The Circle: A Science Fiction Thriller

By Harold R. Watson

The Circle moves the reader forward to the year 2029, just before the start of the world's greatest holocaust, called the Battle of Armageddon. Beginning in the Middle East, the Battle spreads rapidly around the globe until the military forces of Earth are rendered helpless.

The Jihad is influenced by extra-terrestrial forces with weapons far more deadly than those devised by man. All would be lost if not for the Toren Empire, which furnishes space ships enabling approximately 160,000 people to be removed from Earth in time to avoid their demise. The evil forces of the Atlantean Empire make sure that all humans who remained on Earth perish so they can claim the planet for their empire.

The last of the Earthlings spend more than twenty years preparing for the time when they can return to Earth. Although they face overwhelming odds, the survivors return with some surprises of their own to confront the evildoers in a final conflict where the winner takes all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Mar 8, 2004
• ISBN: 9781412217972

Harold R. Watson

Harold R. Watson was born on a cold wintry day on January 25, 1938 at approximately 11:40 pm after the doctor, in his horse and buggy, came to his parents' home in Henderson, Kentucky. As the fourth child in a family of nine children, his family moved to Evansville, IN where he graduated from Central High School in 1956. From graduation he joined the Air Force where he served in California, Korea, New Mexico and Germany as a medic. He attended several colleges in various parts of the world near to where he was stationed while in the Air Force. After his first discharge, he attended the University of Western Kentucky full time. He later returned to the Air Force as a communications repair technician. So far he has managed to earn seven college degrees in various fields of study. He left the Air Force with a second Honorable Discharge in 1966 with more than nine years on active duty. He has traveled extensively across the U.S. and around the world. He worked in insurance claims for thirty-five years after leaving the Air Force and retired at age 63 in 2001 to spend more time with his family and on his passion of writing. This is his second published novel and he says his third is nearly completed. His proudest achievements are marrying his wife of more than 40 years and their two grown daughters whom he says furnish most of his inspiration.

Book preview

THE CIRCLE

A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

By:

Harold R. Watson

DEDICATION:

I dedicate this novel to my wonderful wife Joyce; her daughter, Alisa; her son-in-law, Steve; her grandson, Jonathan; to my two daughters, Bonnie and Connie; and to their better halves Mitch, and Jeff; and to my grandchildren, Megan and Joshua; and to all who choose to read and enjoy it.

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© Copyright 2004, 2012 Harold R. Watson.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4120-1407-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4122-1797-2 (e)

Trafford rev. 09/20/2012

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1-THE NEW TOY

CHAPTER 2-COMPLETING THE PROJECT

CHAPTER 3-EXODUS OF THE CHOSEN FEW

CHAPTER 4-NUMBER FOUR HUNDRED

CHAPTER 5-THE TOREN TWENTY

CHAPTER 6-FAREWELL TO THE AMBER ONE

CHAPTER 7-HELLO STARSIS

CHAPTER 8-THE SNOW PEOPLE

CHAPTER 9-BEGINNING THE SEARCH & RESCUE MISSION

CHAPTER 10-COMPLETING THE RESCUE MISSION

CHAPTER 11-SHEGEKO’S COMPLAINT

CHAPTER 12-A MAGICAL GIFT

CHAPTER 13-EBONY AND TAOS

CHAPTER 14-THE JEWELS OF AQUARIUS

CHAPTER 15-THE DOCTOR’S WIFE

CHAPTER 16-MARIAN’S DOUBLE

CHAPTER 17-DISCOVERY OF CAVE CITY

CHAPTER 18-THE VOTE

CHAPTER 19-THE BATTLE FOR EARTH

CHAPTER 20-THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE

SYNOPSIS FOR: THE CIRCLE

How many times in your lifetime have you heard someone use the term Armageddon and wonder what might happen if the prophesy of this holocaust comes to pass? The Circle is a science fiction novel where I glimpse into the future to tell of the exploits of the Neville family and fellow survivors of the time of Armageddon after the holocaust occurs on Earth in the year 2029.

The Circle is the first novel in a trilogy that speculates on part of the story of Armageddon from a possible survivor’s viewpoint. It depicts how approximately 160,000 Earthlings are removed from Earth to safer planets just prior to Doomsday by members of an Empire of Planets known as the Toren Empire.

The Circle also introduces the reader to a rival Empire with a past history on Earth called the Atlantean Empire with its evil forces who will stop at nothing in their efforts to destroy the last of the Earthlings and claim the planet Earth for themselves.

The Atlanteans plans are to take the Earth after it is nearly destroyed during the holocaust once it is rejuvenated enough to again sustain life. The Circle depicts a long journey of determination of the Survivors from Earth to the Toren planets and back to Earth that can only be completed if they are able to fend off the Superior Atlantean forces and return to claim Earth once again for the human race which, except for them, has been annihilated by the forces of evil.

Will they return? If they do, will they have any chance of defeating the mighty Atlantean Empire’s seasoned warriors with their rag tag forces? Why would they choose to leave the good life on a Toren planet called Starsis where they are welcomed and can live the good life? All these questions and more will be answered by the time you complete the final chapter of The Circle.

Whether you enjoy science fiction that delves into ancient prophesies, or just reading fantasy novels, or romance novels with torrid love scenes, or just like hero novels, you will enjoy the action, intrigue, suspense, and passion of the true to life three dimensional characters of The Circle.

-ii-

Although I have written The Circle primarily for its entertainment value, I believe it also provides the reader with a look into one possible future demonstrating the consequences of failed peace efforts especially in the Middle East, as well as elsewhere in the world. Terrorism like we have seen so far might be just the tip of the iceberg of things to come if we don’t learn to get along with each other better on this shrinking planet we call Earth.

Harold R. Watson-The Author

Manufactured in the United States of America

U.S.A. Copyright: TXu 1-023-453 (March 29, 2002)

 (Revised August, 2012)

THE CIRCLE

Chapter 1-The New Toy

I was awakened by the sound from the alarm clock as it broke the stillness of the winter morning. My wife then rolled over and nudged me with her elbow and reminded me of my promise to clear the snow from the driveway so we could get an early start back to our home in Northeast Ohio. As much as I hated to get out of bed and from under the warm covers, I knew that I must keep my promise if I ever hoped to talk her into coming with me to the cabin in the future.

My wife’s name is Tara Sara after her mother Tara and her grandmother Sara. She uses her initials T. S. When our oldest daughter was small, she tried to say T. S. and it came out Tess. We laughed about it at the time but soon everyone was calling her Tess. The nickname stuck.

Tess is strictly a city person. She enjoys all the modern devices and conveniences her billions will buy. I talked her into coming to our mountain retreat. I felt we needed some time for us just to get away from work, the kids, and the hectic pace of our big city lifestyle.

My wife owns several firms located around the world. The corporate headquarters is situated in her seventy-five story office building in Cleveland, Ohio.

We reside in the penthouse suite so she’ll be close to her headquarters. She possesses a memory like a computer and seems to be able to solve several problems at once. I don’t share many of her skills or her knowledge. I was a jet pilot in the Air Force when we met. She was trying to sell some new weapons system to the Air Force. I was chosen to work with her in the testing of the systems which her company installed into my airplane.

We worked together several weeks during these tests. During those weeks, we fell in love and were soon married. I had no idea that she owned the company before we were married. I thought she was just an employee.

I thought that I was going to talk her into quitting her job to follow me around the world in my Air Force career. However, what happened was that I resigned my Air Force commission and went to work for her.

Although I work for her corporation now, I really know very little about what goes on. It seems that everything she controls is categorized as TOP SECRET and she almost never discusses her real work with me.

I seldom see her during working hours except for those times when she asks me to stop by her office to pick up a package or something she wants me to deliver to one of her plant managers.

For such deliveries, she bought me my own jet plane which has speeds similar to the one I had in the service. I never know the contents of any of the envelopes or packages that I deliver. Once I did see one of the pages briefly but it was all in some kind of code. I couldn’t read or understand it anyway.

With all the wealth my wife has, it is no wonder that she doesn’t like spending much of her time here in the mountains in an old poorly furnished cabin. We certainly could afford to purchase luxurious condo rather than keep this old cabin.

I am invigorated by the great outdoors here in the same mountain cabin that I visited as a boy when my grandparents were alive. I still have many happy childhood memories of living in the mountains all summer and hunting and fishing with my grandfather. I also remember the smell of the pancakes my grandmother prepared for us and the taste of the apple pies she baked.

When Tess does reluctantly agree to come with me for a week, I know that I will have to do many favors for her in return. By the time I managed to get the fire roaring again in the old wood burning stove, she was getting out of bed and coaxing me for the second time to go outside and clear the snow from the driveway so we could leave immediately after finishing breakfast.

It had snowed another six to eight inches during the night. Snow drifts would have made the long driveway nearly impassible with any vehicle other than a four wheel drive like we had

Our vehicle was equipped with a snowplow. It took me about ten minutes just to clear the ice and snow from the windows well enough to see through them. Soon afterwards, I was plowing heavy snow drifts off the driveway.

Meanwhile she was busy inside preparing our breakfast. The freshly brewed coffee she made really hit the spot when I went back into the cabin. Before I could finish my first cup, she was putting breakfast on the table.

We chatted about how fast the week had gone. Well, that is not completely true. I chatted about how fast the week had gone and she talked about how slowly the time had passed. I guess everything is in how you look at it.

To me this was a great escape and a needed time for us to have together away from work and the kids. With all that was going on back in Cleveland with her work, we never seemed to have much time to just shut out the rest of the world and make quality time for us.

Although my wife is thirty-eight, she still has the same beautiful figure she had at age twenty-five. For some reason, she never seems to age. On the other hand, I will be forty this year and I am beginning to show many signs of aging. My hair is thinning. I have developed a slight pot belly and I no longer seem to have the pep and vigor that I enjoyed just a few short years ago.

While I was finishing breakfast, she was already busy packing and telling me to hurry up so we could get on the road. She had been looking forward to leaving Colorado ever since we arrived at the cabin, and I was beginning to feel that that she was in no mood for any further delays.

After I finished, I quickly cleaned my plate and washed the remaining few dishes and put them away. She had already washed her own dishes and utensils as she ate.

Soon we were packed and proceeding toward the motel in the valley where Jim, our caretaker, had been staying for the past week while we were using the cabin. Jim stays in the cabin the year around and moves into a motel when we want to use it.

Jim knows the mountain area real well and he and I often go hunting or fishing together when I come to the cabin alone. On those occasions, I stay at the cabin with him.

Jim seemed glad to see us as he piled his belongings in the back of the 4 x 4. He rode with us to the private airport where our jet was serviced and kept in a hangar out of the bad weather.

After dropping us off, Jim drove the vehicle back to the cabin while an attendant started to carry our luggage into the hangar for the flight home. The hangar door was slightly open so I could see inside. Our plane was not in the hangar where we had left it.

Where’s our plane? I asked the attendant. Before he could answer, my wife said it had already been flown back to Cleveland.

Then how are we going to get home? I asked.

She more or less ignored my question while she directed the attendant to put our bags into a company helicopter that was setting on the tarmac.

As she started toward it, she turned and motioned to me impatiently telling me to join her.

I didn’t look forward to riding in a helicopter for more than two thousand miles or so back to Cleveland. Once everything was loaded, she piloted the helicopter back toward the mountains. I was becoming annoyed because I knew that wasn’t the way home.

About ten minutes later, she set it down inside a fenced in snow covered meadow on a cleaned helicopter pad near what appeared to be an old dilapidated farm house. Except for the pad from which someone had cleaned off the snow, the place looked deserted. As I looked around, I noticed a dim light shining from a window as the curtains were pulled back by someone inside.

After we left the helicopter, we waded toward the farmhouse through heavy snow. I asked her why we had come to this desolate looking place. She asked me to just wait and see.

Shortly after we reached the porch of the old house, I turned to look back toward the helicopter. It was no longer there. Now I was puzzled. Where could it be? We had left it only a short time ago. I didn’t hear anyone start it up let alone hearing it take off. Besides, who flew it away without our hearing it? We were the only two in it when we arrived.

Perhaps I had gotten my directions mixed up, I surmised. I walked around the side of the porch and looked in another direction. There was still no helicopter. My wife had followed me part way around the porch and summoned me to come on. She demonstrated her impatience by waiving her hand for emphasis, so I followed her. Where were our bags? We had left them in the helicopter. Had someone flown off with our bags?

I should have learned by now that strange things like this are the norm around my wife and her friends. Coming to this old farmhouse in the middle of winter plus the disappearing helicopter were just two more strange things I should not allow myself to spend too much time on trying to understand.

I followed her inside the dilapidated old farmhouse. On the inside, it was much like you would expect an old farmhouse to be. It was furnished with old and nearly worn out inexpensive looking furniture.

An elderly looking couple greeted us at the front door and the woman hugged my wife like Tess was a long lost relative. My wife addressed them by their first names as if they were the best of friends. She told them that I was her husband Damon.

As I stood there, I began to wonder where I had been for all the years I had known my wife not to have heard about these people and this old farmhouse. Later I learned that the old farm house was a front for another one of her hidden secret factories.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the elderly couple, she went off in another room to talk privately with the old woman. When she returned, my wife grabbed me by the arm and told me to follow her down into the cellar.

Once we passed the stairway entrance, she told me to close the door behind us. After going down the rickety old steps, we then walked across the old cracked concrete floor until we reached a rust stained concrete block shower stall that I would felt was too dilapidated for anyone to use.

Fully clothed, she stepped into the shower stall and asked me to join her. Once I did, she pulled on one of the faucets. As it came outward some three to four inches, the stall began to creek and turn until a hidden door opened into a brightly lighted tunnel entrance.

As we entered, she pushed the faucet handle back into its original position and the door closed behind us.

We walked down some clean well maintained and unblemished concrete steps into the tunnel way which dead ended some hundred feet or so from where we had started. She pushed some buttons and we made a ninety degree turn into another much bigger tunnel. After we entered the larger one, I saw the helicopter sitting on a platform within a hangar located off to one side of this access way. Then we got onto a golf cart which had our luggage already on it.

I wondered why we had not just stayed in the helicopter until it was in the underground hangar. When I asked my wife, she said that she wanted to see the couple in the farm house to say hello before coming into the tunnel. She said that she had given the old woman some cash.

We drove down this long tunnel way and as we did, I noticed several other helicopters and a dozen or so corporate jet planes stored in box shaped underground hangars. There were also several military fighter jets that appeared fully armed and ready for combat.

She drove the little cart for five minutes or so through more tunnels before we arrived at a much larger area where she pointed to an aircraft like none I had ever seen.

This is what I wanted you to see, she said with a great deal of excitement in her voice for the first time since we had left Cleveland more than a week ago.

The plane stood about two stories high and looked like a cross between a boat and a stealth plane. There was a ramp leading up to the side of the craft. She drove the golf cart up the ramp and into the inside.

Once we were inside, I realized that it was very spacious and more like the inside of some fancy living quarters than the inside of an airplane. She asked me to follow her through the interior of the ship so she could show me all its amenities.

She then showed me the cockpit area. It had many of the instruments