Them-2 - Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty – United States Capitol, Washington D.C.

Congressman James Watkins was terrified. He was visiting with his State Senator on the Senate side of Capitol Hill when orders came to lock-down the underground system. He was on his way back to the Representative cambers when disaster struck. Watkins was the only occupant in the first car of one of the new trains, which had a mesh roof and consisted of three cars which were fully automated and operated using an Automatic Vehicle Operation (AVO) control system.
Portions of the tunnel wall started to collapse and the shuttle cars came to a dead stop. His car was partially covered with pieces of heavy concrete and dirt, while the two behind him were smashed in on one side. Watkins was trapped inside the car, unable to get the door open. Through the heavy Plexiglas he could see people running up and down the walkway and he tried to signal them for help, but no one stopped. They seemed to be in a state of panic.
A few moments later, he knew why. Several giant ants crawled past, one with a human arm in its horrible mandibles. Seconds later, the two smashed cars behind him were attacked by the terrible beasts. Eventually, the occupants were pulled screaming from the cars and literally torn to pieces in seconds. Bright splashes of crimson blood coated the outside of his car.
One of the ugly beasts tried to break through the mesh on top of the car he was in, but for some reason, decided that its chances for an easier meal was further down the tunnel. James decided the best and most secure place to stay was right where he was.
He was fortunate to make this choice. Had he somehow managed to get out of the car, he would have met the same fate as his colleagues who were caught in the open corridors of the underground system. The giant ants had tunneled into the Capitol subway from the 106-mile subway system serving the Mall and downtown Washington, DC.
Every Senator, Congressman, their families, and many other government workers taking refuge in the packed tunnels, were literally torn to small pieces and carried back to the nest to feed the ravenous young pupae of the giant ants. The Federal Government, minus the President and those with him, ceased to exist.

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General Hyram “The Hammer” McKensey,” slammed the phone down on his desk and glanced at the stone faces standing around him. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hyram called an emergency session of his Chiefs as soon as word came in from Kentucky of the attack on the 101st Airborne. Unlike his procrastinating civilian counterparts, he did not wait for a special committee to be formed, he was prepared to take immediate action. Consequently, he had contacted all National Guard units and told them to prepare for immediate mobilization.
“Gone!” Hyram shouted. “Every damn one of them is gone.”
“Gone?” the Air Force Chief of Staff echoed.
“Eaten!” Hyram added. “Our mechanized reconnaissance unit found a terrified congressman hiding in one of the cars. Congressman James Watkins is the sole survivor. He’s on his way here inside a secure Bradley. He represents the only elected civilian government we have left, except for the President and several of his cabinet members who have taken refuge on Nantucket Island.’
“Has the President been told?” The Marine Corps Chief of Staff asked.
“I am waiting on a secure line to him now. Meanwhile, we need to agree on one single course of action and that starts with the redeployment of all military assets.”
“Redeployment?” Air Force asked.
General McKensey glared back at the man in sky blue. He considered him to be more of a political kiss-ass than a military man. No doubt the man had kissed his way to the top. “Obviously the only way to fight these creatures is with mechanized infantry and armor, and where do you think the majority of those units are right now?"
“Overseas,” Marine Corps spoke up.
“I have issued an order to have all military forces redeployed back to the United States and our territories. This includes all Army, Navy, Airforce, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard units. I don’t give a damn where they now are, or why they’re there, we need them back home, now!”
“What about our allies and treaty commitments?” Navy asked.
“Screw them!” Hyram blurted. “Let their own military take care of them.”
“Only the Congress and the President can issue such an order,” Air Force squirmed.
What Congress?  I’ve had the best minds available running projected scenarios on these beasts. Using the initial data sent in by that Doctor in Kentucky, Dr. Schmitt, and the FBI Agent, their conclusions are all worse case. We are in a fight for our very existence, gentlemen. And right now… we are not winning!”
An aide cracked the door and addressed the general. “The President is on your line, sir.”
Hyram waved for the men to take a seat and lit up another cigar. It was against the rules to smoke inside military buildings, but Hyram did not obey what he considered to be stupid rules.
For fifteen minutes Hyram and the President went back and forth on the situation. The President was blaming the military for not protecting the congress and wanted to know what the military planned to do to prevent the spread of the giant ants. When Hyram told him about the redeployment of all military forces, the President hit the roof, ordering him to do no such thing. “Our overseas commitments must be met,” Was the President’s exact words.
“We do not have sufficient National Guard or Reserve units in country to accomplish the mission, Mr. President, Hyram explained. “Ninety percent of our mechanized and armored units are overseas, including many National Guard and Reserve units.”
“Find a way, General!” the President ordered. “Use whatever means necessary, but our overseas commitments will be maintained, is that clear?”
“Clear, sir!’
“Also, have the Air Force prepare to transport new Congressmen and Senators from each of the fifty states. As soon as word of the massacre reached me, I contacted the governors and we’ve agreed on the appointment of four representatives from each state until new elections can be held.”
“Where do you plan on assembling them, Mr. President?”
“Room is being made here on Nantucket Island. I am told this is a secure location, surrounded by water and a safe distance from the mainland. We will also need one of your mechanized divisions transported to this location for security.”
“A full division, sir? I doubt we have a full division in country? Not only that, we’ll need them to protect civilians and transport them to secure areas.”
“Like you protected Congress, General?” There was heavy sarcasm in the President’s voice.  “No. I want a full division airlifted here immediately.”
Hyram was seething inside but managed to keep his calm. “I’ll see what can be done, Mr. President.” His emphasis on the Mister part left no explanation as to what he thought of the President’s order.
“You will do just that, General!” The President abruptly cut the connection.
Hyram sat glancing out the window of his office for several long minutes, the curls of cigar smoke hanging over his head like a gray halo. His office was in the pentagon, practically a fortress, but he knew it was vulnerable to the giant ants. The personnel here would have to be relocated to a more secure location. Despite the orders from the President, his decision on returning all military forces from overseas would stand. He knew for certain the President would fire him as soon as word got out, and some sniveling weasel would leak it out, but he did not care. Without the units from overseas, the job of getting rid of the insects would be impossible. Even moving the civilian population to more manageable areas would be impossible.
Hyram finally turned to the nervous men waiting in the room. “We’ve got to identify several geographic locations that can be secured and prepare for a massive evacuation of civilians to those locations,” he stated. “Small islands may be secure for a while, providing the ants are kept away, but they will not provide what we need over the long run.”
“You’re talking about three hundred million people,” Airforce blurted. “There no way possible to relocate and provide for that many.”
“By the time our military forces return and we are properly organized, there will not be three hundred million people!” Hyram bellowed. “We’ll be lucky if there are three hundred thousand!”
“Good God man!” Navy exploded. “There must be a better way? Surely we can beat these creatures with air power and infantry.”
“Bomb the hell out of them!” Air Force shouted.
Hyram looked at the two Chiefs as if they were school children. “And I suppose all those little people mixed in with the damn ants are not going to be fried with them?”
“What about the Secretary of Defense?” Navy asked.
“What about him?”
“Shouldn’t he be making these decisions?”
“I will remind you that he was at the Capitol to address the Armed Services Committee,” Hyram stated. “Until such time as we locate him, I am ordering everyone in this building to evacuate to Fort Carson and Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. Senior staff will be located in Cheyenne Mountain, the remainder at Fort Carson. The 4th Infantry Division is already back from deployment and has a full complement of armor and mechanized infantry. This is where we start gentlemen. I want you to begin drawing up the details while I contact General Burkett at Fort Carson!”

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Traffic on the Capitol Beltway was practically at a stall. Fortunately for Joey, there were more cars heading towards the Capitol than leaving it. Obviously, people had heard the news and were rushing downtown to see if their loved ones were involved in the incredible events. It was starting to get dark and heavy rain clouds covered the area.
As he turned onto Allentown Road to the main entrance to the Air Base, traffic came to a dead stop. Military Police were going from vehicle to vehicle giving directions to the occupants. When a sergeant neared his SUV, Joey rolled down his ballistic proof window. He pulled out his Capitol Police identification and showed it to the military cop.
“I have the families of several Congressmen with me,” Joey stated. “I was told to bring them to this base.”
The sergeant looked at Joey’s identification then behind him at the occupants. “Will you get out of the vehicle, sir?” the military policeman quietly asked.
Uncertain of the sergeant’s reasoning, Joey complied. The sergeant motioned for him to walk a few paces from the vehicle. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there was a massacre at the Capitol about an hour ago.”
Joey’s eyes opened wide as the sergeant nodded towards the SUV.
“All the Congressmen and Senators and the majority of people at the Capitol Mall have been killed. The giant ants broke into the tunnels where they were being secured, and…” The Sergeant hunched his beefy shoulders.
“Their husbands and fathers are all dead?” Joey inclined his head towards the SUV. “I’m supposed to tell them that?”
“My orders are to direct you, and them, to the departure terminal, sir. All military and their families are being evacuated to safer locations. This includes the families of elected officials and federal police officers. If you need the services of a Chaplain to assist you, there are several on Base.”
“Where do I go sergeant?”
“You are supposed to park your vehicle in the large parking area to the right, just down the road. We cannot allow vehicles on the Base because it would be rapidly overcrowded. However, since you are driving a government armored vehicle, turn left and proceed straight down until you see a sign that says Base Operations.”
Joey thanked the sergeant and got back into the SUV. He noticed the inquisitive looks on the faces of his passengers, but chose to ignore them. The last thing he needed was a car full of crying and screaming women and kids.
The Air Base was crowded. Scores of transport planes of different types were backed up with long lines of people snaking out to them. The noise of aircraft taking off and landing was earsplitting and the smell of jet fuel was nauseating. There was evidently a massive air evacuation in place, one that was well planned despite the unexpected emergency.
Joey parked near the Operations Building and asked his charges to remain in the SUV until he found out their next move. He was still in his Capitol Police uniform so he was motioned through the main door security and directed to a desk manned by half a dozen military personnel in battle dress uniforms or BDU’s.
“I have ten women and kids outside,” Joey shrugged. “Their husbands were at the Capitol.”
The burley sergeant looked at him with sympathy. He recognized Joey’s uniform, identifying him as a federal agent. “Everyone is being evacuated to safer locations,” he stated. “Give me their names and ages and I will put them on a manifest.”
As soon as Joey finished he looked down at the sergeant. “I need to get back to the Capitol. Is there anyone who can take charge of these dependents?’
“No one is allowed to enter the Capitol,” the sergeant replied. “No one!” he emphasized it with a stare that meant he was serious about what he said. He called a Marine Corps Captain to the desk. The officer solemnly listened to Joey’s story.
“Your last orders were to secure these people,” the Captain stated. “There is no one left on the Capitol complex. I suggest you follow your orders and take care of your charges.”
The fact that everyone he knew and everyone he worked with at the Capitol were probably dead, finally hit Joey. He rubbed his forehead to soothe the sudden pain. He realized it would be counterproductive to try to get back to the Capitol and he did have a mission to complete.
The Sergeant handed him a slip of paper with a flight number and other information on it. “Take your charges to the runway and report to the loading officer,” he stated. “A military police bus will pick you up in the parking area behind this building.”
“Is there a Chaplain available?” Joey asked. “The families with me have not heard the news. I’m not sure I can tell them.”
The Marine Corps Captain nodded. “Follow me, sir. There’s several just down the hall.”