Lore: ACT I

By Matthew David Carroll

"Alex put on sweats in the locker room, his adrenaline still racing needing to burn off the hard energy.

He ran an obstacle course set up on a track surrounding an old football field in an abandoned stadium.

“You’ll see why sometimes it’s better the less you know,” He kept hearing. The image kept playing out in his mind in variations. It was all he could focus on as his mind raced with information, too much to retain.

He pushed himself harder to push it out till he lost his lap count.

He’d done enough.

The obstacle course dematerialized into an empty all white room with modal sensor panels on the walls.

Alex left.

The next day he walked into the classroom.

Twelve ten on the wall clock.

It was about to begin.

“None of you will remember this until after you’ve passed,” The instructor told his small group as he wrote a set of simplified equations on the whiteboard, the word contingency intervals written at the top. “An inconvenient anomaly, but also a form of security.”

He glanced at each student individually, their uniforms slightly varying to signify their field curriculum. “You should all know at this point its advantages and disadvantages.”

Action, Suspense, Sci-fi Fantasy, Time Travel, Supernatural

This is a work of fiction, the product of the author’s imagination used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
© 2022

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew David Carroll
• Release date: Apr 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005426972

Matthew David Carroll

Hello,For those of you who are new, I hope you enjoy.If you've already read some of these, I'm glad you're back.It's been terrible for building trust and invites all sorts of nonsense, but my lack of presence is better for new readers to get into the story and character. So I'm elusive for that reason, mostly.If you're interested in getting to know me, forgive us, you can check my other social media for that, but I'm afraid you won't find much at the moment. I keep putting it off.Some of these are quick easy reads I hope will leave you laughing or with some sort of satisfied wonder (I know. I'm finishing them.) Others are over stylized with complex plot structures that require inquisition.I can't promise you'll like everything I write, but you'll know (for the most part) what you're getting into.Complex issues, simple themes. Characters opinions are their own.If you like any of them please share. I appreciate every one of you who have.

Book preview

Dedication:

The Calm,

Soothing Times

Lore:

Act One

Copyright 2021 - 2022 Matthew Carroll

This is a work of fiction, the product of the author’s imagination used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

~***~

SCENES:

ALEX

TUTORIAL

PARALLEL

FLAIL

Original Publication Dates:

12/18/21 E01: Alex

01/01/22 E02: Tutorial

01/15/22 E03: Parallel

02/22/22 E04: Flail

Alex

Sun rise on the horizon. Steady city highway traffic. Clear skies the rest of today, high of eighty, humidity below ten percent, The disc jockey reported over the radio.

A man speeding on his way to work weaving between lanes.

Enjoy it why we can. Could be one of the best days of ninety seven. Thanks for spending it here on 101 FM.

The man abruptly turns off the radio as a rock song starts, Please, He taunts.

In his peripheral a bright flash cracks as two black electric luxury sedans dart past him seemingly from nowhere.

One pits the other.

Both lose control and tumble shedding wreckage.

The man slams on his breaks avoiding the accident.

Traffic halts.

Startled, he clutches his steering wheel catching his breath looking over both mangled cars for signs of life.

A hand reaches out from the inciting car.

A survivor pulls himself through the crumpled driver side window frame surprisingly intact for the state of the wreckage.

Blood slowly seeping from his nose, a gash across his bridge.

He rubs his forehead focusing to retain consciousness.

He looks up presses his temple.

An orange radial grid appears in his field of view mapping the sky. A dot marks a satellite trajectory; count down under an hour to complete its circuit.

He stumbles toward the other car.

The driver’s dead.

He checks his gear, rummages through the wreckage not finding what he’s after.

Sirens in the distance as he walks toward the halted traffic.

No… no… no…, the man late for work groans.

The survivor knocks on his driver side window.

The car drives through a neighborhood just off the highway and parks along a side street.

The survivor gets out the driver side.

He walks down the block scoping out the addresses.

161, no cars in the driveway.

He forces his way in through the back door.

A desktop computer in the living room.

He turns it on takes the cord from the wall