Lucifer At Daybreak: California At the Dawn of the Third World War

To California’s Two Best Governors

Edmund G Pat Brown and

Edmund G. Jerry Brown and to the

late great Tehama Fire Center where we

worked harder than before or since and

where we lived life in the wildest way

and enjoyed our youth fully.

Copyright 2016, Dalton Ian Craig

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-48-358491-1

Table of Contents

DRESDEN

RECOMPENSE

MOBOCRACY

POTATO BLISS

TUNNEL RATS

DUSKY ORBIT

THE HOLY INNOCENTS

CRYPTIC SANCTUARY

TO BE SECURE IN THEIR PERSONS

GLACIAL IMAGINING

BARREN FRONTIER

VENTURA HIGHWAY

THE GOLDEN STATE

DRAGON TEETH

MODOC MOON

Authors Afterword

DRESDEN

In a forgotten footnote of history resides the World War Two effort of Japan to set the western forest alight and spread panic in the United States and Canada.  The Japanese launched 9300 helium fire balloons into the pacific jet stream on a one way journey to the North American west coast.  Each contained incendiary bombs and anti-personnel bombs and were intended for cities, forests and farmland. The firefighters would be diverted from war production.

The FU-GO fire balloons were launched between November 1944 and April 1945, a period when the spring rains made for a high moisture content in the forest.  The balloons killed six people and 300 of the devices landed in 17 states, Canada and Mexico.  This poor mans buzz bomb proved ineffective, but if the balloons had landed in the forests in summer when the forests were dry, the balloons may have worked in setting the western forest alight.

Westerners, and Californians in particular expect summer wildfires.  The effects of global warming and  human homes encroaching to the very edge of the western wilderness make the wildfires even worse.  Each year, when the Santa Ana winds blow to the sea, pyromaniacs head for the southern California hills and with orgasmic ecstasy set the wild brush ablaze.  The vegetation, mostly brush with oak trees, answers the siren song of the arsonist and tries to burn the brush to the coast.  Particularly strange pyros try to start fires underneath or next to fire crews to kill them. 

In the north, the national forests and wild lands actually have trees and a large number of jobs depend on the forest.  Standing in a forest in northern California, Los Angeles seems part of a different state.  The fires in the north can actually turn into forest fires and they tend to burn at a different time than the Santa Ana wildfires in the south, which helps to allocate fire fighting resources.  This presumes the fire season follows the norm and the whole of California is not burning at once.

Fire fighting in California involves quite a few federal, state and local jurisdictions.  The largest of the state agencies is the California Department of Forestry and Fire protection, which contracts as the county fire department for most counties.  Large counties, such as Los Angeles have separate fire departments.  The U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management also have firefighting responsibility because so much of California is owned by the federal government.  One other agency. The California Conservation Corps also fights fires, for minimum wage.  The separate agencies have inter agency agreements and overlap to cover the state.  A well concentrated effort could stretch all the well balanced fire fighting resources to the breaking point.

For the terror attack, each county would have three crews of two terror fire starters and they would set the forest alight to spread terror and destruction.  Upon completing the task, they would use themselves as a human bomb in any crowded area. They would await transmission of the go code : Dresden.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not take note of the large uptick in sales of highway flares during the winter and spring months.  Auto stores and hardware stores, being good business people  simply reordered and sold more flares.  The surge dropped off about two weeks prior, but it did not set off any alarm bells at DHS.

Americans still expected war to arrive from overseas, a Hitler in a jet with a clear return address. Since September 11, 2001, the DHS imposed several feel good  initiatives, but in an overabundance of political correctness continued to admit and grant visas to individuals from state sponsors of terrorism

One of the reform measures, the container security initiative to inspect ocean going container ships bound for the USA, had loopholes.  Trusted ports were granted an EZ PASS, and were less likely to have cargo inspected.  Americans had an insatiable appetite for cheap products from the east and the two container ships off shore drew no special attention as they were from the port of Pusan in Korea.  One was bound for Los Angeles and the other for Oakland.  There also was a coffee cargo ship docked in the Port of Hueneme in California, directly opposite the US Naval Seabee Base.  The three vessels waited for the task ahead while the arsonists began their work.

At 9am on May 25th, the command word of DRESDEN, crackled over the radio bands.  All teams acknowledged the message.  At 9:15 am the first highway flare flew out of a moving car window on Starlight Pines Road in Redding.  The undergrowth caught fire easily due to a dry winter.  The 2nd Shasta County crew set  8 separate fires in La Tour State Forest as it did not have witnesses, they had more time.  They headed east to Lassen National Park.  In Humbolt County, three crews set the redwoods ablaze in a frenzy and by 11:30 had used all their flares.  Two crews proceeded to Humbolt State University and set  off bombs while one crew went to an elementary school to kill a class of kindergarteners.

In the southern part of the state, Ventura County drew first blood in the arson attack.  Piru canyon on the Los Angeles and Ventura County line blazed at 9:20 am.  The arsonists paid attention to set the oil wells ablaze for maximum black smoke out put.  Their counter parts on Ventura Avenue set oil wells ablaze and the 3rd crew in Ojai set the hills ablaze.  By 11:15 one crew ran out of flares and drove to Cabrillo Middle School to await lunch.  After the students were in the lunch area and cafeteria, the terrorists  drove at a high rate of speed and detonated their bombs in the lunch area.

Television and radio broadcasts interrupted with special reporting on the firestorm and terror attacks. 

By 12:30 the fire starters were done and now the work of the human bombs picked up in intensity. 

Schools were a favorite target because of the terror of killing children, but Churches, shopping malls

and hospitals also served as places to set off human bombs.

In Avila Beach California, the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant increased security at 11 am.  Unit one operated at 101.2 percent today and unit two operated at 88.2 percent.  The only concern from a safety standpoint was kelp at the water intake for unit two. The customers of the electricity from the plants watched the unfolding statewide firestorm and terror attacks on television with alarm, but the 50 mile area around the plant took no increased security measures beyond what was required at the plant.

Down the coast, the decommissioned San Onofre nuclear Power Plant dominated the landscape  of San Onofre State Beach and San Clemente.  President Nixon’s Western White House only a few miles away once appeared in an ad for nuclear safety.  If the President is in such proximity, nuclear power must be safe.  Even now, after the shutdown, the reactors and tons of radioactive waste remained and it would be unsafe for a period longer than there has been a recorded human history.

The madmen in charge of the attack on California knew there were safer ways to boil water, they knew the vulnerability of the state to a firestorm and they knew an earthquake could cripple the transportation system.  They knew no one would be coming to help.

California Conservation Corps Crew-leader Jerrod Peters and Gaviota CCC Crew Two had been dispatched three days previous to a Bureau of Land Management fire east of Cederville California and across the state line in northern Washoe County, Nevada.  It had no vegetation to speak of, yet some hard scrabble rancher leased this land to graze cattle.  Jerrod could not figure out what the poor bovines ate in this arid wasteland.

Crew two arrived first at this fire after an all day trip.  No other crews in sight and no fire either. Jerrod and his crew put out sleeping bags and bedded down for the night and were rudely awakened by an invasion of federal Fire Crews and a meal catering and shower catering outfit.  The carnival had arrived and damn near run over the crew in the night.  Jerrod’s supervisor, Conservationist One Tony Galaviz woke in a start and began a cursing streak in English and Spanish.  One of the corp members, Adil Abounadi threw in a few choice words in Moroccan Arabic.

The fire to which they had been dispatched went out on it’s own three days ago.  The ground felt cold to the touch. Corp member Logan Ingram summed it up best: Who gives a shit, it is a fed fire.  As fires went, these were the most lucrative due to portal to portal pay, which meant one was on the clock on a continuous basis from the time of dispatch from the station until return to station.  The overtime really added up fast.  And as an added bonus, the feds put on a good feed bag. The crew was content to dig a fire line in a desert for whatever reason

Jerrod Peters joined the CCC 18 months ago after graduating from the University of California Santa Barbara.  It seemed like a good way to save money for law school, and he had been accepted to Mc George School of law for the Fall. Jerrod’s life ambition was to be a Public Defender for L.A. County because he liked impossible causes.  The hard work, low pay, miserable conditions CCC slogan appealed to this part of his make up. 

At first, the thought of firefighting scared the hell out of him, but then it passed.  The one thing that scared him now was making a wrong decision and getting a corps member hurt or killed. His grandfather told him he was a fighter pilot in World War Two, rather than a bomber pilot so he wasn’t responsible for a crew if he went down.  This now made sense to Jerrod.

Like many Californians, Jerrod was a transplant.  He grew up in Kansas City and his parents moved when the jobs left in the late 2007. The one big difference about California was how expensive it proved to be. Earthquakes took some getting used to, but there were no tornadoes.  Strangely, on the third day of the fire that wasn’t, there was a stillness to the air similar to the quiet before a major storm. 

The other crews left for a real fire after only one day and left Crew Two to look for hot spots. They would have firefighter rations for meals for the next three days  as they watched for something to happen.  While working in the burn looking for hot spots, Jerrod’s crew felt a wind that almost knocked them over.  At this time the radio stopped working. Jerrod and his crew knew nothing of what was happening except for these strange happenings.

At 1pm, the outer doors opened on the container ships.  A total of seven on each ship.  Inside each container, a Shahaab 7 cruise missile with a one megaton warhead. The missiles launched quickly. The  Northern vessel targeted San Francisco and Sacramento with one warhead aimed at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The Southern vessel aimed for Los Angeles and San Diego with one aimed at the waste stored at San Onofre Power Plant.  The coffee freighter in the Port of Hueneme fired a missile straight up to 50,000 feet and detonated a nuclear warhead, creating and EMP that cut all power west of the Rockies.  Their diabolical task complete, each vessel detonated a 1 megaton weapon and self destructed.

San Francisco was hit with two one megaton bombs and Oakland with  a single one megaton bomb.  Sacramento was hit by three one megaton bombs and Diablo Canyon was hit with a single one megaton bomb.  Los Angeles was hit with four one megaton bombs,  San Diego with two one megaton bombs and San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant with a single one megaton weapon.  The effect of 14 one megaton bombs detonating almost simultaneously jarred the California Fault lines and created large earthquakes.

Approaches to freeway bridges collapsed, water mains and gas mains ruptured and dams collapsed.

One ground burst weapon detonated over downtown Los Angeles.  There was no life in a 10 mile radius immediately.  All buildings and freeways were destroyed.  One weapon ground burst over Van Nuys creating a ten mile radius of death.  All freeways destroyed in blast area.  Northbound freeways severed. 

One weapon ground burst on Canoga Park, ten mile radius of death in San Fernando Valley  LAX one ground burst weapon destroys airport, ten mile death radius.

One warhead ground burst over downtown San Diego, One ground burst over Mexican border.  Both had a  ten mile death radius.  A single detonation over San Onofre Power Plants highly radioactive waste turned into fallout and on site contamination, and contaminatedof all freeways out of San Diego. 

San Francisco two warheads ground burst,  the city destroyed.  One detonation in Oakland ten mile radius of death.  Sacramento capital area,  Arden area,  the Sierra foothills area and an overshot to Reno, one detonation each.  Diablo Canyon, a one megaton ground burst.  Operating at or near capacity,  radioactive fuel and waste contamination, was lifted into fallout.  Highly radioactive fallout covered Bakersfield, close to 100 % fatalities. The high levels of radiation would end agriculture production forever.

The electro magnetic pulse from the Port Hueneme air burst disabled all electronics and communication west of the Rockies.  Except  for those in the vicinity, little information of the attacks was available.  Most people thought it was a regular blackout.  Cars would not run, back up generators did not work and news was unavailable.  States and cities bordering California were receiving lethal doses of radioactive fallout without the public knowing.

Gaviota CCC crew two continued it’s task of looking for hot spots in northern Washoe County, Nevada.  Starting at 6 am, they worked a 12 hour shift and went back to their lonely makeshift camp for firefighter meals to eat and a night of sleep under the desert stars. Upon returning to the crew carrier, Conservationist One Tony Galaviz tried to start the truck to use the fire radio.  The truck would not start and the two hand held radios did not work.  Jerrod Peters, the news junky crew leader went for his radio with short wave capability in the tool bay.  The tool bay had acted as a shield against the EMP. 

As the crew lounged about  tired from a day on the cold fire line, Jerrod fiddled with the radio.  Nothing on the AM or FM band.  Jerrod dismissed this due to isolation and distance from cities and signals.  Finally, Jerrod found news on a Short Wave band.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security broadcast a national nuclear alert:  All Californians south of the 40th parallel are urged to shelter in place due to a radioactive attack. An electro magnetic pulse has disabled power and communications on the west coast of the USA, Canada and Mexico.  Residents of Nevada and Arizona are urged to shelter in place due to fallout.  All Californians are reminded that the water heater is a source of safe water if the intake is turned off.  Attackers started fires to lift smoke and droughty ash and to spread fallout panic.  If in doubt, don’t go out. National nuclear alert broadcasts will repeat hourly.

The crew that a few moments before seemed so young and full of life now looked old and worn with worry.  Corps member Peter Elder immediately started into a fanatical rant about the Rapture and how he for one would soon be taken into the sky. Thank God the end has come. he exclaimed!  Miguel Chavez offered to kill him now so he didn’t have to wait for the next elevator.  This helped to ease the tension. 

Unknown to crew two and most of the world outside California south of 40 degrees latitude was that the area south of that line either disappeared or would be forever contaminated.  It would be better for crew two not to know this. Of the 16 members of the crew, all lived or had family south of what would soon be called "The Deadline. 

At a hastily called crew meeting, Conservationist One Tony Galaviz said: We now must decide what to do and where to go.  Jerrod Peters, protecting his crew even in the worst told Adil Abounadi from Morocco that he was now Max Sanchez, his nickname would be Sancho like in Don Quixote.  Adil looked confused.  We have a good idea who would do this, and we will pass through small towns and rural areas where things could get ugly.  There will be no police, no law and no rights.  Corps member Don Gonzalez offered to give him a crash course in cursing like a Mexican.  This  broke the tension a bit. 

Trudy Elliott suggested a short prayer meeting. She asked Jerrod Peters to lead the prayer.  Jerrod reluctantly agreed and his prayer came from the Book of Common prayer. 

In peace let us pray to the Lord saying, Lord have mercy.

We pray for our enemies, may they find your forgiveness and the peace in your presence they could not find on earth.

For all who have died in your faith, and for all those whose faith is known to you alone, that with all the saints, they may have rest in peace where there is no pain or grief, but life eternal, we pray to you O Lord.

For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and people, we pray to you O Lord.

For this crew and all who live with us in our thoughts and cares, and for our journey ahead, we pray to you, O Lord.

May the grace of God, the love  of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and always, Amen.

Jerrod closed the prayer and called for a group hug and then had to ask, Who just grabbed my ass?  Just because we are in the middle of World War Three here lets not lose our decorum. Everyone laughed.  Then the crew began a discussion on where to go next.  Everything south of the 40th parallel was out, so it was decided to go west out of the Nevada high desert.  The crew found that they had about six days of fire rations on the truck. 

Corps member Georgia Williams had the unenviable task of telling Jerrod that coffee supplies were dangerously low..  The reaction was immediate: What a coffee shortage, this means war, I don’t care who we must battle!  Tony Galaviz asked how Jerrod was doing and Georgia said, mad enough to fuck a rock! I’ll bite into an enemy tank, I don’t care, I’ll gum the bitch I am running out of coffee, give me the damn launch codes. everyone was amused by the outburst.

On the way to the Nevada Fire that wasn’t, the crew passed through the small Modoc county town of Crocker. Most of the town appeared abandoned due to the collapse of the logging industry and cattle ranching.  The crew decided to hike to Crocker first.  But for the first night of World War Three, Gaviota Crew Two would sleep under the stars, many who would not normally be drawn to each other slept together for comfort.  Muted sobs could be heard in the night, but Jerrod could do nothing to help, like them, he had lost everyone and everything.  Even the Gaviota CCC Center now sat alone covered with radiation from Diablo Canyon.  The crew could not return for about 25,000 years. 

Day two dawned in the Nevada desert and the crew settled in to eat fire rations for breakfast.  Somehow, the inmates at Ishi Conservation Camp in Tehama County who made these meals, managed to turn the freeze dried eggs green.  Still the meals were better than military surplus MRE meals.  And the eggs tasted good.  Someone opined,yes I will eat green eggs and ham. 

The crew next began to pack for the journey on foot to the nearest California town, Crocker.  All the tools and gear possible were packed on their backs as they set out west.  Before leaving the crew listened to the Department of Homeland Security broadcast of a National Nuclear Alert. It did not contain good news:

"California was attacked by parties as yet unknown.  A total of 15 warheads in the one megaton range were detonated.  Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento are now destroyed.

The Diablo Canyon and San Onofre Nuclear Power plants are now destroyed.  Radioactive contamination is widespread.  Bakersfield extremely contaminated from Diablo Canyon Power Plant. 

100 % fatalities in Bakersfield. Central California from Ventura to Salinas contaminated from Diablo Canyon explosion.  Blast caused earthquakes caused widespread damage to freeway, rail and port facilities.  Help from Federal Emergency Management Agency, difficult. FEMA advising continued shelter in place.  Broadcast in 4 hours, on FEMA radio."

With that news, the crew began the track west to Crocker, a two day journey by foot. 

The desert seemed particularly barren today on the dawn of destruction. It matched the mood and national doomsday broadcast. This part of the Nevada desert, unlike the Mojave or Sonoran  to the south did have a bit of rainfall.  In the shadow of the Sierra Nevada range, trees could be seen growing green and healthy in the distance.  For many years, Basque immigrants raised sheep on the Nevada Desert.  Now a few brave souls raised cattle on land leased from the federal government.  It rained here and it really snowed in the winter.  Crew two planned to miss the winter. They unanimously agreed that

they were still the California Conservation Corps, and as such were servants of the taxpayers.  Not one among them knew if or when they would see a paycheck, but Tony Galaviz would keep track of their labors in Public Service Conservation Work. That could be defined many ways now and it was of necessity a moving target.

Each person carried about 80 pounds on their back in makeshift backpacks, hastily assembled of wood scraps, truck parts and sleeping bags.  Each person carried at least two tools. The two hand radios and the truck radio were packed along because corps member Dylan Rekdal, a mad scientist thought he could fix them to make contact with the outside world. 

There were no paved roads back to Crocker and the crew kicked up dust as it traversed the lonely desert.  The added weight and the heat took it’s tool, but the crew hiked on even finding time to taunt he crew leader with a song:  There ain’t no hair on a crew-leaders ass, do dah do dah, crew leaders ain’t got no class, do dah do da….. the next person to get the taunt was Peter Elder, who had announced himself, Rapture ready, the night before.  Russell Israel had the most fun: Hey rapture boy, why are you down here with the Jews at a time like this? Peter Elder was mad and warned everyone about the Sword of the Lord. 

Finally, Jerrod had to ask.  What church do you attend anyway?  Peter shot back: The Church of God of Anderson, Indiana. He acted like there was no other church.  Peter asked what faith Jerrod was. Episcopalian.  Then we have nothing to discuss. said Peter. Sad, Jerrod thought but religious fanatics probably destroyed California for Allah the compassionate and merciful. 

The crew found a dead rabbit and everyone thought it but nobody said it, radiation.  It was unclear where the boundary was or if there had been another attack.  After all, the residents of Bakersfield all died from radiation and all they suspected was smoke from wildfire terrorists.  There was some comfort in the fact that they died fast.  All that highly radioactive waste did not take long to do it’s work. 

Tony examined the rabbit saying: Be vewwy vewwy quiet, I am examining a wabbit.  It became obvious that old peter cottontail had died long ago, his innards were all gone.  The crew decided to hold an impromptu coroners inquest.  It was decided he died from chocking to death on a ham sandwich.  Kenneth Bass almost reopened the case by demanding a search for a dead chicken, none would be found and fowl play was ruled out. 

This important business behind them, the crew stopped for lunch and noticed a rancher with a gun watching them.  He cautiously came over and asked who they were.  Tony told him the crew was a stranded fire crew headed to Crocker. 

My name is Benson

Tony introduced the crew.  Mr. Benson asked what was going on , why did the electric go out, cars go out, radios etc.  Tony told him all he knew, that we had been attacked and probably tens of millions are or soon would be dead.  Mr. Benson looked like a worn fence post.  The strain of the horrible news caused his face to lose all color and there was real fear his heart would fail.  He was roughly 65 and had been in Vietnam. 

You will need guns, wherever you are going.  Benson said.

Tony Galaviz militated against this, but the crew nearly mutinied  when Benson offered to arm them.  His point was that there was no law, crazy people will shoot at the two black folks on the crew, and possibly the Mexicans, and the women could be raped. 

Who knows how to use a gun. Benson asked.  Ten hands went up at once.  Benson invited the crew to his home and gave each person  an  AK-47 and  Tokorav Pistol Plus thousands of rounds of ammunition.  He said the crew could not stay there, but wished them luck on the journey. 

The added weight of the guns and ammunition slowed the crew after lunch, but they all agreed guns were a good idea.  At the end of day two, the crew again made camp under the desert stars, half way to Crocker.  Already, the sorrow and despair of yesterdays terrible news began to dissipate.  The adjustment to a new life was in process.

Day three the wind blew hard from the west.  Dust covered everyone upon awakening in the sleeping bag.  The sleeping bags needed to be put back in the riggings for backpacks and a quick firearms safety session was held.  Breakfast was again freeze dried food and water was becoming an issue.  The only water was Middle Alkali Lake which did not help.  The crew would need to reach Crocker and find water today.

The FEMA radio report on the short wave contained some new facts:

"California below the 40th parallel is now a radioactive wasteland. The Defense Department has determined that the nuclear weapons originated in Pakistan and were delivered by Iranians and North Koreans from container ships off shore.  The EMP device detonated over Ventura County originated in Venezuela and was smuggled in on a coffee freighter. The government of the United States, in Congress assembled have declared war on North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. The Government of Mexico has also declared war against all three nations as has Canada and NATO.  The President urges all Americans to remain calm during this national emergency.

In areas bordering the attack zone, gangs have taken Arabs, Moslems and Persians and held street corner card table courts, convicting them as enemies of the people.  All Moslems are urged to leave the United States to their country of origin.  There is a two week grace period to do this.  After that date, by executive order 45113, all Moslems found within U.S. Borders will be shipped to the radioactive contamination zone.  Moslems will not be permitted into Canada or Mexico.  Venezuelans in the USA must remove themselves or risk deportation to the contamination area.  Any enemy combatants observed shall be shot on sight. There will be a FEMA broadcast in four hours."

The news did not seem to affect the crew as it did not come as a surprise.  Everyone knew California was mostly a wasteland.  The hostility toward Moslems and Venezuelans did not shock anybody.  Jerrod was concerned for Sancho aka Adil Abounadi.  Should he be encouraged to make his way to an airport?  Would they be guilty of a crime hiding him?  Then again, all Hispanics would now face added prejudice directed at Venezualians.  For today, the dusty crew trekked toward water. 

The landscape became a bit more green in Modoc County and the crew was on a paved road.  A sign said, Crocker, 4 miles and the crew skipped lunch and humped it to Crocker. The road was littered here and there with abandoned cars and the mad scientist, Dylan Rekdal, made a note of where to find batteries.  The crew came across a cow wandering in the road without a care.  For some reason, it started to follow them down the road and the conversation turned to steak and prime rib.  This cow sensed the danger of trailing along with these meat hungry carnivores and slowly went in the other direction. 

On the outskirts of Crocker, the crew saw a large water tank and knew water would not be a worry for a while.