Red the First by C. D. Verhoff

under
the ground for the remainder of their lives. “It’s like being
entombed alive.”
    “ I assure you the Galatians
Bunker is nothing like a tomb. It will feel like home, a place of
refuge, both during and after the strike. It is deep underground,
designed to hold a maximum population of thirty-five thousand for
an indefinite period of time, and it’s totally self-sustaining. A
variety of energy sources power the facility. Arenas are designed
to mimic the outdoors. A gigantic biosphere, and several smaller
ones, with diverse plant and animal life and hundreds of acres of
arable land, take up half of the bunker. There are barracks and
individual housing units for families. A resourceful crew could
easily live out their natural lives underground, passing down the
information on how to run the facility to their children.
Considering the ease of life in the bunker compared to up here now,
even in a town as well-thought out as yours, I think many people
will be happy there.”
    “ I can’t imagine that,”
Elizabeth said.
    “ There’s electricity
24/7.”
    “ There is?” She liked the
sound of that. “Are there coffee percolators?”
    “ Yes, and a designated place
in the biosphere for coffee plants, plus a roasting oven, and
processing area for the beans.”
    “ What about chainsaws?” Red
asked.
    “ Yes, there are chainsaws,
but you won’t need firewood because the place is heated
geo-thermally.”
    “ Really?” Red said, looking
hopeful.
    “ Really. But don’t think
you’ll be sitting around idle down there. We’ve provided the tools
you’ll need to survive, but it’s up to you to use them.”
    “ Hold on a minute,”
Elizabeth said. “Are you even sure that a nuclear bomb can kill the
Celeruns?”
    “ Positive. In fact, the
original purpose of the Manhattan Project was to find an effective
means of deterring the Celeruns.”
    As Elizabeth and Red absorbed the
latest information, the general kept on talking. “Our counterattack
will be so massive that the entire earth with be contaminated with
radiation. Clouds of dirt and dust will rise up into the air,
blocking out the sun, creating a nuclear winter. The next
aftereffect will be intense global warming. Not even the Celeruns
have the means to clean up such a wide-scale disaster. They’ll have
no choice but to move on to the next world. By the time our
descendants emerge from the bunkers, our enemy will be long
gone.”
    “ But is living in a bunker
any kind of life at all?” Red asked.
    “ I can’t answer that
question.”
    “ All things are possible
with the Lord.” Everyone turned to look at Father Bob. “If God
wishes humanity to survive, it’s within his power to shorten the
horrors following an atomic war. The Book of Revelation speaks of
such things. But why do you call it the Galatians
Bunker?”
    “ It was named after St.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians. All the bunkers’ names came from
books of the bible.”
    “ What’s the significance
supposed to be?” Father Bob asked.
    “ The construction of the
bunkers began in the 1950s,” the general said. “That was a more
religious era, if you know what I mean.”
    “ When will you take us to
this the Galatians Bunker?” Red asked.
    “ I will not be going there
with you. I started on the West Coast, filling the bunker in North
Dakota, and there are others in the U.S. to attend to before the
final countdown. I just pray that the all the participating
countries have done their part in filling their own.
    “ You see, each bunker has
its own key. To begin the countdown, at least five of the bunkers
across the world must turn their keys at the same time. Once a key
is turned, each bunker has a unique launch code that must be input
into the system within ninety seconds of turning the key. If any
part of the sequence is botched, that bunker is out of the game. We
need at least five active bunkers that turn the key, and input the
code, or everything will self-abort. If done