The Button Chronicles

By Juniko Moody

Alice finds herself at the center of a cosmic puzzle in a world where quantum physics and the paranormal collide. The Buttons—small, unassuming devices of questionable origin—have begun to wreak havoc, causing the inexplicable disappearance of billions of people.

The Enigma of the Buttons:

When Alice stumbles upon one of these mysterious Buttons, she unwittingly sets off a chain of events that defy the laws of physics. Each Button, is a portal to another dimension, but where do they lead? And why do they vanish after use? As the world grapples with the sudden loss of loved ones, scientists, mystics, and conspiracy theorists alike scramble to unravel the secrets encoded within these enigmatic, perplexing devices.

Haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, Wayne, Alice embarks on a perilous journey. Armed with her knowledge of quantum mechanics and an insatiable curiosity, she races against time to decipher the Buttons' purpose.

Will Alice unravel the cosmic code and find Wayne? Or will the Buttons, with their ominous potential, consume everything she holds dear?

"The Button Chronicles" is a mind-bending blend of science fiction, mystery, and metaphysics. This page-turner challenges our understanding of existence and human evolution. Buckle up for a journey through parallel worlds, where the fabric of reality frays and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Juniko Moody
• Release date: Jun 3, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224032761

Book preview

We start our lives walking on a path towards a visible, distant great mountain only to arrive at the foot of the mountain to ask surprisingly, How did this mountain get here?

The mountain is death.

Ancient proverb

I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING; I am a human becoming.

Author Unknown

Chapter 1

GONE

Ido not value any view of the universe into which man and the institutions of man enter very largely and absorb much of the attention. Man is but the place where I stand, and the prospect hence is infinite. It is not a chamber of mirrors which reflect me.

Henry David Thoreau

Nhuman, XTC and Rowter, three masked kids aged from 13 to 11, fly on jet bikes into the loading dock of a neighborhood warehouse drug store, RexMart. Each pulls out a high-intensity laser gun and fires at the surveillance cameras circling the dock, overloading the electronic chips and blinding the cameras. Presently InsideJob, a lanky, nervous 18-year-old employee, joins them from the shadows and unlocks the side door. Hur yup, he spits out.

All four slink inside, staying close to the unlit areas until within firing range of the remaining surveillance cameras. After disabling all the ‘eyes in the sky’, the children unmask themselves and gather around a prepared assembly of bags containing pills, capsules, vials, syringes and inhalants. They immediately dig in and quickly examine the contents of each bag to ensure that their ‘order’ was filled. Hey, don’t count everything—there’s no time. Eloon will be back soon and I’m not even supposed to be here. InsideJob is anxious to get his money and get them out before he can be spotted and linked to the disabled cameras.

One package is particularly odd—a hard, clear glass-like shell containing a red plastic oblong button on a black base. The clear dome was hinged to allow access, but the dome edge was sealed to prevent accidental opening. The label simply reads The Button in a plain Helvetica typeface.

Waz dis? XTC asked in Nglis to InsideJob. By the 22nd century, English had evolved into Nglis, a mixture of texting, street lingo and a smattering of Spanish spoken mostly by the very young under-class.

Suicide button. Push it and die in a nanosecond— painlessly and without mess. U just evaporate.

Hw DY knw? XTC pushed.

It came with a doc. InsideJob shoves a pamphlet at him.

XTC is not a fan of reading but knows enough to glean the targeted information he wants, like whether a drug is an upper, downer, hallucinogenic, narcotic, solvent, psychedelic, ‘shroom, grass, opiate, or his name-sake, ecstasy. Trapped in a strictly structured class hierarchy, this underclass could only look forward to crime and drugs as an escape from their dead-end plight and short lives. Many were connoisseurs of prescription drugs, which increased in intensity yearly to keep users from building a

tolerance and leaving them with an ever-growing voracity for stronger, more stimulating or more euphoric experiences and an ever-growing capacity for crime and violence to procure those drugs.

The thirteen-year-old rolled the package in his hands, examining it closely. A warning label reads, This product is hazardous to your health and will KILL you. This type of labeling was not unusual since, in the 22nd century, pharmaceutical companies were so rich and powerful that they operated without regulation and had branched out and monopolized the recreational drug industry, with some compounds being extremely addictive and highly toxic. Without liability for death or complications, accurate labeling became an easy expectation and actually promoted sales. Illegal drugs still existed but their market share was reduced due to the popularity, massive distribution, and reliability of the cornucopia of drugs available without prescription. However, children, one of the largest consumers of the riskiest drugs, tended to demand below- retail price, so an underground distribution system of underaged suppliers provided cheap, manufacturer-trusted meds by supplementing the measly wages of employees, like InsideJob.

XTC wants to know more, Whr did it cum frm? Howd’it wirkz?

I dn kno. It waz jus in mass inventory from Pharmicon. Pharmicon was the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world. Whars mi munee?

Rowter approached InsideJob with his payoff. Rowter was the youngest of the group and one who could be counted on for logistics and technology. InsideJob quickly snatched the bills and counted. The money was small in size and made of a type of indestructible Mylar embedded with counterfeit-proof electronic data bits. By now, the dollar had merged into the Americo, and all the Americas shared the same currency. InsideJob, now satisfied, was anxious to get the trio out before the current shift returned from break. He could not be there when they discovered the unseeing surveillance cameras and too many precious minutes had already passed.

The three boys were also anxious to return to their lair and celebrate the cache with each one’s favorite poison. Sales would start tomorrow. The three hopped on their jet bikes and silently scattered into the night.

Back at Nhuman’s secret hideaway, they already knew how most of the night would play out, having done this repeatedly. Nhuman was a brut and had a predilection towards amphetamine-like drugs that would keep him alert, euphoric, confident, and aggressive all night long. His current favorite was the Bomb, and he used it for most of his violent escapades, having a long criminal record for most of his short thirteen years. As a result of his criminal history, he lived in seclusion at an abandoned fuel-processing site. Everyone stayed away because it was believed that the site was highly toxic and caustic. It made the perfect clubhouse for the three and afforded the strictest privacy. XTC and Rowter lived with their parents, so they often ran away to Nhuman’s hideout and would never divulge its location to anyone.

All XTC and Rowter had to do was stay out of Nhuman’s way when he was high on the Bomb. For Rowter, this was easy to do as his drug of choice was Buddha’s Eye. This euphoric psychedelic rendered the user in an apparently catatonic stupor. Still, it induced a deep, active mental state that many adherents swore brought life-altering epiphanies and cosmic truths about the meaning of life. XTC’s current love affair was with UFO, an Ecstasy-like concoction that was both a psychedelic and amphetamine. It gave him a state devoid of anxiety or fear. Often, the stimulant gave him the stamina to keep up with Nhuman but provided the positive vibes to keep his abusive impulses in check.

Always giddy after the pick up of each ‘order’, all three were ready to enter their chemical worlds