Magnetic
Page 14
During one of the lulls in laughter, the sound of an unfamiliar vehicle on the highway could be heard. Everyone stopped chatting and listened as the vehicle apparently slowed down and turned onto a side road. The volume increased, indicating the vehicle was coming in their direction.
Most of the men walked around the corner of the house to see if the vehicle was going to turn on their road, which it did. It was a white pickup; extended cab. The truck stopped behind the lowboy trailer on the road.
Jake was the first to approach the truck and talk to the occupants, He turned and said something, quietly.
“Who is it?” John asked. Jake said … something,
“Who?” John repeated. The passenger door opened, and a young lady stepped out.
“Whisper!” Harold shouted as he sprinted forward and hugged his daughter. He was a happy camper. She seemed to be, too.
“What’s for breakfast?” Will asked as he got out of the back seat and extended his hand for a handshake.
Everyone exchanged greetings as the other two occupants climbed out of the truck. Harold thanked Damien for bringing his daughter home and offered him a short-stack as a small reward. Damien gladly accepted. They all started walking toward the backyard.
“Be careful,” Harold warned the tight group, “there’s a pretty nasty mud hole up there.”
River ran through it.
(Did you see what I did there?)
By the time the new arrivals were escorted to the backyard, Abe came walking up from the tater shed with Sierra in tow. There were on a mission to quench a craving (for food in general) but were pleasantly sidetracked with a sibling hug. They were all happy to be together again but were even more hungry.
Roxie had already made a nice stack of pancakes and was busy mixing up a new batch of batter when the growing group rejoined her by the fire pit. The backyard transformed into something more of a family reunion than the result of a country-wide blackout. Arlene had even joined the group and was smiling and chatting along with everyone else.
Thank God for coffee.
During the commotion, hardly anybody noticed as Harold placed a short stack on a plate and slipped away to the tater shed. As he descended into the near-darkness, the smell of the pancakes preceded him. By the time he reached the bedroom, Kay’s mouth was already watering.
Kay enjoyed her breakfast in bed as Harold sat at the foot and sipped on his coffee. He told her about the incident with Bear, the return of Arlene and her daughter, and the arrival of Whisper, Will and River. She was in disbelief that so much had happened since she went to bed the night before.
She finished her meal, sipped her last sip of coffee from her cup and looked up to see Harold staring at her with a weird look on his face – more weird than usual, that is.
“What?” Kay asked with a slight giggle in her voice.
“I love you, that’s what,” Harold answered. He leaned over and crawled up to the head of the bed, stopping inches from her face.
“I love you more,” she said softly.
“No, you don’t,” Harold said as their lips touched for a tender good-morning kiss. “I love you more.” They kissed again.
“Get me dressed,” Kay said excitedly as she broke the kiss. “I’m ready to get this day started.”
Chapter 14
A new life
A tap on the door grabbed the attention of the Secret Service agent as he stood diligently at his post. He cracked the door slightly and nodded at the person on the other side. Stepping back and pulling the door open with him, a frazzled man in a wrinkled suit stepped in carrying several crumpled papers with him. His glasses clung to the top of his head.
“Mr. President,” he said breathlessly, “things have just gone from bad to worse down in Louisiana.”
“Define worse,” the President said, looking up from the documents he was reviewing.
“I just got word from Governor Edwards that the River Bend Nuclear Station has reached critical mass,” the frazzled man said. “The cooling fans of the mechanical draft cooling tower have experienced total failure and the fuel elements are nearing the melting point. This is not good, Sir.”
“If they don’t get the situation under control,” President Trump asked, “this could lead to core collapse?”
“Yes, Sir,” the man answered. “Complete meltdown.”
The President sat in silence for a few seconds before speaking. “Rick,” he said, “do you really believe that’s inevitable? Are we about to have a nuclear meltdown on American soil?”
“I’m afraid so, Mr. President,” Rick Perry said solemnly. “There have been issues with this particular power plant recently, but this is going to be way bigger than a rolling power outage. If there is a complete collapse of the core, the fuel-coolant interactions would be catastrophic.”
“There would be casualties?” Trump asked.
“Initially the casualties would be negligible,” Perry replied. “but the long-term effects would be devastating. The fallout would adversely affect millions. New Orleans. Baton Rouge. With winds moving west to east like they are predicted to do, the entire Gulf Coast eastward over to Jacksonville and along the East Coast from all the way from Orlando to Richmond would feel the effects of the radiation. If there’s a shift in direction or a decrease in wind speed, East Texas could be in danger.”
President Trump knew this was personal for his Secretary of Energy, since he spent much of his political career in Texas, even serving as the great state’s Governor for two terms. He was a popular and effective leader in the state he loved.
“Is there nothing we can do?” the President asked.
“Pray, Sir” Perry replied.
The two men bowed their heads.
They prayed.