The Day of the Monarch

By Robert E. Hill

The small, sleepy town of Perry, Oklahoma, is known for being the home of Ditch Witch and the capture of Timothy McVeigh. But one of its residents has played a key role in the technological apocalypse people have come to call the Day of the Monarch.

Despite the lack of electricity from a power outage, Christmas morning starts much like any other for twelve-year-old Abby Tate, but things quickly spiral into chaos. Not only has the power outage affected the state, but according to short-wave radio, its impacted the entire world.

Abbeys computer-savvy friend, Shane, insists he is the cause of the power outage. His computer virus, the Monarch Virus, destroys a computers microprocessor and ram chips, and he thinks it is responsible for the world-wide blackout. Abby doesnt believe himuntil Shane goes missing and a fleet of military forces takes over the town.

But something doesnt make sense. Does the government have Shane in custody to prevent other countries from using him and his virus as a weapon? When FEMA sets up camp on Abbys family farm, she swings into action, recruiting her friend Molly to begin investigating and having no idea of just how much danger shes about to encounter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475974775

Robert E. Hill

Robert E. Hill’s extensive resume covers everything from electro-optical engineer to Baptist preacher. He is the author of several screenplays, including Forever Nineteen and Final Revelation, as well as the nonfiction book, Throwaway People. He currently lives in Nevada.

Book preview

THE DAY

OF THE

MONARCH

Robert E. Hill

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

THE DAY OF THE MONARCH

Copyright © 2013 by Robert E. Hill.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4759-7476-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-7478-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-7477-5 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013902855

iUniverse rev. date: 02/19/2013

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Synopsis

DEDICATED TO:

Abigail Records, my wonderful granddaughter, every time I think of you I smile.

To Angela Records my amazing daughter, every time I think of you I’m amazed and proud.

To Harlan Hill, my son and best friend, every time I think of you I think I can accomplish anything.

To Eric Hill (1980-2000), my son and my heart, every time I think of you I think of Heaven and how I can’t wait to join you there.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Cover Design—Ashley Hesch\Robert Hill

Content Contributor—Shane Lattin

Warren Ranch Image—Chapter 7—Courtesy George Warren

Sugar Bars Image—Chapter 8—Courtesy George Warren

Network Puzzle Image—Chapter 16—Courtesy of Renjith Krishnan\FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mars Rover Image—Chapter 19—Courtesy NASA

International Space Station Image—Chapter 28—Courtesy NASA

Mars Image—Chapter 29—Courtesy NASA

Chapter%201%20copy.jpg

CHAPTER ONE

THE LAST CHRISTMAS

P erry, Oklahoma, to some, is a wide spot on Interstate 35 in North Eastern Oklahoma. It is home to just over 5,000 of the finest people on the planet. Its claim to fame is that it’s the smallest town in Oklahoma with a daily newspaper and it was Perry’s very own law enforcement that arrested Timothy McVeigh after he blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It is also home to the Charles Machine Works, the headquarters and manufacturing center for the world-renowned Ditch Witch trenchers.

The people here seem to run at a different speed than those in the bigger cities and that’s something that they are very proud of.

This particular Christmas season was unusually cold and had an overabundance of snow and rain. Snowplows and tire chains were as common as Christmas trees and candy canes.

For my family it was Christmas, and the snow and the cold made it even more exciting and helped to draw the family even closer together.

We are the Tate family and we are just a typical American family. We are kind of like the ones that you imagine when you think of a family sitting in front of a fireplace drinking hot chocolate and playing board games. We live on a farm on the south side of Perry and with 240 acres it is a full time job for the family to keep it going.

Jerry Tate is my dad. He’s a farmer. Making things grow is what he does best and he has spent his whole life on this farm doing just that. His great Grandfather built this farm and it has been passed down from son to son and now it was dad’s turn.

Angela is my mother. She’s also interested in making things grow. She has worked hard all her life and now has a PhD in Horticulture from Texas A & M University. The farm is the perfect place to put her theories to the test.

Erica is my older sister. At 16 she is at that point where she knows more than she will ever know again. Boys are her main topic of study and she is trying to learn all she can.

I’m Abby and daughter number two. At 12 years old I am considered by most to be normal but my dad says I’m way too smart for my age. I spend my spare time taking things apart to see how they work. I am fascinated by things outside of our universe and yet I think I’m very down to earth. I love playing soccer, softball, and racing go-carts. With two dogs, Flash, a Dachshund, and Howie, a Golden Retriever, I’m the animal lover of the family.

Harlan is my brother and the youngest. At six years old, Harlan has already figured out how to manipulate his two sisters and of course, being the youngest, he always seems to get breaks that his sisters never get. Like, recently my mom put her foot down and said no more dogs. Of course Harlan decided he wanted a dog and mom decided to bend her rule and Harlan got a dog too. His name is Maynard. He’s an English bulldog that pretty well goes wherever he wants and does whatever he wants.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Although mom and dad has instilled in our minds what the real meaning of Christmas is and how important it is, when you’re a kid, getting that present you so desperately have to have is far more a greater miracle than the Son of God coming to earth to hang out with His people. But at Christmas there is always real magic in the air. The greatest food, the smell of a pine tree in the living room, people laughing and being nice to each other, family from far and wide calling or coming by to wish you well, waiting for mom and dad to leave the room so I can shake my presents and try to figure out what they are, and the most magical of them all, two weeks off from school.

This Christmas Eve was no different than any other, until the power went out. I was right in the middle of watching my favorite show, Victorious, when everything went dark. After about fifteen minutes of setting in the dark I decided to check things out, so I walked outside like I had done so many times before. As I walked into the blackness that surrounded our country home I was amazed at how the cold and darkness felt like it could have been cut with a knife. It was so crisp. No gray. Just black and white. A mixture of silence, snow, and little dots of light. The stars were so bright and the sky was so dark. The grass was frozen and it made loud crunches as I walked around.

The normal sounds that would flow around the farm and entertain me with the game of trying to guess what they were weren’t there. No planes flashing across the sky, no coyotes howling in the distance. Just a silent satellite streaking across the sky. How can a world so big be so quiet?

Harlan walked out the back door and when he was unable to see me he started to panic.

Boo Boo, Boo Boo, where are you? he started to scream.

I’m right here, I said and walked over to him.

Boo-Boo is his nickname for me and soon it caught on and mom, dad, and Erica forgot my real name and just called me Boo-Boo.

Why is it so dark out here? He asks.

Well, the power is out everywhere so there is no yard light, no lights on the pump house, and I guess there is no light at the airport so there are no planes in the sky. I said.

Why is it so quiet? He asks.

I’m not sure. I think all the animals have already gone to bed so they can get up early in the morning to see what presents they got.

Boo-Boo, if the earth is spinning around like they say it is, then why doesn’t it make a noise when it turns? Shouldn’t the trees moving through the air have to make a sound? And if it is truly spinning then when I jump up why don’t I land in a different spot when I come down? Because the earth turned while I was in the air. He says.

Where do you come up with these questions? You sure you’re only six?

Mom says I’m just like you. He says.

Well you are really cute.

I think she meant really smart. He says.

OK big guy it’s time to go in.

Harlan and I walked back into the house. Everything is very dark but I see a candle light flickering and moving around as dad walks by.

So what’s going on Dad? I said. Why is there no power?

I don’t know yet, Dad said. It may be out for a while, so I’m going down to the basement to start the generator. Your mom and Erica are in the kitchen. There is enough heat coming from the kitchen stove to keep everybody warm until I can get the generator started.

Wasn’t that supposed to start up automatically when the power went off? I said. It seems technology works best when you don’t need it.

I’m sure the power company will have the power back up shortly, Dad said. Probably ice taking down a power line somewhere and it glitched the system.

As Dad walks down the stairs to the basement, I walk to the kitchen to join the rest of the family. The kitchen is actually kind of neat, yet spooky, with all the candles sitting around.

Mom, you’re taking this Christmas thing to far, I said. Just because there was no electricity at the first Christmas doesn’t mean we need to live the experience now!

Mom is standing by the stove with the oven door open.

Come over here and get warm, Mom says.

Why does the stove work and nothing else does? Harlan asks.

The stove runs on butane and not electricity, Erica says.

We are country folk, we don’t have one of them newfangled electric stoves that you read about in the Sears Catalog, I said.

If we had one of them we would be very cold right now, mom says.

A faint rumbling sound comes up from the basement and the lights flicker on. Dad comes up the basement stairs and starts spewing out commands.

Turn off everything electrical. The only thing that needs to be on is a few lights and the heating system. There should be enough fuel in the generator to last about four hours, but I’m sure the power company will have the power restored long before then, Dad said.

Can we turn the Christmas tree lights back on? Harlan asks.

I guess we can. It is Christmas Eve. But we are turning in early tonight. Even if the power comes back on we are still going to bed early, Dad says.

I know you three and you’re going to get up before dawn to see what you have under the tree, Mom says.

With no electricity I will be bored to sleep in an hour, Erica says.

Mom goes over to the closet and sorts through boxes until she finds the one she wants.

Ok guys, who’s up for a game of Risk? Mom asks.

We all three start mumbling, but we all get up and walk to the kitchen table and set down ready to play. After about two hours of Risk, dad decided we should head for bed.

After about ten minutes of freezing in our own beds, everyone moved into mom and dad’s room so we could conserve heat. We all piled into their bed to share our body heat and Maynard, Flash, and Howie, decided to get into the act so they joined us. Sometime during the night Flash and Howie got irritated with all the squirming and bailed off the bed. Maynard decided to stick it out. He had staked claim to his area and he wasn’t going to give it up.

Christmas morning was so cold and being warm under the covers was far better than walking barefoot on an ice-cold floor, but Harlan, realizing it was Christmas morning, began digging out from the bottom of the pile. Nothing was going to get in his way. Santa Claus didn’t need electricity to make his rounds and he was sure the tree would be standing in the middle of a treasure trove of presents. So we all headed to the living room and no one even stopped to consider how the presents got under the tree when mom and dad never left the bed all night.

Christmas day was finally here. The sun was up so we had light coming through the windows and the siege at the bottom of the Christmas tree had begun.

As usual everyone got what he or she had asked for. And as usual mom and dad had spent way too much money on us. We already had more than we needed and like most kids our age we just kept asking for more.

Mom got busy cooking her fabulous Christmas dinner. We always called it dinner for some reason but we always ate it at like 1:00 pm. No one was going to wait until dinner to eat this.

My mom’s the best cook on the planet and when it came to Christmas she spared nothing. We always have turkey and ham at the same meal. Then you throw in the dressing, cranberries, green beans, rolls, potatoes, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and candied yams. You’d think we were having the whole town over for Christmas. But no one complained and it was always gone before the New Year started.

After the great meal things got real quiet. There was no football game on TV because there was no TV. Everyone was in kind of a food-induced coma.

Dad decided we needed to find out when this was all going to be over so he tried to get one of the radios working but none would. He dug out an old antique radio that granny had left him and tried it. We all got really excited when we started hearing amplified static coming out of the speaker. There were no broadcasts. Nothing. Finally down at the low end of the dial we here a faint beeping. Dad tuned it in the best he could and for about an hour we set and listened to the beeping. Finally a voice came on and said that this was the Emergency Broadcast System stay tuned for a message. About an hour later the voice came on again and said the same thing. How weird is this? I thought. Where was everyone? What had happened?

Dad can we go somewhere and see what’s going on? Obviously this is not a normal power outage and we can’t just sit here. I said.

Dad said that he agreed but thought it best we stay here at home.

I’ll leave in a moment and drive down to the gas station and if there is no one there I’ll drive over to the Hargrave’s farm and see what they know. Dad says.

Around three that afternoon the neighbor’s pickup, an ugly yellow 71 Ford, pulls into our driveway. Joslyn Bevil and her son Shane got out of the truck and made their way to the front door. Joslyn is my mother’s best friend and Shane is my best guy friend. Even though their farm was a mile down the road we had grown up together. He was a computer nerd extraordinaire and he had even won a computer hacking contest when he was ten.

It was not uncommon for him to ride along with his mother when she came to visit, but this time I was sensing something was wrong. He had a very weird look on his face. The only time I had seen this look was when he had electrocuted his dad’s prize pig.

As soon as they got in the house he wanted to go upstairs to my room. He grabbed me by the hand and practically dragged me up the stairs.

What’s up dude? Chill a little! I said.

Abby I think I messed up really bad. Shane said.

What in the world did you do now? I ask.

You know that punk David Bennett that’s always trying to punk me out? Shane said.

Yes. I said.

You know that Bennett, Jeff, and Gordon stole my dog Zea right? Shane said.

I know you think they did. I said.

They posted a picture of Zea online. Shane said.

So what’d you do? I said.

I think I messed up bad. Shane said.

What’d you do Shane? You didn’t kill them. Please God tell me you didn’t kill them. I said.

No, I didn’t kill them. I had this really wild computer virus that I was playing around with for the next hacker’s convention. Really nasty. The kind of nasty the government would love to get a hold of. Not only does it erase the data that’s on your computer, but as it leaves it generates an EMF pulse that wipes out all the millions of junctions that make up the millions of discrete devices that make up your computer. Shane said.

English please, I said.

It destroys your microprocessor and ram chips. Shane said.

So you sent this virus to these three dudes and it broke their computers. Big deal. How will they ever prove it was you? I said.

First off, why do you think they care if they can prove it was me? They will kill me without proof. Second, the virus caused this whole power outage that we’re in the middle of. Shane said.

An awkward 10 seconds of silence follows Shane’s last statement then I burst out laughing, rolling on my bed.

You think you caused the power blackout with your little virus? I ask.

It’s true. Within 10 minutes after pushing the virus, my computer died. Then the T.V., and then the power. Shane said.

Come on Shane, you don’t really think you caused this power outage? I said.

I’m sure of it. Shane said.

Come on! This thing is affecting people all over this area, maybe the state. I said.

The State. Haven’t you been listening to the Emergence broadcasting station on your radio? This thing has spread all over the world. Shane said.

I am still laughing, as I try to ask a question.

So you are saying your virus, Shane interrupts and says, The Monarch Butterfly Virus.

I’m sorry what I ask. Butterfly. You think you just broke the whole world and you call it The Butterfly Virus. I need to start writing this stuff down this would make a good book. Cracked out story of the week. I said.

It’s not funny, Shane says. I call it the Monarch Virus after the Monarch Butterfly because Mr. McGee is always talking about the butterfly effect in class. You know, if a butterfly flaps its wings will it cause a hurricane somewhere in the future?

Ha Ha Ha. This just gets gooder and gooder. Did you drink wine with Christmas dinner or did you get into your mom’s happy pills again? I said.

I’m Serious. Ok don’t believe me. Let me show you proof. Shane says.

Ok world destroyer show me some proof.

All right, have you turned on your computer since the power outage? Shane asks.

Yes.

Did it come up? Shane asks.

No there’s a power outage, remember.

Yes, but your dad has a generator running right? Shane asks.

True.

How about your laptop. Have you turned it on since the power outage? Shane asks.

Yes.

Did it come up? Shane asks.

No.

It runs off battery if there is no power right? Shane asks.

True.

Why didn’t it come up? Shane asks.

I don’t know maybe the battery was dead.

Even if the Internet is down and the power is down it should still come up and run until the battery goes down right? Shane asks.

Sure.

It doesn’t because it has been wiped out because it was connected to the Internet when it started. So if we can find a computer that hasn’t been turned on since the power outage then it should be okay right. Shane asks.

You say so,

Do you have a computer that hasn’t been turned on lately? Shane asks.

Erica’s laptop probably hasn’t been turned on since she got it. Mom and dad gave it to her to take to school and use for studying. She never studies. I said.

"Where