The Loyal Nine (34 page)

“Mommy, are those the same protestors from the mall?” asked Penny.

“I don’t know, honey. Come with me, girls.”

Susan took the girls and hustled them out of the room.

“
At approximately 12:45 p.m. today, all appeared to be normal at this year’s Boston Marathon event. Police have maintained a heightened alert level since the 2013 bombing,”
said the reporter.

“
What caused today’s disruption
?” asked the CNN newscaster.

“
According to reports, police in full riot gear began to advance upon the Black Lives Matter protestors and pushed them backwards up Boylston Street away from the finish line. We are told the protestors in the front were squeezed between the police skirmish line and the advancing protestors, causing a panic. From what we have been told, police in the skirmish line struck several of the protestors, resulting in an escalation between Boston PD and unarmed protestors. At that point, the situation spiraled out of control
.”

“
Have there been any injuries
?” the newscaster asked.

“
Reports are still coming in to the studio, but it appears there have been several dozen injuries, including a pregnant woman who was part of the protest group. There have been no reports of injuries to law enforcement personnel. Back to you, Don
.”

“This is part of the news every day, isn’t it, Julia?” asked J.J. “It’s not just in Boston, it’s become a national epidemic of sorts.”

“These types of clashes are inevitable,” said Donald. “We saw it firsthand in the mall. When large mobs of people gather and try to force themselves into a place that is inappropriate, violence is likely to occur. There has to be a better way to get your point across without endangering others.”

“We’re collapsing from within, just like Lincoln wrote,” said Katie. “We are destroying ourselves.”

“After World War II, some declared the next one hundred years to be the American Century,” said Sarge. “That designation could, in fact, be a bad omen. History has shown that within a century of an empire’s peak, or shortly thereafter, things begin to deteriorate.

“Arguably, we are looking at the early stages of collapse. Economically, as a nation, we are declining as a world power. Our credit rating has suffered, and the dollar is systematically being replaced as the world’s reserve currency. Militarily, we are being surpassed in technology and strength. A new Cold War was ushered in several years ago, and we have been remiss to react. Rogue nations have the ability to bring us to our knees by cyberattack or EMP without notice.”

“Even if none of those events occur, society is coming apart at the seams,” said Abbie. “We are more polarized than at any time in our history. Political rhetoric aside, I don’t have a clue as to how to bring us together as a nation at this point.”

“As a society, politicians and the media have divided us by class and race. Some would argue our societies values and morals have never been lower,” added Donald. “I didn’t mean for that to include you, Abbie. We all know you’re fighting the good fight.”

“I know, Donald,” said Abbie.

“Well, I don’t plan on going down with the ship,” said Steven. “We have a good plan to ride out the storm. We may not be able to fight a war against the Russians, but we can make sure we stay alive until things are sorted out. Right?”

“Absolutely,” said Donald.

Susan returned from Sarge’s study, snapping the group out of its morose mood.

“I’ve got the girls settled in, if it’s okay, Sarge?” asked Susan.

“Whatever makes them comfortable,” replied Sarge.

“They’ll probably draw for a while and then fall asleep on your sofa. I made some food for everyone. Why don’t we grab something to eat before we get started?” asked Susan. “We can’t save the world or ourselves on an empty stomach.”

Chapter 56

April 18, 2016

100 Beacon

Boston, Massachusetts

Donald had long ago earned the unofficial title of “Director of Procurement” for the group. Since returning from prison, he had committed his life to the concept of preparedness. Shortly after his return from FMC Devens, Donald was called to a meeting with John Morgan at 73 Tremont. At the meeting, he met Steven and Sarge. Morgan surprised Donald with his first words:
Gentlemen, we need to be prepared for a collapse event
. Donald recalled looking around the room to measure the reaction of the Sargents, who appeared unfazed. The four men spent several hours discussing the various threats they faced, and the preparedness steps necessary to survive each collapse event.

At the end of the day, Donald was tasked with putting together a comprehensive preparedness plan. He suggested that a like-minded team needed to be assembled—a group of connected, capable and, most importantly, loyal associates.

Over those next few months, Steven introduced Katie and Brad to Donald. In addition to their military training, both of them occupied positions of power and influence within the government. Donald introduced J.J. to the group, where he was warmly welcomed for his medical expertise and military perspective. Sarge suggested Julia join the group because of her international political contacts, and her dedication to unbiased media.

Donald stressed the importance of awareness related to global affairs, and the potential they might have to precipitate a collapse event. The contacts Julia, Brad and Katie had cultivated were invaluable to the assessment of a potential collapse. J.J. was in charge of survival medicine. Donald and Susan took on the roles of gathering information, organizing the basic necessities and planning for the collapse. Steven handled the security and tactics aspect of the group readiness training, while Sarge coordinated the group as their leader.

The final member of the group had been the most obvious, but unexpected addition. During one of Donald’s periodic meetings at 73 Tremont, Morgan informed him that Abbie would be the ninth member. Donald immediately recognized the significance of her presence among them. Morgan would spare no expense funding the plans Donald was required to develop—for the Nine and the Boston Brahmin.

“So we all agree the world is going to shit,” said Steven. “Let’s see how we’re going to survive it.”

“Very well. Let’s start on the ninth floor, which includes the residences,” said Donald.

“Here?” asked Abbie.

“For some of you, this will be new,” said Donald. “We’ve made a few changes in the last six months.”

Donald led them to the private stairwell connecting the three floors occupied by the Sargents—the eighth floor and the two penthouse floors above it totaled twelve thousand square feet. When Morgan commented about sparing no expense, 100 Beacon was the first indication that he’d meant it. The top floor, known as Penthouse I, consisted of Sarge’s master suite, the guest room suite occupied by Steven, a study and the Great Hall. Penthouse II, located on the ninth floor, had a similar floor plan except there were more bedrooms. A centrally located great room included a media wall similar to Sarge’s, next to a series of desks and computer stations.

“The floor plan is similar to upstairs,” said Donald. “The master suite is capable of housing Susan and I, with the girls. J.J. and Brad share a bedroom, as do Abbie and Katie. There is also a fourth bedroom which holds eight bunks—
for trusted guests
.

“We’ve done a lot of work in here since we got together last summer,” said Donald. “We have always stressed the importance of having information at our disposal in order to make informed decisions. Katie, this is our situation room.”

Katie walked around and turned on some of the computer monitors. Julia activated the televisions, which were tuned to the same news networks as the screens upstairs.

“How are you going to keep it powered in the event of an outage?” asked Brad. “If we get nuked with an EMP, the grid will be fried.”

“Even a cyberattack could take us offline for a long time,” said Sarge. “Donald has thought about these issues.”

“I have,” started Donald. “None of the electronics on our three floors are tied to the grid. We have installed standby generators on the roof to service all of our needs. We have disconnected solar panels, which can be easily connected after an EMP, along with shielded and transient protected auxiliary solar equipment. The equipment takes up much of the roof, as you will see later. Most residential users tie their solar array to the electric grid in order to defray costs by selling excess power to the local utility. We have remained independent of the power grid in order to avoid voltage spikes and EMP-induced surges.”

“What about solar storms?” asked Katie. “They have the same effect as nukes.”

“That’s true,” said Donald. “The good news is that we’ll have advance warning. All of us have space weather apps installed on our computers and smartphones. We will have at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours advanced notice of an incoming coronal mass ejection. The biggest potential disruption to the grid comes in the form of voltage spikes. Again, we operate independently from the NStar grid, so we won’t be affected.”

“We also take precautions and have backups,” said Susan. “Everything is fully operational today for you guys to review. Tomorrow, Donald and I will disconnect everything and store the electronics in Faraday cages on the eighth floor below us. This will include all electronics and their backup components, like modules, circuit boards and batteries.”

“What good will the televisions or computers be if we get nuked?” asked Brad. “The news networks won’t be functioning.”

“That’s true, but you may have international alternatives,” said Donald. “Also stored downstairs in Faraday cages is a complete HughesNet Gen 5 satellite Internet system and a DirecTV satellite television package. After we determine the threat to be over, we can quickly replace the fried units on the roof with the shielded backups. We’ll have full access to the web and media in just an hour.”

“Communications also,” added Susan. “We have provided you BaoFeng portable radios and satellite telephones in the Faraday cages at your homes, with corresponding backups here. We also have a base unit stored here. You have to keep that equipment in the cages. After a collapse event, as you military guys know, comms will be critical.”

“What we have on this floor is unique to civilians and probably similar to the hardened facilities within the government,” said Sarge. “Kudos to Donald and Susan for working tirelessly to put this part of the plan into effect. We have also thought of something else, which in a way led Julia to win a Marconi Award. Julia, would you like to fill in the blanks?”

“We have all discussed at length the scenarios and threats,” said Julia. “Our advanced preparations also include the possibility we may have to help rebuild our country. After the initial chaos passes, people will be starved for information. In addition, during a rebuilding process, whether localized or on a national level, there must be a way to disseminate information. Before you can create a connection with people, you must have a mechanism to share and exchange ideas. To rebuild our nation, you would have to be able to identify compatible qualities and find common ground with people throughout the country. I believe our country would not have been founded had it not been for the printing press. What we have here is the ability to gather facts and then distribute the information throughout the world by Internet, ham radio and even paper. Everything we need is secured in this building. I call it the Digital Carrier Pigeon.”

“This is incredible Julia,” interjected Abbie. “Very impressive.”

“Someone likes to read,” said Katie, noting the bookshelves that lined the hallways and nearly every available inch of wall space.

“I hate to be cliché,” said Sarge. “But it is appropriate here—knowledge is power. Ironically, in today’s wired world, life without electrical power would be life without knowledge. Think about it. Do you know anyone who owns an encyclopedia set? How about a dictionary? When was the last time you read a book—a
real
book?”

“That’s old school, Sarge, just like you.” Steven laughed.

“Yeah, I know, I’m a throwback,” said Sarge. “What you see around you is knowledge. We have gathered the most recent encyclopedia, common reference books and most importantly—manuals. DIY electrical, plumbing, carpentry and repair books complete with photographs are on these shelves. Survival and preparedness guides covering a vast array of topics are here. Important works of fiction are here, and old volumes are in my study.”

“I have accumulated the best medical journals and illustrative guides available for our use in case of an emergency,” said J.J. “I hope nothing happens to me. If it does, you will have reference materials at your disposal. You will know how to conduct field triage, administer basic first aid and how to set broken bones. Sadly, there are tutorials for dealing with dead bodies. The dead create significant health hazards.”

“You have all cooperated and provided me your used iPads and tablets,” said Donald. “I have downloaded hundreds of pdf files from the Internet, including checklists, military manuals on civil disturbances, survival guides and specific information on various government facilities. Every imaginable reference book has been included in the downloaded files. These are all safely secured in Faraday cages for our use in a grid down scenario.”

Abbie and Brad made their way to a set of double doors to the right of the fireplace.

“What’s in here?” asked Brad.

“Don’t be shy, Brad, every good soldier appreciates a well-stocked mess hall,” said Susan. “This is the prepper pantry.”

She walked over and opened the doors to a six-hundred-square-foot storage room. With the double doors opened, everyone could see steel shelves lined with foods, spices and condiments. Donald was proud of the time and effort Susan put into the planning of their food storage. He decided to let her take over.

“The most important aspect of our food storage plan is to provide a balanced, high-caloric daily menu,” said Susan. “This shelf is dedicated to vitamins, minerals and supplements. After the event, America may be sent back a couple of hundred years with respect to every aspect of daily life.”