METEOR STORM

by David Capps

  “Okay, I get water treatment. What do you mean by fuel processing?” I asked.

  “Crude oil has to be shipped from one place to another. Right now that happens with super tankers traveling on the oceans. After the meteor storm, we don’t know if any of the super tankers will survive, let alone be in operable condition. Next are the refineries. Crude oil is essentially distilled down into component parts, like gasoline, diesel fuel, lubricating oil and hundreds of other petroleum-based products like plastics and nylon. After the meteor storm, I doubt there will be a single refinery functioning on the entire planet. Rebuilding a single small refinery will take close to a year to accomplish.”

  “So how do you plan to move supplies and equipment?”

  “We will have to wait and do an assessment after the meteor storm, but right now the most efficient means of moving supplies and equipment is going to be the railroad. That’s where this country started before there was an extensive system of paved roads. I think we will have to go back to that.”

  “Yes, but train engines still take a lot of diesel fuel. We aren’t going to have much of that to work with.”

  “Several of our people have been buying old steam engines and reconditioning them. They run on coal or even plain firewood. It’s crude, but it should still work. Wood, water, a clear track and they’re ready to go.”

  “How much track do you think will survive?”

  “Probably most of it,” John replied. “The first product out of our steel mill will be railroad track. We are going to need to move food and basic medical supplies first, then fuel, tools and heavy equipment.”

  “Oh no,” I said.

  “What?” John replied.

  “I just realized. A lot of our electrical power comes from nuclear power plants. How are they going to do in the meteor storm?”

  “This is one of the great unknowns we face,” John replied. The pressure vessels may, or may not survive the meteor storm. It all depends on whether they receive a direct hit by one of the larger meteors. But the real problem isn’t the reactor vessels; it’s the cooling pools for used reactor rods. The cooling pools are fed cold water by electric pumps powered from the electrical grid. Most nuclear power plants have a backup system, but the supply for the cooling pools isn’t protected like the pressure vessels are. The meteor storm is likely to take out the diesel generators used for the backup power system. Once that is gone, the cooling pools will boil off and the radiation will quickly climb into the deadly range. All of this is likely to happen during the meteor storm, so nobody is going to be there to stop the process.”

  “Do we know how far the radiation will travel?”

  “Yes and no,” John said. “We know from military studies what the wind patterns are and how far the radiation will travel through the air. I have people making maps of the potential danger zones. But what we don’t know is what happens when the radiation makes its way down into the ground water and the aquifers. Entire regions of the planet may become dead zones, poisoned by invisible radiation.”

  “So what do we do?” I asked.

  “We monitor and advise people as best we can,” John replied. “I don’t see how we have any other choice in the matter.”

  “I’d like to be part of the crew working on the electrical grid problem if that can be arranged.”

  “Done,” John replied. “Hydroelectric plants are most likely to survive the meteor storm because they are built inside of huge concrete dams. The transformers are going to be the main problem. I’ll give you the name and number of one of our companies dedicated to making copper wire. You can start there.”

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  * * *

  Activity in the communications room was reaching a fevered pace. Hundreds of companies were joining the Survivalist Network, offering their services and products at deeply discounted prices. They wanted to be part of the renewal of this country and have key positions in the rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure. True entrepreneurs had an innate sense of where things were going and how to best take advantage of what was coming. They had a clear vision of their future, and that future was with John.

  Corrugated sheet metal manufacturers and suppliers were working around the clock trying to keep up with the demand, and still they were falling hopelessly behind. Redi-mix concrete companies went to hiring retirees to work extra shifts as orders for concrete soared. The mainstream media could hold the story off only for so long.

  The following afternoon, a Friday, the main story broke. The Network News Channel featured the economic surge taking place across the country. I stood in awe, watching John orchestrate the events behind the scenes.

  The Network News Channel covered the story and then went to a government spokesperson who warned people that the whole story was the result of fraud and not to get taken in by highly inflated prices and high pressure tactics from unscrupulous business people.

  “That’s a lie!” I shouted. “There is no pressure to buy these supplies. And the prices are significantly below retail, not inflated.”

  John walked over to me. “Carl, this is just how the game is played,” he said.

  “Yeah, but people’s lives are at stake. They can’t do this!”

  “They can,” John replied, “and they will. This is designed to stampede the sheep, the people who won’t think for themselves. We can’t help the sheep; we can help only those who are willing and able to help themselves.”

  “That’s not right! It’s not fair!” I shouted. “Those people will die!”

  “I know,” John said softly, waiting for me to calm down. “I can’t help it; it’s a process of natural selection.”

  “Natrual selection?” I shouted. “We have to save these people. We can’t let them die!”

  “Look, Carl, the reality is that in order to be saved, each person has to cooperate with the process. No cooperation, no survival. I know it’s brutal, but this is real life. It’s ugly, it’s hard, but it’s real. How many people survived the last meteor storm?”

  I stopped and thought. “Less than a thousand on the entire planet.”

  “And if we save a million, will this operation be a success?”

  I thought about the numbers.

  “And if we manage to save ten million, what then?” John asked.

  With a current world population of over seven billion people, even ten million was a miniscule number.

  “And if we can rebuild our infrastructure and jump start our technology?”

  I remained silent for a time.

  “Okay,” I said. “I do understand. I just don’t like it.”

  “None of us like it, Carl, none of us.”

  I looked around the room. Every eye was on us, listening to our conversation. The room was deathly silent. I looked into their faces. Each one carried the reality of life and death. Several had tears running down their faces.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “We all are,” John replied. “But we still have to deal with reality, and this is what we can do.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said to the group, “I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”

  “Carl,” John said, “everyone here feels exactly the same way you do. Everyone.”

  I looked around the room. People were nodding. More tears were running down their cheeks.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” John said. “You’re one of us. This is where you belong.”

  Tia pushed the padded door open and entered. “John, you need to come upstairs, right now,” she said.

  I followed Tia and John to the main level. A police officer stood in the doorway holding a piece of paper.

  “May I help you?” John asked.

  “Are you John, CEO of the Survivalist Network?” the officer asked.

  “Yes, I am,” John answered.

  The officer handed the paper to John. “You’ve been served.”

  John took the paper. The police officer left and Tia closed th
e door. “I’ve been expecting this,” John said.

  His cell phone rang. He looked at the display and answered. “Charles,” John said.

  “Yep, simultaneous service,” John said. “Okay, we’ll comply. See you in court on Monday morning.” He closed his phone. “That was our lawyer.”

  “Charles Edward Harrington the third?” I asked.

  John smiled. “So he impressed you?”

  “Got me out of purgatory,” I replied.

  “And he’ll do the same for us on Monday morning in Federal Court,” John said.

  “So what’s the paper?” I asked.

  “Law suit alleging fraud, misrepresentation, libel, and a TRO, Temporary Restraining Order shutting down our website, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, effective immediately,” John replied.

  “And we can’t do anything about it until Monday?” I asked.

  John checked his watch. “Yep,” he said, “Federal Court closed twelve minutes ago. It’s how they play the game.”

  “So we can’t do anything for the entire weekend?” I asked.

  “Oh, no, no, no,” John replied. “You and Tia are going to spend the entire weekend gathering all of the evidence you can get your hands on proving that the meteor storm is real and that the government knows exactly what is coming. Truth is our defense. The weekend is a double edged sword. It shuts us down, but it gives us precious time to fully prepare for Monday morning.”

  “What about the operation downstairs?” I asked.

  “I’ve been housing the computer techs at a hotel about twenty minutes from here and busing them back and forth. Most of them live in Denver. It’s time to move the entire media center to Denver. That way they can live at home. Everything will be primed and ready to go as soon as court is adjourned Monday morning.”

  I looked over at Tia. She appeared excited at the prospect of hacking into more government computer systems.

  * * *

  The computer techs had all cleared out. The communications room seemed strangely quiet. Only Alex, John’s communications officer, remained, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We settled into two terminals next to each other.

  “When I was in custody at the FBI office they got a sample of my DNA,” I said. “When they ran it through the federal database there were no matches. I know my DNA is on file with the Department of Defense. How did you manage to hack into the DOD database?”

  “I didn’t,” Tia said. “Just like the Department of Motor Vehicles, we use someone inside the organization. There are a lot of people within the system that don’t buy into the propaganda.”

  “I just wondered, because the DOD takes intrusion into their systems extremely personal.”

  “I am aware of that,” Tia replied. “Even if you have the skills to get past their firewall, they have reverse tracker systems in place. They know who you are and where you are before you can get very far into the system. Besides that, they actually have three firewalls, not just one. By the time you breach the first firewall, you’re toast, and you still have two to go.”

  “Ever know anyone who breached all three firewalls?” I asked.

  “Nope,” she said. “I knew two hackers who breached the first firewall. In twenty minutes Federal Agents were all over them. They were in court for months. It cost their families everything they owned just to pay the attorney fees and the fines the court imposed. Not a pretty picture.”

  “So,” I said, changing the subject, “where do you want to start?”

  “I think we should go back to the NASA site and see what else we can find. We already have a user name and password,” she said.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Then maybe you can show me how to build one of the programs you used on the NASA site,” she said.

  “Sure, I’d be happy to do that,” I replied.

  We began exploring the NASA site and discovered the space-based radar images and the calculations regarding the size and movement of the meteor cloud. I checked the dates on the reports. All of it was after I had appeared on the Cy Cobb Show. I guess they took me seriously after all. We saved all of the images and reports in PDF format and moved on.

  “What about the Department of Homeland Security?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, “maybe we can get something on that underground city in the Ozarks, too.”

  By Saturday afternoon we had over four hundred pages of documents from NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Army, including over thirty companies who were contracting with the federal government regarding the meteor storm and the preparations that were under way. We forwarded everything to Charles for him to sort out and pick exactly what he wanted for court on Monday morning.

  CHAPTER 16

  Monday morning Tia and I rode into Denver with John. The limo dropped us off on 19th Street in front of the U.S. District Court Building. We walked in and through security, showed our ID and explained which court we needed to be in. Charles met us in the main hall and ushered us into the court room. The room was large with dark wood paneling and extensive wood moldings around the walls and crown molding next to the ceiling. A short two and a half foot wood railing fence separated the gallery from the front of the court room. Tia and I sat in the gallery section while John and Charles went through the short wooden gate and sat at the defendant table.

  After a few minutes, a short man in a dark gray suit and gold silk tie entered from the hall and proceeded to the plaintiff table. He strutted, rather than walked, like a bantam rooster in a barnyard of hens. He wore a three piece suit with wide lapels that smelled of cigar smoke, his dark hair slicked back. The court clerk came out and took her place next to the judge’s bench, and then a Colorado State Police Officer came out and stood next to the bench. This, I presumed, was the court bailiff.

  “All rise,” the bailiff said. “Court is now in session, the Honorable Stanislav Saworski presiding.”

  We stood as the judge entered. He was older than I might have thought, with gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He was on the pudgy side but moved quickly up the steps to the back of the raised bench and sat down.

  “We are on the record in the matter of the United States versus the Survivalist Network, docket number 127836-C.”

  The judge looked over at the bantam-sized attorney. “Joseph H. Kravitz, Assistant United States District Attorney for the United States as Plaintiff, your honor,” the attorney said.

  The judge then looked at Charles. “Charles Edward Harrington the third for the Survivalist Network as Defendant, your honor.”

  “Very well,” the judge replied. “I see we are hearing motions regarding a TRO and pending suit for fraud, misrepresentation, and libel. Mr. Kravitz, you are up first.”

  “Thank you your honor,” Kravitz said. “The defendant has engaged in fraud and misrepresentation regarding its claims of a coming disaster, for which there is no credible scientific evidence. This fraud has been perpetrated for the sole purpose of creating a public panic in order to secure large sums of money from millions of unsuspecting victims. The government has already debunked this supposed disaster publically on a popular TV show. The defendant’s website claims that our expert from NASA has lied to the public, thereby besmirching his good name and reputation.

  “The United States requests that the Temporary Restraining Order be made permanent and that this matter be continued in Federal District Court for assessment of damages, fines and possible incarceration of the CEO, who is present in court this morning.”

  The judge looked over at Charles. “Mr. Harrington?”

  “Thank you, your honor,” Charles said. “The suit filed against my client is frivolous and an obvious abuse of process. The plaintiff has engaged in slander of my client and the falsification of its claims that led to the issuance of the TRO. We request that the suit and the TRO be dismissed and that the plaintiff be sanctioned for bringing this frivolous suit and falsified claims into this honorable court.

&nb
sp; “Your honor, the plaintiff’s claims and supporting evidence are already a part of the court record. If I may approach, I have documents from various federal agencies that will demonstrate that the plaintiff’s arguments are indeed baseless and false.”

  The judge motioned for Charles to approach. Charles handed a thick stack of documents to the judge and an equal stack to Kravitz. The judge and Kravitz took several minutes to look through the stack of documents.

  “Your honor,” Kravitz said, “The United States objects to this so-called evidence. None of it is certified and none of it has any foundation to be accepted by this court. The whole thing should be rejected.”

  The judge flipped through the documents. We sat there waiting for him to continue. Finally he looked up at Charles. “Mr. Harrington?”

  “Your honor, as you have already noticed, all of the documents are on the letterhead of the federal agencies involved, or are from subcontractors directly involved with the associated projects referenced in the agency letters. As such, the documents are internal to the plaintiff and under Rule 1004 subsection 3, of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not need to be certified, since certification may be denied by the plaintiff rendering the evidence inadmissible. Rule 1004 subsection 3 allows the plaintiff to provide certified copies to the court for the purpose of challenging the authenticity and contents of the documents.”

  “Mr. Kravitz?” the judge said looking over at him.

  “Your honor this is absurd,” Kravitz said. “The United States has no such documents or programs as described in these fraudulent and inexcusable substitutes for evidence. None of this is true and simply goes to demonstrate the extent of the fraud and misrepresentation to which this organization will go for the purpose of defrauding millions of people of their money.”

  The judge looked over at Charles.

  “Your honor, as you can plainly see, NASA has documented the meteor cloud and tracked it through space. The earth will enter the meteor cloud in approximately forty eight days, with devastating consequences for the planet and every living thing on it. The government has built underground cities, and is currently upgrading them and stocking them with food and supplies for the coming disaster. The public is deliberately being kept in the dark as to these events. My client has a First Amendment right under the Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press provisions to bring this subject and discussion into the public forum. The people have a right to know what they are facing and what they can do about it to prepare themselves to survive.”