When the Lights Go Out... Who Will Be Ready? All Gabe Thompson wanted was a rewarding and challenging career in the U.S. military. He's about to get his wish. The government knows that a massive solar flare could plunge the entire world into darkness for decades to come, but few believe it will ever happen. The governor of Texas is hoping it won't, but planning that it could. She implements her brainchild, the top secret Operation Nightshade, and Gabe suddenly finds himself chosen to train for the end of modern society. When the government learns their darkest fear is about to become a reality, Gabe can't warn anyone of the impending disaster—but he can stock his shelves and do everything in his power to ensure his neighbor, Lenora Diaz, will survive as long as possible. Gabe must race against a cataclysmic solar clock if he hopes to be in position when the blackout descends.