Tillie’s interest was piqued by one of his statements. “Today’s arrivals? Did we get a lot of newbies today?”
“Hundreds. We don’t have an accurate count yet, as many of them are still wandering about within Aegis, but we had quite an influx — that is, until the entrance was destroyed.”
“We’ve never had that many in a day.”
“I know. It’s odd. But we’ve had too much to deal with to be able to take the time to interview them all. I have no idea.”
Wilson glanced at Elias, meaningfully.
“What about food?” The question came from Sweezea.
“As it turns out, we have a higher than normal level of stored food.”
“How could that be? With the wind as extreme as it’s been in the past few days, I thought that our supply helicopter couldn’t make a drop.”
“You’re right,” Pierce answered. “They haven’t been able to, and we were four days overdue for supplies. Apparently, the logistics people at Davis-Monthan decided to solve the problem rather than wait for the gusts to subside. Early this morning Aegis received a much larger than normal supply delivery on the roof, more than double the usual quantities. We had no idea that it was coming or that it was delivered. We found it when the salvage crew went topside to work on the solar panels. It was near the perimeter wall and had been placed directly on top of the rubble of broken metal and glass. Packed inside several of the containers was a message that they had decided to utilize a crane to make the drop. Due to the travel time and other factors, they informed us that the deliveries would be spaced farther apart. Hence, the additional supplies.”
Wilson caught Elias’ eye and winked, murmuring under his breath, “Another coincidence?”
“With the stored goods on hand and the addition of this morning’s delivery, under normal circumstances we would have enough food for approximately two months. Assuming that we immediately sequester all of the food and begin rationing, I would guess that we can all eat for double that period of time.”
“I hope that’s enough,” Leah said softly.
Pierce’s eyes turned to her, but he did not respond to her comment. “The Air Force was aware of the damage to our solar panels, so there were also two generators placed on the roof, along with a supply of fuel. Some of the containers of food must be refrigerated after they are opened. Between the existing battery reserve and the generators, I believe that we can accomplish this until we get a part of the grid back on line. And lastly… obviously, there are more than enough living quarters for all of our residents.”
There were no other questions. Pierce, his air of competence slipping slightly, looked at Wilson. “Wilson, do you think it’s really happening?”
Wilson allowed a weak smile to crease his face. “We know for certain that the pathogen is happening. With the call Leah heard from Faulk’s man, Kennerley, and the radio reports heard by the Clements’ family earlier, there doesn’t appear to be any doubt. As far as the failure of the vaccine, of that we only know what Kennerley said to Leah when he believed he was reporting to Faulk. With regard to the last, and most profound, aspect of your question, have we really been selected to be saved while the rest of the world dies? I believe so, Milton, but only time will tell.”
Pierce gently nibbled on his bottom lip, his eyes avoiding contact with everyone at the table. It was clear that he was in a pitched battle between giving in to his emotions, and his need to remain calm and in control. No one spoke as he wrestled both sides. The muscles on his jaw tightening, he exhaled heavily and asked, “What else should we be doing?”
Sweezea was the first to speak. “The Air Force guys didn’t leave their crane, did they? I wouldn’t want the people outside using it to get on the roof.”
Pierce shook his head. “No. The salvage team checked after reading the note. They must have transported it out and then departed with it.”
“Getting in!” Tillie barked. “Elias, the drainage tunnel. If the people outside find it, some snakes aren’t going to stop them.”
“You’re right. Tim, will you and Crabill round up the bombs and head down there? We need to collapse it.”
“Aren’t those just firebombs?” she asked. “They won’t destroy it, will they?”
Sweezea grinned at Tillie. “Good question. The answer is that culverts are also called RCP, or reinforced concrete pipe. It’s the ‘reinforced’ part that’s critical. They are embedded with rebar, or reinforced bars, when they are made. Those bars are tempered with heat. If you get them hot enough, the tempering fails, the rebar violently distorts, and the concrete collapses. Those bombs will get the concrete and the embedded steel plenty hot enough.”
Elias said, “Do it.” Sweezea jumped up to leave.
“I’m going, too,” Tillie volunteered, standing. Sweezea knew better than to object.
As the two left, Leah commented, “Speaking of perimeter defense, we should probably patrol the edge of the roof. Who knows how creative the people outside might get.”
“I’ll assemble a detail for that,” Pierce offered. “Such a horrific tragedy, leaving those folks outside. We don’t even know for sure that they are infected.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Elias spoke softly, attempting to crystallize what had been a vague idea. “The people on the outside are still basically within the protective blast of wind that is sheltering Aegis, or at least they might be. If they are not yet infected, maybe the pathogen won’t reach them.”
“What are you suggesting?” Wilson asked, clearly interested in the direction of Elias’ words.
“Do you think we might be able to save them?” Lisa said hopefully.
“I’m not sure. I wanted to talk it through with all of you. Wilson, what you said before, about each of us being the kind of person who deserves to start a new society on Earth, really hit home. I’m having a problem reconciling that with locking the people out and having armed guards patrolling the perimeter with orders to shoot to kill.”
Wilson began to speak; however, Elias raised his hand. “Please, let me keep talking for a minute. I’m not positive it makes any sense, but I’d like to put it on the table. If civilization is disintegrating that rapidly out there and people stop coming to Aegis soon, and I realize that’s a big ‘if,’ then maybe that final bunch outside the wall won’t get infected.”
“Are you talking about letting them in?”
“No… I don’t know. Maybe not right away. Maybe we monitor them, lower food down to them. From what we’ve heard, the bug is incredibly fast-acting. Maybe if they are alive in a day… two days… and no one else comes to Aegis… maybe then we let them in.”
Everyone was silent.
Pierce finally broke the silence. “That seems much more humane than just locking them out and forgetting about them. They deserve a fighting chance.”
“At the risk of sounding harsh,” Wilson countered, “we have the continued existence of the human race on our shoulders. We have, apparently, been provided with help and protection, but at some point the decisions are ours to make. And making the wrong one could be catastrophic.”
“Couldn’t we take it a step at a time?” Leah suggested. “We have a more than sufficient supply of food and water. Couldn’t we lower enough to sustain them for now, and decide in a few days what our next step is?”
After reflecting on her proposition for a moment, Wilson spoke. “The single most significant unknown for us is how long we must survive within Aegis. We know for a fact that additional shipments will not be forthcoming. How can we say that we have an ample supply of food when it is possible that we will need to remain within these walls for a year? It may take every morsel in our stores to keep all of us alive until it is safe to emerge from Aegis.”