Early in the aftermath of the war, the people of United Earth began to call New York the Dead City. Like several other important cities of status scattered around the continental United States, New York was a primary target for Russian and Chinese nuclear offensives. In the final moments, before the 800-kilotonne warhead detonated five hundred meters above Wall Street, New Yorkers went about their business, blinkered by the complexity of daily life in the Big Apple and disinterested in superpower machinations in far-off lands in the South China Sea.
When a large nuclear device detonates above ground, there are a few benefits, in particular, it reduces the spread of fallout beyond the initial blast zone. Nevertheless, the outcome is as terrible as anyone could predict. The resultant fireball rapidly expands, vapourising everything it touches up to a kilometre away. This expanding nightmare, as hot as the sun, causes mass destruction up to two kilometres away, with buildings destroyed, and people fried. In the first few seconds of the devastation, over 120 thousand people were instantly killed, but beyond that, up to 11km away, people suffered third-degree burns and many were killed from flying debris.
Some New Yorkers, who knew about the Secret Tunnel under Central Park, ran for cover, which, along with the subway, was one of the safest places in the city. This tunnel was originally part of a 1970’s construction effort to build a Second Avenue subway, intending to connect 57th street & 7th Avenue to 63rd St & Lexington.
Heading North from 57th Street on the Q, R or N, you can see this phantom underpass.
Now, many years later, it's one of the few places Betas (people without homes or under the direct protection of United Earth's government, but they are still considered worth protecting and assisting) live.
Comments