Turns out yesterday's exercise was actually for today. So I'm doing
yesterday's today. Got that?
Write a scene where a character faces some kind of moral dilemma, what do they do about it?
"It shouldn't be snowing. It's only October."
It was odd that that would be the first thing that would occur to Rick when he stepped out of the armored SUV, but he couldn't help but notice it. He looked up at the sky, trying in vain to see the sun. He would occasionally catch glimpses of it as a thinner patch of soot and smog passed by but it was shortly hidden again. The winds were blowing strongly. Something they weren't entirely prepared for.
He had come to see the situation for himself. The decision facing him was too great to do any less.
The caravan he was in was almost completely stopped now. He heard car doors slam behind him and people approaching - advisors and assistants mostly. Behind them was the press bus. And behind them...
If only the National Guard would arrive, but they were still 12 hours out. The attack had hit them hard too and they were having trouble getting mobilized. They had, at least, been prepared for this danger. The crew he had brought were volunteers and bureaucrats. Not that the Guard was any more prepared for the fallout than his crew, but at least they had signed on expecting their life could some day be in danger. Since he had taken over as FEMA Administrator, Rick always kept the security of his agents as a top priority. Now he had scores of doctors and trucks full of medical equipment behind him ready to go, but it would be weeks before the radiation levels were low enough to safely send them in.
For that matter, how much was there to gain? Anyone in the downtown area would have been vaporized instantly. Anyone else who had been exposed to a lethal amount of radiation would be dead soon anyway, regardless of what they did. There was no way to help but to make them comfortable before they died. Was it worth exposing his team to the very real chances of sterility, cancer, even death, just to make some peoples' passing a little easier?
The President had left the decision up to him. A brave decision there - she at least had the cover of the office in making decisions like that. Regardless of which decision he made there was sure to be enough outcry to ensure he wasn't Administrator for much longer. Of course as soon as that bomb had gone off all bets were off anyway.
His deputy came up behind him without saying a word. They were both staring at the wreckage in front of them. The road they were on had once been a complex interstate interchange. Most of the elevated ramps had collapsed and fallen, fracturing into several pieces upon impact. Fortunately their road was still unblocked so they had a clear path into the Yellow Zone.
"What are the radiation levels like?" he asked his deputy.
"Falling but still very dangerous. Once we pass 5 miles within I-285 it'll start getting life-threatening."
Rick nodded, same as the last reading. There were radiation suits, but certainly not enough to go around. They would have to setup a base camp in the Green Zone somewhere and ferry people back and forth in shifts to make sure no one stayed there too long. Still, no help for it. People would get sick. Best he could do is try to minimize it until new supplies came in.
"Tell them to begin setting up a camp and start sending people in as soon as possible."
"Will do. Are you going to stay here and supervise the setup?"
Rick thought of his wife and daughter back in Washington, safe. He looked up at the sky again and slowly shook his head. "No, you can take it from here. I'll be needed in DC anyway." Then, to his driver, "Back to the helipad."