Poem: "Hope for the Future"
This poem came out of the September 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
siberian_skys. It also fills the "Building / Creating Something" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Hope for the Future"
[Sunday, May 19, 1957]
"This cold war concerns me,"
Ronald Wells said as he
folded the newspaper.
"I worry about it too,"
said Aldous Fruehauf.
"Who would have thought
the Allies would break up
so soon after World War II?"
"Just like the Axis, there were
always deep divisions waiting
to surface," said Ronald. "I worry
that America and Russia will tear
the world apart between them."
"We don't have many Russians
in our organization, and most of
those are defected scientists,
not politicians," said Aldous.
"It's like when we scooped
people fleeing the Nazis, but
not as many have gotten out."
Kraken had gained a lot of
people in recent decades
who no longer wanted to be
where they had just been.
"We need to plan ahead,"
Ronald said. "We don't
dare risk getting caught
off-guard by the mayhem."
"What do you suggest,
then?" Aldous asked.
"Have hope for the future,
but build a bomb shelter
anyway," said Ronald.
"They're getting popular."
"Hmm," said Aldous. "I've
seen more advertisements
in the magazines. There's
a company called Vigilance
that makes quite a variety."
"Oh, what do they have?"
Ronald said, leaning forward.
"The Quark line is proving
the most popular among
supervillains and minions,"
said Aldous. "It comes in
sizes to house from one to
eight people. They're even
working on a double model
that will hold up to twelve."
"I've been thinking about
our bolthole program,"
said Ronald. "Bunkers
would be more discreet
than cabins, but we need
space for one person
more often than several."
"That's what the Atom is
meant for," said Aldous.
"You can fit four in it,
but not very comfortably."
"We could buy a bunch of
those, then," said Ronald.
"Maybe add a sampling of
the other models as well."
"Where would we put them?"
Aldous said. "They're not subtle."
Ronald smirked at him. "They
will be if we Phase them down.
We could put one anywhere we
own property -- spread them out."
"It might be nice to have some sort
of command center," Aldous said.
Kraken had some secret bases
scattered around, but most of
those were either watercraft
or above-ground buildings.
Underground bunkers, if
they were really becoming
more feasible, would be better.
"Does Vigilance make anything
bigger than family-size shelters?"
Ronald said. "Could we find
another supplier for command,
or maybe build our own shelters?"
"Vigilance units are modular,"
said Aldous. "You can link them
in a row, or a star, or other shapes.
I've heard that some other companies
are building military command centers,
but they're not placing advertisements."
"No, I wouldn't think so," said Ronald.
"Let's check around and see what
larger models might be available."
"I'll look into Sitzkrieg Bunkers,"
said Aldous. "They make small ones,
but they have military connections, so
they might be making larger ones too.
How many are you thinking about?"
"A command center on every continent,
if we can manage it," said Ronald.
"As many small ones as we can
afford and find space for. We'll
need to count teams to work up
an estimate of how many group
vs. individual modules to get."
"That sounds like a big investment
for bomb shelters against a war that
might never heat up," said Aldous.
"Who says they're only for war?"
Ronald parried. "We're already
using the cabin boltholes for people
who can't control their superpowers.
They're also useful for storms, fires,
earthquakes, or other natural disasters."
"More superpowers are manifesting,"
Aldous observed. "I think it's from
all the bombs. Radiation raises
the rate of mutation in species."
"I think you're right," Ronald said.
"I don't like what I'm hearing from
our environment scientists, either."
"Extinctions on the rise, and
some very worrisome changes
in the atmosphere that could lead
to stronger storms," said Aldous.
"Well, that's rather an argument
for storm shelters, isn't it?"
Ronald nodded. "Someone
needs to get on top of this,"
he said. "Civil Defense in
America is making progress
with bomb shelters, and they're
not too stupid to use those for
storms -- but not everyone
is taking similar steps."
"World War II kicked
the guts out of Europe,
plus some parts of Africa
and Asia," said Aldous.
America has an advantage
by not being a battleground."
"So we'll step up and cover
what we can," said Ronald.
"Civil Defense is a start; we
can support their efforts too."
"I'll see what I can do with
Europe," said Aldous.
From that small beginning,
Kraken's bolthole program
grew to include bunkers of
many styles and locations.
They ranged from small ones
for individuals to medium for
teams to command bases.
The Civil Defense began as
a cold war effort, but with help,
soon evolved into protections
against all kinds of disasters.
Their municipal shelters and
supplies saved lives during
earthquakes, hurricanes,
wildfires, and other crises.
Very few people knew
how much supervillains
had to do with that progress.
That suited Kraken just fine.
They preferred to work
from the deeps anyway.
* * *
Notes:
"Have hope for the future but maybe build a bomb shelter anyway."
-- Anonymous
The Cold War lasted roughly 1947-1991, between the United States and the Soviet Union plus their allies.
• May 2: Senator Joseph McCarthy succumbs to illness exacerbated by alcoholism and dies.
• May 15: The United Kingdom detonates its first hydrogen bomb.
During this time period, fallout shelters became popular.
Emergency preparedness largely began with Civil Defense. In local-America it hasn't developed into a very cohesive system, as much of it fell apart after the Cold War ended. In Terramagne-America they have a thriving system of bunkers useful in all types of emergency, and people generally have a good level of family preparation.
Secret and hidden bunkers have always been a thing. Ordinary people have made lots of them. Just sinking a standard, high-quality bunker pod in an obscure place will do it. Even the medium-size hub type shelters can be concealed. Stealth technology is excellent it T-America, so one option is to have open access with a veiled entrance. Superpowers can improve on this even further. If you have Phase, Teleport, or other transit-type powers then you can make a shelter that requires no entrance/exit points. You just need air vents. If you have gizmology or super-gizmology to disguise or dispense with the usual air vents, even better. People have stuck these pods inside solid mountains that way.
Terramagne has secret lairs and boltholes scattered all over the place. Of course, given the hazards of villain and hero work, some of these just wind up becoming tombs or time capsules. Or both.
Some examples of drop-in-ground lairs appear below.
In Terramagne, the Vigilance company makes bunkers and the Quark is a leading favorite line for supervillains and a small handful of minions. The Nebula model has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a full dining room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, two bedrooms each with a full-size bed, a full bathroom, a small utility room, and a storage room. It can house up to 8 people comfortably, or quite a few more in a short-term emergency.
The Atom is the smallest of the Quark line. It includes a kitchenette, dinette, loveseat, toilet, and shower. Shown here with a bedroom including two pairs of bunk beds to sleep 4 people, it can also be stocked with two twin beds for 2 people, or one queen-size bed for 1-2 people.
The Quadrant offers a comfortable space for up to 4 people. It has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, a full bathroom, and a small utility room. Alternatively, it can be stocked with one queen-size bed.
The Nucleus is designed as concise space for a couple with children, up to 6 people. It has a kitchenette, dinette, small living room, bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, bathroom with toilet and shower, bedroom with queen-size bed, and large utility room.
The Mars is designed as concise space for up to 8 individuals. It has a kitchenette, dinette, small living room, two bunkrooms each with two pairs of bunk beds, bathroom with toilet and shower, and large utility room.
The Nebula is designed for an extended family. It has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a full dining room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, two bedrooms each with a queen-size bed, a full bathroom, a small utility room, and a storage room. It can house up to 8 people comfortably, or quite a few more in a short-term emergency.
Similar to a double Nucleus, the Binary has a large utility room at the end of one module and a large storage room at the end of the other. It is also available as a double Mars or one Nucleus and one Mars.
See the typical kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom for the Vigilance Quark units.
This is an example of a command base made by Sitzkrieg Bunkers in Terramagne, holding up to 54 people.
Read the history of nuclear weapons.
Ecology in the 1950s began to raise concerns about environmental issues. By the end of that decade, carbon dioxide was climbing high enough to worry scientists. In Terramagne, people paid more attention than here, so while they still have to contend with climate change it is not as bad.
siberian_skys. It also fills the "Building / Creating Something" square in my "Hope for the Future"
[Sunday, May 19, 1957]
"This cold war concerns me,"
Ronald Wells said as he
folded the newspaper.
"I worry about it too,"
said Aldous Fruehauf.
"Who would have thought
the Allies would break up
so soon after World War II?"
"Just like the Axis, there were
always deep divisions waiting
to surface," said Ronald. "I worry
that America and Russia will tear
the world apart between them."
"We don't have many Russians
in our organization, and most of
those are defected scientists,
not politicians," said Aldous.
"It's like when we scooped
people fleeing the Nazis, but
not as many have gotten out."
Kraken had gained a lot of
people in recent decades
who no longer wanted to be
where they had just been.
"We need to plan ahead,"
Ronald said. "We don't
dare risk getting caught
off-guard by the mayhem."
"What do you suggest,
then?" Aldous asked.
"Have hope for the future,
but build a bomb shelter
anyway," said Ronald.
"They're getting popular."
"Hmm," said Aldous. "I've
seen more advertisements
in the magazines. There's
a company called Vigilance
that makes quite a variety."
"Oh, what do they have?"
Ronald said, leaning forward.
"The Quark line is proving
the most popular among
supervillains and minions,"
said Aldous. "It comes in
sizes to house from one to
eight people. They're even
working on a double model
that will hold up to twelve."
"I've been thinking about
our bolthole program,"
said Ronald. "Bunkers
would be more discreet
than cabins, but we need
space for one person
more often than several."
"That's what the Atom is
meant for," said Aldous.
"You can fit four in it,
but not very comfortably."
"We could buy a bunch of
those, then," said Ronald.
"Maybe add a sampling of
the other models as well."
"Where would we put them?"
Aldous said. "They're not subtle."
Ronald smirked at him. "They
will be if we Phase them down.
We could put one anywhere we
own property -- spread them out."
"It might be nice to have some sort
of command center," Aldous said.
Kraken had some secret bases
scattered around, but most of
those were either watercraft
or above-ground buildings.
Underground bunkers, if
they were really becoming
more feasible, would be better.
"Does Vigilance make anything
bigger than family-size shelters?"
Ronald said. "Could we find
another supplier for command,
or maybe build our own shelters?"
"Vigilance units are modular,"
said Aldous. "You can link them
in a row, or a star, or other shapes.
I've heard that some other companies
are building military command centers,
but they're not placing advertisements."
"No, I wouldn't think so," said Ronald.
"Let's check around and see what
larger models might be available."
"I'll look into Sitzkrieg Bunkers,"
said Aldous. "They make small ones,
but they have military connections, so
they might be making larger ones too.
How many are you thinking about?"
"A command center on every continent,
if we can manage it," said Ronald.
"As many small ones as we can
afford and find space for. We'll
need to count teams to work up
an estimate of how many group
vs. individual modules to get."
"That sounds like a big investment
for bomb shelters against a war that
might never heat up," said Aldous.
"Who says they're only for war?"
Ronald parried. "We're already
using the cabin boltholes for people
who can't control their superpowers.
They're also useful for storms, fires,
earthquakes, or other natural disasters."
"More superpowers are manifesting,"
Aldous observed. "I think it's from
all the bombs. Radiation raises
the rate of mutation in species."
"I think you're right," Ronald said.
"I don't like what I'm hearing from
our environment scientists, either."
"Extinctions on the rise, and
some very worrisome changes
in the atmosphere that could lead
to stronger storms," said Aldous.
"Well, that's rather an argument
for storm shelters, isn't it?"
Ronald nodded. "Someone
needs to get on top of this,"
he said. "Civil Defense in
America is making progress
with bomb shelters, and they're
not too stupid to use those for
storms -- but not everyone
is taking similar steps."
"World War II kicked
the guts out of Europe,
plus some parts of Africa
and Asia," said Aldous.
America has an advantage
by not being a battleground."
"So we'll step up and cover
what we can," said Ronald.
"Civil Defense is a start; we
can support their efforts too."
"I'll see what I can do with
Europe," said Aldous.
From that small beginning,
Kraken's bolthole program
grew to include bunkers of
many styles and locations.
They ranged from small ones
for individuals to medium for
teams to command bases.
The Civil Defense began as
a cold war effort, but with help,
soon evolved into protections
against all kinds of disasters.
Their municipal shelters and
supplies saved lives during
earthquakes, hurricanes,
wildfires, and other crises.
Very few people knew
how much supervillains
had to do with that progress.
That suited Kraken just fine.
They preferred to work
from the deeps anyway.
* * *
Notes:
"Have hope for the future but maybe build a bomb shelter anyway."
-- Anonymous
The Cold War lasted roughly 1947-1991, between the United States and the Soviet Union plus their allies.
• May 2: Senator Joseph McCarthy succumbs to illness exacerbated by alcoholism and dies.
• May 15: The United Kingdom detonates its first hydrogen bomb.
During this time period, fallout shelters became popular.
Emergency preparedness largely began with Civil Defense. In local-America it hasn't developed into a very cohesive system, as much of it fell apart after the Cold War ended. In Terramagne-America they have a thriving system of bunkers useful in all types of emergency, and people generally have a good level of family preparation.
Secret and hidden bunkers have always been a thing. Ordinary people have made lots of them. Just sinking a standard, high-quality bunker pod in an obscure place will do it. Even the medium-size hub type shelters can be concealed. Stealth technology is excellent it T-America, so one option is to have open access with a veiled entrance. Superpowers can improve on this even further. If you have Phase, Teleport, or other transit-type powers then you can make a shelter that requires no entrance/exit points. You just need air vents. If you have gizmology or super-gizmology to disguise or dispense with the usual air vents, even better. People have stuck these pods inside solid mountains that way.
Terramagne has secret lairs and boltholes scattered all over the place. Of course, given the hazards of villain and hero work, some of these just wind up becoming tombs or time capsules. Or both.
Some examples of drop-in-ground lairs appear below.
In Terramagne, the Vigilance company makes bunkers and the Quark is a leading favorite line for supervillains and a small handful of minions. The Nebula model has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a full dining room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, two bedrooms each with a full-size bed, a full bathroom, a small utility room, and a storage room. It can house up to 8 people comfortably, or quite a few more in a short-term emergency.
The Atom is the smallest of the Quark line. It includes a kitchenette, dinette, loveseat, toilet, and shower. Shown here with a bedroom including two pairs of bunk beds to sleep 4 people, it can also be stocked with two twin beds for 2 people, or one queen-size bed for 1-2 people.
The Quadrant offers a comfortable space for up to 4 people. It has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, a full bathroom, and a small utility room. Alternatively, it can be stocked with one queen-size bed.
The Nucleus is designed as concise space for a couple with children, up to 6 people. It has a kitchenette, dinette, small living room, bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, bathroom with toilet and shower, bedroom with queen-size bed, and large utility room.
The Mars is designed as concise space for up to 8 individuals. It has a kitchenette, dinette, small living room, two bunkrooms each with two pairs of bunk beds, bathroom with toilet and shower, and large utility room.
The Nebula is designed for an extended family. It has a full kitchen with dining bar, a full living room, a full dining room, a bunkroom with two pairs of bunk beds, two bedrooms each with a queen-size bed, a full bathroom, a small utility room, and a storage room. It can house up to 8 people comfortably, or quite a few more in a short-term emergency.
Similar to a double Nucleus, the Binary has a large utility room at the end of one module and a large storage room at the end of the other. It is also available as a double Mars or one Nucleus and one Mars.
See the typical kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom for the Vigilance Quark units.
This is an example of a command base made by Sitzkrieg Bunkers in Terramagne, holding up to 54 people.
Read the history of nuclear weapons.
Ecology in the 1950s began to raise concerns about environmental issues. By the end of that decade, carbon dioxide was climbing high enough to worry scientists. In Terramagne, people paid more attention than here, so while they still have to contend with climate change it is not as bad.