Are You the Superior Being?: Veronica Journey

By Juan Rodriguez

The story begins with Veronica. She is a singer working for a rebellious organization fixed on deterring the Australian Pope’s plans. She is living with her fiance and brother. The company finds that the way of destroying the Pope is by Veronica getting experimented on.

After Veronica gets abducted, the story splits to Reuben. He is coping with his mother’s arrest by joining a gang and doing drugs. When the city gets destroyed, he teams up with Jessica, Mikey, Karishma and the rest of the characters from Veronica’s story. They travel through the dilapidated city in search of survivors.

Once enough survivors are accumulated, everyone starts to live in the wilderness. They face Sangworms, which are blood sucking parasites that turn you into zombies. They meet Sheva and Shaddrach who are soldiers in search of a promised land (Celsta). They also discovered a radio with communication to Australia. They are led to a safe haven. Stephen, Veronica’s fiance, begins falling in love with Jessica after getting infected with a deadly virus.

We come back to Veronica who is in outerspace being experimented on. She wakes up with superpowers that she can’t understand. Her goal is to escape the outerspace facility and make it back home. There are many obstacles and traps that she must overcome and fight lots of people. This sequence in the book is similar to “Escape the Night,” “Resident Evil,” “Three Percent,” or “Saw.” After she overcomes all the tests and booby traps and fights other super powered people and creatures, she learns just what this evil Pope is really thinking and gets inside his sick, demented thought-process which is seemingly Biblical or Catholic in nature. She finally makes it back to Earth, but there is nothing left.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796092066

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 by Juan Rodriguez.

ISBN:      Softcover          978-1-7960-9195-3

                eBook               978-1-7960-9206-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/02/2020

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Contents

BOOK ONE

Chapter 0    Self-Sustaining Beast

Chapter 1    The Head of Gold

Chapter 2    The Pen Overcomes the Sword

Chapter 3    Reconciliation and Retribution

BOOK TWO

Reuben, Warrior

Chapter 4    School, Life, Drugs

Chapter 5    The Day of Reckoning

BOOK THREE

Jessica Rivera, Survivor

Chapter 6    You Can Call Me Mom if You Want

Chapter 7    The Big Day

Chapter 8    Biological Weapons!

BOOK FOUR

Life in the Unknown Wilderness!!!

Chapter 9    I Live in the Forest

Chapter 10    The Field of Innocence

Chapter 11    The African Refugees

Chapter 12    The Discovery

Chapter 13    The Perfect Plan Can’t Go Wrong

Chapter 14    Making A Wish Upon Two Shooting Stars

Chapter 15    Dear, My Love

BOOK FIVE

Project XB-197-44

Chapter 16    Where Am I?

Chapter 17    The Shermanic Prophecy

Chapter 18    The Tournament

Summarization and details of our leader

and King Wilson Sifte Sherman.

Conquered Territories:

1. Russia

2. America

3. Ireland

4. Australia

5. South Korea

6. South Africa

7. Iraq

8. Iran

9. Italy

Destroyed Territories:

1. Dominican Republic

2. India

3. China

4. Berlin

5. Vietnam

6. France

7. Spain

8. Morocco

Wives of Wilson Sifte Sherman

1. Kelly Sherman (Deceased)

2. Angela Sherman (Current wife)

3. April Sherman (Still alive but bio-mutated)

Book One

Chapter 0

Self-Sustaining Beast

She can feel the movements in the truck as they bring in all the dead bodies from the human farms where they grow the perfectly genetically superior human organs to then feed them to the other projects which makes them stronger. Veronica’s head bumps and crashes against the floor of the truck over and over again with strenuous velocity.

Veronica must maintain her appearance of death. She has managed to sneak her way into the chamber where the corpses are brought in. This is her plan to take down Sherman. He’ll think he’s about to unveil cadavers, but there’ll be one alive. After the bodies are dumped into the basement, the blood inundates the room, leaving Veronica there motionless.

The door shuts. Immediately so, Veronica stands erect to begin digging through the dead corpses. With her knife in hand, she begins to dig through a man’s stomach. She rips open his abdomen, digging her hand deep inside. She feels the slimy warm substance lather her hands as she ensconces her arm with white film and fluid from the organs. Eventually, she pulls out an unidentified metal object.

Now she runs over to the lady next to him and pulls out her eye. Another metal piece lodged in there is revealed. It was stabbed in under her eye. After ejecting it and discovering more pieces hidden in other body parts, Veronica conjures up a gun in pieces. After assembling it, she makes her way out the front door in search of Sherman.

VERONICA: What is this place? Everything is so dark. Are these his labs where he grows artificial flesh for his projects?

The walls of the hallway are interwoven with some sort of organic fabric. Like a spider web made of dark brown flesh. Certainly a creature must have made this as its layer. Bright fluid drips from the stalagmites this natural encasing produces. The floor is spongy with sodden flesh-like substances, while she makes a scraping sound with her shoes. Every step sinks her shoes deeper into this gelatinous material adhered to the floor.

The smell overcomes her, like burnt rotten meat. A smell that will haunt her for years to come. It’s what the boat smelled like after the explosion two years ago when her mom died.

She makes her way down the hall, and before she could even reach Wilson, who is sitting in his Papal throne, someone appears behind her. Robert Greene, a rather short Haitian man who is one of Wilson’s top scientists.

VERONICA: What is this place?

ROBERT: It’s the holding facility where our master creates all the things he needs to. Why do all of you oppose him so?

VERONICA: I’m going to be the one that kills him. It wouldn’t be wise to get in my way. You will get hurt if you try to stop me. I have to take him down. He is corrupting the world and pretending to be Pope. No one is going to follow him or love him or even revere him.

ROBERT: It’s not about that. I know what he is doing is wrong, but it wouldn’t be wise to try and oppose him. He is more powerful than you think.

VERONICA: He is just a regular human being with weaknesses just like the rest of us.

Veronica says this nonchalantly as she saunters off angrily. He catches her arm. His dark hand clenches onto her arm and squeezes tightly as he yanks her back.

ROBERT: Where do you think you’re going? You won’t make it to the master.

VERONICA: But I have to try. After all, he took everything from me, didn’t he?

ROBERT: No one escapes this place alive.

Sherman appears and walks up to Veronica.

SHERMAN: Hello, who is this fine specimen, and why is she still alive?

VERONICA: You killed my father and mother. Did you think you were going to get away with it?

SHERMAN: I only kill the imperfect. If they deserved to live, they would still be alive, don’t you think so? I have to fix the human race and find Carnem again. The first human civilization from forty and eight thousand years ago was perfect. They had prescient abilities, ran fast, survived long periods of time without eating or drinking and all worshipped the sun. I am that sun. They prophesied about me.

VERONICA: You’re crazy. I’m going to kill you.

SHERMAN: Good luck with that.

Before Robert’s gunshot goes through Veronica, she wakes up panting and screaming. Stephen comes running in to the rescue. Her short brown hair is drenched from the sweat of her dream. Stephen’s British accent breaks her reverie of the nightmare.

VERONICA: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up again. You know, you don’t have to sleep on the couch anymore.

STEPHEN: Isn’t Jessie worried that we’ll end up doing something adulterous? We’ve never lived together before, so the temptation has never been so real. I don’t want to break your religious code of premarital whatever. Adultery. That seems to be Jessie’s favorite word.

VERONICA: Don’t listen to that. I am not concerned with Jessie right now. I just want these horrible nightmares to go away. No matter the cost. We won’t do anything anyway.

STEPHEN: Really?

VERONICA: I was having another dream about revenge. I want Pope Sherman to pay for giving the order that got my parents killed. He’s not really a religious leader anyway. Half of the world bows down to him just because he has a title.

Stephen sits on the bed, adjacent to Veronica. He strokes her hair gently, attempting to soothe her. With much frustration he reluctantly utters the word.

STEPHEN: Revenge won’t bring back your father and mother from the dead. They sacrificed a lot to get you out alive, and I don’t think it would be wise to go around trying to get yourself killed.

VERONICA: Everything they did, they did with the intention of making sure that Jessie and I could have a future. That’s why Jessie’s a doctor now, and I am a singer. Even when I was doing all those dangerous things, they encouraged me because they knew it made me happy.

STEPHEN: You weren’t doing the wrong thing by standing up to the corruption of this world. I am pretty sure that they would be proud of everything you did. Don’t sweat it. I didn’t move to America to keep fighting Wilson.

VERONICA: Sherman is a monster, but my quest for religious justice got my parents killed. I have to forever live with that guilt.

STEPHEN: Your mother gave something to you before she died.

VERONICA: What was that?

STEPHEN: Her genes. I heard soldiers talking about the yacht incident after it happened. I went back to check for survivors. That’s why I disappeared right after. They regretted killing your mom. Something about her genetic structure was different. It was what they were looking for. Maybe whatever genetic thing she had got passed down to you. She may have died, but she lives on in you. She will always be where you are.

Veronica leans off of her bed, looking Stephen right in the eye. Her gaze appears to be lost or confused . . . hurt even.

VERONICA: Why didn’t you ever tell me that before? I always thought I lost her with no memory of her. But something about her genes makes me different. Different how?

STEPHEN: I never wanted to mention it until you brought it up. I thought you were trying to forget it all. I don’t know anything about the science of it all so don’t even try to ask me about it.

VERONICA: They died so that I could be free, and now we are all slaves to Australia. I got to get to work now or Tory is gonna have a heart attack.

Veronica gets her book bag to then run over to the bus stop where she waits for the autobus to take her to work where her boss, Tory is anxiously waiting outside, smoking a cigarette.

TORY: What took you so long, Roni? I got bad news. I’ll tell you inside.

As they head inside, Tory divulges the bad news to Veronica. Her blonde curly hair jumps about while they walk to the gymnasium.

TORY: Ava Velasquez, that Dominican spy, got arrested for insurrection. She is looking at hard time. I sent her in to retrieve some intricate details for me on a mission I can’t fully disclose to you. My dumb behind wasn’t prepared for that. This is just great. Right after her husband just gets released from jail, I get her arrested.

VERONICA: That’s how these things happen. These kinds of things can’t really be avoided or anything. We all knew the risks when we signed up, Tory. We believe in you, Tory.

TORY: She didn’t even give me away. Roni, she has a son, Reuben. I screwed up. Now that boy is going to grow up without a mother. He’s not the first one that’s going to grow up without a father and mother. I tend to separate families.

VERONICA: I don’t blame you for what happened. You didn’t get my parents killed, Tory. I knew the risks. I had to join the mission and then later the yacht got destroyed. It wasn’t your fault.

Chatoria pulls her hair back and takes one more drag of her cigarette as she puts it out.

TORY: That’s because you’re a good person. Have you been working on any new music that we can use to get the public rallied up for another seditious movement?

VERONICA: Yes. It doesn’t feel that way ever. I go into an arbitrary room and perform a song for a bunch of strangers. Then you tell me how it went. It hardly feels like I’m making any real difference here, Tory. I wear a mask while I perform these songs. People don’t even know what I look like the whole time. I wanted to ask you something, Tory. What was it like having a husband?

TORY: Let’s not talk about my very dead husband. Let’s talk about the human farms that Wilson’s been making. I told you about how he’s using cannibalism to perfect the human genome. He took the phrase, You are what you eat, to a whole new level of crazy.

They begin training. Veronica throws a very poor kick, so Tory cups it in one hand, twisting around and thrusting her other hand forward to knock her down to the ground. Veronica gets up fast, charging at Tory. Tory goes under Veronica, flipping her over then planting her foot on Veronica’s chest.

TORY: We got a lot of work to do. If that’s the best you got, I’m going to have to teach you a lesson or two. Get up.

Veronica trips Tory by intertwining their legs and bringing her down. She mounts on top of her as Tory thrusts an elbow back, knocking her off. As Veronica gets up, Tory slides forward and throws her leg which trips Veronica back to the ground.

VERONICA: That hurt.

TORY: You think training is going to feel good or something? Tell me why you’re doing this, Roni.

VERONICA: Wilson Sherman has to pay for what he’s done.

TORY: It’s a self-sustaining monster. Vengeance, it feeds off your soul like a parasite or something. Then, once it’s alive, it consumes you. If you are fighting this war in anger, you will lose. A battle can never be personal.

VERONICA: I can’t have my mother’s sacrifice be meaningless.

TORY: You are alive and so is Jessie. That means that it is not without reason that you are alive.

VERONICA: Living is not enough. I have to make things right.

After the day is over, Veronica heads back home to rest up with Stephen. They think Jessie is already off to bed . . . long day at the hospital. Veronica goes straight to her room where Stephen is laying down on the bed, waiting for her to enter.

STEPHEN: Took you long enough, V. How was work?

VERONICA: You know, you need to find a job too.

STEPHEN: With my fake identification and fake social, how am I going to find a job? If Tory needs me to wipe out some bad guys in a foreign country, I’ll be the first to get smuggled on a plane and go overseas. Until then, I will live off of you guys.

VERONICA: How romantic of you.

She jumps on the bed and begins caressing Stephen as they kiss each other. They roll around the bed kissing and caressing each other all night, but trying to hold back from it going beyond that.

VERONICA: My mom was really Christian, and she didn’t want me breaking the Ten Commandments. We have to be married first.

STEPHEN: Let me just see how you look underneath all those clothes.

His voice soothing and erotic tempts her until she wants to reveal a little more skin. After some time, she unbuttons his shirt and yanks it off. That’s when he brings the back of his hand and traces her legs underneath his fingertips. He moves his hand all the way up and across her perfectly smooth legs and up to the small of her back.

She lays her hands on his chest, massaging his body until she decides it’s better if he hides his blond chest hairs under his shirt and if he sleeps on the couch again.

VERONICA: I think we should stop. Let’s just wait. Why don’t we do things differently? I want to do this right.

STEPHEN: Fine, I can respect that more than anything.

Just then, the phone rings so Veronica rushes to answer it. It is her older brother, Jessie Woodard, calling from the hospital.

JESSIE: Hey, V, I’m going to be a little late. You think you can whip me up something to eat when I get home? I’m so famished. I’ll be stuck here all night long too.

VERONICA: What’s wrong, Jessie? Did something happen at work or something?

JESSIE: Pselecum addicts on the brink of death. There’s an epidemic of this stuff. It makes me sick. People throwing their life away.

VERONICA: Just be careful okay. Don’t let them attack you or anything.

JESSIE: I love you and stay out of trouble.

Just then, Stephen creeps up behind Veronica, wrapping his arms around her under her shirt. He can feel the warmth of her body emanating onto his hands. He leans over and places his chin on her shoulder as it rubs against her skin like bristles from his five o’clock shadow.

He starts on the nape of her neck and works his way to her mouth. Their lips dance around as they get lost in each other. She leans back and pushes a text book off of the table by accident.

VERONICA: Oh, my brother was reading this. Wilson’s first book. It says crazy things. Let me read you a passage.

EXCERPT FROM: THE FRENCH FRY THEORY

By Wilson S Sherman

Mankind has been plagued by the weakness of the mind. This great weakness that I wish to abolish from the human mind is the need for dependency. As humans, we decide to create and enable figures of power that have ecclesiastical or judicial or political authority.

Often times this power is imaginative as with many Popes in history. As if a god really descended from Heaven and made them Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the official title of the Pope. It means Vicar of the Son of God.

When people have a reason to believe and rely on you for guidance and human societal development, you create someone with absolute power. Even if the leader is a liar or crazy, because he provides a mental support that you can’t find anywhere else, you trust him and devote your life to him.

Basically, if I promise your sins are forgiven and you are suddenly a good person because I said so, you will listen to me. Why will you listen? Because this is something you want to hear. Since you are helpless and need a leader, you begin to trust whoever is speaking something that inclines your itching ear. This is a basic control tactic that many military leaders have used to create armies. Give people something to fight for or something to believe in, which doesn’t have to be real or logical, then people join the cause. If people aren’t oppressed, then either oppress them or give them a reason to believe they are oppressed with a conspiracy. This is what Hitler did. He convinced a whole nation that Jews were going to take over the world and thus WWII was born.

I will offer something too. My religion is perfection. If you want to be the perfect being capable of ancient, Aboriginal, prescient abilities, then you need to make me your god and follow me. In return, I shall make you genetically perfect, and you’ll survive any plagues or wars or disasters that may be struck upon the earth.

Chapter 1

The Head of Gold

It’s a bright sunny day with the clouds far away from the sun, the cool breeze blowing through the trees just when the sun gets too hot. At the beach, the sand feels just right underneath your toes. The waves are washing up interesting things on shore. Standing by the seashore we see Veronica wearing a blouse. Stephen lies next to her wearing his yellow shirt.

VERONICA: Stephen, how are you feeling since yesterday?

STEPHEN: I’ve felt better in life, V. It’s just, I feel like we have no control over what’s going to happen. I remember when I was little. I used to always find this comfort when I would write. Because when I would write, I can create my own world where I control everything that goes on. Living here in The Fourth Tractus, it’s like someone else is writing. I’m just a character in the story. It honestly gives me the chills.

VERONICA: What are we going to do anyway? He has control over everything. Stephen, there’s not one thing that doesn’t have to go through him before it gets done.

STEPHEN: He calls himself the Head of Gold.

VERONICA: Baby, is this why you brought me up here — to talk about this crap — because I honestly don’t want to talk about this.

Veronica leans over to Stephen, kissing him on the lips then touches him across the face affectionately. He holds her warm hand as it gently slides across his face with passion. He holds her hand to his cheek, hoping that this moment never leaves him.

STEPHEN: You’re right, why are we talking about this anyway? It’s just that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It was bothering me a little bit, that’s all. Hey, V, I know this is probably a stupid question, but do you miss your parents? Do you ever think about them?

VERONICA: You were there, Stephen. You saw what they did to them. Do you think I don’t think about it every day? It was my stupid idea.

Veronica makes a puppy face, looking at Stephen with a heart full of regret.

STEPHEN: But don’t you see. V, that’s why I love you so much. You have ideas, you inspire people. You get people rallied up. With one song, you start a fire. You lead an army of people with just your voice. That’s why I love you, Veronica.

Veronica lays her head on him and closes her eyes.

STEPHEN: Where do you see us a year from now?

VERONICA: I picture us living in a different house than Jessie.

Stephen laughs hard. As the rhythm of his heart resounds through his chest, the aftershock soothes Veronica as she lays her head on his bosom. To her it feels like a tingling sensation running from her head down to her toes making her feel warm and all fuzzy inside.

VERONICA: Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother but-

STEPHEN: Yeah.

VERONICA: My hair will be blonde instead of brown. You and I will be married with children. Two children: one boy, one girl. They are going to sing just like me.

STEPHEN: You really want to marry me, don’t you? Well, you know what? I don’t know why we’re waiting all this time.

He slowly moves her head off of his chest, smiling at her. Stephen gets up with Veronica’s hand still clinging onto his yellow shirt. He gets on one knee, pulling out a silver ring.

STEPHEN: Will you, Veronica Woodard, please give me your hand in marriage, to be my wife forevermore.

VERONICA: Oh my God, yes, yes, yes!!!!

Stephen’s tight embrace becomes on her a dam, botching up her overflowing tear ducts.

STEPHEN: You know Sherman keeps saying that he’s the Head of Gold. That The Fourth Tractus is wrapped around his finger. But you know what’s stronger than gold . . . silver. You are my lady of silver.

He says this as he puts the silver ring on her finger.

VERONICA: You’re very big on metaphors when you feel poetic. I have been waiting and waiting for you to propose to me. It took you long enough. What else can you compare me to since you feel poetic?

STEPHEN: I guess a Sangworm.

VERONICA: You really know how to ruin a good moment, don’t you? How am I a bloodsucking parasite? I feel offended.

She waves disdainfully as Stephen makes a rueful attempt to redeem himself.

STEPHEN: Sangworms are a product of the war. If the bio-weapons war would have never happened, I would have never met you on that mission Chatoria sent me on. I met you while raiding facilities for bio-weapons and destroying them.

She stares at him with malignance and disgust.

VERONICA: That can’t be the only reason why you are comparing me to a bloodsucking worm.

STEPHEN: They use their teeth to sink into your flesh, then they find a vein and latch on. They suck a good quarter of a pint out until they are so big that they rip out of the flesh. It’s only a superficial wound, but you still die. I met you, and you have latched on. If you leave me know, I will die.

Although she still doesn’t agree with his metaphor, she rises cheerfully and looks him straight in the eye.

VERONICA: Enough. I shouldn’t have asked you. If you are still writing that book about me, don’t use that metaphor in it. Let’s go home, baby; I gotta tell Jessie the good news.

STEPHEN: I don’t think we should tell your brother yet. You know how he is, all protective and stuff.

Veronica gets up flaunting her silver ring. She glares Stephen in the eye with a cynical face.

VERONICA: First of all, why would he care if we’re getting married, babe. Second of all, I haven’t let him influence me so far; so do you really think I could care what he thinks . . . at all?

Stephen stares at her silently then chuckles. Veronica and Stephen walk home together. The streets are closed down. As their shoes scrape against the pavement, the sounds of their footsteps echo throughout the warm, sullen city. There is absolutely no one outside. All the doors to the houses of the people of The Fourth Tractus are closed, being tightly shut up. Veronica and Stephen are the only ones that are outside walking. There is a sign that says, No Loitering. Government Property after 9. The new curfew law that got passed last week. She has been working on her lyrics with Tory and Jessie, but she isn’t the most popular singer around — especially in The Fourth Tractus where nobody even listens to music. Veronica and Stephen finally get to the house. Jessie is just unpacking his stuff since he just arrived.

JESSIE: V, what’s up, see you brought Stephen over again.

STEPHEN: I live here, jackass, or did you forget.

JESSIE: Sorry, I’m still not used to it. Give me a couple of more days.

VERONICA: How much more time do you need, Jessie? You need to accept the fact that Stephen is my fiancé. He’s been living with us for a while, we don’t have-

Jessie interrupts Veronica with a discontent face.

JESSIE: What did you say!

STEPHEN: You heard, bra.

JESSIE: Don’t call me bra not now. I don’t think you wanna do that right about now.

VERONICA: We are in love, Jessie. It’s not like Stephen and I are doing anything bad. You know when people meet each other in circumstances like this, they have a strong foundation. For two years Stephen has helped me in uprisings, in concerts. He’s been more helpful than you half of the time. Jessie, you know that so don’t get upset.

JESSIE: You don’t have to explain your love to me, Veronica. It’s just I thought I would . . .

VERONICA: You thought what . . .

JESSIE: I thought . . .

STEPHEN: He thought he could control everything, like before. Since you are the only thing he has been able to control so far. Now you’re growing up. It’s like he’s losing control of you.

JESSIE: Don’t listen to him. V, that’s not true. I just have to protect you, that’s all.

Veronica goes up to Jessie and sits down on the chair next to him. Jessie soon sits down unable to say anything. She pats him on the back in a comforting way. Her eyes scan him up and down as if to say, Don’t play body guard anymore just because mom and dad are dead.

VERONICA: It’s okay, Jessie, you don’t have to protect me. I’m a grown-up. I can take care of myself. Stephen is like my rock. He’s my smart thinker.

STEPHEN: Long as a board, stiff as a rock.

Stephen says this with a smirk. Watching Jessie’s reaction feels like quenching a fire that needed to be put out before someone got burned.

JESSIE: Should I ask what you’re talking about?

STEPHEN: Of course I mean my schema, viewpoints. What did you think I meant?

Stephen says this sarcastically. Jessie takes out his knife. It is silver, seven inches long, with a solid black handle. He plays with it nervously, rubbing his fingers through the teeth of the blade. He tosses it up and down. He throws it in the air and catches it, throws it in the air and catches it. He does this repeatedly. They all stand around in silence. Jessie uses the knife to point at Stephen.

JESSIE: You. Am I gonna be your best man?

STEPHEN: Well, you were definitely going to be my number two or three, maybe four. But since everyone else I know is dead or being held captive, I guess you’re my only choice. If not, I won’t have anyone.

JESSIE: Stop with the remarks, Stephen. They ain’t cute no more. Especially now, you’re not some dude from V’s job.