HADRON Axiom, Page 2

  Johnny winced. “EMP?”

  Dr. Jeff Moskowitz 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.”

  Chapter 2

  *

  Before the evening set in, the smoldering wreckage was doused. A short memorial service ensued and each member said their piece. Don Rogers, Cam Rogers, and Tonya Banning would be sorely missed. The crash, and a second evening of cold and snow, had the group’s mood in a funk.

  Mace looked through an entrance portal as Tres sat, wrapped in a blanket, on a wooden bench. “Tough day today.”

  Tres nodded. “I still can’t believe that happened.”

  Mace turned, throwing another piece of wood on the small fire they had made near the door.

  Tres said, “I do like that fire, but it makes me nervous. Didn’t you say people might see the light flicker through those portals?”

  “Not gonna matter tonight with that snow coming down. Anyone who was outside has taken shelter by now. My bigger concern is that wood not being quite dry enough. Putting out more smoke than I would like.”

  “Who’s gonna see the smoke?”

  “Not worried about that. It’s just that we get that bump in pressure up here from a breeze and it blows that backwards. Don’t want to smoke out the others just to keep us warm.”

  “I guess we really are isolated here now. Without cars moving around, gonna be hard to go anywhere.”

  Mace held his hands out toward the fire. “We’ll get something running in the next few days. If not, we have the horses.”

  “Wish they hadn’t taken Old Mag. That was the friendliest horse. Only one I was comfortable on.”

  “All those horses were broken. I have no doubt you could ride any of them, and probably will with the two that are left.”

  Tres looked back at the flicker from a second fire much deeper in the cave. “I wish I could have met Vanessa before all this. She’s just so warm and friendly. At first I was all nervous around her, but she’s no different than any of us.”

  “Hate to tell you, but she probably wouldn’t have given you more than the time of day before all this. She had the looks, and that’s what she went for as well. No offense meant there, but you weren’t exactly her type. She might never have been happy with her decisions, but that was the way of her world. That world’s gone now.”

  “I don’t know, I think I could’ve won her over if I’d had the chance.”

  “Getting that chance would have been the piece of the puzzle that was missing. Either way, I’m glad to see the two of you getting along. It’s good to have someone you can share personal thoughts with.”

  Tres stood, looking out the portal beside him. “I bet there’s a Mrs. Hardy out there. Maybe come spring we can give you a shave, dress you up, and take you to town.”

  Mace rubbed the thick black beard that now graced his chin. “Shaved… not sure on that one. Just getting used to this.”

  Tres laughed. “Makes you look like one of the Rebs who hid out in here during the Civil War. Maybe beards will be back in style now.”

  Tres peered out through the portal. “Wish I knew what that was I saw today. I’m having a hard time brushing it off.”

  “If it was a ship from somewhere else, our problems just got a lot bigger.”

  Mace put his hand on Tres’ shoulder with a smile. “Maybe your alien theory is panning out.”

  “Not the kind of trouble we need.”

  Vanessa came up behind them with two cups of hot tea. “Thought you could use a pick-up.”

  Tres smiled as he eagerly wrapped his hands around the warm mug. “You are a sweetheart.”

  Several clanks and a rumble could be heard from outside.

  Mace returned his cup
to Vanessa. “Go tell the others to come up here. Someone’s messing around at the back of the trailer.”

  Rifles were checked before Mace and Tres exited the door. Vanessa hurried down the gangway to the others.

  Seconds later, as the two moved slowly down the side of the RV, Mace held out his hand and placed a single finger over his mouth. Tres stopped and nodded.

  The Army Ranger quietly crept down the side of the trailer as a moderate snow fell around him. At the corner he hesitated as his ears filled with the sound of a heavy breath. The lock on the trailer flapped against the metal of the door.

  Mace stepped to the corner, coming around just enough to take aim at the menace who would rob them. A black bear looked up, letting out a fierce growl.

  Mace turned and sprinted. “Run!”

  He grabbed a frozen Tres as he passed him by, nearly pulling him to the ground before picking him up. The two ran up the ramp and into the cave, closing the door as Johnny, Jane and Jeff came toward them. The bear stopped outside, standing and pushing on the door as he sniffed.

  Johnny looked out a portal. “Holy cow! That thing has to be five hundred pounds!”

  Mace shook his head. “Scared the crap out of me! I was expecting some scumbag with bolt cutters and I got a face full of growl instead!”

  As Mace took several heavy breaths he looked out a second portal. “Wow. That is a big fella. I thought black bears were maybe a couple hundred pounds.”

  Jane moved to a third portal. “Most of them are. And you aren’t supposed to run. That almost always makes them chase.”

  “Easy to say when you aren’t staring one in the face.”

  The bear rocked against the door with his body. The wood of the door creaked at the hinges as it bowed inward.

  Johnny moved over to brace it. “Anyone care to give me a hand?”

  Tres stepped forward, leaning against the inside of the door.

  Jane yelled in a high-pitched voice. “Hey! Scram!”

  The bear turned and scampered off into the white of the falling snow.

  Johnny laughed. “And… she speaks bear!”

  “He’s just hungry. The last of that beef we had cooking earlier probably brought him from the woods.”

  Jane smacked Mace on the back. “Man up, Hardy. Just a simple animal.”

  “You can reason with most people. They understand when you’re holding a gun on them. You can’t reason with a five-hundred-pound bear. He’s got no interest in anything you have to say.”

  The following morning, Mace, Johnny, and Jeff saddled up the two horses. Once mounted, the three headed off toward a farmhouse where Mace had seen several old cars. When they arrived, smoke was coming from a chimney.

  Mace said, “Wait here. I’ll check with the homeowner. Who was this? Reynolds?”

  Johnny nodded. “Jack Reynolds. The barber.”

  A knock on the front door brought forward a man with a shotgun. The gun was lowered and the door opened once identities had been confirmed.

  “Mr. Hardy. Everything OK over there?”

  “We lost our helicopter with three people aboard yesterday. Some sort of high altitude EMP blasts. Knocked out the electronics, bringing them down.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I saw the smoke trail yesterday. Wasn’t sure what to make of it. Is there something I can help you with? I could trim off that beard for you.”

  Mace smiled as he stroked it. “No thanks. Was just wondering about your two old cars over here. Do they run?”

  Jack stepped out, pulling a coat over his arms and zipping it up. “Haven’t run them in six months. What do you need them for?”

  “EMP took out all of our electronics, including our vehicles. We thought we might be able to get these running, since they would just be points and condenser for the ignition.”

  Jack walked toward the cars. “You saying my truck won’t run?”

  “Please, give it a try. I hope it does. Would love nothing more than to have vehicles around here running.”

  Several attempts were made at starting the truck. Jack stepped out, shutting the door. “She usually fires right up. Hmm. I’m guessing that means my tractor is out of commission, too.”

  Jack walked to the front of the truck and popped the hood. “Hang on. Let me get my tools. We’ll have to take this battery over to the black one. The red one has a complete upgrade of the engine and ignition under the hood, so I doubt it will start if what you say is true. You know, I saw that flash run across the sky yesterday. Didn’t know what to think of it.”

  Jeff said, “A regular blast would only take out a few unlucky cars. Yesterday’s event was something different.”

  Johnny asked, “What year model is this?”

  Jack replied, “Forty-two. Been in my family since it was new. One of the last ones off the line before the factories switched all production over for the war. Been out to California at least a half dozen times. Not lately, but years ago.”

  The batteries were swapped out.

  Jack handed the keys to Jeff. “Give her a shot.”

  Jeff opened the heavy door, gently sliding in on the cracked leather bench seat.

  As he looked down, he said, “This is a stick. Someone else will have to do this.”

  Jack laughed. “Push in the clutch and check to see that the designator there on the column is pointing to ‘N’.”

  “It is.”

  Jack crossed his arms. “Then put the key in the hole and turn it.”

  After five revolutions, the old Plymouth Deluxe chugged to life.

  Jack smiled. “Old girl’s still got it!”

  Jeff goosed the accelerator.

  Jack held out his hand. “Sir, please don’t do that. Bad for the engine when she’s been sittin’ and the oil hasn’t had a chance to circulate yet.”

  “My apologies.”

  Jack reached in and turned the key off. “If you need to run to town and want to borrow it, just let me know. I might ask you to run an errand or two for me while you’re there though.”

  Mace nodded. “Would be more than happy to. We don’t have any needs at the moment, so we won’t be going in today. How are you set for food?”

  “Doing OK. Ilene is good at stretching things out. We’ll be wanting more spices if you go in. I would imagine by this time next year even salt will be difficult to come by.”

  Johnny asked, “Had any trouble with passersby?”

  Jack crossed his arms. “Nothing but. Dairy cow, two pigs and eight chickens stolen. Things have been quiet for the last week, though. We’ve got eight more hens that we keep locked up in the barn at night. I know it’s just hungry people, but we have to keep ourselves fed, too.”

  “We lost all our cattle and some of our horses during that same timeframe.”

  “Hard turning away people, ain’t it? Especially the ones who politely ask. Was hoping things would turn around. Not so sure it’s possible now. A lot of people have done some really bad things. Last time in Caldwell they had to shoot six of ‘em. Sickens you when you know people are so desperate. I haven’t farmed since I was a little boy, so this next spring is gonna be a real eye-opener.”

  Johnny looked over at Jack’s barn. “Maybe we can help you get that tractor running.”

  Jack leaned back on the car. “Still have my daddy’s old tiller in the barn. Will need a little work, but that alone would be a huge time saver for setting up a garden. If we get it running, you’ll be welcome to borrow it. All the land around here is good for growing.”

  Jack stood. “Say, you in need of any eggs? Maybe trade for some pepper?”

  Mace replied, “We could do that.”

  “Be happy to give you a couple-three dozen for one full pepper shaker.”

  “Seems more than fair. I’ll bring it right back after we leave.”

  Jack patted Mace on the shoulder. “You just made me a happy man. We’ve been out for a week and I didn’t want to chance heading into Caldwell with all the people walking about. Ilene doesn
’t fancy using the shotgun to chase people off.”

  Johnny said, “I know we haven’t been around much of late. Not much of a cooperative. We’ll have to work on that. I would imagine a lot of the people in this valley feel trapped at the moment. Can’t leave your property for fear someone will steal everything you’ve got.”

  Jack waved his hand toward the farmhouse. “Anyone interested in some hot cider? Just made a batch this morning.”

  Johnny grinned. “Would love some cider. And while we’re on the subject, you have any need for distilled alcohol? We have a still running. Hope to produce enough to barter.”

  Jack winced. “Devil’s brew. Gave that up many years ago. Nobody wants their haircut or shave done by a drunk. And that stuff will make you a drunk.”

  Jeff said, “We’re working on giving it a little better taste at the moment. Has a bit of a bitter bite to it.”

  Jack nodded. “Tablespoon of honey and pinch of cinnamon will have the folks in these parts lining up for it. My daddy used to add a squeeze of lemon and half a jigger of Tabasco. Said it would make you stand up and bark.”

  Jeff laughed. “We’ll have to give that a shot.”

  As the weather turned colder, those coming into the valley in search of food became fewer in number. The towns of Ronceverte and Caldwell welcomed the old ‘42 Plymouth whenever they came in for a trade. Tres’ still was producing ten gallons of high quality moonshine per day. The townsfolk were eager to barter for all that could be produced.

  At Jack’s suggestion, as much salt and spice as was available was collected and stored. A fifty gallon moonshine trade with the owner of the feed and seed store saw the group ready for spring planting.

  As the weather turned colder, Christmas came and went with little fanfare. January and February saw harsh snowstorms and bitter cold. With the first of March came a hint of a warm spring.

  After a ride on horseback to Jack Reynolds’ place, Mace and Johnny made a run to town in the Plymouth.

  Johnny rode with his hand on the dash. “The apocalypse is here, but it looks like we’re gonna make it.”

  Mace half smiled. “Still not sure if that’s a good thing or bad. That last traveler from Philadelphia didn’t have good news. Population at less than half there and continuing to fall. I’m sure many have tried to move out to the country, but if what we saw was any indication of elsewhere, they didn’t make it.”