Crisis Evolution

By S.L. Starr

The year is 2130. A young man named Alex wakes up in the middle of a field, and he has no recollection of how he got there. After saving his life from an imminent threat, a trio of ragtag vigilantes with superpowers informs him that humanity has been at war with an alien race for over 30 years, and 75% of the human population has either been wiped out or enslaved. The remaining humans are now living in hidden underground corridors as they continue to fight this dire threat. Alex will eventually learn that he holds more power than his superhero counterparts and is now on a journey to discover who he really is, why he is more powerful than everyone else, and if there are more humans like him. Can he and his new, powerful allies save the human race from extinction?

• Language: English
• Publisher: S.L. Starr
• Release date: May 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463387535

Book preview

CRISIS EVOLUTION

S. L. Starr

Copyright © 2019 S.L. Starr

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 9780463387535

To My Son

Never let fear stop you from doing what you were born to do

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

ALEX OPENED HIS EYES to the blur and haze of the bright high noon sun. He mustered all of his energy to shade his face from the blinding light and the scenery around him slowly sharpened. As he regained consciousness, the landscape surrounding him was chilling and unfamiliar. The last thing he remembered was being at his parents’ house. He fought with his father that night about the fate of the family business – which was one of the fastest rising start-ups for 2102. He remembered storming out of the house and just as he was about to enter his car, a brilliant flash of light filled the sky above him. Now he was lying in the middle of a large field of dry, knee deep grass.

He sat up and darted his head back and forth as his heart hammered at his chest. As he tried to stand, he felt a sharp pain radiate along his right side. He winced as he grabbed his ribs and lifted his disheveled t-shirt to examine his abdomen. Covered in cuts of various sizes and large black and blue bruises, he began to regain his composure, as he felt constant pounding against his temple, he slowly rose to his feet. Rubbing his eyes and face, he tried to regain focus only to notice that he had suddenly grown a long, wiry beard.

What the hell? He said to himself as he examined his dry blood-stained hands. He looked out across the empty field, and he saw a lone stranger wandering haphazardly in the distance. The limping figure was a woman, tall and slender, whose blonde hair appeared to be matted and her shirt was covered in strange dark stains. From what he could tell; the stains were either red or maybe black.

He quickly waved both arms over his head. Hey! I need help!

No response. Alex stumbled to her as fast as his aching legs would carry him, but he still felt weak and dizzy. He continued trying to get her attention, but she continued to ignore him. As he got closer to her, he noticed that there was something odd about the way she walked. She was sluggish, and her long arms waved back and forth listlessly. Alex thought she might be injured or maybe she was drunk.

I need help, Alex shouted. Do you know where I am? Hey! I’m talking to you!

Alex bellowed his deep voice across the field, and it finally piqued the woman’s interest. Her head was sluggish as she turned to face him and as she limped to him, he took a few steps to meet her. As he inched closer and closer to her, his mouth gaped open in terror.

The woman lunged toward him with sudden, disparate jerking motions until she started walking at an average pace. Her clothing was covered in dark blood stains, and her arms were almost twice the average length. Her lazy, aimless stumble had now become a tenacious sprint. As Alex gazed upon the sight of this unkempt and unnerving beast, his heart began pounding twice as fast as it was before. The hair on the back of his neck began to rise as the unsightly monstrosity inched ever closer to him. In a moment of sheer terror, Alex quickly darted in the opposite direction and attempted to escape through the woods. Gasping for breath as he bound through the trees like a terrified deer, he turned his head one last time to get an idea of the proximity of his tormentor. She was gaining on him, but at that moment, he witnessed a spectacular explosion of blood as her head burst open like a bright red fountain timed perfectly with the boom of a gunshot. Grey and red chunks of brain matter painted every bush and tree within range of the massive blast radius. Alex fell to the ground panting, and he watched as the lifeless, and now the headless body of what used to be a woman with long, flowing blonde hair, fell limp to the ground with a thud. A winding stream of blood poured from her barren neck hole and snaked along the forest floor.

Alex looked up and saw the glorious sight of three well-armed soldiers – two with large rifles and one carrying a sword – coming to his aide. The one in the middle – and the largest of the three – was tall, muscular and carrying a 12-gauge pump action shotgun in his hands.

On his right was a slender female with long brunette hair. Her muscular frame was strapped with two small pistols on both sides of her hips, and an M-16 rested in both hands. Then there was the very odd looking male on the left who was a lofty height with a sturdy, yet thin frame. His pale skin and spikey white hair made him appear to be an albino, but his dark menacing eyes – glaring right at Alex – made it clear that he was just unusually pale.

The larger man approached Alex. You okay?

No, I’m not okay! What the hell was that?

"What do you mean what the hell was that?" He scoffed. It’s a deadling. The massive muscle man looked down at the decrepit, headless body and the growing puddle of blood spreading across the forest floor. "Well, it was a deadling."

Are you by yourself? the woman asked as she helped Alex to stand. What are you doing out here?

Alex rubbed his throbbing head. I don’t know. I just woke up in that field over there. So what’s going on? Where am I? What’s a deadling?

The pale, slender man pulled out a small black pistol from a holster on his hip and pointed it at Alex’s face.

Alex raised his hands and fell to the forest floor. Whoa! What the hell?

Chalk! the woman yelled.

His squinted, determined eyes, looked at her, then back at Alex. He looked back at the woman again.

Hey put the gun down man! the larger man said. This shit ain’t necessary.

Chalk rolled his eyes, sighed and placed the gun back into his holster.

The woman walked over to Alex and took his head into her hands. She turned his head in several different directions looking into his eyes. He’s not under Illian control. His eyes would have whited out by now.

What are you doing out here by yourself man? Where’s your tribe? the larger man asked.

My tribe? Alex asked. What do you mean my tribe? No, I just...like I said. I woke up in that field over there. I don’t know what’s going on.

The woman took his hand. If you don’t have a tribe, then you need to come with us. You won’t survive out here on your own for very long.

Alex looked at his three heroes. Then he looked over at the headless blood-splattered corpse that had him running for his life just moments earlier. He nodded to the woman. Yeah, I guess I’ll go with you guys.

The woman smiled at him. Good choice.

The group of four made their way through the woods headed towards the east.

So what’s your name? the woman asked.

Alex.

Alex? She said. You don’t have a nickname or a god name?

A god name?

The woman shook her head. Never mind. I’m Andraste. She pointed to the larger man, That’s T.B.

T.B. nodded. Alex nodded back.

And that’s Chalk.

Chalk had walked a few steps ahead of the group. He did not speak nor turn around to look back at them.

So what’s your power? Andraste asked.

Alex hung his head slightly. I can’t remember.

Andraste raised her hand and opened her palm creating a small flame. The flame burned for a few seconds; then she extinguished it by closing her hand. That sucks. I would hate to have power-amnesia. I couldn’t live without my power.

Chalk finally decided to speak. You know that’s permanent right?

Alex sunk his head slightly lower. Yeah, I know.

T.B. gave Alex a big, friendly pat on his back that lurched him forward a bit. Well, I guess it’s alright to bring you home then. Illians can’t control a deactivated chip.

What do you mean? Alex asked. "You mean, the Illians? Those short little aliens that came to earth a couple of years ago?"

The group stopped in their tracks and looked straight at him. Their wide-eyed expression indicated to him that he said something very inaccurate.

A couple of years ago, T.B. shook his head. You think the Illians came to earth a couple of years ago?

Alex blinked slowly. Well, yeah, I -

What do you know? Andraste asked. You don’t know about the deadlings. Do you know about the war?

War? Alex said. What war are you talking about? A war with the Illians? What is going on? Will one of you please explain all of this to me?

Andraste and T.B. looked at each other in utter confusion, while Chalk rolled his eyes. He turned around and continued to walk in their intended direction as if nothing happened.

We’ve been at war with the Illians since 2105, Andraste said. They found a way to control us using our Alpha chips. Where have you been?

T.B. continued. You do know they’ve wiped out about seventy-five percent of Earth’s population, right? Most everyone is either dead or one of those things you saw earlier.

Seventy-five percent? As Alex listened in horror about the nature of his predicament, little black dots began to block his vision. Wait. Did you say 2105? It’s 2102 right now. He could feel himself swaying back and forth, and his brain felt as if it were spinning inside his head. Andraste continued to explain, but he was only able to catch pieces of the information. He heard her say something about survivors and an underground society — the words The Hidden Corridors were uttered. As blackness continued to fill his line of sight, he became disengaged from the indistinct voices chattering around him and calling his name.

It’s 2130. Alex? Alex? He heard a voice say. Then nothing.

THIN STRIPS OF LIGHT burned through Alex’s retinas as he once again found himself waking up in strange surroundings. This time he was indoors taking in the scent of musty air with a hint of mildew. A blinding circular light hovered over him as he tried to sit up. His legs, arms, and torso were restrained by something that resembled a bright blue rope of light. He was lying on a hospital bed in the middle of some type of infirmary. He took in his surroundings, and he noticed others lying on similar beds either unconscious or writhing about in pain. He tried his best to sit up, but the restraints held him down. As he tried to free himself, he noticed that he no longer felt the stinging sensation on his right side. He pulled at his restraints again, but it was of no use. He grunted, growled, pulled, and tugged, but the light had a grip on him that was unyielding. A door opened, and a young, man of average height with a small afro entered the room. A young red-haired female followed him.

Alex, right? the young man said.

Alex shook his hand. Yeah... I’m Alex.

I’m Apollo, and this is Gia.

What’s going on? What’s with the restraints?

Apollo pulled a small, white ring from his pocket. He placed the circle next to the middle of Alex’s restraints, and they instantly disappeared. My universal key. I designed it myself, and I always keep it in my pocket. He continued as he walked over to a couple of holographic projections floating in mid-air a few feet from the bed. Those restraints are for our protection. We don’t know if you’re under Illian control or not and we don’t know what type of power you possess. Oh, and I healed all of your wounds too. You should be good as new now.

Alex sat up and felt of his face. The cuts were gone, and he was cleanly shaven. What is happening? Did I hear someone say it’s the year 2130?

Yeah it’s 2130, Apollo said. What year do you think it is?

Holy shit! Alex exclaimed. No. This isn’t possible. It’s 2102.

Wow! Gia said. Wherever you were, you’ve missed out on quite a bit. She scanned over Alex with a small device around her wrist. Do you have any idea where you were all that time?

No. I don’t remember anything.

Gia motioned for Alex to lie back down. Well we’ll answer any questions you may have, but first we’d like to do some more scans if that’s okay? It will give us an overview of your general health, and it will give us some information on your DNA. We can find out if you match any missing person’s reports from other tribes and we can find out what your power is. Unless you just want to tell us what it is?

Alex sighed. I don’t remember what my power is.

Apollo stared at the images floating before him. They displayed a map of a human nervous system. Let’s see if you match anyone in our databases.

The screens continued drifting in front of Apollo’s face, and a bright blue virtual keyboard appeared beneath his fingers. Apollo began typing, and another small gadget hovered over Alex’s head.

Will this hurt? Alex asked.

Well, its nickname is The Scream Machine if that tells you anything, Apollo said.

Alex looked to the machine and just as he was about to get off the bed, he noticed that Apollo was smiling. Then he saw Gia rolling her eyes.

It’s not going to hurt you, Alex, Gia said. Don’t pay attention to him. But it will make you a little uncomfortable. That’s why I’m here.

The machine continued hovering over Alex gliding up and down making beeping noises and humming. Alex watched closely as a broad red laser slivered from his head down to his toes, and then back up his body again. He felt his skin warming up, and as it grew hotter and hotter, he was starting to get extremely uncomfortable. Beads of sweat began pouring from his brow, and the discomfort made him squirm and moan. How much longer?

Apollo pushed several buttons and continued staring at the screen in front of his face. Just a little bit longer.

Alex writhed about despite his best efforts to remain still. This is getting really uncomfortable.

Gia walked up to him and placed her hand on his forehead. Everything is going to be okay Alex.

Alex started feeling his racing heart slow down as he felt Gia’s touch. He had a sudden sense of repose that he could not explain as she backed away from him and all of his tense muscles relaxed. Soon he was able to lay cool and calm, and he allowed the scan to complete. Once it was over, a small holographic screen popped up over Apollo’s wristband.

That’s weird, Apollo said. According to these scans, his chip is more powerful than anything humans, Illians or even the Lythian have ever created.

Gia pressed a button on her wrist watch, and a duplicate image appeared. That’s not possible. If none of the known races built it, then who did?

I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it’s a glitch?

Yeah, it’s kind of like the one that shows up on your scans, she said.

You know, Apollo said. If he’s this powerful, his amnesia may not be permanent.

Alex looked at Gia then back at Apollo as they bantered back and forth. So, what does any of this mean?

The scans are showing some really crazy shit, man, Apollo said. Your chip is more powerful than anything known to man or alien. Apollo continued examining the tiny screen. That’s not all I’m getting, though.

What else does it say? Gia asked.

According to this, I’m related to this guy somehow, Apollo said. We need to tell Odin about this.

CHAPTER TWO

ALEX RECEIVED HIS ALPHA Chip on October 20, 2080 – the day he was born. Every child born after the spring of 2080 was implanted with this miraculous brand new piece of technology. The incredible technology for the chip was discovered in the year 2050 when an unidentified, derelict spaceship was found in the ruins of what used to be a secret military base of the Old World. According to some of the ancient documents found in a hidden cache deep within the bowels of the ship, an alien space ship crash landed in the year 1947 and was secretly recovered by the local government of the time. Dozens of scientists studied the strange vessel for decades trying to understand its incredibly advanced technology. For decades, every type of scientist known to man was called in to examine the components of the ship and the bodies of its three deceased occupants.

Biologists discovered a small microchip implanted deep inside the brain of all three aliens. Technology at that time was unable to determine the function of the chips, so they were collected and stored for study at a later date. That date never came as the world’s monetary system came to a crashing halt in 2026, resulting in World War III. Nearly half of humanity’s population of eight billion was wiped out during the war.

The catastrophic battle lasted for a long and bloody five years, and by 2040, humanity was slowly but surely rebuilding itself once again. Humans finally decided to do things differently this time around. Society as a whole was finally more peaceful and co-operative. Things were not perfect everywhere; however, the vast majority of the problems that had plagued humanity pre-war, became nothing more than a distant memory. This period of world peace and human cooperation was known as the New World. As generations came and went, the ultra-violent lifestyle of the Old World eventually slipped from the minds of the populace completely.

In 2093, Alex was thirteen and nearing puberty. He concentrated more and more on his chosen superpower every day. He knew that all he had to do was think about how great it would be to have this power and at some point, during the prepubescent period his Alpha chip would activate, and he would finally have the superpower he had always dreamed of having.

The first Alpha Chip test trials performed on humans started back in 2051. This top-secret experiment was led by the incredibly talented neurosurgeon Dr. Harper Price. By 2070, the first test subject survived the procedure and was the first human being to acquire a superpower. His name was Chance Larson, and at the age of twenty-two, he was the first human with the ability to fly.

Like most kids born before the Great War with the Illians, Alex lived in a peaceful neighborhood and society. Things were going well for humanity, until the day that human beings made first public contact with an alien species. The majority of the world believed this was the first time these aliens had ever visited earth. However, the few who were privy to the knowledge of the origins of the Alpha Chip knew that these creatures had been here before. And that their reappearance was no coincidence. Many believed that mankind’s sudden widespread use of the chip caught their attention.

IT WAS ALEX’S FIRST evening underground in this new and frightening future. As he lay awake on a small cot thinking about the kind but very odd strangers who rescued him earlier, he couldn’t help but notice how small and depressing his surroundings were. The concrete walls were cold, damp and