Michael Guillen - The null prophecy

A Carrington-level, extreme geomagnetic storm is almost inevitable in the future.

Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid

The consequences of such an event could be very high... would likely include, for example, disruption of the transportation, communication, banking, and finance systems, and government services; the breakdown of the distribution of potable water owing to pump failure; and the loss of perishable foods and medications because of lack of refrigeration. The resulting loss of services for a significant period of time in even one region of the country could affect the entire nation and have international impacts as well.

National Academy of Sciences

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SATURDAY, APRIL 22 (7:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME)

CANADIAN FORCES STATION ALERT; NUNAVUT, CANADA

D allan OMalley leaned into the squall, his face turned away from the howling, freezing madness. Small, hard snowflakes pelted the hood of his down parkathe pattering sound redolent of rainy days in the attic of his childhood home, where he often hid from his alcoholic father.

He squared himself and, squinting hard, searched the shrouded landscape. His escort, base commander Major John Brody, was no longer in sight. A shiver of fear halted him; a few heartbeats later he burst out laughing.

Flinging out his arms, he shouted, This is freedom, baby!

He lifted his head and sucked in the bracing air, snowflakes and all, then pushed ahead blindly. A dozen or so halting steps later he bumped into the big man, who spun around and shouted, There you are! You okay?

Top of the world! Dallan cried out. Top of the world!

Brody waved him on. Stay close!

Dallan wondered what it would be like to live and work year-round up here, the northernmost human outpost on Earth. They called CFS Alert Santas Workshop. But in truth it collected military and environmental intelligence for the Canadian government, sharing whatever wasnt classified with clients worldwide, including Dallans own U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center.

No way, he decided. This place would wear thin really fast.

Not enough women.

He thought of Lorena and immediately felt ashamed. Truth was he still loved her.

Eventually, a gaudy, mustard-colored shack with a fire-engine red entryway materialized out of the palenesslike a specter dressed for Mardi Gras.

A large animal, white and furry, dashed across his path. Startled, he looked to Brody.

Arctic wolf! the major shouted. People here have never hurt em so they come right up to you. Theyre all over the station.

Once inside the building, Brody quickly led him to the magnetograph. The instrument didnt look like muchmetal boxes connected by electrical cables to a computer monitorbut it was the reason he schlepped all the way up here on short notice from Boulder.

That, and to escape the mess with Lorena.

On Brodys orders, a technician cleared off a nearby table and then laid out a long sheet of graph paper.

This is the pole strength for the past twenty-four hours, the base commander said, smoothing the paper with his hand. Heres where it started wavering yesterday morning. He tapped his forefinger on the spot. And we dont know why.

Dallans mouth hung open. Good god, its like a jumpy stock market!

Yes.

He bent down for a closer look. You sure this is for real?

Oh, yeah. Weve checked and rechecked the system for glitches a gazillion times. Its as real as you and me.

It was instantly clear to Dallan why hed been called. An instability this bad anywhere in the earths magnetic field would be alarming. But up here at the pole, naturally a weak spot to begin with, it was extremely dangerous.

What about the radiation levels?

So far, so goodno increases.

The magnetosphere was the main barrier protecting Earth from the suns lethal radiation; it acted like sunscreen. Without it, the radiation would rain down on our heads like napalm, setting the atmosphere on fire and cooking everyone to deathliterally.

He shot Major Brody an anxious look. And the polynya?

Ill show you as soon as the weather clears.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22 (12:23 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME)

It took hours for the storm to play itself out, its legacy a thick layer of fresh snow and a heavy, pewter-colored sky.

The sun was a pale amber smudge just above the horizon. From now until fall it would circle round and round, low in the sky, bobbing up and down ever so slightlythe only clue for distinguishing morning, noon, and night.

A hulking, rattling, yellow Snowcat ferried Dallan, Brody, and a small military entourage out to the stations frozen runway, where they boarded a CC-130J Hercules cargo plane. Dallan knew from experience Hercs were the workhorses thereabout, shuttling heavy equipment, food, fuel, supplies, solid waste, and personnel between Alert and Thule, Greenland.

When they arrived in Thule, he looked up and gawked at the curtains of scarlet light fluttering overhead. Northern Lights in broad daylight. My god!

The Northern Lights were commonly seen in the night skies all over the Arctic. Like all aurorae, they were caused by charged particles from the sun blasting the upper atmosphere and making it glow. Because the spectacle happened tens of miles up, it was usually dim and could only be seen at night. Northern Lights bright enough to be seen during the day meant the bombardment was either unusually strong or infiltrating unusually lowor both.