mtboy66
TNPer
"There it is. The barrier between my old life, and a new one." Okino Hideaki monologued to himself.
Okino walked the long corridor that led to the surface entrance of his community. It was an area of the bunker that was unfamiliar to him, with a fully asphalted road leading out to a great big steel blast door.
The rounded walls and ceiling was made of really thick concrete, with an entire hill of dirt burying the structure, keeping his home safe and sound from the outside... The thought he was actually going to be away from his home sent goosebumps across his skin, as the only other time he's been to the surface was during his "Rite of Rising Hope" when he was thirteen.
"I wonder how much has changed now. It's been over a decade since that time..."
Because other than that time, free travel to the surface was usually restricted to the exalted rangers, and approved salvaging expeditions. Okino himself was just a simple woodworker, building and maintaining the various furniture and wooden structures inside the bunker itself. This time however, his skills would be used for carpentering - to build new homes on the surface. A sense of pride had been rising within him ever since the administration agent broke the news to him, because now he'd be able to show the community what he was really made of!
But he wasn't alone in this endeavor. Other chosen specialists like him were walking in a loose line in front and behind him. Rolling up close beside him was one of the older pickup trucks that the mechanics had maintained for this very moment. A couple were pulling trailers and hauling heavier supplies for the expedition, but another two were outfitted for the RSDF troops that escorted them. They had grafted makeshift iron armor and mounted heavy machine guns that were kept in storage till recently.
"Attention all civilians, this is Captain Shima, asking all of you to remember your training!" A woman shouted from the top of the first truck. She donned RSDF officers armor, and toted an automatic rifle in her hands. "Stay close to the trucks at all times! If any of you spot anything remotely humanoid, shout 'spotted'. All civilians are to crouch down and cover your heads, and crawl to cover if you are near any! If a soldier yells the phrase, do the same maneuver! Do not get back up until both me and the rearguard captain give the all clear! That is all!"
Bandits - bands of roving marauders who don't even think before murdering and stealing from anyone not part of their group - still infested the urban ruins of the old surface cities. Most were desperate and/or psychopathic survivors who lived by the gun. But some were also driven mad or even mutated by radiation that permeated many areas of the ruins, a lasting reminder of the devastation wrought by the Old War and the Great Flash that followed. Despite the deterrence and protection that the firepower of the RSDF afforded, everyone had to be cautious and on the lookout for possible ambushes.
As the big blast door slowly grated open, the surface air blew in through the widening gap. It was dusty and had a tan-colored tint, very unlike the stale but clean air of the underground air filtration and recycling system. Okino and the others wore filtration masks and goggles before starting the expedition, while the troops had better filtration systems built into their enclosed helmets. It wasn't bad yet, but local windstorms could kick up vast amounts of dirt and dust over many kilometers. To someone without adequate protection, the air tasted metallic, smelled polluted, and sometimes stung the eyes.
But they had to get used to all of it - because this would soon become their home.
Okino walked the long corridor that led to the surface entrance of his community. It was an area of the bunker that was unfamiliar to him, with a fully asphalted road leading out to a great big steel blast door.
The rounded walls and ceiling was made of really thick concrete, with an entire hill of dirt burying the structure, keeping his home safe and sound from the outside... The thought he was actually going to be away from his home sent goosebumps across his skin, as the only other time he's been to the surface was during his "Rite of Rising Hope" when he was thirteen.
"I wonder how much has changed now. It's been over a decade since that time..."
Because other than that time, free travel to the surface was usually restricted to the exalted rangers, and approved salvaging expeditions. Okino himself was just a simple woodworker, building and maintaining the various furniture and wooden structures inside the bunker itself. This time however, his skills would be used for carpentering - to build new homes on the surface. A sense of pride had been rising within him ever since the administration agent broke the news to him, because now he'd be able to show the community what he was really made of!
But he wasn't alone in this endeavor. Other chosen specialists like him were walking in a loose line in front and behind him. Rolling up close beside him was one of the older pickup trucks that the mechanics had maintained for this very moment. A couple were pulling trailers and hauling heavier supplies for the expedition, but another two were outfitted for the RSDF troops that escorted them. They had grafted makeshift iron armor and mounted heavy machine guns that were kept in storage till recently.
"Attention all civilians, this is Captain Shima, asking all of you to remember your training!" A woman shouted from the top of the first truck. She donned RSDF officers armor, and toted an automatic rifle in her hands. "Stay close to the trucks at all times! If any of you spot anything remotely humanoid, shout 'spotted'. All civilians are to crouch down and cover your heads, and crawl to cover if you are near any! If a soldier yells the phrase, do the same maneuver! Do not get back up until both me and the rearguard captain give the all clear! That is all!"
Bandits - bands of roving marauders who don't even think before murdering and stealing from anyone not part of their group - still infested the urban ruins of the old surface cities. Most were desperate and/or psychopathic survivors who lived by the gun. But some were also driven mad or even mutated by radiation that permeated many areas of the ruins, a lasting reminder of the devastation wrought by the Old War and the Great Flash that followed. Despite the deterrence and protection that the firepower of the RSDF afforded, everyone had to be cautious and on the lookout for possible ambushes.
As the big blast door slowly grated open, the surface air blew in through the widening gap. It was dusty and had a tan-colored tint, very unlike the stale but clean air of the underground air filtration and recycling system. Okino and the others wore filtration masks and goggles before starting the expedition, while the troops had better filtration systems built into their enclosed helmets. It wasn't bad yet, but local windstorms could kick up vast amounts of dirt and dust over many kilometers. To someone without adequate protection, the air tasted metallic, smelled polluted, and sometimes stung the eyes.
But they had to get used to all of it - because this would soon become their home.