Fender

By Natalie Buske Thomas

Imagine if God had given all of us free will, in which every possibility was predestined and preexisting. All possible outcomes exist, but we see only one: the life we have selected and been fated for. What if we could access the other paths, the ones we had not chosen, the ones we had not been fated for? What then?

Advances in technology made it possible to implant computers as small as a living cell into our bodies. These implants communicated with government and private institutions, personal contacts, and even within our own bodies. Electronic information was stored within us for easy transactions. Medical data was transmitted to hospitals whenever our bodies spiked a code orange alert. This data was then automatically routed to emergency services, where our GPS locator would instruct the ambulance exactly where to find us. If we committed a crime, it would be nearly impossible to evade law enforcement. If we were reported missing, our loved ones needn’t worry for long—we would be found within the hour.

This technology prevented terrorism. Even ordinary crime was cut by almost eighty percent. Unfortunately, mentally unstable individuals were not deterred by the fact that they would quickly be caught if they committed a crime, but the few who did break the law were often stopped before their intended victims were harmed. Also, new breakthroughs in the study of mental illness showed great promise. Soon, law enforcement would be mostly automated.

People were living longer lives now, as their bodies reported illness or disease before any symptoms had developed. Even brain function had been improved. Alzheimer’s had been eradicated. IQs had increased tenfold. People who had once been institutionalized could now live independently.

Oh yes, scientists had thought of everything! They had researched how the mind and the body worked together as one. They had engineered our systems to work together more efficiently. They had connected our bodies and minds to our social selves, to our communities, to our nations, and to Planet Earth. But they had forgotten one thing.

We are not just mind and body. We are mind, body and spirit. What damage has this grave omission done to us? What has happened to our spirits now that our minds and bodies are paired—now that our minds and bodies are plugged into the world’s population? That’s what we are just beginning to discover.

Fender is one of the 2% of the world’s population whose spirit has twinned with another soul. His spirit has been uploaded and transferred to the body of another person who is living as Fender (call him Fender #2) in an alternate reality. But they have not traded places. Yet another Fender (Fender #3) has taken Fender’s body. You see, there are nearly infinite Fenders, as there are nearly infinite potential outcomes for nearly infinite choices that Fender, Fender’s family, Fender’s friends, random strangers that ever crossed Fender’s path either directly or indirectly, politicians, criminals, researchers, teachers, and countless others could have made.

Scientists are calling this phenomenon “spirit confusion” or “spirit transference”, but don’t let those lofty terms fool you. They have only named the problem. They have no idea how to solve it. How can prevent spirit transference from happening? How can they return the 2% back to their original bodies? And, how can they stop this runaway train before it knocks destiny off its tracks? While scientists wring their hands, politicians are hiding this disastrous truth from the public. As the afflicted 2% are revealed, they are whisked away to a secret government facility where they are studied and monitored—and hidden from the world. But among the scientific community are heroes in the making, whistleblowers who work tirelessly to identify the 2% and find them before the government does.

Can Fender stay one step ahead of the government’s attempts to lock him away for months, for yea

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natalie Buske Thomas
• Release date: Feb 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310968655

Natalie Buske Thomas

Natalie Buske Thomas is the author of the Serena Wilcox Mysteries, the Dramatic Mom comic stories, Savannah's Inky Imagination and the Thriving in a Hateful World series. She is also an oil painter and entertainer. Her paintings have been in exhibits, galleries and on tour. Please view her website to see her list of titles, pictures of her paintings, life stuff on her blog, and more!

Book preview

FENDER

Book One in the 10 CHAPTERS Series

Natalie Buske Thomas

Fender

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2015

Natalie Buske Thomas

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction.

All events and dialog are for entertainment purposes only and do not necessarily represent the author’s views

Fender Trailer

Click here to watch the book trailer for Fender.

Author’s Works

The Serena Wilcox Mysteries

Angels Mark, Covert Coffee, Bluebird Flown, Project Scarecrow, Ruby Red, Future Beyond, Project Willow, Downward Spiral

Natalie’s Art in Stories, illustrated by oil paintings

Grandpa Smiles, Nana Plays

Thriving in a Hateful World series

The Miracle Dulcimer, The Magic Camera

Watch Natalie paint at her YouTube Channel.

www.NatalieBuskeThomas.com

Chapter 1

Fender opened his eyes. He tried to scream but he couldn’t. He was paralyzed. He couldn’t move or speak. He could only blink. What was happening to him? Where was he? He surveyed his surroundings the best that he could but without the ability to turn his head his view was severely limited. He saw only what was straight ahead of him, and that sight was alarming.

He was in a seated position at a slight recline. Monitors were beeping and flashing. He must be hooked up to those. Had he been in an accident? He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember anything at all! He bit back the panic welling up inside him. Think, he told himself. Nothing would be gained by losing his wits.

Fender felt a lock of hair fall over his eyebrow. He instinctively tried to push the hair away from his face but he couldn’t move his arm. At least I can still feel my forehead, he thought. His face wasn’t paralyzed, so why couldn’t he talk? Maybe his vocal cords were affected.

A muffled voice reached his ears. It sounded like it was coming from inside a tunnel. Try not to panic. I know that you’re afraid, but let me assure you, you are safe here. The transmission cracked and cut out.

Fender’s eyes darted from side to side. He didn’t see any flicker of movement.

The voice returned, but this time it sounded crystal clear and nearby. Sorry about that. I was on the intercom system. I thought you’d be less spooked if I wasn’t here in person, but we’re having technical difficulties. Please let me explain that we want to help you. You are safe here. You are in a secure building where nothing bad can happen to you. You are temporarily sedated only for your own physical safety. People who are panicking often injure themselves. Besides, we couldn’t risk you running away from us while we were trying to rescue you. We had to grab you without anyone noticing. Otherwise we’d all be in trouble.

Fender could hear the shuffling of feet. The voice drew nearer.

Oh dear. I can see from your wild eyes and the sweat on your brow that you don’t trust me. All I can do is tell you what’s going on and then hope that you believe me. You may not be aware of this, but you are part of the two percent. Have you heard rumors about the two percent? Sorry, I forgot that you can’t answer. Don’t worry, the sedative will wear off soon. It’s wearing off some already, that’s why you’re sweating. Perhaps I should wait until you’re able to speak and move before continuing.

Fender blinked his eyes furiously.

The voice responded. Smart one, you are! I should have thought of that. Blink three times if you want me to come closer so that you can see me.

Fender hesitated before blinking three times. He could hear more shuffling. Whoever it was, he was walking very slowly. Finally his face came into view. The man’s head was as round as a full moon. His hair was oddly yellow and fluffy, like the feathers on a baby chick. He had large blue eyes and expressive eyebrows. This man looked like a science teacher, not a serial killer.

The man said, "Good, you’re starting to relax. I told you that we’re just trying to help you. Our government has overreached. They want to round up all of you two percenters. They’ll study you, but more importantly, they’ll hide you away so that voters don’t know what’s going on. They’ve botched this whole thing and they know it. Their lobbyists are breathing down their neck with threats of ruining way too many a politician if they don’t make this thing go away. So you see, you’re in danger of being locked up