RJ returned to the central tunnel after lunch to find Amy, Jill Warren and Jill's Weapons Officer, Steve Perk going over the plans for the afternoon's scouting mission. Perk and another man who'd joined the group were both dressed in flight suits.

Two UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters were in the process of being towed through the tunnel to the landing pad and Jill's AH-64D Apache Helicopter gunship was riding the elevator up out of the pit.

Eight Humvees were lined up outside, four at each gate. They would split into teams of two, each containing six heavily armed soldiers and this afternoon's mission was to proceed to any nearby towns within a fifteen-mile radius and commence reconnaissance.

The Black Hawks had two functions. They too would be scouting the area, seeking signs of life. They'd been armed with miniguns and rockets and would provide support to the ground teams if they ran into trouble.

The Apache Gunship was backup in case any teams got into trouble. Heavily armed with its 30MM M230 chaingun cannon and 70 Hydra (2.75 inch) folding-fin rockets, as well as air-to-ground Hell Fire missiles, it would be a comfort to those going into the unknown. With luck, RJ thought, the only thing the Apache would do today was a brief test flight to ensure all systems were operational.

Forty minutes later, the Humvees passed out through the gates, and the rotors of the Black Hawks started turning. The Humvees rapidly drove towards the highway, although there were several occasions where they needed to go off-road due to obstructions and damage to the road.

Just knowing that there were ten extra people available aboard the armed helicopter was very reassuring for the ground force.

To a casual observer, these newcomers would look like an aggressor force, but the reality was that they were there to make initial contact and scout out the area. The goal was to befriend any survivors and work with them, to learn and rebuild a modern society.

One fact was simple, only fools would wander into the unknown without the means to defend themselves, and these teams were more than ready to protect themselves if needed. The reinforcements aboard the Black Hawks were more heavily armed, just in case everyone's expectations were wrong.

Alpha Team, led by Sergeant Davis, entered the town of Merrillville, comforted by hearing the sound of the Black Hawk's twin T700-GE-701C turboshaft engines overhead. The town that had once had a population of close to five thousand was now a ghost town. Most of the buildings were in terrible condition after more than forty years without maintenance. Many had collapsed, and most of the others were missing parts of their roofs. The rusted hulks of cars were everywhere; the Humvees had to push several out of the way because they were blocking the streets.