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Luisteren én lezen

R. E. Link

A William Johnson short story. This is book Zero, of the William Johnson Family series

Three large objects were heading towards Earth. Large enough to do real damage. Even more concerning, they didn’t look like asteroids at all. The three appeared to be rectangular. They were coming in fast, incredibly fast, on a collision course. Another notification alarm began sounding. The object’s trajectory and speed were changing. They were slowing and separating. Taking up positions around the Earth. The station supervisor activated the emergency alert system, and reached for the red phone.

Before anyone could react further, the visitors removed our eyes and ears from the sky. Without an understanding of how this could happen, orbital satellites began vanishing. Our ground based systems confirmed it. Somehow, they were being swept away. Foolishly, we stared at the monitor screens watching it happen, like rabbits watching the oncoming headlights, mesmerized by the mystery of it.

The war began on August 8. Without warning, they attacked. We were being exterminated, down to the last person on Earth. And in spite of our efforts to fight back, we couldn’t seem to stop them. That is, until William Johnson saved us.

Today, William Johnson has agreed to once again recount his experience of that crucial moment in time, when the fate of humanity was suspended, waiting for someone to do what was needed to tip the balance in its favor. He will tell the story with all the raw emotion those old memories will force upon him one more time.

The William Johnson Family

What Did You Do In The War

There was a small burst of light and the sound of an electrical discharge. The two agents collapsed to the ground… . Looking up, Tim and Daisy saw a man with a pull down ski mask covering his face… The man looked at them and said, “Come with me if you want to live. "

It was the beginning of summer and the last day of school. It should have been a happy day, a good day, but Tim Anderson, grandson of William Johnson, the Hero of the World, was in trouble. Arriving home he soon discovers his parents are missing, and so is his famous grandfather. He needs help, but mysteriously, not even the police will get involved.

Trying to solve the puzzle of his missing parents, Tim stumbles upon a secret invention, one that has great potential for the good of mankind, but also holds the power to enslave the world if it fell into the wrong hands. Tim is determined not to let that happen.

But his hope of keeping it hidden crumble as a powerful and secretive department of the New Federal Government, the Technology Branch, discovers its existence, and will do anything to get their hands on it. Agents have been dispatched and they have their orders. 

Tim and company suddenly find themselves caught up in intrigue and uninvited danger as they struggle to keep the invention away from its pursuers. But the question is, can they succeed? And what happens to all of us, if they can’t?

F. S. Link

Come With Me If You Want To Live

William Johnson had a problem. Two days ago a department of the government ordered his family eliminated. He was stunned and he was angry. Ever since 2025, the government has been out of control. Doing as it pleased without concern for who it hurt along the way. He had ignored it up to this point, but no longer. He was determined to make a change. He didn’t know how, or when, or what form it would take, but it was going to change.

Gloria Ashley, Director in Charge of the Technology Branch was a lot of things, but stupid and inexperienced she was not. She didn’t understand why, but she realized in an instant what was going to happen. She made a quick turn to her left reaching for her weapon, but there wasn’t time. Pulling her right leg back, she snapped it straight out with everything she had. The three inch spike of her heal caught her assailant in the upper chest. Blood began spreading around the embedded heal that was left behind.

Tim Anderson and Peter Burke were two typical teenage boys. Finishing up their last years of high school, doing all the usual things teenagers do, while preparing themselves for college and a life beyond. Just average teenagers. That was their public image. Behind the scenes, they were the apprentices of William Johnson, Hero of the World and genius inventor, and they had an assignment. They were tasked to develop a new power system. One that would produce continuous electrical power without polluting the Earth it was meant to protect. It was an absurd assignment. Ridicules to even think it could be done. Yet… they had an idea. A theory. A rather ingenious theory, which begged the question, can they turn it into reality? And what happens if they can’t? How can an Earth Defense System protect anyone without it?

Black Hole Theory

Retaliation. Revenge. Punishment. Ancient primal feelings that lay dormant within each of us, within our DNA. Waiting for the right moment to be called into action. Called out to balance the scales between wrong and retribution.

William Johnson is the most famous man in the world. A veteran hero of the alien war, whose personal sacrifice saved the human race from extinction. Following the war his inventive talents blossomed, and he became the most prolific and versatile inventor since Leonardo Da Vinci. He was knighted by the King of England as, ‘The Hero of the World’.

Over the course of his life, William Johnson has suffered the fallout of that fame. There was nowhere he could go without a crowd forming around him. Moreover, he was always under the watchful eye of government and big business, who considered his inventive talents their private asset to be manipulated, controlled and exploited. Then in 2067, the government made a move to seize one of his inventions and gave orders to its agents to eliminate anyone with any knowledge of it. They came after his grandson. A frightening event that William Johnson was not going to forget, nor forgive.

For years, William Johnson has planned the punishment of government for that attempt. And for years, he has been patiently waiting for the right moment to arrive. Today was that day. Today William Johnson was going to break free and move himself out from under their control. He was changing the game, shifting their control over money and power. A conflict that would soon repeat itself across the country. However, changing the Status Quo would not come easy for anyone. Not for his family, and not for others who will suffer the consequence.

Retribution

The alien war ended a long time ago. Today, the impact of that war upon humanity has been relegated to the past. So it was quite a surprise when an Orbital Defense crew made a discovery that would resurrect those memories. For some the discovery would bring back an old hatred and the threat of another invasion. For others it would offer the hope of uncovering old secrets, and the possibility of discovering new technology. To all it gave a warning, but for one, it would become personal, as loyalties were put to the test.

Alan Shultz, Specialist Fifth Class of the Army Corps of Engineers was being given a priority assignment. Taking the device being handed to him, he bounced it in his hand. It was light weight. Its shape reminding him of an old style thumb drive. “What is it?” he asked... “We don’t know. That’s what we want you to find out, but at the moment, we’re calling it a Data Tab.” It appeared to be nothing more than a rectangular piece of plastic. “Where did it come from?” “That’s classified. Secret. But it’s very important that we discover what it contains. Your assignment is to find that out.”

Peter reached out and touched the second triangle, sliding it to the right. Immediately the cabin pressure dropped. The air was being sucked out of his lungs. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to clear his vision. He had both hands on the wall to steady himself. His legs began to lose their strength and started shaking. He made another desperate attempt to correct the error. Holding his breath, he grabbed one hand with the other to steady it. He touched a finger against the triangle. He was shaky, barley able to keep his finger against it. He slid it to the left, just as his legs gave out. His eyes rolled up as he slid down the wall, landing on the floor.