basic utilities.

This turned out to be a very difficult process, especially to teach computer programmers, and data input operators. People, who were not accustomed to manual labor/blue collar work.

Still, over the coming months, the military would watch as, city-by-city, lights and communications, were restored. (Soon, some 500 cities would have made contact with military command.)

Only a few LandMasters were required to return to bases, to re-arm guns. The reason: Some bullies/terrorists were determined to fight, to their last breath, to keep “power”.

One, such, terrorist, was a man who, supposedly, trespassed on a couples mountain-top private property, killing the couple before anyone could call for help.

When the nearest LandMaster commander asked the civilian police chief “Why didn’t you arrest him?”

The police chief would point at two men, saying “This is all I have left. The waves “took out” most of my staff.”

No one had any idea of what the terrorist was thinking. After all, his first demand was that, anyone, who wanted food, was compelled to exchange teen daughters for supplies.

While community defiance lead to the terrorist firing a rocket launcher into town, most of the town agreed “There is only one rocket launcher, and two rockets. The land owner liked to collect, and examine them to learn how they were made.”

When three LandMasters “took the hill”, the crews wondered why any civilian would open fire on an obviously armored, vehicle.

After the LandMasters sent the terrorist running, the crew remained for any burials, then to aid and monitor, the re-activation of basic utilities.

While Illinois LandMaster Number 2 had to use missiles, on large, and heavy, debris, this was only to make debris removal easier and faster. (All American soldiers had basic training, and were experts at moving rocks, by hand.

Once the space was cleared, the LandMaster crew remained, and attended some communal meals.

What amazed the soldiers was how, in many communities, no matter what the major religion was, it was “The Lords Prayer” which was recited before meals.

One of the LandMasters toughest asignments was re-uniting a town, which had split into three, opposing, camps.

Somehow, a city plan had called for all high schools to be located in one area, while, nearby, all farms were in another. The third camp held most of the livestock.

As the LandMasters learned, the farms were in negotiations, for sharing supplies. It was the teen work-force which was in short supply.

Locals told the military that “At first, the trade was one girl for one load of food. After the second girl was traded, the “leader” announced that the price went up to two girls, per cart, with a current price of four girls per cart.

When the LandMaster proceeded into the camp, bullets ricochetted off its hull. It was not until the defenders realized that the machine could not be killed, they allowed the crew to speak to the leader.

The leader was quick to point out that the camp had only a limited supply of “stock” (teens), to barter with. That is why the price kept going up.

When the crew leader asked “Why not just join the farmers, and plant crops?” The leader would say “Myself, and my followers, only know computer programming, and sport shooting. HOW could we help “farmers”?”

The town would be re-united after the LandMaster crew arrested the terrorist leader, and their followers agreed to join forces with the other camps.

The area’s, which became known as “Damnation Alley” were those where enemy forces kept trying to break through defenses.

While civilians did all they could, to protect cities, the military would be busy as well.

Since everyone had been expecting a nuclear attack, motor pools had been shielded from radiation. No one counted on flooding.

This is why, as the flood waters receded, mechanics had to take vehicles apart, dry off parts, and then re-assemble.

Everything had to be done by hand, since computers were thought to be immune to radiation. No one thought of a flood.

With computers down, everything had to be written, and reported, “the old fashioned way”. By hand.

This, while an enemy force continued landing barges of soldiers on the coasts.

In time, dozens of LandMasters would be spread along all three coasts, with restored, supply, convoys keeping the vehicles stocked.

In time, battleships, which had been swept in-land, had been tugged to harbors. Here, the ships would be placed back into service.

While the U.S. Army was re-activated, first, and the Navy, second, it would be the Air Force which would be in the most difficult situation.

This because, with all of the computerization, of modern day fighters, the computers would neither lift-off, nor land, on water-covered runways.

If planes tried for take-off, they would end up hydroplaning around the field.

Also, any planes, trying to land would find wheel brakes useless, on the slippery surface.

This is why all federal planes would be routed to friendly nations, until airports could be dried enough to make flights safe.

While the U.S. Navy, back in action, drove the invaders back across the ocean, there remained years of work, on the mainland. This since no utility computer had been programmed to auto-start after being submerged for so long.

The military, and the unions, would spend years working to restore the energy grid, across the nation.

While they were doing this, on the homeland, the invasion controllers were interrogating to failed officers, about the attack. An attack which SHOULD have left the United States completely vulnerable to invasion.

When asked for an explanation, all the officers could say was “There were more, in place, then we were prepared for. We were told that they would RUN, at the sight of us. Instead, they built barriers. Barriers which we had to climb.”

When the leader said “America is a nation of cowards. Computers run everything. The flood should have taken out the computers, and left the nation wide open.”

No officer was willing to challenge the leader since rumor had it that the leader would not only execute anyone, who spoke up to him, but he would kill as many members of families, as he could find.

When no one spoke, the leader said “You will be sent, again. This time, do NOT fail.”

No one said anything, as they left the leaders presence. It was only after well away from the leader that several officers, and soldiers, asked “HOW will we invade, now? The Americans will be waiting for us. We have lost the element of surprise.”

This is why the invasion commander set a different course. One which would lead to the United States, until beyond coastal patrols. After that, all ships would adjust course, to closest friendly ports.

Along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts, the LandMasters, as well as the military, would remain on alert, for a full month.

Only after this, would the LandMasters return to their storage facilities. The American people had learned what had happened to $50 billion, in taxpayer dollars.

At month number two, the military would relax, and return to “Standby Alert”.

The United States would return to “normal” operations, knowing that the enemy had been repelled.