The Geostorm Series (Book 1): Geostorm [The Shift] Read online

  The wail of sirens filled the air as the chimps scattered along Salt Creek, passing through the Brookfield Woods and north toward the neighborhoods. They took to the trees, chattering and letting out hoots and hollers as they swung along the creek toward the west.

  The old male chimp had no idea where he was leading his troop, only that it was away from captivity. After an hour of following the creek through the wooded areas, he suddenly stopped their advance when they came to Interstate 294, also known as the Tri-State Tollway.

  He gathered the troop in the trees overlooking the interstate that, despite the predawn hour, was already full of vehicles traveling both north and south along its eight lanes.

  The old male was confused. He felt compelled to continue in this direction, away from the zoo and certain captivity. But he was in awe of the vehicles traveling in front of them. He’d never seen a car or truck before, only the occasional utility vehicle that drove around the sidewalks of Tropic World, gathering trash out of the receptacles. Those carts moved slowly and were much smaller. These were fast, and some were as big as a building.

  He studied the traffic and then determined that once in a while there was a lull, a delay, in which no cars came his way. He wasn’t sure about anything at this point, but he knew they had to make a decision, as he could sense sunrise coming. Daylight would not help them hide from their captors.

  The elder statesman looked around at the youngest of his troop, the ones that were faster and fearless. He picked two of them out and led them to the guardrail while the others waited in trees to watch.

  He stood on the top of a concrete barrier so he could get a better view down the interstate. Then he waited. It took several minutes, but the headlights lessened, and he saw an opportunity to send these two chimps across.

  He jumped off the barrier, and through a series of woots and arm motions, he instructed them to get ready to cross.

  It was time.

  “Heeaagh! Heeaagh! Woot-woot!” He encouraged them to go. He even ran onto the freeway to show them the way.

  At first, they hesitated, and then they took off across the concrete pavement. They disregarded the pain coming from their bloodied knuckles as they quickly crossed the four lanes. Then they easily scaled the concrete barrier and continued across the other side, directly into the oncoming traffic.

  The old male chimp stood on the shoulder of the interstate and watched his two charges get pulverized by a tanker truck speeding along at seventy miles an hour. The driver of the rig slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve to avoid the two chimps. He couldn’t. What happened next would result in a dozen human lives lost.

  The tanker crashed into the side of a delivery van, jackknifed, and turned over on its side, leaving a trail of gasoline behind it. As many as forty cars crashed into one another, as they were unable to stop. The sparks from steel meeting steel ignited the spilled fuel, generating a massive explosion that shattered windows in the surrounding homes and sent a fireball into the air that was detected by the International Space Station.

  The northbound traffic wasn’t spared from the havoc. As vehicles attempted to avoid the fireball that exploded across the concrete highway divider, they ran into each other, sending vehicles spinning in all directions. Several crashed into the guardrails, flipped, and landed in the trees, killing several of the onlooking monkeys.

  Others swerved to avoid the ghostly aberration that appeared on the shoulder of the freeway, which was, in actuality, the old male chimp, who was experiencing for the first time life outside the primate habitat at the Brookfield Zoo.

  Sometimes, there’s no place like home.

  Chapter 37

  Paris, France

  “We have caused the Earth to wobble, and it’s getting worse!”

  Dr. Lucas Trussel, a glaciologist at the University of Oxford in England, started his presentation with a provocative statement. It certainly grabbed the attention of those in attendance who expected him to speak on the overall topic of global temperatures and his projections for the coming decades. A murmur swept through the crowd in anticipation of what he meant by wobble.

  He continued. “What is happening today in Greenland is well beyond the range of what any of us might expect to happen naturally. It should be abundantly clear to us all that the human fingerprint, no, the weight of our heavy footprint, is the direct, unequivocal cause of Greenland melting today.

  “To put it simply, Greenland is gradually disappearing due to climate change, and all it will take is a little bit of a nudge, a brief period of extraordinary warming, and the world will bear witness to an enormous melting that will change the face of the planet.”

  The attendees continued to chatter among themselves, so Dr. Trussel raised his hands to get their attention.

  “There’s more, and I will make you this promise. I’ve been allocated an hour to speak to you, but what I have to say will take less than half that time. I have been given permission to open up the floor for questions, so if you will please bear with me.”

  The whispering died down and he cleared his throat before continuing.

  “Several recently published studies have warned that ice at both ends of the Earth is melting far faster and oceans are warming at a more rapid rate than previously thought. Ladies and gentlemen, the scientific estimates of a warming planet have been too conservative. As water warms, it expands. As it expands, not only does it have an impact on the Earth’s weather, but it causes an expansion of the oceans.

  “Our projections show that if the planet warms by just two degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels, the average sea levels will rise by more than two feet. Anywhere from forty to eighty million people will be exposed to coastal flooding as a result.”

  For the next several minutes, Dr. Trussel continued to cite facts and figures, resulting in a series of stern warnings that provided fodder for the audience and sound bites for the media.

  Chapman recalled the thoughts of Dr. Pruitt he’d discerned from his journals. Dr. Trussel’s initial statement about wobble was intriguing to Chapman, and he was puzzled why the speaker didn’t come back to the initial premise. He seemed to get caught up, as was so often the case, with what rather than the why.

  Dr. Trussel finally opened up the floor for questions. They began with the usual platitudes that one might expect in a gathering like this.

  I’ve read your books, and I couldn’t agree more.

  It’s an honor to hear you speak.

  Your work on blah, blah, blah was unparalleled.

  The questions became fewer and far between, so Chapman stepped away from the wall that he was leaning against and raised his hand. He was immediately called upon by Dr. Trussel.

  “Chapman Boone, The Weather Channel.”

  “Well, Mr. Boone, I see that you survived your reporting in Seattle. I believe many of us watched your heroism.”

  A smattering of applause greeted Chapman, who was slightly embarrassed, but appreciative of the recognition.

  “Thank you, Dr. Trussel. It was an interesting day, to say the least.” Chapman paused to clear his throat and then asked, “May I ask about your opening statement? You used the word wobble. Can you expound upon that?”

  Chapman heard several attendees seated in front of where he stood say yes and please do. He was glad his question wasn’t out of line.

  “Yes, of course,” began the glaciologist. “Naturally, the Earth spins on its axis, but it doesn’t always spin evenly. The reason for this is quite simple—the mountains, oceans and other geographic landmarks across the planet are not evenly distributed. As a result, the Earth naturally wobbles a bit when it spins. However, for millions of years, that wobble, as I call it, has been consistent. That is now changing.

  “Our studies indicate that the wobble of the planet is increasing significantly. Certainly, changes in the Earth’s mantle—whether through volcanic activity, shifts in the tectonic plates, or simple evolutionary, geologic adjustments—is one explanation.<
br />
  “Another, more likely reason, in our opinion, has been the series of ice melts and glacial rebounds in the last several decades. While most of us are aware that the melting ice caps are impacting sea levels across the planet, it also appears to be impacting the overall wobble.”

  Chapman issued a follow-up question. “What are the long-term effects of this increased wobble?”

  “As the ice melt continues its present trend, and the glacial rebounds are lessened due to global warming, the potential for the wobble will increase. This will have a major impact on the planet’s ecosystems, sea levels, and even volcanic activity.”

  The attendees began to talk among themselves and the murmur became louder. Suddenly, a woman stood in the center aisle and walked toward the podium until she stood twenty rows away from the speaker. She was sharply dressed and very attractive.

  “There is another explanation.” Her French accent was heavy. Chapman was intrigued.

  “Your name?” bristled Dr. Trussel.

  “Dr. Isabella Dubois, INSU, Paris.” The INSU, the National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy located in Paris, was world renowned for its research in the fields of geologic, ocean, atmospheric and space sciences.

  “Well, Dr. Dubois, we’re all open-minded here. I’m sure everyone would be interested in a counter-opinion.”

  A few grumbles could be heard after Dr. Trussel’s statement. Chapman got the distinct impression that the group was not as open-minded as the speaker suggested. He would soon find out.

  “I cannot disagree that the Earth is wobbling. Nor will I disagree that the polar ice caps are melting. I do have an alternative theory that should be considered.”

  The room erupted into a chorus of hisses and subtle hints that she should take a seat or, better yet, get the hell out.

  “This is not the time.”

  “Ask for your own lecture hall.”

  “How dare you challenge our esteemed colleague?”

  Chapman was amazed at the hostility shown to this woman. She hadn’t begun to present her theories, and she was already being silenced.

  Dr. Trussel raised his arms again and motioned for Dr. Dubois to continue.

  “Thank you, Dr. Trussel. My research has shown a pattern that has spanned several decades, dating back to the 1980s. I have solid evidence that our planet is experiencing a fast polar shift, one that will occur within our lifetime and may very well be the cause of the climactic events that many have been blaming on our fellow man for years.”

  BOOM!

  Dr. Dubois had dropped a nuke inside Hall 6 of the Paris Le Bourget conference center. Even Chapman gasped at the statement, not because it was outlandish and far-fetched. He knew of at least one deceased geologist who agreed, and a certain former storm chaser who was buying into the theory as well.

  The whistles and boos rose to a crescendo.

  “Blasphemy!”

  “Denier!”

  “Flat Earther!”

  The name-calling began in earnest and could be heard above the uproar. To her credit, Dr. Dubois held her ground and didn’t cower under the peer pressure.

  Dr. Trussel walked away from the podium, thrust his hands in the pockets of his tweed jacket, complete with leather elbow patches, and provided Dr. Dubois a condescending smile. After a moment, the uproar began to die down and he returned to the podium.

  “Please, everyone. I asked for an open forum today for a reason. There are naysayers out there, and Dr. Dubois has been kind enough to reveal herself, which takes great courage. Now, I hope she is well-versed in her theories, as I would like the two of us to have an honest intellectual discussion, which should, once and for all, put to rest any notion that our planet is warming due to something other than man’s activities. So, please, Dr. Dubois, continue.”

  Chapter 38

  Paris, France

  Chapman was enamored with the young French woman’s poise and confidence. He was rooting for her and he hoped she was knowledgeable enough to back up her challenge of the speaker’s theories. He leaned against the wall and listened as she began.

  “For decades, the World Magnetic Model and the data analysis from the World Data Center for Geomagnetism in Kyoto, Japan, has revealed a progressive shift of Earth’s north magnetic pole from Canada to Siberia at the rate of fifty kilometers per year. In the last decade, the speed has increased exponentially, and based upon our study, we believe the WMM will show the erratic movement has now taken magnetic north closer to Russia’s border with Kazakhstan.

  “This pole shift is impacting weather worldwide, which is a plausible explanation for warming temperatures, the corresponding rising seas, and extraordinary geological transformations around the Earth.”

  She paused to allow yet another wave of vocal protests from the attendees to subside. Before she got a chance to continue, Dr. Trussel broke in with a response.

  “Dr. Dubois, we are all familiar with the concept of wandering poles. Over the last century, the north magnetic pole has made a haphazard trek across the International Date Line into Siberia. Likewise, the south magnetic pole now sits a few hundred kilometers off the coast of Antarctica, just inside the Australian economic zone.

  “However, the reason for the wandering is because the Earth’s magnetic field isn’t based around a perfect bar magnet stuck through the planet’s core. Instead, it’s created by a layer of molten iron in the outer core that is constantly moving. Plus, these poles do not necessarily move in concert. They do so independently of each other, which, as we all know, means that the north and south poles aren’t directly opposite each other.

  “Now, to my point. We know the magnetic fields have completely reversed many times in the planet’s four-and-a-half-billion-year lifetime. These reversals take a thousand years or more to complete. So, decade to decade, you get variations in the poles, as you might in the weather from a given day to another.

  “I will use the weather in Paris over the last several days as exhibit A. Record heat a week ago has given way to cooler air today. That is hardly cataclysmic, nor should it equate to the kind of climate change that is destroying our planet.”

  Some members of the audience applauded Dr. Trussel’s statement as if he’d won a point at the French Open tennis tournament.

  Dr. Dubois was undeterred. “My research shows we are in the midst of a fast polar reversal, one that will be completed during our lifetime. The evidence shows—”

  He cut her off. “The last reversal took place 770,000 years ago, and recent geologic studies indicate it took at least twenty-two thousand years to complete. That’s several times longer than previously thought and clearly debunks the notion some reversals could occur within a human lifetime.”

  Chapman had read about this in Dr. Pruitt’s journals. The new analysis—based on advances in measurement capabilities and a global survey of lava flows, ocean sediments and ice core samples from the poles—provided a detailed look at the turbulent times the Earth faced during the shift. Over the millennia, the magnetic field weakened, partially shifted, stabilized again, and then finally reversed to the present orientation.

  Dr. Dubois was ready with her response. “In geology, as in the weather, no two events are alike. Plus, there is a distinct difference between a geomagnetic reversal, the change in the magnetic field where the north pole shifts to the south pole, and vice versa, and a true polar shift that doesn’t occur very often. The shift in the magnetic poles can happen in the period of a human lifetime, as my research has shown.

  “I have evidence of a magnetic reversal that took place 786,000 years ago and occurred in less than one hundred years. A team of geologists from Cal-Berkeley took me to the Sulmona Basin in Central Italy, where we studied volcanic ash interbedded with lake sediments. There was a specific layer of sediment we analyzed during the time the magnetic reversal occurred.

  “Their analysis points to a one-hundred-year time frame that I maintain began in the late 1970s. We are already in the midst of the
shift in the magnetic poles, and my current research into the drop in intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field at ten times faster than normal proves the fast-shift theory.”

  The speaker didn’t have a response to her assertions, so he chose to stare at her as if he was now bored with the exchange.

  After an awkward few seconds, she responded with a final statement. “Ignore my warnings at your peril, for this shift will change the face of our planet in unimaginable ways and by a means exceeding anything man or his machines can do to it.”

  With that statement, the debate was cut off. Not by Dr. Trussel, but rather, by the attendees, who didn’t want to hear any alternative theories to what was happening around the world.

  The boos and hisses of earlier were replaced with profanities in a dozen languages, hurled insults, and name-calling that clearly upset the previously stoic Dr. Dubois. She stood for a moment, hoping that the uproar would subside, or that the speaker would step in to calm down the hostility, but neither occurred. With a sigh, she turned and strode up the aisle toward the exits.

  Chapman pushed his way through the other standing-room-only attendees so that he could catch up to Dr. Dubois before she left. He wanted to hear more of her theory, and he really wanted to meet her.

  Chapter 39

  Paris, France

  Chapman made his way to the exit where Dr. Dubois had escaped only seconds earlier. One of the attendees standing at the back of the room held the door open and continued to berate her in a language that Chapman couldn’t discern. The man’s tone of voice was obviously hostile.

  The man blocked the exit, holding the door open to continue his barrage of insults, until Chapman grabbed him by the right shoulder and pulled him backwards.