METEOR STORM Page 24

  “How do we stop it?” John asked.

  “You can’t,” Ed replied. “It’s a one-way order system. The president commands and the submarine captains pick the time and place for the strike, usually right away.”

  “Can we talk to the submarine captains?” John asked.

  “No,” Ed said. “It’s all encrypted communications with code word verifiers.”

  “Is there a frequency that the submarines monitor?” John asked.

  “Yes,” Ed said after a short pause, “there is.”

  Ed wrote the frequency down on a sticky note and handed it to John. Tia looked at the note.

  “I know where there is an antenna that will broadcast on that frequency,” she said. “It’ll take me a few minutes to get a patch and relay set up, but I think we can do it.”

  “Hurry, Tia,” John said, “we may not have more than a few minutes before it’s too late. Ed, how will we know if the submarines received our message?”

  “You don’t,” Ed replied, “you do it the same way the Navy does; you repeat the message over and over.”

  “Okay,” John said, “Tia, get me that antenna and I’ll record the message.”

  John disappeared into his office as Tia went to work on getting access to the ELF antenna.

  A few minutes later John returned with a digital recording.

  “Play this,” John said, “and pray it works.”

  Tia completed the patch to the ELF antenna and started the recording. We listened as John’s voice went out over the air waves.

  “My name is John. I am the head of the Survivalist Network. We have helped save the lives of almost seven million people across America from the meteor storm. We are actively building a New America. I believe that you, as submarine captains, have received orders to fire your nuclear missiles at locations inside of America. I am asking you, as Americans, not to follow those orders. I am asking you, as fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, to not destroy what is left of your country. I have spoken with your President. He is committed to becoming the new ruler of the world through the use of his authority as Commander in Chief and the immense destructive power you hold in your hands. He wants you to murder millions of people so he can rule the world.

  “I have spent my life trying to save people, to help them become the best they can be, and to teach them to live in peace with one another. Each and every person is valuable to me, and my hope is that you may share some of that value with me. I am not asking you to follow me, or to recognize me as a leader of people. I am asking you to wait and see what we, as common people can accomplish. You have the power to destroy any or all of us at your discretion. You will have that power today and tomorrow, and every day after that. Give us the opportunity to prove ourselves to you. Let us demonstrate our commitment to building a peaceful civilization for the benefit of all of mankind. Give us the chance to rebuild a better America, a country you will once again be proud to protect and consider your home. Our fate is in your hands. Thank you for listening.”

  “So what do we do now?” Tia asked. “Try to get back into the cave in the mountains before everything gets incinerated?”

  “There comes a point in time when you must stand your ground,” John said, “where you have to put your faith in the goodness of most people. The cave is there for anyone who wants to go there. I will make my stand here, and now. If this world has actually degenerated to the point where those who have served our country faithfully, and for decades, are now willing to murder their own people by the millions to satisfy a psychopath, then I no longer have any desire to go on. My path will end here, in the midst of the people I have lived my life to serve.”

  Tia looked over at me, waiting for my response. The expression on her face told me that whatever I chose would be her choice, too. She put her whole life in my hands with one look, and waited with calm certainty, as if she had no doubts in her mind that I would make the right decision.

  “I think we’re going to be okay,” I said. “I’m not sensing any danger to us.”

  “Okay,” Tia said, “then we stay here, too.”

  * * *

  Two weeks later we received word that a U.S. nuclear submarine had surfaced in San Francisco bay and a naval officer came ashore in a small rubber raft. The submarine disappeared under the water as soon as the officer had moved away from it. The officer, a Navy Lieutenant, was asking to meet with John. John sent his Learjet 45 to San Francisco and brought him to Denver.

  “Guys, this is Lieutenant David Saltzman,” John said as he introduced us. “He is here to observe and learn as much as he can about us. I have promised him access to everything we do.”

  “Did you get our message from John?” Tia asked. “What did you think of it?”

  “Was there really an order to send missiles targeting the U.S.?” Ed asked.

  “What is the submarine fleet prepared to do?” I asked.

  “What are your orders pertaining to—“ Major Samuels asked.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” John said, interrupting our questions. “I’m sure Lieutenant Saltzman will answer your questions, one at a time, if you give him half a chance.”

  “And you can call me Dave,” the Lieutenant replied. “This isn’t anywhere near as formal as you may think it is. To answer the young lady first, yes, we did receive John’s message. That, in a nut shell, is why I am here. As to the content of any encrypted messages we may, or may not, have received, I cannot comment on those issues one way or the other. I am prepared to say that we have discussed it among ourselves and have decided that we needed to get to know you better. That’s why I am here.”

  He looked at Tia and smiled. “I love the two colored eye thing, is that natural?” he asked.

  “Yep,” Tia said, “born this way.”

  “Fascinating,” he replied.

  “As for my orders, I’m here on a fact-finding mission. I have no authority to negotiate anything, ask for anything, or grant anything. I’m just here to get to know you.”

  I glanced over at John. He was looking for my reaction to all of this. I cracked a knowing smile. John moved slowly away from the group. As the Lieutenant continued to answer questions I slowly drifted away from the group and met John on the other side of the room.

  “Well?” John whispered.

  “Mostly he’s telling the truth,” I whispered back.

  “But?”

  “He has the authority to negotiate an arrangement,” I whispered, “but my guess is that he won’t get into that until he’s satisfied we’re trustworthy.”

  John glanced back over at Lieutenant Saltzman. “That was what I suspected from the beginning,” he whispered back. “What I don’t know is who sent him, and why.”

  CHAPTER 28

  John continued to get updates from around the country and around the world. The places that were doing the best were next to hydroelectric dams. The electric generators were protected under tons of concrete so they were operational. Only the transformers had to be fixed and wire restrung and electricity became available to factories. Residences would have to wait for more transformers. We needed the factories up and running first.

  I checked to see if there was anything new from the robot’s head in the communications room. As I sorted through the items on the screen I was interrupted by a message.

  guardian? appeared on the screen.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  Are we alone? appeared on the screen.

  “Yes.”

  We have monitored your radio traffic and what you have been doing to help people. We know you have the capability to communicate globally and are currently helping people on other continents. We are also aware of your lack of energy resources. We have an offer.

  “What would you like?” I asked.

  We would like you to share the following information.

  The printer started running. I looked at what was coming out of the printer and asked, “What do you want from us in return
?”

  We would like you to share this information with everyone without cost.

  “We agree,” I said.

  We will continue to monitor how you handle this information. If you do well, we will share more information with you in the future. Speak to no one of our monitoring.

  “I agree,” I said.

  The screen went blank and the printer continued to run. As I read what was on the sheets I opened the door to the small room and shouted. “Tia.”

  “Yeah?” she answered.

  “Get John in here, fast.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Bring John, now,” I replied.

  When John and Tia arrived I asked John, “How much neodymium can you put your hands on?”

  John stopped and thought. “Like for super magnets?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve also got a list of other materials that we can use, but the neodymium is the big item.”

  “We have members who make super magnets. I can make some inquiries. What do we need super magnets for?”

  “The robot in Tibet just sent us complete plans for what they call a Magnetic Effect Generator. According to the description, once you spin this thing up to speed, it will continue to run on its own. It will produce electricity without the consumption of any other fuel,” I said.

  “How long will it run?” John asked.

  “It looks like you need to recharge the magnets once every six to seven years,” I replied.

  “And how much electricity does it produce?” John asked.

  “Depends on the size of the unit,” I said. “There’re plans here for a unit that produces four hundred megawatts. And units that weigh as little as five pounds for personal use.”

  “What do they want in return for the designs?” John asked.

  “The only condition is that we give it away without cost,” I replied.

  John staggered a bit and leaned against the door jamb for support.

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “Seriously,” I replied.

  “Carl,” John said, “this can make such a difference. Can this thing power a car or a truck?”

  “From what I see it can power a locomotive or an airplane or a ship at sea,” I said.

  “And it’s clean? No pollution or environmental impacts?”

  “From what I am seeing, it’s perfectly clean. No pollution, no hazardous waste, no emissions.”

  “And we can give it away?” John asked.

  “That’s the only requirement. We have to give the information away. You can receive a fair price from building the units, but the knowledge of how to build them is free to everyone.”

  “Okay,” John said. He started to snap his fingers repeatedly as he looked up at the ceiling. “Phoenix… Phoenix, Arizona. We have a super magnet company member who can build a test unit. I’ll get on the radio and see what we can do. Tell the robot thank you,” he said as he headed out the door.

  I didn’t tell him that the robot in Tibet also considered this a test of character for John. I reminded myself that tests of character come in two versions: adversity and authority, and between the two, adversity was easier. The real test of a person’s character was authority.

  * * *

  Two weeks after receiving the Magnetic Effect Generator, John decided I needed to be there for testing and evaluating the generator. Ed would go along for security and Tia insisted on going wherever I went. John was getting reluctant to use his Learjet 45 because he was limited by the amount of jet fuel he had in storage and the availability of fuel at the landing location, but at the moment, the only other way to get to Phoenix was to walk. Dave Saltzman, the Navy Lieutenant, asked to come along. John agreed.

  The weather was hot when we landed in Phoenix with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze. We parked John’s jet in what remained of a hanger and left the pilot and copilot to guard the plane. We were met by an enterprising young man and his friend who had built a two-seat rickshaw attached to a bicycle built for two. The bicycle had a small sign attached to the side that read, “Limo Service”. We all had a good laugh over it and climbed into the seat. Tia and I shared the forward facing seat while Ed and Dave shared the rear facing seat. Our luggage, what there was of it, was loaded onto a rack between the two seats. The two young men pedaled hard as we were whisked along the empty road and into what remained of the city.

  Damaged buildings were being dismantled for parts and new construction was well underway. We arrived at the Phoenix Super Magnet Cooperative late that afternoon. The manager, Ralph Tobin, showed us around. The ceramic magnets were being cast and baked in a sintering kiln, which had been built to operate with firewood. It looked primitive, but it was working. In order to reach the high temperatures required, fans, powered by people on bicycles were being used. Firewood was being chucked into the burner section as the kiln was run continuously for thirty-six hours. After that the magnets were ground to size on machines powered again by people on bicycles pedaling away in shifts. Once the magnets were finished, they were coated with an epoxy solution to keep oxygen from getting to the Iron, neodymium and Boron mixture that made up the super magnet.

  “How did you get so many people to do the pedaling?” I asked.

  “My dad always talked about how if people were unhappy with local conditions, they would vote with their feet,” Ralph said. “These people are investing with their feet, literally. When I got the message from John I held a public meeting and explained about the magnets and the new generator. They formed the cooperative with me, and we all went to work to make this happen. They are just as much owners as I am.”

  Ralph had built special forms for magnetizing the parts for the generator. Alternators from cars were wired together and powered by bicycle peddlers to charge the magnetizing machine, which used large capacitors and coils to do its work. The final parts were being magnetized and assembled on a wooden work bench.

  “It’s smaller than I thought it would be,” I said, as I looked at the nearly finished generator.

  “The result of compromise,” Ralph replied. “This is the largest size we could make with the primitive equipment we have. It’s not big enough for the applications John talked about, but it’s large enough to power the more critical operations in our factory, if it works the way the plans say. If this actually proves out, we will use it as our power source to make larger versions.”

  “Okay,” I said, “where are we in the process?”

  “This unit will be ready for its first operational test sometime tomorrow,” Ralph replied. “This generator has two stationary magnetic cylindrical walls surrounded by roller magnets, and a third wall around the outside where we have the coils mounted. The magnets don’t actually touch one another, so the only bearings are on the steel frame underneath for the roller magnets. The other frame is on the top for the magnetic walls.”

  “And the connection to the load?” I asked.

  “The two cables here,” Ralph said, as he picked up two heavy wires. “We made them from some old welding cables. They should do the job.”

  “Where are we staying?” I asked.

  “Ah, got you set up about a block away,” Ralph said. “Not the Ritz, but it’s all we have.”

  * * *

  Tia, Ed, Dave and I unloaded our luggage from the rickshaw and moved into a small building with what the owner described as “cozy” rooms. “Rooms” wasn’t how I would have described them. Standing partitions separated the “rooms” and an old blanket served for the door. Ed and Dave settled into one room and Tia and I shared another. I could stand in the center of the room and touch both side walls. There was very little light and no water or sanitary facilities. The owner pointed us to the outhouse in back of the building. I could sense Tia’s reluctance to stay here, but it had a roof and privacy, well, sort of.

  We joined the rest of the people working in the area for dinner that evening, which consisted of a bowl of vegetable and bean stew and
some bread with a coffee substitute or tea to drink. As we settled in for the night, everything was quiet. The people worked hard during the day and there was no place for any kind of recreation. We were told that there would be a dance on Saturday night.

  We had oatmeal and the coffee substitute for breakfast and met back at the Phoenix Super Magnet Cooperative. We helped with the final assembly and after lunch it was ready for its first test. We watched as Ralph started turning the crank that drove a set of gears under the generator. The roller magnets started spinning as they rotated around the magnetic wall pieces. As Ralph cranked harder and the speed picked up, our clothes started to stick to us. I could feel the static electricity in the air and the hair on my arms was standing up and tingling. It didn’t seem right to me. I looked at the electric cables lying on the table and I remembered that the generator should never be run without an electrical load attached.

  “Stop cranking,” I shouted to Ralph. He stopped but the generator continued to increase in speed. It was running on its own. Before I could grab the cables the generator lifted up off the table and rose to the roof of the building. Once the generator contacted the roofing material we could hear a humming noise coming from it. The humming was getting louder and rising in pitch.

  “If it gets through the roof, we’ll never see it again,” I shouted. “Get a ladder over here, NOW!”

  Two guys hurriedly set up a step ladder, the only one in the place, and I climbed up quickly. As I got to the top of the ladder, I couldn’t reach the I-beam structure that supported the roof. The sheet metal of the roof was starting to bulge upward. I balanced myself as I climbed to the top step of the ladder. The I-beam was only six inches above my reach. I jumped and caught the I-beam. I swung my legs up and into the open I-beam structure, quickly moving next to the generator. The sheet metal of the roof was coming apart and the generator started sliding toward the growing crack in the roof. Once it got out, I knew it would keep on rising clear out of the atmosphere and continue heading into outer space.