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Max slowed and then stopped a few feet from Luis.

“Hola, Señor Max,” Luis warmly greeted a surprised Max with his sweaty mitt.

Max accepted it and shook back, “Buenas dias, El Heffe. It is an honor to see you here.” Max tried desperately to show respect, while being genuinely scared to see the leader of the area’s biggest drug gang at this checkpoint, always manned by someone at least four men below the boss in the org chart. What the hell was he doing here? Now?

“Not to worry, my friend. I was waiting for someone and I saw you pull up. Are you coming to get more supplies?”

Max hated that this drug kingpin knew his business so well, but that was part of the game he played and he certainly didn’t have to worry about burglars. The Ochoa clan would dispose of any busybodies that ventured on to his property. Nevertheless, he wondered what would keep the Ochoa clan from taking from him, not that their offerings of protection services provided him with anything resembling a choice. He paid, without negotiation, because anything less would be suicide.

“Si, we’re picking up supplies for my house and a few others in Puerto Penasco,” Max offered, “Do you need anything, El Hefe?”

“Thank you, friend, no. Seems like you’ve had to get supplies a lot and such a far drive for you and Miguel to travel. I will have two of my men help you so that you can rest longer for your return trip.”

“Oh, El Hefe, that is a most generous offer, but, I couldn’t impose on you or your men…“

“I insist,” Luis broke in. “What kind of friend and neighbor would I be if I didn’t help?” With that, he turned and barked off a command to his men standing outside the Tahoe parked on the side of the road. Two of them started toward Max’s jeep.

Max saw El Gordo’s men coming to his jeep, realizing his options were evaporating by the second. If El Gordo’s men came with them, they would see all his supplies, what they were, and where they were stored. Everything was kept in one underground bunker with hidden access. Only Miguel knew its location and contents. Revealing his secrets to this drug kingpin would be tantamount to handing him the keys to his ranch and saying, “Take it all, please.” What the hell was he going to do?

Max reached down with his right hand, underneath the steering column, feeling for a specific wire. He whispered to Miguel, “Play along with me and what I’m about to say. “

Miguel’s face turned from frown to smile, recognizing with relief that his friend had a plan.

“Hola, Señor Max,” one of El Gordo’s thugs said, as he and the other climbed into the back of the Jeep.

Max continued feeling and then found what he wanted, while turning to the man who spoke to him. “Gracias Chaco par su asistencia.” He pulled on the wire and the Jeep’s engine died. He turned his head to the ignition, feigning confusion, and then he turned the ignition. Brum-rum-rum-rum . Again, Brum-rum-rum-rum . Once more, Brum-rum-rum-rum .

“Mierda!” Max yelled and banged on the steering wheel with both hands.

“Miguel, take the ATV to the house, which is only a couple of miles away, and get my tool kit, and the ignition assembly on my bench in the garage. Here is the key.” Max handed him an old key that Miguel knew wouldn’t work any of the doors except the work area of his garage, where he would find the useless items Max just requested.

“Si, Señor Max,” Miguel responded and then spun out of his seat and walked back to the trailer.

“Sorry, Chaco. I thought my ignition system would hold out till I made it to the house. It will take about two hours for Miguel to bring me the supplies I need and then for me to fix the engine. Do you want to wait with me?” Max continued his act, while Miguel was already dropping the ATV ramp on the trailer.

“El Hefe? Compermiso, El Hefe.” Chaco and the other man, who said nothing, were out of the Jeep and jogging to Luis, catching up to the portly cartel king while he was talking to his other thug.

Max got out, popped the hood, and acted as if he was starting his work to repair the ignition.

Chaco turned back and jogged up to Max and Miguel who pulled the ATV up to the front of the Jeep and acted as if he was getting further directions.

“El Hefe say, he sorry, but we are needed on other duties right now, unless you need further help with your engine,” Chaco said, out of breath.

“Tell El Hefe again, thank you for your offer of help, but we’ll be fine.”

With that, Chaco turned and left, and two minutes later, the Tahoe left in a trail of dust with one of the three guards, the man who accompanied Chaco but didn’t say anything standing by a makeshift gate El Gordo and his band of thugs maintained at times.

Max turned back to Miguel and said quietly, “I’m sorry, Miguel, but you’re going to have to go back and pull out the major supplies I told you about by yourself and put them in the garage. After an hour, get the things I mentioned and race back here. I’ll pretend to work on the Jeep while you’re gone. With luck, none of El Gordo’s men will want to accompany us, but if they do, we’ll show them only the garage and the house. Got it?”

Miguel nodded and accelerated the ATV like a crazy drunk tourist on Spring Break until his image and the sound of the engine disappeared in the dust cloud down the road.

To: Maxwell Thompson

From: bulletins@CMEResearchInstitute.org

Subject: WARNING — 90% Chance of Carrington-Sized CME Expected

We are sending you this warning because we are now 90% sure that a Carrington-sized event will occur in the next 36 to 60 hours.

At least one CME (and maybe more) is expected to reach Earth within that time

We strongly recommend that you plan on many weeks or months without power or services. Stock up your food and water. If you are in the city and you can make it to a more rural area, we recommend you leave now. Do not wait. You no longer have time.

Stay indoors when the sun is highest in the sky, as you will be subject to anywhere from 500% to 2000% the normal radiation level that you would receive on a normal day.

All of these and other recommendations are listed in our free downloadable eBook, The Solar Apocalypse Survival Guide .

We will continue to transmit bulletins as long as we are able to.

For more information go to www.CMEResearchInstitute.org& click on “Bulletins.”

The last time they received communications of any kind it was not good. Both NASA and the European Space Agency warned of severe disruptions or worse from the CMEs that were pounding Earth, and the larger ones coming their way over the next few hours or days. Thankfully, although their communication equipment was useless, their other systems were functioning and were fairly well protected against the coming onslaught. The other five astronauts were going about their normal duties, as well as double-checking the ISS’s safety protocols and the two escape capsules to make sure that nothing was missed, in case they had to bug out quickly.

They were about as protected as they could be, with their shielding specifically designed to take massive doses of radiation while in orbit above the protection of the magnetosphere surrounding the Earth. Otherwise, they would have already left for terra firma now.

Their larger concern was how Earth would fare in the next day or two. From what R.T. read from the last CMERI Bulletin, the size of the one or more CMEs headed to Earth were among the largest ever recorded and they were coming fast. Assuming they are as large as estimated, the devastation would be enormous. He remembers reading a book called “EMP: The Escalating Threat of an American Catastrophe” which talked about what would happen if an EMP from a nuclear bomb or CME were to hit North America. All power would be out for months, years, maybe even a decade. The world as they knew it would be over. All they could do now was wait and see what happened. Wait, and pray.