Doomsday

1. Future Tense

They were going to do it.

They were going to destroy the world.

Kurt Carpenter stared at the TV screen in the back of his limousine and tried to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. Mushroom clouds. Mushroom clouds in the Middle East. A third of Israel, reduced to cinders. She had retaliated with her own nuclear arsenal, of course, and now the announcer was saying that there were five confirmed nuclear explosions in the country that had attacked. Five cities, wiped out. Carpenter leaned back and closed his eyes. He willed himself to relax but couldn’t. How could anyone relax with the end of the world about to take place? He swallowed, or tried to, but his mouth was too dry. “God in heaven.” He clenched his fists so hard, his fingernails dug into his palms. “We’re really going to do it.”

The “we” was all-inclusive, as in “the human race.” Carpenter had long believed that humankind would shoot itself in the head, but he’d also hoped, desperately hoped, that his fellow humans would prove him wrong. “Do we turn back, sir?” Holland was looking at him in the rearview mirror. As usual, the chauffeur could have been carved from stone for all the emotion he showed.

“Back to the airport?” Carpenter shook his head. “No. We go on to the compound. The word must go out.”

“Will there be time, sir, for everyone to get there? What if the government grounds all flights?”

“We keep our fingers crossed.”

Carpenter mentally crossed his own. He had planned for so long. He had worked so hard. A lot of people thought he was nuts. They sneered and snickered behind his back. A few laughed at him to his face. “What a waste of your money!” was the common sentiment. But the way Carpenter saw it, what good was a fortune if it wasn’t put to good use? And what better use than to salvage what he could so that humanity would survive to build a new world from the ruins of the old?

The news channel cut to world leaders reacting to the crisis. Every last one was deeply shocked. Every last one was determined that whoever was to blame would pay. Saber rattling George Armstrong Custer would be proud of.

It was a long drive from the Twin Cities to Lake Bronson State Park. Normally, Carpenter used the time to go over scripts and note camera angles and special lighting and lens effects. Or he might do paperwork for financing an upcoming project. Or any number of things related to his work as a movie director.

But not today. All Carpenter could think of was the apocalypse and those he could save if only they were able to reach the compound before it was too late.

Soren Anderson was working on the thirtieth floor of a skyscraper under construction in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. He handled the one-shot rivet gun with an ease few men could match. His size had a lot to do with it. Soren was a few inches shy of seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms bulging with muscle. Add to that his shoulder-length blond hair and his blond mustache and neatly trimmed beard, and it was no wonder most who saw him thought he was Scandinavian or Danish. Soren was Norwegian. Or his great-great-great-great-great grandfather had been. Not that it mattered to Soren; he saw himself as American, born and bred. He knew as much about Norway, except in one respect, as he did about, say, Outer Mongolia.

Soren was bent over the rivet gun, checking the air regulator, when someone clapped him on the back. He turned and was surprised to find the foreman, Carl Nestor. “I’m going as fast as I can.” Nestor had a strange look about him and kept glancing at the sky.

“It’s not that. We’re calling it quits for the day. Get your stuff and get out of here.” Soren didn’t hide his surprise. “But it’s only two. Three hours yet until quitting time. Why so early?”

“You wouldn’t have heard on account of this.” Nestor tapped the rivet gun. “We all need to leave.” Soren noticed that nearly every other member of the crew was gone and the few still left were making for the elevator. “What in Odin’s name is going on?”

“Hurry,” Nestor urged. “You have a long ride to reach your family before it hits the fan.”

“Before what does?”

Carl Nestor didn’t answer. Instead, he did a strange thing. He held out his hand, and when Soren shook it, Nestor said, “In case this is the real deal, it’s been a pleasure knowing you, you big lug. You’re one of the good guys.”

“What are you talking about?”

Bewildered, Soren watched the foreman join those leaving. He set the rivet gun down, took off his work gloves, and pushed his hard hat back on his tousled mane of blond hair. Only then did he hear the sirens. His bewilderment growing, he moved to the edge of the girder and stared down at the city where he’d grown up. To the northeast, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge gleamed in the sunlight. If not for the smog, he’d be able to see clear to Camden.

Something was wrong. Soren had never seen so many people on the sidewalks. The streets were bumper to bumper. Horns blared in constant cacophony, punctuated by the shrill scream of scores of sirens.

“Has everyone gone mad?” Soren wondered aloud. He thought of his wife and children, the three people he loved most in the world, and alarm spiked through him.

Soren picked up his tool belt on his way to the elevator. He strapped the belt around his waist as he waited. No one else was around. He was the last to go down. He listened to the whine of the cable and the grind of gears as the lift climbed to his level. The car rattled to a stop. Anxiously, he exited, muscles tensed. He was mildly shocked when he reached the parking lot to find that his half-ton pickup was the only vehicle left. He was reaching into his front pocket for his keys when his phone chirped. Soren answered it.

“Mr. Anderson, this is Becca Levy. This isn’t a test or a drill. I repeat, this isn’t a test or a drill.”

“All-Father, no,” Soren said. So he had been right. His worst fear was about to be made real.

“What is your password, sir?”

“Sif.”

“I am instructed to tell you that the Endwotld Protocol is active.”

“How much time do I have?”

“One hundred hours, remember? Can you make it to the compound in that amount of time, Mr. Anderson?”

“I’ll get my family there or die trying.”

“I wish you luck, Mr. Anderson. You have farther to travel than most. If at any time we can be of assistance, contact the Communications Center. We’ll have people manning the phones 24-7.”

“Thank you.” Soren closed his phone and again reached into his pocket for his keys. Nearby, someone coughed. He turned, his eyes widening slightly. He hadn’t expected anything like this so soon. There were five of them, gangstas sporting their colors, cold arrogance stamped on their young faces. The tallest bobbed his chin at the pickup. “Hey, man. That yours?”

“Yes,” Soren admitted.

“We want it. Hand over the keys and everything will be cool. Give us a hard time and we’ll waste you.” And with that, he flicked out a knife.

Phoenix

Dr. Diana Trevor was wrapping up her last class of the day at Arizona State University.

“No one knows why this should be. Yet it’s been proven again and again. The Dominant Five is not just a human phenomenon. It has been documented in animals, as well.” Diana tegarded the notes she had made on the blackboard. “The first practical application was by the Chinese during the Korean War. They decided to separate the mote aggressive American prisoners from those who never gave them any trouble. They found that the ratio was one in twenty. One dominant for every twenty passive.” A student raised his hand. “Surely there were variables.”

“The Chinese thought there would be, too. But the number was precise. It was exactly one in twenty. Or 5 percent. Subsequent research has confirmed the statistic.”

Another student raised her hand. “What happened when the Chinese separated them?”

“The passives gave them no trouble whatsoever. It was the dominants who always stirred the passives up.”

Yet another hand. “Is there any way to tell who is dominant and who is passive?”

“Psychological profiles have been developed, but they’re not infallible, as yet.” Diana allowed herself a small smile. “I should know. I developed some of them.”

The buzzer brought an end to her lecture. Her students began gathering up notes and backpacks. Diana closed her book and reached under her desk for her briefcase. She went out the side door and down the hall to the teachers’ lounge. The TV in the far corner was on and nearly every instructor was glued to it. “What on earth?” Diana said.

“Shhh,” someone cautioned.

A newsman was intoning gravely into the camera. Beads of sweat dotted his brow and he kept licking his lips.

“This just in. The president will address the nation at the top of the hour, which is twenty-seven minutes from now. Some think he will announce a declaration of war. Others, that he will impose martial law. Stay tuned to this station for live coverage.”

“What’s going on?” Diana asked. No one answered. The announcer did more lip-licking.

“To recap, war has broken out in the Middle East. The Chinese have threatened to retaliate against anyone who attacks their allies in the region. The Russians are incensed and telling the Chinese to stay out. France has called for a referendum. The United States has vowed to stand by Israel, and there is word from the Pentagon that a task force is being rushed to the region.”

“It’s finally happened,” Diana said to herself, then backed out of the lounge. She hurried to her office. Once her door was shut, she opened her purse and took out her address book. From a plastic sleeve in the back she slid a folded piece of paper. Opening it, she dialed the number written there.

“Home Communications.”

“This is Diana Trevor. My personal password is Colin. I haven’t been contacted yet, but I just saw the news.”

“You were right to call. We tried to reach you, Dr. Trevor. The Endworld Protocol is active.”

“Dear God.”

“Do you anticipate any trouble reaching the compound?”

“No,” Diana said. “I have a pilot’s license and my own plane.”

“We advise you to hurry. If martial law is declared, all civilian flights will be grounded. If you are still in the air, the military might shoot you down.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Diana hung up and stepped to the window. Word was spreading. A mass exodus of the campus was underway. For the most part it was orderly, but a few people were pushing and shoving.

“And so it begins.” Diana shook her head in dismay at the stupidity, then turned and snatched up her briefcase. She gave her office a last look. Her framed diplomas, her keepsakes, her files—she must leave them behind. She felt no regrets. She had known this day would come and been one of the few to plan for it. Now her foresight was paying off.

The hallway was jammed. Diana stayed close to the wall until she emerged from double doors into the bright glare of the afternoon sun. The sky was clear save for a few pillowy clouds, and birds were warbling. It was hard to believe that on the other side of the world, a holocaust raged. Vehicles jammed the parking lot exits. Tempers were short, and curses were hurled back and forth. Diana went to her reserved parking space. She strapped her briefcase onto the back of her bike, donned her helmet, and straddled her rocket. The throb of power brought a grin. She didn’t bother with the exits. She went up over the curb and zipped across a knoll to a side street and from there wound her way to 101. She headed west, looping around downtown Phoenix until she came to 303. Here the traffic was lighter. She pushed it, weaving in and out between the cars and trucks as if they were standing still. Horns blared and fingers were thrust at her. All she did was grin.

Presently Diana arrived at a small airfield west of Wittmann. It had an equally small clientele, which was why she had picked it. The major airfields, she imagined, would be disasters. No one was in the front office. A cup of coffee had been spilled on the desk and several drawers were open.

Diana went to her locker. She took out the pack she always kept ready. Opening it, she rummaged inside, verifying its contents. Then she hastened to the side of the field where her Boena and several others were lined up in a row. She was about to climb up on the wing when someone said her name. Harry Pierce came walking around the tail of the plane next to hers. He held his jacket over his shoulder, and his tie was undone. Sweat stains moistened his white shirt. “Diana! Perfect timing. You’re just what I need.”

“How’s that, Harry?”

“I’d like to hitch a ride. I’ve been having engine trouble. They promised to get right on it, but now it’s too late.”

Diana patted her aircraft. “This isn’t a car, Harry. I can’t drop you off anywhere you like.”

“I know, I know.” Harry grinned and regarded her aircraft as if admiring it. “This little hummingbird of yours is a real beaut.”

“That’s not what you said the last time I ran into you. As I recall, you called it a girlie plane.”

“Well, you are a girl. And the pink stripes are a bit much.” Harry patted the wing. “All fueled, are you?”

“I always keep it fueled, Harry.” Diana raised her leg to climb on.

“So you won’t give me a lift? Say, to Kansas City? If it’s out of your way, I’ll gladly pay you.”

“I’m sorry, Harry. I can’t. I have somewhere to be.”

Overhead, an Air Force jet thundered across the heavens, streaking to the east.

“What I wouldn’t give to have one of those babies,” Harry said with a grin, then turned serious. “Look. No more beating around the bush. War is about to break out, and we both know what that means. I need to get to Kansas City, either with your help or without it.”

“You’ll have to find someone else to take you.”

“Or I can fly myself,” Harry Pierce said, and attacked her.

Deepak Kapur stared at the image on his computer screen and blurted the first thing that came into his head: “Shiva is unleashed.” He pushed his chair back and bowed his head. “So many lives,” he said softly. His cell beeped and he answered without looking at the caller’s number. “Yes?”

“Mr. Kapur, this is Becca Levy, Home Communications. Your password, please.”

“Those silly passwords,” Deepak said.

“If you have a complaint, sir, you may take it up with Mr. Carpenter. But right now, please, I need your password.”

“I’ve seen the news. I know I need to get there.”

“Please, Mr. Kapur.”

Deepak sighed. “My password is Yama. Appropriate, don’t you think?”

“Sir?”

“In my religion Yama is the lord of death. He rips souls from corpses and assigns them to what you. would call hell. He will be very busy these next weeks and months and perhaps years. I hope he has some vacation time saved.”

“Sir? Was that a joke?”

“Or a philosophical conundrum. Take your pick. But now that you have the password, do I win the kewpie doll?”

“Mr. Kapur, you’re being morbid. Are you all right?”

“The world as we thought we knew it is coming to an end. So of course I’m all right.”

“Very well, then. You’re at work right now, I take it?” She rattled off the address and the floor.

“That is correct.”

“Then I’m instructed to tell you to remain there. Mr. Slayne is on his way and should arrive within the next fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“Who?”

“Patrick Slayne, sir. He’s head of compound security. He also lives in New York, and Mr. Carpenter had dispatched him to personally see that you reach here safely.

All those considered crucial to our end-of-the-world operation are having security sent to bring them in.”

“What? Preferential treatment? Why wasn’t I told about this before? I’m not sure I like being treated this way.”

“You’re special, sir. Your computer expertise is critical. Please be ready for Mr. Slayne. He will identify himself with his password.”

“Which is?”

“Mighty Mouse.”

Deepak laughed, then realized she wasn’t joking. “Wait. You’re serious? What sort of man picks that as his password?”

“It wasn’t his first choice, sir. Mr. Carpenter said his first choice was too silly and asked that he change it.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense, Ms. Levy.”

“It was Daffy Duck.” The dial tone hummed in Deepak’s ear. He shook his head and slowly set down the phone. “I’ve signed on with lunatics.”

The image on the screen had shifted. It showed a satellite view of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A circular cloud with a long stalk was rising to the stratosphere, glowing like the phosphorescent mushroom it resembled.

Deepak turned up the volume.

“We repeat, the carrier force dispatched to aid Israel has been obliterated. Congress is in special session and any minute now the president will address the nation. Speculation is running rampant that war will be declared.”

The newscaster became even more grim.

“No one can predict whether the Chinese will carry through with their threat to attack any country that threatens their Mideast allies. There are reports of Chinese troops massing along the Russian border. There is also a report that a fleet of North Korean submarines is bound for the West Coast of the United States, but that hasn’t been confirmed.”

“It’s the end of all things,” Deepak said softly. “Some of us don’t die so easy.” Startled, Deepak spun so fast he nearly fell out of his chair. A man stood just inside the door. He wore a dark blue trench coat over a black Rudolpho suit, white shirt and silk tie. His shoes, Kleins from Germany, were polished to a mirror finish. His hair was black, cut short with long sideburns. He had the most piercing blue eyes.

“I beg your pardon. Are you with corporate?”

“Mighty Mouse,” the man said.

Deepak blinked. “Mr. Slayne? I just got off the phone with the compound. They told me you would be fifteen to twenty minutes yet.”

“I ran all the red lights.” Slayne stopped and seemed to be waiting. “And yours?”

“My what?”

“Mighty Mouse.”

“Oh. Yama. Mine is Yama.” Deepak grinned self-consciously. “Aren’t those code words silly?”

“I was the one who suggested Carpenter use them.”

“Really?” Slayne offered his hand.

Bracing himself for the inevitable, Deepak shook it. He had small, delicate hands, and it upset him to no end that many men felt compelled to crush his fingers in grips of iron, as if by doing so they somehow proved how masculine they were. But to his surprise, Slayne’s grip was powerful yet controlled. Only a hint of pressure and a suggestion of strength, and then the man in the blue trench coat stepped back and motioned toward the door. “After you.”

“I’m not ready yet. There are some discs I want to back up. Then we need to swing by my apartment so I can—”

Slayne held up a hand, cutting him short. “Have you looked out your window recently?”

“No. Why?”

“Maybe you should.”

Deepak stood. He smoothed his Argoni jacket and went around his desk. The first thing that caught his eye, before he even reached the window, was the smoke. Columns of it, rising from several points throughout the city. He heard sirens, so many it was impossible to tell one from another. He gazed down from the vantage of the eighty-fifth floor, and even from that height, the word that leaped to his mind was “chaos.”

“Is it as bad as it looks?”

“Worse. There’s a rumor going around that New York will be the first city nuked. Panic has set in. Every bridge, every street out is clogged. Looting has started. The police are trying their best, but there aren’t enough officers to control the people in the streets. The mayor has appealed to the governor for the National Guard, but it will be tomorrow morning before the Guard can show up in any force.”

“How is it you know all this? I didn’t see anything about the traffic jams or the riots on the news.”

“You will soon. I have other sources. In case no one has told you, I’m with Tekco. Maybe you’ve heard of us?”

Indeed, Deepak had. Tekco Security was global, with offices in dozens of countries. “You’re in charge of protecting Carpenter’s retreat? That makes sense. Tell me, what specific challenges do you foresee?” Slayne consulted his watch. “We can talk about that later. Right now I need to get you out of New York before all hell breaks loose.”

“Give me a minute.” Deepak went to turn from the window when there was a loud krump in the distance, and the entire window shook. He was appalled to see a roiling fireball rise over the warehouse district.

“Was that an explosion?”

“Yes. Hurry, please.”

“What in the world is happening out there?”

“People have begun to realize this isn’t a short-term crisis. Most are trying to flee before the missiles start coming our way. Those who can’t flee are helping themselves to what they’ll need in order to survive.” Deepak gazed down again. “Thousands of years of culture and civilization are unraveling before our eyes.”

“Civilization is only skin-deep.”

“I don’t believe that. Deep down all people are basically good.”

“Crisis tends to bring out either the best in everyone or the worst. We’ll just have to see which side prevails.” Slayne motioned again. “But we need to hurry.” It took a minute for Deepak to gather up his backpack and a few personal items. He followed Slayne out the door and down the long hall to the elevators. Other workers hurried out of cubicles and offices, headed in the same direction.

A portly man, sweating profusely, bustled up. “Can you believe this, Deepak? Can you fricking believe this?”

“Hey, Alf. To be honest, I’ve expected something like this would happen for a long time now.” Deepak almost revealed more. He almost told his friend about the compound, but a sharp glance from Slayne smothered the impulse.

“You and everybody else, buddy. I thought it might, but I never actually thought it would. I mean, how crazy do you have to be to start World War Three?” Alf Richardson shook his head in disbelief. Deepak noticed that two of the elevators were in use and the third was almost full.

“Think about it,” Alf went on. “Nuclear bombs, nuclear missiles, neutron bombs, military satellites, biological weapons, chemical weapons. Does anyone seriously think the human race will survive?”

“I know one man who does,” Deepak said, but his reply was lost in a sudden uproar. A few more people were trying to squeeze into the elevator and those already in, packed shoulder to shoulder, were pushing them back out. “Take the next one,” one man said each time he pushed.

“There’s room for one more!” a tall man in a brown suit snapped. He had a nose like a beak and an Adam’s apple as big as a golf ball. “I’m Adam Pierpoint, Vice President of Earthfind. I insist you make room for me.”

Deepak knew Pierpoint fairly well and didn’t like him. Earthfind was the company Deepak worked for as a programmer and systems analyst.

“There isn’t any room!” the man who was doing most of the pushing insisted. “Take the next one.” The doors started to close. Adam Pierpoint stepped between them and thrust both of his spindly arms out, stopping them. “Let me in or you’re not going anywhere.”

“Is that so?”

The man in the elevator punched Pierpoint in the mouth. The V.P. tottered back, more shocked than hurt, although blood trickled from his bottom lip. Then the door hissed shut and pinged, and the indicator light in the wall panel showed that the elevator was descending.

Pierpoint touched a hand to his mouth and stared aghast at the blood on his finger. “Did you see what he did?” he asked no one in particular.

Another elevator was rising. It was two floors below and would be there any moment. Those waiting surged forward. One man bellowed for another to get off” of his toes. That was when Patrick Slayne faced them and held out his arms. “The next car is spoken for. All of you will have to wait a little longer.”

“Says you!”

“Who do you think you ate?”

Deepak was dumfounded. He realized Slayne was doing this for his benefit. “I’m not going to hog one to myself.”

If Slayne heard, he didn’t respond. He turned to confront Adam Pierpoint, who reared angrily over him. Blood flecked Pierpoint’s chin. He balled his bony fists and shook one at Slayne. “I’ve had enough of this. No one has the right to deny anyone else. You will step aside and let us enter, or else.” Deepak wondered what the “or else” meant. He tried to push past two men but they wouldn’t let him by.

“Excuse me, please.”

“Go to hell.”

Then Patrick Slayne did the last thing anyone expected. Certainly, Deepak didn’t expect it. Slayne drew a gun.

Ben Thomas stood with his hands on his hips and stared at the vehicle being loaded into his trailer. “What is that thing? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

McDermott didn’t look up from his clipboard. “It’s a special order. A custom job for some nutcase movie director. I guess for one of his movies. He calls it a SEAL.”

“A what?”

“You know. Those animals with flippers that balance balls on their noses.” McDermott scribbled something and regarded the vehicle with amusement. “SEAL is a—what do you call it when each letter stands for a word?”

“An acronym.”

“How the hell did you know that?”

Ben took slight offense. “What? I must be dumb because I’m black?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. Damn. How long have we known each other and you say a thing like that?” McDermott shook his head. “Anyway, SEAL is a—whatever you called it—for Solar-Energized Amphibious or Land recreational vehicle.”

“It doesn’t look recreational to me,” Ben observed. “It looks like something the army would use.” McDermott glanced around as if to make sure no one was close enough to overhear, then leaned toward Ben and whispered, “You didn’t get this from me, but there’s a rumor the thing is fitted out like a tank. With teal weapons and all.”

“You’re kidding.”

“It’s just what I was told. I’ve love to take a peek inside, but the doors are locked and I’m under orders not to. You’ll notice we’re not driving it into the trailer. We’re winching it.”

“I wondered about that.” Ben was wondering about a few other things, as well. “Movie director, you say?”

“Yep. Some guy who’s made a lot of scary movies and action flicks.” McDermott tapped the clipboard.

“I’ve got his name right here. Carpenter. Kurt Carpenter.”

“I’ve seen most of his movies.” Ben rattled a few titles off. “Is that the guy we’re talking about?”

“I wouldn’t know the titles. But I bet the weapons this thing is supposed to have are fake.”

“I bet you’re right.” Ben’s phone beeped and he answered it, but couldn’t hear for all the noise. Covering his other ear, he said loudly, “Hold on!” Then he moved toward the opposite corner of the warehouse, where nothing was going on. “Who is this again?”

“Becca Levy, Mr. Thomas. Are you on your way yet?”

“Not yet, no. Your package is being loaded right now.” Ben paused. “Why didn’t you tell me you work for Kurt Carpenter? When you called, you said you were with some outfit called Home Enterprises.”

“Mr. Carpenter has many business interests. H.E. is one of them.” Her tone became concerned. “How soon can you leave Seattle?”

“I won’t get out of here for half an hour yet.”

“I’ll be candid, Mr. Thomas. We’re worried. Very worried. The SEAL is crucial to Mr. Carpenter’s plans. It was supposed to have been delivered six months ago, but a few design flaws had to be worked out. It’s a prototype, you see. That means there’s no other like it anywhere in the world.”

“I know what prototype means.”

“It’s almost seventeen hundred miles from Seattle to Lake Bronson State Park. Yet you honestly believe you can make it here in forty-eight hours?”

“Less if I don’t have any problems.”

“I would expect problems, Mr. Thomas. We’re on the verge of World War Three. Much of the Middle East and North Africa are in flames. Beirut is gone. Tel Aviv has been vaporized. In the United States, all contact has been lost with San Diego. There are reports of foreign troops in Canada, pushing south. Riots and looting have broken out. Martial law is to be imposed nationwide at ten am tomorrow.”

“Forty-eight hours or less,” Ben insisted. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

“I was a U.S. Marine, lady. The few. The proud. The kickass. You’re paying me three times the going rate to get your fancy rig to you and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“I hope so. Be careful, Mr. Thomas.” Becca Levy hung up.

Ben shoved the phone into his pocket. He considered her last words. On an impulse, he went to a metal ladder and climbed to the carwalk. Wire mesh covered the window, but he could see out. And what he saw sent a shiver down his spine.

The Space Needle and the rest of Seattle’s skyline were as they always were: futuristic, imposing, impressive. But sirens blared and police and ambulance lights flashed everywhere. Smoke curled skyward from a score of locations. The crackle of what sounded like firecrackers wasn’t fire-crackers at all; it was gunfire.

Ben hurried down and over to his truck. He climbed into the cab of the truck he’d named Semper Fi and did another run-through. Earlier he’d topped off his fuel tank and had the engine serviced. Diesel, oil, coolant, tires, all had been checked and rechecked. Once he cranked over the engine, he could be on his way.

A fist pounded on the door.

“I need your John Hancock,” McDermott said, and held up the clipboard with forms for him to sign.

“We’re about done. Five minutes and you’re good to go.”

Ben undipped a pen from his shirt pocket. “Can you believe what is going down out there?” he asked with a nod at the high windows.

“It’s crazy, is what it is. One of the guys was just telling me that an enemy sub had been sighted in Puget Sound.”

“Which enemy?”

“Damned if I know. I doubt he did, either. Probably just another rumor. Reminds me of World War Two, when people were seeing Japanese subs all over the place and blowing fish out of the water.” McDermott shook his head. “It’s a mad world out there and getting madder by the moment.” Ben handed back the clipboard and slid the pen into his pocket. Turning in the driver’s seat, he made sure his duffel bag was there. He patted it, saying, “I can’t leave without my babies.”

“Did you hear something?”

Suddenly the building shook to a concussive blast. The windows rattled so hard, several cracked.

“What the hell?” McDermott blurted. “That was an explosion.”

“I need to go.”

McDermott nodded. “I’ll hurry things along.” He ran toward the rear of the trailer. Ben switched on the radio to an all-news station.

“Citizens are being advised to remain indoors. The streets aren’t safe. Unruly mobs are on the loose. Gun stores have been broken into. People are taking food and water from stores without paying. The police report that outside agitators are at work, but they haven’t explained exactly what they mean by that.”

The announcer took a breath.

“Incredible as it sounds, our social structure is breaking down. It has become every man, every woman, for him or herself.”

He paused.

“In other news, Turkey, Italy, and Greece are now embroiled in the spreading conflict, which the secretary-general of the United Nations has described as the beginning of the end for Western civilization unless world leaders can agree on an immediate ceasefire. England and France are mobilizing troops, while in…”

Ben turned off the radio. He nearly jumped at another pounding on his door. “What?”

“Geez. Bite my head off, why don’t you?” McDermott smiled. “You’re good to go, buddy.” The warehouse reverberated to Semper Fi’s roar.

Rollers squeaking, the bay doors rattled open.

Ben Thomas shifted into gear, put the pedal to the metal, and rumbled out into madness.