Dawn's End: Edge of Ruin Book 1: (A Post-Apocalyptic EMPCME Survival Thriller) by Justin Bell & Mike Kraus

Author:Justin Bell & Mike Kraus [Bell, Justin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2021-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Denver, Colorado

Day Zero

The small office had lapsed into a strange, ominous silence as they all considered the new stranger and the words he’d spoken.

“You say you can’t help them.” William chose his words carefully. “Yet, here you are, clearly alive and a long way from Cheyenne Mountain. Clearly you know something.”

“I barely survived myself. I’m totally cut off from Cheyenne. There’s nothing I can do.”

Everyone lapsed into silence for a few moments until the silhouettes from the opposite side of the window continued on their way, the voices drifting off into the night.

William moved first, striding over to the man in the lab coat and holding out the bottle of water for him. He nodded his thanks, enthusiastically taking the bottle and twisting off the cap. Drinking long and hard, Liebert accepted an offered protein bar with his free hand but took a few extra moments to drain the rest of his bottle. After finishing the water, he gobbled down the protein bar as the others waited patiently for him to finish.

“You’re really from Cheyenne Mountain?” Meredith was the first to speak. “The military base?”

“I am. Though I’m more on the research side of things. I took off in a rush earlier today, didn’t exactly have time to change. I wish to God now that I had. I thought those men were going to kill me.”

“No one is going to kill you in here.” William gave Barry a cautious glare when he said the words, but then looked back at the newcomer. “But we’d love to know whatever you know.”

Liebert sighed and William retrieved a swivel chair from one of the desks, wheeling it over so he could sit. Evidently realizing his error in judgement, he found a second one and brought it over, offering it to Meredith who smiled her thanks and settled her own unsteady weight into the piece of furniture.

“What I know and what I suspect are very different things.”

“I think we’ve got time to hear both.” William said the words with a sort of profound interest and even Barry seemed intrigued by the nature of the conversation.

Liebert sighed, looking down at the foil wrapper he still held in his hands, even though the contents were long since eaten and swallowed.

“What we know is— honestly, not much. Starting a short time ago, we began tracking a concerning stellar phenomenon. They appeared to be, at first, relatively innocuous solar flares. They happen all the time, even low yield coronal mass ejections happen almost daily. Our long-range satellites keep tabs on them, but they’re mostly just a part of everyday life.”

The three other people in the office remained in rapt silence.

“It became apparent a few days ago that these were no longer ordinary solar flares and that the sun was heading for a full-blown solar event. Much of what we know about previous events, such as the Carrington Event, occurred before we truly had the level of data we have now, so our detection algorithms are— well, somewhat theoretical.

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