by Akart, Bobby
“There’s no one in this entire government whose orders overrule mine. Now, please. Out!”
The two agents looked at one another and slowly exited the Oval Office. One took up a position in the president’s secretary’s office, and the other positioned himself in the study on the opposite side of the Oval Office.
The president sat in silence for several minutes. Over the past twenty-four hours, he’d taken the time to review his security briefings a little more closely. He also took a moment to peruse the news online. While the news from Europe dominated the headlines, several stories had caught his eye related to animal activity, bizarre weather events, and two nearly disastrous plane crashes. Thus far, he hadn’t seen any reports of people eating one another.
An urgent knock at his door preceded his chief of staff and the White House physician entering with a Secret Service agent in tow.
“Mr. President,” greeted Dr. Francis Randolph, a Georgia native who’d been the chief White House caregiver for the last three administrations.
“Francis,” the president said as he shook hands with the elderly doctor, “did you clear my building?”
“I suggested it to Angela, yes.”
“Because some crazed fool jumped a fence. From what I’m told, he’s deader than dead. They found it necessary to kill the unarmed idiot forty or fifty times.”
“Mr. President,” interjected O’Donnell, “that’s what it took to bring him down. Despite what he’d inflicted upon himself, and the severe injuries and blood loss as a result, he was still able to run nearly a hundred yards while being shot.”
“Was he on drugs or something?” asked the president.
“Sir, we don’t know, but there’s been a development that prompted me to suggest this,” replied the doctor. He took the next several minutes to relay the background of the dead man, his relationship to the West Wing, and the attack upon his estranged wife.
“All of that happened last night and into this morning?”
“Yes, sir,” replied O’Donnell. “Secret Service investigators gleaned all of this from a brief phone call with the man’s in-laws, who witnessed the attack. Apparently, he’d been descending into this mental state for many months, including while he was employed down the hall as a research aide to the senior political strategy team.”
The president turned his attention to his physician. “Francis, I still don’t understand why this isolated event requires shutting down the business of the White House.”
“Because, sir, it’s not isolated. At least not in our opinion.”
President Houston assessed O’Donnell’s demeanor. The two were lovers, but were also political partners in tune with one another. Her dour look spoke volumes.
“Okay, okay. Please, let’s sit down, and explain how you arrived at this conclusion.”
The three of them took up seats on the couches that faced one another across from the Resolute Desk in his office. The presidential seal separated the president from his trusted aides.
Dr. Randolph began, “After your briefing yesterday from the folks at NASA and NOAA, Angela provided me the packet of materials they disseminated to the attendees.”
O’Donnell eased up onto the edge of the couch. “I had a hunch, Mr. President, that a geologic event of this magnitude might involve more than wonky compass readings or power outages. I thought Francis should be aware, you know, just in case.”
“I’m glad she brought me into the loop, sir,” continued Dr. Randolph. “I’ve known for years that geostorms and solar activity in general have an effect on human consciousness and well-being. These massive releases of energy spew plasma with tens of millions of superheated electrons, protons, and heavy ions close to the speed of light all over our solar system.
“This is not commonly discussed, but animals and humans have a magnetic field that surrounds them, not unlike the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects the planet from potentially harmful solar matter. Studies have shown that our magnetic activity peaks during high incidences of anxiety, depression, and emotional disorders like bipolar or general mood swings.
“Ordinarily, the effects of these coronal mass ejections are of short duration. Headaches, palpitations, mood swings and fatigue are all symptoms of the pineal glands in the brain producing excess melatonin hormones.”
The president interrupted. “Are you saying that the geostorm that struck Europe caused the guy to do this?”
“No, not necessarily,” replied Dr. Randolph. “However, it may have exacerbated something else that was going on within his brain.”
“Please explain,” said President Houston.
“Our body has an emotional response to almost anything. Animals do too. Every emotional reaction is the body’s response to waves of energy. Sometimes these emotions may appear all of a sudden with a clear reason, and other times they may be a stress response. It’s something akin to the phenomenon known as barotrauma.”
The president leaned forward. “I was once a PADI-certified diver. Are you referring to decompression sickness?”
“Related,” replied the doctor. “Studies have shown that following deep, undersea earthquakes, massive amounts of energy are released, generating waves and currents that slam submerged creatures and even divers. The force of this energy damages any animal’s brain and circulatory systems. As the injuries progress over weeks or even months, some of the ocean’s animals experience such severe, intense pain that they commit suicide by beaching themselves.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” interjected O’Donnell. “I saw a report the other day that pilot whales had beached themselves onto the coast of France. It was just before the solar flare hit Eastern Europe.”
“Francis, could this be related?” asked the president.
“Yes, it could,” he replied. “Now, I have a theory that is outside my wheelhouse, but certainly something that should be addressed by the geologists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in cooperation with the USGS. Undersea quakes have links to movement of the tectonic plates. After reviewing the materials from yesterday’s briefing, it’s possible that the significant changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, a direct result of fluctuations in the spinning liquid core, may be moving the tectonic plates.”
“Which is resulting in the possible mental instability of both animals and humans,” concluded the president.
“Well, I will say there is precedent for magnetic field fluctuations initiating abnormal animal behavior. To me, it’s logical that the permutations of the geomagnetic field can also affect human brain rhythms and throw off normal hormonal balances.”
“Making billions of people go batshit crazy,” said O’Donnell.
Dr. Randolph chuckled and smiled. “Not exactly the medical terminology I would’ve chosen, but aptly descriptive of what we experienced on the White House grounds today.”
The president stood and wandered around the Oval Office. He removed his jacket and pulled his arms behind his back to stretch his chest and relieve some tension. “Francis, we’ve evacuated the West Wing, and the media will be demanding answers. I’ve got to be able to address this without scaring three hundred twenty million Americans into thinking their neighbors are all going to turn into zombies.”
Dr. Randolph grimaced. “Mr. President, I understand your dilemma. Please keep in mind that I’ve posited a theory based upon my medical background and scientific fact. That said, the pole shift impacting our planet, while not unprecedented, has never occurred to this magnitude in the history of modern man. Frankly, it’s never been thoroughly researched because there isn’t a means to create a test environment.”
“So what do we tell them?” asked the president.
O’Donnell answered, “We tell them nothing. Internally, we minimize the number of staff present to essential personnel only. Also, we keep a Secret Service detail at the side of the president at all times until we can get some answers. We’ll use this morning’s intrusion as a logical explanation for that.”
/> The president studied both of his trusted advisors before he spoke. “And what do we do if one of them loses their mind?”
Nobody had an answer for that question.
Chapter 25
The Situation Room
The White House
Washington, DC
President Houston marched through the bowels of the West Wing, with a small entourage in tow consisting of Chief of Staff O’Donnell, the White House press secretary, his speech writer, and an equal number of Secret Service personnel who’d been assigned to watch each member of the president’s staff who were in close proximity to him, as well as each other.
He entered the hallway that led to the Situation Room. He greeted the watch officer, a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, who was assigned to approve access inside. He was dressed in a sharply pressed black uniform and saluted the president.
After returning the salute, the president approached the secure door with a camera mounted above it. A black-and-gold plaque inscribed with the words White House Situation Room: Restricted Access reminded visitors of the room’s importance.
The White House Situation Room was a five-thousand-square-foot complex of rooms located on the ground floor of the West Wing.
The Situation Room was born out of frustration on the part of President John Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs debacle in Cuba. President Kennedy felt betrayed by the conflicting advice and information coming in to him from the various agencies that comprised the nation’s defense departments. Kennedy ordered the bowling alley built during the Truman presidency removed and replaced with the Situation Room.
Initially, before the age of electronics, President Kennedy required at least one Central Intelligence analyst to remain in the Situation Room at all times. The analyst would work a twenty-hour shift and sleep on a cot during the night.
Other presidents, like Nixon and Ford, never used the Situation Room. In most cases, a visit from the president was a formal undertaking, happening only on rare occasions. President George H. W. Bush, a former CIA head, would frequently call and ask if he could stop by and say hello.
When there had been a foreign policy failure, such as when the shoe bomber boarded a flight on Christmas Day in 2009, the Situation Room became a forum for a tongue-lashing directed at top-level intelligence and national security personnel. Fortunately, the Houston administration had not yet experienced a crisis requiring a high-level national security briefing like this one, until now.
The lock on the door buzzed, and the president entered the main conference room. Updated in 2006, the room was surrounded by flat-screen monitors used for secure video conference, and computer terminals that linked the president to world leaders, as well as his military personnel. The once ornate mahogany walls that made the space resemble a big corporate boardroom were now replaced by sound-friendly whisper walls designed to block sophisticated listening devices.
President Houston immediately recognized some of the same faces that had initially briefed him on the pole shift and the weakening of the planet’s magnetic field. Chief of Staff O’Donnell had already given him a heads-up on the subject matter of the briefing and the need for urgency. Now, the president hoped to pin down the brightest scientific minds in America to offer solutions as to how he could best protect the nation.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, I understand we’re at the moment of truth,” began the president. “The fate of an entire nation is based upon what you’re about to tell me, and what I do next.”
Just as in the prior briefing, Nola Taylor from NASA took the lead. “Sir, the active region that had been on our radar appeared as expected and immediately generated an X-class solar flare. The data is still being analyzed, but it appears to be a magnitude X2 to X3.”
“What level of geostorm activity can we expect?” asked the president.
“G1 or G2,” she replied. “Very similar to the one that engulfed Eastern Europe and Paris.”
“Do you have an ETA on when it will reach Earth?”
“Thirty to thirty-six hours, sir.”
“Marvelous,” he muttered to himself as he closed his eyes momentarily. Then he asked, “Do you have a projected location of where it might hit Earth?”
Taylor leaned forward and clasped her fingers together as she rested her arms on the conference table. “Sir, at this juncture, it’s impossible to definitively answer your question. While this solar flare is directed toward Earth, the timing of its arrival could result in a direct hit, or perhaps a glancing blow, or maybe even miss the planet altogether.”
“Well, Ms. Taylor, that’s a lot of coulds, perhapses, and maybes.”
“I understand, sir, but unfortunately, the closer the solar flare gets to the planet, the more accurate our predictions become. We needed to brief you now so that you can prepare any possible countermeasures.”
“Countermeasures?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” replied Taylor. “We can reposition satellites in our low-Earth orbit. Because of the potential effect on our global positioning systems, you might consider grounding air traffic. And, although this is outside my purview to suggest, you might consider repositioning the nation’s military assets.”
“Why?” asked the president.
“Um, sir, to deal with the, you know, aftermath.”
“Aftermath of what?”
“The potential damage caused to our infrastructure by the geomagnetic storm.”
The president rubbed his temples. This had all been thrust upon him so quickly. He was furious with previous presidents and Congress for not establishing an action plan to deal with a catastrophic event like this one. Certainly, nobody anticipated a pole shift causing the weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field. However, solar flares happened all the time, and it was just a matter of time before the big one came along.
The awkward silence allowed another voice to enter the discussion. An older woman sat quietly at the far end of the table from the president. She raised her hand respectfully.
“Mr. President, may I speak?” she said in a calming voice.
He looked at her and waved his hand in a by-all-means gesture. “Who are you, and do you have anything positive to add?”
“I believe you have the answer, Mr. President,” she replied.
The president appeared both perplexed and annoyed. “Ma’am, I’m not in the mood for riddles.”
“Understood. My name is Cassandra White with FERC,” she began as she sat a little taller in her seat. FERC was an acronym for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency of the government that regulates electricity and other forms of power resources. “I imagine that you’re not in the mood. You do have the answer, sir. You’ve implemented the solution in your home state.”
The president took a deep breath and tried to figure out what the woman was referring to. Then he furrowed his brow and began to point in her direction. “Yes. Yes. I know where you’re headed. You’re referring to the wildfires, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“We had a black start plan. Truthfully, I pushed back against it at first, but PG&E had the right idea.”
“Yes. Do you see what I’m suggesting?” she asked.
“Can we do it on a national scale?”
“In part, yes. It’s never been done, naturally. But we’ve game-planned it.”
After years of massive wildfires and damage to electrical substations and associated infrastructure, California, under the suggestion of Pacific Gas and Electric, with the reluctant blessing of then-Governor Houston, began to implement a plan to avoid the constant expense associated with rebuilding the grid when the fires were doused.
As the height of fire season approached California, typically a period of dangerously strong winds mixed with temperatures approaching triple digits, communities began to implement preemptive blackouts to reduce the fire risks.
In years past, downed power lines operated by PG&E contributed to the fires that spread across the state. The b
lack start plan was designed to eliminate adding fuel to an already roaring fire, so to speak, while protecting other critical aspects of electricity delivery to the state’s users.
The power shutoffs were not without their critics. Many argued that losing access to the news networks put lives in danger, as warnings weren’t getting to certain communities. There was also heightened concern about those with health issues who relied upon medical equipment to stay alive.
Mostly, citizens screamed bloody murder about the inconveniences they incurred due to the short notice provided by the utilities and the mere fact that they had to live their lives for a brief period of time without electricity.
Nonetheless, during President Houston’s tenure as governor, the black start plan, formerly known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs, worked to reduce the spread of wildfires and the longer loss of power caused by the outbreaks.
O’Donnell, who was the president’s chief of staff while he was in Sacramento, spoke up first. “There were grumblings at times, but overall, the black start plan worked. We were able to work with the utilities to target specific substations and then use flatbed-mounted generators to jump-start them after the threat was over. As long as we can find a way to protect that equipment, we can get the grid back on its feet in short order.”
The representative from FERC spoke up. “The nation’s military installations have been hardened against electromagnetic pulse events, whether man-made due to a nuclear weapon, or naturally occurring, as in the geostorm that concerns us all. They have buildings that are shielded and capable of protecting the equipment. The biggest problem we face is the lack of generators capable of restarting these massive substations. It could take weeks to fire them up again after the black start plan is implemented.”
The president nodded. “California was different. We only cut the power to the communities directly impacted by the fire. The equipment wasn’t at risk because it was kept far away from the wildfire and not subjected to the likes of a solar flare.”
