EMPulse 3

By Deborah D. Moore

Rising waters in the Great Lakes threaten a safe haven in this nuclear holocaust thriller from the author of the blockbuster The Journal series.

To escape an abusive ex-husband, artist Adele Michaels found safety at The Geo-Domes, a remote resort in the Rocky Mountains. After a nuclear electromagnetic-pulse took down the entire grid, Adele and her new friends undertook a long and dangerous journey from Montana to Michigan to find her mother.

In Michigan, they are finally safe, happy, even content . . . until the Great Lakes start to rise, and everything begins to flood. The nuclear explosions that turned the East Coast into a hot zone have unknowingly set into motion a chain of events that will rock the world—literally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781682618769

Book preview

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Also by Deborah D. Moore

The Journal Series

Cracked Earth

Ash Fall

Crimson Skies

Raging Tide

Fault Line

Martial Law

A Prepper’s Cookbook: 20 Years of Cooking in the Woods

EMPulse Series

Time Shadows

Polar Storm

EMPulse3_titlepage

A PERMUTED PRESS BOOK

ISBN: 978-1-68261-875-2

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-68261-876-9

EMPulse3

© 2019 by Deborah D. Moore

All Rights Reserved

Cover art by Christian Bentulan

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.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

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Published in the United States of America

Dedication

This is dedicated to

Jeffery Calero

Mike Duskin

Marco Miller

Stephen New

Matthew Pacino

Waid Ramsey

Severin Summers

Roy Wood

These are all fallen soldiers from the 20th Special Forces Group who gave the ultimate sacrifice. They are the true heroes of our country.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you are the one who is smiling and everyone else is crying.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chapter One

Wichita, Kansas

Harry, what have you got for me? Sara Norton asked her lifelong friend, tucking her shoulder-length dark red hair behind an ear and out of her face.

He shuffled some papers, dropping one.

Harry, sit down!

Yes, Madam President. Harry Jenkins sat and picked up the dropped memo.

We’ve been over this how many times? We’ve been best friends since pre-school, Harry. Ya know, even though you’re my Chief Advisor, I’ll never get used to you calling me that, so when we’re alone, drop the formality, she said. It had been eighteen months since she was at home, having Thanksgiving dinner with her sister’s family. The junior senator from Kansas hadn’t been invited to the White House briefing that had been called at the last minute. She wasn’t important enough to warrant giving her two cents on the sudden surge of saber rattling by the unstable head of North Korea. Only it wasn’t a bluff this time. Sara only thought she wasn’t important enough to attend that meeting. Unknown to her what she was though, was the secondary Designated Survivor. When the Speaker of the House, a senior senator from Texas and now president, died in a plane crash days after the nukes hit, a first term, and junior senator, became the President of the United States of America, or what was left of it.

Six missiles were launched that night, each with a nuclear warhead. Of the first three, two were high-altitude detonations that wiped out the entire United States grid: a deliberate EMP attack to prevent retaliation. The third one was an intentionally close proximity strike on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, which unleashed an unknown amount of uncontrollable viruses from their vast warehouse; the CDC was EMP proof, not nuke proof. The next three missiles that followed by mere seconds incinerated most of the east coast, including everyone at that White House briefing. What North Korea failed to take into account was that the United States missile silos were hardened and impervious to the EMP. The U.S. failed to stop the second round of three nukes; however, they did manage to stop the North Koreans—permanently.

Any further updates on the damage caused by the latest tidal wave? Sara prodded, pushing a lock of dark auburn hair out of her gray eyes.

With the military communications being hardened against an EMP, reports are still trickling in from those not affected by the tidal wave itself. So far, we’ve lost two carrier battle groups that, as big as they are, didn’t stand a chance against a two-hundred-foot wall of water. All hands presumed lost. Harry picked up another memo. The submarines fared better but we still lost two. The other subs managed to ride it out.

"How did we lose two subs? They’re supposed to be under all that water," she questioned.

Yes, ma’am, but apparently one was directly in the path and has disappeared; the other hit an underwater mountain as it was coming to the surface.

The mountain or the sub was coming to the surface?

"Both. The mountain is now a hundred feet above sea level. All hands are safe and the sub is operational although it’s on the mountain and land-locked."

The new president leaned back in the padded leather chair and closed her eyes. What else, Harry?

The Coast Guard reports that all four hundred ships it had motoring in our coastal waters and monitoring the situation have disappeared. They also said all oil rigs on the east coast, west coast, and in the Gulf are gone. The Air Force is still mapping. Even though they were scrambled and watched from above, and gave us a really good first-hand report right away, things keep changing, Harry said.

How is that possible? The Shift was five months ago! Now she stood and paced behind her big walnut desk.

I’m not a geologist, Sara. However, I am having one flown in to meet with you. Anyway, from the looks of it, until all the after-shocks stop, it will continue to change. We now know that Florida and Cuba are lost, but there is a new land mass off the coast that some are calling Atlantis. It’s still too wet to explore. He looked down at his notes again. Half of the west coast is gone, as is Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Hawaii, plus all of China’s man-made islands. In fact, so far, most of the U.S. shorelines are one hundred to two hundred miles further inland. And still no word from Europe.

Anything else? she asked with a touch of sarcasm.

Harry cleared his throat. The poles are melting.

Chapter Two

Madam President, may I present Dr. Larry Schurr, the geologist I told you about, Harry said, making the introduction. Dr. Schurr stood six foot with thin, sandy hair streaked with gray and laughing blue eyes.

Dr. Schurr, please have a seat, Sara said casually. What can you tell me about what the hell is going on with our planet?

If I knew that, I’d be the smartest man in the world! He snickered and then got serious. "But I can tell you what has happened—so far. Almost a year to the date of the nukes hitting the east coast, the east coast slipped, literally. The nukes that hit almost two years ago disturbed a very deep, undiscovered shelf and set it in motion. We, the scientists and geologists that watch this kind of stuff, couldn’t…watch…because it was too hot with radiation for our sensors to read. The shelf slipped slowly at first then the momentum built until it finally let go.

"Whoever did this, presumably the North Koreans, were smart enough to know nuclear ground bursts can’t be defended against with a structure anywhere nearby. Even if the structure holds, the occupants are messed up from the shockwave. Obviously, distance matters. They also make tons of fallout because all that dust is lofted and has the radioactive gasses condense on it. This is where the legendary fallout comes from: the stuff that takes months to decay. EMP, or air burst, nukes cause almost zero fallout. Seismic nudging ground bursts create devastating fallout. We haven’t been able to get anywhere near the impact zones.

"Anyway, this massive amount of real estate plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, sending a mountain of water to replace it. The slip caused the Earth to…tilt. Can I use this board? Without waiting for the president to answer, Dr. Schurr stood and picked up one of the erasable markers and started to draw. The Earth became off-balanced, which then caused it to tip again. As the volume below the crust is fluid, it would move around like a washer on spin cycle until the load was balanced."

If the water replaced the chunk that slipped, why would it be off-balanced? Harry asked.

Water weighs approximately eight pounds per gallon so a five-gallon bucket of water then weighs forty pounds. However, a five-gallon bucket of solid rock is over one hundred pounds, depending on the type of rock. So we’re talking a lesser weight replacing equal mass. Then the momentum of that mass displaced even more water, sending out tsunamis in every direction. He drew arrows outward.

Okay, so that’s off our east coast. Why did it affect our west coast and everywhere else for that matter? Sara asked, now deeply enthralled with this new explanation.

Ever try carrying a full fishbowl, across a pothole-filled dirt road, in a moving car going one hundred miles an hour? The water will slosh and a lot. The Pacific Ocean…sloshed, Dr. Schurr replied, with a shrug. It’s still sloshing.

So what does that mean for us? When will it stop? And why is it suddenly so warm? Sara asked.

Keep in mind, Madam President, that the Earth tilted and then tipped: we’re not where we used to be. We didn’t move by much, just a few degrees, but geologically speaking even one degree is a LOT.

What do you mean?

Dr. Schurr erased his drawing and started again, drawing a circle with three lines horizontally and one vertically. Bear with me on the simplicity. The equator, Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn, North Pole and South Pole. He pointed at each one as he labeled them. Then he drew a rough shape of the North American continent and the south one. The Earth tipped one way and then another and it’s still moving, by the way. He picked up a different color of marker. The new equator, he said drawing at an angle. "We are now in the Tropic of Capricorn, hundreds of miles closer to the equator and the equivalent of being in southern Mexico."

And that’s why the poles are melting? They’re hundreds of miles closer to the equator?

For now, yes, and they will continue to melt and the flooding will continue and increase.

Sara gasped at the implication. Where are the new poles?

The new North Pole is offshore from Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk and the South Pole is somewhere near the tip of South America, for now.

"Wait, what do you mean for now?" Harry asked.

Dr. Schurr turned toward Sara. We’re not done moving.

How much longer will this last, Dr. Schurr?

Another year, maybe two, maybe ten. There’s no way to know.

What will happen next?

"I really don’t know, ma’am, but as the poles continue to melt, the oceans will continue to rise and continue to wipe out the shorelines everywhere. In fact, all bodies of water will rise. As far as the U.S. is concerned, my guess is the Great Lakes will blend together, wiping out most if not all of Michigan and then dump into the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is over twenty-three hundred miles long and a mile wide—rather, was a mile wide—and it could get as wide as fifty miles or a hundred miles."

Harry, I think we should call a meeting of all the military heads and bring them up to speed, Sara said. Dr. Schurr, how long can you stick around?

Actually, Madam President, I was under the impression that you might need me here indefinitely, so I packed up my meager possessions and brought them with me. He looked slightly embarrassed. Can you recommend a good hotel? He grinned sheepishly.

She stared at the academic for a long moment, and then turned to her advisor. Harry, since this was one of the governor’s mansions we took over as the new Kansas White House, I’m sure there are enough rooms in this place for Dr. Schurr to have one and one with an attached office would be best. We might need him in meetings on a short notice. See what you can find. Sara sat back down at her expansive desk, dismissing both of them.

Outside of the president’s office, the doctor tapped Harry’s arm to get his attention.

Can I get a computer in my new office with some graphic software and some aerials of both coasts? It would be much easier to explain what’s happening if I could create a three-dimensional image.

Harry nodded, jotting it down on his ever-present to do list.

Ah, can I ask a question, Harry?

Of course, Dr. Schurr, what is it? Harry said while still writing.

Why Wichita for the new capitol? Topeka is the capitol of Kansas, why not there?

"Topeka is a mess, Dr. Schurr. With nearly three million people, it was quickly without supplies; people starved, died without medications; gangs ruled the streets and then burned it down. The former governor had several vacation mansions and Wichita with only three hundred thousand people seemed a bit safer. And mind you, we are not in Wichita; we are over fifty miles outside the city limits. Wichita itself doesn’t exist anymore. Besides, this is President Norton’s hometown and that alone makes her feel safer."

Chapter Three

I’m sure not complaining about the early spring and summer, Adele said, wiping her forehead with a small towel. However, this feels more like Texas in August than the UP in April!

Well, I’ve never been in Texas so I’ll take your word for it, Alden answered. But I agree, it’s unseasonably warm. Have you noticed the sun has moved again?

I don’t think the sun has moved, I think the Earth is doing the moving, Chet said. He set down a pitcher of iced tea in the shade.

A minor semantic technicality.

That’s what, the third movement that we’ve actually felt? I wonder how many there have been that we didn’t feel? Chet said, looking up into the cloudless deep blue sky.

How far-reaching do you think changes may go for us? I mean, to what extent? Adele questioned.

Well, why don’t we take a ride up to Look Out Point and see if there are any noticeable changes; I’m sure we’ve got enough gas. Our only concern is our immediate location and that will give us a view that covers almost twenty miles in every direction, Alden suggested. I’ll leave Dan a note so he doesn’t worry if he gets back from town early and can’t find us.

Why did he go to town? Makwa Ridge has been pretty much been stripped clean, Chet said.

Derek has been working on something and Dan wants to test it out.

You’re not going to tell us about Derek’s project, are you? Adele grinned.

Nope, her mother replied, stifling a smirk.

I forgot how beautiful the view is from up here, Adele commented, leaning on the railing that protected the walkway at the peak. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the clean air and smiled. Chet stood behind her, placing his hands on the railing on either side of her and rested his chin on her head. He still reveled in being able to openly touch her. His dog, Gus, sat patiently to the side.

Alden didn’t say anything. She pulled up her binoculars and looked toward Lake Superior, which was now more northwest than the previous north. The Big Lake, as locals called it, reflected the deep blue of the sky and sunlight danced across the surface. She lowered the glasses and frowned.

What’s wrong, Mom?

The Big Lake is…bigger, and it seems closer. Here, look. Alden handed over the binoculars. Her heart had stuttered at the sight and then began to beat rapidly. She breathed deep and willed herself to calm down.

Explain what you mean, Chet pushed.

Adele looked and then she too frowned, perplexed. She handed him the glasses.

Focus on an area out from the edge of the water, Chet. What do you see?

I see…treetops? Chet said, looking in other directions.

I think we should take a run down to the shore and check it out, Alden said, dispassionately.

Alden approached the shoreline road with caution.

Another one hundred feet and the pavement is wet with water. She scowled. This portion of the road was a quarter of a mile from the shore, and now the shore is right here! The lake is rising. I wonder how fast? It’s been months since I’ve been here.

"I’m going to mark this spot somehow so we know where we saw the water line. I think we need to keep a close eye on how fast the water is rising, Chet said, hopping out of the vehicle. Gus moved to follow. Stay." The dog sat down yet never took his eyes off his master. On a tree across the road where the new shore started, Chet made a deep X as high as he could reach, using the ever-present, long-bladed hunting knife from his boot.

As soon as he got back in, Alden turned the work-horse four-wheeler around and headed for home.

Chapter Four

Sheriff Dan Watter’s Humvee was sitting in the driveway when they returned, and Dan himself was sitting on the porch with his daughter Leah and Alden’s young neighbor Derek.

And how did Derek’s little experiment work out? Alden asked. Although Alden and Dan had been back together for only the last six months, they had a long and warm relationship. Dan’s daughter, Leah, had been home on furlough from the FBI when the bombs were dropped eighteen months earlier, escaping the fate of those still at Quantico.

It worked like a charm! Derek grinned widely.

So what did you come up with? Chet asked, his curiosity growing.

He made a siphon pump to get more diesel fuel for the Hummer, Dan said.

I used the same principle as the one in Jeff’s truck, Derek explained. I realized I had a pump of sorts, one that fit on a fifty-five-gallon drum; it just couldn’t reach very far down. So I modified it, adding a long garden hose like Jeff’s, just below the suction housing—now it reaches the deepest tank!

And then he used a plastic garbage can as a base to hold the pump. Instead of turning a wheel like Jeff’s pump, this one has a handle like a water pump. A little more effort to get the siphon started, but now I’ve got all the fuel I need, and it’s portable! Dan finished. "And we brought back a couple of five-gallon cans of gas for the ATVs.

Alden smiled warmly at her young neighbor, feeling he had redeemed