Read Online 2040 Revelations by Robert Storey - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert Storey
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Carl walked, off one of his colleagues noticed Sarah’s pendant.
‘Sir, what about that?’ he said pointing at the dangling pentagon.
Carl paused to glance at the metal disc hanging around Sarah’s neck. He looked her in the eye. ‘It’s nothing,’ he said, moving away, ‘just some cheap trinket.’
Satisfied with his superior’s judgement the man slammed the door shut on the three archaeologists with an ominous finality.
♦
‘Sarah, what’s going on?’ Trish said. ‘Who are these people?’
‘I don’t know.’ Sarah looked out of the window at the men as they went through their gear, throwing boxes of precious bones to the ground as if they were worthless pieces of junk. ‘Although I’m beginning to get an idea.’ She turned to look at her friends. ‘Did they take everything you had?’
Trish nodded.
‘I tried to stop Carl taking the skull,’ Jason said, ‘but got this for my troubles.’ He pointed at his battered face.
The front doors of the SUV opened and they fell silent; Carl got into the driver’s seat and another man climbed into the passenger side. The suit and his mercenaries stayed behind while Carl drove them back towards base camp. As they bumped along the uneven road, no one spoke, each immersed in their own thoughts. Reaching the site Carl jumped out and ducked into the main tent. After a minute he was back and they were driving again, this time on the road towards the nearest town. Miles before they got there he slammed on the brakes and the vehicle skidded to a stop. Turning round he chucked each of their passports at them and some cash at Sarah.
‘Do yourselves a favour and don’t speak of this to anyone,’ he said, his eyes steely cold. ‘Now get out.’
The three did as they were told and as the SUV turned round and headed back towards the camp, Trish yelled some obscenities after them.
Dejected, Jason looked around at the barren wilderness that surrounded them. ‘Now what?’
‘Now,’ Sarah said, her face grim, ‘we walk.’
Chapter Five
Richard Goodwin waited in his office. He looked out at the lush, green, Brazilian rainforest, which stretched to the distant horizon and beyond. It was a wondrous sight; it was also an illusion, albeit a real-time one. Cameras around the world were trained on various landscapes that you could select, much like the allocation of a backdrop on a user interface. Once a vista was chosen, you couldn’t change it again for at least six months as, according to scientific research, for the brain to train the subconscious into believing it was real it had to remain constant for that minimum duration; altering the scene every day to different locations negated the effect. He still knew it was fake, but it was soothingly familiar nonetheless.
Goodwin watched as a group of howler monkeys he’d grown to know worked their way through nearby treetops, adults foraging for leaves and berries and juveniles playing and learning to survive. Exotic birds preened and sang as the sun rose high in the crystal clear sky above.
The three hundred and sixty degree views plus domed ceiling display all seamlessly knitted together, producing a 64K visual marvel; it was truly an immersive 3D experience and yet for all its wonder it brought an ache to his heart as he knew the darkness was coming. Soon the meteor would hit and the planet would become encased in a thick, pervasive dust cloud, choking the life out of the plants, trees, birds and animals indiscriminately. Only a tiny minority would survive and they would be entrusted to start their species anew; along with human help, of course. Zoo funding had gone through the roof and conservation, or Genesisity as it had become known, was very big business, much like the Green movement at the turn of the century, forty years earlier.
A bell chimed on his desk. ‘He’s here, Director,’ said the familiar voice of his secretary.
Goodwin pressed a button. ‘Thank you, Leah, send him in,
‘Sir, what about that?’ he said pointing at the dangling pentagon.
Carl paused to glance at the metal disc hanging around Sarah’s neck. He looked her in the eye. ‘It’s nothing,’ he said, moving away, ‘just some cheap trinket.’
Satisfied with his superior’s judgement the man slammed the door shut on the three archaeologists with an ominous finality.
♦
‘Sarah, what’s going on?’ Trish said. ‘Who are these people?’
‘I don’t know.’ Sarah looked out of the window at the men as they went through their gear, throwing boxes of precious bones to the ground as if they were worthless pieces of junk. ‘Although I’m beginning to get an idea.’ She turned to look at her friends. ‘Did they take everything you had?’
Trish nodded.
‘I tried to stop Carl taking the skull,’ Jason said, ‘but got this for my troubles.’ He pointed at his battered face.
The front doors of the SUV opened and they fell silent; Carl got into the driver’s seat and another man climbed into the passenger side. The suit and his mercenaries stayed behind while Carl drove them back towards base camp. As they bumped along the uneven road, no one spoke, each immersed in their own thoughts. Reaching the site Carl jumped out and ducked into the main tent. After a minute he was back and they were driving again, this time on the road towards the nearest town. Miles before they got there he slammed on the brakes and the vehicle skidded to a stop. Turning round he chucked each of their passports at them and some cash at Sarah.
‘Do yourselves a favour and don’t speak of this to anyone,’ he said, his eyes steely cold. ‘Now get out.’
The three did as they were told and as the SUV turned round and headed back towards the camp, Trish yelled some obscenities after them.
Dejected, Jason looked around at the barren wilderness that surrounded them. ‘Now what?’
‘Now,’ Sarah said, her face grim, ‘we walk.’
Chapter Five
Richard Goodwin waited in his office. He looked out at the lush, green, Brazilian rainforest, which stretched to the distant horizon and beyond. It was a wondrous sight; it was also an illusion, albeit a real-time one. Cameras around the world were trained on various landscapes that you could select, much like the allocation of a backdrop on a user interface. Once a vista was chosen, you couldn’t change it again for at least six months as, according to scientific research, for the brain to train the subconscious into believing it was real it had to remain constant for that minimum duration; altering the scene every day to different locations negated the effect. He still knew it was fake, but it was soothingly familiar nonetheless.
Goodwin watched as a group of howler monkeys he’d grown to know worked their way through nearby treetops, adults foraging for leaves and berries and juveniles playing and learning to survive. Exotic birds preened and sang as the sun rose high in the crystal clear sky above.
The three hundred and sixty degree views plus domed ceiling display all seamlessly knitted together, producing a 64K visual marvel; it was truly an immersive 3D experience and yet for all its wonder it brought an ache to his heart as he knew the darkness was coming. Soon the meteor would hit and the planet would become encased in a thick, pervasive dust cloud, choking the life out of the plants, trees, birds and animals indiscriminately. Only a tiny minority would survive and they would be entrusted to start their species anew; along with human help, of course. Zoo funding had gone through the roof and conservation, or Genesisity as it had become known, was very big business, much like the Green movement at the turn of the century, forty years earlier.
A bell chimed on his desk. ‘He’s here, Director,’ said the familiar voice of his secretary.
Goodwin pressed a button. ‘Thank you, Leah, send him in,
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