by Bobby Akart
“Let me interrupt you there, Monty,” said the president. “Northup Grumman executives were not able to confirm to Congress that the F-35 aircraft could perform as required.”
“I recall the testimony from four years ago, Madam President, but much has changed in both technology and training. Additional sensors were added, including the distributed aperture system consisting of two dozen electro-optical and infrared sensors. As we’ve discussed, there is no guaranteed method to shoot down an ICBM. Our best opportunity comes during the boost phase as the rocket leaves the launchpad. With the constant monitoring of Constant Phoenix and a dozen DAS-equipped F35s buzzing the coast of North Korea, we can detect when the rockets lift off. The maneuverability of the F-35s could have them in North Korea and out again before they knew what hit ’em.”
“And if you miss?” asked Acton with a tone of sarcasm that, once again, Secretary Gregg didn’t appreciate.
“Then we have our traditional means of defense. Constant Phoenix, working in concert with the F-35s, provides us another line of defense.”
President Harman referred to her notes and then spoke. “Thank you, Monty. I have a number of phone calls to make to world leaders. I need to express outrage over what has happened, but more importantly, I need our allies to work with us to pressure North Korea to cease further hostilities. We can recover from an EMP attack. I’m not sure we can from an all-out nuclear war. No nation on the planet wants to experience that.”
Chapter 13
November 26
Deerfoot Inn & Casino
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
It was just before dawn when the snow began to fall in Calgary. The winds that preceded the cold front froze Cooper and Riley to their core throughout the night. As the weather system began to pass across Alberta, frigid arctic winds dropped temperatures to below freezing, with a windchill factor into the teens. Commonly referred to as an Alberta Clipper, a weather phenomenon that affects central North America, the fast-moving low-pressure system moved quickly across the region, causing sharp winds and sudden temperature drops.
During the night, Cooper and Riley recalled the horrific spring storm that had crossed the high plains of the Texas Panhandle six years prior. The raging blizzard, which occurred the last weekend of April, caused downed power lines and snowdrifts up to eight feet. Texans called it snowpocalypse.
Preparing for the worst, the guys spent most of the night gathering up things to burn. Soon, cardboard boxes, trash, and discarded furniture from a nearby strip shopping center became acceptable combustible material.
Just after midnight, other rodeo participants began to arrive on horses, woefully underdressed for the rapidly dropping temperatures. Unlike Cooper and Riley, who’d found shelter for their horses, the majority of the new arrivals tied their rides off near the entrance to the hotel and scampered inside. Only their Brazilian friends from San Antonio, Adriano Morales and Eduardo Pacheco, noticed the fire and approached the Armstrong brothers.
After a few minutes of conversation, which included an update on the chaos that had ensued in the arena after the rodeo kids left, the Brazilians headed inside to sleep with the promise to return after sunrise to relieve Cooper and Riley.
“Coop, before the boys show up, tell me honestly,” started Riley. “We’ve got nothing to work with, really. I mean, we’ve got get-home backpacks that Daddy has kept packed for us all. We’ve got rifles with no ammo. When we hit the road, we’ll have no food and no idea of where to sleep at night. Do you think maybe we oughta hunker down here and see what happens? Maybe they’ll fix the power or somethin’?”
Cooper removed his hat and knocked the snow that had accumulated off the brim. He scrubbed his head and wiped the sweat off his brow. The constant activity of gathering hay and fuel for the fire kept his body temperature up. “We’ll talk about it some more inside with Palmer, who, by the way, is plenty tough enough to make a decision and carry it through.”
Riley nodded and stuck his hands over the fire. “I know. Little sis knows more about this prepper stuff than I do. But you and I know about survival on the trail. Pops taught us a lot when we were little.”
Their grandfather had grown up during the Great Depression and during a time when traveling long distances across West Texas was done on horseback. Fuel was scarce for their vehicles, and money was even harder to come by.
As the boys grew up, they were taught the importance of finding a water supply, adequate shelter, and how to find food sources by hunting, trapping, and fishing. Although the boys didn’t practice the survival skills they’d learned as kids, the knowledge was still within them.
Cooper was about to add to Riley’s thought when he noticed Pacheco and Morales coming in the distance. “Here comes the next shift.”
“Should we talk to them about riding back together?” asked Riley.
“Let’s feel ’em out first and then make the decision with Palmer,” replied Cooper. “I like these guys, but I wanna make sure they’re not gonna be a burden first.”
*****
Twenty minutes later, after they had a conversation with their Brazilian friends, the guys fought through the thickening snowfall and returned to their hotel room. They were greeted by Palmer with two beds covered with extra blankets.
The inside of the room was illuminated with a bright white glow. The rising sun was obscured by the blowing white snow, which reflected to a nearly blinding level inside the hotel.
“I was trying to watch for you guys, but as you can see, visibility is less than thirty feet. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Yeah, it’s getting worse,” said Coop, who removed his boots and coat at the door. “Pacheco told me he tried to check on you last night. You must’ve been asleep.”
“Zonked out,” replied Palmer. “When I woke up, I found the maid’s station down the hall and gathered up some goodies. Extra wool blankets, soaps, shampoos, towels, and just for Riley, extra toilet paper.”
“Good, thanks for looking out for me, sis!” he said as he slung his hat in her direction like it was a frisbee.
“Come on, y’all,” started Palmer. “Get under the covers, warm up, and enjoy a protein bar each. There’s also bottled water on the nightstands.”
“Where’d you get those?” asked Cooper.
She pulled her spring-assisted knife out of her jeans pocket and opened it like a switchblade. “I popped the lock on the maid’s utility closet. I found a case of water. See?” She pointed at the corner of the room near the window where their gear was stacked up.
“Dang, sis,” said Riley with a chuckle. “I told Coop you weren’t sittin’ up here eatin’ bonbons and sippin’ champagne while we were freezin’ our tails off. He wouldn’t believe me.”
“Shut up,” said Cooper jokingly as he pushed his brother onto the bed and slid under the covers of the other bed. “Before I crash, let’s talk about our options.”
“I’ve been thinkin’ about it, too,” said Palmer. “This is exactly the scenario that Daddy always talked about. An EMP attack. Electronics fried. Months or years to fix. We gotta get home, and waitin’ around here will only allow the country to fall apart more. We need to get a head start on the rest of ’em.”
“I agree,” said Cooper. “This is not gonna fix itself. Plus, who knows why this happened. If it was the North Koreans, like Daddy warned about, then they may have fired off nukes too. We’ve got to get to the ranch.”
Riley crawled under the covers into his bed and propped up against the headboard. “Momma and Daddy might need us.”
Cooper shrugged. “Emotionally, yes. But to protect the ranch, they’re in good shape. Daddy and Preacher have been planning for years. They’ve talked about different scenarios. Defense of the ranch. Heck, they even discussed whether to shoot someone trying to steal eggs out of the henhouse.”
“Momma, too, you guys,” interjected Palmer. “Here’s the way she put it. You do what it takes to survive during TEOTWAWKI. You know, t
he end of the world as we know it. Normal rules don’t apply when it comes to personal survival and protecting your own.”
“Yeah, but there are still certain morals,” added Cooper. “We all have to make a decision as to how to act when threatened. There has to be a line in the sand that shouldn’t be crossed.”
“I agree,” said Palmer. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about that when we hit the trail. For now, do we all agree to hit the road when the storm clears out?”
“Yup,” said Cooper. “Next question. Normally, there’s strength in numbers. Do we gather up some other riders who are returning to Texas? Or do we go it alone? You know, travel light so to speak.”
Palmer wandered toward the window and pressed her hand against the cold glass. The heavy snow had created whiteout conditions. Then she looked on the floor at all their gear and the things she’d procured the night before.
“We can’t handle all of this,” she said as she gently kicked a duffel bag. “More riders will help us spread out the load. Plus, while you guys are sleeping, I’m gonna roam around the hotel and see what else I can rustle up, especially food.”
Cooper slid down under the covers as a chill came over his body. “Okay, I can sign off on more riders. That way, we can sleep in shifts. Riley and I are comfortable with the Brazilians. They don’t have anything to offer compared to our things, but they’re loyal.”
“We can trust them,” said Riley. “They kept me from killin’ that idiot in Fort Worth. I think they’d have our backs.”
“Should we try to find anyone else?” asked Palmer. “Most of these guys are from Colorado and Texas. We’ll all be headed in the same direction.”
Cooper shook his head. “I’ve thought about that. Here’s the thing. You can have too many chiefs, and eventually the group starts to pull against each other. Morales and Pacheco are pretty down to earth. Neither one of them would try some kind of power trip on us.”
“Yeah,” interjected Riley. “And with them, we don’t have to sleep with one eye open at night.”
“Then it’s agreed,” said Palmer. “As soon as the storm clears, the five of us head for Texas. Y’all get some shut-eye while I roam around the hotel looking for anything useful. I’ve gotta leave this door cracked to get back in. I’ll pull Coop’s boots behind it as I slip out so you’ll be alerted to anyone coming inside.”
“All right, sis,” said Riley. “See if you can learn anything, too. Sure would be nice to know what we’re dealing with here. I hate being in the dark.”
“Literally,” added Cooper with a chuckle.
Chapter 14
November 26
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
It had been less than twenty-four hours since Major and Preacher rounded up all the ranch hands and their families to head into the bunker. Lucy was there to greet everyone as they entered, working diligently to make them feel comfortable and safe.
Fear was one of man’s strongest emotions, and fear of the unknown was considered one of the biggest mental obstacles to overcome in an uncertain situation. Every time a person encounters an unfamiliar situation, especially one fraught with danger, fear will manifest itself, oftentimes resulting in bad decision-making.
Lucy wasn’t a psychologist, but she’d studied the men and women within her employ enough to understand their mindset and emotional responses. The Armstrongs and those who lived on their ranch were very much like a large extended family. As a result, Lucy knew who she could rely upon to keep this unusual situation under control.
After everyone was safely in the bunker, Major addressed the adults and explained what had happened beyond the Texas borders. Antonio helped with the language barrier, as did Lucy, who had learned some basic Spanish over the years.
They took baby steps in explaining what to expect and then combined humor to put the group at ease. It resulted in a relatively peaceful night within their crowded bunker; however, the next morning, as the group’s biological clocks began to cause them to wake up, Lucy found herself having to convince several of the group that they were safe.
Preacher pulled Lucy aside and whispered in her ear, “Lack of information is frightening, too.”
“I know,” she replied. “I’ve stayed up much of the night with Antonio’s wife, scanning AM band radio stations, but the news keeps repeating itself. There haven’t been any official statements from the president or the military. Although stations around Texas give us updates on conditions in our state, they don’t have anything new to report about the rest of the country. Now that it’s daylight, maybe that will change.”
“I snaked the AM/FM antenna wiring through the conduit to the top of the barn,” said Preacher. “How’s your reception?”
“Excellent,” she replied. “I guess the airwaves are clearer without the radio signals from outside Texas. WBAP and KRLD in Dallas/Fort Worth are very strong. I can even pick up the Spanish stations out of San Antonio.”
“Do you have folks lined up to help you feed breakfast to everyone? If not, I’ll round up some helpers.”
“No, I’m good, Preacher. Thank you. This morning, we’re gonna eat cereal to use up the milk that everyone brought. It will go bad first. I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay down here, but I wanna eat up the perishable food first before we get to the stuff in storage.”
“Good thinking,” said Preacher. “Where’s Major?”
“Still sleepin’,” she replied. “He stayed up all night fiddlin’ with the satellite internet system through HughesNet. Well, mainly he was cursin’ it. He finally drifted off with the laptop tipping over on the bed between us.”
“All right, I won’t disturb him. It’s just that I was thinkin’ about going topside. I’m feelin’ a little closed in, you know. Claustrophobic. I don’t see how those astronauts do it. There’s no way I could float around up there and not be able to step on solid ground. It ain’t natural.”
“No, it’s not,” added Lucy. “Would you like something to keep you busy? It might take the edge off.”
“Yeah, please,” Preacher replied eagerly.
Lucy pushed past Preacher and pulled a three-ring binder off the kitchen counter. She thumbed through the tabs until she reached the one labeled food stores.
“The families carried what food they could from their homes when they arrived,” she started as she looked around the first bunker. “As you can see, it’s stacked everywhere. The other bunker too.”
Preacher chuckled. “In the chaos last night, I didn’t pay attention, but folks were puttin’ stuff in every nook and cranny. It’s quite a mess.”
“Yes, it is,” added Lucy. “I need to put the food away and, just as importantly, add it to my food storage inventory. I don’t know how long we’ll be down here, but I’ve got to keep up with our inventory levels or things could get out of hand.”
He took the binder and pencil from Lucy. “You’ve always been well organized.”
“Thanks. When Major and I first embraced this prepping concept, we analyzed what it meant to be a prepper. It kinda came down to taking the best of my experience as a homesteader and Major’s survivalist training over the years. A prepper is a well-organized hybrid of homesteading and survivalism. To me, that was all about keeping a detailed checklist of every aspect of preparedness.”
Preacher laughed. “I know, beans, Band-Aids, and bullets. I’ve heard Major say it a thousand times.”
Lucy chuckled with her longtime employee and friend. “You can only live three days without water and three weeks without food—the beans part of the equation. When doctors and hospitals aren’t available, a simple cut could result in an infection that could kill ya, which is why we stock so many medical supplies. Where there is no doctor, you gotta take care of yourself. Finally, bullets, which includes weaponry, are used to defend yourself. If you can’t defend it, it isn’t yours.”
“Dang straight. That’s my department,” said Preacher. He looked upward and r
an his hand along the wall next to him until he almost reached the ceiling. “We’ve set up a pretty good plan, but I hate not knowin’ what’s goin’ on out there. That’s one of the reasons why I’m itchin’ to sneak a peek. What if they’re out there stealin’ our horses or ravaging our chickens?”
Lucy patted him on the chest and laughed. “Don’t worry, Preach. I think it’s a little early for roving bands of marauders.”
Chapter 15
November 26
Texas Homeland Security Operations Center
Austin, Texas
Governor Burnett was under siege. Not from an invading army, but from the local media. Once she was given clearance to emerge from the fallout shelter, she was overwhelmed with requests for interviews and statements. She resisted the urge to appear before the cameras and announce that Texans were safe, because that was yet to be determined. She needed information and an honest assessment from her team before addressing her constituents.
During a time of crisis, the Texas Division of Emergency Management staffed and operated the State Operations Center in conjunction with Texas Homeland Security. In addition to monitoring threats twenty-four hours a day, the staff coordinated state emergency assistance to local governments.
Of course, a situation like this had never challenged the SOC before. Every state agency rushed high-level representatives to participate in the assessment. Noticeably absent, by design, were the Central Texas-based Federal liaison team, which included representatives from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the director of the Department of Homeland Security, Texas Field Office, in McAllen. Governor Burnett wanted to meet with her people before the feds got involved.
In the hours before her arrival, the SOC was buzzing with activity. Certain outlying areas east of Beaumont on the Louisiana border and west of Lubbock, near New Mexico, were without power. Those areas had small independent utility districts that were not tied to the Eastern and Western Interconnection grids. However, through modifications to their infrastructure, they were capable of connecting to the ERCOT grid that controlled Texas.
