by Miles Maresh
Mike and Dave cleaned up the blood and body parts as well as they could. Leaving them where they fell could set off more mines as animals scavenged the remains. The two men replaced the claymores from Mike’s now limited supply and put less explosives in each one. Hopefully the men did not have a larger invasion force that they would be willing to launch a substantial attack. At any rate, Mike’s cabin was now known and they would not be able to simply wait out the destruction of society without being affected by it. Mike decided to venture into Crown King to find out what he could from the residents of the small mountain town. The townspeople knew Mike was a part time resident who had a cabin far back in the Bradshaws. although they did not know exactly where his place was. Mike took Trevor with him on his trip to town. They stopped at the general store run by a cantankerous couple in their sixties. The proprietors said that a group of about 30 people had come by and asked if there were any vacant cabins in the area. When the storekeepers said everything was occupied they asked for directions to the occupied cabins. They would not tell the group anything and they left heading up the mountain. They were so unnerved by the group that they called in the Crown King Sheriff. Mike and Trevor were told the Sheriff was currently out on patrol checking on residents to make sure the group of people were not causing trouble. Mike only vaguely knew the Sheriff but hoped he didn’t check on the house where the invaders had killed the occupants. The turnoff to Mike’s place was now also open with signs of a battle still evident. They decided to go back up to their area and look for the Sheriff.
The next day a military Humvee showed up. Inside were 2 officers and a man in a Sheriff’s uniform. Mike left his weapons at home and walked over the rise with the deed to his land and Diane. Diane was an attorney whose skills might be less needed in this world, but could help Mike in this situation. The Sheriff introduced himself as the Sheriff of Crown King. He asked Mike and Diane for identification and they both complied Mike handing over his driver’s license and Diane her bar card from the Los Angeles Districts Attorney’s office. The Sheriff was taken aback and asked “Is what they say about Los Angeles true?” Diane “Yes, I saw the mushroom cloud from Bishop. My family left a few hours before our home was destroyed.” The Sheriff gestured at the obvious battlefield and said to Mike “People are telling you’re setting off explosives in this area.” Diane said “As Mr. Hoff’s attorney he has the legal right to use deadly force to protect his posted private land and his family. And my family as well. Mr. Hoff also put up warning signs against trespassing along with announcing the existence of the mines. The men were only harmed after ignoring multiple no trespassing signs. Both of our families including children were in danger from these armed men entering the land without permission. These men were earlier observed killing the neighbors across the way and throwing their bodies in the canyon. They entered posted private land carrying weapons. The explosives my client has are legal and were readily available.”
The Sheriff reviewed his paperwork and agreed that the men had no right to be on Mike’s land. He said “I’d still rather you didn’t kill anyone.” Mike agreed “I don’t want to but if they endanger the safety of my family, I will take whatever action is necessary.” The military men recognized Mike from when they were in the convoy into Phoenix. The first man said “I am Colonel Marks, and this is Sergeant Dobbs. Are you ex-military?” “Captain Hoff U.S. Air Force retired” Mike responded. Marks asked “What did you do in the Air Force Captain? Mike responded “fighter pilot, 2 tours in Afghanistan. Any chance you can tell me the situation?” The colonel responded since you’re military you need to know. “Extremists in North Korea somehow got control of 2 nuclear missiles. They hit Los Angeles and Washington D.C. We hit the extremist base in North Korea with conventional weapons. We destroyed the base. North Korea declared war on us and threatened to unleash all their nuclear weapons on us. We immediately destroyed most of their infrastructure and military as we eliminated their ability to launch missiles. We used conventional weapons to bring them down without releasing radioactivity in the area. China backed North Korea for reasons not really clear to us and declared war on us. We need fighter pilots. Most of our pilots went home to their families and others succumbed to the EMP.” The colonel looked at Mike who realized what he meant. He said “I haven’t flown a fighter plane in 10 years. I’m sure I could pick it up but I can’t leave my family alone up here.” The colonel responded “I can move your family to Luke Air Force Base. We have power there. If there are no more missiles, the government has a plan to get the power on in parts of the major cities. It will take years. 30% of the U.S. population has died of starvation, thirst or disease and the number will go up as food and government supplies become exhausted. The FEMA camps are running out of supplies and will close down soon. There’s simply no way to resupply them with the grid down. The military has enough food and fuel stockpiled to last through the emergency. You and your family will be safer there. Your missions will be to defend the city of Phoenix from foreign aggression. We don’t think the Chinese will launch nuclear weapons but there is talk of a ground invasion while we are down. China did not fare as bad as the western hemisphere because they were facing away from the sun when the solar flare hit.”
Mike told the colonel he needed to talk to his family. He invited the military men and the Sheriff into his compound. The visitors were impressed by the cabin and all the improvements. Colonel Marks said “I really can’t offer you much more than this, but I can provide electricity and more safety. More importantly we are in a state of war and your country needs your skills.” he continued looking at Mike. The Colonel looked at Dave and Emily “Are either of you pilots?” Dave said “No, not like you’re thinking, I only flew crop dusters and other small planes.” “Marks replied “If you can fly cargo planes, I can still offer you a position on the base. Our planes also need mechanics and logistics personnel. I understand you lost your home to a North Korean nuke. This would be a chance to help the country prevent any more nuclear missiles being used. I can offer all of you positions and your children will be able to attend the base schools.” Mike and Dave asked for a few minutes to talk to their wives and each other. Mike said ‘What do you think? I know you don’t want me in the military, but this is an emergency situation and I will based locally. Emily said “I agree. This cabin is acceptable but the Air Force housing will be nicer and the children would be able to attend actual schools instead of doing survival work part of each day. I am not sure about your safety if the Chinese do invade. But as a former military wife I understand duty and patriotism. Diane said for my children’s sake alone we have to accept the offer. We have lost too much already to not give some stability and education to our children. Dave said “it’s agreed, we’re in. This sounds like a possibility to be involved in the recovery not just waiting it out. I wonder if they will let me keep my crop duster.”
They returned to the Air Force men and said they were in but wanted to ask a few questions. Mike knowing the military like he did said “Are we going to be commissioned? And if so will we be released from that when the hostilities end?” Mike did not want to be forced to remain in the service once the war had ended. Colonel Mark’ said “You will be commissioned and promoted to Lt. Colonel. Dave will be a civilian employee in charge of flying in supplies and technicians to replace the power grid in Phoenix” He checked his paperwork and added “I see that Emily was a teacher and we can use her at the base schools. As an attorney Diane will be able to help us with logistics and mission planning. Once we repel the Chinese threat we plan to de-commission all our reservists and turn the power back on in Phoenix. We will provide you a place to live if you don’t already have one. Is that acceptable to all of you?”
Before leaving the compound Mike asked the sheriff if he knew any dependable family that could live in the homestead as caretakers until the power was restored to cities. The military said they would take care of the invaders that had attacked his cabin. Mike still did not want to leave h
is place vacant where other squatters he did not know could take it over. The Sheriff said “I have a wife and 4 children under 14. We are living on FEMA rations and we know that will not last much longer. We have no power in our Crown King home. I would very much like to bring my family here. I can guarantee you I will keep the place safe, clean and in working order.” “Mike said “You have a deal.” He didn’t know the Sheriff well but leaving the place vacant invited others to take over property that he still wanted to hold onto. The Sheriff also would be better able to defend the home site than a family without law enforcement personnel. He showed the Sheriff the area and how the cabin was set up to use the stream and the pond.
Chapter Twenty One
Luke Air Force Base was on the far western outskirts of the Phoenix area. Dave received permission to land his plane at the base and the rest of the group used Mike’s truck and Emily’s Jeep. They were escorted by military Humvees and drove through downtown Phoenix. Because of the evacuation the area was deserted but Mike did observe a few people hiding from the military troops. He had thought the evacuation was mandatory, but it’s hard to move people out if they really don’t want to leave. Mike wondered what they are doing for food and water. The area has to picked clean by now he thought. When they arrived at the base the families were moved into separate houses. Because Mike was to become a pilot again he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and his family moved into officers’ quarters. Dave was hired as a civilian aircraft pilot. He would not fly military missions but his experience enabled him to fly Air Force cargo planes to bring in supplies and technicians to assist in restoring power to Phoenix. Diane was hired as a logistics coordinator, and Emily was accepted as a teacher at the base’s school system. The housing and working quarters at the base were quickly repaired after the EMP and some military equipment was shielded in their design. Mike wondered why the city and state governments did not stock supplies and repair equipment like the military did. He resolved to bring that up before they started to turn the power on in cities. It wouldn’t be good to allow the EMP to happen again. Although the last time it was a solar flare, with China blustering the next time it might be caused by military action.
Mike asked about the possibility of China launching an EMP missile and was told that the military had new technology to defend against EMPs. This was news to Mike although he had wondered how the base had appeared to have never suffered the devastation the outside world did. Colonel Marks told him that the military had developed the technology only recently and were not even sure it would work when the solar EMP hit. They now understood how it works, and were confident that they would retain power even if a nuclear EMP was used against the country. It was a closely guarded secret and the Colonel was sure it would give the U.S. an advantage in the war against China so long as they did not use nuclear weapons in a conventional manner. The rebuilding of the power in Phoenix would also include shielding technology installed by the military. It would not be good to let China know the technology exists. They would no doubt develop it independently someday but for now in a wartime scenario it was hoped they did not even know it was possible.
Scientists working for the military had known for a long time that it was possible to protect electronic equipment from electromagnetic pulses whether from natural or man-made origins. The most obvious example was the Faraday cages which a lot of private preppers used to protect their electronic devices. The military also used Hummers that were immune. Hummers had electronic components unlike the old army jeeps (that were also immune), but the Hummers electronics were surrounded by shielding that functioned as a faraday cage without the cage. The scientists figured out ways to get the Faraday protection without actually encasing the electronics within a literal cage. They also applied this technology to other military technology including Air Force planes and most critically missile silos. They did not offer this technology to the general public because it was considered classified. We did not think any of our nuclear rivals had this technology and we weren’t even sure if would work because it had never been tested. When a solar EMP hit that affected millions of Americans, the military found that the equipment worked better that expected. It was not in time to save the people that died in the initial event, but all the restored cities would have the faraday technology installed in their power grids and vehicles. While the solar EMPs would not be a problem conventional nuclear weapons could still bring great devastation to American cities
Mike attended a refresher course in flying the advanced military jets which had improved since his days in the service. He would be flying an F-16 Flying Falcon on reconnaissance and combat missions of classified destinations and times. While training, Mike was informed that Chinese troops were aggressively massing on ships in the Pacific Ocean. The President who was running the country from Cheyenne Mountain warned the Chinese that an incursion into United States territorial waters would result in a complete destruction of the invading forces. He did not want to declare war on China unless they attacked the United Sates directly. China’s declaration of war on the U.S. was purely based on their feeling that the country’s military was out of operation. Because they had not used nuclear weapons on North Korea China might feel they were unable to. They were sorely mistaken in that assumption and a strong showing might be enough to convince them to stand down. Two reeling superpowers waging war in this post EMP society would cause any recovery to cease, and if nuclear weapons were used would probably end all life on earth. Mike and the other pilots would be using conventional weapons to prevent the Chinese from gaining a foothold in the United States, and to convince them that a war against the United States was not in their best interests.
After training Mike was assigned as a pilot for an escort plane for the B2A Spirit bombers that would attack the Chinese ships if they got too close to American territory. Mike would be responsible for protecting the bomber and engaging any Chinese fighter planes that attacked from aircraft carriers in the area. They trained for this in the Arizona desert near Yuma. From there, the supersonic fighters and bombers could be off the coast of San Diego in less than an hour. San Diego seemed the most likely place for a Chinese military invasion with the high number of U.S bases in the region. Los Angeles was still radioactive and deserted but San Diego was far enough away to provide a safe refuge for many military forces.
Mike’s unit received word that the Chinese convoy had stopped short of U.S. territorial waters except for one destroyer that kept on going. Because there were no aircraft carriers protecting the ship the assumption was that the Chinese forces did not think the U.S. military was able to respond. Once they detected the bombers and fighter planes Mike’s unit was expected to face opposition from the ships such as guided missiles. All F-16s were equipped with countermeasures to divert the missiles away from them. President Ryan approved the mission. Using military forces against a country that had declared war on us was a decisive step but we had warned them. The bombing run was a mission designed to sink the ship, not just disable it. Mikes group consisted 8 F-16s half of them flanking each of the two B2A bombers. As they approached the ship which was well inside territorial waters and only 20 miles away from the San Diego coast, heat seeking missiles rose up from the ship. Mike’s fighter group released chaff and took evasive action as the stealth bombers rose higher depending on the height and the advanced stealth technology to hide the aircrafts from missiles. The missiles met and ignited the chaff in midair which fell harmlessly into the ocean below. Both bombers dropped their payload of precision guided bombs onto the target. The Chinese battleship was completely destroyed by the massive, but non-nuclear bombs. The U.S. bombers and their escorts had lost no planes and headed back to land in San Diego to see what the Chinese did next.
Chapter Twenty Two
Emily settled into her job teaching high school at Like Air Force Base. Her students were a mixed group with many types of backgrounds. Some were there because one or both parent were career military. Because the base hardly fel
t the EMP at all the major difference for these students was the fact that they couldn’t leave the base for recreation. Fortunately Luke was a larger base that had recreational opportunities within its fences. The other type of students, like Emily’s own children, were refugees from outside the base. The Air Force wouldn’t let just anyone in, but they needed pilots badly and Mike had the experience, Emily liked to think that her teaching ability was beneficial to the cause but she realized they the county was close to being at war and the military needs came first. Unlike her own kids some of the students from outside did not have parents with them. The military had rescued some from gangs on the outside. Some of those children had seen one or both parents killed by the gangs. At least on the inside they could have food, shelter, and safety. Although the military still had a finite amount of resources they would not turn these children away. Emily who had taught in inner-city schools before had a great deal of empathy for these children who had experienced great tragedy.
Trevor was supposed to spend this school year as a senior at the high school he had attended for 3 years. It was supposed to be the best year of his life and he was already accepted by several colleges. When the EMP hit and his life was upended, He adapted quickly because his dad was a prepper and he realized sooner than most how life would be different. Coming to the Air Force base for him was a great advantage. Although not a big city like Phoenix the base was city within itself and it had power, clean water and a supply of food that seemed sufficient if not unlimited. Best of all his family got to stay together in an area with resources. He had resigned himself to living in the cabin but it wasn’t the way to spend his years as a young adult. College would have to wait until the world outside was back but with his mother being a teacher he was challenged by his schoolwork. He was worried about his father and what the Chinese were planning to do. If war came Trevor planned to enlist and fight for his country.