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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781532037511 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 01/31/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 212 |
| File size: | 464 KB |
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CHAPTER 1
THAT SPECIAL FEELING ...
KALOS TROFI CAFE 1:26pm, Tuesday October 21st, 2014
"Angie, I just got a chance to read yer e-mail, by using the café's Wi-Fi; my data was lower than I realized, so had to wait until I could find other means to access your message. My first reaction to your ... rather lofty viewpoints was less than positive. So I will sum up with: LOL! Yer dreaming, U R!" Miles texted to his friend during his lunch break. "Perhaps that was not the most mature response" he told himself. The week had gotten off to a bit of a rough start, and he was in the middle of a very busy day. "But is that any excuse to respond so flippantly to a dear friend expressing herself openly?" he wondered. Looking at his watch, he realized that he perhaps had taken too long to think about it, and was nearing the end of his lunch break. It wasn't a long journey back to the office, but he never liked to be late for anything, particularly work.
Miles Militis was a hard-working Caucasian male in his mid-thirties who worked very diligently at his job, and at keeping the work that he did interesting in order to maintain a high level of productivity and efficiency. However, he had a reputation for always finding time to be there for his friends, particularly ones that he'd known for as long as he had known Angelique.
Angelique Lambros-Erebus, wife of famous actor/writer/ philosopher Jack Erebus, has been friends with Miles for over 25 years. Her exposure to her husband's philosophical teachings and practices had helped broaden the scope of her own life and goals. This helped her to also better understand Miles' keen interest in learning about the history of things, why things are as they are, and how they came to be introduced to the world to begin with.
Unfortunately, she'd opted to open up to her best friend about her thoughts and viewpoints which would naturally lead in a different direction, regarding scientific philosophy, future technology, etc., at an inopportune time. She knew that this was a big week for him, but part of her was still saddened by the crass and cold response he had given to her e-mail. Another part of her realized that she'd clearly chosen the wrong time to express her thoughts and ideas on the subject. "He told me that he was having a rough week, why did I think he'd have the time or patience to discuss such things? Why didn't I wait until he came over on the weekend?" she asked herself.
"The weekend ..." she repeated the thought softly to herself, then she remembered that she'd have to re-confirm that he was still available and willing to come over. "Are you still coming over on Saturday to help with renovations and such?" she texted.
It had started out as a cool, crisp morning, but had become relatively mild for downtown Toronto in late October. Miles felt comfortable enough to go out for lunch, without bringing a jacket. A part of him could have cared less about the temperature. He felt the breeze blowing between the skyscrapers that lined the street, and he found it rather invigorating as he headed back towards the office.
Miles was having a particularly good month, both in and out of work. He didn't fully grasp the whole modern science and experimental philosophy thing. A part of him didn't want to. He wasn't often so self-absorbed, but this week was different. He'd been working SO very hard to get to where he was, and this week seemed to show such grand promise for a brighter future. Not only was there potential for a promotion, but also a chance of reaching the next level in his relationship with his girlfriend Amber appeared to be very much on the horizon!
A nagging part at the back of Miles' mind told him that he should not have been so flippant to someone whom he had known, and supportively admired, for such a long time. Unfortunately, there were a number of security protocols in place, which disallowed him to be able to send or receive text messages until he logged his phone into the secure server at his desk. Having to wait until he got off of the elevator before he could know whether she had replied or not, was starting to eat at him, despite his jovial mood. The response finally came through. Taking a slow deep breath, he read the message, and a relieved smile crossed his face. Pondering for a moment, he nodded to himself, as he eyed the clock, and texted back,
"Yes, I will definitely be there!"
All was well between him and his dearest friend; she still wanted him to come over and help get some work done on the house. He had hoped, and possibly assumed, that she would understand how much respect and admiration he had for her. Realizing that Angelique's husband, Jack Erebus, was away on business, he knew that there was renovation work to be done, and she would not be able to handle it all on her own.
Upon returning to his desk, after having logged into the server, Miles discovered a new e-mail waiting in his inbox stating that his presence was being requested in Mr. Archos' office on Wednesday at 3:00pm. He glared determinedly at the computer screen, wrote a quick, but professional, acknowledgement in response:
"Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to meet with Mr. Archos. I am writing to confirm that I will be there promptly at 3pm on Wednesday."
Kyri Archos was the President of the company. Miles was feeling very confident about this e-mail and the pending meeting. He'd heard rumours of the company restructuring, opening up some positions, and he had been striving to progress in the company for a few years. However, he knew better than to allow himself get too distracted with thoughts of his, seemingly inevitable, promotion, and resumed working on the remaining tasks of the day.
* * *
CENTRUS LABORATORIES: EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT 2:28pm, Tuesday October 21st, 2014
While events were looking set to fulfill the positive potential that Miles had attempted, in vain, to deny himself, developments elsewhere were also showing some kind of potential. Whether it was to be of a positive or negative variety, it was too soon to tell.
A dark cloaked figure pored over a Tele-visual display to analyze data on an experiment that was being put through a test phase. It had been years since a procedure of this sort had been attempted, or even approved for trial runs, and this time it was being kept very hush-hush.
The mysterious, slightly disfigured man, who was working alone in the large, dimly lit room, was pleased with the information that he was receiving. The weather factors, time, and location parameters all seemed ideal for the requirements of the project's anticipated successful outcome.
Just as it seemed that the test run of the experiment was going to work, and perhaps even improve upon the results of the original effort from so many years ago, the screen f lashed a bright crimson red and a warning siren wailed. The test phase halted as the screen simply showed the same 2 words in an oscillating rainbow font:
***QUANTUBUS EFFECT!!!***
The cloaked figure slammed his fist down against the desk, a bit harder than he had intended to, denting the sheet metal platform in front of the display panel. He hissed and his cold, grey eyes absorbed & ref lected the bright colours of the screen, focusing intently upon the repeated words. He knew immediately that these words had a very specific meaning, and that they threatened not only the future of the experiment, but could spell certain doom for the planet if the tested experiment were ever attempted in real-time conditions.
The multi-coloured glimmering words on the screen were almost taunting him as he growled at them in response. His cloaked form was visibly shaken with a frustrated rage.
"Not again!" He muttered, as he brought his hand over the crown of his head to finally protect his glowing, sensitive eyes from the brightness of the screen, making a vain effort to maintain control.
CHAPTER 2
STRUGGLING WITH THE INEVITABLE
Understandably, Miles felt the time leading up to the big meeting seemingly dragging along. He distracted himself with the enjoyment of quality time spent with his girlfriend Amber; they were ready to celebrate, albeit rather prematurely. Miles could scarcely contain his excitement regarding the pending meeting. Despite a restless Tuesday night, he awoke buzzing with energy and motivation. Wednesday morning came and went. Miles packed a lunch, staying at his desk in case the meeting time was suddenly changed.
By 3pm, Miles was on the 4th floor, waiting patiently for Mr. Archos to come out and greet him. 15 minutes later, Miles gazed at the wall clock intently, until he heard the large office door open. He didn't have to try very hard to force a confident smile across his lips as he arose to face his boss.
"Miles, please, please come in!" the shorter, heavy set man exclaimed. Miles entered nodding in respectful acknowledgement to Mr. Archos. "Please sit down, may I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"
Not wanting to seem abrupt, impatient or rude; Miles paused and then politely declined; sitting in the very comfortable chair positioned in front of Mr. Archos' desk.
Mr. Archos, meanwhile, retrieved a file folder from his receptionist's desk and closed the door upon entering the office.
"I am very sorry to have kept you waiting; it's been one of those months."
"Oh, I understand, Sir", he blurted out too quickly, as he realized almost at once. He felt a little more uneasy now and didn't know why.
"I'm sure that you are aware of the changes in personnel that have been taking place over the past few weeks," Mr. Kyri Archos started, and laid the folder f lat upon his desk.
Miles nodded silently; trying to hide the eagerness that he felt was shining through his baby blue eyes.
"The reason I've called you in here today", Mr. Archos continued, clearing his throat somewhat hesitantly. "Is to let you know that, as part of the budget cutbacks we are being forced to make, I'm afraid that we are going to have to terminate your employment with us, as of Friday afternoon, at four o'clock."
Miles almost bit his tongue, having anticipated an offer of promotion, only for the words that were spoken to be of a completely opposite nature. He found himself taken aback by a combination of shock, fury, disbelief, and anger.
Struggling to maintain his composure, he stammered, "Friday? THIS Friday?" He could sense that he was a bit physically shaken by the thought of ending such a positive month with unemployment.
"I tried my best to go to bat for you on this," Kyri responded sympathetically with a frown and a nod. "I fought every step of the way against the prospect of losing such a valued employee; which is why I can give you so little notice. But, what you have to understand is, the economy has hit us hard this year. The company is restructuring in order to survive. This was not an easy decision, but it was one that ultimately had to be made."
All Miles could think was: "WHY ME?", but he kept that question to himself. Clearing his throat, not wanting to appear spiteful or unprofessional and risk ruining a potential reference, Miles arose from his seat.
"Thank you for taking the time to tell me in person, rather than over the phone or by e-mail", Miles replied, extending his hand.
Mr. Archos rose to his feet and shook the offered hand firmly.
"Best of luck to you, Mr. Militis," Mr. Archos was somewhat relieved with the level of composure he observed in Miles' reaction to this unfortunate news. "Please be sure to have your desk cleaned out by three-thirty on Friday, Human Resources will want you to fill out some paperwork before you leave."
Miles tried very hard to stif le a sigh of disappointment, nodding once more before turning away, and moving towards the door. The bounce in his step had faded. All of his efforts, his hard work and his dedication were about to amount to virtually nothing.
After returning to his desk, he packed up some of his things and left the office a bit early. His mind was reeling and it felt futile to focus on work.
* * *
CENTRUS LABORATORIES: EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT 4:04pm, Wednesday October 22nd, 2014
Focus was challenging for the cloaked figure in the top secret laboratory. He had been agonizing over the results of the failed test. Tormentingly, the sound of the alarm still rang in his ears. He had unplugged the Tele-visual display to keep it from reminding him exactly how the test had failed; and to prevent it from affecting his eyes.
Bowing his head even lower than before, the man looked ready to collapse, until a door on the far side of the room opened. The interruption caused the blaring noise that had once filled the room to cease, and prompted the figure to sit up straighter. The bright, outside light poured into the dimly lit room; causing its sole occupant to squeal and writhe in agony.
"My apologies, Lupo," the new arrival swiftly responded, and dimmed the light in the hallway. "What is your report?" the visitor enquired.
"You should know better than to interrupt and open the door to my lab unannounced," the cloaked recluse grumbled. Taking a moment to recover from the sudden shock of the bright illumination, his glowing eyes readjusting as the light was dimmed. With only the slightest hesitation, the cloaked man turned towards the silhouette standing in the doorway and reported:
"We are ready to begin!"
* * *
MI POSTEVO TIPOTA INC. Thursday October 23rd, 2014
It was the beginning of the end for Miles. During his last two days of work, he was unable to be as productive as was his standard. However, he still did his very best to not leave any assignments unfinished. He had just finished clearing his desk out, when a new text message arrived from Angelique.
"Are you and Amber still coming tonight for our monthly gathering and game night?" These words appeared on Miles' phone and it caused him to frown. He hadn't yet had the heart to tell his best friend about being laid off.
"Is it alright if I come over earlier?" he wrote back, biting his lip to stop from breaking into tears. After a brief pause, the response appeared.
"Yes, certainly ... I can just make more spaghetti. Cooking it for one is never fun or easy anyway."
While heading to the Human Resources department, Miles looked at the text and allowed himself a little smile, before slipping the phone into his pocket. Approaching the door, he could feel his smile slipping away, as he entered the office where he would surrender his badge and his subsequent interest in a company that had been such an integral part of his identity for so many years.
With the papers signed, Miles sighed, taking one longing last look around. He tightly gripped the handle of his briefcase as he turned to walk towards the exit. He said his final goodbyes before closing the door behind him.
He descended the steps into the subway station, and down onto the platform; going through the usual motions that he could almost do in his sleep. He quickly realized that he might have been better off getting released earlier in the week, rather than facing this Friday evening rush hour crunch one more time. He watched the nearby screen as the news of recent crimes, scandals, protest marches, and riots appeared. He then caught a glimpse of the forecast calling for the violently windy rain storm that was expected to hit on Saturday afternoon. Shaking his head as the train arrived; he moved to join the soon-to-be human sardines crammed into the subway car. The doors closed swiftly behind him, cutting out the still ever-growing mob of impatient commuters on the platform, who would have to await the next train.
He stood, holding a pole for most of the trip. He kept his eyes shut, as he desperately tried to contain his emotions. The noise, the smell, the feeling of being pressed up against so many bodies at once; it was more than he could bear sometimes; even when he wasn't coping with emotional turmoil.
Having finally arrived at his apartment, Miles dropped his case to the f loor by the door, resisting the urge to kick it across the room. He took off his work clothes, and tried to refresh himself with a nice hot shower; getting cleaned up to meet his best friend for, what would likely be, a night of great food and plenty of extremely welcome wine.
THE EREBUS RESIDENCE 8:08pm, Friday October 24th, 2014
With Friday rush hour crowds, ridiculous transit delays and other factors; Miles arrived at Angelique's house an hour later than he'd anticipated. The home was quite beautiful, with a well-groomed and landscaped yard; though some parts of the house itself clearly showed signs of needing repair. Angelique's husband, Jack Erebus, would normally have been present and very capable of handling the renovations and other work on his house; but he was filming on a location in Europe. Miles had recalled discussing the film with Jack, and was fascinated with the idea of a film that had to do with Ancient Greece & Greek Philosophers, and their impact on the development of the world & society.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Impossible Earth"
by .
Copyright © 2018 John Knight.
Excerpted by permission of iUniverse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE: HOPE AND DESPAIR, 1,
CHAPTER 1: THAT SPECIAL FEELING, 5,
CHAPTER 2: STRUGGLING WITH THE INEVITABLE, 11,
CHAPTER 3: THE STORM, 21,
CHAPTER 4: ODD AWAKENING, 27,
CHAPTER 5: THE PROFESSOR, 32,
CHAPTER 6: PREPARING FOR THE UNKNOWN, 39,
CHAPTER 7: CEASELESS WONDERS, 45,
CHAPTER 8: GLOBAL UNITY MOVEMENT, 51,
CHAPTER 9: THE NINTH FLOOR, 56,
CHAPTER 10: PLUMBING THE DEPTHS, 61,
CHAPTER 11: MALUM CITY, 65,
CHAPTER 12: THE MOTH SQUAD, 74,
CHAPTER 13: TOUCHING BASE, 84,
CHAPTER 14: PROJECT WELTSCHMERZ, 90,
CHAPTER 15: ILLUSIONS, 98,
CHAPTER 16: INVESTIGATIONS, 103,
CHAPTER 17: KONISTRA AND KARMA, 107,
CHAPTER 18: THE RING GODDESS, 113,
CHAPTER 19: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, 118,
CHAPTER 20: REVELATIONS, 126,
CHAPTER 21: SUSPICIONS, 133,
CHAPTER 22: CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE, 142,
CHAPTER 23: CAUSE AND EFFECT, 147,
CHAPTER 24: FAMILIAR FACES, 155,
CHAPTER 25: CONVERGENCE, 164,
CHAPTER 26: THE THIRD WORLD, 171,