by Cliff Deane
Rob came back and said, “The phone, PC, and weather radio are dead.”
Then several explosions above them rocked the building causing luggage to fall off the conveyors, racks to fall over, and the earth to tremble. They also heard and felt several other explosions that were apparently further away.
Max yelled, “Those explosions were jets hitting the ground, and perhaps one or two might have hit the above ground fuel tanks. The shit just got real. It’s time to make our run to those warehouses Greg mentioned. We need to go now.”
The others were gathering their bags of food and gathered around Max as he walked over to Rob and said, “Rob, you need to get some supplies and get out of Nashville while you can. In three days there will be rioting and people will kill you for a can of beans. Find a farm and become a farmer.”
“Rob said, “Where are you going and can I come along?”
“Max asked, “Do you have any guns or ammo? It’s going to get bad very soon.”
Rob yelled at the others and said, “Men it’s going to get bad soon. Get out of here, find a hole, and hide.”
One of the men replied, “We're heading south to Murfreesboro and my Dad’s farm. Come with us.”
“No, I’m going to my ex-wife’s home and make sure she is safe. See you in the funny papers.”
Rob waved at Max and said, “Follow me.”
They walked a few hundred feet until they were standing in front of an office that said, “Command Office: Airport Security.”
Rob knocked on the door and yelled, “Ralph come to the door it’s Rob.”
The door opened, and a young man in a security guard’s uniform opened the door and said, “Rob, what happened? My boss left me alone, and all of the other guards ran off like rats leaving a sinking ship.”
Rob replied, “Brother, the USA has been attacked by rocket man and his Korean thugs. The grid is down, and we are on our own Open the armory so we can get some guns and ammo.”
“But Rob, Bill will fire me if we take the guns.”
“Ralph, he’s not coming back, and the shit just hit the fan. Now unlock the vault.”
Ralph went to his desk, retrieved a wad of keys, and opened a big gray door to reveal a small room that had a gun rack on one side and shelves stocked with ammo, riot gear, and bulletproof vests.
Before Ralph could begin distributing the weapons, there was the sound of someone yelling at them, and they turned to see Amy leading a group of men toward them.
Amy said, “These guys want to join us. They were traveling together to a conference and would be a big help.”
Max saw a large group of men approaching with the lady, “Well I don’t know…”
“Come on Max there is safety in numbers,” Tony said as he winked at the Marshal.
Rob yelled, “Grab a rifle and a pistol and pistol belt. I’m taking a flack jacket and as much ammo as I can carry. We’ll get a couple of small luggage carts to carry the extra weapons and ammo.”
Greg replied, “Why do we need so many weapons?”
Max replied, “Because it will soon be a war zone out there when the food supplies dry up. Hell, I’ll bet looting and rioting are starting right now. Besides we can trade guns for other things, we need.”
Rob took Roger and three of the newcomers and was gone a few minutes and then came back pushing five of the luggage carts with empty boxes strapped to them.
“Pile our food, some extra guns, ammo, and water in these, and we will get the Hell out of here before the world goes totally to shit.”
“How do we get these carts up the stairs?” Tony wondered aloud.
Rob replied, “We don’t just follow me.”
Rob stopped by the maintenance office and placed several tools on top of the supplies and then headed down a long black hallway that had light at the end.
The Theory of Abrupt Climate Change:
The following Report was commissioned by the government of the
United States of America
“An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for
United States National Security
October 2003
By Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall
Imagining the Unthinkable
The purpose of this report is to imagine the unthinkable – to push the boundaries of current research on climate change so we may better understand the potential implications on United States national security.
We have interviewed leading climate change scientists, conducted additional research, and reviewed several iterations of the scenario with these experts. The scientists support this project, but caution that the scenario depicted is extreme in two fundamental ways. First, they suggest the occurrences we outline would most likely happen in a few regions, rather than on globally. Second, they say the magnitude of the event may be considerably smaller.
We have created a climate change scenario that although not the most likely, is plausible, and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately.
Executive Summary
There is substantial evidence to indicate that significant global warming will occur during the 21st century. Because changes have been gradual so far, and are projected to be similarly gradual in the future, the effects of global warming have the potential to be manageable for most nations. Recent research, however, suggests that there is a possibility that this gradual global warming could lead to a relatively abrupt slowing of the ocean’s thermohaline conveyor, which could lead to harsher winter weather conditions, sharply reduced soil moisture, and more intense winds in certain regions that currently provide a significant fraction of the world’s food production. With inadequate preparation, the result could be a significant drop in the human carrying capacity of the Earth’s environment.
The research suggests that once temperature rises above some threshold, adverse weather conditions could develop relatively abruptly, with persistent changes in the atmospheric circulation causing drops in some regions of 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit in a single decade. Paleoclimatic evidence suggests that altered climatic patterns could last for as much as a century, as they did when the ocean conveyor collapsed 8,200 years ago, or, at the extreme, could last as long as 1,000 years as they did during the Younger Dryas, which began about 12,700 years ago.
Abrupt Climate Change 2
In this report, as an alternative to the scenarios of gradual climatic warming that are so common, we outline an abrupt climate change scenario patterned after the 100-year event that occurred about 8,200 years ago. This abrupt change scenario is characterized by the following conditions:
•Annual average temperatures drop by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit over Asia and North America and 6 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Europe
•Annual average temperatures increase by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in key areas throughout Australia, South America, and southern Africa.
•Drought persists for most of the decade in critical agricultural regions and in the water resource regions for major population centers in Europe and eastern North America.
•Winter storms and winds intensify, amplifying the impacts of the changes. Western Europe and the North Pacific experience enhanced winds. The report explores how such an abrupt climate change scenario could potentially de-stabilize the geo-political environment, leading to skirmishes, battles, and even war due to resource constraints such as:
1) Food shortages due to decreases in net global agricultural production
2) Decreased availability and quality of fresh water in key regions due to shifted precipitation patters, causing more frequent floods and droughts
3) Disrupted access to energy supplies due to extensive sea ice and storminess. As global and local carrying capacities are reduced, tensions could mount around the world, leading to two fundamental strategies: defensive and offensive. Nations with the resources to do so may build virtual fortresses around their countries, preserving resources for themselves. Less fortunate nati
ons especially those with ancient enmities with their neighbors, may initiate in struggles for access to food, clean water, or energy. Unlikely alliances could be formed as defense priorities shift and the goal is resources for survival rather than religion, ideology, or national honor.
This scenario poses new challenges for the United States, and suggests several steps to be taken:
• Improve predictive climate models to allow investigation of a wider range of scenarios and to anticipate how and where changes could occur
• Assemble comprehensive predictive models of the potential impacts of abrupt climate change to improve projections of how climate could influence food, water, and energy
• Create vulnerability metrics to anticipate which countries are most vulnerable to climate change and therefore, could contribute materially to an increasingly disorderly and potentially violent world.”
CHARACTER LIST BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE (203)
PRIMARY CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Levi Levins
General, Rep. of Amer.
Gus Murtaugh
Colonel, Rep. of Amer.
Exec. Officer (XO)
Kate Levins
Lt., Cobra Pilot
Levi’s adopted daughter
Susan Levins
Colonel, Cdr. ROA AF
Fiancé/Wife of Levi
Kevin Simms
Lt. Cobra Gunner
Kate’s Fiancé
Ben Smith
Colonel, Rep. of Amer.
Supply Officer
Neal Page
Major, Rep. of Amer.
Cdr., Mounted Cavalry
Bradley Cobb
Sgt. Major, Rep. of Amer.
Senior Sergeant
Eric Penn
Staff Sgt., Rep. of Amer.
Intel. Patrol Sgt.
Harold Primm
Staff Sgt., Rep. of Amer.
Long Range Recon Ptrl.
Rolf Steiner
Colonel
Mercenary Force Cdr.
Helmut Schmitt
Major
Mercenary Force, XO
Karl Kempovic
Sgt. Major
Mercenary Force
