Read Online The Push Chronicles (Book 1): Indomitable by J.B. Garner - Free Book Online Page A

would have loved to been able to observe that in person.  For scientific purposes, of course.”
    “Of course.”  I clamped down on the hundreds of disgusted comments I wanted to say.  Who would love to see a dozen people dead or horrifically injured in front of their eyes?  A lot of people in this new world order, it seemed.
    “I was lucky and was only caught on the fringes.  I don’t really want to talk about it too much.”  I shook my head sadly.  I didn’t need to actually put on an act.  I only needed to let my feelings of anguish over what I had seen come to the fore.
    “I’m sorry, I was being inconsiderate.  How about we get to business then?  Maybe throwing yourself into some work will help you cope with things; it always helps me!”  Dean Tyson wasn’t the best judge of character, but at least he was trying to be compassionate in his own peculiar way.
    “Right, let’s get to work.”
    We sat down in my office.  It was almost surreal being here again and to see it completely unchanged from the time days ago I locked up our prototype.  I suppressed the urge to unlock the storage cabinet to see if the feedback device was actually there like Ken said it was.  After settling in our seats, the dean laid the collection of folders on my desk.
    “This is private information, Irene, so please keep this to yourself and only let your research associates know the bare minimum needed to do their jobs.”  The Dean pushed the first folder towards me.
    “According to the initial data we were sent from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science this morning, the Atlanta area appears to be a hotspot of post-Whiteout phenomenon.  With that being the case, we were offered the chance to get first crack at studying the Whiteout and the Pushed with our easy access to data.”
    I picked up the folder and gave the numbers a cursory glance.  Considering this is where the Whiteout started from, it made sense its effects would be strongest here, near ground zero.
    “Alright.”  I nodded slowly.  “What projects do you want us to start with here?”  A strong part of me wanted to have nothing to do with any Whiteout related work, not when my life’s work was sitting mostly finished in the cabinet behind me.  It galled me to have it swept under the carpet like this.  Still, I couldn’t argue that something even more important had reared it’s head and I had an obligation to find out everything I could about it.
    “Fortunately, despite the occasional outbreaks of violence, many Pushed are just normal people caught in extraordinary circumstances.  We already have a Pushed citizen, a student here at Tech as a matter of fact, that has already come to us seeking help understanding what was happening to them.”  Tyson handed me the next folder.
    “Normally, we wouldn’t be able to get all the paperwork arranged and ready so quickly but, well, let’s just say that certain wheels are being greased by some very important individuals.”  I flipped open the folder and began to glance over it as Reginald continued.  “The specifics aren’t important.  What is important is that this young woman wants to understand her condition and we want to understand it as well.  I want you to do a full physiological and biochemical study of her bodily changes using every tool and technique at your disposal.”
    “Alma Gutierrez, sophmore EE major ...” I flipped through the file and then back to the picture taken of her new self.  “Has her form changed anymore from this that we know of?”
    “No, the change seems permanent and stable.  In fact, I already took the liberty of having her wait in your clean room.”
    “The clean room?  Do we really want to scare the girl by poking at her while we look like CDC workers?”  I closed the folder and got to my feet.  Reginald looked a bit sheepish.
    “I simply thought that would be best for achieving the best results as quickly as possible.”
    “This