by A J Newman
John Returns
The Adventures of John Harris
A J Newman
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As usual, this book is dedicated to my many friends who think that I am bat shit crazy for believing that the Apocalypse is due any day now.
The Apocalypse is coming. Will it be the result of a solar flare, EMP blasts or a failed economy?
Those are the questions. It is on the way.
This series portrays my vision of regular Americans, how they prepared for and dealt with the issue of survival in a world gone mad.
I am a prepper and will be prepared, will you?
Thanks to my wife, Patsy, who keeps after me to write more books, so I can pay for my prepping, guns, golf and whiskey.
Thanks to:
Patsy Newman for beta reading and proofing.
Thanks to: LTC Clifford T. Deane, US Army, Cavalry, (ret) for proofing, editing and his contributions to the accuracy of the military, jargon, tactics and color commentary.
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Copyright © AJ Newman. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-9912334-8-9
This book is a work of fiction. All events, names characters, and places are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious.
Translation: This is all one big yarn and comes purely from my imagination. Not a bit of it is true, yet…
NOTE: My good friend Cliff Deane has four great Post-Apocalyptic novels on Amazon. If you like Post-Apocalyptic novels, you’ll love these books.
Vigilante: Into the Darkness Vigilante: Into the Fray
Vigilante: The Pale Horse Vigilante: No Quarter
These books are available at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XG1XPQM
Please visit Cliff’s FaceBook page:
https://www.facebook.com/mustangpublishingllc
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Books by A J Newman
Alien Apocalypse:
The Virus Surviving (Oct 2017)
A Family’s Apocalypse Series:
Cities on Fire – Family Survival
After the Solar Flare - a Post-Apocalyptic series:
Alone in the Apocalypse Adventures in the Apocalypse*
After the EMP series:
The Day America Died New Beginnings The Day America Died
Old Enemies The Day America Died Frozen Apocalypse
“The Adventures of John Harris” - a Post-Apocalyptic America series:
Surviving Hell in the Homeland Tyranny in the Homeland
Revenge in the Homeland...Apocalypse in the Homeland John Returns
“A Samantha Jones Murder Mystery Thriller series:
Where the Girls Are Buried Who Killed the Girls?
Books by A J Newman and Cliff Deane
Terror in the USA: Virus: Strain of Islam
These books are available at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HT84V6U
To contact the Author, please leave comments @:
www.facebook.com/newmananthonyj Facebook page.
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Prologue
Immediately after 9/11/2001, President George W. Bush commissioned studies of all known weapons of mass destruction.
The one that scared the crap out of our military was the use of Electro Magnetic Pulse detonations against the USA. Nuclear EMP blasts using even crude nuclear devices launched from container ships off our coasts from international waters would shut down our grid and fry all unshielded electronics.
The attack would be undetectable until their launch. From 15 miles off our shores, these missiles could not be intercepted in a timely manner.
Detonation at an optimum altitude of 300 miles and over Kansas would throw the entire USA, southern Canada, and northern Mexico back into the 19th century.
Kerosene lamps, wood cook stoves, and doctors without x-rays, modern medical devices or miracle medicines. People with pacemakers would drop like flies when the nukes exploded. Diabetics, heart patients and people living day to day with the help of some miracle drug will die during the first year. Many of the people on drugs for psychiatric reasons will become violent when they run out of the drugs. Death, chaos, and lawlessness will prevail.
“John Returns” continues the storyline of how John Harris leads a group of survivors through the chaos of a country gone mad.
He is the president of the Independent States of America, a new country born from the fragments of the old USA.
The ISA is a coalition of southern and western states that are at war with the totalitarian USA. A nation bent on destroying John, and this new country.
In the last book, “Apocalypse in the Homeland,” John and his team were kidnapped. Their plane crashed in Wyoming as they were overpowering their abductors.
In the ISA, they were thought to be dead.
John quickly made the best of the situation and decided to annex the Northwest ahead of schedule. He only had to kill a few thousand gang members and wannabe dictators. No big hill for John to climb.
Everyone else in the ISA worried about rescuing John; however, John has never felt the need to be rescued.
Now, John heads home just in time to find out that their enemies have unleashed the nuclear nightmare on the capitol of the ISA, Mobile, Alabama.
I hope you have as much fun reading this series as I have had writing them. Thanks to my readers for allowing me to share my imagination with you and remember to recommend this series to your friends.
If you like this novel, please post a review on Amazon.
Even during an Apocalypse, you can be nice to people, except for those trying to kill you. Kill Zombies and bad guys, but be nice to everyone else.
A J Newman
Main Character List
Present
John Harris – Our hero. Former Army Special Forces, Former CIA Field Agent, Author, Survival radio show host, and businessman before TSHTF. Founder and President of the ISA.
Beth Harris –John’s wife and former school teacher from Smyrna, TN
Scott Harris – John and ex-wife Ann’s son. Is a Major in the Special Forces of the ISA.
Gus McCoy – John’s best friend and Secretary of Defense for the ISA.
Jim Payne – Scott’s best friend and an officer in the Army of the ISA.
Steve Jones – John’s friend and the first Black Governor of Alabama. Janet James is his girlfriend.
Ann Harris – John’s ex-wife, the Mayor of Mobile and Bob Jones’ wife.
George Washington – First Black Vice President, then President of the ISA.
Imelda Payne – Jim Payne’s girlfriend, then wife, and a Ranger in the ISA Army. One of John’s bodyguards and later a Ranger Company Commander.
Joan – Scott Harris’ wife, and a Ranger in the ISA Army. Marries Scott later in the series
Jenn Harris – John and Beth’s daughter. Baby in present time and Intelligence Operative in the ISA military in 2048. Josh Logan’s girlfriend in 2048.
Captain/Major General Bob Jones – Division Commander, and Ann’s new husband.
Admiral Jones – In command of all remaining military forces in the ISA. Bob Jones’ father.
Ginny Washington-McCoy – Gus’ wife and George’s daughter.
Janet James – Ex-school teacher. Steve Jones’ girlfriend and one of John’s Army Ranger bodyguards.
Joe – Army Ranger and one of John’s security team.
Ziva – Israeli agent who joins Scott’s team.
Amit - Israeli agent who joins Scott’s team.
Gabe Logan – USA citizen, and spy for the ISA. Josh Logan’s father.
Jack Mills – General who becomes the Vice President replacing George Washington.
2048
Josh Logan – TV reporter from the USA. Wounded saving John a
nd his family. In love with Jenn, and writing a book on John Harris.
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Chapter 1
Aftermath
The Compound – North of Mobile
2022
Briefing Room
The Compound
The trade winds blew the wispy mare’s tail clouds over an azure sea, across an otherwise bright and sunny morning in Alabama before the nuclear hammer fell on downtown Mobile. The shockwave leveled this beautiful old southern city for a mile or so around the docks.
The people at John’s bunker north of Mobile had 20 minutes notice and were all below ground when the thermonuclear device detonated. The ground shook, and there was a high wind, but no serious damage or casualties at the Compound. The ISA Compound was 12 miles west of Mobile and only suffered minor structural damage to the above ground buildings from the blast.
Gus and George tried to get word of the attack to the citizens of Mobile before the blast, but there simply was not sufficient time to save the populace.
There were no hard figures, but Gus estimated that 10,000 civilians and 2,000 military men and women died in first few seconds of the devastating attack. Thousands more would perish of burns, radiation poisoning, and cancers.
Several large ships anchored close to Mobile were able to set sail before the explosion. They suffered only minor damage. The Navy still lost two destroyers and five supply ships at anchor in Mobile harbor.
Gus looked at George and said, “Thank God we moved the retrofit of the Alabama and Drum over to the Pascagoula shipyards. I know Admiral Jones wasn’t a big fan of diverting our resources to getting them back in service, but I think we’ll need every fighting ship we can float before this mess is over.”
George, the interim President of the ISA, agreed and answered, “The Admiral is usually correct, but Gus you are the Secretary of Defense, and there is no question that you made the correct decision.”
“Thank you. The Admiral is sending a team of experts to help assess the radiation contamination along with a large number of rescue teams to assist our efforts.
He is also sending in MASH units and supplies. I have directed all available assets to search for survivors. We only have a limited number of radiation suits, so we will not be effective closer to the blast area.”
President Washington placed his elbows on the wooden tabletop and rested his head in the palms of his head. “Thank God, the wind was blowing out to sea at the time. That alone may have saved another 5,000 people from the agonizing death of radiation poisoning, along with future cancer cases. At least our ships could button up and decontaminate afterward.”
“Damn, we need to put out a notice to stop eating fish from the Gulf, Mobile River, and local waterways until they radiation levels are clear.”
The phone on George’s desk rang, and his administrative assistant announced the Mayor of Mobile was joining them.
George stood up and gave Ann a hug as she approached his desk, “Hello Ann, I’m so sorry for the loss of Mobile and so many citizens. I am, however very happy that you were in at the Compound at the time of the attack. I hope your quarters didn’t suffer any damage. How is everyone on that end of the compound?”
Her arms were folded across her chest, her hands in white-knuckled fists. “George, Mobile has been literally wiped off the face of the earth. It is now an extension of Mobile Bay. I will be sobbing, as soon as my rage dies down, but first, we have to help any survivors from the surrounding area. Then we have to kill every one of the animals that attacked us.”
They filled her in on the contact with the Navy and started planning the rescue effort.
George looked at Ann, and said, “Ann, NCIS is beginning an investigation to find out who did this. We will not let Mobile go unavenged. If the U.S. did this, we will shortly be fully engaged. I simply cannot believe that the U.S. military would go along with such an attack, but I swear to you, whoever did this will pay with their lives.
Ann, I know how you feel, but we will be unable to rebuild Mobile, and I have asked the Admiral to suggest a new location for the capital of the ISA. John always thought that it should be in the center of the country for ease of access as well as protection from foreign attack.”
“I understand, but we will stay in this area, and rebuild a new city, nearby. This is our home.”
George’s arms fell to his sides in acquiescence. He knew that Ann was speaking from her emotional ties to Mobile. Her home was now a pile of scorched, radioactive slag. Still, out of courtesy, he did not argue.
***
Ponca City Oklahoma
Eric and his wife watched, as Beth broke down into tears.
“John, our kids are in Mobile. Kristie, Randy, and little Jenn could be dead right now. Our friends are probably all dead,” Beth yelled with unspent fury as she continued to cry uncontrollably.”
John grabbed her as she began to collapse onto the floor and said, “Darling, we left them at the Compound. It would take a direct hit on top of the compound to hurt them. I am not worried for our family. I am, however, worried about the people of Mobile, and our many friends living in the area.”
“Are you sure they’re safe?”
“Yes, they’re safe, but we have lost many of our civilian and military friends to this cowardly attack.”
“Oh my God, I hope you’re right about the kids being safe. When will this end? When can we have a normal life?”
“Dear, we just have to take it day by day and pray to God that each day is a little better than the last. Now, we have to fly over to Tinker Air Force Base and make contact with our ISA forces. Get your gear loaded up while I check the plane out.”
He walked over to the couple they had just met, wished them well and invited them to join the ISA.
Eric replied, “I didn’t catch your name.”
“I’m John Harris; it has certainly been a great pleasure to meet you and your wife.”
“Hey, isn’t that the same name as the President of the ISA? Are you really the guy who’s been lost and presumed dead for months?”
“Yes, but I was never lost, and I assure you that I am not dead. I’ll send some folks up here to start processing you into the ISA in a month or so.
Looks like we’ll be busy kicking the shit out of whoever attacked Mobile.”
“Are you really the President of the ISA?”
John shook his hand and replied, “I am but it’s not that big a deal. No one else wanted the job.”
He jumped into the old Stearman biplane, started the engine and took off heading away from Tinker, into a bright blue sky that smelled of spring. The air was calm, and flying in their old biplane seemed impossibly far from the torturous months ahead.
Eric watched, and told his wife, “Our President just took off and headed out in the wrong direction. He’s flying towards that factory that makes the drugs.”
A few minutes later, there were several tremendous explosions and a large black cloud of smoke coming from the direction of the pill factory. The column of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air before the winds aloft began to take it east.
A while later Eric saw the Stearman buzz the airfield and head back south, towards Tinker Air Base.
“Damn, they bombed that drug gang and the factory. Maybe he really is the President.”
***
John flew towards the drug factory and made a low-level pass over the building to select the best targets for the bombs. The factory was actually a large complex of six buildings and numerous small storage tanks.
They only had six of the improvised bombs, and John wanted to keep two for possible later use. He saw a chemical storage area and what he thought was the main manufacturing building.
He spoke into the communications tube and said, “Beth, drop the first bomb into that bunch of tanks. That’s where they store the chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
The second bomb goes to the building in the middle with the red stripe around the top. I’ll tell y
ou when to activate and drop.
He came back around at about 100 feet and told Beth to get ready. As they approached, Beth saw where the gang had parked their motorcycles and had a great idea.
“Beth, activate, 3…2…1, drop!”
“Bomb away.”
“I’ll come back around to drop the next bomb.”
They were about a quarter mile away when there was a large explosion, quickly followed by several secondary blasts. A trailing shock wave battered the old war bird.
John saw pieces of the building fly through the air. A fireball enveloped most of the complex and more explosions ripped through the entire facility.
“We won’t need another bomb. That will do it.”
“Good, John, drop down and come in from the south again. I want to strafe their motorcycles.”
John brought the plane around and brought it down to tree top level while watching the building as it burned.”
As they approached, a flood of tattooed gangsters, followed by others in white lab coats, came storming out of the complex running for their lives. John banked and aimed for them as Beth began firing.
The twin auto fire MP15s decimated the fleeing thugs.
John circled the area until he was certain that all of the complex would burn to the ground, and then headed southwest over to Highway 35 south while gaining altitude.
They could barely see Oklahoma City up ahead when John caught a glimpse of an object east of their location at a higher altitude.