ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 39)
In the last episode successfully arrived at Ikeda’s camp and met VerbalTag (Evelyn) for the first time. Adam is beginning to decompress from the years at XenTek and all of the constraints of his life within the city walls.
Seth warned Johann of the environmental dangers of using the Phoenix Collider to make another trip into the future. The atmospheric models are showing that the hole in the planet’s ozone layer will take a full year to repair itself from the first trip that was taken just days before.
Johann, now obsessed with the technological legacy he’ll leave behind, is on the verge of ignoring Seth’s warnings and pushing ahead with his dangerous agenda.
I hope you enjoy today’s edition of Alarm Clock Dawn.
Johann took a long, deep breath. “Okay, just how long until the planet can repair itself?”
“If the computer models are correct, it’s estimated that it could take up to a year. This is only if we don’t power up the collider again.”
Johann closed his eyes and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.
“Dammit!” He then shook his head, “No, no, this is just not an option. We can’t wait a year.”
“Sir, I'm beginning to worry. I see a growing obsession with getting more and more technology at far too great of a risk. Let's think about it for a moment. The Holo will guarantee us brisk sales for at least three more years. We can release it in different colored cases, for God’s sake, with more memory and different configurations. Consumers eat this stuff up. Furthermore, we have the suit of reactive bio armor and the transplant that was just obtained from Project Phoenix. Our engineers will have to figure out how all of this functions, and the marketing department is already hard at work on dreaming up ways to market it. It will all be ready to release to consumers in a year or two at the most. We have this situation comfortably under control without having to power up the collider for years.”
Johann squinted his eyes at him, and he watched as a smile slowly began to form at the corners of Johann's mouth.
“Bravo!” Johann said, clapping his hands. “That, my boy, was a CEO level performance! This is the kind of common sense thinking I can respect and I want to see more of from you. This is what you will need when you're sitting in my chair, but don't forget that for now I'm still the boss. Not only do I need to be mindful of XenTek's continued profitability, but now I have my legacy to think of .”
Seth nodded and looked down at the floor. “Of course, sir.”
“You will tell the Minister of Energy that we will need to produce more sulphur dioxide output, and send the message to the power plants to burn more coal.”
“The grid is already hungry for the additional power, and the sulphur will help counteract the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and temporarily slow down the effects of the climate change until the hole in the atmosphere can repair itself. This will have to suffice until we can figure out a better solution. Now, that will be all.”
“Johann, this is such an—such an enormous gamble. You do realize that it will mean more acid rain, don’t you?”
Johann held up a hand to silence him. “One hundred years, Busby.”
“Excuse me, sir?” Seth’s ears heard Johann just fine but his brain couldn’t process the absurdity.
The director pursed his lips and continued speaking very slowly and deliberately. “Prepare . . . the . . . damn . . . machine. Tomorrow, we will send a team a full 100 years into the future. I surmise if we go forward that far, the technological harvest we will reap will be so plentiful it will be the last trip we'll need to make for a very long time. See that the details are taken care of. That will be all.”
“But Johann,” Seth pleaded.
Johann pounded his fist on the desk.“That will be all! Do what you’re told!”
CHAPTER 13
Adam squinted at his wristwatch to check the time. It was already nine-thirty.
I’m three hours late! Adam said to himself as he jumped out of bed. After the adrenaline rush began to subside, it took him a few moments to fully recall where he was. Still, even after he had walked away from his former life, Adam’s deeply ingrained routine continued to haunt him. Gradually, it all started to come: leaving everything he knew and meeting Bear and Evelyn.
He lingered in the rare luxuriousness of a lazy moment for a little while longer. Looking at his watch again, he smiled at how ironic it was that this unpretentious timepiece had become his favorite from the moment he strapped it to his wrist.
Not despite its commonness but because of it. This was easily the least valuable and rare watch in his collection, but it had become his favorite, the one that he wore day after day. A sturdy, nickel-cased military watch with a simple black face and sturdy leather strap. Despite being nearly a century old, it had stood the test of time and still ticked strongly, accurately, and very loudly.
As he lay there, Adam picked up the scent of a burning fire and baking bread, two of his favorite smells. He could feel the coolness radiating from the red rock walls of the cave. He smiled and nestled into the security of his warm cot, a foreign feeling, almost like drunkenness, still clung to him from a full night's sleep. While his mind drifted back into the blessed dream space that existed halfway between sleep and awake, a forceful thought pushed into the forefront of Adam's mind.
We've been with you since the beginning, waiting until you were ready to join us. I've waited a long while. The time is finally here.
Adam's eyes opened wide. “What the hell was that?” He looked around to make sure he was alone and when he was sure that he still was he could do nothing but ponder the words.
Tune in on Friday, September 30th at 11AM CST for the next episode of Alarm Clock Dawn!
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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Is it possible than in 100 years we have destroyed the planet to where human life no longer exists? And when you come back in time and do you think anyone would believe you? Thought provoking!
Very thought-provoking!
Good stuff as always Eric.
There's a typo, misspelling of absurdity:
Probably too late to fix, I guess you already published 3 years ago, but might as well point it out.
Thanks for letting me know! I appreciate it.
Great Chapter.
Thanks, @mindfreak!
Another great episode. It got me thinking ... what would we find if we looked 100 years into the future? If someone from 1916 looked into our present, would they understand Steemit? With no knowledge of social media, crypto-currency or attention economy, how could they begin to make sense of it all?
Thanks, @gregory-f. That's one of the things I love about fiction, how it opens up our minds to these kinds of possibilities. It's funny, I never appreciated the power of fiction fully until I wrote this novel.
If presented with this all at once, I think people from 1916 wouldn't really have the ability to grasp the concepts of social media or crypto-currency. I think many of them would dismiss it as nonsense and a big waste of time. What people would really be mystified by are how many people have their full attention on their mobile devices while out in public. They would view us as zombies, I think. I remember seeing old black and white footage of the occasional person walking down the street in a major city reading a newspaper but today I venture a guess that nearly half of people in public are actively using their devices.
What strikes me about people of all times is how similar we probably are at the core once the technological differences and customs of the day are stripped away. With the coming advancements in virtual reality there will no doubt be programs that allow us to immerse ourselves in recreations of different times. This is one of the things I’m really looking forward to.
wow! episode number 39. Great release :D
Thanks, @royalmacro!
excellent chapter, stunning pictures congratulations
I appreciate your support, @jlufer!
Hmmm... It seems like Johann, could be beginning to crack, a bit. This one-minded thinking is such a dangerous thing, especially when practiced by people in power.
I very much agree @macksby. It's way too common in this world!