“Alright boys, we’re all out of firecrackers; let’s get these birds back to the nest. I don’t think our friends will be calling Matamoros home any time soon, and if I’m guessing correctly, we’ll be able to say the same thing about Reynosa in a couple days. But until then, thank you fine pale-faces for a splendid day on the town.”
Ch apter 28
William
Washington, D.C.
He smashed his first cigarette of the day in the ashtray on the nightstand beside him and sat up in bed with a smile. Over the past several days, he could not quit smiling even if he tried; everything was going perfectly. He finally climbed out of bed and made his way to the tiny kitchen.
Houston had still been largely a success. Although one of the nuclear devices had been discovered and disabled, the second had been detonated precisely as planned. News had been slow to develop on the attack, perhaps because it had been so devastating. Hopefully there would finally be some updates.
William started the pot of coffee and sauntered across the room to a heap of wrinkled clothes that he had been robbing from over the past week. He had been so busy stoking the destruction of the republic, there was scarcely time for the more mundane tasks. He retrieved a pair of faded jeans and shook the wrinkles out of them before pulling them on. He dug through the pile of clothing for a moment before finally locating his favorite brownshirt. He stumbled back into the kitchen while he pulled it over his head. William poured a tall cup of hot coffee and grabbed his coat and pistol, before trotting out the door.
He had viewed the city through new lenses over last few days. Perhaps it was because he was seeing the fruits of his labor. He had heard people begin to openly question the republic’s ability to protect its citizens. Despite speculation on who had committed the terror strikes, no arrests had been made. He was sowing the seeds of discord and polarization. People were now beginning to blame the other. The other was a powerful motivator to action; whether it was left wing or right wing, minorities or majorities, the one percent or the ninety nine, people were now beginning to turn on their neighbors. He was clearing the way for hate. Soon, the poison would destroy the fabric of society, so that it could be rebuilt in a new fashion. So far, it was working quite well.
He gazed around the half-empty city as he made his way to Tonic. He admired the tall office buildings, the beautiful and historic churches, the old but majestic residences and complimentary architecture of George Washington University. He had a newfound appreciation for D.C. that he had previously denied himself. He chuckled at the thought.
H e was content.
He stepped into Tonic and made his way through the empty establishment to his nook in the corner. The bar was warm and inviting, a welcome reprieve from the cold air outside. He ordered a bloody tonic and a plate of hummus and sprawled across the leather couch. The heat from the hearth felt good on his face. He shrugged out of his jacket and relaxed as he waited for his refreshments.
After the bartender delivered his order, he gave her a hundred dollar tip. One hundred dollars was not nearly what it was six months ago, but it was still better than what most patrons left. He balanced the plate of hummus and pita bread on his stomach as he kicked off his boots.
As he enjoyed his breakfast, he surveyed his surroundings. The rustic establishment was completely empty except for him. He grabbed the remote and flipped through the stations until he found a 24-hour news channel. He turned up the volume and listened to the marionettes’ clueless commentary about Houston.
“Sources in the Pentagon believe the attack was committed by radical, leftist revolutionaries. Because the last several months have resulted in a mass exodus from urban areas, an accurate death toll is difficult to establish. Nevertheless, experts believe it may be as high as 150,000, with nearly as many injured as well.”
“That’s horrific, Rachel; have the authorities been able to determine the location of the blast?”
“Authorities believe the device was detonated from the top floor of an eight-story parking garage. The location was likely selected for the maximum distribution of destruction. If the blast had occurred from ground level, more energy would have been absorbed at ground zero, but areas farther out in the blast zone would have fared much better. Let’s go to our expert, Dr. Kahr, nuclear engineering professor from the University of California at Berkley.”
“Thank you Rachel, and you are exactly right; the only way the blast would've been more deadly is if it would have been detonated over the city, for instance if it was launched with a missile. As it was detonated, I would speculate that majority of the damages and injuries would have occurred within a three mile radius.”
“Tell us about the blast, Dr. Kahr; what happened immediately after the explosion?”
“In the moments immediately after, the expansion of gases would’ve caused a blast wave to form. The face of the blast wave would have behaved like a wall of highly compressed air. This wall could’ve traveled as fast as 800 mph.”
“What would this wall of air do to a building?”
“To put it in simple terms, Rachel, when the wall collides with a structure, it would be like if you stomped on an empty cardboard box, except that, instead of it being your foot, it would be a blast wave that would rapidly exert pressure on and around the entire structure.
Depending on the building, it may not be crushed. If it is a reinforced box, like an office building, the force might not be strong enough to crush it. If the windows and doors are either open, or quickly break out, then the pressures on the outside wall may have less effect, because of high pressures rushing into the building, filling it with a balancing force.
One difference between a conventional explosion and a nuclear explosion is the amount of energy that is released in the form of heat. A conventional explosion may reach temperatures of only a few thousand degrees, whereas a nuclear explosion may reach tens of millions of degrees. This is important to note because of secondary fires that will occur from the extreme heat. Also, a majority of the injuries will be in the form of burns. As I tell my students, the symbol of a nuclear event should not be a mushroom cloud, but a devastating firestorm.”
“That is both fascinating and disheartening doctor. So, tell us about the nuclear fallout, where will the wind take it from Houston?”
“Relatively speaking Rachel, we are fortunate. Definitely coastal Louisiana, possibly coastal Mississippi and Alabama and some portion of the Florida panhandle. Once it crosses Florida, depending on the winds, it may go up the eastern coast, but hopefully the prevailing winds will disperse it across the Atlantic. I say we are fortunate because if this had happened somewhere in the Midwest like Cheyenne, Topeka, or even Des Moines, the fallout would’ve been devastating to some very densely-populated areas.”
William changed the channel to see what was being said on the other stations; next time, he thought, next time we won’t be so fortunate, Dr. Kahr. He finished his bloody tonic and ordered another, along with a cup of coffee. He scanned the channels for a while, listening to numerous pundits, experts and anonymous government sources weigh in on the attack. He swelled with pride; once again he was the talk of the town, though no one knew it but him. As the morning turned into day, he transitioned from bloody tonics to Guinness drafts.