ok, i know the descriptions of the silo are confusing. here are two pics of one of them (yes, they are real places ). the hangar would be to the left of the main tunnel just below the control dome:





in these pics the main entrance is at the bottom (antenna silo) and the garage entrance is at the #1 launcher.

here's a site with great info on them, for those interested: http://www.chromehooves.net/

yup

overtly 'christian' aspect of the story

But let me continue and see how it is. When i get home later ill read more I just did not have time yesterday as it was Christmas and all. But who knows it still is good so ill continue to read.


***** EDITED 20 MINS LATER****
Aww comeone you cant leave me with a buzzing pager, LOL i ended up reading the rest anyway.

MORE MORE

ok...here's a pic of the 'scorpion' helicopter, made by rotorway:

Chapter 9

When his pager went off, Jack went over to one of the recreation room terminals and turned it on. As the screen came up he logged in and brought up the security system. A motion detector for the main gate had been tripped, and he selected the camera for that area and examined the picture. There appeared to be a beat up old truck not far from the gate, and he could see a couple of people moving about. He said to Pam "looks like there's someone at the front gate, but I can't make out who it is from here. let's go to the control room and see if we can zoom in on them." With that, the two went back downstairs.

Arriving at main control, Jack went to the monitor station and selected the gate camera for the large monitor. Zooming in on the truck, he saw that it was old and rusted, and the bed was piled high with stuff. He counted three people moving about, looking like they were discussing something. Two of them he was sure he'd never seen before, but the third looked familiar. after a minute it came to him, that looked like Melissa!

Jack said "I think I know one of them, that looks like the wife of one of my friends who was supposed to shelter here. I don't know the other two, but they don't appear hostile, they seem to be discussing something as equals." Thinking for a moment, he continued "Pam, stay here. I need you to watch my back. I'm going to go out there and try and bring them in. I don't think it's likely, but Melissa may be being held against her will, being used by the others to get in here. Sit here and watch the screen, they're not in range of the nearest flamethrower yet, but if they shoot me and come inside, as soon as they get past that orange post next to the road, they will be. Remember, it takes a few seconds for the weapon to raise up and get in firing position, so wait until they get about half way between the post and the flamethrower before activating it, so they won't have time to retreat even if they see it. as soon as it's up, hose them down." Jack quickly showed her how to operate the weapon control station and select the appropriate gun, and said he'd try to keep out of it's area of fire so she wouldn't toast him as well. Pam was nervous and very serious, realizing that this wasn't a game and that their lives were on the line.

She said "Jack, do you have to go? If anything happened to you I don't know WHAT I'd do. I think I'm falling in love with you, I don't want to lose you now." She pleaded.

He looked at her. "I care about you two Pam, and I'll be careful. But those are people out there and even if they're not the ones I'm thinking of, there are dang few people left. We as christians have to do everything we can to help others, if we were to lock ourselves away from others who need our help, how could we face God when the time comes? Besides, if that IS my friend, we'll be a lot better off with her and her friends in here with us."

Pam knew he was right, but she was still scared and worried for him. still, she said OK, and watched nervously as he left the room, stopping at the armory first and picking up a rifle and vest. She wished that she'd asked him to hug her goodbye, but she didn't want him to think she was trying to come on to him again. Suddenly he walked back in again, and Pam's eyes lit up. He said "I almost forgot" and reached for a couple two-way radios in a charger along the wall. Handing one to her, he said he'd call her if he needed her. With that, Jack walked back out of the room. Pam slumped back, she'd been sure he was coming back to give her a hug.

Walking out into the tunnel, Jack was thinking about Pam. 'Maybe I should have given her a hug to reassure her before I left,' he thought, but he didn't want to send the wrong signal to someone who had so recently confessed to having a problem lusting for him. Putting thoughts of the girl out of his mind, he walked towards the garage silo.

Entering the garage, Jack contemplated driving the mog out to the gate, but decided that it might scare whoever was out there, if they weren't who he thought they were. Deciding that keeping it low key was best, he got in the truck and drove it into the tunnel that led to the maintenance shop, clearing the elevator. Then bringing the elevator up to the next level, he selected one of the Max six wheel drive vehicles and, climbing in and driving onto the pad, he hit the button that opened the doors and raised him to the surface. Exiting the silo, he made his way towards the main gate, being sure to detour far enough out so that he wouldn't cross into range of the flamethrower. As he approached the gate, he saw that the people there apparently had heard him. there was a flurry of activity as they dove for cover, and a second later a shot rang out!

Jack immediately dove off the Max, the vehicle continuing on a dozen yards until it came to rest, idling. As jack tried to make himself one with the ground, he called Pam on the radio, letting her know he wasn't hit and telling her to remain alert. Then he called out "MELISSA!, IT"S JACK. STOP SHOOTING!"

Immediately he heard voices from the gate, then "JACK? IS THAT REALLY YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD."

"Well I'm not yet, but I WILL be if people keep taking shots at me!"

The woman called back, "we're coming out Jack, please hold your fire." and with that, all three of them stood up and put down their guns. Jack stood as well. He walked over to the Max and got aboard, driving it cautiously over to the gate.

As he pulled up, he said to Melissa "thank God you're alive! Are Jerry and the kids..."

"They're dead." Melissa said sadly "They died a couple of weeks ago from the plague."

Jack opened the gate, quickly going to the woman and holding her for a moment. Stepping back he said "I am so sorry Melissa, I know how much you must be hurting. I wish I could do something to ease your pain."

"It's ok Jack, God is helping me to get through."

Trying to change the subject, he said "who are your friends?"

Visibly pulling herself together, she gave him a weak smile and said "This is Eric Williams and his friend Robin Jeffrey. We found each other on the way here.

"Nice to meet you two. Well, why don't we get inside, I'm sure you're all tired and hungry. After you've had a chance to rest you can tell me about your journey."

"Sounds good to me, I've been trying to get here for more than a week." The woman said.

Jack called Pam on the radio to let her know everything was ok and they were coming in. Pam immediately replied "thank God! I was so worried." At the sound of a female voice coming from the radio, Melissa gave him a curious look, but said nothing. After they pulled their truck through, Jack closed and locked the gate. Then he led them back to the silo.

Jack instructed Eric to pull onto the elevator pad, and to stay to one side so he could get the max on as well. When they were set he pushed the button and they descended into the complex. Jack stopped them at the second level and put the Max back where he'd gotten it, then comtinued down to the third and told the group to grab their stuff and follow him.

At the junction to the main tunnel, they were met by Pam. She jumped into Jack's arms nearly hysterical, saying she'd thought he was dead when that shot was fired. He reassured her that he was fine, calming her down, but aware of how nice it was that she'd been so concerned for him. When she'd regained control of herself, Pam turned to the newcomers and said "I'm Pamela."

Jack, remembering his manners, introduced the others to the girl, and they started walking toward the dome, Pam sniffling and trying to dry her tears.

Arriving at his apartment, Jack told the others to have a seat while he got lunch together. As he went to the kitchenette, Pam followed him saying she'd help. Jack was aware that she seemed to be sticking close to him, and figured she was just a little shy around the others.

Serving lunch, Jack said "So, tell me about your trip Mel.

"Well, after Jerry and the children passed, I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to die myself, and I figured it'd happen pretty soon. After a few days had passed and I still didn't get sick, I thought about forcing the issue. I was just so torn up about losing them. In my depression I actually prayed for God to kill me too, but while I was praying, God gave me peace instead. It was then that He led me to understand that He wasn't through with me yet, that He knew I had suffered greatly, but He still had plans for me. After hours of crying and praying, I pulled myself together enough to make some plans. Our plan was always to get here if we could, so I tried calling you, back before the phones went out. I couldn't get ahold of you, no matter when I called, day or night, and finally figured you'd died of the sickness as well. Finally, after praying about it, I got my things together and started trying to get here."

"The going was rough at first. Apparently something had caused a mass evacuation panic in Eugene. The roads were jammed solid, not just the highways, but the secondary streets as well. I ended up driving through yards and parking lots, and it took me three days just to get out of the area. Then, as I made my way through the mountains, there were occasional accidents that sometimes blocked the road completely. some of them I was able to clear with the winch, but others were too bad, and I was forced to backtrack and find other ways to get through. Eventually the road became clearer, and I was able to start making good time. That is, until I got to a small town called Harper. While driving through the town, someone started shooting at me from among the buildings. I heard a shot hit the truck, and floored the gas, trying to get away from the area. After a bit the truck got hard to control, I think they hit one of the wheels. Anyway I kept going a couple of miles, but ended up losing control and hitting a parked car. The truck wasn't fixable quickly, and I didn't want to stay in that area, so I grabbed what I could carry and headed off into the brush. After a while I decided that no one was following me, so I took off down the road. Coming to the next town, called Vale, I started looking for a place to spend the night."

Jack had been through Vale a couple of times, it was just across the border in Oregon, a tiny berg on an old state road, with nothing to make it stand out.

"I hadn't seen anybody the whole time I was traveling, unless you include the person who shot at me, and I didn't even SEE him. So, when I finally got to Vale I just went to the first store I came to, which was a gas station. I tried the door, and it was unlocked. It was getting dark, so I went in and locked the door then went to the back and got out my sleeping bag. I got into some candy from a rack, and lay down and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up because I heard glass breaking. I looked out into the store, and saw Eric and Robin standing just inside the door. When I spoke to them I thought they were going to jump out of their skin, but after talking for a bit they calmed down. They told me they were hungry, and just looking for food. I told them to help themselves to what was there, and they went right to it, stuffing themselves with the candy like they hadn't eaten in a week. Afterwards they told me they were all alone, and had nowhere to go. I told them I knew of a place that had food and supplies, and asked them if they wanted to go with me."

At this point, Eric spoke up. "After my parents died, I didn't know what to do. When I'd eaten everything there was in the house, I started looking in the other houses in town. That's how I found Robin. She was hiding in her home, having lost her whole family as well. We'd gone to high school together but in different grades, I'm a senior and she's a freshman, but we knew each other at least. We started looking for food together, and had just about decided to try to get to another town, when we found Melissa in the 'Stop 'n Go'. When she said she had a place to go, we both were so relieved, we jumped at the chance to go with her. I had my truck outside, so we helped her get her stuff together and in the truck, and left."

Mel spoke up again "we traveled all that day, and ended up in Boise. Knowing we needed some guns, we found a pawn shop there and got a couple."

Jack had seen their guns, a .22 rifle and an old Marlin .30-.30.

"There wasn't much ammo in the pawn shop, but there was enough. I gave the 30-30 to Eric, and took over the driving for the final leg of the journey. When we pulled up to the gate, I realized I'd forgotten the code to unlock it. As we were trying to decide what to do, we noticed you coming this way. I thought you were dead, and didn't know who would be coming towards us from the inside, so I told Eric and Robin to get down behind something."

"I'm sorry I shot at you mister, but Melissa said that there wasn't supposed to be anybody here. Anyway, it was just a warning shot. Heck, as bad as I was shaking, I doubt if I coulda' hit ya' even if I was tryin'."

Jack said it was ok, he understood. "I might've done the same thing in your place Eric."

Eric looked relieved.

"Well, that's our story. Now, what's yours?" Jack told them that he'd been staying with some friends in Butte when it all started. Then he gave them a rundown of the events up until that time. When he was finished, everyone decided it was time to call it a night. Jack showed Melissa to the apartment across from Pam. Then Eric and Robin, who said that, while they weren't a couple, they didn't want to be apart right now, to one further down.

Lying in bed that night, Pam was having trouble sleeping. She kept remembering the sight of Jack diving off the ATV, and her thinking he was dead. Then, after learning he was ok, she'd felt something totally different when she'd watched him on the monitor, walking through the gate and hugging this new woman. She'd been watching that woman since she'd come out from behind the truck. She appeared to be in her mid thirties...like Jack. Then, when she saw Jack hugging her, Pam felt something kind of like anger inside herself, and she realized that Jack would never want her with a grown woman here.

It was a long time before Pam got to sleep.

I have to say the story is getting very interesting
A suggestion i may have is to put a calendar date to each day like when they are calling it a night and stuff to give it a more real feeling.

but then i'd have to create a whole timeline to go with it.

after the first few chapters things will start to speed up and you'll get a feel for the seasons and such.

thanks for the idea though...i may include it in the rewrite.

Chapter 10

Early the next morning, Pam got up and went up to Jack's place. Stepping out of the elevator she realized that Melissa was already there, and she heard them talking and giggling as they got breakfast together. Hearing the elevator door close, Jack turned, saw her and said. "Good morning sleepy head, did you have a good night?"

Feeling jealousy rise up within her, Pam got a sour look on her face and mumbled "guess so." Then went over and sat on the couch, picking up the remote and flipping on the TV for the first time since she'd been there.

Somewhat curious at her gruff reply, Jack started to walk over, when Mel caught his arm and turned him back, pointing to the eggs and saying "don't let them burn, Jack." Turning back to what he was doing, Jack decided to let it go. She was probably just not feeling well or something.

After a few minutes, Eric and Robin appeared also. Mel said, "good morning. Have a seat, breakfast will be done in a minute."

Seeing Pam, Eric shyly said "hi." Then sat with Robin on another couch, the two of them remaining silent as Pam browsed through the selection of movie titles.

Calling everyone to the table a few minutes later, Jack said grace and they all started to eat. He noticed Pam was refusing to make eye contact with him, but pretended not to. After they'd started eating, He spoke up "folks, I really enjoy everyone meeting up here and hanging out, but for meals, there really isn't enough room. These apartments weren't designed for dinner parties. I think we'd all be more comfortable eating in the dining room from now on." The others looked at him a little taken aback, but realized there really wasn't much room at the small table.

"Where is the dining room?" Eric asked.

"It's in the other dome, not far from here. I'll take you all over to see it after we're done eating.

After the meal, while walking to the other dome, Jack tried to talk to Pam and find out what was wrong. Still feeling hurt and resentful, she refused to say anything, quickening her pace slightly and moving away from him. Seeing what he was doing, Mel moved closer to Jack, preventing him from pursuing the girl. Mel was very much aware of the situation. It was obvious that Pam was jealous of her, and equally obvious that Jack was interested in the girl. Determined to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand, She made a point to try and keep Jack away from her.

Entering the other dome, Jack began pointing out the various areas of interest. Mel asked about the kitchen, and he led the group off to the left side of the room. The door to the kitchen led through a short tunnel to what Jack said used to be the ventilation room for the power dome. "When this place was operational the four large diesel generators put out a lot of fumes, and the builders solved the ventilation problem by building intake and an exhaust rooms, one on either side of the dome. The exhaust room was converted into the control room and armory, and the intake and filter room into the kitchen." Looking around, they saw the room was about twenty feet square, and had a door leading off to the left. There were stainless steel counters, sinks, and a huge range around the walls, with a large oven and a rack of pans and utensils in the middle. Jack told them that through the door was a walk-in cooler and freezer, with dry storage beyond that. He said that this was only short term storage, long term was in silos two and three at the far end of the complex. When necessary, one of them could use a small electric cart to bring in fresh supplies, but the food that was already here should feed them all for several months at least.

Mel thought she could get used to this, she'd always dreamed of a kitchen like this! As she was looking around and asking questions, Jack asked Pam to show the others the rest of the place. Giving him a sour look that Jack was having trouble interpreting, Pam, thought 'great! A wonderful time for him to be alone with HER'. Nevertheless, she nodded her head and said "come on," leading the others out. When they were gone, Mel turned to him and said "what's going on jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come now Jack, it's obvious you've got a thing for her, what are your intentions with that child?"

Jack, beginning to get uncomfortable and not liking her tone in the least, said "oh I'd hardly call her a child Mel, especially after what she's been through."

"Uh huh, so how old is she anyway...fifteen?"

"She's sixteen, and that has nothing to do with it." jack replied in a low tone, he was starting to get upset.

"Oh, SIXteen, that makes ALL the difference."

"Mel, I said that has nothing to do with it. Look, you need to realize a few things. The first is, please remember who's shelter this is. Second, this is not the world we knew. Most of the world is dead, your husband and children among them. There are dang few people left out there, and we're going to have to set aside some of society's misplaced values if we're going to have a chance to survive as a race. And third, Pam ACTS like an adult, she has to make decisions like an adult, and she deserves to be treated as an adult. Do you realize that she was in the control room when I went out to meet you yesterday? She was manning the defenses, ready to burn you all to a cinder if you tried to storm the place. Well, if she's old enough to kill to defend her home, then as far as I'm concerned, she IS an adult."

If he'd slapped her in the face, Mel couldn't have been any more shocked. Suddenly she burst into tears, and Jack moved close to hold her. As she cried, she said "you're right Jack, I don't know why I'm acting like this. Everythings just so crazy now. Yes, if anyone can fight for their home, they're old enough to make other decisions. I guess I was just trying to pretend everything was the way it used to be. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive." He said gently. "You've been under a tremendous amount of pressure, we all have."

"Yes, we all have. You have too, and I haven't been helping. I've been acting like I own you when she's around, and that's why she's been acting so strangely. She's jealous Jack, I think she has a crush on you."

Jack was surprised, but it all made sense now. Still, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation, without leading the girl into more trouble. He explained his concerns to Mel.

"Don't worry Jack, I'll talk to her. I'll help her to see why I've been acting as I have, and let her know I'm no threat to you and her."

"Mel, I don't necessarily want to jump into anything with her right now, I just don't want her to hate me or be mad at me anymore. If later on we decide to get more involved, so be it, but for now we've all got too many other things to worry about. Also, Pam just became a christian and she's not too sure about a lot of things. What she really needs is a woman friend, someone who can help and guide her."

"I think I can handle that." Mel smiled.

After she got herself together, they walked out into the dining room to await the others.

A minute later the gang stepped off the elevator. Jack stood up and asked "who wants the grand tour?"

Pam, seeing the two of them together, said sullenly "I've already seen it, I'm going to my room." and stomped off.

Mel whispered to Jack, "I'll take care of it." And started after her.

------------------------------------------------

Catching up to the girl, Mel said "got a minute? I need to talk to you."

Giving her a withering look, Pam said "what."

"I need to apologize to you Pam, I've been acting badly."

At that, Pam softened a little and asked "what do you mean?"

"When I was outside, trying to get here, I convinced myself that once here everything would be normal, back to the way it was. Then when we arrived and I saw the way you and Jack were acting towards one another, something inside me said 'that's not right', and I started trying to do something to stop it.

"There's nothing going on with us." Pam said defensively.

"I know there's nothing physically happening, but I've seen how you feel about him from the way you act. And, I think he may feel the same way."

Pam suddenly got embarrassed, but said nothing.

"Look, I thought I needed to do something to get you two apart, to protect you from each other, but while you were upstairs Jack pointed out a few things to me. The world's different now, and some of the things society used to believe, have changed. We're all going to have to get used to that, and one of those changes is going to have to be in how we treat each other. In this new world, we can't afford to hold young people back because they haven't reached a certain set age. Instead, if someone acts like an adult, we need to treat them like an adult. Conversely, no matter how old someone is, if they act like a child, we all need to treat them like a child."

Pam just looked at her, trying to understand what she was saying. "Do you mean that if I act like an adult, Jack will treat me like a grown woman, even have a relationship with me?"

By this time, they'd arrived at Pam's apartment, and both women went inside, continuing their conversation.

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"Well, I can't say about the relationship part, all I can say is there's a chance. It's definately not an area where anyone needs to rush into anything, but, if you'll just be yourself, eventually it may happen. One thing that's started to drive a wedge between you two is the jealousy you've been showing. It's got him upset and confused, and that's not good for any friendship. Jack said you just became a christian. I've been saved for a while now, and I thought maybe I could help you to understand a few things."

Pam smiled, realizing both that she had a new spiritual sister, and that she'd found a friend as well. Maybe with her help, she and Jack could get close again.

"One thing that's going to be important for you to understand, is that selfishness is the core of all sin. Take jealousy for example. When you feel jealous, you're not thinking about my happiness or Jacks, but about your own. And that makes you do things that cause you more problems, like upsetting the man you're trying to get to like you."

Pam nodded, that made sense.

"A christian puts God first, and others above themselves. When you do that, you'll find that it makes you feel better, and those around you happier as well. Remember, anytime you start looking at self you're in danger of sin, and you're going to act in a way that makes others not want to be near you."

"I think I understand, thanks." She said, feeling within her heart that Mel was telling her the truth. "I also understand why you did what you did, you were thinking about what was best for me and Jack."

"That's right Pam, I want to assure you that I have no interest in Jack as anything other than a friend. I loved my husband dearly, and my children, and just lost them a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to try again with anyone else, but if I do it'll be a really long time from now.

The two women continued to talk, stopping only when it was time for lunch. Getting up, they headed for the dining room together to prepare the meal for everyone. Pam knew she had a wonderful new friend, and was ashamed of the way she had acted earlier. She also resolved to apologize to Jack the next time she could get him alone for a second.

---------------------------------------

While the two women were talking, Jack had been showing the others the rest of the complex. When they reached the maintenance bay, Eric got a big grin. "Man! you could do anything in here!" he exclaimed.

"Speaking of which, how's that pick-up of yours running?" Jack asked.

Embarrassed, he said "well, not too good, I never could afford to do much to it."

Jack had an idea. "Well, if you want, we could spend a few days taking a look at it and getting it back into shape." he suggested.

Eric's eyes lit up. "Could we? That'd be great Jack."

Smiling at the boy's enthusiasm, he said "good, why don't we get started after breakfast tomorrow." From the reaction he got. Jack thought he may have found a friend for life.

Hey More story here please LOL im trying to read and you keep just throwing crumbs at me making me wait LOL

I am liking this very much

Chapter 11

Looking at a clock on the wall, Jack said "Wow, it's just about lunchtime, I wonder if Mel's getting us something together to eat. What say we wander back to my place and find out."

Robin looked up from where she'd been leaning against a work bench and said "I thought you said we were supposed to eat in the dining room from now on?"

Laughing, Jack said "that's right, I forgot. Well, let's go see if she remembered also."

The trio entered the dining room and looked around. Not seeing anyone Jack turned to leave when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. Walking in, he saw Mel and Pam getting lunch together. "Need any help?" He asked.

Mel looked up at the sound of his voice and replied "nope, we've got it. go on back to the dining room, we'll bring it out in a minute." Jack noticed that Pam had looked up also. As he turned to go, she gave him a quick smile.

In the other room, he said "looks like I was the only one to forget. They said they'd be bringing lunch out in a minute." As he waited, he remembered Pam's smile, thinking 'boy, that was fast. I guess everything's all right now'.

As the ladies brought out the food, Jack noticed that Pam seemed to be back to her old self. But more than that, she seemed to have formed a special friendship with the Mel. That was good Jack thought, a girl her age needs an older woman to guide and help her. Also, it may help Mel get over the loss of her family more easily to have someone she could confide in. Jack was aware that there were some things a woman just wasn't comfortable talking to a man about, no matter how close a friend he was.

After lunch, Jack stood up to speak. "Now that we're all here, I need to say a few things. The first day after Pam and I got here, I told her that I expected all adults to be armed at all times as long as they were living in this shelter. Now, I know that some of you were considered children before the plague, but things are different now. As long as each of you pull your weight and act like an adult, you'll be treated that way. As adults you each will have responsibilities, and will be expected to follow directions. One of those responsibilities is to be ready to defend this place and the people living here. But with responsibility comes authority as well. That means no one will be watching over your shoulder all the time. You'll be expected to look after yourself and make good decisions without having to be told what to do."

"Now, is everyone in agreement with this?" Jack looked at the others, especially Robin, as she was the youngest. Everyone nodded their head without hesitation, so Jack continued. "Good. Now, is there anyone here who has misgivings about handling guns or using them to defend this place?" Looking around again he saw that no one was making a move. After a moment, he continued. "Great. well, if you'll all come with me to the armory, I'll get you set up with your individual weapons."

In the control room, Jack stopped before the door to the armory. "When I set this place up, I decided on a standardized rifle and pistol for shelter defense. The rifle I chose is the H&K-91. This is a .308 caliber semi-automatic rifle, and it does have some kick. Because of her small stature, I decided to Give Pam the M-1 carbine instead, as I'd prefer a person be comfortable with their gun. having made that point, if any of the rest of you aren't comfortable with this rifle, or the M-1911 pistol that goes with it, please tell me and we'll get you something else."

Everyone nodded, and Jack began handing out unloaded rifles and pistols. Looking at Pam he said "run over to the kitchen and get the electric cart, ok?" Pam smiled and said "sure." And ran off.

As she left, he asked Eric to help him move some of the target stands from the back of the armory out to the dining room. Then he grabbed a case of .308 and brick of .45 acp, and followed him. As he arrived Pam also walked up with the cart, and they began to load it with their stuff. Finishing, they started for the main entrance, Jack hoping to qualify everyone before it got too dark to see.

It took two trips to get everyone up to the surface, as the cart was so big. As soon as they were up, Jack and Eric walked out and set up targets at a hundred yards, and Jack put a couple at 10 yards for the pistols. He explained to the group that everyone had to qualify to his satisfaction before they could carry full time, and then took each one aside to find out what they knew. He asked each if they'd ever shot a rifle or pistol. If they said yes he went over the controls with them and told them to show him what they could do. If they said no, or if they needed work, he explained things further and worked with them. Finding out that Mel and Eric were proficient with pistols but needed help with rifles, he asked Pam to take them to the side and bring them up to par. Pam was thrilled with the responsibility, but didn't let it go to her head. Robin on the other hand wasn't very good with either one, and Jack started working with her on the pistol first.

Jack was having problems with Robin. One reason was that she was very shy. She wouldn't tell him if she didn't understand something, and only mumbled when he asked her questions. Getting fed up, he called Pam over and asked her to work with the girl. Pam told him she'd gotten Mel hitting the target consistantly, but that Eric still needed work. Jack told Mel to keep practicing, while he got together with Eric. After a while the kid was doing pretty good, and Jack was satisfied for the moment. Seeing that Pam was still trying to work with Robin, he sent Eric to see if he could help. Pam came over and said "I think that gun is too big for her Jack, can I let her try my walther instead?"

Realizing that was probably a good point, Jack told her to go ahead. Finally, as it was starting to get too dark to see, Robin started hitting the target. Deciding to call it a day, now that Robin was good enough to at least keep a pistol on her, Jack called everyone together.

"Ok, I think everyone's good enough to carry their pistols in the shelter, so as soon as I show you how to clean and maintain them, I want you all to carry them from now on. Robin, I'll get you a pistol like Pam's when we get downstairs and you can work with her tomorrow on the rifle, but if it's too big, please don't waste our time by not saying anything, let her know and we'll find you something else. All right, let's everyone clean up and go back inside and get some dinner. Oh, and I want everyone to try and practice at least one hour a day for the next couple of weeks." Bringing in the targets and picking up the brass, they reboarded the elevator and went back inside.

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The next morning, as Pam was helping Robin learn to shoot a rifle, Jack and Eric went to the maintenance bay to start on the old pick-up. Moving the 'mog' out of the way they pulled Eric's truck inside and started going over it. Seeing that mostly it was just old and rundown, Jack said that, while he was able to machine some parts like the ball joint they needed for the left front lower A-arm, some parts he couldn't, like belts and hoses. For those they'd have to find a parts shop in town.

While they were working, they started getting to know one another. Jack asked "Eric, are you a christian?"

"You better believe it, I couldn't have gotten through even one day after my parents died without Jesus to lean on."

"That's great to hear. How about Robin?"

"Yep, we used to go to the same church. Every morning we read our Bibles together and pray before we leave our apartment."

Jack was relieved to hear this. "Tell me Eric, what exactly is the relationship between you two."

"We're not involved, if that's what you mean." The boy said. "We're just friends. It's funny, before the plague we hardly even noticed each other, me being a senior and her a freshman and all. But after we went through so much, I guess we both just needed a friend."

Jack smiled, he knew exactly what he meant.

"So you're not a couple?"

"No. Not yet anyway."

"you've talked about that, haven't you?"

"Yeah, back before we met Melissa. But we decided we weren't ready for that, at least not until we had a permanent place we could live. Also, we both decided a long time ago to wait until we were married before ever...you know."

Jack, impressed with the boys' maturity, nodded and said "Well, if you ever feel the need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Jack, I appreciate that."

"You know, Pam just got saved a few days ago, right?"

"She did? Praise God."

"Yep, she's a brand new believer, and she has a lot of questions. If you feel like it, why don't you talk to her about it, at least let her know that you and Robin are believers too and a part of her new family."

"Ok Jack, I'll do that." Eric started thinking about what he'd say.

"What do you think about starting a group Bible study" Jack asked.

"Sounds good to me, I'm sure we all could learn something, and it'd be a great way for Pam to learn more as well."

"Ok then, I'll bring it up at dinner tonight." Jack said.

The two of them continued to talk as they worked on the truck.

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At the impromptu range, Pam was talking to Robin as she helped the girl with her riflery. After trying the H&K, Robin said that the kick hurt her shoulder. Pam nodded knowingly, and suggested the girl try her carbine instead. Robin fired it a few times and agreed that it was a lot better. Using up the ammo they'd brought for the M-1, Pam went below for some more. Running into Mel along the way and telling her what they'd decided, The older woman suggested they try using an AR-15. Pam asked what it looked like and what kind of bullet it shot, and Mel described them.

"I think I've seen one of those in Jack's gun cabinet" She said. "I'll be right back."

Going up to Jack's apartment, she went to the cabinet and looked around. off to one side she found what she was looking for and grabbed it, looking around on a lower shelf until she found the right kind of ammo. Taking several boxes, she returned to Mel to make sure it was the right one.

"Mel said, "yes, that's the one. I know because Jerry used to have one. It's one of the few rifles I've tried to shoot, and the only one I really liked."

Thanking her for her help, Pam returned to the shooting area and showed Robin how to use the gun.

'Now, this is a rifle I can shoot' Robin thought, as she proceeded to fire the gun and started hitting the target. After a while they traded places and Pam tried it too, but decided she preferred the M-1.

As they shot, they talked. "So, what's the deal with you and Eric?" Pam asked. "Are you guys...you know...doing it?"

Robin looked at her and said "No, I made a deal with God that I would wait until I got married before I did that, and so did Eric."

"Wow, you're both christians?" Pam asked.

"Yes" the girl said.

"Cool, so am I. Jack told me about Jesus and what He did for me. It completely blew me away, I'll tell you!"

Robin smiled as she continued to practice.

"I didn't know God wanted me to wait until I'm married to 'do it' though, I'm not sure I could wait that long."

"It's worth the wait" Robin said. "My mother told me that God isn't against sex, He just wants us to do it in the right way. As my mom said, every time you have sex with someone, you give a piece of yourself to them. If you've had sex with other guys, there's nothing to give your husband when you finally do get married. But if you wait, then you have plenty to give to him, and he has plenty to give to you also, and you really become 'one flesh', as the Bible says. My mom said that sex outside of marriage is about as satisfying as a sneeze." At that Pam giggled. "But when done in the right way, with both of you married and serving God, it's unbelievably wonderful. That's why I decided to wait."

Pam thought about that. It sounded like a no-brainer to wait, but the whole idea of getting married, even to Jack, was freaky. As she thought about it, she realized that she wasn't ready for such a big step yet. Suddenly, her whole situation became more real to her. She realized she'd been living in a fantasy world, but reality was a lot different. Decisions she made now really did affect her whole life. From now on, she decided, she'd think things over carefully before jumping into anything.

She wondered where this put her and Jack, then she remembered that he'd said that he really needed a friend more than anything. She decided that that was what she needed too, and resolved to be a friend to him, and not worry about going further than that.

That evening Jack praised Pam's handling of Robin's rifle issue without having to hunt him down and ask what to do. "That's what I was talking about when I said to act like an adult." Pam said she'd been concerned that he'd be mad at her for going into his gun collection without permission, but that he'd told her to handle it and that's what she did. Jack said that, if she'd done it for no reason it'd have bothered him, but since she was following his instructions, she'd done right.

As the days passed, they began to settle into a routine. In the mornings they each spent time in prayer and reading their Bibles. then they'd gather in the dining room for breakfast and to go over whatever they needed to do that day. meeting again for lunch, they'd go to the range for a couple of hours and practice, then meet again for dinner. After dinner they'd gather in Jack's apartment for Bible study and fellowship, before heading off for bed. After a couple of days of this, Mel made a decision. She said that, as she was doing most of the cooking, and as her apartment seemed so empty with only her there, she was going to move to one of the smaller apartments in the power dome. A few days later Eric and Robin decided to follow her, and by the end of the week, even Pam had made the move.

Since everyone but Jack was living in the other dome, they started spending their free time in the third floor rec room. they also started having the Bible study there, which relieved Jack. He had his apartment all to himself again and, even though the others often visited, he could now relax and not worry that someone would come in unannounced and catch him in his underwear.

Chapter 12

Three days later, they'd done everything they could to the truck with what they had available. Crawling out of the pit after doing a fluid and filter change on the transmission, Jack said "Ok, that's it. How 'bout we get cleaned up and in the morning make a trip to a parts store I know of up in Mayfield?"

Handing him a towel to wipe his hands on, Eric said "sounds good to me Jack, are we gonna fly?" He'd heard about their first trip out in the helicopter from Pam, and thought it sounded like fun.

"You bet'cha" Jack said, as the two men headed down the tunnel towards the power dome. Reaching the junction, Jack said "go get cleaned up, I'll see you at dinner." With that, he went to his apartment and jumped in the shower.

After dinner Jack announced to the group what he and Eric had planned for the next day. Robin spoke up and asked if she could go too, but Eric quickly replied "no, the chopper only has two seats." Seeing the look of dejection that formed on the girls' face, Jack thought that he needed to try and spend some time with her as well, and maybe take her flying also. He was aware that he'd been playing favorites now that there was another guy here that he could pal around with, and that wasn't fair to the others. He had to keep reminding himself that in some ways they were still kids, and they all needed to feel important in his eyes.

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The next morning after breakfast, the two of them grabbed their rifles and gear. Discussing what they needed to find as they walked down the tunnel towards the hangar, Jack said "at the very least we need belts, plugs and wires, and a distributor cap and rotor. If we can find them, it'd be good to get tires and hoses also. Nodding his head, Eric stopped and looked on in wonder as Jack opened the door to the hangar, this was the first time he'd seen inside it. Jack chuckled at his reaction, then motioned for the boy to go on in.

"This is so cool!" Eric exclaimed, looking around at all the airplanes.

Jack walked over to the rack and retrieved two direction finders, giving one to Eric and explaining how it worked. Then he led him over to the Scorpion, and told him to stow his rifle and gear inside. Walking around to the other side to do the same, he was wishing they had some way to stay in contact with the people here. Suddenly stopping in his tracks, he slapped his forehead and proclaimed "I'm an idiot!"

Eric looked at him with a smile on his face and said "ok, if you say so."

Jack, ignoring his comment, said "here we've been wondering if there's anyone left alive in the world and how we'd find out, and all the time there's been some really good radio equipment a friend of mine installed a few years ago back in the control room. After my cell phone stopped working I'd kind of given up on long distance communications. I never even thought about that short wave gear. Come on, let's go take a look at it and see if we can figure out how to get it to work." With that Jack headed back towards the power dome with Eric right behind him.

Entering the dining room and seeing the others were still there, Jack told them what he'd finally remembered. With the whole gang now in tow, he headed for the control room. As he looked over the equipment, turning things on he said "David, a friend of mine, installed all the radio stuff about three years ago. He was supposed to come here in an emergency and run this stuff for me, since I never got around to getting my license. He showed me enough so that I could use it, but that was a while back. I just hope I can remember enough to get ahold of someone."

As he got the gear powered up, Jack turned on the terminal next to him. "David connected everything to the computer, and I should be able to set things up so it can monitor all the frequencies. I'm also going try to set it up to transmit something, like every six hours, asking others to contact us at a set time. If I'm right, I should even be able to get the system to alert us when we receive a message, so we won't have to hang in out here all the time." After playing with the terminal for about ten minutes, he stood up and said "that's it, as far as I can see it should work."

"How far will it reach?" Mel asked.

"Around the world according to David. He said something about morse code and packets, but it was all way over my head."

Jack watched the screen for a while, but it remained blank. Either he'd done something wrong, or there wasn't anyone left who had this sort of equipment. Going over what little he knew about radios, he suddenly realized what he'd missed. "Aww man, I almost forgot. The antenna needs to be raised." Going over to a row of switches on the control panel, he found the one marked 'antenna'. Flipping it to 'raise', he explained." Because we didn't know what sort of emergency we'd be dealing with, we decided to make the antenna retractable. The antenna itself is forty feet long, and it's mounted on a hundred foot telescopic tower." Looking at Eric he said "don't let me forget about that thing when we take off. I'd sure hate to run into it."

Looking startled at the thought of going down in flames before they'd even left the property, Eric resolved to make sure to remind him.

After a minute, the indicator light next to the switch turned green. Almost immediately they started getting stuff over the radio. At first, Jack was excited, but looking over what was coming through, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. It seemed to all be gibberish. Noticing the frequency, he checked in a book that David had left and found that it was a military channel. After a few minutes of looking at it, he decided it was some sort of automatic signal, and it was likely encoded, which was why he couldn't read it. Going to the keyboard he set the automatic alert to avoid military and commercial frequencies, and only let them know if someone responded to them on civilian ones. He also isolated those frequencies in the computer so they would avoid all the automatic signals, and be able to tell if an actual person was trying to contact them.

With the radios up and working, Jack went over to the wall mounted chargers and selected two portable SW radios. "These have a range of around fifty miles, at least according to David," Jack said. When we go see about the parts for the truck we'll test them.

Turning to Eric, he asked "you ready?" Eric said he was.

As they again walked towards the hangar, Eric looked at him and asked "so, what happened to David, anyway?"

"I don't really know, I guess he died in the plague. He didn't live that far from here, only about two hundred miles south, and he was supposed to get here if he was able. But I haven't heard a thing from him since this all began."

"Why don't we go see if he's still there?" The boy asked.

"I don't know. Honestly I'd never considered it. Most of the members live so far away that it's out of the question, but I guess we could, if everyone agreed." Thinking about it for a second, he said "tell you what, we'll bring it up after dinner tonight, ok?"

"Cool."

Arriving back at the helicopter they quickly got it on the elevator and up to the surface. Stowing their gear, Jack did a quick radio check. "Loud and clear Jack," Pam said.

"Acknowledge."

Cranking the craft, they were soon at operating speed. Eric reminded him about the antenna, and Jack made sure to give it a wide berth. A few minutes later they were cruising along about a hundred feet up, headed north to the town of mayfield.

As they approached town a few minutes later Jack slowed down so they could look around. The store was on the north side of town, and as they made their way there he spotted a used car lot. Thinking about it, he said "Eric, what do you think about trading that old pick-up in on a newer model?" And indicated the lot below.

Eric looked down and said "sounds good to me, I always hated that old ford, it was always breaking down on me."

Jack grinned, "that's why they say 'fix or repair daily'."

"And they're right." The boy agreed.

Looking around, Jack found a place to set the bird down. Coming in slow and smelling the air, he decided that, while they could still smell decaying bodies, it wasn't too bad and they could deal with it. Landing, he shut down and the two got out.

"Ugh! that's a horrible smell." Eric said.

"Yeah, but it was ten times worse in Mountain Home."

Walking over to the lot, they saw that there were several vehicles that looked promising. Jack started looking over a mid nineties Dodge 4X4 diesel pick-up, but Eric was drawn to a tricked out Toyota land cruiser. He called to Jack, who walked over and saw that the Toyota had been raised, with big mud tires mounted. Looking underneath he decided that the truck had been professionally built, and would probably give even his 'mog' a run for it's money. Raising the hood he noticed with satisfaction that it had a four cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

Turning to the boy he said "looks good, professionally done. let's look inside and see if we can find some keys, then we'll see if it still cranks."

After a quick search of the office, they found the keys, but when they tried them they found that the battery was completely dead. Figuring that all the others would be also, Jack suggested they go on to the parts place and see if any of the new batteries there still had a charge.

Returning with a large marine battery that still had the plastic on it, they quickly installed it in the truck and tried the ignition. The engine turned over, but refused to run, so Jack grabbed the can of ether he'd picked up at the store and sprayed some into the breather. after a second the toyota cranked, running rough but smoothing out as it warmed up. The vehicle had about a quarter tank of fuel, and Jack decided it would be more than enough to get it back to the complex.

"Why don't you drive back over to the parts store, while I fly over. Then we'll load up on spare parts for the truck and head back?"

"Why do you want to fly over?" Eric asked.

"I don't know, paranoid I guess." He replied. "I just don't want to get the vehicles separated unless we have to, in case something happens."

At the store they grabbed replacement belts and hoses, cases of Delo motor oil, and more cases of Pri-D fuel stabilizer. Loading everything into the truck, Jack said "if you can get back to the house from here, I'll fly over you and keep a watch. If I see anything I'll call you on the radio."

"Ok jack. By the way, didn't you want to call home and make sure the radio's would reach this far?"

"Yes I did, it completely slipped my mind. That's what happens when you get older I guess." That prompted a grin from Eric.

Grabbing the radio from his belt, Jack pushed the button and said "Jack to home base, can you hear me Pam?"

"Loud and clear Jack, what took you so long to call, I was beginning to worry."

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Did you find the parts you needed?"

"Better than that, Eric got himself a new truck. We'll be bringing it in, about half an hour from now. See you then."

"Ok Jack, we'll be waiting."

Putting the radio back on his belt, Jack walked to the helicopter as Eric shut the back of the Toyota and started the engine. After an uneventful drive, they arrived back at the complex.

Jack called Eric and asked him to stop near the hangar elevator and wait for him to land. After landing and shutting the bird down, he walked over to the truck and got in for the ride to the garage silo. When they got there, they had to play musical vehicles. First they had to raise the mog and drive it out of the way, then get the ford out of the maintenance bay and bring it to the surface as well. Once it was up they took everything Eric wanted and put it in the Toyota, then lowered it into the silo, fueling it and moving it into the tunnel to clear the elevator pad. Finally they put the mog on the pad and lowered it back inside as well. after they were all done they drove the ford back next to the hangar and left the keys in it, deciding to leave it there and use it for running around the property.

When they walked inside, everyone was curious about what they got, and they had to walk all the way back to the garage silo and show off Eric's new truck. Everyone thought it was great, much better than the ford. Melissa especially was happy, she said that old truck was a rattletrap, and she was sure it'd break down before they ever got here. Finally, they returned to the dining room for lunch.

After lunch Jack brought up the discussion he and Eric had had concerning David. He said they'd have to take the Greyhound, and would likely be gone overnight. He also said that at least two people needed to stay there to keep an eye on the complex, and asked for volunteers.

Mel spoke up "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea Jack, that's a long way to go and he's almost certainly dead, you know."

"I know that mel, but I feel I should do this, he was my friend and I owe it to him. Also, it'd give us a chance to see more of the country around us, and we'll be flying high enough that nobody could bother us even if there was anybody around to try."

"He was my friend too Jack, but I've come to terms with the fact that he and the rest of the group are all likely dead." She sighed. "Still, it would be good to have him here, no one can use those radios like he can."

"I agree, and that's another reason to go. Don't worry, I'll be very careful and won't take any chances."

"Ok Jack, then I guess I'll volunteer to remain here." Turning to Pam, she said "would you stay with me?"

Startled, Pam said "sure, I guess so." Feeling kind of special to have been asked, although she really wanted to be with Jack.

"Ok, it's settled then, we'll leave in the morning. Robin, do you want to come with Eric and me?"

"Sure! I'd love to go flying." the girl responded.

"All right, remember to bring your rifle and other equipment. We'll leave right after breakfast."

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After breakfast, the three grabbed their rifles and gear and headed to the hangar accompanied by Mel to see them off. Pam had said goodbye, then went to the control room to handle the radio.

Jack told Eric and Robin to stow their gear in the aircraft, then went over to the electric tug. Disconnecting it from the charger he drove it over and attached it's tow-bar to the front wheel of the plane. Then he walked over to another craft and started pushing it out of the way so he could maneuver the larger plane onto the elevator. As he was moving the small craft Eric came over to help. The thing sure was odd looking he thought, it didn't have a wing, just a large fan with a seat in front of it. Asking him about it, Jack said "it's called a para-glider. You attach an air foil parachute to it, and start it moving. As the air fills the parachute it creates lift and raises the thing off the ground. it's not very fast, but it's simple to fly and a lot of fun."

"Cool" Eric said. "Sounds like a blast."

"If you'd like I could teach you to fly it some time."

At this Robin, who usually didn't say much, spoke up. "I-I'd like to fly it." She said hesitantly.

Jack smiled at her and said "tell you what, as soon as we get back I'll teach both of you how to fly it."

Robins' smile said it all, and Jack decided she may finally be coming out of her shell.

When the para-glider was out of the way, Jack hit the button to open the doors, then used the tug to maneuver the big plane onto the elevator. After he raised it to the surface he moved it to the side and returned to the hangar. Hearing a scraping noise from below, Eric looked down the elevator shaft and saw Jack moving the Scorpion into place on the pad. Soon he had it on the surface as well, and Eric was giving him a confused look.

"Who's going to fly that?" The boy asked.

Grinning at him, Jack said "I am."

Looking even more confused, Eric asked "Then who's going to fly this?" Indicating the larger aircraft.

Again, Jack said "I am."

Chuckling but not saying anything more, Jack walked over to the Greyhound and connected a cable from the tug to it, then went inside and started the auxiliary power unit. A second later the ramp at the rear of the aircraft came down and Jack came walking out. He went over to the Scorpion and, pushing down on the tail, started moving it towards the ramp. Eric now understood what he was doing, and went to help him get it inside the larger craft. Once inside, they tied it down securely, and Jack explained "The closest airport where we can land is about twenty miles from David's house. The fastest and safest vehicle that would fit in the Greyhound is the Scorpion, so I decided to use it. When we get there I'll need the two of you to stay with the plane and protect it, while I fly over and see if I can find him."

Eric said he understood. He was disappointed that he had to stay with the plane, but he saw the wisdom in the decision as well.

Jack went back outside and disconnected the cable from the tug, and moved it back onto the elevator pad. Then he walked over to Mel to say goodbye.

"Take care of them Jack." She said. "We have no idea what things are like out there."

"I will," he said. "We should be back either tonight or early tomorrow morning. I'll call you on the radio as soon as we're high enough to achieve line of sight."

With that he went inside the plane and told Eric and Robin to get belted in. Going to the cockpit, he hit the button to extend and lock the wings, then started the engines and let them warm up. After doing his pre-flight, he advanced the throttles and was quickly in the air, turning towards the south. As he retracted the landing gear and flaps, he called Pam in the control room.

"Pam, we're on our way. We'll be back either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Please be careful Jack, Please come back to me." She pleaded.

Jack could tell by the sound of her voice that she was close to tears and said "Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll come back to you, I promise."

Standing up, the tears already running down her face, Pam walked out into the dining room and sat down. A few minutes later Mel walked it. Seeing the tears on her cheeks, she went to the girl and hugged her, saying "don't worry Pam, trust God."

"But what if they don't come back? What if something terrible happens?" She cried.

"We have no control over that Pam, it's in God's hands. The Bible says that worrying is a sin, and that we can't even add one day to our lives by worrying. Instead, we have to lay our burden at God's feet and trust Him to take care of them. Remember, whatever we ask, if it's according to His will, He'll do it for us, ok?"

"Ok, I'll try," she said, making an effort to dry her tears.