Solar Rain: Raging Waters

SOLAR RAIN: Raging Waters

Bucky Doren

Mother Nature tried to cleanse Earth of its evil ways, and Jordan Winston had hoped it would help bury his sordid past. Now his past is trying to pull him back, and he must decide whether to flee and protect himself or become the man he hated, in order to protect the entire kingdom.

Copyright 2013, Copyright 2014 Bucky Doren

Published by Bucky Doren at Smashwords

EBook ISBN: 9781311736802

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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Learn more about Bucky Doren at www.buckydoren.com.

Thank You to Christian Action Jackson Fasselius for helping flush out the story. Thank you to Wes Ware for the awesome cover. Thank you to Melissa Gray for helping a rookie remove his stripes. Thanks to Pa, Big Mama Doren, and my sister Julie for everything.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 01 - The Hell

Chapter 02 - The Rogue

Chapter 03 - The List

Chapter 04 - The Preliminaries

Chapter 05 - The View

Chapter 06 - The Exchange

Chapter 07 - The Affair

Chapter 08 - The Dance

Chapter 09 - The Break-In

Chapter 10 - The Diversion

Chapter 11 - The Prophet

Chapter 12 - The Favor

Chapter 13 - The Shipment

Chapter 14 - The Crates

Chapter 15 - The Past

Chapter 16 - The Meeting

Chapter 17 - The Fire

Chapter 18 - The Warning

Chapter 19 - The Firefight

Chapter 20 - The Father

Chapter 21 - The Knock

Chapter 22 - The Dream

Chapter 23 - The Proverb

Chapter 24 - The Introduction

Chapter 25 - The Courtship

Chapter 26 - The Farm

Chapter 27 - The Cabin

Chapter 28 - The Impossible

Chapter 29 - The Rainbow

Chapter 30 - The Trepidation

Chapter 31 - The Mensch

CHAPTER 01: The Hell

It was like Mother Nature had decided to start over. She witnessed civilization traveling down the road to perdition. The populace crashed the global economy. Greed and the thirst for power consumed the masses. Most of the natural resources were raped from her. Clinging to life, she felt she had no other choice. With the power of the sun, Mother Nature created a solar storm that rained down on the planet, delivering Hell on Earth. The people called it the 'Solar Rain.'

#

A pregnant woman stared at the sky. Her ten-year-old daughter clung to her side. Their blonde locks fluttered as the wind increased. A storm was rolling in, but something was different about this storm. Green clouds filled the daytime sky. Red lightning arched from cloud to cloud. Despite the young girl's pleas, her mother just stared at the horrifying sky. Although she knew evil lurked behind those green clouds, there was something beautiful about them. It was as if they were calling her name.

Suddenly, a bolt of red light stretched down and struck the ground. Then another. A third reached down and struck the expectant mother and her daughter. They both fell to the ground. After a few seconds, disorientated, they both stood. The mother wiped her left brow and saw that blood stained her hand. She looked down and saw blood on the rock that had scarred her temple. Still visibly shaken, they quickly ran for cover.

#

The noon sun kissed the calm river water. Its shimmer created an intoxicating view. Jordan Winston loved to get lost in its tantalizing beauty. It was his portal to another world. The journey through his portal was nothing more than an escape to a calmer environment. It was how he trained himself to forget—even if only for a little while. Not so long ago, the waters had raged along the riverbanks. Winston's life mirrored its destructive path. After Mother Nature's Hell on Earth, the waters calmed down. He tried to settle the raging waters that flowed through his mind as well, but lately, Winston struggled. He felt trouble coming. Hoping to escape, he had lost hours the last few days just staring at the water.

It had been eight years since the Solar Rain. In his mind, the horror it brought was still fresh, but Winston knew it had given him his chance to start over. An opportunity to leave behind a life he desperately wanted to hide from. Try as he might, though, he still could not escape his transgression. Not even a massive solar storm could wash away the now nine-year-old memory. The current world around him knew nothing of his sin, but he knew. He knew all too well, and his morality reminded him every day.

The Solar Rain began peacefully enough. From the sun, a solar flare shot towards the third planet. Scientists called it a coronal mass ejection. They ranked it as an X32 class CME. The largest ever. Predictions of the worst ever solar storm foretold the pending fate. Doomsday preppers said it was their greatest fears coming to fruition. Religious figures called it the Revelations. Mother Nature simply called it the beginning.

Most of the planet's humans scoffed at the notion. A planet killer? Crazy talk! They did not have time to waste on such recklessness. Wrapped up in their here-and-now lifestyle, they laughed at the notion. The world's doom? We've heard it all before, was the mantra they chanted.

The intense energy from the solar flare first kissed orbital satellites with death. Their internal wiring melted. They began to fall from orbit. GPS was gone. Satellite communications disappeared. Long-range data transfer obliterated. It was the first warning sign.

Disbelief was replaced with confusion. Thanks to technology, anyone could instantly know what was happening on the planet. No corner was too far away. Instantly, the latest fad crisis could be viewed on any handheld device. Instantly, a person's location could be determined on that same device. There seemed to be no limit to this command. Then, suddenly, it was gone.

Confusion was replaced with intrigue. All over the world, the sky filled with the sun's energy. Like a spectacular Northern Lights display, the horizon quickly became consumed with a green parade of mystical powers. Trimmed with red, the skyline filled with those green clouds. They grew and grew until it consumed the entire skyline. Day became night. Doomsday had started to become reality.

It did not matter where a person lived; they all saw green clouds consuming the universe above. People began to line the streets below. All eyes peered at the sky. Curious, they stared at the transformation. What a wondrous sight. So beautiful. So surreal. The red energy that outlined each green cloud sprang to life. Arcs of life bounced from cloud to cloud. With each red lightning bolt spark, the green slowly faded. Eventually, the color of blood filled the sky.

Intrigue was replaced with terror. The first red lightning bolt struck the ground. Like a volcano, dirt and grass hurled skyward. Another lightning rod impacted the earth. Then another. And another. Mother Nature's Solar Rain began to attack the entire planet. There was no prejudice to race, creed, or color. All were guilty in her eyes, and all needed to pay for their sins. Panic swept through the crowd. Hoping to escape their atonement, a mad exodus from the streets began.

The Solar Rain struck transformers. The voltage quickly fired through the connecting power lines. As far as the eye could see, the lines glowed cherry red. Then, phone lines suddenly began to glow. From the wires, massive sparks leaped and cascaded below. Cars were showered with the hot embers. Right away, their panels began to warp and melt. Trees caught fire. The glowing cables seemed to thrive off of the destruction, and their intensity increased. Explosions from inside buildings shook the Earth. All electronic devices and phones felt the fury of Mother Nature. Everything that was plugged in melted, exploded, destroyed.

A once well-plugged-in society had faded to black. Everything was rendered useless: computers, televisions, radios, phones—everything. Their inner wiring melted. Cell towers shared the same aftereffect. Melted. Gone. Mother Nature's wrath showed no mercy. Any device with an umbilical cord to the grid was suddenly dissolved. Its purpose vaporized.

The Solar Rain held the world captive for eighteen hours. At first, red lightning kept its hostages hidden. Then, the sky came crashing down. Thousands of satellites completed their fall from orbit. They rained down on the planet, impacting buildings and pummeling bridges. Fire spread like a virus. The prisoners were powerless. They could do nothing more than watch their world burn.

A once-great global society, no dark corner too far away, could now only see the road that lay directly in front of them. As they trudged down its path, they arrived at their new home. Their world had become just another dark corner. Perdition welcomed them. People were forced to change.

The biggest change was in the ability to communicate. Before the Solar Rain, mobile devices gathered information from all over the globe. News traveled at the click of a button. In minutes, a story could go viral. A single person had inherited the power to be their own news agency.

Couple that with the fact that the Internet was at people's fingertips wherever they went, and it created millions of armchair quarterbacks who were not afraid to give their opinion. Some did it because they believed in a cause. Most did it for attention. After some time, it became the bane of most people's existence, but they could not put it down.

Those same devices that added so much stress into people's lives also served as a portal, through which they could escape into some mind-numbing fantasy world. Soon, they'd forget their problems, and their existence was tolerable. Now, with those devices eradicated, they were suddenly forced to deal with their issues. Their fate depended on it.

Governments were ill-prepared for such a worldwide disaster as the Solar Rain, and they failed in their response to it. Folded. Anarchy crawled up out of the ashes. Looting began. Grocery stores were pillaged for their food supplies. Sporting goods stores were raided for guns, camping gear, and everything in between.

The major cities became gang wastelands. Gangs were already fortified to defend territories. They moved to the offensive. They gobbled up supplies, grabbed new members, and conquered new territories. If anyone resisted, they were killed. Similar story lines played out in smaller communities, but to a lesser degree.

The same sins that Mother Nature despised and tried to eradicate had crawled up from the ruins. Like a tidal wave, it washed over the planet. Evil riptides muscled over all that stood in its way; stronger, more determined. Several new, smaller communities flooded the planet. Each with a new ruler. Most of the first-time kings tried to govern by imposing force. They tried to beat their people into submission. The enslaved tried to dam the raging waters. The rulers tried to destroy the underlings and their dikes. Each side's passion to control the other only fueled their vessel. A more violent world had emerged.

There were a few rays of sunshine in the new world, though. A handful of new kingdoms saw happiness. A utopia that was shared with all citizens. They created jobs. They established a monetary system. A military force protected the land from invaders, and they protected those already within the land. The most important element was electricity.

The Digital Tribe's rise to power was one of those exceptions. They used a different philosophy. They wanted to demonstrate progress. The Tribe used the mob's inner spirit to control the outcome. 'Community Pride' was their theme. The Tribe knew that buried deep down inside of each citizen was a desire. A hunger to return to a sense of normalcy. After creating a series of chaotic events, they presented a solution. The mob fell in line.

The name 'Digital Tribe' was given by the people of Eden when the lights returned. Each house only had enough power for a few lights and a few appliances, but it meant the world to survivors. A new digital age was created.

The new rulers began doing incredible things. Impossible things. Some food was produced locally, but a majority was imported. They brought in supplies to rebuild buildings. Household necessities like kitchen appliances, heaters, water heaters, and even furniture made their return. Some luxuries even became normal again—cars and fuel being some of them. But no one asked how the members of the Tribe were able to get these things.

The desperate crowd avoided that question. Never bite the hand that feeds you. That was part of their reluctance. Being blinded by the propaganda machine was the other. A well-orchestrated barrage of messages: Help us rebuild our community. A new peaceful world. We will provide jobs. Work hard. Pride in providing. Family. Join us and you will be rewarded.

Most citizens were just happy to have a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. Providing for their family again helped a sense of normalcy to return. It ushered in pride, a sense of community. The outside world did not exist. It was only the kingdom of the Digital Tribe and the city of Eden. A cause can speed up the healing process; it can also blind you.

Through it all, Mother Nature had not given up hope on her dream to rebuild. Her secret weapon lay buried deep in the hearts of a chosen few. Spread all over the planet, they were hidden in faraway dark corners. At first, the chosen ones wandered about aimlessly, lost and bewildered. Then, one day, without warning, each realized their newly God-given power. The power to change things. The power to make a difference. The power to calm the raging waters—but it was not easy.

CHAPTER 02: The Rogue

Winston sat at his desk, staring at the river just outside of his window. His stuffed-shirt attire fit his role as general manager, but his renegade attitude refused to wear it the way it was intended. The thirty-five-year-old always had the top two buttons of the white shirt floating free. Neither button was fastened on the black single-breasted jacket that was a regular part of his uniform. A white handkerchief popped up from the jacket pocket. The tie was never an option; he didn't wear one, period. Defiance maybe. Or maybe he didn't like the tight grip around his throat. Deep down inside, he knew it was both. A pair of black slacks and shoes completed the ensemble.

Normally a very confident man, lately, his confidence had wavered. That fact had become glaringly obvious to him. A slave to detail, he suddenly struggled to remember simple things. His subconscious had taken over. Winston did not understand what had triggered the chilling flashbacks. For years, he had been able to keep the only two moments that blackened his heart locked away. A sudden jailbreak from his mind's vault forced those regrets back to the forefront. It baffled him how two brief encounters could torment his soul to such an extent. He had learned to find solace in the gentle flow of the river, but it was getting harder and harder to shake the ghostly images that insisted on dancing through his mind.

Winston was tired of attending to the papers that were scattered across his desk. Try as he might, he was just going through the motions. A series of sleepless nights forced his mind to call on his reserve tank. In his mind, fatigue was starting to win the battle. He thought a quick trip to the roof of Pandora's would reinvigorate him.

Pandora's had become the anchor attraction in the Garden of Eden. Live music, dancing, booze, it all became the heartbeat for the Garden. Winston and his business partner shared in the club's success. A success that almost never happened.

Prior to Pandora's, Winston had been a rogue. A huge underground industry that rivaled the drug world for cash spent. Rogue's trafficked information. Politicians and corporations broke ground on this playing field; rogues took it to the next level.

Information would either help propel someone to the next level, or it could burn a person's life and livelihood. The terror, for a rogue, mainly came from those who were burned. They wanted to know who started the fire. If they found out, it could mean that the rogue could become the next target.

It was a high-stakes game played in the shadows. Most clients concealed a rogue's identity. Much like a journalist protecting their sources, they seldom sold them out. It was hard to find a rogue they could trust. When they did find one, they treated them like family. Nothing would force them to even whisper their name.

Winston and his business partner were good at what they did. They saw an endless line of job offers. Suddenly, that all changed. A client had sold them out. A past target came after them, and the victim moved the game from the playing field to Winston's own home. He had taken the most important thing in the world from Winston. It had been something he was not prepared for.

A cold dose of revenge shook his reality, and Winston struggled to stay focused. One thought kept pounding in his brain. How could he have let his guard down so completely? He felt it was his fault. He struggled to stay true to himself. After a brief departure from his constitution, Winston decided it was time to create an exit strategy.

It was an easy sell to his partner. The incident had also rattled his cage, so he was open to making serious changes. Killing had never been a part of their formula. Self-defense, yes. Kill or be killed. They both were prepared for that. This was neither. This was in cold blood. It chilled their souls. In return, what would they have to do to remain strong? His partner said that he could not do what was needed. He would never sleep again.

Pandora's was their exit strategy. The building that once served as their base of operation was converted into an entirely different world. A stage, lights, and speakers stretching to the ceiling were put in place. They kept some of the security features intact: thick, secure doors, the garage bay, and the weapons/tech room. Everything was set. Mother Nature's Solar Rain had flooded their world on opening night.

That day, they had decided they needed a new fuse box before they opened their doors to the public. Concern that the dance floor lights would trip breakers and the addition of a few solar panels on the roof forced this last-minute decision. The old box had just been removed when the Solar Rain began, so they were off the power grid when it collapsed.

The building was their fortress the first few months after the Solar Rain. The huge garage-like doors barricaded the main entrances. The solar panels provided some internal power as they waited out the aftermath.

When the city was renamed 'Eden,' and life started to return, a guest had arrived. It was a member of the Digital Tribe, with a proposition. Somehow, the Tribe knew what was inside. Winston figured they had gained access to old construction permits. The Tribe wanted them to open Pandora's. They would connect the electrical power to the building. Winston and his partner could continue to own it. There was only one catch.

Once a year, Winston and his partner had to host an annual party to help celebrate the city's growth. A celebration that would be called the Royal Affair. The Digital Tribe knew that entertainment would be paramount to the community’s rebirth. A place to blow off steam. A place to forget work. The Tribe's goal was to continue to usher in a new world. A new world filled with hopes and dreams. The citizens of Eden loved them. They saw the Digital Tribe as infallible. Blinded by hope, no one challenged them.

#

A man raised a set of spyglasses to his eyes. A heavily wooded area concealed most of his body. The forest fatigues aided his chameleon act. There were no major markings to identify, only two red letters stitched into the right sleeve: D.T.

The soldier looked across an open field. A large building filled the binocular lens. To the left, a vineyard butted up against the brick and mortar structure. A flatbed truck sat backed up to a loading bay. Three men carried crates into the cargo hold of the delivery vehicle. A clueless city sat behind the distillery.

The man lowered the spyglasses. A small smile worked across his face. Quietly, another man moved in behind him.

Commander Dredge, everyone is in place, he whispered.

Perfect. Dredge slowly slipped back into the fold of the trees. They're loading the truck now. It should depart in five minutes, and it should head east, towards our position. Just like we planned.

One of the weakening nearby kingdoms, Farmer