Member
Timemaster
Commander Cody Varicke
One year ago...
"Cody!" His girlfriend Samara had yelled gleefully after getting off of the plane. She had just gotten back from a trip to see her extended family. Cody always hated when she took that trip. It put her so far away that he couldn't get her home fast enough if there were ever a world wide problem. He had taken her into his arms and kissed her passionately to the hoots and hollars of the audience that had gathered. He had taken her home and kept her in his arms for two days after that last trip. They were coming up on the wedding date faster and faster and he just couldn't be happier about it. Samara had about a thousand things that she was trying to get done in a time schedule that he thought absurd. He helped her any way that he could.
They had received a phone call in the middle of the night and Samara had to catch the next flight out. Her father had had a heart attack. She had been a wreck. He had taken her to the airport and he was trying to stay positive for her and keep her calm. If only he had known at that moment what was to happen next... Cody had gotten back to the base and gone into the bunker as usual. Doing all of the things he did every day but for some reason today was different, more urgent. There was an alarm going off and he picked up the phone and called the head scientist and astronomer at Nasa. "Richard, what is going on? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" The frantic scientist was rambling too fast to make good sense but Cody had gotten enough to understand that there was an asteroid that had broken free and was now a large unencumbered meteor headed for earth at an amazing speed. They would be lucky if the planet had 24 hours.
Cody's training kicked in and he put the bunker and base on high alert. The first thing he did was arrange an army jet to pick up Samara. He knew he wasn't supposed to but he figured they could court marshall him later. He sent out men to get more food and supplies. He knew he was going to have to keep people in the bunker for as long as he could. The longer that they were inside the better chances of survival. He also sent out crews to start picking up people. They were under orders to pick up whomever they could. He told his men, "We'll need men and women of reproductive age. We'll also need the elderly to teach the younger folks how to do things they can't learn any other way." He had sent them out to find the next generation that would explore the world and try to live in it.
Cody had been furiously busy and had kept checking on Samara. She had called him and he had told her what was going on and to hurry. She had already gotten onto the plane and she was on her way back to the States when the first of the meteors hit the surface of the planet. He'd been on pins and needles waiting for her to get there and he waited right up til the last second. When he had to close the doors it was only seconds before the crater causing rock hit the Supervolcano at Yellowstone. Within seconds that was an exploding mess of deadly molten rock and ash that triggered massive shifting in the techtonic plates and threw the entire United States into a downward spiral that would never reverse itself.
As the main outer doors had closed he had watched Samara's plane on the screen. It was beeping as it flew across the area. His heart caught in his throat when the beep and flashing light disappeared. His military training kicked in and shoved emotions to the side. Cody had watched as the outer top doors closed then the three inner doors that sealed the air tight hub. He had made certain that they had backup parts on hand at all times. He had seen a crew of his get back just after the doors were shut and he couldn't open them back up. If he did everyone would die. Cody had to stand there and watch his friends and innocent people just vaporize in front of him.
Over the last year Cody had become close to many of the people in the bunker. Many of the elderly reminded him of his parents or grandparents. That was why he knew if he didn't find a way to replenish the food they would all die. Most of the older men had helped him try planting a garden in the bunker and they did get a few small things from it but it was not realistically going to starve off the inevitable. He was going to have to open the doors or no one would have even the slightest chance of survival...
"A year ago all 154 of us were thrust into a position to try and save the human race. I'm not sure if we can actually do that. There isn't enough food to feed everyone for more than a few days. That being said we are opening the bunker doors." This was the hardest thing he had ever had to say to anyone and he wanted to be straight with them.
"There is nothing else we can do at this point but go out and see what is left of our country and our world. Now keep in mind, the nuclear reactors would have been leaking if not completely destroyed so there will likely be higher than safe radiation levels. There may also be fires burning still." He didn't want to give false hope or out and out lie to them. They had all become family in one way or another.
"Okay everyone calm down! There is no electricity and most buildings are going to be heavily damaged from tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis if they are still there at all."
"There will be animals. Probably new species and some of the old that may have mutated. Either way they are going to be vicious. The food chain has been altered. WE are no longer at the top of the food chain. There may be all kinds of creatures out there or there might be nothing alive at all." Cody was a little afraid of what kind of animals might survive a planetwide obliteration but he didn't want to scare them all to death either.
"I can't help but feel like I am sending you out to your deaths. I very well could be. I do know that without food we WILL die in here. No question about that. At least out there we have a chance. It might be a small chance but that is better than nothing. I wish all of us a lot of luck and may God bless us all." He had had to use his commander voice for this last part. He knew he was killing people the instant he said to open the doors. But he had no choice, it was for the greater good.
Cody had coughed a little but mostly he caught the people who had been his family and watched them die. The younger adults, for the most part stopped to help the older generation with their sudden demise. Cody had held many as they died in his arms and then he had helped take them out to the "cemetary" as he was calling it. The tears in his eyes had been the first he had cried in months.
After being sick for several days he and most of the younger ones recovered and they suddenly had a new power. Cody figured out what his power was when he cut himself shaving and it healed up right in front of him in the mirror. How ironic he would get the power to heal after most died. It was not lost on him either and he did everything he could to test his new power. He slit his wrist to see if it would heal and it did. He figured at that point that if there was a god, he was an asshole.
Since the sickness had all but ended he was trying to get people out to explore and find food before their supplies were gone. At least he could keep them from dying of poison if they tried out new things in front of him.
Cody had walked back into the cafeteria to sit down for a moment and saw Harley with her head down on the table. "Headache Harley?"
A muffled "mhmm" came up and he nodded. "Just don't give up, we have to find food."
"I know, I just need a few minutes then I'll go back out."
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