The Golden Age Desolation: The Golden Age Trilogy, #2

By Gabriel Woods

The deadly virus the Black Marbella shows signs of emerging for the second time across the world which decimated humanity during the pandemic.
Now the Dark Hoods have returned, and they will not stop until the human race is extinct.
Humanity`s survivors fight against impossible odds.
Those defending humanity, they discover hope for survival. The consequences will change everything. 

 

The Protectors of the Light fights during humanity's last stand.

Colin, Linda and Susan make discoveries that will change their lives once again.
The British Prime Minister Elizabeth Lyons becomes more and more internationally isolated and is drawn into this intergalactic battle to save mankind.

Just when it seems that all hope is lost, a plan is uncovered what may be the key to humanity's survival. But it comes with enormous risks. To implement his plan Susan, Colin and Linda will have to survive the alien Dark Hoods who have become an even more deadly enemy. The future of the human race hangs in the balance.

"The second of Woods' Trilogy, this really picks up the pace and develops the plot and characters. It suddenly takes the reader on a path hinted at in The Golden Age Dawns, but going much further along that path than we expected! To say more would be a plot spoiler, but it's a novel all sci-fi/fantasy fans will appreciate. Well worth continuing with this for those who started the set with The Golden Age Dawns and we look forward to the concluding novel!"
Lissa Oliver Journalist and Best Selling Author

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gabriel Woods
• Release date: Apr 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201820350

Gabriel Woods

I am Gabriel Woods, author of The Golden age Trilogy and four other books including Easter Rising 1916 A Family Answers the Call for Ireland`s Freedom. My latest novel is The Golden Age Evolution, view Facebook Books by Gabriel Woods. I researched and described in my novel The Golden Age Dawns how a serious pandemic manifests and the proper international public health procedures used to control an outbreak such as in my novel the Black Marbella virus sweeps across London and the world. Covid international policy and how Covid has manifested differs widely from the proper public health procedures used to control virus outbreaks. I have obtained a Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Aid work Management from University College Dublin, a Certificate in Counselling from University Maynooth in Ireland and I am a fully trained life coach. I have travelled around the world and lived in Sydney and Brisbane in Australia. I explored major sacred places and the spiritual practices of aboriginal culture and the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim ancient sites of India. I am the author of nine published books and my very popular positively reviewed The Golden Age Trilogy.   

Book preview

The Golden Age Desolation

Chapter 1

Sirens blared loudly and red light flooded the hall outside the auditorium. The doors of the theatre flung open as the conference attendees piled out, panicking, many screaming and shouting in terror, some tripping over the steps and falling to the ground, rising up again quickly in a desperate attempt to flee the hall. In the large foyer outside, the auditorium’s golden chandeliers, adorned with crystal and featuring candle-shaped bulbs that realistically imitated candlelight, were shaking, slightly. 

Inside the auditorium, Susan suddenly grew weary from projecting the invisible shield she surrounded herself with. The bullets fired at her from the assassin in the auditorium - only twelve rows up from her - bounced off her invisible sheet of energy. Susan had been asked to attend the conference for human evolution as she had saved Europe, and possibly the world, from the horrific disease known as Black Marbella using her familiar powers of logic and reason which were enhanced by her personality that was centred around caring and loving others. She was involved in her still-very-critical role of eradicating Black Marbella from Europe and so had been awarded a Noble Prize for her efforts. She had come to this international meeting to emphasise the necessity of banning the development of biological weapons.

Susan, once again, was instantly faced with the power within her which she had little comprehension of and no ability to control. When her power unleashed itself, she felt as if it was like riding a roller coaster, and often in terror, as she had almost harmed others while wrestling with the strength and unpredictability of the energy she could not understand with her logic and reason. Now she could no longer force down this power within her. She knew on this day that her telekinetic energy, which she loathed, was now saving her life and her friends Colin and Linda who had both made a speech about the supernatural immortal beings, The Protectors of The Light. Susan grew faint, her sight became blurry and the lecture hall was draining of colour as she heard the sounds of the bullets bouncing off her energetic field stop and the sound of the soldiers charging into the auditorium to capture Emmerich, her assassin.

Susan was also very active in using her position to voice her beliefs about how the disease had spread. It had become a well-established fact that the new disease was biological warfare against Britain, originating in France. This was clearly a terrorist act as France and Britain enjoyed a strong bond together. Susan was advocating for private chemical companies to be responsible for what they produce and how they sell and distribute their products. Susan had proposed legislation to governments throughout Europe on how chemical companies could be controlled and she had been heavily criticised for doing so. Susan expected well-organised criticism coming from individuals paid by these companies to derail her plans but she never expected an attempt on her life. Susan’s anger grew to a level she had never experienced and she rose her assassin into the air by lifting her hand upwards. She pointed her hand at the back wall of the auditorium and, with a quick flick of her hand, he smashed into the wooden panelling and slumped to the ground.

Outside the auditorium, miniature green trees and bamboo were knocked over and trampled by the crowd, the plants tumbling out of their large wooden pots as a result of the panicking attendees. The civilised meeting was rapidly disappearing in the panic that was increasing throughout the entire group of wealthy guests. A French tapestry of a hunting scene fell from the wall - the dead fox in the grip of the hunting dog - and the crowd charged past, unsure of the direction to take. Terror was almost palpable in the air but sensed by all. Feelings of terror were etched onto the faces of students, lecturers, doctors, professors and those that could afford a pricey ticket for the event. The light of the chandeliers made the diamond rings and necklaces that adorned the ladies sparkle and the golden watches many men wore glinted in the light. Glimmering artificial light shone on the increasingly-panicked crowd. Many of the women could not run with speed as their gowns were so tight and their stiletto heels had not been produced for running fast. They had dressed mostly in bright colours of pink, yellow and red, and in silk and other luxurious fabrics, to celebrate the first public seminar on developments of humanity that were taking place and which they would be asked to fund. Many women stopped briefly to quickly remove their stiletto-heeled shoes, carrying them in their hands as they fled the auditorium. Young men, wearing tight, well-tailored blue or navy suits, sprinted unhindered. Many older men with comfortably-tailored, loose, expensive black or grey suits placed a protective arm around their wives’ or daughters’ shoulders and spoke with words that they hoped would be comforting, only to witness the cringing fear of their loved ones.

Soldiers marched quickly into the hall outside the auditorium. Their uniforms appeared to be made of rubber but, as the attendees were pushed and shoved by the infantrymen, they were as hard as marble.

The leader of the soldiers was identified as he was much taller and broader than the rest. His uniform was bright red while the uniforms of the other infantrymen were black. Their guns had a glowing red line of light moving along the top of the guns which were unlike any the attendees had seen before. The leader roared a command to the crowd proceed down the stairs to the left of the auditorium. The infantrymen speedily snatched any item which could make an image or any form of recording. A young Chinese attendee attempted to grab his camera back but the soldier hung onto it, held it in his hand and crushed the expensive multi-lensed camera to dust. The infantrymen were so strong that they could disintegrate cameras and mobile phones into dust just with the fingers of their black gloved hands. Many other phones, cameras and voice recorders were seized and chucked into plastic bins and with such force as to smash them to pieces. The soldiers were attempting to seize any records of this international meeting on the development of humanity, to wipe out any proof of its occurrence.The event was a dismal failure in opening up international talks about human evolution and what the public would see as an inability by the European Union itself to prevent terrorism in its very own headquarters.

No matter what the class of people, death was a leveller for all of them, death did not care for wealth or status. Many in the crowd briefly pondered their sins and mumbled the words of prayers they barely remembered, as so many had dumped their religions. Some pleaded with their God, promising to put right all of the wrongs they had done to others if their God gave them a little extra time to do so. The metallic and glass walls that were so much a part of the design of the entire complex where the attendees entered the building, gave a modern, airy atmosphere at the beginning of the event and appeared welcoming as EU staff poured out expensive champagne and offered caviar and other delectable treats. Now, they feared for their lives by a no-longer-seemingly-benevolent EU.

The soldiers were a military might that had been hidden by the bureaucrats for when the day of judgement would arrive and the heart of the European Union could be overcome. They had prepared for this in their fifty-year plan but Eurocrats had also planned to survive, no matter what the strength of their opposition. They had created their protection and, on this day, they could test their new army’s power.

The next phase - control of the civilians- had begun. Attendees at the top of the stairs demanded to know what was happening and who the army represented as well as a list of other questions, hoping to relay the information back to their frightened wives, girlfriends or angered men. The large leader shouted loudly and repeatedly stated down the escalator ... all of you ... down the stairs and exit the building now!! Some men demanded to know why they were being treated so badly but were roughly shoved back into the line of civilians rushing down the escalator. One old man was pushed back so harshly by a soldier that heroared in pain as his shoulder muscles ripped apart due to the superhuman force of the soldiers’ arms and hands. The attendees were not aware of whether they were under attack by this army or was their target the terrorist that had shot at the Nobel Prize-winning doctor. There was no time for thoughts to linger in anyone’s mind as the attendees focused on the malevolent secret military army and their rapid deployment of crowd control techniques. Safety was not a primary concern for the army as the wealthy crowd screamed and roared, now in terror and fear of death, but no attendee was to be allowed to break free for fear that further secrets hidden in the EU offices could be exposed. A doctor observed the soldiers closely and saw that, behind the visors of the soldiers, there were no faces. He realised the soldiers were not human and shouted this, and pandemonium spread through the crowd.

The sight of the rapidly-approaching army at the bottom of the stairs proved to the attendees that the situation was dangerously deteriorating. Soldiers in black uniforms spilled out into the foyer silently as they ran and pointing their guns at the entrance doors of the European Union building, each of them moving in the very same way - which did not reassure anyone in the crowd they would live ... even another hour ... not even another day.

Linda dashed over to Susan as she fell to the floor, followed by Colin. Susan had been speaking too far away from where they sat for them to prevent her from falling. Linda checked her pulse, tossing her long red hair away from Susan’s arm and spoke soothing words. Gosh Susan, come on my dear, wake up. You are ok Susan, we’ll keep you safe... I am sure Richard is coming to save us. George said he would. Colin’s jet-black hair was damp with sweat. He doused Susan’s face with water from a glass. Come on my buddy, you’re alright Susan, you’re alright now. Just hang in there.

Linda winced as she witnessed the terror written on the attendees’ faces when they raced up the stairs, some falling on top of each other, terrified by the gun shots and Susan’s telekinetic powers. She remembered her cruel captivity in Africa. Then she thought of how Colin had travelled from Rome, his backpacking destination. They had had a few flings together while on holiday. She looked at Colin, kneeling on the floor, trying to revive Susan beside her on the podium and remembered how he had travelled from Rome to Africa to save her. She felt safe, knowing that Colin would protect her until Richard arrived.

The three were under the protection of Richard who had been charged with their safety by his superior, George White. They were MI5 agents. George had brought the three together to speak at the conference. Linda and her young boyfriend were requested by George to speak about the immortal beings, The Protectors of The Light. He had saved Colin and Linda from their death in Africa and brought them to Brussels in time for the convention on the evolution of humanity. Richard was bulging from every bone and crevasse in his body. He had dressed casually in a white t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers so he would be prepared for action should the unthinkable occur and had a gun concealed under his white shirt in a holster.

Richard charged in the back doors at the floor of the lecture hall and, with his strong muscular arms, picked Susan up and placed her over his shoulder. He observed her as he did so, making sure she was alive. Richard took the gun out from the holster. Linda and Colin, run ahead of me through those doors I just came in from. I have your back. But stay close... right in front of me and don’t go too far,in case someone comes in the doors ahead of you. Run!!

Richard checked Susan’s pulse even as they ran. He was relieved Susan was showing healthy vital signs. He glanced ahead towards Colin and Linda as they ran closer to the exit door, both now well adjusted to life-threatening situations. They smiled, albeit grimly, at Richard.

The doors of Richard’s black jeep bleeped and the car doors opened automatically. Richard commanded, right ... you two ... in the back, now!! Linda and Colin obediently clambered into the back of the jeep as Richard carried Susan and placed her beside Linda, propping Susan up against her. Richard further commanded, Linda, keep Susan straight beside you but leave her alone ... don’t do or say anything. I see this all the time in my line of work. She’s used incredibly strong telekinetic power and needs to sleep. Now, I’m driving to the airport where my private plane waits so I’ll fly you all home. All of you are safe now ... no need to worry.

Chapter 2

Infantry men formed a line along the outside of the auditorium, with machine guns raised to shoot Emmerich should he resist the soldiers. The large leader in the red uniform roared capture the target or shoot him on site. Four lines of soldiers entered into the lecturing theatre, one line for each entrance. Rapidly, they charged into the lecture hall and spread out in a fan shape. The soldiers scanned the hall for the terrorist. The CCTV camera had already shown who had caused the chaos and the Union Army were searching for their terrorist who, they discovered, was hiding among the seats.

Emmerich’s well-built body was not covered well behind the low backed seats as he attempted to hide. The army officers turned and shot at the chairs in unison across the theatre and focused on the spot they assumed Emmerich lay, the bullets shooting out and spraying in a wide arc covering the seating area. Emmerich scrambled over the chairs and tables in the auditorium to attempt an escape. A volley of bullets was fired in his direction. His white shirt and grey Armani suit were lightly dusted from bits of masonry that had shattered from the wall as he dodged bullets and shrapnel. He was also showered with splintered wood as the bullets ricocheted around the hall taking out small chunks of the wooden-plated walls. The soldiers formed an arrow formation in Emmerich`s direction, now fully concentrating on their identified target. A larger soldier roared in Emmerich’s direction, do not move or you will be terminated. Emmerich failed to listen, determined to escape. He ran towards an exit point. Emmerich was sweating, his black hair drenched and, for the first time in his life, he was being pursued by assailants that had the power to kill him easily. He was convinced that he could, somehow, magically escape. He ran up close to the exit door and the European Union army. He was getting ever closer and bullets were flying in his direction with increasing frequency and number. Emmerich jumped onto the table, close to his planned escape exit at the top of the auditorium. He grasped the door handle and felt relief as he anticipated freedom. The exit door slammed against him as soldiers barged through the door. The soldier that seemed to be the leader shouted in an almost tone-deafening roar, get down on the floor and throw your firearm to the ground ... lie on the floor and put your hands behind your back or you will be terminated.  Emmerich, with his muscular torso and arms, grabbed the soldier by his neck and slammed his head into the table. He punched the soldier in the stomach, suddenly experiencing searing pain in his fist. The infantryman raised his rifle above his tall body and slammed his rifle on Emmerich’s head. Emmerich noticed the rubber coating that was as hard as cement, yet the soldier was able to wield his weapon easily so light of weight were his weaponry and uniform. The material was not plastic nor rubber,nor any army uniform material that Emmerich was familiar with. He had been in contact with military equipment but this form of military uniform was new to him, this made him wonder what else these soldiers had that he was not familiar with and which he would soon be faced with.

Emmerich could see blood, drizzling down the edge of his eye. Emmerich had never experienced panic before. His intuition screamed at him, stating that his life was in danger. Emmerich’s logic deemed that the odds were against him. He felt the terror he had caused to so many and, for the first time in his life, panic was boiling within him and was interfering with his skill of instantly planning an offence. Emmerich would not give in without a fight.He could salvage his pride, even before his death.

Despite his strong, tall and muscular body, he could no longer struggle against this formidable force, he had become weak. He absentmindedly wondered had part of his head cracked open as he saw large drips of blood drip down from his head to the floor. He reasoned he would not be killed in the auditorium. The European Union will want answers for how such a serious breach of security had occurred and that would include the invader.He smiled to himself as he remembered simply walking through the entrance of the building while the security guard read his newspaper, not even glancing at Emmerich. Emmerich’s amusement was now over. Four more soldiers circled around him. One raised the butt of his submachine gun and slammed it into Emmerich’s back while another kicked him in the stomach. Emmerich coughed blood, due to the force. 

Emmerich fought against his inevitable capture but soldiers were now swarming around their target. This was the first time he had been successfully attacked and captured in his life. The lights went out from Emmerich’s vision. A soldier slammed his futuristic submachine gun as hard as granite into Emmerich’s head. He felt terror as he slumped to the ground and darkness fell in his mind.

The tackle of Emmerich by the European Union Army soldiers resembled an elephant being taken down by a pride of lions. Two large soldiers picked him up by the arms and dragged him along like a piece of meat. A line of soldiers, still with machine guns pointing at the auditorium, were apparently oblivious that the terrorist had been caught. The army was still on alert for any other accomplices. The captain ordered his line of soldiers to continue to guard the hall. He walked over to the corner of the hall to where Emmerich was unconscious and subordinately lying flat, in a heap on the grey carpet. The captain walked over to the large slumped body and rolled it over with his boot to identify him. The captain nodded. The target had been taken down and captured. He gave a thumbs up to let the soldiers know that this was the target they needed to apprehend. Emmerich was carried away.

Outside the European Office building, the attendees wandered around in shock. The entrances had been closed and locked. They walked, traumatised, in no specific direction and some paced in circles with families and friends not speaking a word to each other. Taxis lined up to take them back to their expensive hotels - with much increased fares - as word had spread that wealthy people had been curiously ejected from the lecture they had attended. The long arms of gleaming glass and metal of the European Union building seemed now, to the traumatised attendees, to be a structure to keep people out and the staff and diplomats in. A thorough search on the internet about the event showed no trace of any occurrences that day in the EU and the media did not report the event. One set of images had been recorded which would be to the detriment of Colin and Linda.

Chapter 3

Emmerich woke in a cold cell. His charcoal grey Armani suit had seen better days. A trail of blood had dribbled onto his jacket, his brown leather shoes also splashed with blood. He moved his head slowly around from left to right. He noticed the small bucket to defecate in and felt pain radiating from most of his body. He was startled when he realised that he was in a darkened, grey cell and this grew into abject terror, even through the haze of blood dripping down his face. A flow of questions streamed through his mind, he could not even remember what country he was in. His sight was foggy as his blood began to coagulate across the edge of his eyes reminding him of the red lights the Dark Hoods always appeared in. He wondered had they caught him again and were about to insert another electrode into his brain. Maybe he had failed them in some way. He had no doubt about his physical condition. He was drowsy and barely able to move. He was strapped into a straight jacket, sitting on a hard, metal chair. Throbbing pain circulated around his body. Emmerich furtively glanced around the cell to try to gauge why he was now in captivity. He slowly remembered the assaults carried out on him shortly after his failed attempt to assassinate Susan. He knew he had been strapped to this chair for some time, judging by the pain in his ankles, wrists and neck. He was fond of a bottle of whiskey a few times a week but he was so drowsy he felt like he had drunk a whole vat of it. Summarising all the information his brain had gathered, together within moments to establish his whereabouts and reason for being incarcerated, he decided that he was in prison due to his failed assassination attempt and obviously he was in a hostile environment.The agonising pain around his body and the straightjacket that was too tightly bound around him proved that.

A spot light shone brightly from the ceiling. He had sometimes interrogated victims, squeezing information out of them like juice from an orange. He had never been on the receiving end of his torture tactics. There was a throbbing pain coming from his nose and he could see drips of blood on his shirt. Emmerich quickly realised this interrogation was not beginning. His interrogation was already proceeding. He thought to himself that these idiots were trying to understand what he was doing in his attempts to kill that stupid, freaky Susan with her special telepathic powers. She did not manage to kill him, raising him into the air and throwing him into a wall like a rag doll. Colin, that young Irish brat with his English psychologist girlfriend slut, with her ugly head of ginger hair ...all guarded and protected by that blue and white overgrown monstrosity, The Protector, ruining his plans. How dare he? Emmerich’s ferocity spiralled as he contemplated the audacity of whoever was his captor ... to trap him in this cell ... this was all his enemies’ fault. These soldiers would not kill him either. He had connections, very high up in the hierarchy of the EU. They will know what happened to him, assuming he had been captured by this new European Union army and not other enemies.

Emmerich heard a booming sound and glared at the tall and broad uniformed soldier as he slammed the thick metal door into the wall as he made his entrance. The uniformed captor was almost seven-foot tall in the black, rubber-like uniform Emmerich remembered from his assault in the auditorium. His captor walked slowly towards him, the boots of the uniform thudding audibly on the cement floor. Emmerich knew that, whatever the uniform was made of, it was not made of rubber. He remembered feeling a soldier thump him at the door of the theatre as he vainly tried to escape.

The material that had made contact was as hard as cement, yet the soldiers seemed to move easily as if their cumbersome uniform was very light. As he remembered that strong thump, he recoiled when he saw, what he sensed was, the interrogator walk towards him in the same uniform he had not seen on any television program. Emmerich, for the first time in his life, experienced terror. Now, he was the stuffed pig, not his subjects of torture. He noticed the interrogator had the European Union stars in a circle just below the centre of the soldiers’ large rubber pecs - Emmerich could not make out if this was the shape of his captors’ uniform or if this man was really so tall, muscular and strong. He received the answer to his question when the interrogator suddenly slammed his fist into Emmerich’s stomach. Emmerich loved to start fights and he usually ended them as the victor. This punch was so hard he coughed up a drop of blood, despite his own muscular build.

Who sent you? Demanded the interrogator. Emmerich could not detect any accent.

I’m not telling you, you scum, with your Batman uniform!

The interrogator glared at Emmerich Who sent you? What do you want?

Emmerich spat at the interrogator and laughed. I’m not telling you anything. You  wouldn’t believe me anyway.

What do you want? Why are you here? His interrogator slammed his fist into Emmerich’s stomach, and Emmerich coughed up a drop of blood again while wondering whether he would die in this dire, miserable grey cell having been finally vanquished by a huge man that towered over him not just physically but also was the first to control him, apart from Susan. The twinned emotions of panic and terror danced around whatever little clarity was in Emmerich’s thoughts. Emmerich’s mind quickly went through his options of how he might escape but he quickly realised that he had no options. He was completely at the mercy of this huge man who now stood above him, his fist drawn back, this time in the direction of his head. Emmerich recoiled and tried to move away from this hulk-like captor but as he did he could not prevent himself expressing his indignity. Emmerich spat out his words, I want to kill scum like you. How dare you treat me like this?! I have rights as an EU citizen.

His interrogator said, in a deep, slow tone, with measured words a robot might speak. Emmerich’s terror increased by a few notches when he considered he may or may not be dealing with a human.

You have breached the European Union building. Therefore, you are a threat to the Union itself. The staff,  the diplomats and the European Union member states. As a result, you are under our control for forty-eight hours, without a warrant. Your rights are suspended for forty-eight hours. We are a new secret army to protect the European Union. So, you are here now because we want answers. You think the Americans are tough on their terrorists? The inquisitor paused to let the words sink into the darkness of Emmerich’s brain. He continued: we have very effective means to make you speak! You are at stage one inquisition level. I advise you not to progress to stage two, some did not survive to stage three. No human has survived stage four. Emmerich`s interrogator drew back his huge gloved hand Emmerich you will answer me. Why are you here? Who sent you? Emmerich quickly focused on every element of his surroundings to try to gauge where exactly he was. He held his arm up in front of his face as if it would offer him some protection from the cement smack his interrogator was preparing to give him. Please, just answer this, how long have I been here? Emmerich said breathlessly, staring closely at his interrogator to determine who, or what he was dealing with. Emmerich heard, five hours

Emmerich cowered, the straight jacket forbade any movement. I have been here only five hours and you have done all this to me? You could kill me if you continue this way!!

Yes, I could. But you are only in stage one. You are a threat and a target. The captor continued in a slow, measured tone. Now, I think you understand the situation you are in? Emmerich nodded quickly to try to feign a convivial agreement with whatever his interrogator was. And my superior will take over soon if you fail to give me answers. Humans are much more adept at convincing other humans to supply answers to their questions. I simply prepare you. I repeat. Who sent you and what are you here for?

I have been sent by aliens. There is an answer for you.

I asked you a question and you mock me. The interrogator raised his arm further to his shoulder and slammed his fist into Emmerich’s nose. Emmerich tried to dodge the fist but he was too constricted to move. He screamed in pain as the fist impacted with that cement-like hardness of the material covering the interrogator’s body. He often said to his victims that they squealed like pigs, now he was doing the same.

I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU WHO SENT ME!!!!! Emmerich screamed out, his mind reaching his own personal stage four of terror that he had never experienced.

This is only the beginning of your interrogation. This was the easier part. My superior will be here soon. And you must start talking or you will really know pain.

The interrogator marched out, a piston noise emitting from his legs, slamming the large green metal door behind. Emmerich vaguely considered his captor was a robot due to how his interrogator walked away ... and the hissing noise as he thudded the