Perfect Storm 1: Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Perfect Storm Series), page 1
PERFECT STORM 1
BOBBY AKART
CONTENTS
Thank You
PRAISE FOR BOBBY AKART and PERFECT STORM
Perfect Storm 1
Other Works by Amazon Charts Top 25 Author Bobby Akart
Acknowledgments
About the Author, Bobby Akart
Dedications
Author’s Note
Real-World News Excerpts
Epigraph
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Part II
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Part III
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Part IV
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Part V
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Part VI
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
THANK YOU FOR READING PERFECT STORM 1!
What’s coming next from Bobby Akart?
Other Works by Amazon Charts Top 25 Author Bobby Akart
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading PERFECT STORM 1, the first installment in the Perfect Storm survival thriller series by Author Bobby Akart.
Join Bobby Akart’s mailing list to learn about upcoming releases, deals, contests, and appearances. Follow this link to:
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PRAISE FOR BOBBY AKART AND PERFECT STORM
“An international bestseller from an author who’s as current as tomorrow’s headlines!”
“Bobby Akart is a genius at creating disaster scenarios.”
“Mark Twain once wrote, there is something fascinating about science. Mr. Akart gets it!”
“As with any of the best novels, this book really captures your attention and makes it hard to put down at the end of the day.”
“Bobby Akart continues to deliver the top thrillers of the year. Year after year after year!”
“The way this author brings every character to life is a gifted Masterpiece.”
“I am speechless. By far the most edge of your seat, acrylic-nail-biting book ever. E V E R.
The characters suck you in on a roller coaster ride of emotions.”
“Bobby Akart continues to give his readers spell-binding scenarios that are so close to real life, it’s scary as all get out.”
“An incredibly well written story by this gifted writer who can weave a story like no other.”
PERFECT STORM 1
by
Bobby Akart
OTHER WORKS BY AMAZON CHARTS TOP 25 AUTHOR BOBBY AKART
The Perfect Storm Series
Perfect Storm 1
Perfect Storm 2
Perfect Storm 3
Perfect Storm 4
Perfect Storm 5
Black Gold (a standalone terrorism thriller)
Nuclear Winter
First Strike
Armageddon
Whiteout
Devil Storm
Desolation
New Madrid (a standalone, disaster thriller)
Odessa (a Gunner Fox trilogy)
Odessa Reborn
Odessa Rising
Odessa Strikes
The Virus Hunters
Virus Hunters I
Virus Hunters II
Virus Hunters III
The Geostorm Series
The Shift
The Pulse
The Collapse
The Flood
The Tempest
The Pioneers
The Asteroid Series (A Gunner Fox trilogy)
Discovery
Diversion
Destruction
The Doomsday Series
Apocalypse
Haven
Anarchy
Minutemen
Civil War
The Yellowstone Series
Hellfire
Inferno
Fallout
Survival
The Lone Star Series
Axis of Evil
Beyond Borders
Lines in the Sand
Texas Strong
Fifth Column
Suicide Six
The Pandemic Series
Beginnings
The Innocents
Level 6
Quietus
The Blackout Series
36 Hours
Zero Hour
Turning Point
Shiloh Ranch
Hornet’s Nest
Devil’s Homecoming
The Boston Brahmin Series
The Loyal Nine
Cyber Attack
Martial Law
False Flag
The Mechanics
Choose Freedom
Patriot’s Farewell (standalone novel)
Black Friday (standalone novel)
Seeds of Liberty (Companion Guide)
The Prepping for Tomorrow Series
Cyber Warfare
EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse
Economic Collapse
Copyright Information
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
© 2022 Crown Publishers Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including, but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the express written permission of Crown Publishers Inc.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Creating a novel that is both informative and entertaining requires a tremendous team effort. Writing is the easy part.
For their efforts in making the Perfect Storm series a reality, I would like to thank Hristo Argirov Kovatliev for his incredible artistic talents in creating my cover art. He and Dani collaborate (and conspire) to create the most incredible cover art in the publishing business. A huge hug of appreciation goes out to Pauline Nolet, the Professor, for her editorial prowess and patience in correcting this writer’s brain farts that happen more frequently with age. Thank you, Drew Avera, a United States Navy veteran, who has brought his talented formatting skills from a writer’s perspective to create multiple formats for reading my novels. A round of applause for Kevin Pierce, the beloved voice of the apocalypse, who brought my words to life in audio format.
Now, for the serious stuff. While the Perfect Storm series is based on scientifically plausible events, certain parts of the story have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes and they’re not intended to reflect on any actual person or entity.
Accurately portraying the aftermath of a devastating perfect solar storm required countless hours of never-ending research and interviews of some of the brightest minds in the world of planetary science.
Once again, as I immersed myself in the science and history, source material and research flooded my inbox from around the globe. Without the assistance of many individuals and organizations, this story could not be told. Please allow me a moment to acknowledge a few of those institutions that without their tireless efforts and patience, the Perfect Storm series could not have been written.
Many thanks to the preeminent researchers and engineers who provided me assistance, tutelage, and scientific background at the following:
The Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado
The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California
The Haleakala Observatory, home to the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, in Maui
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks
A tidbit of note. Longtime reader and friend, Neal Burgoyne, was gracious enough to allow me to use his real name as a fictional character in the Perfect Storm series. This is a fictional depiction of a good friend. His cat, Yang, is
At our home, we fly three historic flags across the columns across the front. One is the Benington Flag commemorating an important battle during the Revolutionary War that took place in upstate New York near its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. The British forces were led by General John Burgoyne who’d dealt the colonists several defeats including at Fort Ticonderoga. His success ran out at the Battle of Bennington where the American forces stood fast and repelled the British.
I know the real Neal Burgoyne well enough to assure you, he’s no Torie but rather, a red-blooded American Patriot.
Finally, as always, a special thank you to The Team, my loyal friends who’ve always supported my work and provided me valuable insight from a reader’s perspective—Denise Keef, Joe Carey, Shirley Nicholson, Bennita Barnett, and Colt Payne.
Thanks, y’all, and Choose Freedom!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, BOBBY AKART
Author Bobby Akart delivers up-all-night thrillers to readers in 245 countries and territories worldwide. He has been ranked by Amazon as #25 on the Amazon Charts list of most popular, bestselling authors. He has achieved recognition as the #1 bestselling Horror Author, #1 bestselling Science Fiction Author, #5 bestselling Action & Adventure Author, #7 bestselling Historical Fiction Author and #10 on Amazon’s bestselling Thriller Author list.
His novel Yellowstone: Hellfire reached the Top 25 on the Amazon bestsellers list and earned him multiple Kindle All-Star awards for most pages read in a month and most pages read as an author. The Yellowstone series vaulted him to the #25 bestselling author on Amazon Charts, and the #1 bestselling science fiction author.
Since its release in November 2020, his standalone novel New Madrid Earthquake has been ranked #1 on Amazon Charts in multiple countries as a natural disaster thriller.
Mr. Akart is a graduate of the University of Tennessee after pursuing a dual major in economics and political science. He went on to obtain his master’s degree in business administration and his doctorate degree in law at Tennessee.
With over a million copies of his novels in print, Bobby Akart has provided his readers a diverse range of topics that are both informative and entertaining. His attention to detail and impeccable research has allowed him to capture the imagination of his readers through his fictional works and bring them valuable knowledge through his nonfiction books.
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Visit www.BobbyAkart.com for details.
DEDICATIONS
With the love and support of my wife, Dani, together with the unconditional love of Bullie and Boom, the princesses of the palace, I’m able to tell you these stories. It would be impossible for me to write without them in my heart.
This story was written during a difficult time in our lives. For my long-time readers, you know that our English Bulldogs, Bullie and Boom, affectionately known in my stories as the princesses of the palace, are the center of our universe. At Christmas in 2021, Boom Chukka suffered a significant tear in her gastrointestinal tract caused by chewing a pressed rawhide bone.
Because of Dani’s watchful eye, she noticed Boom-Boom’s gums turn more and more pale. I also noticed that her poop became black and tarry. Both of these were symptoms of internal bleeding. I relay this to you because, one day, you might experience this with your beloved pups.
Internal bleeding is nothing to be trifled with. Without urgent care, your fur babies can die within days, if not sooner.
We rushed Boom Chukka to our vets in Georgia. The entire team, led by Drs. Rambo and McNair, came to her rescue. By the early evening of New Year’s Eve, her packed cell volume (PCV) and hematocrit (HCT) fell below twenty percent where thirty-five percent is normal. Thanks to a dog-to-dog blood transfusion from Dr. McNair’s dog, Liza, Boom-Boom was able to survive long enough to transport her to the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital in Athens.
With the help of God watching over our entire family during this difficult time, Boom Chukka fought to live another day. As of this writing, Bullie and Boom are the ripe age of twelve years, and eight months. However, they firmly believe they’re one-year-old pups.
I urge you to love those who are closest to you, including your four-legged, bestest pals.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
March, 2022
For years, I've tackled the disaster thriller genre. As an author, the hardest part might be choosing how to destroy the Earth, therefore imperiling all of mankind. Look at all the options I've written about: asteroids, nuclear electromagnetic pulse attacks, pandemics, earthquakes, volcanoes, bioterrorism, cyber warfare, pole shifts, etc.
However, in a class by itself, is severe space weather. If its ominous name didn’t clue you in, severe space weather can cause some serious complications to life on our planet. Much like earth-based weather, it’s uncontrollable. It also has the potential for massive destruction and disruption of modern technology. Imagine the collapse of power grids; radio blackouts; satellite interference or even destruction; and airline operations ceasing, all in less than a minute. Without electricity, how would you communicate with your family, call 9-1-1, get clean water or keep food from spoiling? With a radio blackout, how would airplanes land safely? Massive solar flares have the potential to change life as we know it.
Now, if I haven't gotten your attention, let's take a look at the science and a little history, shall we?
Severe space weather is the result of large-scale eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona. Known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), these eruptions can create magnetic storms in the magnetosphere and Earth’s upper atmosphere, which can damage power lines, cause blackouts, and even dislocate Earth’s radiation belts, damaging satellites.
Thankfully, such magnetic storms are classified as low frequency, but high impact. To be an impactful magnetic storm, CMEs from the solar disk must be fast and massive, launched from near the center of the Sun and directed toward Earth’s magnetic field. CMEs also need to have a strong magnetic field with the opposite orientation of Earth’s own magnetic field. Although classified as low frequency, when these conditions are met, CMEs are high-consequence occurrences. Here are some examples.
