P r o l o g u e
It is the third decade of the 21st century, and man has
achieved by far the most technologically advanced
civilization in human history. Countries have launched
satellites outside of the solar system, have established
the first permanent base on the moon, and have even sent
people to Mars.
It is the period of humanity's greatest technological
achievements, a time commonly referred to, as "the Golden
Age." Indeed, man has mastered the modern world through
his technology. From almost any perspective, it truly is a
Golden Age.
Very few scientists and politicians however, have
considered the significant downside of this complete and
irreversible dependence that humanity now has on
technology, or its inherent weakness.
During the waning years of the Golden Age, the United
States Congress commissioned a study of the impact of an
electromagnetic pulse attack against the United States'
critical infrastructures and the aftermath of such an
attack. Included in the report was an assessment of how
deeply electronic components had become imbedded in the
country's critical infrastructures ranging from aqueducts
to power plants.
Scientists studied the likely aftermath of an EMP attack
against the United States, and its impact on society. What
they found terrified them ...
C h a p t e r 1
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there,
wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal
ever dared to dream before. Edgar Allen Poe, "The Raven"
A magnificent, brightly colored flash of light exploded
silently and without warning in the night, quite unlike
anything he had ever seen before. The explosion of light
gave birth to something new in the heavens. The strange
and new phenomenon consisted of many colors including
green, yellow, purple, and blue. It moved through the
night sky, traveling in a wave. As he gazed upon the
strange dance of lights in the heavens, the spectacle
reminded him of something he had seen somewhere before. As
he continued watching the inspiring evening performance,
it finally came to him, the aurora borealis. He had come
across a science program on television as he had been
flipping channels one evening a year or so earlier. The
narrator explained that the spectacular display is created
when a coronal mass, or solar flare, from the sun collides
with the earth's magnetic field. He had no idea what the
light show was that now danced across the heavens, but one
thing he knew for certain, it was definitely not the
aurora borealis; this was something else, something new,
something different. While pondering the brilliant display
of lights in the night sky, he felt his heart stop in his
chest and the blood freeze in his veins as he looked down
from the sky for a moment to find only blackness. The
streetlights, the neon signs, the lights in buildings and
homes all over the city had suddenly and inexplicably,
vanished. As he pondered what he had seen, he heard a deep
voice like the voice on the waters say to him, "Behold and
remember all that you have seen."
Then, there was a brilliant flash of white light, and he
found himself walking the streets of a great city.
Everywhere he turned,he witnessed horrific scenes. People
of all ages roamed the crowded streets, begging for food
and water. Fights, even murders were commonplace as
competition over food, water, and supplies, grew
increasingly fierce. Again, he heard the voice
say, "Behold and remember."
As he wandered around the city, he found doctors working
feverishly to save as many people as they could, while
trying to determine who among the sick and the walking
wounded were most likely to survive. James White began to
sob as he witnessed the death, starvation, and disease.
Again, he heard the voice say,"Behold and remember."
Everywhere he looked; all signs of technology had
disappeared. There were no artificial lights shining in
the night. Instead, he saw only candles, oil lamps, and
torches, providing light in the darkness. Again he heard
the voice say, "Behold and remember."
There was another intense flash of light, and he found
himself standing at the edge of the city, where he watched
as people fled the metropolitan area in massive numbers,
heading for the countryside in search of food and water.
A few minutes later the scene transitioned once more, and
he found himself in a jungle, surrounded by ancient ruins.
He soon realized however that he was not in a jungle at
all, but still at the edge of the same great city, only at
some point in the distant future. Nature had taken back
much of the city, with trees breaking through concrete and
grass growing through the sidewalks. The landscape had
changed significantly and there were no people anywhere in
sight. Then without warning, it was night once more as
darkness flooded the landscape, and he found himself
looking up at the night sky. His eyes fixated on the
strange ribbon of light, which now looked very different.
It was dimmer, weaker, and nearly impossible to see
anymore. He continued watching as it started to flicker
and fade, before disappearing altogether. Once more he
heard the voice say, "Behold and remember."
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