DAMNATION ALLEY VERSION THREE

 

DAMNATION ALLEY VERSION THREE

The attack SHOULD have come from over the North Pole, but what no one expected was what really happened.

Despite repeated warnings, no one was prepare for what was to come.

While Mother Nature had been “warning” mankind, for decades, about what was coming, NORAD, and other centers continued monitoring the North Pole.

At the same time, in a facility much more secret than Area 51, a project was underway. A civil defense plan, which had been created NOT by Pentagon planners, but by regular soldiers, during off-duty hours.

Like the FAILED N.E.A.R. alert system, a series, of clunky vehicles had been built, to cruise radioactive locations, based upon missile-impact designs of the 1950’s.

The problem, with N.E.A.R. was that, once the system was up and operating, too many civilians had asked “What happens AFTER the boxes detect incoming missiles?”

This is why N.E.A.R. had been cancelled. There was NO program in place. There never had been.

Much the same way as the original LandMasters had. After the fall of Communism, in 1991, the military stopped even doing minor reviews of vehicles, which had outlasted their usefulness.

OR, had they?

After sitting, un-used, for decades, a soldier had come up with the idea of converting one of the machines into a recreational vehicle. His commander had asked “Why not? There is enough water, on-board for two people to take a shower, every two weeks. Why not add stereo radio, custom, recliner, chairs, and even a full kitchen?”

When the soldier asked “Is he serious?” His fellow soldier would say “I did not hear him say “Permission Denied” Did you?”

This is why, since the young soldiers had no wives, or children, they could spend as much time on the base, as they wanted.

The way they talked the base shops into doing the work was to suggest “This is to test out how modern day equipment would last, in a crisis.”

The soldiers, soon, found that taking the “beast” apart was the easy part. The question was “How much do we add?”

The one thing that a career officer, and father of five children, suggested was “Find a way to keep the weapons out of view. My children get freaked any time they see a weapon.”

This is how the exposed, roof top sets of artillery, would come to be covered by sliding panels.

Add in the fact that the weight would not be balanced atop the spine of the craft, but distributed, in two rows, along the upper hull, and the design would, slowly, come into being.

One thing, to definitely, be replaced, would be the old 1970’s C.B. radio. Cell-Phones, “Smart” phones, and Ipads had rendered the device obsolete.

The commanding officer said nothing about the project, seeing as how it kept the young men out of trouble. Besides, he wanted to see what todays generation could do, with its hands.

What no one thought possible was what the water control department came up with.

The question was “How much fresh water could a vehicle carry, without making it too cumbersome?”

What the shops came up with was a prototype of a tank, capable of storing 25,000 gallons, of fresh water, inside a remarkably versatile container.

By the time base inventory reporting missing material, the colonel KNEW where the material was from and where it went.

It was part of the old surplus heap, which would, eventually, have been scheduled, for official removal, from the base.

The colonel had watched the soldiers taking parts from the surplus, presumably to use it on the project.

The new generation, of soldiers, proved incredibly adept at modifying parts.

About the biggest squabble the colonel had to diffuse was about where the sleeping quarters would be, versus the water container, and the rations.

It would be the colonels decision to place the sleeping quarters behind the bridge, in case of emergency. Water and rations, would take up the rear compartments.

The one thing the colonel told the base staff that he did NOT want to know about was WHERE his soldiers got hold of a small version of an A.W.A.C.S. radar dish.

It was not until the project became the talk of the base, that the Colonel issued a direct order, to “All Personnel”.

“The project being developed, is classified. NO one shall speak of it, beyond regular duties. The work, being done, is in line with regular, military, duty.”

Since the colonel had not seen the rear, of the vehicle, since before it was taken apart, he questioned if it could hold the amount of supplies which had been ordered.

It was not until the colonel entered the rear hold that he saw how LARGE the vehicle had become.

Still, since he signed for the shipment, he made sure that every container went into storage.

When he looked the machine over, he asked “And just HOW is this “train” going to make its way through tight passages?” The soldiers promised “It will be a synch.”

This is why the colonel ordered a series of drills. He did not like “sure things”, or any other luck. He preferred hard facts.

While the tests had been scheduled for two weeks, further on, the “tests” had been moved up when the feds lost contact with a number of small towns.

The “tests” would, now, be for the vehicles to navigate to the towns, and render any assistance.

As a precaution, the colonel ordered the crew to take M-16’s with them. This, and the request “TRY not to shoot each other.”

While the colonel expected the machine to be as clunky as a Sherman tank, he was amazed at the job his soldiers had done. The LandMaster slipped from the base with no more noise than a normal motor home.

The ONLY reasons why the vehicle was twice the length of a Winnebago, was because of all the water, rations, and ammo storage.

The reason why even the first trip took so long was because, according to “reports”, the lack of communications, was coming from remote communities. Places, not located on the regular highway system.

This is why the soldiers had used modified sniper-scopes to scan the route, along the body of the vehicle. The idea was remarkably simple.

As the LandMaster moved among obstacles, the independent drive shafts, on each compartment, controlled by the laser sights, would move each compartment along, behind the rest, and around the objects.

While one soldier drove, the others could listen, via headsets, to either radio stations, or their favorite music.

The first problem the machine ran into was some lumber was found, fallen, over a path.

The LandMasters navigator had to use areal photography to plot a course, around the debris.

While passage was difficult, even after three soldiers left the machine, and began hauling the fallen tree from the roadway, the LandMaster proved it was up for the job.

Maybe an hour later, radar, and heat-seeking, found human sized targets in some tree’s.

On the loud-speakers, the team commanders voice would fill the air with “Its your choice. Either flee and live, or we open fire.”

While a few fled, the others locked sites on the machine, before asking “What do you want?” Result, the LandMaster responded “We are here to check on your comms systems. You have been out of communications, for awhile.”

When the patrol asked “What business is it, of the army?” The commander would reply “If you allow us, we can get you back online.”

As the machine followed the patrol along the hazardous path, the pilot was happy that the machine had so many separate systems.

BY the time the machine reached town, sunset was upon the area, and everyone agreed “We will look at the damage, come morning.”

That night, while the crew noticed that local had returned to hunting for food, the crew ate rations, and drank water. This, of course, AFTER the commander radioed in about reaching the first settlement.

BY first light, it would seem that the first group, of the days hunters had departed, to find breakfast. This while the army, with fresh rations in their bellies, followed the “leaders” to the town hall. Or, what had been the town hall.

When the army commander would ask “Why are these injured not being treated at a hospital?” The leader would say “First the town hall, then the hospital.”

Walking into what was left, of the downtown, the army could see the effects of recent storms. As the “leader” said “Between the winds, and the heavy rains, the tree’s stood no chance.

Upon reaching the town hall, the army saw part of the problem. A tree, maybe 75 feet tall, had been hit by such weather that it rested against the statue, of a local founder. It seems that the metal statue, and the boom crane, were all that was keeping the tree from crushing the courthouse.

Inside the courthouse, it looked like basic triage. Doctors and nurses were doing their best, with what they had.

When the leader introduced the military, the first thing a doctor asked is “How soon can you bring medical supplies in?” The team commander would say “We need to make a full damage report, first.”

The army did not know which was worse. People taking shelter, in tents, since tree’s had collapsed homes, or when the unit arrived at what remained of the hospital.

The huge tree’s, which has softened the appearance, for so many years, now lay in the crushed remains.

The hospital may have been “specked”, for human disasters, but not for Mother Natures on-slaught.

Once the team commander had an idea of the damage, he radioed to base, a list of what was needed.

The colonel responded “Tell them to wait just 24 hours. It will take us that long to gather the supplies, then ship them to you.”

Over those next 24 hours, the army would lend help where they could. Everything from triage, to moving garbage.

By the time the helicopters began arriving, the army, and locals, had worked, together, and pout in enough effort to give the helicopters room to land.

24 hours after this, with the emergency radio working, the army would pick up another signal. One which said “If anyone can hear us, please respond.”

After five tries, the comms officer would say “Their receive set must be out of order.” When the commander would ask “Can you get a fix, on their location?” The comms officer would say “I will try.”

The navigator watched as, hours later, the comms officer reached the highest, local, peak, and took a reading.

A few more hours and she returned, saying “I have only a very rough bearing. The signal is getting weaker, all-the-time.”

Within 24 hours, the LandMaster was back on the road, and headed for the next site. The only problem was that “Mother Nature” did not agree.

The machine might have been following the most direct route, but the route was not without peril. Peril which included a storm which the National Weather Service had warned was coming, but not how severe it would be.

While the LandMaster found much of the road covered in water, the commander was certain that the tire treads would hold. After all, the tires had a long history of holding up under adverse conditions.

What no one could forsee was when the rain became such a pouring rain that the crew watched as soil washed across the path, and slid down the hill, beyond the road.

This is when the team commander said “Everyone, strap in. It might get “hairy”.” He was right as well.

Not long after the entire crew was strapped down, some tree’s, with wide trunks, uprooted by the storm, came crashing down on the LandMaster.

Now, a machine, which had been built to repel attackers, found itself “attacked” by tree’s, which had been uprooted.

It would take four of the tree’s to cause the machine to flip over, and begin tumbling down the hillside. All the crew could do was hold on, as the machine tumbled over and over, heading for the bottom of a ravine.

While the crew thought that a violent CRASH was the end of things, no-sooner had damage control begun un-buckling, when the machine turned, again. This time, with a mighty splash.

When a blue light came on, and a terrified crew-member asked “What is that?” The commander would say “Relax, it just means that, for the moment, we are under water.” The commander then asked the navigator “Check the engine compartment.”

The commander knew that the engine still worked, due to the blue light. The question was how FAR underwater, and how long would the air last.

The crew was hoping that the spec’s were correct, and that the design would right itself.

With some more severe shifting, from side to side, the nose, of the machine did, soon, pierce the waters surface.

The blue light went off, and the “ridiculous extra”, of an external air vent, for the engine, extended the side of the machine.

Moments later, the other systems came back online, and the crew saw that they had lost only about five miles.

Some of the systems were impacted however, with a bit of “elbow grease”, systems were restored to normal operation.

The LandMaster would them “swim” until reaching a solid bit of ground, where it could come ashore.

While the crew checked the machine, and prepared a meal, the commander would report in. He would be told that the transmission was too weak to reach command, any longer. The commander would say “Roger that. We are much closer yet the signal is very weak. We will report in when we know more.”

Another day, on the road, and the crew found out why the signal was fading out.

Some great “bear”, of a man was telling others “MY family needs this fuel for our meals. That is, unless any of you COWARDS wants to FIGHT me for it.”

When the commander approached, asking “We may not be cowards, but why are you fighting over fuel?”

The “bear” would turn on the commander, asking “Who do you…” then saw the rank designation, and said “MY family needs this fuel. I wont let anyone else have it.” The commander would ask “Tell me, have you ever heard of sharing?”

A moment later, the crew heard five clicks, and knew they had been trapped. (Or, had they).

When the “bear” said “If you think you are big enough, lets see you try.” The commander would say “Let me guess. If it looks like I am winning, your snipers take out my crew. Am I right?” When the “bear” said “Lets wait and see.” The commander would say “NO deal” then called out “All targets, full power”.

With this, four panels slid back, on the roof of the LandMaster, exposing gattling guns, which spun up, and opened fire exactly on the hidden positions.

When the “bear” said “You win, this time. What do you want from us?” The commander said “We have been sent, by the Pentagon to help, in any way we can, including restoring your contact with the outside world.”

While the “bear” walked away, others came forward, saying “Let us show you what we have.”

This time, the problem was not a fallen tree. It was a fallen light post. It must have hit with tremendous force since it smashed the iron pipe, and allowed the emergency fuel supply to run out on the ground.

While the maintenance/repair crew got to work, on finding replacement pipe, the commander called in, with a primary list of what the village needed. The commander also reported “Parts of the town have been washed away. Should we have them re-build, or re-locate?”

Base would say “Standby.” Then say “Send through the list of what is needed, right NOW. We will deal with the rest, later.”

Three weeks later, during a Rest-and-Recovery break, the commander would ask about other LandMasters. The news was not good.

The rigs were so old that everything would need replaced. NO one knew how long it would be, until other LandMasters would cruise the United States.

The even worse news came from the National Weather Service.

The crew was warned that a “hurricane force” wind would be coming to the area, ahead, within seventy-two hours. This is why the Pentagon suggested that the machine “get moving” to race the storm, to arrive at its next destination.

The idea MIGHT have helped, had it been delivered two days earlier. As it was, even at speed, the machine was caught by the wind, and the crew, again, strapped in for the coming assault.

It was no wonder that the storm did so much damage. It would be listed as a FORCE SEVEN. Something never before seen over the continent.

The LandMaster would be “tossed about” like a toy, in winds almost never seen beyond the coastal states.

The machine would be tossed about like a child, tossing about an un-liked toy. The question was: HOW, or IF the machine would survive this.

Even thought the LandMaster had been thrown into a gulley, which protected it from further wind, the team commander called out, to comms “Inform me when the wind has dropped to about forty miles per hour.” The comms officer would say “Roger that”.

After two, more, hours, of waiting, comms would report “Wind speed has dropped to thirty-five miles per hour.” This is when the commander would say “Anyone who is able, to damage control, survey.” He gave the order, in this fashion since the force of the wind had trapped some crew people in their straps. Others would have to free the trapped soldiers.

After a full inspection, the commander was impressed that the modified machine had taken such punishment, with nothing more than dings, and scratches.

Among the crew, there were sprains, bruises, and other pain, in abundance.

When the commander asked “How do we stand her up? I dont think there is a tow truck within miles.” This is when the engineer would suggest “Why dont we try the awning. IT might work?” When the commander would remind the engineer “The awning is made to hold up a tarp covering, over a picnic. It wont hold this much weight.” The engineer would say “Never knew until we try.”

This is when the mechanic would suggest “We should use the winches as well. They were installed in case another R.V. was stuck and needed to be pulled clear. Why not try them on this exercise.

What the commanding officer did not know was that the struts, for the awning were not made of light weight aluminum. They were from an abandoned plan to build a mobile command center.

The Titanium, while light weight, was incredibly strong.

By the time the crew had hauled out the tow cables, and the arms had been extended, there was zero groans, from the machine, as the struts, and cables, pulled the machine upright.

Since the area, both at the front, and rear, of the gulley, which protected the machine from the wind, were, near-vertical walls, the idea, of using missiles, was replaced with the use of an experimental laser, which COULD be used as an emergency cutting device.

The laser was set, to form a ramp, and fired at the forward wall. The wall “liquified”, then the commander gave orders of “Wait until it hardens.”

Driving from the “ditch” turned out to be the easy part. Driving back to the road, even with all-terrain capability, seemed more difficult that climbing a mountain.

By the time the machine made it back, to the road, The commander had to call in, saying “We need chain saws. The road, ahead, is blocked by fallen tree’s.”

Eighteen hours, and two, full, meals, of rations, and the helicopters arrived with the cutting tools. When the LandMaster commander asked what the pilots had seen, the pilots reported that the road was blocked for miles.

Command would not be expecting a “Progress Report” for atleast thirty-six, to forty-eight, hours.

Even with eating rations, at work stations, it would take two days to clear the road, for machine passage.

Of course, as the mission proceeded, there would be no less that three attempts made, to hijack the LandMaster. One was by an anti-government group, which wanted to use the machines fire-power to topple state government.

When the commander asked “Why?” the “leader” would say “We dont like the way they are running government. Big give-aways to those who, already, have too much while our children starve.”

The commander was smart, though, and waited until the rebels showed him their headquarters.

It was after the commander said “Thanks for the tour”, and the “leader” was about to say “What about the device”? When the commander asked “Are we locked on?” When a female voice said “Locked, and ready”.

When the “leader” said “Pardon me?” and the commander said “Fire”, a panel, on the roof, of the LandMaster would slide back, revealing a rocket launcher, which fired a missile at the rebel base.

Once the place went up, in flames, the commander told the “leader”, “Even you should know that, change, in the United States, is done by ballots.”

The next attack was by religious radicals. People, who claimed to be religious yet who, when their state voted DOWN Abortion restrictions, had taken matters into their own hands.

This by bombing, and burning, anything which was NOT in favor of their point of view.

BY the time the LandMaster arrived, the crew verified that ANTI-Choice had executed nearly four dozen people, all of whom the religious called “The Devils Disciples”.

What this group wanted was simple. They had formed a prison, of sorts, and arrested anyone who did not share Pro-Life beliefs. Now the request was for the LandMaster to use its automatic weapons to execute these “infidels”.

When the commander heard “IN the name of God, we ask you to help out carry out divine justice”. All he would say was “While we have nothing to spare, help will arrive, within forty-eight hours.”

When the commander re-boarded the machine, and was prepared to leave town, they found the LandMaster surrounded by the “believers”, who would say “Spawn of Satan, we demand divine justice”.

This is when the commander would say “Very well”, then tell the weapons master “Fire at will”.

It took only two near misses, by missiles, and about a dozen rounds, of machine gun fire, to disperse the “believers”.

When the commander reported to base, the response was “Very well, we will send in CERT, within 24 hours.” The commander gave his thanks.

Maybe fifty miles further on, a fuel refinery was being held by someone, who was insisting that the growing number, of natural disasters, was Gods warning, that man was living in sin.

The “penance”, as the man called it, was for anyone, who wanted fuel, to sacrifice their children “In Gods name”.

When a solider asked “Why does God get the blame for human actions?” The commander suggested “Why dont you ask?” The soldier would say “I think I will.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, the soldier stood in from of the machine and, when challenged with “How do I KNOW you are really a soldier?” The soldier asked “Would you like to see our orders. They come from the Pentagon.”

When the man would come down, to ground level and say “Let me see them.” The soldier would say “First, since you claim to represent the Lord, I want to see your written orders, from above.”

When the man would say “I dont need any written orders, I have FAITH.” The soldier would say “Not good enough.”

This is when the man found himself surrounded by armed soldiers. After he dropped his weapon, saying “You tricked me. You are not soldiers.” The soldier would bring forth a copy of the Pentagons orders.

For the LandMasters assistance, the machines fuel tanks were topped off, and the crew attended another communal dinner.

When asked, the commander would say “Supplies are being readied as we speak. The supply convoy should arrive in about two days.”

Before leaving town, however, the LandMaster would top off its water tank as well.

It was not long before the modified LandMaster began having a reputation, which proceeded it. This is what gave the old, outdated, units such a hard time. They were made for operating after a nuclear war, NOT for search and rescue. They had none of the provisions, which the modified unit had.

This is why, even before arriving at another military base, the soldiers were working on another modification. One which would earn the machine the nickname of “mobile hospital”.

While the commander was writing reports, and submitting logs, his command was busy building an addition to the already modified LandMaster.

A fifth, surgical, unit. A compartment where minor injuries could be tended, while serious cases could be routed to nearest hospitals.

When the team commander asked “Are you nuts? We dont have any surgical team members.” This is when two, army, doctors would ask “With your permission, we would like to join your team.” The team commander would say “Why not?”

This is why, while conditions were far from perfect, the LandMaster would advance, and increase the amount of aid available, to struggling communities.

This, while Mother Natures awesome power reminded them of how insignificant the United States military was.

What really helped was when the LandMaster was ordered to a freight depot. It seems that the U.S. military was not the only group becoming creative.

A train, normally used for freight, had been converted into a hospital train. As the engineer said “Right now, our normal customers are working to try going back into action. The railroad says that we can be paid, no matter what we are hauling. So, here we are”.

The commander realized that this was a good move. This since the news continued to report that airports were “out of action” since runways were too slick, for safety.

Helicopters, trains, and the LandMasters, were what were re-connecting American cities, even while Mother Nature threw her worst at polluters.

Downed power-lines had to be re-strung, just as drains had to be cleared, to allow flood-water to drain from cities. Tree’s had to be cut, from cars, and power had to be turned back on.

It was a long, dull, job, with plenty of bureaucrats asking “Who is going to pay for all of this?”

The LandMaster crew knew why, at the present time, the United States was known as “Damnation Alley”. A land which would have to be re-built, from the ground up.

As for the LandMasters, themselves, th question would become “How much would it cost to make ALL of them, nation-wide, like the one the soldiers had modified?”

With estimates running in the tens of billions, the old argument would be re-started. The one of “How will we pay for it woth-OUT raising taxes?”

An argument, as old as the United States, herself.