by Bobby Akart
“Oui.”
“You mentioned a missing freighter. What was the ship’s planned navigational route?”
“West Africa to Venezuela, in the northern part of South America. It reported a Mayday due to a possible tsunami. Then it disappeared without a trace. Rescue teams were there quickly and found nothing floating on the ocean surface. Nothing at all.”
“How big was it?” asked Chapman.
“Eight hundred feet.”
Chapman walked toward the chalkboard where the student was furiously taking notes. “If the South Atlantic Anomaly shifted that far north, the freighter might have been hundreds of miles off course,” he said, and then he paused. “Were there any reports of a tsunami? I have a tsunami alert app on my phone, but I didn’t receive a warning.”
“Non, Monsieur Boone. No reports or warnings.”
Another student raised his hand. “Dr. Dubois, there was a report of seismic activity in the region. The ocean is very deep there. It would take a massive earthquake to generate a tsunami large enough to capsize a large freighter.”
“Well, if there was a tsunami, where did it go?” asked another student. “They do not burn themselves out. The waves keep going until they hit land.”
“What about a whirlpool?” asked another.
Isabella walked toward the young woman and pointed her finger at her. “Yes! She’s right. A tectonic plate could cause a whirlpool.”
“It would have to be a big shift,” quipped Chapman.
“Well, the movement of the South Atlantic Anomaly at such a rapid pace could do that, mon ami.”
Chapman raised his eyebrows and nodded.
Isabella looked to the rest of her research assistants. “What else?”
A young man stood and directed everyone’s attention to a large television monitor at the corner of the room. “I have set up a slideshow for us.”
“What are you showing us?” asked Isabella.
“I have expanded on your study of the Agathis australis tree,” he began.
Isabella had begun to study the excavation of a tree that was found during the construction of a geothermal power plant in New Zealand. The sixty-five-foot-tall tree had been buried in twenty-six feet of soil.
The young man continued. “Carbon dating revealed that it lived for fifteen hundred years, approximately forty-two thousand years ago. It is the first tree of its kind that was found to have lived through an entire magnetic field reversal. Studies showed the reversal took place in less than a hundred years.”
“Thank you, but we know this already,” interrupted Isabella.
“Yes, Dr. Dubois, but now we have secondary evidence from the same period of time in Earth’s history.”
Chapter 52
National Institute of Sciences of the Universe (INSU)
Paris, France
“Proceed,” said Isabella.
“Oui.” The young man motioned for another student to change the image. “This is a LIDAR image that used pulsed laser light to map the ground in an area of New York State in America. The lines depicted are actually stone walls built around farmland that was overgrown by the forest.
“A geochemist studied the construction of these walls and compared it to maps of the area dating back to 1790. Also, he conducted carbon dating on the rocks used to create the walls. Most of them were deposited into the landscape of New York up to ten thousand years ago.”
Chapman interjected an anecdote based upon his experiences on the farm. “In America, the early colonists found it difficult to plough their fields because of these stones. They would dig them up and use them along the borders of their fields or to mark their property lines.”
“Yes,” the young man continued. “The geochemist discovered that the walls were built at a time with a very small margin of error of three-tenths of one percent in relation to the Earth’s magnetic field. His modern-day measurements reflect a nine percent margin of error from the location of the magnetic north pole in January of this year.”
“That was eight months ago,” interrupted Isabella.
“Oui, Dr. Dubois. The study has been updated as of last week. The margin of error is now thirty-one percent. This means the pole has shifted an additional twenty-four degrees in the course of this year, at least in New York.”
Isabella began to walk through the kiosks filled with students, each of them pointing to their related tasks. The evidence was piling up, indicating a monumental change in the Earth’s environment based upon the rapid movement of the Earth’s magnetic field.
She was about to address the class when Chapman walked up behind her and gently touched her elbow.
“Isabella, we have a problem,” he whispered.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Um, maybe we should step out of the room. I’ve heard back from the SWPC.” Chapman looked at his watch, glanced at the ceiling, and closed his eyes in disbelief.
The Space Weather Prediction Center was jointly operated by NOAA and the U.S. Air Force. Its primary responsibility was to provide global warnings for disturbances that could affect people and equipment impacted by everything from solar flares to asteroids. The services they provide influenced the decision-making processes of NASA, the armed services, the FAA, the Department of Transportation, and FERC—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulated the power grid.
They calmly walked into the hallway and closed the door behind them. Chapman opened his Solar Alert app on his phone and showed Isabella. The sun slowly, almost imperceptibly, rotated on the screen as it fluxed and oscillated. It looked like a gigantic fusion reactor preparing to create a massive release of energy.
“Watch this,” said Chapman, who took his finger and rewound the time-lapse imagery. A solar flare blasted out of the sun, its superheated tendrils stretching deep into space. “These solar images reveal activity on the sun’s surface, including the opening of coronal holes, the source of high-speed winds of solar particles that stream off the sun into space. As a coronal hole releases these particles from the sun’s magnetic fields, soaring up and away from the surface, they create the conditions necessary for a solar flare.”
“When did this happen?” she asked.
“Twenty-four hours ago, a coronal hole developed and released a series of non-Earth-directed X-flares. Solar flares are rated as class B, C, N, or X, with X-class being the most powerful.
“Last night, this active region released an X 1.1 level solar flare. Under normal conditions, while an X-class is the most powerful, a 1.1 level is not enough to cause damage to the planet or its electronics. It would be labeled a minor, or G1 level geomagnetic storm.”
“Normal conditions,” interrupted Isabella. “We now know that we are far from normal.”
“Yes. The SWPC is going to issue its usual S2, moderate solar radiation storm, warning. This means that people at high altitudes will be subjected to the sun’s most harmful rays and radiation. It will have small effects on high-frequency propagation through the polar regions, and navigation at the polar caps could possibly be affected.”
Isabella walked a few feet away and pulled her long hair behind her neck. “Except the polar caps are not where they should be. And the magnetic field has weakened considerably. More so than I imagined.”
Chapman joined her side. “If the strength level assigned to a G2, moderate geomagnetic storm, is six, then with the magnetic field weakened, it’s not unusual to expect that the actual impact of this solar flare could reach G4 or G5, which would cause widespread grid collapses and satellite failures.”
“On the whole planet?” she asked.
“No, not necessarily. Depending on the areas of weakness, using the South Atlantic Anomaly as an example, the impact could be regional.”
“When is it supposed to arrive?”
“It is fast moving, according to the text I received. It could begin to effect the planet within eighteen hours.”
Chapter 53
Thunder Bay, Canada<
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Levi and his friends helped the elderly pilot of the de Havilland DHC-3 load their backpacks and rifle cases into the plane and then climbed inside. The temperatures had dropped considerably as nightfall approached, the first of many surprises the hunters would encounter.
“I’m real sorry I’m late, gentlemen,” said Claud Boucher, the owner and operator of the air charter service Quebec United Airways, or QUA. “It’s about two hours up to Smoky Falls, and it appears we’ll have quite the headwind. We’ve got an Alberta Clipper heading our way, really odd for August. Not to mention it’s coming from the Arctic, and not Alberta. Well, anyhoo, let’s get this thing in the air.”
The guys put on their headsets so they could communicate with Boucher, and strapped themselves into their seats. Levi had the back row to himself, except for Karl’s oversize backpack rig complete with a bedroll. Levi had told him that they would be staying in the cabins at the outfitters camp, but Karl insisted upon being one with nature, so he planned on sleeping under the stars. Levi pressed his face to the glass and observed the dark cloud cover. He might be sleeping in rain or snow, but stars were surely up there somewhere.
“Alberta Clipper? Seriously?” lamented Eddie.
“I told you, Eddie. The weather is unpredictable in Northern Canada.”
“Man, it’s August!”
“Almost September, young man,” chimed in Boucher. “It’s not that unusual to get snowfall up here by Labor Day.”
“I thought it was an unusually warm summer?” Eddie was still trying to make excuses for dressing like he was going to the mall.
“It was, until now,” replied the pilot. “Tallyho!”
The DHC-3 fired up and the single-engine propeller powered the small plane down the runway and into the last vestiges of daylight.
After Boucher leveled the plane out to a relatively low altitude of four thousand feet, he made some adjustments on the controls and wiggled his butt to get settled in for the flight.
Then he began to talk. Claud Boucher was a big talker.
“I’ve flown all around these parts for decades, but I have to say this is my first trip into Smoky Falls. You know, once you’ve seen one of these remote huntin’ and fishin’ outposts, you’ve kinda seen them all.”
“How are the moose runnin’?” asked Eddie.
“C’mon, Eddie,” said Karl as he playfully shoved his friend. “We ain’t fishin’! We’re not talkin’ mackerel or wahoo.”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Boucher. “I don’t hunt. But I do know the animals have lost their minds up this way. Seems like the closer you get to the Arctic, the more they go crazy.”
“Whadya mean by that?” asked Levi.
“Oh, we’ve got wolf attacks. Salmon gettin’ lost. Grizzlies in the Rockies wanderin’ inside people’s homes. Heck, the darn Canadian geese started their migration south early, but not toward the States. They flew to damn Vancouver!”
Karl and Eddie were cutting up in the row behind Boucher, making fun of the old pilot as he told the stories of what he called the animal uprising. He remained focused on the task at hand, as he was flying using visual flight rules because of their remote destination.
“How do you explain this weather?” asked Levi. “I really expected it to be decent.”
“Okay, well, the Alberta Clipper, or whatever the weather people decide to call it, is very unusual. These things take time to build up before the low pressure moves across the U.S. border and heads south. I’ve never seen one come across Hudson Bay like this. If anything, we’ve got ice melting and extreme flooding in the north. Very unusual.”
“What are they saying is causing all of this?” Levi asked.
“I can tell you what they’re sayin’.”
“What’s that?”
“Global warming. But I think there’s something much more dangerous.” Boucher hesitated and glanced at his instrument panel. Then he looked back toward the guys, who were giving him their undivided attention. “Nibiru.”
“What’s that?” asked Eddie.
Levi knew what Boucher was referring to, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He thought the concept was far-fetched, but he was interested in the old pilot’s thoughts on the subject.
Boucher took a deep breath and began. “Nibiru is a mega-star, almost like a planet, that has been traveling toward our solar system for thousands of years, bringing its own constellation with it.”
“Why am I just now hearing about this?” asked Eddie.
Karl gave him a shove. “Shut up, Eddie. Let the man talk.”
Boucher explained, “There is evidence of this in the ancient Hebrew scriptures. It’s been said that God initiated the great flood in the time of Noah by moving two stars. This caused a shift in the poles of the world. North became south. Dry land became oceans. The oceans dried up.”
The glow from the instrument panel illuminated Eddie’s face so Levi could see him roll his eyes and shake his head in disbelief. He couldn’t hold his tongue.
“Come on, Claud. Really? We’re supposed to believe some rogue planet is whizzing by, causing the Earth to spin backwards, upside down or some such. No way, man.”
“You don’t have to believe, young man. But know this. In the days of Noah, as revealed in the Bible, people lived much longer than we do now. Centuries, in fact. So when Nibiru causes this pole shift, life will return those days and we will all live for hundreds of years.”
Karl tried to shut his friend down. “See, Eddie? There is a bright side to this crazy weather. I’ve been reading about the crazed animals back home, too. A pack of dogs, and I mean everything from a poodle to a Rott, mauled these two people in New York City. It was supposedly gruesome.”
“Yeah, and we had the wild pig go after Carly. I didn’t tell my folks this, but I had to beat it with the shovel so many times that the handle broke off. And it still wouldn’t back down. That’s the only reason I stuck it with my Bowie.” Levi patted his gun case, which held his favorite hunting rifle and the knife he carried constantly around the farm.
“Well, gentlemen, we should be getting closer now, but I want to add one thing. There is more evidence of Nibiru outside of biblical teachings. The word Nibiru is Sumerian for twelfth planet.”
Eddie interrupted. “Sumerian? As in Ancient Aliens Sumerian?” He rolled over and began to giggle to himself. He was having difficulty containing himself.
“Yessir, that’s the one,” replied Claud. “According to the ancient Sumerian texts, our creators, the sons of God, came from a yet undiscovered planet that enters our solar system every thirty-six hundred years. They came to the Middle East to mine gold that was needed to repair their planet. That’s why we find the Great Pyramids in alignment with constellations in our Solar System. They created portals or markers to guide them back to Earth.”
Eddie burst out laughing. “Man, have you been smokin’ the wacky tobacky? I’ve never heard of so much happy horseshit in my life. Nibiru. Sumerians. Ancient aliens. Freakin’ pole shifts. Gimme a break!”
Boucher was either insulted or his feelings were hurt, as he didn’t say another word for ten minutes. Snow from the arctic chill began to pepper the windshield of the airplane as strong gusts of wind began to bring frozen moisture inland from Hudson Bay.
Karl and Eddie were still joking and horsing around while Levi, who’d begun to get cold in the back of the plane, dug out his camouflage hunting jacket. While he was digging through his things, he retrieved the Bowie knife from his gun case.
“Okay, gentlemen, well, it’s taken longer to get here than I’d mapped out. Maybe it’s the headwinds. I dunno. Anyhoo, we’re coming in on our final approach. Smoky Falls is out there somewhere, even though the weather is making it hard to see. Normally, I make these trips with the TAWS system turned off because it always gives us false warnings in this neck of the woods, but our vis is horrible ’cause of this snow.” TAWS was an acronym for Terrain Awareness and Warning System. The system was designed to
prevent what’s known as controlled flight into terrain accidents, unintentional impacts with the ground due to pilot error.
“I don’t see any lights,” commented Karl.
“Not a problem, young man. I have GPS to guide me, and according to Clementine, there’s a big, wide lake right in front of the outpost. We’ll be splashing down in just a minute or so.”
The snow was turning to tiny, BB-sized pellets of ice that peppered the windshield of the de Havilland airplane. The wings began to waver from side to side as the strong headwind tossed the plane about. Eddie and Karl were through horsing around, and the tension in the air was thick.
Boucher fought the winds and tried to steady the plane as it pitched and rolled toward the landing area on the lake at Smoky Falls. Levi leaned forward to study the plane’s altimeter. Their descent was level and steady. Kudos to you, Mr. Boucher, Levi thought as the seasoned old pilot planed off, ready to land on the water.
The guys seated in front of Levi relaxed and even turned to one another to exchange high fives as the airplane’s floats prepared to touch down on the lake.
Only, it was the tops of trees they touched first. The floats grabbed the branches of several balsam firs. The plane spun sideways and dipped nose down. The right wing snapped in half as it made solid contact with a tree trunk, sending the small aircraft in a nose over tail tumble through the snow-covered forest until it landed in a snowdrift, eighty miles off course, somewhere northwest of Smoky Falls.
Chapter 54
Brookfield Zoo
Chicago, Illinois
Kristi and Tommy walked through the aviary on the way to check on the primates that had been recovered. Now their eyes were opened to looking for unusual animal activity from all species. The phenomenon was spreading, and the events at the Brookfield Zoo appeared to be a microcosm of what was happening elsewhere.
Tommy explained, “We consider birds an indicator species. Let’s also look at salmon. The EPA studies the health of salmon to make an overall assessment of the stability of the greater Pacific Rim, which has been affected by deforestation, creation of dams, and groundwater pollution.
