The End (15 page)

Thousands of Marines and sailors yelled in unison, “Me, sir!”

“Who will join me?” Barone repeated even louder.

“Me, sir!”

Sebastian just stood there stunned and confused; he liked what he heard from Barone but he also felt that by joining him he'd be turning his back on his country. He then thought of Gordon, Samantha, and the kids. When the colonel again yelled, “Who will join me?” Sebastian raised his right arm and yelled, “Me, sir!”

Dade County, Florida

Conner could hear all the activity outside on the tarmac. Their landing had gone smoothly; in fact everything seemed to be moving too smoothly. While they waited for the convoy that would take him to meet his new vice president, Conner and Griswald were just finishing up a briefing.

“General, thank you for putting this all together so quickly,” Conner said.

“Mr. President, you're welcome. I hope this has helped you understand how we sit and what options you have when you make the decision to respond. What are your thoughts on a response?” Griswald asked.

“General, I think it's important to respond very soon. I believe we can't wait too long. When I spoke with the Australian prime minister, they hadn't gotten much of anything from the individuals they had captured on that container ship. The main concern I have is that whoever committed this might attack us again, and soon. I also don't believe this was a rogue group. I believe it was orchestrated by a nation state. What we do know is that these attacks only targeted us and our allies. China and Russia were also affected but you know who wasn't? South America, Africa, and the Middle East were not attacked. I don't think that was accidental. I feel whoever committed this came from there or was supported by a country in that area.”

“Sir, I would agree with you that more than likely a nation state like Iran or Pakistan was behind this.”

“I wanted to bring this up earlier but you didn't mention our nuclear forces.”

“Our nuclear forces?”

“Yes, general; I believe the only acceptable response would be to respond with a nuclear attack. We do not have the time or the resources financially to commit air or ground forces. I say we nuke the bastards and move on!”

“Mr. President, while I agree we should respond with the same force. I have to ask, who do we use them against? We don't know who attacked us.”

“That, General, is the question, and one we may not be able to answer anytime soon, if ever. I ask you this: How can we even think of rebuilding if we might be attacked again? What we do know is there are many countries that do not like us. Many have worked against us before; they have supported terrorist organizations openly and have wanted our demise. If they didn't directly take part in this, haven't they indirectly supported it?”

“Mr. President, are you suggesting that we nuke them all?”

Conner sat there for a brief second looking at Griswald. There was an odd silence in the room. The air was thick with tension. All eyes were on the president, waiting for him to respond to Griswald's question.

“Yes, general, I am suggesting we nuke them all! We have to assign blame and make it happen. Our countrymen would demand an immediate response.”

“Mr. President, do you know what you are asking? By unleashing our nuclear arsenal we will kill millions of innocents.”

“Are there innocents anymore? What about those innocents in our country? What about them? We can't invade these countries and spend years attempting to seize them. We need to neutralize this threat once and for all. And that is by killing all of them!”

“I understand you are upset, Mr. President, but maybe a more measured response like airstrikes or cruise missiles.”

“There cannot be a measured response; we must once and for all destroy our enemies. Here is what I want now. What would it take to destroy our enemies in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, North Korea, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia?”

“All of those countries? You want to attack all of those countries with our nuclear forces?”

“I want to look at our options, General.”

“Mr. President, I am concerned about this approach.”

“I respect your concern, but please get me the information as soon as you can.” Conner just looked at Griswald, then continued by pivoting the conversation. “Have you secured transport for me to go meet Governor Cruz?”

“I believe so.”

“Great, thank you. I want to leave in twenty minutes,” Conner said, standing up. “I hope to return with Governor Cruz and his family. From here, we'll go to Colorado. Thank you again,” Conner finished and left the room.

Griswald stood up and watched Conner leave. After he left, Griswald turned to General Houston, the commanding officer from Homestead Air Force Base, and said, “Are you as concerned as I am?”

“Gris, look, our country has been hurt badly, I agree with the president. We have to have a firm and prompt response. Waiting only invites further attacks,” Houston said with his southern drawl.

Interrupting him, Griswald fired back with anger, “What will the world think of us if we wipe each one of those countries off the map? There has to be another way.”

“As I see it, we should get all of our troops who are left overseas back here to help support getting this country back on its feet. The world is a different place now; I don't know when it will recover. We have a chance now to take out once and for all those countries that dislike us and seek to do us harm. We have the legitimacy for this attack based upon what has happened here.”

Griswald, looking frustrated and angry, stood up from his chair and pushed it back hard against the wall. He paced back and forth and then responded to General Houston's comment. “General, with all due respect. That is a piss-poor reason to kill millions of innocent people. While I somewhat agree in the use of our nuclear forces against those who actually perpetrated this act, we must determine with confidence who actually did it! We cannot and must not kill millions of people out of the excuse that we have been attacked and we do not get along with those people!”

“Well Gris, at the end of the day, it's not your decision; it's the president's.”

Griswald just looked at Houston with a blank stare. He then looked at the map on the table and said, “You're right Houston; those decisions are always left to whoever is the commander and chief.”

Houston cocked his head a bit, not sure of the tone in Griswald's comment.

Griswald then continued by saying, “Let's go make sure the convoy is ready to take President Conner.” He immediately left the room followed by his aide and other officers who were in the room for the briefing.

Houston, still sitting in his chair, leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. Placing his head in his hands, he took a long sigh and said, “May God save us all.”

San Diego, California

Gordon's senses were alive with the sounds, smells, and feel of nature unfettered by what had happened to mankind. The birds were still chirping, the wind still had that cool ocean feel to it, the sun's warmth was still there along with the smell of sage that permeated the air. What was missing was the daily hum of traffic, the loud lawnmowers or leaf blowers. Those sounds were replaced by the sound of people walking, talking, and kids playing in the street. Many people now spent time outside their homes; no longer were they able to hide inside with their TVs, computers, and other electrical devices. Electricity created the modern world and had given people many luxuries but it had also divided and made them a people who only interacted online. There was peacefulness about it all that Gordon liked.

He knew it would not last; he knew eventually people would start to tear at each other for what few resources were left. He had returned from another successful trip to a grocery store. Their cache of food and supplies were now enough to keep his and Jimmy's family alive for about a year. Upon their return, he stopped by each house in the neighborhood and dropped off handwritten notes. The note asked everyone to meet in the central park later in the day. He was now en route to go meet with Mindy Swanson, the HOA president. He wanted to sit down with her to explain his theory and present his solutions to confront the problem. Gordon knew that for long-term survival the neighborhood needed to come together so they could coordinate efforts to collect food, water, fuel, medicine, and other items. Pooling the talents of his neighbors was critical to his plan.

Standing nervously in front of Mindy's door, he took a deep breath and knocked. He had known Mindy for three years. They had met within a week of their moving into the neighborhood but he never really got to know her except for her reputation as a tough-as-nails person. She usually got what she wanted and was someone who wasn't afraid of speaking her mind. They initially had a cordial relationship, but had a falling out eighteen months ago because of his response to a rash of break-ins in the neighborhood. Even though Rancho Valentino was gated, thieves had managed to gain access and break into homes. He had written a letter to Mindy and the board recommending some action be taken. With no response, he went to the next board meeting and laid out his recommendations. All at the meeting expressed support for his plan but decided not to approve it because of how it might look. This angered him; they were more concerned with appearances than results. Instead, they opted for an approach of posting signs and creating an open channel of communication with police. He argued that wouldn't stop the break-ins; unfortunately, he was correct. Within days of the signs being posted two more homes were broken into. Taking it upon himself he conducted foot patrols. One night, he managed to catch those responsible. What he thought would be praise from Mindy and the board turned out to be condemnation and ridicule. She expressed openly at the next meeting and through a letter to all homeowners that she and the board did not appreciate or condone what they called his “vigilante” behavior. Gordon never forgave Mindy for the way she treated him. The entire incident split the community and created an atmosphere of mistrust that still existed.

The door opened and there stood Mindy. She was in her early Rancho Valentino forties, average height, slender with shoulder-length black hair.

“Gordon, hi,” she said, looking surprised to see him.

“Hi, Mindy, I want to talk to you about the blackout,” Gordon said, trying to be very professional. “Is now a good time?”

“Sure, come on in,” she answered, opening the door fully.

Gordon walked in and stood just inside the foyer.

“Let's go into the living room. Can I get you water or something else to drink? Not cold, of course.”

“Water would be great.”

Gordon walked over to the couch and sat down. She came over with a warm bottle of water and handed it to him.

“Thank you.”

Mindy took a seat in the leather chair across from him and asked, “So, how is your family?”

“They're fine, thanks. Listen, I'd like to cut straight to the situation, if you don't mind,” he said as he sat up on the edge of the couch and put the water on the table next to him.

Mindy's body language signaled that Gordon made her uncomfortable.

Nodding, she said, “Sure, go for it.”

“Mindy, what we are experiencing now, this blackout; is not a normal blackout. I'm sure you have now heard the rumors of an attack. What I wanted to share with you is that I think I know what happened. I believe we have been attacked with some type of electromagnetic pulse weapon; it's the only type of weapon that can cause this type of blackout. We've had blackouts before, but now our cars don't work, cell phones don't work, nothing electronic seems to work at all. What could have caused this are two things: a major coronal mass ejection from the sun, or an EMP detonation. I am guessing we would have been warned about the CME, so the EMP makes more sense,” Gordon said. He was speaking quickly, and Mindy was trying to take it all in.

“Wait a minute; what you're guessing is that we've been attacked with some type of magnetic weapon? This is why nothing works?”

“Yes, we have been attacked by a nuclear weapon that was blown up somewhere in the high atmosphere.”

Not letting Gordon finish, Mindy yelled out, “Gerald! Gerald! Come down here now!” Gerald was Mindy's husband; he was a lanky tall man in his mid-fifties. He was a very successful financial analyst in Rancho Santa Fe.

“Gordon, if you could wait a minute, I want Gerald to hear this.”

“Sure, no problem.” Gordon reached over and grabbed his water.

Gerald walked into the room and approached Gordon with his hand outstretched. Gordon stood and shook his hand firmly.

“Good to see you, Gordon,” Gerald said.

“Nice to see you too.”

“Gerald, please take a seat. I'll just quickly tell you that Gordon has stopped by to give us his opinion on what he thinks is going on with this blackout,” Mindy said to Gerald.

“Oh, really?” Gerald said, looking over at Gordon, then taking a seat in the other leather chair next to Mindy. “What do you think is going on, Gordon?”

“I have been explaining to Mindy that this is not a normal blackout. My experience and training coupled with what has happened leads me to believe this situation has all the trademarks of an EMP bomb.”

“EMP?” Gerald asked.

“Sorry, electromagnetic pulse. Essentially, someone has detonated a nuclear bomb high in our atmosphere. The resulting effect fries everything electrical. What I don't know is if this is more local, regional, or nationwide.”

“What does all this mean?” Gerald asked, looking very interested.

“That is a good question. If this is widespread, then we must come together as a community and work toward securing as much food, water, medicine, and other resources as we need to survive.” Leaning forward toward Gerald, Gordon looked intense and finished by saying, “Gerald, what you do for a living is now over for as long as the lights are out, and with all power out across the area our focus has to be getting and stocking up on the items I mentioned. I feel it is important that we move now, not tomorrow. This is why I have had flyers circulated across the neighborhood today calling everyone to come meet in the central park this afternoon.”