The Storm Episode One
()
About this ebook
Two million years ago, the evolution of the brain took man out of the animal world by endowing an unremarkable branch of the Tree of Life with fantastic capabilities for processing and exchanging information. Subsequent generations call it the human intellect.
A short time later, mankind left its cradle, Africa, and established itself on every continent except Antarctica. Fragile in body, but with the gift of a highly developed intellect, the members of this race easily forced out the apex predators and took their place, in spite of their powerful claws and huge tusks.
Having won first place in the food chain in most of the occupied ecological niches, this life form declared itself the crowning glory of creation, assuming the whole route travelled by evolution on the planet had stopped when its own race had been born. However, evolution never for a minute stopped affecting all of life, including man.
Thirty thousand years ago, the weight of the human brain achieved its historical maximum. Since then it has steadily become smaller, and by the end of the second millennium A.D., the total loss of cerebral material was 300 grams. In the 21st century, this reduction suddenly approached crisis point...
Albert Sartison
albertsartison.com Albert Sartison first became acquainted with games theory when he was a student. Since then, he has been fascinated by complex multiple-move strategic games in politics and economics. In such situations, the apparent freedom of action of the parties involved is in fact restricted by the bounds of economic and political feasibility, which at times leads to improbable consequences. The history of modern civilization includes many wars and political and economic crises which began as minor contradictions or local conflicts and escalated into global cataclysms on a planet-wide scale. Man has a highly developed intellect which enables him to assess his actions critically and analyse complex situations. As an individual, he is capable of rational reasoning. Is this applicable to human civilization? albertsartison.com Books by Albert Sartison: --The Contact --Beyond the Event Horizon --Fundamental Force --The Storm --Entangled
Read more from Albert Sartison
The Contact Episode One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond the Event Horizon Episode One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFundamental Force Episode One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Storm Episode One
Related ebooks
Thirst Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Office of Scientific Operations - Declassified Files (Release #2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConvolute Prine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMirrored Memories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMmorpg Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRun London Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Woods Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Step Closer: Tempted, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Doomsday Legacy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDoomsday Exile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNemesis (George Kostas) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Perfect Coffee: A pot of life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road to Safety Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGlenridding Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsObtuse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr Dudley and the Beetle Farts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShen Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Murder on Wheels Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Toff on Fire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Swan Lake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Traveller Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDigweed, the Cat A Bridge Too Far Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grave At The Top Of The Hill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeaven Below: Riveris, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Black Birds Flew Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfter Life Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Kingdom and Lady Eirika Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHillside Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond the Rimu Grove Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Dystopian For You
The Handmaid's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Swarm: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long Walk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51984 (Original English Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51984 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silo Series Collection: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Silo Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wool: Book One of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Cheerfully Refuse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tender Is the Flesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Who Have Never Known Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Malice: Award-winning epic fantasy inspired by the Iron Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moon of the Crusted Snow: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shift: Book Two of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Running Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlawed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dust: Book Three of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deluge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Borne: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trail of Lightning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aurora: A Summer Beach Read Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prophet Song: A Novel (Booker Prize Winner) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Good Mothers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Storm Episode One
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Storm Episode One - Albert Sartison
THE STORM
episode one
by
Albert Sartison
Published by Albert Sartison at Smashwords
Copyright 2015 Albert Sartison
1.01
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to your favourite ebook retailer to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
ALSO BY ALBERT SARTISON
The Contact
Beyond the Event Horizon
Fundamental Force
*
Entangled
Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 1
The rush hour in the metro, whether morning or evening, was the very time David hated the most. People, pressed together like sardines in a tin, stood swaying slightly with blank faces, waiting for their stop. Unfortunately he did not have a car, and it was too far to travel between work and home twice a day on foot or by bicycle. So he had to put up with these daily journeys, shutting himself off mentally by putting on headphones and turning up the volume.
He felt much more at ease immersed in the world of electronic music. There, in the computer world, was where he lived. He only appeared here in the real world when circumstances required – and did so very unwillingly. If it hadn’t been for the need to pay the bills, he would have kept his contact with people to a minimum. It was so hard, having to waste so much time with them in various stupid and pointless conversations...
Unexpectedly, the carriage braked sharply, filling its interior with the unbearable screeching of metal wheels against steel rails. The whole crowd was shifted forward by inertia, carrying David with it. The train stopped and became silent.
David sighed with irritation. Tired after a long working day, all he could think of was finally getting home, taking a shower, eating and flopping down on the settee. Now the moment when his back would touch the soft settee had been postponed indefinitely while the metro train stood here in this damned tunnel.
Attention please!
A loud voice rang out from the loudspeaker. David pulled the headphones off one ear.
For technical reasons, traffic in the tunnel has been suspended for an indefinite period. Please exit the carriage and proceed along the emergency platform in the direction in which the train was moving to the next station. We apologise for the inconvenience.
The people in the carriage started grumbling. Several indignant comments were heard and an instant later, a sound arose like the murmuring of innumerable bees.
This is unheard-of!
I’m not going anywhere!
I haven’t paid good money to walk along a stinking tunnel!!
David wearily closed his eyes and passed his palm across his face. He just didn’t have the strength for indignation, he was just too tired. And he didn’t see much point in shouting at the empty air anyway.
He stood still for a little longer, waiting for people to start leaving the carriage, but it seemed that most of them preferred to stay where they were to demonstrate their anger at this monstrous injustice. It was a waste of time and, in particular, a waste of the time he had to rest before the next working day began.
Realising that nothing was happening, he finally decided to act. He pulled the headphones off completely, wound the cord around them and put them in his pocket. After looking around, he touched a man in a dark coat standing in front of him on the shoulder.
Let me pass, please.
The man turned around, leaving the way free for him as far as was possible in such a packed crowd. David pushed past him with difficulty, and also past several other passengers, who gave way before him as they felt the movement behind them. Reaching the door, he pressed the emergency release button. Something squeaked in the doors in front of him, but the two halves stayed in place. He grabbed the handle of one door and pulled it sideways. The door gave way, leaving a clear exit.
The emergency platform was only three paces away. David jumped and felt his shoes sink into the soft soil of the tunnel. It felt like some sort of disgusting mess. He looked around. The platform was raised a good metre above the ground. It wouldn’t be easy to climb onto it, he needed steps. A little way ahead of him he saw something of the sort and, listening to the squelching of his shoes in the mud, he set off in that direction. The commotion from the train was still echoing all along the tunnel.
After several steps, he noticed that the noise had ceased. He stopped and looked back in surprise. It turned out that the whole carriage was watching what he was doing with interest, like birds in the wilderness, incapable of taking any initiative themselves. David shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way.
When he had climbed onto the platform, he saw before him a tablet shining with a dull green light in the darkness. If it was to be believed, it was about one and a half kilometres to the next station, but a hundred metres away in the opposite direction there was an emergency exit to the surface.
There was no sense in going on to the next station, since traffic appeared to have stopped on the entire branch line, so David decided to make for the emergency exit. When he reached it he found it was a well with iron rungs leading vertically upwards.
Without pause for thought, he clambered up. Fortunately the metro line was not very deep, it seemed to him. There was no illumination in the well, so he scrambled upwards by sense of touch, hoping not to stumble on anything in the darkness. He could hear the revolting squeaking of rats all around him.
A minute later, and shuddering with revulsion, he reached the hatch. Moving the heavy iron disc to one wide, he stood open-mouthed – instead of the starry night sky, he saw wavy green strips. The Northern Lights were spread out before him.
The Northern Lights in these latitudes?
David crawled out, shook himself and looked around, hoping to find out where he was. He was now standing in the middle of a pavement and it did not appear to be a street he knew. After turning around and around a few times in a vain attempt to see at least one familiar landmark, tall building or TV tower, he got out his smartphone. The ‘No Signal’ icon showed up in the corner of the screen.
He smiled ironically and switched on the map. There was no dark blue spot indicating his current