by Chris Pike
Undefeated World
The EMP Survivor Series – Book 5
By Chris Pike
Undefeated World
by Chris Pike
Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the proper written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
Books in the EMP Survivor Series:
Unexpected World – Book 1
Uncertain World – Book 2
Unknown World – Book 3
Unwanted World – Book 4
Undefeated World – Book 5
The series is available on Amazon here:
The EMP Survivor Series by Chris Pike
Other works where Chris Pike’s writing is available on Amazon:
The Will to Survive: A Charity Anthology for Hurricane Relief
Dedication
To my readers: Thank you. This story would not have been possible without you and your encouragement. Y’all are the best! And to my family who has put up with all my crazy ideas and work-shopping sessions, y’all are the best too.
—Chris
Quotes
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
—Mahatma Ghandi
“But touch a solemn truth in collision with a dogma of a sect, though capable of the clearest proof, and you will find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets will swarm about your eyes and hand, and fly into your face and eyes.”
—John Adams
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Previously in the EMP Survivor Series
Cast of Main Characters
Dillon Stockdale – Dillon is an assistant District Attorney in Harris County. He’s widowed, mid-forties, is a prepper at heart, he loves guns, his daughter, and his dog. Through a series of events and revelations, Dillon teams up with Holly Hudson who for several years has been on the other side of the courtroom, defending clients while Dillon prosecutes them.
Holly Hudson – Holly is a defense attorney in Harris County. She’s also mid-forties, never been married and has secretly admired Dillon during courtroom hearings. During the trip to her ranch, and the subsequent trip to rescue Dillon’s daughter, Holly comes to know Dillon better.
Cassie Stockdale – Cassie, mid-twenties, is Dillon’s daughter. She’s of the generation who grew up in the internet age, yet her father made sure she was prepared for possible contingencies. She relies on her gut instinct to survive.
Ryan Manning – Late twenties and is a medical school student. He meets Cassie on the plane which will crash due to the result of the EMP. Later, Ryan uses his medical knowledge to help people while Cassie works as his nurse.
Chris Chandler – He is known by his last name, is late twenties, a sniper during the war, and is from Austin. Betrayed by his girlfriend, he falls into the wrong crowd intent on killing Dillon. Chandler comes to the rescue and teams up with Dillon and Holly. He and Amanda are a couple.
Amanda Hardy – She is early twenties, has lost both parents, and is from Austin. Somewhat naïve, Amanda falls for traps other despicable people have set.
Kate Chandler – Late twenties, she is the youngest sister of Chris and Luke Chandler. She meets Nico Bell while she works as a bartender in San Antonio. She and Nico become a couple.
Nico Bell – He is mid-thirties, is of American Indian and Russian heritage, and speaks and reads Russian. He was in Border Patrol prior to when the grid went down.
Supporting Cast of Characters
Luke Chandler – He is one of the three Chandler siblings. He’s one year younger than his brother Chris Chandler. He lives with his parents at the Big View house on the Colorado River in Austin. Luke has bad timing on everything.
John Chandler – He is the father of the three siblings. He is married to Tatiana.
Tatiana Chandler – She is the wife of John Chandler, and mother to the three Chandler kids. She has Russian heritage, and descends from a female Russian sniper.
Uncle Billy – Full name is William Chandler, named after the first Chandler to immigrate to the United States. He is known as Uncle Billy. He is a crack shot, and is friendly with J.D. (Jack Daniels). When the going gets tough, Uncle Billy is the one to count on.
Dorothy Cooper and her daughter Anna – They were introduced in Book 2, where we find out what a scrappy 10 year old Anna is when she tries to find her mother antibiotics. Dorothy is a single mom and is trying to get by. She works two jobs and raises chickens to support herself and Anna.
Dogs and horses of The EMP Survivor Series
Buster – He is Dillon’s dog. When we first met Buster, he was used to lounging around in the house all day, enjoying air-conditioning especially when it was hot and humid. He’s afraid of thunderstorms and loud noises, but not afraid of alligators. He frequently gets into trouble.
Nipper – He is Amanda’s dog. A spunky well-muscled dog, named after the RCA Victor dog, Nipper is a natural born tracker, chases cats, and isn’t afraid to give his owner Amanda a hand when needed. He’s fast, he likes to dig, and is completely loyal to Amanda.
Reload – He is a service dog with an attitude problem, he stays close to Kate Chandler. Kate found him starving in the alley behind the hotel where she works, and after several weeks of feeding him, he became Kate’s dog. Later, she had him qualify as a service dog. If Reload doesn’t like a person, he lets the person know.
Cowboy – He is a solid, sturdy horse, likes to be scratched on the head, has a mind of his own and will bite if threatened.
SPOILER ALERT: Book summaries 1-4 contain spoilers!
UNEXPECTED WORLD Book 1 Synopsis
The EMP Survivor series starts during a contentious trial in the Harris County Courthouse, Houston, Texas. Dillon Stockdale is pitted against the revered Holly Hudson regarding a case involving Cole Cassel. When the EMP begins, a plane strikes the cour
thouse, all types of mayhem ensues, Cole escapes, and Holly is injured. Dillon takes Holly to his house, and later they decide to bug out to her ranch in East Texas. Buster, Dillon’s dog, comes along too. Meanwhile, Cassie, Dillon’s daughter, was on a plane that crash landed in the expansive Atchafalaya Basin swamp in Louisiana. Dillon vows to find her at all costs.
Upon learning Holly has horses, Dillon decides to ride horseback to Louisiana to try to find Cassie. Holly decides to accompany him, along with Buster.
Unknown to Dillon, Cassie has teamed up with a plane crash survivor, and they are both trying to walk out of the swamp.
While camping, Dillon decides to check on a fish trap he had set in the swamp, and while he was wading in the water, an alligator attacks him. Fortunately, Holly saves him by shooting the alligator.
The book ends as Dillon is recovering, and with Cassie, Ryan, and another survivor spending a long and lonely night in the swamp.
UNCERTAIN WORLD Book 2 Synopsis
Book 2 begins with a backwoods no-good lowlife surprising the plane crash survivors (Cassie and Ryan) while they are sleeping early one morning. Fortunately, Ryan had left the campsite to go do his business. With Ryan’s quick-thinking and former baseball pitching ability, Ryan and a landowner named Garrett who was traipsing around the swamp looking for his dog, dispatched the lowlife.
The book follows the two storylines of Cassie and Ryan, and Dillon and Holly. During the trip back to Holly’s ranch, newcomer Chandler saves the day and teams up with Dillon and Holly, and finds a new girlfriend in Amanda. Meanwhile Buster gets lost during a thunderstorm, but is fortunately found by Cassie.
To top things off, Cassie and Ryan get kidnapped by bad guy Cole Cassel and are thrown in jail in Hemphill, Texas, not far from Holly’s ranch. Dillon finds out Cassie is being held prisoner by Cole, who is bad, and has a reason for kidnapping Cassie.
The long and short of it is: Dillon, Holly, and Chandler save Cassie and Ryan. Cole is killed, and for a couple of months everyone lives happily ever after at Holly’s Double H ranch, named for her initials, where two cats, two dogs, and six people live. Unfortunately, one of the cats falls prey to a mountain lion attack. Dangerous animals are all around in the EMP Survivor series.
UNKNOWN WORLD Book 3 Synopsis
Book 3 begins with Chris Chandler (he’s known as Chandler) and Amanda Hardy saying goodbye to the Double H Ranch where Holly and Dillon are living. Known to be a man to keep his promises, Chandler escorts Amanda to Austin where her great aunt lives (or so they thought).
Along the way, they encounter dangerous people and situations. They also lose one of their horses to a mob wanting their supplies. Fortunately, they escape, and after being shot at while watering their remaining horse, Cowboy, at the Littlefield Fountain on the University of Texas campus, Chandler and Amanda finally make it to his parents’ house. All is not okay though, and Amanda is kidnapped by an old boyfriend, hell bent on taking land she owns. The Chandler family rallies around her, and after a big shootout at the University of Texas campus, Amanda is saved. They mostly live happily ever after…mostly. Amanda ends up saving Chandler from a python that has been lurking in and around Lake Travis near Austin.
UNWANTED WORLD Book 4 Synopsis
Book 4 follows the story of Nico Bell and Kate Chandler, little sister of the two Chandler boys. Kate works as a bartender at a hotel near the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. She has a service dog named Reload. Nico is staying at the hotel waiting for his contact. He’s been working undercover for a long time while trying to meet Santiago, a mysterious drug cartel character, whose real identity will be divulged.
Nico had to go to the Rio Grande border where he has been instructed to pick up a package for Santiago. The EMP strikes, mayhem ensues, and there’s a big grassfire. Nico and his partner escape with their lives, Nico heads back to San Antonio where Kate is, but along the way he encounters trouble.
When he gets back to San Antonio, gangs are trying to take over the hotels near the Alamo, resulting in a big shootout. Kate and Nico get together, and later when the weather warms up, Nico steals a helicopter and they fly to Padre Island where Nico nearly loses his life while swimming on the beach. If you want to know how, you’ll have to read the book. No spoilers!
If you want to know how the series ends, you’ll have to read on. It’ll be fun and all the characters will get together. There will be more mayhem, bad guys, but no dogs of the EMP Survivor series were harmed during the writing of the books. So you can relax about the dogs…but it doesn’t mean they don’t get into trouble, especially Buster.
Prologue
Vladivostok, Russia – Home of the Russian Pacific Fleet
Six Months Before the EMP
Standing rigidly at attention, the young soldier, whose main job was to monitor Russia’s oil production, fidgeted nervously outside the door to his commander’s office. The soldier cupped his damp hands to his mouth, blew cool air on them, then briskly wiped them on his pants. He had been working for twenty-four hours straight, sitting hunched over a computer monitor, checking and double checking the spreadsheet. He first thought the low oil production numbers were due to a bug or a glitch in the software, but the more he studied the numbers, the more he knew they were right.
Russia was in trouble.
His eyes were bloodshot, his skin pale.
He swallowed audibly, took a big breath to gather courage, then rapped his knuckles on the door.
“Enter,” Colonel Mikhail Burkov said.
The soldier entered the dim room, lit by an old lightbulb. He saluted his commanding officer, his unblinking eyes staring straight ahead.
The furniture was bleak and dated, and about as cheery as a dull gray winter day. The commanding officer sat behind an old metal desk, something the young soldier figured was a throwback of the Cold War.
“What do you have?” Colonel Burkov asked. The chair squeaked when he leaned forward.
“Sir, I have the latest oil production numbers you requested on the Samotlor Field.”
“Is it good news?”
The soldier swallowed again and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I don’t interpret numbers, Sir.”
“Don’t lie to me, soldier!” Rising, Burkov slammed a folder down on his desk. The soldier flinched. “You eat and breathe those numbers. Tell me now. Is it good news or bad news?”
“Do you want the news only for that field, or others?”
“First tell me about the Samotlor Field.”
The soldier did his best to control his shaky voice. “The field is ninety-five percent depleted. Oil production is down to the lowest it’s ever been, and it continues to fall.”
“What about the other top producing fields?”
“Production keeps declining as well.”
“Why do you suppose that is?”
“Reserves in place were overestimated, especially for the Samotlor Field. Overproduction has depleted all fields at a faster pace than was originally estimated.”
Colonel Burkov stepped over to the window and gazed at the compound. He clasped his hands behind his back. Military trucks rumbled past nondescript buildings located on a three acre plot fenced by barbed wire. Personnel walked stiffly along sidewalks. Someone laughed, which did nothing to lighten Burkov’s dour mood.
“Samotlor is the biggest oil field in Russia. The money the field generates singlehandedly supplies our military and pays for our weapons.” Burkov lowered his voice. “It pays to keep the Americans from attacking us.”
“I am aware of that, Sir.”
“Have you told anyone about this information?”
“No Sir. I only crunch numbers. My family thinks I am an accountant. Nothing more, nothing less,” the soldier replied.
“Good.” Burkov snatched the folder out of the soldier’s hands, then sat down at his desk.
The soldier remained motionless.
“One more thing.” Burkov smiled disarmingly. “I think it’s time you took a vacation.�
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Overcome with relief, the soldier let out a breath he had been holding. His eyes flicked to Burkov. “Thank you, Sir. I shall pack immediately.”
“Go someplace warm where the water is blue and the sky clear. Find a pretty girl. Have a few drinks. And be sure to keep your receipts. You will be reimbursed one hundred percent for doing a good job.”
“Yes Sir. I will, Sir.” The spring in the soldier’s step previously missing, appeared again at the thought of a vacation.
After the soldier left, a side door leading to Burkov’s office opened. A big man stepped inside.
Burkov made eye contact with the man who bore a distinctive scar running across his face. His name was Petya Ruslan. “Follow him. You know what needs to be done.”
A wicked smile spread across Ruslan’s cold, hard features he channeled from the literal meaning of his first name. Stone. He was as cold and hard as a slab of granite.
“I won’t fail.”
“I know. You never do.”
Ruslan left as quietly as he had entered, leaving Burkov alone. Briefly, he pondered his next move. He unlocked a desk drawer and retrieved a plain letter sized folder. In it were oil and gas logs, seismic sections, maps, and the name of a shale oil field in the East Texas Basin: Hemphill.
The minnow of an oil and gas operating company which had discovered the new shale oil field had been easy to infiltrate. Their cyber security was laughable, and the lead geologist sang like a canary when lots of money had been waved in front of his face. His hourly pay paled in comparison to what the owners would be raking in. It was about time he had a big paycheck himself. He’d desperately needed to pay off his debts–a fact Burkov knew about from clandestine intel gathered on the man. He chose his victims carefully, just like he had handpicked the soldier who ran the numbers. He was expendable, and it didn’t bother Colonel Mikhail Burkov one iota. What Mother Russia needed was more important than the life of one lowly computer geek who knew too much.