Another Side of Armageddon

By Kevin Klesert

This story picks up from where Another Fine Mess ended. Former Secretary of Defense Alicia Calhoun and Admiral Sean Phillips are in command of the 21st Century US Navy Enterprise Task Force that had traveled back in time once again on another mission to change history.

They must now figure out how to deal

• Language: English
• Publisher: New People Publishing
• Release date: Jul 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9780999058046

Kevin Klesert

Kevin Klesert, a successful independent businessman, has experienced firsthand how small businesses all over the country carried a disproportionate amount of the burden to meet their legal obligations. The steady erosion of Main Street USA under mountains of onerous regulations, licenses, taxes, and fees from Federal, State, and Local Governments have all but destroyed their ability to succeed and turn a reasonable profit. His intense study of historical trends brought to him the correlation between the downfall of dominant societies of the past and the current struggle to maintain the most noble and ambitious political experiment in human history, the United States of America. He discovered the seeds of ruin were planted within the very generation that launched the United States to world preeminence. Kevin Klesert's desire to shed light on this dire situation through the means of a thrilling adventure has produced a story worthy of the fight against these negative forces. The ideas for the Judgment In Time Series percolated in his adventurous imagination while he raised his four children and ran an award-winning design and construction company. A 3rd generation native of Southern California, Kevin Klesert imbues his writing with his passion for history, adventure, and fantasy. Kevin Klesert, a successful independent businessman, has experienced firsthand how small businesses all over the country carried a disproportionate amount of the burden to meet their legal obligations. The steady erosion of Main Street USA under mountains of onerous regulations, licenses, taxes, and fees from Federal, State, and Local Governments have all but destroyed their ability to succeed and turn a reasonable profit. His intense study of historical trends brought to him the correlation between the downfall of dominant societies of the past and the current struggle to maintain the most noble and ambitious political experiment in human history, the United States of America. He discovered the seeds of ruin were planted within the very generation that launched the United States to world preeminence. Kevin Klesert's desire to shed light on this dire situation through the means of a thrilling adventure has produced a story worthy of the fight against these negative forces. The ideas for the Judgment In Time Series percolated in his adventurous imagination while he raised his four children and ran an award-winning design and construction company. A 3rd generation native of Southern California, Kevin Klesert imbues his writing with his passion for history, adventure, and fantasy.

Book preview

Something confused Captain Henry Jackson of the Shiloh. Excuse me, Sir, but you listed the Susquehanna and the Norman Schwarzkopf. What ships are those?

Alicia answered. Upon recommendation, we renamed the Nazi oiler to USNS Susquehanna and the cargo ship to USNS Norman Schwarzkopf. Apparently you didn’t get the memo.

After a chuckle circled the room, the meeting continued for another two hours as they planned the logistics of the undertaking down to the smallest detail. When they finished, Sean had one last announcement. I will address the crews in one hour. Dismissed.

After the last of the senior staff left to return to their commands, Captain Mark Daily of the Seawolf remained behind with Rebecca.

Mark wanted to satisfy his curiosity. So what do you think Dr. Eddington? Do you believe Carl Eddington is sailing with us?

Rebecca reacted to the wrong use of her name. Awfully presumptive of you to assume that because I married and bore a child with Carl, that I would take his name.

"My bad. But when you’re left in the dark about so many matters that impact your life, all you’re left with is assumptions."

Tell me about it.

About Carl?

Carl is manipulating Specter’s Command and Control, and that is what happened to the nuclear missile. He sent it somewhere else, and my best guess is somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. When Specter didn’t show the same power spike it did when the Nazis showed up, it could only mean the power responsible was already here.

And because of your dreams about Carl, you believe he is the only one capable?

If not him, then I hate to think of what else might be around to pull it off.

For all of our sakes, I hope you’re right, Dr. Cutler.

In conveying the choices to the sailors of the fleet, Sean avoided most of the existential aspects of the journey. In the orders he delivered throughout the task force over the ship intercoms, he first spoke to the sailors concerns about surviving in their new world. Not one of you asked for this, but we’re all in this together if we want to survive. The most important thing those of us who experienced this before can relay to you is this. As long as you stand by your mates and perform your duties as sailors of the finest naval force the world has ever seen, you will greatly enhance our odds of returning home in one piece. I can’t promise that all will be sunshine and roses, you only have to remember the loss of the Churchill to see this isn’t a game, and that real people’s lives are on the line.

There wasn’t any way Sean was going to expose Bowie and Franklin’s promises if they went to Europe, so brutal honesty would have to suffice. Rather than sit around and wait for the next attack, it has been decided that our best bet to return home lies in setting course to Europe. Continue to follow your orders and I will do my best to see all of us safely home. Admiral Phillips out.

By now, those who had experienced 1942 were liberally interspersed throughout the fleet and were quick to snuff out negative scuttlebutt and assuage any fears of those who still struggled with the idea. Later, as Sean read the reports, he was pleasantly surprised there was little dissension among the ranks. Most just wanted to get on with it.

Section Break

Sarah Whineglaus could not believe how much had changed under the current tenant of the White House, and because of those changes, her home in Vermont was looking real nice right about now. In the twenty-five years she served as the President’s Secretary, only under the second Bush did she feel for the first time that the downfall of civilization had a chance of occurring in her lifetime.

Her current boss, President Susan Harrison, was on the phone with the Chinese President selling out Taiwan. Only an hour before, the Japanese ambassador had stormed out after discovering the United States Navy had withdrawn to Pearl Harbor, which left the door wide open for China to send ultimatums to both South Korea and Japan to accept the New Asian Sphere of Influence. In other words, submit to Chinese rule or face destruction.

Sarah could only hope China didn’t resort to nuclear weapons like the growing number of countries already had, including Pakistan, India, and of course the United States. If the average American knew half of what I do, they would dig a hole, climb in, and bury themselves.

What was that, Sarah?

Nothing, Tom.

I have to stop thinking out loud, she mumbled.

Before Sarah could form another thought, her mind disconnected from her body, as a foreign presence pushed her identity into a corner. Hello Sarah. Don’t worry, I won’t be staying long, Phoenix soothed.

Being a devout Christian, Sarah panicked and tried to scream out for her lord and savior to throw the demon out; however, this demon had other plans.

It took all of Phoenix’s will to keep the transformation from looking like an epileptic attack. Sorry to disappoint you Sarah, but Jesus isn’t available right now. Relax I’m not a demon, and if you settle down, I promise you won’t remember anything after I’m gone.

Phoenix opened Sarah’s mind to the happiest past life she had lived, a life where Charles Darwin was her son. For the first time in years, a peace of mind she had rarely realized permeated her consciousness. Her face would have glowed if she had any control over her body.

With Sarah off in her other life and Phoenix in full control of her body, it didn’t take long to set up access to Sarah’s computer.

Sean Anthony’s now wide-awake hackers downloaded tons of data and uploaded a virus Phoenix developed that would worm its way from the White House network to the NSA server hub.

Phoenix went deep into Sarah’s memories to access all the pertinent data from the President Harrison’s first term. For good measure, she also dug into Sarah’s memories of the President’s predecessors for context, getting in and out in less than five minutes. Thank you, little Miss Sarah. Now might be the time to move full time into that cabin you built in the Adirondack Mountains, because from the look of things, your current position is not long for this world. See you soon.

Sarah’s head snapped back and she almost flew out of her chair. Did you hear that? she shouted to her assistant Tom.

Hear what? The President is still on the phone and all is quiet here. He looked away so she would not see the look of disdain on his face. It looks like the old battle-ax is finally losing it.

After Phoenix entered the data from her foray into Sarah’s mind, it took another hour for the hackers to put the big picture together, and for Sean Anthony to hit upon the perfect counter. It turned out he was not alone, as he and Phoenix blurted out in unison, Frederick Masterson!

Before Sean Anthony could explain why, Phoenix beat him to it. He’s perfect. Creator of the world’s next generation of operating systems, worth more than God, every bit the power-obsessed megalomaniac as Aaron, and fortunately for us, he is also in my lineage. According to our research, he gave more corporate bundled dark money to Aaron’s cause than anyone else.

It’s hack attack time, Sean Anthony said, as he pulled one of the empty chairs up to her workstation. At least that was what Phoenix thought they were going to do. Instead, Sean Anthony suddenly disappeared and reappeared with his face on her monitor.

Why would you put yourself in there?

Sean Anthony skipped right past her question. Mr. Masterson, remember you’re him.

Fine, be that way.

Now, please.

Phoenix was familiar with this side of Sean Anthony. He liked to give her the room to put the pieces together without all the facts. Just remember, what goes around, comes around, she chided.

He certainly hoped so. It’s good to have you back as you. Now can you focus, please?

All right, already. It would be much easier to focus if you would be quiet, Phoenix reprimanded, before she slipped into a trance fully prepared for another round of freak out. To her surprise once she entered the megalomaniac’s mind, Masterson was completely at home with this invasion of his thoughts. Her first impressions of this version of herself left a sour taste. I’m a fricking sociopath.

Do you know a better way to truly live free? Masterson replied. Because if you found another way to live in this world with complete freedom of movement without first buying the right, let me know. By the way, how are you doing this? Have you developed a device to implant thoughts directly into my brain? If it is, you have my attention.

Phoenix immediately realized trying to push his mind aside was not an option. "Look, how about you taking a backseat for a moment and let me do my