Parallels

By Jacob M. Drake

Having unusual abilities can be a great thing - unless you have no one to share in them while doing these great things. This is how a young man named Marshall Montgomery experiences life until he discovers how to cross the dimensional divide to a different Earth where others like him exist - and he finds the girl he's always dreamed of as well as the family he lacks on his own world. But his new-found life brings about other changes in him he didn't expect and it affects everyone else around him as well.

A tale of adventure, heroism and love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crescent Suns Publishing
• Release date: Feb 20, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452303659

Jacob M. Drake

Jacob Drake is the author of various Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction and Erotica books, all available on Smashwords. His only problem in writing is not having enough time to write to completion all the stories he gets in his head. "If I wrote constantly until the day I died I still would never be able to exhaust the imagination that is the source of these stories."I've always loved reading, so somewhere along the line it only seemed natural that I would sit down and start writing the type of stories I like to read. And that's only because I can't always find a book I want to read that encompasses the type of story I want. Sure, there are lots of great authors out there, but they don't always have their next new novel in my hands at the time I want to read it. Certainly there won't ever be another new book by Robert Heinlein or Isaac Asimov, though I wish with all that's in me there were."I wrote my first story in high school for an English class. Had no idea what I was going to write until Sunday night (This was due the next day) when I sat down at my typewriter (Yes, this was back in the Stone Age before PCs came available) and started pounding on the keys. I turned in the finished story the next day and received an "A"."But I didn't write anything else (except songs, of which I have more than 100 finished) for many years, mostly due to the fact of raising a family and trying to be responsible (I hate that word). That came about because I had a story in me banging at the inside of my head, demanding to be let out. This time I sat down at the keyboard at my PC and began writing. I don't recall how long it took to complete that story, but it's now published as "Parallels: Book One - Heroes Enjoined Series"."I was quite satisfied with how that turned out, so a bit later I wrote the sequel to that book and called it "XKALIBUR". I then wrote a smattering of horror stories as well as a few more books and then a bunch of stories based on female superheroes who get into - ahem - trouble each and every time they go out on patrol."But none of these stories ever saw publication and that was okay with me (to a point), because I realized that deep down inside of me I was a writer and I had stories that kept screaming at me to write them. So I did, even though I had nowhere to publish them. My wife well knows how many times I said, "I just want my stories out somewhere so other people can read them! What good does it do if they sit on my computer and no one else can enjoy them?""I tried getting book publishers interested in my works, but they wouldn't even deign to read my intro letter. Many other authors know that feeling, too. I attempted to get an agent, with pretty much the same results. Most agents are too busy trying to place the stories for the author's they already represent."I then read something on the internet one day while searching for online publishers. Someone had published his story at a place called Smashwords.com and it hadn't cost him a cent. I don't recall who that was, but I wish I could thank him for having the sense to write that blurb where I could read it."I entered the name into my browser bar and hit "enter". Sure, I had to register, but that was free, so I did. Figuring out how to get my stories formatted properly in order to get them uploaded onto Smashwords was a bit of a chore, but Mark Coker's Style Guide was pretty much clear on the subject and eventually I had it all done for my first book."Once "Parallels" was published online I was like a little kid on Christmas morning with a tree filled with presents underneath."Within the next month I had all of my completed stories formatted and uploaded, which meant I had to take all my horror stories and put them together with a book title. Then I had to do the same for my B.A.B.E.S. stories, but that worked easy enough, once I figured out what program to use (Picasa3) to make covers with."Now I work on getting my latest novels written so they can join the rest of my 'family' of eBooks that are now available on all the eBook retailers' sites."Not all of my books are for everyone, especially my erotica classifications, like the "Complete Book of B.A.B.E.S." and my "Rebirth of the Gods" book. Some day I'll get around to writing the promised second book to that series, honest. For the time being, I've been channeling my energy into writing the books for my vampire series, the first of which is "Forever Undead" and the second one is "Darkness in the Light". Now I have the third in this series, "Forever the Dark Grave", and then I'll write "Darkness in the Draca Legacy". After that I'll link these all together with "Forever Darkness". Recently I got the idea of writing a bunch of short stories based on the vampire bar (Vampir Sange) that appears in "Darkness in the Light" and publishing it under the title "Vampir Sange - Dark Tales From the Blood Bar". That one will be written."I'm enjoying my vampire realms too much to do anything else right now, but I am open to hearing from those who read my books."Care to write and make suggestions? You can reach me at: [e-mail]

Book preview

Parallels

Jacob M. Drake

Copyright Jacob M. Drake 2010

Second Edition 2013

Published on Smashwords

Cover Design by eBooksMade4You

Formatted by eBooksMade4You

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All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Second Edition License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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For other eBooks by Jacob M. Drake

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jacobmdrake

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Praise for Parallels

"This one is very hard to categorize. It’s a thrilling, sci-fi, young adult romance verging on the erotic that carries the reader along a roller-coaster of twists and turns. If I weren’t so busy, I wouldn’t have put it down until I was through. Unfortunately, I had to pick it up in fits and starts. That, however, turned out to be a good way to read this intriguing novel since there were about as many twists and changes in the plot as there were the numbers of times I had to stop reading and do something else. By the time I got back to reading, the plot would transform again.

"Without giving too much away about the story, there are elements of a conspiracy concerning the propagation of special beings, important elements about traveling through different dimensions and parallel universes (from which the novel gets its name), a subplot or two about living in rural communities in modern-day southwestern Washington, the coming to terms with what it means if you have special abilities, a love triangle or two, and lots of action that appears to be a wild hybrid, parallel mix reminiscent of a Japanese animation like Dragon Ball and an American comic like the Fantastic Four, Superman, or other classic super hero stories.

"To be blunt, Parallels is loaded. Buy it today, you won’t be disappointed."

Kenneth Wayne

Author of Clip

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Parallels

CHAPTER ONE

The outside of the building was dark as he crept up to the front door. This was the time of night he’d always heard that thieves did most of their work. It was also the time of night when witches performed their dastardly deeds as well. Jared Zentz was neither, although had anyone been watching they would have thought he was the former.

In his mind he thought of himself more as a liberator. The small boy he’d come to retrieve from this building needed liberation, and it seemed that if the boy was going to be set free from those who had given birth to him and kept him here, this lone man would need to be the one to perform the deed. He knew he was the only one who truly seemed to care about the mental welfare of the children within these thick, concrete walls. All of them needed liberating, but he knew it was possible for him to spring from here only this one.

Searching about before walking into the dim lighting above the alcove of the front doorway, he made certain he was completely alone. Although he knew from experience and many conversations with those who were hired to provide security for this building that no outside patrols roamed the ground this time of night. Still, caution seemed the better choice at this moment. Being caught by anyone as he was breaking into his place of employment meant being fired at the very least. Jared Zentz didn't think his employers would stop at merely terminating his employment.

Considering the timber of those who had established this experimental facility, being fired would be a true luxury. In truth, however, he knew he would most likely never see the light of day again. There were levels he was not privy to in this facility. One could only guess what actually took place within them. The rumors were enough to cause him to be as overly cautious as he knew he must be if he was to complete his mission successfully this night.

Dipping his right hand into the outside pocket of his light jacket the hand withdrew holding a coded keycard. This wasn’t the keycard he normally used when gaining access to this building. It was one he had taken great pains to secure. A keycard that would allow him access at an hour when his own privately-held card would have been denied. This card also allowed access to more levels than he currently was able to access. It would also open the door to the private room where the boy he was here to liberate was kept. Without this card he knew his mission could never succeed, no matter how many months he planned and how much caution he took.

Sliding the card through the thin slot on the reader he released his breath. He hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding his breath until he exhaled. A sure sign he was more nervous than he thought he’d be. Considering the nature of his endeavor this night and the demeanor of his employer, he knew he had every right to be nervous.

The heavy security door clicked softly as always as the information encoded upon this card was read and accepted as valid. Slowly he placed his hand against the rough-textured surface of the door and gently pushed it open only far enough to allow his body to pass through the opening. Ensuring that no one was as yet roaming the dimly-lit corridor the door opened onto he then pushed the door silently closed, waiting for the slight click which alerted him to its having locked itself once more. Had there been anyone present, or even the sound of someone nearby in the corridor, he would have quickly exited through the yet open doorway. Fortunately his information was holding true. None of those few security personnel on duty at the moment seemed to be aware of his presence.

Once more he exhaled the breath he’d been holding, shaking his head at the level of anxiety he was experiencing. He’d always been a soft-spoken, calm individual. Never in his life had he experienced the nervousness he felt coursing through his system as it was at this moment in time. But then, he’d never in his life schemed to kidnap a child before. Such an act would understandably make the most relaxed person ever born - short of a true psychopath, which he most definitely was not - to feel the anxiousness he was experiencing.

With the soft-soled loafers he was now wearing upon his feet each of his carefully measured steps was as quiet as that of an insect creeping along the smoothly waxed hallway. Even the keenest ear with the most sensitive hearing would be unable to detect any of his footfalls as sole met linoleum. But the slowness with which he paced his steps was too cautious. He realized that at this pace he’d never complete his mission before being caught by security as they made their hourly rounds. Consciously he stepped up his pace and soon found himself outside the main elevator.

Once more he swiped the pilfered identification card through the necessary slot. The double elevator doors opened with barely a whisper at his request. He stepped within the contraption which would either allow him success or prove to be his temporary prison if security happened to glance at the monitor which relayed the image from the camera set into the top corner of this steel-encased box. His heart pounded hard as the doors closed before him and he wondered if anyone in the security control room was watching him at his very moment. He knew they shouldn't be. The level of security access allowed with this stolen card should keep the guards from being curious as to who might be entering the facility this time of night. The rightful owner of the card he held within his hand was able to enter and exit this facility at any time without being scrutinized by security. If his information was correct, it even prevented the cameras from activating as they would if his own personnel card had been recognized.

Pressing the button for the residence level the machinery hummed softly. Barely was he able to detect that the car was even moving. Those who ran this place demanded the very best from all the technology installed within the building. They were footing the bills for the day-to-day operation of the research being conducted herein. If they wanted to pay extra for the very best, it was their decision to make.

He found himself mentally ticking off the seconds that passed as the elevator moved from the ground floor to the third lowest level within the building. Anyone seeing this structure for the first time would have only been aware of the two floors which stood atop the hard ground of the desert region where the building had been located. Without the proper access card a visitor to the facility would never know sublevels existed, let alone be able to access them as he was now doing.

It seemed to take longer than usual to reach his chosen level. He knew the same amount of time was passing as normal, but his anxious mental state caused time to seem far slower. Eventually the elevator car reached its destination. The movement ceased. The doors slid quietly open.

Peering out from the car he ensured once more that no one was present in the corridor the elevator opened onto before stepping out onto the polished surface of the floor.

He glanced needlessly at the security camera set outside the elevator. No tiny red light displayed at its top. He was not being watched at the current moment.

Urging himself onward he moved quickly down the corridor until he came to the door where the boy slept. Briefly he hesitated, peering within the compact room through the small glass window set into the door. The minimal lighting always present within the private residences displayed only the solitary form of the boy who was assigned to be here. And he was soundly sleeping, as he should be, as were all the other children housed on this same level.

No card was necessary for accessing the residential rooms. Anyone gaining access thus far would generally have access anyway. Requiring one more swiping of a card at this point seemed superfluous. He cautiously turned the handle that released the latch and pushed the door open.

The slumbering child continued in his state of natural nocturnal unconsciousness as the door swung open, then shut. His level of trust of those who he’d grown accustomed to interacting with induced such a level of continued sleep. No one had ever before disturbed him while he slept.

This would be a first.

Carefully the intruder crept up to the bed and gently uncovered the small, inert form. Only the soft sensation of the two hands coming between the bed and his body caused the boy’s consciousness to activate even remotely. The youthful eyelids fluttered a few times, and then opened. Sleepy eyes scanned the intruder in the room before focusing enough to discern the all-too-familiar face that came with the body.

Jared? the slurred words of slumber whispered from between the boy’s lips. Is it morning?

Shhh! Jared pursed his lips even as he continued lifting the small body from the bed. We’re going to play a special game, Heli. Jared kept his voice quiet, his words soft. He didn’t want to say anything in such a way that this boy who trusted him explicitly might react fearfully to. For this game you need to be completely silent.

A game? Heli’s eyes were only slightly more alert now, though slumber exerted greatly toward reclaiming him.

Yes, Heli. A game. Shhh. Go back to sleep. When it’s time I’ll wake you and we’ll begin the game. Okay?

The boy’s eyes fluttered closed even as his lips formed a tiny smile. Okay, Jared. Within seconds the slight tenseness that had come over the boy dissipated. Once more he was back in the realm of peaceful dreams.

Jared drew the child to his chest and readjusted his hands for carrying. He needed his illicit charge securely held within the crook of his left arm alone if he was to make good on his escape.

Assured the boy now would not fall from his grasp, Jared moved to the door and peered out once more through the window. No one seemed to be near the room. He opened the door with caution anyway, peering first left down the corridor, then right.

Finding himself truly alone with the boy, Jared made his way quickly back to the elevator, this time consciously moving with greater urgency than before. He couldn’t afford to be caught in possession of the child he had been hired to tutor. Illegally entering the facility at a time he was not authorized for was a serious offense. Kidnapping the child entrusted to his personal care was far more serious. Certainly no law enforcement agency within the United States would ever know he had committed a crime. Such an offense would be handled in-house. He shuddered at the thought of how his sentence might be carried out.

Successfully reaching the elevator, Jared swiped the card once more. He could have activated the door mechanism simply by pressing the button, but swiping the stolen card ensured the privacy afforded the security level he desired. He couldn’t have the camera system activating at this particular point. That would definitely be counter-productive to his plans and alert security that someone was roaming the halls where no one should be.

Stepping into the waiting car he readjusted the child nestled securely within his embrace and pressed the button for the ground floor. The doors closed with a hush and the faint movement ensued. Soon the doors opened once more. This close to success he couldn’t afford to be caught. Jared moved more quickly toward his escape exit, but exerted every bit of caution he had as he entered the facility.

As he neared the side entrance door he glanced repeatedly over his shoulder. It was an unnecessary gesture and would certainly have alerted anyone watching that he was committing a crime, but he found himself unable to keep himself from turning his head in such a nervous gesture.

His free hand reached toward the door to push it open. He jerked the hand back, silently chastising himself for the faux pas. Had he opened the door without the aid of the card in his possession security would have been alerted to the door being opened. This close to completion of his mission he knew that would be the biggest blunder of his life. Swiping the stolen card one last time he listened for the click of the lock mechanism releasing. Now he was able to open the door without being detected.

Exiting the building he glanced surreptitiously at the night sky. This part of New Mexico was famous for its clear night sky. Every star available this time of year twinkled in the near complete darkness which was broken only by the meager illumination provided by the security lights outside the building. For a moment he thought he heard a sound. He paused, drawing his slumbering load closer to his chest. Had he glanced down he would have seen the smile that formed on the boy’s lips, feeling the warmth of comfort from being so close to the one person in all the world this boy trusted explicitly.

Carefully scanning the expanse outside the building he waited for someone or something to move into view. When everything about him remained still and quiet he decided it must have been one of the many small night-dwelling creatures that inhabited this region. Secure in that belief, the kidnapper hurried carefully away from the building which had provided him employment for the past three years.

Moving with all necessary stealth, he made his way past the building’s small parking lot and into the dense thicket of trees that surrounded the property. The site for the building had been chosen partly due to the foliage which surrounded it. These same trees which provided added privacy for the covert purpose carried out within these walls now assisted in providing concealment for the duplicitous action the kidnapper ensued upon.

On the other side of the trees was a construction site. This property was also owned by those who ran the research facility behind him. They were developing this site merely to provide another level of protection for the true purpose of what was being conducted within the first building. Having another business so close nearby aided in causing those who might suspect not all was as it seemed from being too curious. After all, whatever went on within the research facility couldn’t be too secretive or they would have blocked another business from locating so close to their property, right?

The land was only now being cleared for construction. That made it a perfect location for him to secrete his car. No one was around this late to have seen him as he parked here. Likewise no one was near at hand to observe as he made his way back to his car, opened the passenger side door, and strapped the still sleeping child into the car seat he had purchased from a Goodwill store only the day before.

The small child barely murmured as he was snuggly belted in. Jared glanced once more over his shoulder even as he closed the car door and made his way around to the driver’s side. Seating himself behind the wheel he inserted the key and turned it. The ignition fired up briefly, then settled into a quiet purr. He engaged the transmission and slowly proceeded forward.

Even as he exited the lot where trees once stood, but now sported only bare dirt and construction machinery, Jared heard the blaring sound of the sirens from the building he had just vacated. The security guards had begun their rounds and discovered the boy was missing. Had he been any closer he would have seen every emergency light surrounding the building illuminating the night. As it was, he was far enough away that only the faint sound of the sirens and a dull glow in the sky beyond the trees made their way to his senses.

As the tires of his car encountered asphalt beneath them he accelerated as quickly as his vehicle would allow. It was imperative that he place as much distance as he could between him and this region before extra security as well as key administrative staff could arrive and begin their search for the boy. Before long the theft of the entry card would be detected. That would reveal who had managed to obtain the illegal card. Soon those who ran the facility would have private teams of investigators out searching for him. He needed to be long gone by then.

His escape route long planned ahead, Jared found his way down a seldom-used side road. The one lane road would lead to an almost completely neglected back route to the freeway. From there he would be on his way to Arizona, the neighboring state to New Mexico. Certainly at least one team would be dispatched along Interstate Ten heading west. But they would be looking for an older model yellow Ford Pinto. The only car registered under his name. It would take somewhat longer for them to realize, if they ever did, that he had obtained an orange-red 1980 Trans Am through a private purchase and had yet to change the title over into his name. By then he might just have made good on his escape.

After glancing once more in the rear-view mirror he glanced down at the sleeping child next to him. The boy was so peaceful as he slept. It had to be the right move kidnapping the boy. He deserved more than to be a laboratory rat being experimented upon. Even if he was a genetically-altered being grown completely within the laboratory housed on the deepest level within the facility.

By the time the sun began peeking over the eastern horizon the Trans Am and its two occupants were well into the neighboring state of Arizona; by the time the digital clock on the dashboard of the car read nine o'clock the fleeing kidnapper and his cargo had just entered the perimeter of the area known to the locals as The Valley, yet comprised a wide range of cities in southern Arizona of which Phoenix was perhaps the most well-known. By that time the small boy with the medium brown hair and temperately-toned skin was wide awake and enjoying this, his first-ever journey by automobile, or any other means of conveyance, for that matter, having never before left the confines of the facility where he had been genetically produced, grown and reared to the age of slightly more than three years old, as he was now.

With bright brown eyes that seemed almost golden whenever the sun struck them fully, the toddler took in everything that the rapidly moving car passed, never having seen anything move along at such a rapid pace before. To his infantile mentality this road-trip was the greatest excitement there could ever be.

As they neared an area where a variety of businesses lined the road just off the freeway and could be viewed from where they drove, the child's stomach began to rumble and the corners of his mouth turned down into an expression that made him seem as though he was about to pout.

Jared, I'm hungry. When's breakfast?

The adult driving the Trans Am glanced fleetingly over toward his passenger and silently shook his head as though chastising himself.

Right now, Heli. Sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking about food. The car veered right and pulled off the main road into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant which Jared Zentz too well knew served breakfast sandwiches. He waited in the drive-thru line until they came to the speaker box and at the prompt of the voice on the other end asking, May I take your order? placed an order that would allow each of them to not only fill up for breakfast, but would provide enough food so they would not need to stop for lunch, though he knew he would need to fill up with gasoline once they got back on the road. The gas mileage for this particular car wasn't as good as he would have liked as far as not stopping too often for refilling, but he had chosen it specifically for the maneuverability and speed it could attain in case he needed to out run someone. He hoped it would never come to that.

Setting Heli up with a small cup of orange juice and a sandwich that was comprised of scrambled egg, bacon and cheese placed between two slices of something that tasted like pancakes with a slight maple syrup flavor, Jared pulled away from the restaurant and into the nearest gas station. Once he filled up the dwindling gas supply he consulted his map to see where they currently were and how best to get where he wanted to go, then he was back out on the road with his own sandwich in-hand, alternating with a cup of steaming black coffee. He knew using a GPS would have been a lot faster, but he also feared such technology could be tapped into from an outside source if they ever learned where he was and what he was driving. Not using the latest in technology was their best bet in eluding those who were now actively seeking them out on every level.

A short time later Jared realized he needed to relieve his bladder and looked for a spot where he could pull off the road and perform his duty while standing next to the car so he wouldn't be out of sight of this most precious cargo. Once beside the Trans Am and releasing the pressure that had built up within his bladder he thought of the fact that the child within this car never had to relieve himself in this same manner. Everything that went inside this boy's body was transformed into energy so that nothing came out of him as waste product, neither liquid nor solid.

How long are we gonna be driving, Jared? Heli sounded as though he was beginning to grow bored with sitting in his car seat. Jared well understood the boy's concern, since he was used to a daily regimen that kept him both mentally and physically busy from awakening until closing his eyes to sleep.

A little while longer, Heli. Why don't you recite the alphabet for me? he encouraged the boy, setting his own mind to thinking about the route they needed to take as the child who under normal circumstances would have been far too young to know even half of the alphabet began reciting the letters in rapid succession until the entirety of the twenty-six letters had been completed.

Now tell me the vowels and what sounds they make, Jared urged his charge and then when those were completed, Recite only the consonants for me. Without pausing to reflect on which letters were consonants, Heli immediately began listing off the entirety of the alphabet once more, only beginning with B this time and omitting all those letters he had already listed as vowels.

The drive continued in this manner with the driver challenging the passenger with more and harder exercises for the

Reviews for Parallels

[jacobdrake · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent example of a first-time author dreaming up a new concept for an old theme. This book brings out a nice touch in the realm of super-heroes and builds characterization that sounds real as the dialogue progresses.