Rebel Heart

Lana grimaced internally at the thought of dealing with the crazy man who should've been running the command center instead of her. Arnie Smith had fallen off the deep end soon after arriving to the Peak.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "One of the generators is out. I don't know that we have the expertise here to repair it at this time. We may be eating out of cans soon. Food stores are getting low up here." She looked at her notes on her micro. "Also, South Carolina contacted us regarding water for its residents in Charlotte. I authorized the dispersal of two tons of water and twenty cases of rations from the emergency site in Raleigh along with hazmat drivers and twelve vehicles. It will tide them over while they try to repair their water system."

"How are the power grids holding up?" he asked, gaze shifting to the screens around them.

Lana brought up the energy grids. The geospatial depiction of the country was crisscrossed with glowing colors and lines.

"Not well. Traditional power is mostly out all the way to the Mississippi River. Everything this side of the Mississippi is working on solar energy, but not all the facilities are equipped with energy storage, and because it's fall, our energy collection is limited. It's still a mess but better than it was."

He frowned at the map before him.

"Teams are working to repair what they can," she added more softly.

"Good enough," he said. "Take a break for a couple of hours. The medics have your anti-sleepers ready. I don't think things will get any better for us."

Lana hesitated then went on with a frown. "Sir, we have another two weeks of supplies up here, if that. The guards have shot another dozen people around the perimeters, and our sensors indicate there is a small camp of some sort housing over a hundred survivors nearby and another one with several hundred at the bottom of the mountain," she said. "I take it we've not heard from the central or west coast sites this week?"

"No, we haven't."

She waited for some assurance or direction. When he remained silent, she left.

Lana shivered as she stepped into the cold night. The sky was clear, one of the few clear nights since she arrived to the Peak. Normally, clouds hung around the mountaintop. She breathed the chilled air to clear her thoughts. Black-clad guards roamed the internal perimeter while others manned the walls of the compound. The pulse of the protective field surrounding the compound mixed with the distant howls of coyotes inhabiting the forest.