Intelligent Design: Revelations to Apocalypse Read online

  Intelligent Design: Revelations to Apocalypse

  J. M. Erickson

  Intelligent Design: Revelations to Apocalypse

  All rights reserved

  Copyright 2015 J. M. Erickson

  http://www.jmericksonindiewriter.com

  Editor: Suzanne M. Owen

  Cover design: Cathy Helms, Avalon Graphics, LLC

  http://www.avalongraphics.org/

  Publisher: J. M. Erickson

  http://www.jmericksonindiewriter.net

  ISBN: (MOBI Format) 978-1-942708-13-1

  ISBN: (ePub Format) 978-1-942708-14-8

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing by the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of pure fiction. While some places in this book exist, any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.

  If you purchased this as an e-book, it is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This work may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book that was not purchased by you, please delete it and purchase your own copy. Thank you in advance for purchasing and reading this work, and respecting the labors of this author to produce it. Other works by this author:

  Action/Adventure Thrillers

  Albatross: Birds of Flight—Book One (Revised)

  Raven: Birds of Flight—Book Two

  Eagle: Birds of Flight—Book Three

  Falcon: Birds of Flight—Book Four

  Flight of the Black Swan

  Action/Adventure Science Fiction

  Future Prometheus I: Emergence & Evolution—Novellas I & II

  Future Prometheus II: Revolution, Successions & Resurrections—Novellas III, IV & V

  Intelligent Design: Revelations

  The Prince: Lucifer’s Origins

  Intelligent Design: Apocalypse

  Rogue Event

  Printed in the United States of America

  What Reviewers Are Saying About…

  Intelligent Design: Revelations…

  “Intelligent, complex, riveting, and with surprising twists, Intelligent Design: Revelations was an unexpected treat for me… The technology and advancements were believable and yet almost feel ahead of its time.” - Indie Book Reviewers

  “Well-written and suspenseful, Erickson's story blends scientific theory with fast-paced action in an adventure that should have its fans practically sitting up and begging for a sequel.” - US Review of Books

  “…it is to Erickson's credit that he fulfills the absolute criteria for a proper science fiction novel: i.e. science made into fiction—and that should be very enjoyable to sci-fi purists seeking out this exact kind of work.” - Self-Publishing Review

  ”…wonderfully absorbing science fiction novella presenting existential questions that occupy the reader’s mind long after the book has been put down.” - Suzanne Owen, Independent Editor

  Intelligent Design: Apocalypse…

  “Amid this fantastical setting, the narrative reads as sharply as an SAS thriller with efficient, no-nonsense heroes and heroines who understand the full and terrifying impact of the decisions they make.” - Readers’ Favorite

  “The author's soaring imagination and mastery of technical jargon are on full display in this tale of impending interplanetary destruction that would seem to be shattering, yet may not in fact be as catastrophic as one might first imagine.” - US Review of Books

  “The writing is very good—intelligent, suspenseful, descriptive and disturbingly honest.” - Indie Book Reviewers

  “…The dialogue is well-crafted and meaningful and the characters fully reveal their humanity as they interact with one another and react to events that are life-changing and beyond control.” - Suzanne Owen, Independent Editor

  List of Characters

  Andrea Perez, or Perez the Younger—Former MIT doctoral student of holographic and light spectrums, she is now a resident on the planet Terra. As an “Earther” on an alien planet, she is of the engineer-warrior class, tasked with keeping the planet’s holographic emitters running to keep the planet Terra hidden from Earth. She has been on Terra for years and has become accustomed to its martial law that parallels ancient Rome’s.

  Anthony Perez, or Perez the Elder—Former army captain who worked as a trauma specialist in the Department of Veterans Administration, Perez is a recent arrival to Terra. Previously, he worked on preparing Earth for the revelation that another planet with a developed civilization existed within the Sol System, but had been well hidden. He originally ran the Epsilon Team Six, an all-Terran-female SEAL team, but turned it over to his friend Roberta Josephine Riesman when he was injured.

  Christine Reich, CEO and President of Reich Enterprise—A wealthy German industrialist, billionaire, and philanthropist who used to be known as Roberta Josephine Riesman, PhD, a former army major. Her last position was as executive director of Readiness and Disaster Logistics in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Response and Recovery. She adopted the Reich persona when she learned the truth about the hidden planet and when her close friend Anthony Perez was injured and left Earth to reunite with his daughter Andrea on Terra. She is the leader of a special ops team, Terran Epsilon Team Six—made of Lux, Pax, Vespere, Bella, and her master computer, the Keeper—that is now focused on keeping humanity alive on Earth.

  General David Farrell—General in the United States Army who runs a specialized unit in the communication, spectrographic analysis, and guidance division of NASA. He searches for intelligent life within the Sol System. For years he has followed leads from “lost” documents, documents with corrupted dates, “missing” files, and disappearing witnesses. He suspects a cover-up about an invisible planet that affects gravitational pull on all the system’s planets but that cannot be seen.

  Chief Inspector Arthur Bradley—From New Scotland Yard. Works with his team—Officer Virginia “Ginny” Spenser and Officer John “Jack” Middleton—to locate missing persons and solve riddles on international cases. Works with General Farrell and has spent a great amount of time searching for an escaped nemesis, Sir Phillip Pierce, and the wealthy though elusive Christine Reich.

  Master Architect Janus—Leader of the “Old Ones,” a group that survived the collision of Gemini’s Alpha and Beta dwarf planets sixty-seven million years ago deep within Mars’s crust. Janus and his companions, Olympia and Athena, plan to start a family. He was a great architect of the once-thriving Martian civilization and led junior architects, such as Iris of Venus and Hades of Terra, to populate the Sol System with different species of hominid. His leadership helped all the planets, even Earth, survive the initial destruction from the great collision. As the Martian population now dwindles into extinction, Janus and his master computer, the Keeper, foresee an all-too-familiar astronomical event: another extinction-level collision is about to begin. Once again, Janus must warn the others to prepare for the coming apocalypse, which will either lead to the annihilation or the next evolution of each species.

  Setting

  Terra — A tidally locked planet obscured from Earth by the sun and holographic emitters that cloak its existence; it is larger than Earth and keeps an opposite orbit. It is a martial-law society based on Earth’s ancient Roman culture of 1.9 billion hominids, which bear a striking resemblance to Earth’s Neanderthals. Terrans live underground, along the equatorial line that leaves half the
planet in perpetual darkness and the other side in perpetual light. The holographic emitters are failing, and its existence is about to be revealed to Earth.

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

  The same was in the beginning with God.

  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

  —John, 1:1–8, King James Version, Earth

  In the very beginning, before the great collision, there were Mars, Venus, and Terra.

  We were the Old Ones. We believe we were the very first created by the Originators.

  We developed and created various carbon-based hominids in our own image and artificial intelligence to reflect our own. We stretched out from our Martian cradle to populate and create new civilizations. This was all to imitate our creators, the Originators.

  They were our creators, the ones we strived to emulate. The ones we followed to the stars.

  And when the time came for us to leave before the end, before Collision, most of our kind left to find the Originators.

  Few, so very few, architects and master computers created arks for our creations.

  —Hades, 1:1–9, B.C., Great Library, Terra

  Contents

  Revelation: Novella I

  Prologue: In the Beginning--Mars

  Chapter One: Fact is Stranger than Fiction - Earth

  Chapter Two: Dreams Do Come True - Terra

  Chapter Three: Ashes to Ashes—Earth

  Chapter Four: Sands of an Hour Glass—Earth

  Chapter Five: No Win Scenario—Earth

  Chapter Six: Entrapment—Earth

  Chapter Seven: Silent Falling Star - Earth

  Chapter Eight: From Hell’s Heart – Terra

  Chapter Nine: New Mission – Earth

  Chapter Ten: Revelations – Terra

  Chapter Eleven: Reunited – Terra

  Chapter Twelve: I Am Legend—Earth

  Chapter Thirteen: The Return – Mars

  Epilogue—It Begins—Unknown Time, Space, or Plane of Existence

  Apocalypse: Novella II

  Prologue: Void—Unknown Time, Space, or Plane of Existence

  Chapter One: Hand of the Originators—Mars

  Chapter Two: Coliseum—Terra

  Chapter Three: Future Academy—Earth

  Chapter Four: Odyssey—Terra

  Chapter Five: Scotland Yard—Earth

  Chapter Six: Dawn—Terra

  Chapter Seven: New Arrival—Earth

  Chapter Eight: Devils in the Dark—Terra

  Chapter Nine: Unfinished Business—Earth

  Chapter Ten: Arms and a Woman—Terra

  Chapter Eleven: Epsilon Team Six—Earth

  Chapter Twelve: Terminal Velocity—Mars

  Chapter Thirteen: Summer Camp—Earth

  Chapter Fourteen: Better to Rule in Hell—Terra

  Chapter Fifteen: Questions from Beyond—Unknown Time, Space, or Plane of Existence

  Epilogue – Volcanic Coronas, Lava Plateaus and Sulfuric Skies - Venus

  About the Author

  Revelation

  Novella I

  Sixty-Seven Million Years Ago

  Prologue

  In the Beginning--Mars

  When it is obvious that the goal cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the actions steps - Confucius

  “Just Beautiful. Unusually quiet, but beautiful nonetheless.” Master Architect Janus stood on his balcony, gazing over the miles of well-maintained but desolate homes in his near empty city. The lots, arranged in neat rows, contained two to three-story rectangular homes interspersed with gardens and small farms. The Originators had constructed the planet’s cities to accommodate twenty million inhabitants with privacy and space. The arrangement of well-marked roads, arboretums and gardens made the Martian landscape aesthetically simple and pleasing, well designed in both form and function. Canals laid out in a grid pattern ran throughout the plateau, their order in stark contrast to the irregularity of the occasional rivers that cut across the land. Four-story pyramids glimmered throughout the cityscape. Strategically placed by the waterways, they provided decentralized energy generation via water and solar. The sun set, plunging the planet into a reddish blue twilight, and birds flew squawking from their nests in search of their evening meal.

  “Not much food, I fear, for the birds of prey,” Janus said. “It does sadden me that while we were able to collect the majority of the planet’s species over the past century, we are leaving many behind.” He leaned on the balcony railing and took another sip of coffee from his high-grade plastic mug.

  Two birds took flight from a rooftop and swooped on a small pack of rodent omnivores that had become more daring in the absence of Martians and other prey. The birds seized one of the smaller rodents, but the rodent pack turned on the attackers.

  One of the birds barely escaped. The other lifted the struggling rodent into the sky.

  That was close. There will be no love lost when that species disappears, Janus thought while watching the rodent pack reorganize and move onto an unsuspecting garden. He turned and took a slow step from the silence of the outside world into his office, where a low but constant flow of computer voices reciting different data streams, observations, and conclusions played over the office intercom just as they had for centuries. No seats surrounded the large empty work tables in the center of the room, but benches lined the surrounding walls along with potted vegetation, bound books, paper star charts, planetary models, and a sea of color-coded tablets. One uneaten plate of food, a bottle of wine, and an empty glass sat on a bench amongst analytical equipment and paper-bound records. Janus sauntered over to the bottle of wine and poured himself another drink.

  “Ah, Keeper, once again it is you and me, a handful of other stubborn old scientists, soldiers and the old left,” he said just loud enough to be heard above the computer voices. “It is sad that after a millennium of preparation, I still wonder if we did everything we could to preserve life in this quiet corner of the galaxy.”

  He closed his layered work robes over his tall, thin frame and, with a full glass in hand, walked around his office, listening to the planet’s master computer running billions of computations on the planet, colonies, and the solar event poised to happen at any moment. The master computer’s female baritone stood out from the other computer tones as unmistakably in charge of the entire artificial intelligence of the planet.

  “Master Architect Janus, I wish you would reconsider evacuating with the others. Both the Venus Keeper and the junior Architect of Earth request you join them. Your demise here is not necessary and it … it pains me that you will not leave when you could live,” the Keeper said in its resonant, feminine voice.

  Hmm … the beginning of emotion? Maybe she will survive and even reach sapience, he thought as he reviewed the number of cryogenic stasis chambers below. Though he had made his decision to stay long ago, he nodded as if he were actually considering it.

  “No. I have no offspring, no spouse and no relatives. I have been in this workspace for two hundred years and in the field for another hundred years. I took over for Master Architect Lucius, who took over for Master Architect Guiana. They were of this world just as you are, Keeper. I cannot leave this world any more than you can. And besides, are there not cryogenic stasis chambers well below the surface?” He sipped his wine.

  “Experimental. The liquid bonding and temperature only preserved the last subject for thirty-two thousand annual rotations,” the master computer said.

  “Only thirty-two thousand
rotations? That’s quite a bit of time. Experimental? What are your metrics for success? A billion annual rotations? Your demand for perfection surpasses even my predecessors, and we know how Architect Lucius was.”

  “Yes … Master Architect Lucius was demanding, critical and often correct even when his ideas were unconventional and far from the norm, but I digress. Please, Master Architect Janus, a ship awaits you to leave at any moment. I can report on the final days and moments here should they come as expected. The ship is designed for long range, long term cryogenic sleep. You can join the others who left long ago to find the Originators.” She spoke with more emotion than he expected.

  Persistent, and single-minded … Impressive.

  “No, Keeper. Enough of this unresolvable discussion. When the time comes, I will, with the others, retreat to the chambers for safekeeping. ” He walked towards the balcony, his mind racing again as thoughts of things to do and check on flowed through his head.

  “By the way,” he said, “I’m curious that with all my planning and efforts to salvage this solar system, why did you take it upon yourself to attempt to terraform Terra along with Junior Architect Hades? Why would you move ahead with such an unlikely plan on that tidal-locked planet, closer to hell than hope? If I did not know better, I would have guessed that Architect Lucius was still milling around here, or that he left a hidden program.” He gazed out the balcony window and sipped his wine, hoping that his efforts to distract the master computer worked. The computer background voices and the quiet dialogue of internal programs on the intercom comforted rather than distracted him after all their years together. Yet, ironically, his one voice easily distracted his longtime master computer, colleague and friend.

  “While primary efforts to relocate the majority of our indigenous species to Venus while we transform Terra are running well ahead of schedule, Earth’s indigenous life has made it difficult to relocate the excess there. The massive warm-blooded omnivores have made havoc of our efforts, and the air quality still needs work, though minimal. Effort to transform Terra is low on the list but necessary should Earth not be a viable place for the excess overflow from Venus …” the Keeper said.