by Bobby Akart
“Although I had already been sworn in as the Constitution required, out of an abundance of caution, the chief justice came to the White House yesterday evening for a private ceremony in which I proudly placed my hand on the Bible and swore to faithfully execute my duties.
“Today, I have to my right, my White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, and the member of his team who shepherded this case through the courts, Miss Hayden Blount. I owe them a debt of gratitude for their perseverance and tenacity. Thank you both.”
The president paused as the audience gave a rousing ovation to Cipollone and Hayden.
“Man, can you believe we know somebody that famous?” asked Ryan.
Blair responded, “It’s funny how life can change. One minute, you’re fighting for your lives. The next minute …” Her voice trailed off as the president continued.
“With the legal battles and formalities out of the way, it’s time to get back to the business of governing. During these trying times, I have relied heavily upon my advisors and those within in the military as we executed a plan of recovery.
“By all accounts, we’ve successfully put down a modern insurrection, one that was born out of hatred and designed to undermine our government. To be sure, there is still work to do, and I’m prepared to admit that I cannot do it alone.
“After last night’s duplicated swearing-in ceremony, I officially rounded out my cabinet. Those members of my cabinet who were temporarily appointed in the aftermath of the November bloodletting, as these people like to refer to it, are now permanent members of the cabinet, subject to a few confirmations.”
The president then gestured at the media. Despite his calls for reconciliation, they continued to question his every decision, including the one that prompted today’s Rose Garden ceremony. After smug laughter erupted among the attendees, except from the White House Press Corps, of course, the president continued.
“Now, I have lots to say, but today is not just about me.” The attendees chuckled at his statement. The president, who was in a good mood, accepted the subtle commentary. “I know, I know. That’s a surprise, am I right?”
After further laughter, he raised his hands and became serious. “Without further ado, I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Michael Cortland as my new vice president. Cort, come on up here.”
The cameras swung to the right to show Cort walking up on stage, followed by Meredith and Hannah. All three had huge smiles on their faces, and Cort had an extra bounce in his step as he greeted the president. The two men heartily shook hands and then the president leaned back into the microphone.
“I know how to pick ’em, don’t I? Look how tall this guy is!”
Bret Baier’s voice cut in, using his low-key, soft-toned, golf-announcer approach. “At six feet five, Michael Cortland is, in fact, the tallest vice president in American history, beating out Lyndon B. Johnson by an inch.”
Baier’s co-anchor, Brit Hume, added a comment. “If Cortland were so inclined, and if he develops the gravitas and exhibits the presidential timber to seek the highest office in the land, he could surpass Abraham Lincoln as the tallest president.”
Baier added, “That would be ironic, would it not, Brit? Here’s this relative newcomer to politics, charged with the responsibility of keeping a nation together, and he’s being compared to Lincoln, who faced similar challenges.”
“History does repeat itself, Bret.”
Cort thanked the president and stepped up to the podium, graciously accepting the raucous applause of those seated in the Rose Garden.
As the applause rose to a crescendo, Bret Baier continued. “Cortland hails from Mobile, Alabama, although most of his career has been spent in Washington. A graduate of Yale, where he also played basketball, he’s known as being levelheaded and a political outsider. He has never held office, and those who know him have stated that it was never something he intended to consider. Yet now he’s one heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world.”
Cort hugged Meredith and Hannah before gesturing for them to stand to his right. The president patted Cort on the back and continued to lead the applause for his nominee.
Ryan pointed at the television monitor. “Look, there’s Tom. He’s seated just to the left of Hayden. He’s gonna make a fantastic chief of staff for Cort.”
“Hey, do you see Alpha standing off to the side?” exclaimed Blair. “Wow, didn’t he clean up well!” Alpha was wearing a dark blue suit with a Secret Service lapel pin attached to his jacket. He casually pressed his finger to his earpiece and appeared to mutter a few words as his eyes scanned the grounds.
“I’ve got chills,” said Ryan. “This moment is nothing short of incredible.”
“I’m really proud of them,” added Blair.
Both Smarts sat a little taller on the sofa in anticipation of Cort speaking as the newly designated Vice President of the United States.
“Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Thank you.” Cort patiently tried to calm down the exuberant crowd. He turned to the president and nodded his appreciation.
“I must first thank the president for the trust and faith he has placed in me. And, on behalf of the American people, I want to thank him for saving our great nation from months, or even years, of strife, sadness, and death.” Cort stopped and led applause for the president, who generously accepted it. It took a minute for the display of appreciation to die down before Cort could speak again.
“The president has tasked me with the responsibility of finishing the job of bringing this nation together. Since day one of his presidency, he’s called upon his business acumen to make America great again. Now he’s ready to continue keeping America great!”
The attendees gave Cort’s statement a standing ovation that lasted for another minute.
Ryan commented on the tone of his statement. “This sounds like a campaign speech.”
“Well, why not?” asked Blair. “Isn’t it logical that Cort would be the heir apparent if the remainder of the president’s term is as successful as the last four years?”
“I sure hope so. We’ll be personal friends with the president. Can you imagine?”
“Don’t expect an invitation to the White House, Mr. Smart,” replied Blair as she gave Ryan a playful kick with her foot.
Cort continued. “While the president attends to our nation’s affairs, both overseas and here in America, I will be setting up a task force designed to deal with the terrorist attacks of New Year’s Eve and the aftermath.”
Cort leaned into the podium and his face turned serious. “Let me be perfectly clear. Our nation has faced adversity in the past. We were blindsided on 9/11. We were dragged into a world war at Pearl Harbor. We’ve had foreign nations engage in war on our soil in the past.
“One thing that we cannot allow is Americans fighting Americans, as they did during the first Civil War. To be sure, I am angered by the terrorists who initiated the attacks against us on New Year’s Eve. But I’m infuriated by the opportunists, the anarchists, who took advantage of our great nation in her moment of weakness to terrorize their fellow Americans.
“My promise to the president, and now to you, the American people, is this. I will dismantle the organizations that spew hate across this nation. I will expose who is behind the anarchist movement that destroyed lives and cities in the weeks following the terrorist attacks.
“And I will put safeguards in place that will stop these types of hate-filled organizations from taking advantage of the freedoms our Founding Fathers put into place in order to bully their fellow Americans.”
Everyone on the stage stood to applaud Cort’s statement, and the gallery responded as well. It was the loudest demonstration of support since the ceremony began, and Cort’s voice could barely be heard over the noise.
He raised his hands over his head and shouted, “Fare thee well and Godspeed, patriots!”
The applause grew louder, and Blair became overcome with emotions. “Unbelievable.”
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Ryan, who’d been holding his breath throughout Cort’s statement, finally exhaled and wiped the tears off his face. He muttered to himself.
“Choose freedom, and Godspeed, patriot.”
THANK YOU FOR READING THE DOOMSDAY SERIES!
If you enjoyed it, I’d be grateful if you’d take a moment to write a short review for each of the books in the series (just a few words are needed) and post it on Amazon. Amazon uses complicated algorithms to determine what books are recommended to readers. Sales are, of course, a factor, but so are the quantities of reviews my books get. By taking a few seconds to leave a review, you help me out and also help new readers learn about my work.
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Turn the page to read a synopsis of each series by author Bobby Akart.
Series synopsis of Author, Bobby Akart
READ ON FOR A BRIEF SYNOPSIS of Author Bobby Akart’s other bestselling survival thriller series. With nearly forty novels in print, and over thirty Amazon #1 best sellers, Bobby Akart has not only entertained his readers with suspenseful, thriller fiction, but he has educated them as to the threats we face from both natural and man-made catastrophic events.
THE YELLOWSTONE SERIES
Author’s Introduction to the Yellowstone Series
June 15, 2018
Anniversary of the Mount Pinatubo eruption
Let me get right to the point. While most people look at volcanic eruptions as natural disasters, the fact of the matter is, without them, the Earth would explode.
When I began outlining the Yellowstone series earlier this year, I came across numerous articles about telltale signs of Yellowstone’s imminent eruption. Many of them came from online news websites in the United Kingdom. Sometimes, alternative news sites in the United States would republish their content.
As I furthered my research, I noticed that news reports of this nature dated back for many, many years. In other words, Chicken Little was at it again—The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Too often, we become desensitized to the threats we face because the media, desperate to draw attention to their publications, in whatever format, overstate the signs of collapse.
Rather than focus on the news, I delved into the science. I’ve come to accept that volcanic activity is absolutely necessary for our planet’s survival but is also one of the biggest threats to mankind’s survival.
Volcanoes are the Earth’s way of letting off steam. Deep beneath the surface of the planet, excess heat builds up, and it finds a way to vent. Over many thousands of years, intense energy is created by the heat from the Earth’s core. Natural radioactivity in the granite beneath the surface couples with leftover energy from the time our planet was created some four and a half billion years ago, to generate an unimaginable pressure.
Imagine an extremely overcrowded city bus in the dead heat of summer, stalled in traffic, with no air-conditioning. The anger built up by the passengers reaches a boiling point until they force their way into the street, spilling out of the bus. Like an overcrowded bus, the overheated magma under our Earth’s surface stews in its own madness, allowing pent-up frustrations to boil over, until it releases its fury—its hellfire—upon the world above.
The energy released by volcanoes varies in degree depending upon the type. To put it in perspective, consider this. Throughout 2017, the International Energy Agency estimated that the entire world used eighteen terawatts of energy. By comparison, the amount of built-up energy seeking to escape the Earth’s interior is almost fifty terawatts—nearly triple.
This graphic provides a basic look at what lies beneath us.
However, those who live near active volcanoes have something lurking below that most of us do not—magma. People who lived in Leilani Estates, Hawaii, and near Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala spent their days playing golf or walking to their villages. But beneath their feet, slowly, relentlessly, subterranean rivers of magma, the molten rock that constantly forces itself toward the surface, bullied their way through the mantle and crust. When it broke the surface, the eruptions in these two regions of the world faced devastating consequences.
Here’s a graphic of the Kilauea volcanic activity.
While Volcán de Fuego, a conical stratovolcano, blasted an ash cloud that crushed surrounding villages, Kilauea was a perfect example of a slow eruption, featuring multiple fissures and vents oozing magma down its gentle slopes. To the casual observer, Kilauea appeared nonthreatening in terms of explosivity. Pictures began to surface of the aforementioned golfer, folks roasting marshmallows over the magma, and others taking selfies near the glowing flame.
With the attention given Kilauea, it’s hard for many to fathom some of the more devastating volcanic eruptions such as Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991. Mount St. Helens registered as a VEI 5 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Mount Pinatubo was a VEI 6.
Using Mount Pinatubo as an example, which is located in the Philippines, the eruption ejected ten trillion tons of magma into the stratosphere. Another twenty million tons of sulfur dioxide combined with toxic metals and minerals to fill the air around the planet. For many months, a layer of sulfuric acid haze circled the globe. During a three-year period, global temperatures dropped half a degree, and the Earth’s ozone layer was depleted temporarily.
Which brings us to our chart setting forth the relative levels of volcanic eruptions. Many factors go into determining the VEI, including the volume emitted during the eruption and the cloud height. Currently, the Kilauea eruption is scaled in the VEI 1 to VEI 2 range. The Volcán de Fuego eruption in Guatemala will approach a VEI 3.
The largest volcanic eruptions in history, known as mega-colossal, have reached a category of VEI 8. The smallest of the Yellowstone Caldera eruptions occurred six hundred thousand years ago and has been estimated to be a VEI 8. Scientific evidence shows an eruption of this magnitude to occur on our planet every fifty thousand years. The last VEI 8 supervolcanic eruption on a level similar to Yellowstone was on Sumatra in Indonesia.
The Toba super eruption, which occurred seventy-five thousand years ago, has long been considered one of the Earth’s largest known eruptions. The Toba catastrophe resulted in a volcanic winter of six to ten years and a period of nearly a thousand years of global cooling.
Genetic research was conducted showing the number of modern humans dropped significantly about the same time the eruption occurred. Toba Catastrophe Theory posited that people today evolved from the few thousand survivors who managed to avoid the worldwide impact of the eruption.
The giant plume of ash stretched from Southeast Asia all the way to the Middle East. Since then, other researchers have found evidence that pockets of humanity continued their lives during this period. As a result, they cast doubt on the Toba Catastrophe Theory. The fact remains, however, that in the time period following the eruption of Toba, mankind almost became extinct, and no other plausible theory has been accepted by the scientific community as a whole.
The following graph depicts the various levels of volcanic eruptions. As you scroll down the graphic, note which volcanic system is associated with the highest level that doesn’t appear on the chart—VEI 8.
Yellowstone’s three prior eruptions have been equal to, or greater than, Toba. Which takes us back to our VEI scale. A Yellow
stone eruption will be at least a thousand times more powerful than Mount St. Helens and ten thousand times more powerful than Volcán de Fuego or Kilauea.
When seeing the death and destruction left behind by these smaller, more humbling eruptions, it’s easy to see why the Yellowstone Caldera garners so much attention from scientists. It is easily the most monitored volcanic system in the world.
Yellowstone is quite simply the most potentially explosive, violent, deadly, active volcano on Earth, and scientists agree—a catastrophic eruption is inevitable.
Yellowstone erupted two-point-one million years ago and then again one-point-three million years ago. The last time it erupted was six hundred thirty thousand years ago. Scientists agree that Yellowstone, and our planet, is overdue for a massive, violent eruption. It will be an environmental disaster of global proportions. It might be, in fact, an extinction-level event. If so, it won’t be the first time.
I can’t resist repeating this often-overused phrase—it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Yellowstone is not an ordinary volcano. It is an extraordinary killer that will show itself in due time. Will Yellowstone erupt during our lifetimes? Maybe, or maybe not.
But if it does …
Books in the Yellowstone series
Hellfire
Inferno
Fallout
Survival
THE LONE STAR SERIES
Political suspense collides with post-apocalyptic thriller fiction with the Lone Star Series by Best Selling Author Bobby Akart. A devastating EMP attack thrusts most of America into darkness, except for one state which has taken the steps to protect its power grid - Texas.
World War III is imminent and a new President faces terrible choices as she navigates the shark-infested waters of Washington, and the geopolitical complexities around the world. From Washington to Austin to a ranch in West Texas, decisions are made to protect the lives of Americans, some of which are considered selfish, rather than for people s survival.
