Dominatus (24 page)

“The kids…the kids ok?  Where are the kids?”

Clancy pointed over to the wall where Bear’s two children stood quietly, their eyes wide as their father sat up and extended his arms to them.

Mac shook the doctor’s hand, clapped the big man on his right shoulder and made his way back into the main hall and to the small stage of the operations center to once again address the assembled residents of Dominatus.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as of about 4:00 this afternoon…we are under attack.”

XVIII.

Mac’s announcement was met again with surprising calm by the people of Dominatus.  I overhead one man mutter to himself how they had already been under attack for years.

“We’ve done the drills enough to know where we are going from here.  The cave is just a few hundred yards away – we have additional snow machines ready to go in the back stall area just behind us.  We leave in two’s – make your way there quickly but not at a dangerous pace.  You will have to park outside the entrance path and then wait for me at the staging area just outside the blast door.  From there we go in again by two’s and close the first blast door behind us and make our way to the second door.  Once inside there we will be safe…at least for some time.  We have plenty of water, food, clothing, a fully operational heating and ventilation system, a medical room, bunks, bathrooms…an interior greenhouse, everything we are going to need is there is waiting for us.  I assure you all, we are very well prepared for this.

“Ok folks…let’s get moving then.”

The trip to the cave, as Mac had requested, was done with deliberate caution.  Most chose to simply walk, including Bear, who appeared to have fully recovered from the riot gun attack.  He carried both of his children in each of his arms as Clancy struggled to keep up.  Though it was by then full darkness, the path was well marked and far easier to navigate than the trip to the operations center had been.

The cave’s entrance was a narrow path cut through a wall of granite rock that led into the side of a large hill covered in evergreen trees, which likely helped to hide the cave from drone surveillance.  Dublin had already arrived at the entrance with her grandfather.  They, along with a few others, had taken a snow machine to get there.

The Old Man smiled reassuringly to those arriving at the cave’s staging area before turning and making his way down the narrow path to the first blast door which sat another forty feet inside the hill.  Mac walked beside me, his handgun returned to its holster at his side.

“He had this place completed a couple years after I got here, never been used until now.  But he always told us to keep it ready, like he knew that someday we would need it.  Looks like that someday —”

The sound of a massive explosion cut off Mac’s words as we all turned to look up into a sky temporarily lit up in colors of orange and red as the ground beneath our feet shuddered.  Mac scrambled up a set of steps I had not noticed before that had been cut out into the rock face of the path.  He looked out toward the direction of Freedom Tavern as another explosion ripped a bright tear across the night sky.

“Reaper drones.  Got them loaded up with some serious firepower. Guess they mean business.”

Bear shouted up to Mac.

“We going to be safe inside this place Mac - or are we walking into a tomb?”

Mac made his way back down to the ground and pointed to the Old Man who now stood directly in front of the first blast door.  Its outward dimensions were only slightly larger than a normal sized exterior door, but its material emitted a dull metallic glow. The Old Man produced a small transmitter device and input a code and the door immediately began to swing silently open revealing a narrow tunnel.

“I’ll put my trust in that man every time Bear…it’s up to you if you want to do the same.”

Another blast - this time much closer.  The drones were eliminating the operations center.  Mac pushed the group ahead through the blast door entrance, though the narrow path slowed their ability to quickly do so.

“Better close that door Mr. Meyer, I’m pretty sure our heat signatures are already registering with those drones.”

As the door began to close behind us I saw it was at least a half foot thick and entirely of some kind of steel like material.  Mac noted my focus.

“See how it’s installed at an angle?  Deflects the pressure from a blast, allows the natural hillside to absorb most of the damage.  Little details like that, most wouldn’t recognize.  The people the Old Man had build this place, they did it right.  That door is triple tier construction, multiple absorbers, two-inch hard-plate. That door alone could hold up to a hell of a lot – and it’s just the little one in this place.”

As the door closed I could hear the reassuring click of its multiple locking mechanisms falling into place.  Several LED lights attached to the low ceiling of the tunnel lit up, showing the way toward the second blast door.  The tunnel was angled downward, its stone walls polished smooth, the floor some kind of slip-resistant plastic material that had been installed during its construction.  I spotted the next blast door that loomed ahead another fifty feet from the first door, though this second door was almost double the size.

Again the Old Man took out his transmitter and input a code, then stepped back to await the door’s opening.  He was now wheezing noticeably.

The cave’s second blast door was massive – over a foot thick.  Its hydraulics operated more slowly than the first, likely due to its considerable weight.  As it reached its halfway opening, another explosion was heard outside, though the sound was muffled significantly over the earlier blasts.  Mac placed his hand against the smooth walls of the tunnel.

“That was the staging area, where we were all standing just a few minutes ago.”

Three more explosions were heard before the second blast door was fully opened revealing the interior of the Old Man’s cave.  Alexander Meyer turned to the people of Dominatus gathered behind him, his expression one of pride and comfort to those whose safety he cared so much for.

“Welcome to the cave.  For some of you, this will be your first time inside this place.  Consider it your home for now.  You will be safe here – I promise you that.”

As the Old Man shuffled across the threshold of the blast door the interior lit up with multiple motion sensing lights revealing a large 60 by 60 oval shaped room with a low hanging ceiling.  The walls and ceiling were stone, painted a soft white while the floor underneath appeared to be a dark hardwood material.  At the opposite end of the room was a large oval wood door.  The air in the room smelled surprisingly fresh, and the temperature, though not warm, was comfortable.  Mac pushed the last of the group past the second blast door and into the room then hit a small red button housed in a rectangular silver box to the right of the door which initiated its closing sequence.

Dublin again offered herself as support for her grandfather as he made his way slowly to the wood door at the other end of the room.  She was the one to pull it open revealing a much larger area similar in shape to the first room, though this one’s ceilings were in excess of ten feet high and the space was likely some five thousand square feet. Various pieces of art work hung on the walls, surrounding a large central seating area with rows of pillowed benches and Tiffany-styled lamps atop ornate wooden end tables.  In the far left corner of the room I spotted a fully equipped kitchen with a massive commercial grade refrigerator/freezer, eight burner stove, two double-sinks, six by six prep table, two large microwaves, and a standalone grilling station.  A three sided bar surrounded the kitchen space, providing enough seating for at least twenty people.

People were moving slowly about the main room.  Many sat down on one of the cushioned benches while others moved to the kitchen area.  Mac cleared his throat and waited a moment to ensure everyone was paying attention.

“Ok, we are very secure in here so the first thing I want everyone to do now is relax as much as possible.  The kitchen was recently stocked so if I could have a few of you start up a meal for everyone…that would be real helpful.  There’s several bunk rooms past the hallway over here…each room can comfortably sleep up to six of you.  We have two bathrooms in the hall…we all need to share those but they will provide everything anyone would need as far as a toilet, sink, and shower area goes.  The whole place is run by batteries charged by the same kind of coal-powered generator most of you had in your cabins, though the one here is a lot bigger…and we got a backup.  So we have hot water, fresh air being pushed throughout the facility…a place to sleep…reading materials, games, even music.  What we need from all of you though, we need everyone to be aware of everyone else.  No fighting, everybody helping out…that kind of thing, right?  So…who can I get to help out on the meal?”

Lucille, who stood just a few feet from Mac, raised her hand.

“I’ll take care of all that Mac.  You go on and take care of anything else you need to do.  Should have something ready to eat for everyone in about thirty minutes.  Might take a little bit to learn my way around that kitchen.”

Mac nodded at Lucille and continued speaking.

“Thank you Lucille, make sure you get some help with that.  For now I need everyone to stay in the main room here.  Me and Keith are going to be doing a systems check, and we don’t need to be working around any of you while we are at it.  So stay here, and like Lucille said, there’ll be a meal up and ready for you in just a little bit.”

Before he left down the hallway I tapped Mac on the shoulder and asked if I could join him and Keith, hoping to get a little tour of the cave.

“Sure…stay out of the way though, but yeah, I can give you a quick rundown of what we got going here.  You’re gonna want to see the communications room for one thing, the Old Man made sure we had that all ready for you.”

Dr. Miller also approached Mac and whispered to him.

“I want to take Mr. Meyer to the medical room for monitoring Mac, is that ok?”

“Sure Doc, whatever you need.  How’s he doing?”

The doctor glanced over at the Old Man, seated on one of the benches under a layer of blankets.

“The trip up here, he’s struggling with his breathing a bit.  I’m worried he might be running a fever so I need to get him fully hydrated and resting comfortably.”

Mac nodded and then proceeded with Keith down the hallway as I hurried to join them.

The hallway looked to be nearly a hundred feet long, with entry ways into ten small but comfortably furnished rooms on each side.  I also passed the two bathrooms mentioned earlier by Mac.  When we reached the end of the hall there was a latched door which opened into another shorter hallway.  A door on the left indicated the medical room where Dr. Miller was to be taking the Old Man, while a door on the right had a sign stating in bold red letters “Authorized Access Only”.

Mac reached the door and input a series of numbers into a small keypad on the left side of the door frame, followed by the sound of small click indicating it was now unlocked.  Mac pushed it open and a series of automated lights engaged, revealing a massive cavern like room which was currently filled with the hum of one of two large coal fed generators currently operating.  I also noted a water pump station with an elaborate filtration system.

Mac pointed to the pump station.

“That connects directly to the underground aquifer – unlimited water supply.  We have enough coal stored up here to give us full operational power for at least three years.  Next to the generators is the automated air circulation unit.  We have three air access lines – the primary lines near the entrance, another reserve line about three hundred yards away, with a third reserve line nearly a mile away.  If somebody were able to locate and block off all three lines, then we also have reserve tanks of oxygen under the floor of the main room we just came from that could last us several more weeks.  But we ain’t here right now for any of that – we’re going to the defense room.  The one the Old Man had me personally develop for him about ten years ago to deal with the exact scenario we are facing now.”

Both Keith and I followed Mac to a heavy steel door located opposite the generators and air circulation unit.  It too had the same “Authorized Access Only” sign as the first door into the cavern did, and another keypad that Mac input a code into.  Again as the door opened and Mac walked through, a series of automated lights came on.

The room’s interior reminded me of photos I had seen as a child of the inside of a 20
^th
Century armored military tank.  It was no more than an eight by eight space, the walls and ceiling housed in the same darkened steel as the entrance door.  A large viewing monitor was placed at the far wall, with a single large seat in front of it.  Various controls were housed on each side of the monitor.

Mac sat down in front of the monitor and hit what must have been the power up button, the monitor’s screen flashing to life, revealing a view of the long narrow trail that had led the group to the first blast door of the cave.  Mac hit a button and another view was revealed, this one from a much higher altitude that looked down upon the small valley below the hill that the residents of Dominatus now occupied.  Yet another view was of the charred remains of Freedom Tavern – the drones had nearly wiped out the entire structure.