He glanced down at the gas gauge in his car and shook his head. He only had an eighth of a tank left. When the traffic finally started to move, Nick took the next exit and pulled into a gas station. He washed his windshield as the car was filling. He looked up when the pump shut off. Nick wrinkled his forehead as he looked at the gas pump. The digital display was blank. He tightened the gas cap on his car and went into the gas station to see why the pump had stopped. There were already two people in line at the counter when he walked up.
“I’m sorry,” said the young man behind the counter. “I don’t know what to tell you, the power went out. I can’t sell you lottery tickets if the power is out.”
Nick looked around the gas station. The morning sun coming through the windows had illuminated the interior enough that he didn’t notice the lack of interior lighting until he looked at the ceiling. I don’t have time for this, I need to get to work, he thought. Nick walked out of the gas station and got back in his car. He watched the gas gauge climb when he started his car. Its gauge stopped just shy of a half a tank. He put his car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.
The stop light on the highway overpass was out and traffic had already started to back up. Nick waited his turn and pulled back onto the congested highway. He turned on the radio in his car in hope of a traffic report. He wanted to get a general idea of when he would arrive at work so that he could call his boss. Only static, no matter what station he put on, came through the speakers of his car. He pulled his cell out and pressed the circular button at the base of it, but the screen didn’t light up. Nick held down the power button and the phone still didn’t come on. He tossed the non-functional phone on the passenger seat and sighed. I guess it’s going to be one of those days, he thought.
Power outages had become a regular part of life over the last year, but Nick couldn’t fathom why that would affect his phone.
Nick looked into the sky to the east—there was something gray in the sky and it was growing larger. His attention was forced back to the road as his car slammed into the car in front of him. It was a low speed collision, but Nick still checked his mirror and pulled onto the right shoulder. He looked over his shoulder at the car he had hit, but there was no one in it. He looked at the other cars. They were all empty. Everyone had gotten out of their cars and people were standing in the middle of the highway. Nick turned his car off and climbed out. He walked over to the closest group of people and looked into the sky.
The gray object that he had been looking at when he crashed was getting closer and he was finally able to see what it was. Nick shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that he was watching a large airplane falling from the sky in a flat spin. As the plane got closer to the ground it disappeared over the next hill, closer to Denver. Nick jumped back in his car and took off, driving on the shoulder.
Nick was sure of one thing in that moment—he needed to get to work and find out what was happening. It was the first time in years Nick was glad to be an employee of the United States. Under normal circumstances, his job as a software engineer for the Denver FBI office didn’t give him any more insight than the average civilian. Nick had a sick feeling that whatever was happening was far from a normal and he might be able to find out what happened.
When his car crested the next hill, Nick looked toward where the plane had disappeared. All that was left of the giant airliner was a heaping mass of mangled metal engulfed in flames and smoke. People on the other side of the highway, who were closer to the crash, had stopped their cars and many were rushing to the plane. Nick knew there was no point in him stopping… there was no way anyone had survived. He pressed down on the accelerator and blew passed the stopped traffic, still driving on the shoulder.
Nick had to merge back into traffic as he got closer to the city and the shoulder narrowed. The traffic was even worse and many of the off ramps were completely backed up as cars tried desperately to exit. He glanced up at the stoplight of one of the exits and didn’t see the red, yellow or green lights.
The traffic was heavier once Nick exited the highway and was nearing downtown. He was surprised to not see any Denver PD out directing traffic considering the circumstances. The traffic inched forward every few minutes.
When he pulled into the private FBI parking lot, there were pieces of the wooden parking lot barrier strewn about. There was no sign of the parking attendant in the booth when Nick stopped. He parked his car in his assigned spot and headed for the entrance. He stood in front of the elevator, forgetting that the power was out. The door to the stairs swung open and a man that Nick didn’t recognize ran through the open door and toward one of the black, unmarked cars in the lot. Nick watched as the man climbed in and spun the tires as he accelerated out of the parking lot.
Nick entered the dark stairwell and climbed the three floors to his department. He wasn’t prepared for the level of chaos that awaited him. When he opened the door, his co-workers were running in every direction, in the dark, with arm-loads of papers. As they hurried, papers would flutter off the stacks and come to rest on the floor. The forgotten papers covered the floor to the point Nick wasn’t able to see the gray industrial carpet any longer. Nick spotted his boss, Jim, by the window. He stood there, staring at the world as it spiraled into chaos. Nick walked over and cleared his throat.
“Jim?”
His boss turned around and looked at Nick, his face devoid of emotion. It was as if the middle aged man had accepted what was happening and he knew there was nothing he could do about it.
“What can I do for you, Nick?”
“What the fuck is going on? The power is out everywhere and I just saw a plane fall out of the sky.”
Jim turned back to the window and watched the traffic outside of their building. He knew exactly what was happening. The office was already in a state of panic and none of them had any idea how bad it was.
“I have to leave, Nick, sorry.” Jim turned and gave Nick a pat on the back as he walked by and headed for the door.
Nick turned and went after Jim. If there were anyone in his department that knew what was happening, he knew that it would be Jim. Nick caught up to him in the stairwell.
“Jim... wait. What happened? You must have heard something....”
Jim stopped, but didn’t turn around.
“There was an attack.”
Those four words changed everything for Nick. He thought about the power outage and the plane falling from the sky and realized that it wasn’t a normal attack. This was something much bigger. He knew in that moment that his life would change forever. There were very few times in history when an attack took place on American soil, but when it did it had a profound impact on life itself.
“Who?”
“I have no idea. I went upstairs right after the power went out asked my boss if he had any idea what was happening. He was in a state of shock, holding a picture of his family. When he finally snapped out of it, he said that D.C. had sent a message. There was a long-range missile in the atmosphere above the United States and there was an attempt to intercept it.”
Nick was at a loss for words. Successful attacks against the United States were few and far between and they typically were small scale.
“After that, everything went dark. That missile looks to have detonated someone over Kansas or Nebraska,” Jim said.
“Why would the power go out?”
Jim started down the stairs again.
“I have to go, Nick. My daughter needs me. I’m all she has.”
Nick stood in the stairwell as the sound of Jim on the stairs faded away and the opening and closing of the door two floors below him marked the man’s exit.
Nick’s mind raced as he thought about who could have orchestrated such an attack. Relations with the EU had degraded over the last two years, which resulted in the canceling of all trade agreements with European countries. Things had become tense over the last few years with Russia and Nick knew that was a possibility. Ch
ina had been unhappy with the United States as of late, but Nick doubted they would attack one of their largest trade partners. He knew that the most realistic explanation was that the attack had originated in the Middle East. That worried Nick the most. If that was the origin of the attack, there was a good chance there would be more and the United States wouldn’t have the chance to retaliate.
Realizing there was no reason for him to be at work, Nick headed back to his car. With his work in disarray and without power, there was nothing that he could do. He decided to head home and wait for the power to be restored.
Chapter Four
When Nick pulled into his driveway it was just past three in the afternoon. What a waste of a day. I guess I don’t have anything better to do while the power is out.
The garage door of the house next door slid up halfway with a violent creek. Nick pushed his car door closed and walked over. He had always thought his neighbor, Mike, was a little out there. He was always going on about how the United States was vulnerable to attacks and how the world was going to end. Nick had always dismissed it as fire and brimstone talk, not really paying attention on the few occasions they had talked for more than a few minutes. He wished he had listened.
“Mike?” Nick said, bending over to call into the garage. There was a brief shuffle of feet inside the garage and then it was quiet. “You in there man? It’s Nick… from next door.”
Nick stood up and turned back to his house. He thought about the time he borrowed a shovel from Mike. The garage had been full of canned food, jugs of water and other supplies. At the time Nick thought it a little strange and wondered what his neighbor was stocking up for. Now, though, Nick was starting to think Mike had been preparing for the end of the world.
He turned around and walked back to his neighbor’s garage. Nick grabbed the door and pulled up on it. Mike was standing next to his pickup. He dropped the gallon of water in his right hand and pulled a 9mm Glock out of the holster on his hip and pointed it at Nick’s head.
“Whoa,” Nick said, as he raised his hands above his head. “Settle down, man. I’m your friend.”
They really weren’t friends, but he was ready to tell Mike whatever he wanted in that moment. Nick started to back away. With each step he took, Mike advanced another toward him. Mike stopped at the edge of his garage and stood there until Nick had reached his front door.
Nick shook his head in disbelief as he fumbled with his keys, eventually finding the one that opened the front door. He risked a glance over his shoulder and didn’t see Mike, but he heard the screech of his neighbor’s garage door being closed.
Nick opened his fridge and pulled out a beer. Just by touching the glass of the bottle he could tell the fridge was warming up and his food wouldn’t be good for much longer. He sat down on his couch, twisted the bottle cap off and tried to think about what to do next.
While sitting on the couch and sipping his warmish beer, Nick remembered reading an article, within the last six months, that proposed the possibility of power outages occurring as the result of a terrorist attack. He jumped off the couch and went into his bedroom. The room was getting dark as the sun dropped lower in the sky. He pulled the curtains open and took the stack of magazines from his bedside table and tossed them onto his bed. He spread the magazines out until he saw the cover he was looking for. It was a map, of the United States, depicting the basic range of fallout as the result of a nuclear attack. Nick thumbed through the magazine until he found the article.
EMP: The Biggest Threat to Our Country
Dr. Richard Howlins
The most common question I get when lecturing is “How safe are we?” The truth is we aren’t safe at all. There are countries across the world waiting for the moment when the United States slips up and they can capitalize on the mistakes of our government.
When the European Union ceased trading with the United States, it was the last step in the gradual decline of a country that once felt it was invincible. That unbridled nationalism has cost this country a great deal—yet the citizens of our nation are not yet ready to accept that reality, just as the government is not willing to acknowledge its missteps that have led us down this path from which there is truly no return to glory.
The scariest thought is that there are countries around the world that have the ability to cripple our country and send us back to the 19th century. From this, a return will never take place. The United States will cease to exist and will crumble into factions located near a large enough supply of natural resources to sustain its population.
I foresee this attack coming in the form of an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) within the next five years and if the government, and the people of this country, fail to take proper precautionary measures it will result in catastrophic consequences. The most simplistic delivery system for such and EMP attack is through the detonation of a large nuclear device at least 300 miles from the surface of the earth. Depending on the exact size of the device, such an event could create an EMP capable of blanketing the entire United States. In all likelihood, a large attack could render the entire country without the use of all electronic devices. According to our own evaluations and those conducted by the government indicate that the vast majority of automobiles should still function, but there is currently enough fuel in reserve for four days at current usage rates. This makes modern medical care impossible, transport and growth of food impractical and severely restricts the movement of any supplies.
My colleagues and I at the Howlins Institute in Salt Lake City have conducted extensive experiments and have run computer simulations on the possible outcomes. We believe that within six months of such an attack, if no preparations are made, that there will be a 90% loss of life. This stems from the lack of medical care, clean water and food. Riots will eventually erupt as a result of the human struggle to survive.
Nick put the magazine down. He was stunned by what he was reading—90% loss of life was something he didn’t think he could comprehend. The first time he read the magazine, he read the first few sentences of the article and dismissed the idea as a conspiracy for people who load up their basements with food and guns. He found where he left off and continued to read.
An attack capable of crippling the country could come from, in my opinion, any six of these countries/terrorist organizations. I will discuss each one and rank their potential threat on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being least likely and ten being most likely. This list is only to show what countries and terrorist groups have the capability to execute an attack in magnitude that would threaten the future of America. This is not meant to be a direct assumption that any of these groups will conduct an attack now or at any point in the future.
People’s Republic of China- Currently the largest source of trade for the United States, China really only poses a minor threat. Should the current relationship between the two countries deteriorate over the course of the next few years, then they should be reevaluated as a potential threat due to their current nuclear capability. Next to the United States, China has the largest supply of nuclear weapons of at least one megaton. Leaked documents show that the government currently has an arsenal of at least 10 devices over one megaton. They could easily cripple the United States by detonating their devices in the atmosphere in strategic locations. China is not a threat at this time simply because they need the trade income from the United States. I see China as a level 1 threat currently.
Russian Federation- Still sour about the Cold War, the Russians have continued to rise as a world power even as they drift back toward a communist regime. The increased trade they have received after the European Union cut ties with the United States has bolstered their economy. There are still some 300 nuclear weapons unaccounted for after the fall of the Berlin Wall in Eastern Europe. These weapons are, however, of a smaller size. It would therefore be unlikely that Russia has a weapon with the capability to knock out the United States with one blow. Essentially, Russia would be forced to detonate multiple nucl
ear devices in the atmosphere, which would be much more likely to detect and therefore prevent. All in all, I see Russia as a level 3 threat.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan- Islamic leaders of the world are still angered by the United States’ decision to outlaw Islam and banish roughly 8 million Muslims from US soil in 2015. The nation of Pakistan is still reeling after the decision, saying that it was an act of war against all Muslims. There has been major strife between the United States and Pakistan for years, which intensified greatly as Pakistan began developing their nuclear program. Current estimates place them five years from developing weapons large enough to create an EMP capable of harming the United States. There is also no evidence to suggest that Pakistan possesses a long range delivery system for any of their nuclear weapons. A nuclear attack from Pakistan is a possibility, but I firmly believe they are wary of retaliation from the United States Navy, which currently has two aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan ranks as a level 4 threat.
Al-Qaeda-The focus of American distrust and hate since 9/11/01, al-Qaeda still has a large member base that yearns to destroy the United States. They do, however, lack the weapons of mass destruction needed for carrying out a large-scale attack. I have no doubt they will continue to perpetrate acts of terrorism on American soil as time goes on. However, these attacks will most likely be on a much smaller scale than a large EMP. Al-Qaeda is a level 4 threat.
The Korean Republic- When Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, invaded South Korea and reunified the country into the Korean Republic, he created a world power capable of attacking anyone at anytime. A leader of a country that has nuclear weapons and shows no remorse for their potential threat should be seen as one of the most prolific threats to the American way of life. As a result of the Korean Republic’s border control, there is no way of knowing what type of weapons they currently possess, but given tests they have conducted in the past few years as a projection, it is possible that they currently possess a missile capable of launching a nuclear device into the atmosphere over the United States. It is also unknown at this time if they possess any nuclear devices in the over one megaton range. As long as the Korean Republic is lead by Kim Jong-un, they are a level 7 threat.
EMP (The Districts Book 1) Page 2