Universe Alive

By John Wallace

A new President of the United States, who uses referendums to control the country, is dedicating the new capital city of the U.S., Heartland, when an oil tanker is sucked below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. The ensuing response to cover up the loss of the tanker destroys the last vestiges of Atlantis, and with it, society as we now know it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Wallace
• Release date: Feb 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311927941

Book preview

UNIVERSE ALIVE

A RECOLLECTION OF THE FUTURE

BY

JOHN R WALLACE

Copyright 2014 John R. Wallace

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

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favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard

work of this author.

DEDICATED TO THE REV. C. EDWARD COOPER

FADE IN:

EXT. SUNSET: ATLANTIC OCEAN IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE

SEGUEY to beneath the sea.

EXT. SPHERE OF ATLANTIS IDENTIFYING ITSELF BY WEAK ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES FROM THE SURFACE.

INT. SPHERE OF ATLANTIS, OPERATIONS ROOM

ANTIQUE YET PRACTICAL CRYSTAL MODULATORS. MEN COME AND GO TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER. THEY HOVER OVER NUMERICAL READOUTS. THEY CONSULT ON THE AMOUNT OF SURFACE ACTIVITY.

ELDER HOMER

Is the Chronos out of the danger area yet?

ATTENDANT

We can begin opening the gates in two minutes.

INT. - NIGHT - GAMING ROOM IN A GRAND HOUSE IN HEARTLAND. POWERFUL CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY PLAY CARDS.

The room contains attendants as well as other guests, all grandly dressed. Among the young women in the room is SUSAN TROWBRIDGE, 27, blonde, striking.

WILLIAM

Well?

HOUSTON

(Looking at his four eights)

William, you've got a tanker heading for Charleston. I've got a Heartland Hot Dog program kicking off tomorrow in my Corrale 10's. Should that oil be bound for Galveston instead of Charleston, you may see what's in my hand.

WILLIAM

(Looking at his three kings and two tens.)

Take it from my vendors in Charleston and give it to you?

HOUSTON

That's the picture.

WILLIAM

And you pay for the off-loading.

HOUSTON

Done.

WILLIAM

Show'em to me.

HOUSTON PUTS THEM DOWN ONE BY ONE WITH ATTITUDE.

HOUSTON

Return the favor.

William lays down his full house.

WILLIAM

(Reaching into his coat pocket in a leisurely manner and retrieving his cell phone. He punches in numbers.)

Get me Global Operations.(Beat) Kenny, please. (beat) Yes, Kenny, we have a change in plans. Order the Chronos to Galveston immediately. That's right. Immediately. Thank you.

HOUSTON

Another round?

EXT. - NIGHT - U.S. OIL GLOBAL OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS

ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING REVEALS A WELL GUARDED OFFICE COMPLEX IN THE HILLS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK NEAR THE HUSDON RIVER.

INT. - NIGHT - OIL OPERATIONS BUILDING NEW YORK STATE

Message is received and sent to the Chronos.

INT. - NIGHT - RADIOROOM ABOARD THE CHRONOS

UGLY RED and MARTIN are in the radio room when the message arrives. Martin leaves to take message to the Captain.

EXT. SUNSET: HEARTLAND, KANSAS

Aerial view of the new capital city of the United States on the eve of its official Dedication.

Fade to:

INT - SUNSET - APARTMENT TOWER BUILDING, HEARTLAND

TOM SINGLETON, dressed in black tie, puts on his jacket while engaging in an intense cell phone conversation, AND leaves his apartment and reaches a checkpoint. The bullet tube passage point guard, knowing TOM, speaks to him officially, but in a deferential manner.

GUARD 1

Mr. Singleton.

TOM

Johnny, there’s a waste disposal problem because everyone's crapped at the same time in the same place in sector four. I forgot my wallet as I rushed out the door.

GUARD 1

I can use my override code, but I'm gonna have to note the transaction.

TOM

No prob. Thanks.

TOM places his hand on a scanner screen, as GUARD 1 enters a universal key pass. TOM walks to and enters a magnetically cushioned bullet train.

BEGIN INTERCUT SEQUENCE:

INT. - NIGHT -PRESIDENT'S OPERATIONS CENTER

1915 HRS CST

While the following briefing occurs, TOM descends in a speed tube to the Central Flow Control, where TOM meets with Controllers to confab.

Chief of Operations OSCAR PATTERSON enters the Ops Ctr with an entourage to receive up-to-the-minute reports regarding the arrival of dignitaries, the weather, the Media, the Global Placement Service, Security, the Pass System.

OSCAR

Weather.

LECTURER

No change from two hours ago. There is a minor stationary blemish in the Atlantic, at most some light precipitation. Otherwise, for the next 24 hours, the conditions are ideal.

OSCAR

Arrivals.

LECTURER

Run the four second clips of the Level Ones. The reigning monarchs of Great Britain, Sweden, Poland; The Czar, Czaritza, and his Prime Minister; the Roman Pontiff, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, the President of the Latter Day Saints.

OSCAR

That's fine.

The clips cease.

INT. - NIGHT - FLOW CONTROL CENTER

TOM

For a temporary solution, I think we can pump the excess from this

(indicating on an operations map)

area over to this area, and then beginning about 0400 HRS remove the overflow in preparation for the ceremonies tomorrow.

INT. - NIGHT - OPS CENTER

OSCAR

Global Placement.

LECTURER

There have been no anomalies in any patterns that have fallen within reportable parameters.

OSCAR

Security.

LECTURER

No reportable incidents.

OSCAR

Pass System.

LECTURER

The Readers in the outmost areas go online at 0800 HRS CST.

OSCAR

I am to be awakened if so much as a crop duster is reported off course. Gentlemen.

OSCAR leaves the Ops Hdqtrs.

END INTERCUT SEQUENCE:

INT. - NIGHT - OPERATIONS ROOM, ATLANTEAN SPHERE

MEN STAND READY AT SEVERAL CONTROLS. A CLOCK MADE OUT OF WHEELS CLICKS AWAY THE SECONDS UNTIL THE COMMAND CAN BE GIVEN. WHEN THE NUMBERS HIT ZERO, ELDER SOCRATES NODS HIS HEAD AND THE MEN BEGIN PUSHING IN THEIR CRYSTALS.

INT. - NIGHT - BEDROOM, DR. TYSON MORRIS

TYSON MORRIS, mature in a grandfatherly way, is straightening his tie before putting his coat on. RAVEN WOLFRUNNER, world-class soccer player and medical school student, is finishing his shower. RAVEN enters TY'S bedroom from the adjoining bathroom toweling his wet body dry.

TY

Would you mind helping me with this tie?

RAVEN walks over to TY, wrapping his towel around his waist.

INT. - NIGHT - NONDESCRIPT COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Monitor shows entry: SINGLETON, TP PASSED MANUALLY THROUGH CHECKPOINT 45-22-ALPHA. SEAL: FJB

EXT. - NIGHT - LUMINOUS NATURALLY APPEARING UNDERWATER ROCK FORMATIONS

The rock formations rotate in such a way as to open a channel into a huge tunnel, revealing circular overlapping discs of pure gold. The discs open. The tail of a huge fish like torpedo shaped turbine is revealed. Suddenly the water flows by the tail of the turbine and it begins to move, creating at first static electricity and later at higher speeds an overwhelming hum seems ready to shatter everything when beneath the sphere, crystals begin to absorb the hum as they come to life in harmonic vibration and begin to illuminate themselves. As the battery crystals power up, the sphere of Atlantis begins to disappear.

INT. - NIGHT - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS ABOARD CHRONOS, AN OIL TANKER, SOMEWHERE IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

Tall, lean, fiftyish, CAPTAIN CHRISTIAN NORWOOD tosses and turns in his bed.

FIRST MATE, respectable and sea worthy, followed by Martin, knocks on his cabin door.

FIRST MATE

Captain Norwood, Sir. A message to alter course immediately, Sir.

CHRISTIAN

Just a moment.

CHRISTIAN GETS up, splashing his face with water. CHRISTIAN activates the screen of his computer AND THEN OPENS HIS DOOR.

EXT. - NIGHT - FROM A DISTANCE WE SEE THE TWO MEN ENTER THE CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS. SECONDS LATER THEY REEMERGE.

EXT. - NIGHT - NEAR ONE OF THE TURBINE TUNNELS

The whooshing of the huge amounts of water being pushed by the Gulf