(Preview)
HADRON
(Vol. 2)
Axiom
_______________________
Power and communications had been down for seven weeks. Streams of cars had filled the highways, only to be abandoned when the fuel ran out, their occupants leaving in search of food. Hungry hordes attacked peaceful homes and encampments. Hundreds of passersby had been turned away from the cave as the group struggled to maintain their own security and sanity.
The field of cattle had been poached and slaughtered during the night. The carcasses dragged away. Two of the horses had been eaten, forcing Mace and the others to begin chasing away the hungry during the day. Patrols of the property were a constant after dark. The group was forced to bringing the remaining animals inside the cave each day as the sun set. The weather continued to get colder.
Jane stood beside Johnny as they took their turn at guarding the rebuilt cave entrance. “Hon, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Those two children out there with their mother today... my heart was breaking turning them away. I feel like there's no humanity left inside me. We have enough that we could at least share with some.”
Johnny frowned. “We may not have enough to last us to spring as it is. And I hate to say it, but they'll just be like stray cats. You feed them once and they'll keep coming back. Winter is here now. We can't make any more food than what we have. This all sickens me too, but we don't know if we have enough to keep ourselves alive. The rest of the world will have to find their own way.”
Mace and Tres walked up the gangway. “Next shift is here. Go get yourselves some rest.”
Jane fought back the tears. “I'm having a hard time with all this.”
Mace nodded in sympathy. “We all are. When I was up at Caldwell this morning, they had their third attack on the barricade this week. And a dozen other instances of people sneaking into town to steal. We're at that bad stage now where it's down to ultimate survival for everyone. We can try keep ourselves alive in here through the winter; we can't keep everyone out there alive.”
Jane sighed. “Driving them off just seems wrong.”
Mace leaned against the cave wall. “Seems that way to all of us. We could let these stragglers set up camp out there and organize and gather firewood to keep themselves warm, but they aren't in need of shelter. There are plenty of abandoned houses around. We don't have enough to feed them.
“If we share what little we have, we run out. We're left starving and desperate just like they are. I hate to say it, but without power and communications, this planet can't support the people it has on it. When this is all settled, I doubt we have a quarter of the population we have now.”
Tres said, “Dr. Jeff thinks when spring comes, if we organize and coordinate with the other people around us, we might be able to grow enough produce to feed everyone here in the valley for the next winter. He said the resources would be strained as we figured out what we were doing. And that we wouldn't likely be able to support anyone coming in from outside. He thinks we can do it, even though most of us in the valley aren't farmers.”
Johnny said, “I thought you studied agriculture.”
“I did. I've had some time to think on it, and I've realized that I'm probably not as educated on the subject as I thought I was. You know, it's easy to say you could do something you haven't done before, but actually doing it can be far different from what you envisioned. I learned that with trying to get us a garden ready to plant come spring. It's a lot more work than I thought, if you want a real shot at success.”
Johnny held Jane as they walked down the gangway into the main room.
Mace looked out through the portal. “Will drop well below freezing tonight.”
“I can already feel it,” said Tres. “Wish we could build a fire up here next to the door.”
“Would just draw people in. Maybe you could run a piping system up here with water we heat in the back.”
Tres sat on a makeshift chair. “Wish I could get home to see if my family is OK.”
Mace looked over at him. “I feel the same way about my mom. Only, no way I can make it out to California. You, at least, might be able to make it home, if you decided to go.”
“I could scrounge up a vehicle, and probably the gas to get me there, but I can't get myself to take that trip alone. I'm too scared of what I might find when I get there. And how fair would it be to the others here if I was to try to bring back four more people without the means to support them?”
Mace glanced out the portal at the moonlit landscape. “In a world gone mad, you have to wonder if survival is even worth striving for. All those things we've taken for granted for so long, the phones, cars, TVs, beer, toilet paper... those will all just be distant fond memories before long.”
Tres said, “The beer problem we can solve. The still is giving us a couple gallons a day. We could ramp that up to as much as we want given the supplies we have in here. I could build us a brewery if we wanted beer. We have the bags of grain and the other ingredients we need back there in storage. You just say the word, and Dr. Jeff and I will build you a brewery.”
“You two just keep working on that alcohol and tell me when you think it's 100 percent safe.”
“It's drinkable right now, but if we're wanting to use it for trade, we need to add some flavoring to it to make it palatable.”
Mace asked, “How long would it take you to make fifty gallons if you thought it had sufficient taste?”
Tres squinted. “Mmm. With that setup, most of a week. Let me scale it up and we could pump that out in a day.”
Mace looked back out through the portal. "Do what you need to make it a commodity we can trade, and then scale it up. The sooner you have it ready, the better we can supply ourselves for this winter. We're rationing to ourselves right now. Things will get worse before they get better. Alcohol... we can trade for what we need.”
Mace stood firm. “Get up, we've got company. Somebody's moving up toward the helicopter. Wish we had somewhere to tuck that thing away.”
Tres scampered down the gangway, alerting the others. “People outside. Don't know how many.”
Don, Johnny, Jane, and Jeff joined Mace and Tres. The door to the wall was quietly opened and the six armed defenders slipped out into the night.
Two men stood near the helicopter with a hose and a can as Mace sprinted up behind them. “Freeze! Hands where I can see 'em!”
The men complied. “Just looking for fuel, mister.”
Mace gestured toward the road. “The fuel on this property is taken, you'll need to move along.”
The men nodded before turning to leave.
Mace waved his weapon. “Hey, you, come back here. You're gonna want that hose.”
The man slowly reached down for his means of siphoning.
Mace again gestured toward the roadway. “Now go. And don't come back this way... and good luck to you.”
The men hurried away into the moonlit shadows.
Jane said, “You always handle that so well.”
Mace took a breath. “Just glad I haven't had to pull the trigger yet.”
Mace lowered his gun.
Jane turned. “Everyone back inside. Johnny and I are gonna walk the perimeter with Mace.”
Jane pointed toward the roadway. “Might as well make sure they've left.”
As they began to walk, Jane said, “What's our long term goal here, fellas?”
Johnny replied, “What do you mean?”
“We have to have more on our minds than just surviving this winter. I'm talking about reestablishing a community, or joining one. I'm in agreement that we stick it out here for the near term, but what about next winter?”
“You saying you don't like living in a cave?”
“Do we want to do something like move into Ronceverte or Caldwell? Somewhere where we can share the responsibilities with a larger group? Maybe have a co-op of farmers, a town baker or blacksmith, or a gunsmith even—you know, something sustainable
?”
Mace replied, “I think that's something to certainly consider.”
“I say this because I think we need hope. We need something to look forward to. I don't care if that means starting our own community or joining one. I just think it's something we'll want to do. And we need to find Mace a woman so he stops flirting with me.”
Johnny flexed his arms. “You been hitting on my wife?”
Mace laughed. “Every chance I get. Just trying to stay in practice.”
“Should have taken up with Vanessa when I said. Now she's taken with that skinny little brew-master kid.”
Jane asked, “You liked Vanessa?”
Mace shook his head with a smile. “No. That was just Johnny poking fun at me when this all started. I like Vanessa, just not in that way.”
“Well, we at least need to get you to town more often. There has to be a lady out there for you somewhere.”
“Now wait a minute, how'd this conversation turn from 'What will we do as a group long term?' to 'How do we hook Mace up?' You two need to be focused on our survival for the next six months.”
Jane replied, “I just know how much I rely on Johnny for sharing how I feel and for comfort. I want you to have the same.”
“Wait, you suggesting the three of us should be a couple?”
Jane sighed. “No, stop being an idiot. Just saying we need to find you that special girl who will give you purpose, keep your thoughts occupied when you have nothing else to do. Look how happy Tres and Vanessa are. I want that for you. And when I'm finished here, we'll work on Dr. Jeff and Don.”
Johnny nodded. “Matchmaking at the cave. A compelling story about romance and love.”
Jane shook her head. “The two we need to keep an eye on are Cam and Tonya. I mean, I'm glad they have each other to keep company, but teens don't always think through their actions. Especially when they're two bodies just trying to keep each other warm in that cave at night.”
Johnny replied, “Neither do adults.”
Johnny reached out, grabbing Mace by the shoulder and pulling him close. “Keep me warm, Mace. I promise I'll keep my hands to myself.”
Mace replied with a clenched mouth. “Get your hands off me... you dirty ape!”
Jane shook her head. “Well, at least you two keep it somewhat entertaining. Not sure where I'd be without you.”
Mace laughed. “Don't forget Jasper. He's a big part of this comedy team.”
Johnny scowled. “That old coot. We need to carry him and that rocker out to the field, shove a broom handle through his shirtsleeves to keep his arms up, and leave him out there to scare off the crows. That way he can constantly disparage them instead of me.”
Jane smiled. “You like that old man, don't you?”
Johnny faked wiping a tear. “More than I like life.”
The three walked up the ramp and into the cave. The door was closed and latched. The remainder of the night saw no outside activity.
Another week passed before the first winter storm dropped two inches of white powder on the valley. A snowball fight ensued. Johnny took the opportunity to drill Jasper in the back of the head as he sat in his rocker with a blanket over his lap.
Jasper turned around, waving his shotgun in the air. “Johnny Tretcher! Don't make me come out there and beat you with this!”
Johnny laughed, taking a face-full of snow from Vanessa. Tres had scampered behind him to hide from her wrath. The event went on for fifteen minutes until a group of huffing and puffing survivors took a seat on the porch around Jasper.
Mace said, “I love a good snow.”
Don replied, “Want to go for a ride down the valley? It's been a couple weeks since we did a check. Was going to make a run to Blacksburg with a few gallons of that shine Tres and Jeff have been brewing.”
Mace shook his head. “Thanks. Have too much to do here this morning. I'll give you a hand with the gas cans, though.”
Mace followed Don around behind the gift shop, retrieving the empty cans for refilling. Cam was given direction to bring two gallon jugs of the moonshine out to the 'copter. Tonya eagerly followed him.
Mace said, “OK, you have four cans in there. You think they're still open for business in Blacksburg?”
“I sure hope so. Otherwise we're gonna have to get the good doctor to brew us up some fuel this bird can handle.”
Cam ran up. “Two gallons. Dad, can Tonya and I come with?”
Don nodded. “Sure. I could use the company since Mr. Hardy turned me down.”
The teens raced around to the other side, with Cam opening the door and helping Tonya up and in. Johnny, Jane, Vanessa and Tres walked back into the warmth of the cave.
Don hopped up in the pilot seat. “Be back in an hour, maybe?”
Mace nodded as he closed the door. “Just keep an eye out for trouble.”
Mace walked back to the gift shop porch as the helicopter blades spun up to speed. With a change in the blade pitch, the 'copter lifted up toward the east, moving slightly forward before banking hard toward the southwest. As it climbed up over the treetops and looped around, ultra-bright flashes crisscrossed the sky.
Mace covered his eyes as Jasper flinched. The chopper, in a hard bank at the time, went silent, rolled over, and plummeted toward the ground. No time was left for an autorotate maneuver.
As Mace unshielded his eyes, the helicopter, carrying three of his extended family, crossed over a gravel road and slammed into an abandoned trailer-home.
Mace jumped from the porch at a full run. Seconds later, as he climbed the hill toward the trailer, the wreckage erupted in flame. An explosion, followed by another, told of the fuel and the two gallons of alcohol igniting. Mace came to a stop fifty feet from the entangled burning melange of rusted trailer sheet metal and helicopter. With the high flames, there wouldn’t be any survivors.
Jane, Johnny, Tres, Vanessa, and Jeff joined him as the fire at the crash site raged. Black smoke rose up toward a blue sky filled with thin puffy clouds. Johnny pulled Jane in close.
The six of them stood in horror-filled silence for several minutes as Jasper watched quietly from the edge of his rocker.
Mace turned to the others with a look of deep sorrow. “Nothing we can do here.”
Tres wrapped his arm around a sobbing Vanessa, turning her slowly away. Jane refused to move as Johnny attempted to comfort her.
Jeff shook his head slowly as he pursed his lips, walking beside Mace on the way back to the gift shop porch. “What happened? We lost the lights in the cave and heard the crash.”
Mace shook his head. “He was still banking and climbing when the engine just went dead. It dove before he could do anything. Strange, though. Doesn't make sense.”
Jeff stopped as they stepped up onto the porch. “What doesn't make sense?”
Mace pointed up. “There were some kind of bright flashes, high up in the atmosphere. I mean super bright. They were spread out all over, but in a grid. Happened the moment before his engine failed. Only saw them through the corner of my eye, extremely bright. Not even sure what I was looking at.”
Jasper said, “I saw it, too. Still seeing spots.”
Smoke began to billow out from under the hood of the SUV. The battery suddenly exploded, denting the hood and setting the engine compartment on fire.
“Hold on,” said Jeff.
He jumped off the porch, opened the door to the RV and climbed the steps. He turned the key in the ignition and flipped several switches. A worried-looking Jeff jumped down from the RV and raced back into the cave, returning seconds later with a key to the Jeep. The key turned, but nothing happened.
He hopped out of the Jeep and raced back into the cave, emerging less than a minute later at a slow walk.
Mace said, “What is it?”
Jeff stopped and took a deep breath. “I believe what you witnessed were EMP blasts. All of our electronics are shot. Which I don't understand.”
Johnny tilted his head to one side in question. ?
??EMP?”
Jeff cleared his throat. “Yes, an electromagnetic pulse, or a series of them in this case.”
Johnny replied, “I know what EMP is, Doc. Who would do this?”
Jeff shook his head. “I couldn't say, but they just rendered every vehicle we have useless. That helicopter was commercial. It wouldn't have had shielding to protect against an EMP blast, let alone a series of them, if that's what that was. That plastic body would have left a lot of those electronics exposed. Probably the only thing moving or flying now is military. And what I don't get is the SUV and the Jeep. Those are under metal hoods. That EMP would have to have been extreme to affect them both, plus the RV, although with the RV I can see it, because we have those spare power lines running from the generator into the cave.”
Johnny replied, “The generator hurts, but we need those vehicles.”
Jeff frowned. “Well, the generator also ran our water pump and the filtration system on that RV. We probably have fifty gallons of potable water right now, and then we're out. We'll have to boil.”
“So all vehicles are out?”
“Hard to say. We really don't know what we're dealing with here. In a normal high-altitude EMP, most of your vehicles would probably be unaffected. Those that were running might be a bit more susceptible, but most would be fine. What happened doesn't make sense, because multiple EMPs are not additive, and studies suggest not effective. Once you ionize the air with one blast, it takes time before you can do it again.”
Jeff shook his head again. “This has to be something different. Similar, but different. And much, much stronger.”
Mace looked over at the burning wreckage. “Ten seconds sooner and they would never have left the ground.”
Johnny reiterated his question. “Again, who would do this?”
Jeff shrugged. “Some misguided politician? The Russians or the Chinese? Our chance of finding that out is probably zero. Could be somebody fired a nuclear missile that MIRV'd. What I do know is that if our vehicles are out, probably every vehicle within five hundred miles of those blasts is now inoperable. We can say goodbye to powered transportation, at least anything with electronic ignition.”
Mace said, “Maybe now we know why the government has kept our military in place. Fear of an invasion.”
Johnny turned to Tres. “Power out worldwide from a mysterious electromagnetic interference, massive EMP blasts... and planes crashing because of no crew aboard. Your alien theory is starting to sound plausible. But we haven't seen anything that would tell us something conclusive.”
Tres shook his head. “What do we do now without transportation?”
Mace glanced toward the roadway. “I did see several old vehicles in this valley. We might see if we can get one or more of them running. And we still have two horses.”
Johnny held up a finger. “Hold on.”
A quick jog to the RV trailer had the door open. Seconds later an engine could be heard turning over. Johnny emerged from the trailer after the fourth attempt at starting the four-wheeler ended in failure.
As he walked back toward the porch he threw up his hands. “That's a solid metal trailer. Should have been more than adequate protection. If that was EMP, it was far stronger than even a nuke would generate.”
Jeff nodded. “That's precisely what I was saying. This is something different, something much more powerful. And not something I believe we are capable of.”
Tres called out from the end of the porch. “Guys! Over here! Uh, I don't know what I just saw, but it was big.”
Tres pointed toward the top of a snowcapped ridge, as Johnny, Jane, Mace, and Jeff walked up beside him. “Not sure what that was. Long and gray. Only saw it for a moment before it went into the clouds and behind that ridge.”
Johnny asked, “A plane?”
Tres shook his head. “I don't think so. Couldn't be a blimp either. Was too big and not round like a blimp, or shaped like a plane.”
Johnny pressed. “Well, what was it?”
Tres slowly shrugged. “I... I don't know. But I did see something... definitely a craft or vessel. And it wasn't one of ours.”
Tres took a deep breath. “I don't think it was from here.”
“Russian or Chinese?” asked Johnny.
Tres frowned. “No, I mean not from this planet.”
~~~~~
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