The Man Who Made Himself

By S. A. Vanderwarf

As Josh becomes a young man…

…he discovers a daunting secret within himself.

 

What is this underdog going to do as he faces challenges about the future of humankind that no one has ever dealt with?

 

The nerdy Joshua Messias is in for some awakening surprises as he discovers secret after secret about his life. For Josh, the journey into manhood is one wild ride filled with fascinating technology, self-discovery, and a beautiful girl.

 

This is one science fiction novel that will keep you guessing as you find that one answer only leads to more questions. Jump into this clean coming-of-age story that young adults will love!

 

"This is a great fun read interweaving technology, metaphysics, and theology into an engrossing intro of a hopefully continuing series."

- Pastor Matt Smith

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. A. Vanderwarf
• Release date: Nov 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215802397

S. A. Vanderwarf

S. A. Vanderwarf loves a good story! A good story is entertaining and reveals the potential of a different viewpoint and level of knowledge to the audience. This new understanding enhances personal growth, and the one thing we must do is grow, grow or die! 

Book preview

DEDICATION

Idedicate this book to my beautiful children Kawai and Ezra. They have inspired much in this book and I am honored to be their father. With this story I seek to pass on important life lessons and bits of wisdom to them, and others like them, if they have ears that hear and eyes that see.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

-  Barett Steenrod: Story Editor

-  Nikki Shakespeare: Grammar Editor

-  Tina Sibley Vanderwarf: Editor

-  Mark Vanderwarf: Editor, Marketer, and Cover Art

PRELUDE

Two young scientists sat in the small L.A. cafe having coffee, as they often did, and discussed their latest excitements and conundrums. Yes, the scene was young and the coffee was decent enough, but mostly they met there because it was conveniently located near their university where they were both budding grad students. Usually, many patrons would rush in and out while others labored over their laptops or sat and chatted calmly. However, on this day, everyone in the place was watching them closely.

It was not rare for these two to have discussions that became a bit heated, as they were both very passionate and intelligent. Previously, they had always put their differences aside with a game of chess or on the university’s racquetball courts. Lately though, their conversations had been growing in intensity due to the inherent delving into morality and philosophy that scientists tend to do from time to time. On this day though, they were getting a bit too intense!

The larger man—to put it mildly, as he was in fact massive by anyone's standards—slammed his fist on the table, and his face turned red hot with rage as he roared out his philosophical drivel. The small man must have been quite accustomed to his friend's temperament because he did not seem even the slightest bit afraid. He stood up and firmly, yet calmly, rebutted the other's argument with a precision and clarity that completely revealed its reprehensible moral foundation.

It was obvious that the small man had a strong feeling of friendship for the massive man, because he calmly put his hand on the man's shoulder and gently implored him to let it go for now.

My friend, only through weakness can true strength be realized. Come on, let's take a break from this, he said kindly as he motioned outside.

The other man stood up, towering over his friend. He composed himself, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, he looked down at the small man with a certain collected coldness.

The massive man finally spoke, You are wrong. And I will prove it to you now.

There must have been something different in that look because the small man suddenly drooped slightly and took a step back. But it was not far enough! A giant fist landed squarely on his jaw with a power that he had never imagined could come from another person. The small man was lifted off his feet and then fell back to the ground in a crumpled mass. He lay there flat on his back, a broken pile of flesh, knocked out cold.

The small man was, of course, severely injured and would spend the next two weeks in the hospital recovering from that single blow! Sadly, the two friends would never again speak face-to-face. They were forever divided with that one violent act.

GENIUS

7th Grade

Josh set his pencil down and took a deep breath. He ran his dark-skinned hands through his even darker hair as he slouched low in his creaky school chair. He glanced at the time on the new wrist phone that Dad had given him even though he really didn’t need to. Then, remembering that smart devices were not allowed, he quietly slipped it off and jammed it in his pocket. It was only twenty past eight in the morning and, unlike the others, his year-end mathematics test was already finished. Josh loved math. He loved its clarity and its black and white truth. Now, this was the test he had been looking forward to all year and sadly it was over so quickly and easily.

"What are they all thinking so hard about?" he thought as he looked around the room full of furiously hard-working kids. Yet, he knew that this was THE TOUGH ONE and no one else would be done for at least another twenty minutes, but he had to act like he was still working otherwise all the other kids would hate him even more! So, he picked up the pencil again.

Josh knew he would get another perfect score and even though this was a school for the gifted it still had its fair share of teasing and bullying. Although he had to admit, this was all way better than the last school he attended. "Man, was I bored there!" he remembered. Plus, he didn’t get beat up anymore. Leaving the countryside and beginning his first year of middle school in Santa Cruz, California was hard at first, but he did not miss that old school at all. "What a bunch of small-minded brutes!" He winced as all the beatings flooded his mind, but Momma had always been surprised at how quickly he could heal. Josh thought, Super-fast healing is a good superpower to have, but it would be better to not get beat up in the first place. If only I had super strength and retractable claws too!

Josh! exclaimed Mr. M, as he preferred to be called in following with his light-hearted casual tone, Are you done yet? Everyone else has pencils down, he stated with a little smirk on his dark and slightly bearded face that now had traces of silver in it. Apparently, quite some time had passed while he was lost in thought.

Uhh... oh, yes, sorry sir! I was just going over my final answers again, Josh stammered, not all too convincingly.

Wonderful! said Mr. M jovially, And since the time is up, you can all stack your tests on my desk. Come up, front row first as usual. Then he said in his own quirky humorous way, Have a super, fantastically beautiful weekend everyone!

Josh followed the line of excitedly jabbering students to the desk at the front of the room. He set his test down next to the name plaque that read Dr. Seldon Makure and began to walk out.

Then, Mr. M said, Hey Josh, just wait here for a second until I finish saying goodbye to everyone. 

Sure thing. Uh... I mean, yes, sir, Josh corrected.

Josh, like many of his classmates, completely respected and sort of idolized Mr. M.  He thought he was an awesome Math teacher, and he was suspected to be a genius on some level. Mr. M periodically consulted for NASA as well as a few tech companies for extra cool work, supposedly some robotics and artificial intelligence stuff. Plus, he was so casual and chill, despite all his accomplishments. Mainly though it was the confidence. He was just emanating confidence, and Josh wanted to be just like him someday. He could easily imagine it too, as they both loved math and had similar physical features. Makure might have been Middle Eastern or Indian maybe, but Josh wasn’t really sure.

As the last kid zipped out of the room, Mr. M turned to Josh and said with his signature smile that showed he knew more than he was letting on, Now that everyone is gone, how did it go for you this morning? I know you were the first one done again because you didn’t even look at your test after the first 20 minutes. 

Josh knew he was caught. He smiled big and said, Yes, sir. I know, but I just can’t let everyone else know how easy math is for me. It’s like I already know it all but don’t realize I know it until you teach it to me or I read it. Then, it all just clicks instantly.

Dropping his tone, he breathed, They say I mess up the grading curves for them and make them look stupid. I’m pretty sure they hate me, Mr. M. 

Makure looked at Josh with empathy as he put a hand on his shoulder. He said, Josh, never be ashamed of being the smartest one in the room. When others treat you poorly, you must understand that they have their own struggles they are trying to deal with. Plus... he paused with a high note, there are those that will be drawn to the real you, but they never will if you hide who you are.

Yeah, Josh quietly said, I never thought about it like that. That makes a lot of sense! he exclaimed. Thanks, Mr. M! Josh said.

My pleasure, said Makure and he stuck out his hand as he smiled again.

Josh stood tall and shook it firmly. Then, he took off and began to bounce out the door, I’ll see ya Monday, Mr. M! Have a super, fantastically beautiful weekend! he shouted back half sarcastically.

FATE

Seldon Makure did not look like the daredevil type. With his below-average stature and lean frame, one could easily guess that he had mainly relied on his brain to get through life, and so he had. Yet, when one had the opportunity to look him directly in his golden-brown eyes, they saw an arresting, unmistakable confidence that would push any boundaries it came up against.

Consistent with his nature, Makure naturally loved to ride his motorcycle. And man, he REALLY loved it! Cranking the throttle hard up the steep hills and speeding around the myriad of slow tourist vehicles was pure joy! The challenge and rush of the bike was a thrill he never tired of. The ride home from class this sunny Friday afternoon at the end of May was just perfect! The blue and white BMW was handling the aggressive turns beautifully, as always, and this was a great way to give his mind a break from all his hard work.

As he worked the roads along the scenic way to his home just outside the city, Makure began to slow a bit, becoming lost in thought. The years of hard-won progress on his private work in whole brain emulation were finally going to pay off. He could feel it, and he had much to do now because the next phase was happening very soon. He should be ready for the next trial run in a few weeks, and he had to be prepared. He always saw the many failed trials and experiments, not as failures, but as steps to success. The next phase of human intelligence would soon be a reality, and in some strange way, he knew this without any doubt.

Then, Makure