Project Rebirth 2: Fleets, #5

By Bernard Harold Curgenven

Dredgedale Correctional Facility is situated deep beneath the surface of the wasteland and the only way out is the way in. There simply is no escape! A new prisoner is assigned to cellblock C on the lower level of the facility. His inmates are partially demented and all seems to go well until tragedy strikes.

The multi-purpose submarine is still searching for the perfect location. The commencing of the underwater project is still on hold, awaiting the success of the submarine's mission. The predators are still out there, along with a new threat to their mission. An important discovery is made, but does it require the ultimate sacrifice?

This exciting fantasy adventure story is suspense-filled and action-packed from beginning to end. It forms part of a science-fiction series, of which Fleet is the foundation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bernard Harold Curgenven
• Release date: Feb 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393855194

Book preview

First Round Chamber of Hell

Round chambers of Hell! Round chambers of Hell! Bernard said repetitively. He spoke quietly, carefully listening to the sound of his own voice. His voice was crisp, far more than usual! What on Earth was the trooper talking about. The novels were simultaneously rushing through his mind, as if being chased by an unknown entity. He could vaguely remember his plots and characters, but the round chambers of Hell were obviously long forgotten. Perhaps they never existed and the preposterous man was simply trying to frighten him to death.

The cubicle finally came to rest and the door vanished. Bernard stepped out and took two paces forward towards the darkness. He turned to face the open cubicle, only to discover that it had now completely vanished. It had been replaced by darkness. He seemed completely surrounded by darkness, not knowing what challenges lay ahead. It was unclear whether he was facing a dark forest, a dark room, space or Doom itself!

Suddenly there were numerous distant white lights appearing at random. He turned right around, very slowly, and spotted them in all directions. They were even flashing above his head! Were they flickering stars, he wondered? They all appeared distant. Of course there was no telling how far away they actually were, but he soon discovered that they were beyond reach, after extending his arms to the sides and then in front of him.

He finally focused on the one that appeared closest to him, and made his way toward it. He strolled forward slowly, watching as it grew nearer at an alarming rate. It would appear that the stars weren’t all that far away after all! It was almost as if his target was counteracting his movement by drawing towards him, and it seemed to change shape at the blink of an eye.

Bernard was no longer staring at a round shaped object that portrayed a flashing star, but he was in fact approaching what appeared to be a rectangular shaped source of light, possibly a doorway.

Suddenly the vertical shape rotated on its axis and came to rest in the horizontal position. He looked around for signs of other light sources, but they all seemed to be very distant. In fact, some had completely faded into the dark background. Before him was no star! The slightly tilted axis suggested a disc shaped silhouette. It was almost as if he was seeing a teleportation chamber from a different perspective. Now the discs seemed more than simple figments of his imagination.

Bernard was still focused on the approaching silhouette before him, hoping to see the entrance to a chamber, when suddenly chaos sprang to life. All light around him seemed to be inverted. The dark background became glaring light and the opaque silhouette before him was transformed into the dark visor of a trooper’s helmet. More dark visors appeared through brightly lit doorways and Bernard became temporarily blinded by the light from these doorways.

Several moments later the room was filled with Dredgedale troopers, and they all rushed past him. He turned to see what the commotion was about, his vision still obscured by dark blind spots.

The doors seemed to be closed and sealed tight by now, and the walls appeared opaque, emitting their own light. But wait! He noticed there were no flush walls or corners. Instead they were enclosed by a circumference wall of some sort, something that was vaguely familiar.

The troopers had their fazers drawn, and one of them fired in the direction Bernard had come from. There was a distortion in the matter that the circumference was compiled of, typical of a powerful shockwave, sending millions of particles through the air to form a thick dust cloud. The cloud never lasted long though, and soon revealed the remains of a familiar beast.

Stand down, a voice bellowed. The target has been eliminated. Take the prisoner down below.

Well, Bernard knew he was the prisoner being referred to, but the rest was still pretty much a mystery. What had just happened? He had seen the lights come on and the round room transformed from total darkness, only there were no actual lights. The self-sustaining light from the circumference wall could be turned on and off. Remarkable! Somehow his theories and exaggeration seemed to be springing to life, or at least a distorted version of it!

This Moron has four fangs, two at the top and two at the bottom, unlike any we have encountered thus far, the shooter pointed at the remains of his victim. He stooped over the enlarged scaly head and stroked the tip of a fang.

Don’t touch it! another yelled at him from behind, but it was too late. The eager hunter ripped his glove on the razor-edged enamel fang. The needle’s tip pierced the human flesh, and the man staggered only twice before collapsing. He began to convulse. Froth filled the watertight visor, chocking the man in the presence of an audience. The horrified spectators backed up as they watched the inhumane performance.

What is it? another voice asked from within the retreating crowd. At first there was no answer and a long silence fell over the troopers. Two men lifted Bernard off the ground, one beneath each arm. They took him by his elbows and wrists and carried him from the scene. They reached the circumference wall and a doorway suddenly appeared. There was no trace of an actual door though, and there was no evidence of hinges, sliding rails or locking mechanisms.

Your monster is not a moron. It’s a serpent. The species is common in Bravo Sector, where it coexists with radiation and the scorching heat, Bernard spoke for the first time.

"You will not speak