The Genesis Beast

By Gerald Lattocha Jr

The reading of Will Smythe's will was supposed to be a somber event. In his youth, Will had almost disavowed his relatives and decided to have a reading of his will before he died of cancer. It should have been noticed that Will's intent was anything but honorable, but upon signing of the will it would be revealed just how far Will would go to reach immortality. Unknown to Will's guests he had a deadly secret.

Now the guests would have to find a way to beat the mysterious and ferocious Genesis Beast. So what form will the Genesis Beast be next? A crocodile? A T-Rex? It was a creature that could turn into any form of prehistoric carnivore and generate its optimum hunting environment.

So would the guests survive this horrible creature, or would they all succumb to the nature of the beast and give William his total immortality? Can they find a way to beat it? Only by reading this story can one discover this outcome and find out the thrilling outcome of a good versus evil plot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684986408

Book preview

THE

GENESIS BEAST

Story concept by

Gerald Lattocha Jr

Copyright © 2022 Gerald Lattocha Jr

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-68498-639-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68498-640-8 (Digital)

The Genesis Beast and all characters and likenesses are the sole right of Gerald Lattocha Jr. Any use of any concept contained within this story without the permission of Gerald Lattocha Jr. is strictly prohibited.

The Genesis Beast concept (including the characters) is strictly a work of fiction. Any similarities between the human characters and those of real life, living or dead, are purely coincidence.

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

A Guide for Parents and Other Readers of the Book

Chapter 1: Family Gatherings

Chapter 2: Will of Wills

Chapter 3: Defining the Beast

Chapter 4: Professional Reasoning

Chapter 5: Mortal Reflections

Chapter 6: First Encounter

Chapter 7: Early Endgame

Chapter 8: Trial of the Beast

Chapter 9: Regroup and Retreat

Chapter 10: Escape!

Chapter 11: Divide and Conquer!

Chapter 12: First Party

Chapter 13: Second Party

Chapter 14: Third Party

Chapter 15: Family Dealings

Chapter 16: The Spy Unmasked

Chapter 17: Flight of the Bunyip

Chapter 18: Pick Your Poison

Chapter 19: Clash of Wills

Chapter 20: Spoils for the Victor

Foreword: The Genesis Beast

Appendix 1: The Forms of the Genesis Beast

Appendix 2: Earth’s Prehistoric History

Appendix 3: The Battlefield and The Genesis Beasts Unique Abilities

Appendix 4: The Smithey Family Tree

Bibliography

WARNING

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND OTHER READERS OF THE BOOK

The Genesis Beast is intended strictly for entertainment purposes only. Many parts of the book and story elements within can without a doubt be very dangerous to perform in real life. The actual behavior pattern of the actual animals in this book the Genesis Beast takes DOES NOT MEAN that the animals in the real world behave the same way. This book is not intended to demonize particular species of animals, especially endangered species. Wild animals should always be respected and this book is not intended to be an instruction guide to approach them. Likewise, many of the scenarios within the book can be very dangerous (stunts, various fight scenes, etc.). I urge parents to cover this topic with children before reading this book. I have taken the foresight to post a warning to parents and their children and for this reason, I bare no responsibility for any dangerous action that readers of this book might perform. I have taken the foresight to post this warning, and as a result, by reading the book, the reader agrees that I, the creator of this book, or any publisher or company that publishes it, is NOT liable for any damages to the contrary. If, as a reader, you skip over the warning and begin reading the book, it does not hold liability on any of the parties aforementioned in this paragraph. Again, I have taken the time to weigh any potentially threatening situations within the book. Any action within the story that could result in physical harm should it be done in real life is covered in this warning. As the creator, I reserve the right that this warning applies to all potentially dangerous situations that may be done in real life, no matter what that scenario is, mentioned or not, within any plot elements within this story. For the sake of safety, I will take as many liberties as possible to prevent such situations as much as possible, but this warning counts for all dangerous elements within the story, with no exceptions whatsoever to the contrary.

CHAPTER 1

FAMILY GATHERINGS

Lance Johanson and his wife, Rebecca, arrived on Smithey Island by boat. Smithey Island was the sole property of one of the richest people in the world, William Smithey. They gathered their belongings with them, which were loaded into the trunk of a stretch limo, courtesy of William. Lance was a retired doctor, now an administrator of one of the biggest hospitals in the United States. His wife, Rebecca, whose maiden name is Smithey, is the fourth sibling of six in one of the richest families in the world—the Smitheys. Rebecca, still a nurse working toward retirement, held onto an umbrella while she and her husband entered the limousine. William’s personal butler, Cedric Wilhelm, doubled as a chauffeur on the island. William was known to be strict with his finances, but since he seldom invited people to his private retreat, there was not much need for William to hire additional staff. Smithey Island was William’s own endeavor from day one. William had all the finances necessary to make his own island with all the amenities he would need to live there. William was a recluse to begin with but even more so after his wife died. Now, as fate would have it, is being both rumored and suspected that William was reaching his last days. It had somehow leaked out that William Smithey, at sixty-two years of age, had been struck with heart cancer. Despite the modern advances in medicine, in which cancer was usually detected early enough to prevent death, William was diagnosed as terminal roughly five years ago. William had managed to buy some time with some unique treatments that were viewed with some suspicion by the medical community. Although those methods were never used in modern medicine, they did seem to buy William some time. While seeking out these methods, William seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. Some had believed he was dead, but William’s wealth bought him some of the much-needed time he wanted, although it was clear to most, that William’s days were numbered.

Rebecca let out a sigh, closed her umbrella, and entered the limo. Smithey Island was known for some bad weather, and today was one of those days. The sky was overcast, and although the rain was rather light, there did not seem to be any chance of the weather breaking. Most, if not all of Smithey Island was overcast. In the limo was Jacob Smithey, the third oldest sibling of the Smithey tree, who was separated from his wife. Already in the limo was Michael Wildrun, the second oldest child of Geoffrey, and Rosanna Wildrun. Rosanna was the youngest child in William’s generation, who was married to Geoffrey. There was also Jonathan Smithey, Jacob’s grandson, and Vincent McMahon, who was a business partner of William. There was a moment of silent trepidation, as those members in the back of the limo exchanged some half-hearted glances at one another. It was not as though they disliked each other, but many of the Smithey family members rarely saw each other due to their overwhelming financial obligations in some of the wealthiest businesses. The Smithey family was one family that knew how acquire wealth, and despite having several different walks of life, they all seemed to hit success no matter what job they performed. What hung over the family though was the dreaded meeting they had with William. William was the black sheep of the family so to speak, and as a whole found very little good amongst other people, even his family. Most of William’s family and business partners had never met but much less heard from William for many years. What little communication was done was through impersonal memos between William and the other parties. Cedric closed the door, entered the driver’s seat, and began the trip up from the docks toward William’s huge castle-like domain.

Lance, being the usual friendly, talkative guy, decided to break the silence. Well, here we are on our fateful journey. Lance chuckled hoping to break the ice. It did not seem to help all that much. Oh, come on, people. We know what’s going on here. There is hardly any need for any of us to be so glum.

Jacob chimed his response. Except that we are going to meet the grumpiest member of our family. Tell me, Lance, when was the last time you heard from my older brother William?

With that remark, Lance had no good answer. Okay, you got me. I would say probably six to seven years, but he did send me a memo about four years ago telling me he was okay and all well, even though it did seem to me that there was something wrong in his tone. I thought it might be his health, but he did not return any of my responses, but I did receive a notice from one of his business partners to leave him alone and that he was all right.

Jacob sort of continued his tirade. Well, if that was not the least of our worries, then we get this strange request. Tell me, Lance, wouldn’t all number of things seem to be awry with this strange request he sent to us. My grandson, and from what I can tell, several other family members, received the same request, worded practically verbatim to each of the people he has called to his island castle.

Vincent was trying to follow the conversation as best he could. As one of William’s business partners, he had never seen the inner workings of the Smithey family firsthand until today. To him, it seemed like William was somewhat of a bad fellow, although he was always paid well for his work through the Smithey family recluse.

Jacob opened the letter that he had in his shirt pocket, opened it, and began reading the request William had personally sent him.

Good day, Jacob Smithey, my dear brother. It does pain me that in light of the consequences and friction that seems to have worked its way between me and the rest of the Smithey family that there is such animosities between us."

I, however have received grim news. As you might have well heard by now, the rumor of me being struck with cancer is true. I had received this grim news from my personal doctor roughly eight years ago that the cancer affecting my body is indeed terminal. I was given roughly only six years to live, but with some outside methods, I was able to buy at least a few more years. Although I do not know how much time I have left, I feel the end is coming near. I strongly suspect that I have no more than a year to live, perhaps only six months at most. My health has still continued to deteriorate despite what help I received to prolong my life for as long as possible. Despite my efforts, I could not buy enough time, nor cure the cancer that ails my body. I now wish I had time enough to make up for all the misgivings I had caused between the rest of the family and me.

I do apologize for all the times I have wronged the rest of the family, and if I could now go back and change all the wrongs I was responsible for, I would do so. I know that this desire may reach some skepticism amongst you Jacob, and the rest of the family, but you must understand for all the ills I have caused, that I do want to make amends. Since my time is so short, I must now divide as many of my assets amongst the remaining family members while I am still alive. My wish is to read my last will and testament while I am still alive to those members of my family, and my most trusted business partners, in an act of generosity. I hope that my good deed is sincere enough to "bury the hatchet once and for all between anyone who has a reason to have discord to me. I am asking that in my final wish that you, Jacob, forgive me for all I have done before my soul is laid to rest. When I do expire, I want to leave this earth on good terms and enter the afterlife on good terms. I am asking that you respect my dying wish and hear me out, and I divide my assets amongst the rest of the family before I go.

Oh, I do have one more request that I would like to add to this letter before you come to my island castle abode. Since I have not taken an interest in your life before, I would like to ask for you to bring some of your work with you. I would like to see just what it is that you do, and witness it for myself, as well as the other members of the family, what it is that you do. Please, bring some aspects of your profession, as much as you would like to do, with you for the reading of my will.

Your most thankful brother,

William Smithey

Jacob let out a moan. Oh, come on, have you ever heard such a bogus request. This is a man who missed many of the hallmark moments for the rest of the family just because he wanted nothing to do with us. Just how many weddings, funerals, birthdays, you-name-it, has William refused to attend, all over the jealousy that his older brother Samuel was the heir to the fortune when our mother Diana died?

With that request, Lance let out a sigh. I know, Jacob, I know, but he is dying. That should count for something, and it does seem that he has finally come to his senses. Well, at least I hope he has.

Jacob responded, Well, there it is. Even the family optimist has his doubt. When I needed to lean on my brother during my separation from my wife for moral support, where was he? Off of some silly vacation that he had not planned until after he had heard the bad news. I bet Vince has the same sort of note.

Vince added, I do. Your letter sounds a lot like mine, although it is addressed toward a business partner like me. Is he really this bad?

Lance replied, I hope that he is not anymore.

Jacob rolled his eyes. Somehow I’m not so convinced. William is certainly one to hold grudges, and his sincerity to avoid such scrutiny is usually not the exception but the rule. Yet more than anything, that worries me is his strange request for me to bring some aspect of my profession to the reading of his will. Whom do you know that has such a strange request in such grim conditions?

Not many, Lance replied. But we will see when we get there I suppose.

CHAPTER 2

WILL OF WILLS

After all of William’s guests had settled in and their belongings were brought to their respective rooms, Cedric had begun serving the party of guests that William invited to his island retreat. The castle was quite huge, and those that were fortunate enough to stay were guaranteed the luxury of a pampered stay.

I know it is not common courtesy for one to dine before one’s host arrives, but William is indeed running late, and he has given me instructions to start serving the meal in his absence, so you are not hungry before his arrival. Please, feel free to begin eating while we wait for our honored host to arrive. Cedric began serving the guests and the dinner banquet had begun.

About half an hour later, after everyone had eaten their share of a fine meal, William finally entered, using a cane to help maintain his balance from more than likely the degree of suffering his illness brought upon him.

William greeted his guests. Please excuse me for my late appearance, friends, relatives, and business partners, but there were some final arrangements I needed to make before attending to the dinner party. Cedric began clearing the table of the luxurious feast that William had provided. He paused and leaned on the mantle at the head of the table which was reserved for him. As most of you are relatives and I am sure you are aware of one another, I also know that many of you get little time to associate with another due to your busy work schedules, social life, or whatever other obstacles might interfere with you learning the prospective professions of each other here. So to save time, since I have spent all the necessary time researching the background of all of those who have attended the reading of my will, I will save as much time as I can introducing all of the guests whom I have invited to this function. Yes, it is true. I do have cancer, and as the story goes, I have no more than six months to a year at best to live. Let’s see…where do I begin? Ahh, the oldest member of my family of course.

William directed his eyes toward his family members as he introduced them to the other guests. First, we have my brother and the oldest living member of our family tree, Samuel Smithey. There was an easy pause as William shot his older brother a dirty look. It was known that there was always some tension between the two oldest brothers of the family tree, but they usually kept the conversation professional and on the level. Although you could feel the tension if you knew the history between the two, a newcomer would not be aware of it. It is with the deepest regret that his wife Helen is deceased, but we do have his children and grandchildren with us. As you know, Samuel is a retired cryptologist, who has unraveled many mysteries at some of the oldest dig sites around the world. His reputation is as far as I am concerned second to none in his field. With him is his oldest child Isaac who is a military strategist in the army. William smiled. If I was privy to know of his skills Isaac may have to take measures to make sure we do not tell anyone. That brought a smile to Isaac’s face, but there was still a tension in the air.

"Isaac has with him his only son Alexander Smithey who is both a professional skydiver and stuntman. Let us hope that Alexander’s profession does not mean an early untimely death for him. I do wish him many successful years in his field and to be healthy enough to enjoy his retirement. Zachary is Samuel’s second oldest son and an experienced metal worker. Zachary is known for fashioning many molds from guns to building structures. His company is one of the most successful in the United States.

As you might well know, I am next in the family tree. William shot another glance at his brother Samuel but continued on his path of introductions. "I am just two years younger than brother Sam at sixty-two years of age. I have with me my oldest son Nathaniel, which shall we say has a government job, and let us simply leave it at that. Also, my daughter Angela who leads a very successful fashion agency and all of its related businesses. I am proud of both of them for what they do.

Third in line is Jacob. I am sorry, dear brother, for not being by your side during your separation from your wife Janet, but I hope to make amends to you for it. Jacob, as you know is both a paleontologist and an earth historian, including those of eras before humans walked the earth. I read one of your books, Jacob. It was very insightful, and I am honored that you are so devoted to your field of work. With Jacob are his twin sons Thomas and Toby. Unfortunately, neither of their wives could make the journey, but each of them has brought their only son. Thomas is a master engineer and has even acquired some service contracts with the military which we will not speak of here. Thomas’s son Abraham has made quite a successful career as an Olympic standout. Abraham has two gold medals in each of his sports, which would be Olympic sprinting and fencing. Toby, Jacob’s other son is a master physicist and an all-around-expert at math. How calculating!

William’s tone was beginning to break through the ice a bit. Several of his relatives could not believe their ears about how jovial William was being after all of his years of not wanting other people in his life. "Toby’s son Jonathan is a forensic scientist. Some would say a master toxicologist who is on the cutting edge in his field. Jonathan has one of the top laboratories in the country and has solved many cold cases with his testing techniques in homicide investigations in which the victim was poisoned. Let us hope that nothing like that happens here. There is far too much death in the world here as it is. I do not want death finding its way here.

Next is Dr. Lance Johanson who is a retired doctor and administrator of several hospitals. With him is his lovely wife and the fourth oldest in our family line, my sister, Dr. Rebecca Johanson. They have with them their son Leonard Johanson, a rescue diver for the coast guard, and his wife Christina, a lady I am sure I will respect because of her expertise in martial arts. Do not worry, my dear Christina, I am not about to cause you any mischief, especially in my condition. William chuckled and there was a muffled chuckling from a couple of guests in William’s presence. I cannot forget Leonard’s and Christina’s son Lionel, a very successful bounty hunter. We have here quite a well-rounded family, do we not?

Next is my brother Reginald, a literary scholar and expert in his field of all things both old and worthy in ancient literature. Few could hold a candle to him in his field. Even I dare not challenge him. He has at his side his wife Samantha, an expert in herbal remedies and medicines. With them is their eldest son, Rodney, both an aviator and flight school technician and their daughter, Katrina, a retired military, now base jumper. As you know, Katrina is still trying to find herself while she is still young enough to do stunt diving for monetary gain. I do hope you succeed before anything happens to you, my dear Katrina.

"Finally, the youngest member of my family, my sister Rosanna, who is both an animal vet and the administrator of her own zoo. She is married to Geoffrey Wildrun, a wildlife biologist who has risked both life and limb to bring us accounts of everyday activity in the times of our native and foreign wildlife. I will always wish you the best in your field Geoffrey, and I hope your career is not cut short by an untimely surprise from the wildlife you film on your journeys. With Rosanna and Geoffrey we have their three children. First is Gwendolyn, a horse trainer, Michael, a host of his own extreme survival show, and Danny, and extreme gamer. What an adventurous family we have here.

Finally, I speak on behalf of my business partners. You have already met my butler, Cedric Wilhelm. Jack Hunter is a big game hunter who puts together wildlife safaris for some of my most prestigious clients. Clyde Hickory has set up an entertainment industry with reenactments of old America folklore. While mainly a Civil War buff, Clyde is an expert marksman of weapons from that era and its rich history. Next is Vincent McMahon. This gentleman is quite the asset to my business empire. Without him, I could not keep up with all my financial exploits if it were not for his investment into nanotechology. For those unfamiliar with the term, it basically means building extensive computer gadgets into extremely small contraptions. Vincent is about to unleash his latest production in the computer world, the wrist computer. We will touch more upon this later, but let us first introduce our last four guests. Robert A. Nonymous—a humorous screen name, I might add—is with us today because my daughter Angelica has requested his presence.

William let out a somewhat disheartened sigh because he did not totally approve of his daughter’s recent attachment to this actor, but William has complied with the wishes of his daughter to keep his princess happy. This is Neil Tideas, one might say the Admiral of my civilian cruise line fleet. Neil has piloted virtually every type of civilian vessel from fishing boats to my luxury liners. If anyone strays from my protocol on how I want my cruise line run, they answer first to Neil, and then if that is not enough, then to me. Lastly, we have two associates of my sister Rebecca, who have helped work with her on some of her seafaring exploits. We have Jennifer Harthaway, an experienced free diver, and Gladys Seaworthy, a deep sea diver, and one of the last aquanauts of unfortunately, a canceled program of aquanauts. For those of you not familiar with this, the aquanaut program was an attempt to see if it is possible for a group of people to live beneath the sea. William paused for a moment to allow the guests to familiarize each other with whom they were. Now that our pleasantries have been exchanged, it is now time to go over what it is that I have brought you here. That is, the reading of my will.

William cleared his throat and took his manuscripts from his small desk next to the mantle. As you know, the rumors of myself, William Smithey, having cancer has been circulating around various wealthy groups familiar with my business. As fate would have it, as unfortunate as those rumors might be, they are true. I do not have much time left upon this earth. Recent estimates from some of the best doctors in the world, for which even I have gotten a second opinion, all have confirmed this is true.

An uneasy calm descended upon the group of guests William had invited to his castle. William was known for being a painfully abusive person, with not much thought of anyone’s personal feelings around him, even amongst his closest relatives. Yet despite those who were familiar with his doings for someone to announce that he was about to die was somewhat of a two-headed sword. There were quite a few of his relatives that would have loved to say how poorly they thought of William, but that would be uncivil and wrong for even a man like William who was about to die. The business partners held back a little bit, however, for they were not as accustomed to his personal live as the others. No one dared to seem to address William’s personal declaration of death, except for the one person who was known for trying to find something positive about anyone, that being Lance Johanson.

Lance stood. William, it is with my deepest regret that you would announce this news. I, being the husband of your sister Rebecca, must say that you will be sorely missed.

Reginald cleared his throat. It was an untimely reaction, but one most everyone knew that was an action of open skepticism, without saying so much as a word.

William first looked at Reginald with some discord, but then his face brightened. I understand what you are trying to imply Reginald, that is, that you believe there is something wrong and underhanded about me that you do not wish to share with the rest of us. I, being of sound mind and body, implore you to speak of any misgivings you might have against me, as I can certainly understand why you feel the way that you do. Most, if not all, of you are aware how rude and uncaring I have been all of my life. I can assure you that now in the hour of my death, I have learned the error of my ways. I know full well how uncaring and inconsiderate I have been to all of you. I will also tell you that Reginald’s opinion of me is completely upright and unwarranted. I do deserve such skepticism for all of the times I have wronged you. However, if I do not attempt to right the wrongs I am guilty of against you all, I will surely not make it into the next kingdom, so to speak. If I had as many years left in my life as I had already spent, to make up for all of the years of misgivings I have spent against you, I would gladly spend the time doing so. However, I do not have the luxury of much time. So I am here to ask of your forgiveness and to try to make amends for all of the shortcomings I am responsible against all of you. I do intend to do that with an act of generosity, giving each of you a share of my wealth that you will inherit upon my death. However, first to clear the air, I will allow you to speak of any slights or misgivings you suffered at my hands, in an attempt to beg for forgiveness. It is no less that I deserve for all of the years I tortured you all, and since Reginald is the first to ‘almost’ speak his mind, I will allow you to go first. Reginald, please stand. The floor is yours, and I ask you to bring up any slights for which you still hold some resentment toward me.

Reginald was someone who was used to being put on the spot. For he was a literary expert after all, and speaking to others of the benefit great literature had as a building block in not only the lives of everyone, but also some of the greatest people in history. However, this was one corner that Reginald quite resented being backed into a corner. Reginald, being the first person, asked to air the dirty laundry of an abusive member of his family to everyone in this manner was inconceivable. It was like talking nasty to someone on their deathbed. Yet Reginald did understand that in his ill-conceived moment of haste, making a rude gesture that defined meaning, that William had made clever use of his gesture to turn the table on him. William certainly lived up to his reputation for being the older, wiser, and more brilliant brother to him. Reginald would have to answer for it. Reginald stood up and cleared his throat again, a sort of gesture that he had been bested in the art of nonverbal combat.

William, my brother, are we to forget the way you have lived your life for so many years? Are we to believe that you have turned over a new leaf all of a sudden when all of your life you have been a merciless tyrant to those you should hold most dear, when the last time you were a public figure, you still lived by the same way you have always lived? Despite the last several years of hiding from the general public, in which you refused to reveal any aspect of yourself to the watching world, are we to believe that your seclusion and imminent death have made a sudden difference in your worldly behavior? Are we to accept that you have changed your ways so suddenly, after coming out of hiding, and carved a new ‘more honorable’ lifestyle for yourself now that your life is so short? In other words, are we to believe that you have changed so suddenly when we have been given no indication that you have changed, other than the announcement that you are about to die?

William smugly raised his chin, using the gesture to stare down his nose at his younger sibling. Hmm…a wise assessment for someone so gifted in the field of literary exploits. I can see your knowledge of literature has taught you well the aspects of morality, brother Reginald, as to question what might very well be perceived as another one of the long list of slights I am guilty of toward the rest of the family. One might consider William’s challenge of his brother, with the nature of his profession to have unwisely chosen the wrong person with whom to do battle. However, William was quite gifted and verbal entourages, and he had secretly hoped that Reginald would have challenged him. William’s plan to call out one of the family members who was so gifted in such as field was met, and if William should answer and put down his brother Reginald’s challenge, then he would have faced one of the best challenges his family had to offer him. William, of course, had quite a reputation to uphold as one so clever for being able to win a war of words so well. The fact that Reginald was the first to answer him only helped William answer the question proposed to him.

William continued, Ahh, yes, Reginald. You are wise to question my past and put me on the spot in such a manner. If I were in your shoes, I would question myself in much the same manner as you have questioned me, and indeed it should and probably would seem that I deserve no forgiveness for all of the times I have slighted you, as well as other members of my family and also some business partners. First I want to point out, that in the world of business, sometimes such decisions must be made in order to remain in charge of the businesses I have built my entire life. Surely many, if not all of you can understand such things. Some of you also must have faced such hard decisions to make both in your personal, but more importantly professional lives. I do admit some of my business decisions were harsh, but necessary to remain as the head of my own personal wealth. Already William was skillfully deflecting some of the blame from him to a more personal level. But again, Reginald’s remarks are directed more toward my personal rather than professional side. Reginald, my brother, I can assure you that I have no time left for ill begotten games or more heartache. I do not have the luxury of ‘spilling any more beans,’ as the time I have is so short, unlike the rest of you, which might have some room to spare for some misdeeds. My family and my business partners whom I consider now my friends, I have to offer you, a new me. In my time of seclusion, I have indeed learned the value friends and family members have in my life because I had even less contact with you that I did before my hiding. I did so mostly because I did not know how to even ask for forgiveness when I was first diagnosed with my illness. In bitter haste, I did the worst thing I could have done. I cut myself off from the rest of the world but slowly began to realize that I would still have to answer for my deeds. The only thing my seclusion did was buy me a few more years. I must admit had I not did that. I would not have the courage to speak for myself as I do now. The few extra years I managed to earn made me realize that I could not go away like I did without speaking first to the rest of you as I do now. You are certainly very wise to ask me, Reginald, just what are my intentions in light of my twilight years and to question me. However I do refute your claim on one accord. You have not even allowed me to read my will and to show the generosity I am to show upon you all. Would you deny me the honor of doing that dear brother Reginald or at least allow me to show my good deeds to the rest of my family members, whom I pray will accept them, even if you are not?

With that last remark, Reginald was quite flushed. All his life he had tried to beat his older brother at this game of words, yet William had not lost any skill in all of his years at his position. This was probably the worst defeat Reginald had faced, not in part that what William said might be true, but in part that William was pitting his own words against those of his other family members. Now William seemed like the greedy old miser turned good, and Reginald seemed like the good brother turned bad. Reginald muttered something under his own breath that no one else could hear, but Reginald knew that when he became angry, that he was prone to make more mistakes. For Reginald, this was no time to challenge his older brother. Reginald sat down and muttered a request that only his wife Samantha could hear.

William gaining the upper hand pressed his advantage. What was that, my brother Reginald? Please feel free to speak your mind aloud. We are all family, well most of us, and those that are not are certainly dear enough to me to hear my request.

Reginald sighed, took a deep breath, and spoke his prior comment loud enough for all to hear. Go ahead and read the will. Then… Reginald was about to lose his cool yet again but he caught himself, we will be grateful for what you have given us.

Ahh…I thought you all would be. Okay, let me begin my last will and testament.

I, William Smithey, being of sound mind and body, have decided to split my business holdings and personal belongings in this manner upon my death.

William continued, "To the only brother older than I, Samuel, I will grant him an entire wing of my castle for which he may enjoy in his most senior years. Samuel, I have paid for any medical concerns you might have when you get older, but the best thing my castle will offer you is that you can spend your declining years next to the family you so love. Any money Samuel might have is his own to spend as he so desires, so all the issues that would bring ill feelings upon him would be taken care of, should he need them. Samuel can serve as a business advisor to my own children here for as long as he is able to do so. To his children, Isaac and Zachary, and grandson Alex I will leave a wealthy enough inheritance, partly in money and partly in investments that will ensure them an early retirement that they can spend in luxury, without the risks they might face in their personal profession.

"To my children, Nathaniel and Angela, they will receive the largest portion of personal fortune and become duel owners of my island castle. I can assure you my children that you will have the largest portion of my wealth upon my passing, and the rest is to be spent on the others as I see fit. Nathaniel and Angela, you will be entrusted to guide my personal fortune into the next generation with of course, some advice from your elders.

"Jacob, third in line in the family. For you I give you the wisdom all of your years of digging fossils have given you. No longer will you toil in the digs. For you I have set up a fund in which you will become the curator of your own national chain of museums which you will run as you so desire. To your son Thomas, I leave a share of the wealth equal to that I have given in his generation, and to his son Abraham, I will pay for all his expenses while he competes for Olympic glory until he finds his next walk of life. To your other son, Toby, and his son, Jonathan, I leave a personal funds in an investment plan so that when they reach retirement age, they will have no financial woes.

"My sister Rebecca and her husband Lance, what can I leave them that they have not already attained. Both of you are nearly wealthy enough to retire on your own. Lance is already retired, and Rebecca more than likely not far behind him. For you I will leave you an equal share of the wealth according to your generation. For their son Leonard, his wife Christina, and their son Lionel, I will leave a minor share of the wealth in investment plans that will mature when they reach retirement age. Any further wealth given to you will likely be handed down from your parents when it is their time.

"My well-spoken brother Reginald will receive enough funds to immediately begin breaking ground on his own college. I am sure that whatever wealth Reginald and his wife Samantha get to enjoy for their own efforts of managing this business venture will allow them to build several more colleges across the country before they retire. I am sure their son Rodney and daughter Katrina will benefit from a trust fund I will give them as well as their parent’s financial exploits.

To my sister Rosanna and her husband Geoffrey, I will leave enough wealth for them to start their own chain of veterinary schools. Their children Gwendolyn, Michael, and Danny will receive a portion of wealth deserving of their years. I hope that your two boys choose a safer walk of life then they are in now.

Finally, I will address some of my business partners. For the captain of my cruise lines, Neil Tideas, I will leave him to be the sole admiral of my fleet. He will be responsible for growing that portion of my personal wealth, and for his efforts he will receive a worthy share of my business. Jack Hunter, the person who helps bring in some of my personal wealth for his ability to wine and dine some of my clients on a personal safari, I leave him my personal resort there, as well as a training school for more guides. Clyde Hickory will receive a similar position for all of his years spent in reenactments of early American History. Vincent McMahon will receive enough funds to start his own personal business empire, founded in my name, as well as a school for future computer technicians. Robert, my daughter’s prospective fiancé, will get his own acting school which someday I hope becomes his own production studio. For my personal butler, Cedric, for being so faithful to me all of these years, I will allow him the same luxury as my brother Samuel. He will be one of the few members outside of my family that will get to enjoy his retirement here. However, that provision will be met only after all of my assets will be divided upon the others. Cedric will not sign for this reward until all of those provisions have been met. Finally, two of Rebecca’s business partners which have helped me in times when I was building my personal oil platform will receive a grant for which they will be able to pursue for their own personal interests. Jennifer Harthaway and Gladys Seaworthy might even be able to take over where their funding ran short and be able to reorganize a program for aquanauts for which all forms of undersea research might be possible.

I do hope all of these conditions are satisfactory to all of you, William added to the end of his comments.

Samuel answered his comments. They would be, if I did not know you as well as I did. Experience, the most valuable of teachers, has taught me that with every action associated with you, that there is indeed some catch to the whole bargain. I would agree with Reginald that you are not to be trusted. Even in the light that this is the end of your years, I would tend to be suspicious of you. Or have you forgotten the legal battles you and I have fought in the first few years mother had died, which of course you fought me tooth and nail for the right to the family fortune?

With that, William was taken aback with trepidation. William’s older brother was one he was always careful with to engage. William made a gesture raising his hand to his chest where his heart was, as if to signify how painful Samuel’s complaint was. William acted as if Samuel’s comment went straight to his heart and caused him a lot of pain. Brother Samuel, as always you continue to question my intent. I am sure that your reluctance would be warranted, that is, was it not for the fact that I was dying. You see, my dear brother Samuel, for you to question what in fact is in it for me is not exactly a valid argument. There is in fact nothing of value for a man who is about to die. For me, there is nothing for which I can benefit, short of my salvation and giving my relatives as many generous gifts as possible so that I can make it to the next live. Have you not noticed this somewhat tiny detail in your cold observations? William’s tone was one of sincerity, but mixed in with that was also a tone of sarcastic patronizing toward his brother. Samuel’s and William’s legal battles were legendary amongst the rich who kept tabs on the Smithey family’s doings. Despite William’s attempt to let go of all of the angst between Samuel and him, there was still more a hint that it still existed. If you are in doubt of my mortality, here are my medical records, Samuel. William slid a folder toward his older brother. Would you care to read that for all just to prove that my limited time on this earth is not a lie?

Samuel took a look at the folder, opened it, scanning through some details on his own without speaking aloud the verdict.

Jonathan in his impatience spoke. What does it say?

William answered, My, are we not eager. Actually, Jonathan, I think my brother is intent on finding some clause, if any, in hopes that I am telling a lie. I believe he means to call me out on it. Truth be told, there is no catch, as I am sure he is about to find out. Enclosed in those records are several diagnoses from several different doctors that all say the same thing. I have at most six months to live, more than likely closer to three months. I cannot gain anything because there is nothing for a man who is soon to die to be gained.

Samuel angrily closed the file. He is right. I know of a few of the doctors in question. All are highly reputed individuals, and none would lie. Yet even though William is right there is a part of me that still cannot or will not believe him. Maybe I need to hear it from another source. Samuel slid the file toward Jonathan. Here you read the file. I trust you a lot more and the evidence bears more on your lips than William’s.

Jonathan opened the file and, like Samuel, did a little reading of his own, but soon confirmed it. William is speaking the truth. There are at least eight diagnoses saying the same thing. William’s cancer is indeed terminal. If any of you want to read it, there it is in black and white. Jonathan almost forgot himself. It was not considered polite to speak upright about someone’s medical records without first getting their permission. He first looked toward William asking for permission to pass his records around to the others. William silently nodded it was okay to do so. William smiled heartily as each member of his family interested in his condition sifted through the file. At last there were enough members who read it to confirm to those who did not read it that it was in fact true. Leonard, being the last of those wishing to examine the file, slid it back to William.

Oh, Daddy, say it’s not so! Please tell me that this isn’t true. Angela was trying to hold back some tears in her eyes. Her concern was comforting to William. Out of all of his family members and business associates, he seldom heard any sympathy directed toward himself. At least his daughter had not forgot how much he needed her compassion.

"I am sorry, my daughter. The die has been cast. There is nothing that can be done. I will regret that I did not have more time to spend with each of you, but this is not something I can control. All that remains is for me to gain your signature on some legal forms telling me that you accept the conditions of my final rights. William went to his desk, opened his briefcase, and produced the legal documents that would handle all of the necessary conditions to hand over his assets to his family upon his death.

As you might have well guessed, this form is several pages thick, so I must ask you to sign this form upon this table and be sure to press hard so that your signature goes through all of the copies within. I do not want to go through the hassle of bringing you all together again to resign a document because it is very impractical to do so considered my condition and your work schedules. I only have a couple of extra copies should it go wrong so let us do it right the first time.

William pushed the document toward Samuel first. He responded, I believe I will be the last one to sign this document. I have not even had the time to sort through it all for any ill conditions that you might have left to me. If you were wise, most of you would follow my example. I do not believe any of us should sign it. Who knows what he has in all of this?

William rolled his eyes. Suit yourself, dear brother, but as you can see, this document does not have any clauses with results to legality that would short change you in any means. It simply states to the recipients that the exact condition of the reading of my will is to be upheld to the letter of my reading, minus any legal fees or conditions that any particular government might have in regard to taxation. I am sure all of you are aware of that, and in spite of those fees, you will still yield a profit. I have personally taken the liberty to calculate the conditions of my will beforehand just to be sure that you do benefit and take a loss of any kind to your current wealth.

Clyde Hickory took the document. I believe you. With that, he signed the document, even in the presence of Samuel shaking his head.

You’ll more than likely be sorry, William spoke to him.

For what? Accepting more wealth? Clyde shot back. He passed the document to Neil who also signed. For a second, everyone in the buffet hall could swear that they heard distant thunder, but it was so far off that it should not bother anyone.

The document found its way around the table. William’s son Nathaniel and his daughter Angela signed without hesitation. It was not long before Lance and Rebecca also signed, followed in turn by Leonard, Christina, and Lionel. The distant thunder crept closer, almost threatening to indicate a violent storm was about to hit the center of Smithey Island, at the heart of William’s castle itself. William certainly seemed to notice the weather conditions but started to smile. William was used to the weather conditions that hit the island and his castle was specifically constructed to withstand even the fiercest hurricanes. The document made its way around the table. Michael took a few seconds to glance over the document just to make sure there was not any tricks or fine print. Michael, being satisfied that the document was exactly how William had described it, added his signature. He was followed by Robert, Danny, Gwendolyn, and Jennifer. Then the document came to Jack Hunter.

Jack had heard enough about William from his family members to have some suspicion of the document. He glared at William. If this is a trick William, I assure you that your six months will be the shortest time you have ever spent.

William shifted his weight in his chair. Again this subject rears its ugly head. Jack, do you think that I would put my own son and daughter at risk to whatever strange fate you might think I have in store for you. I assure you if I have anything dire planned for the likes of you or the rest of my family, I would leave at least my own son and daughter out of this. You, of all people, must know that you are more than considerably held true to my heart than Nathan and Angela, and to put them at risk to the same fate as you would not be practical.

Vincent broke the chain. Oh, come on, sign it already. What’s the matter? It the big game hunter afraid to sign it if the computer geek, being me, will? Vincent chuckled, and his boast was answered by a few others, mainly Nathan and Angela letting out short bursts of laughter.

Jack did not like Vincent’s remark in the least, but he was not about to be made a coward in the presence of this scrawny computer geek heckling him. Jack, at once, signed the document and then slid it toward Vincent. You will notice that my signature is still above yours. Jack heartedly slapped his hand into Vincent’s back causing him to let out a breath of air. Vincent was not so used to physical confrontations but added his signature and pushed the document down the line. It was not long before Rosanna, Geoffrey, Rodney, Samantha, and even Reginald signed it. When Katrina added her signature, there was a gigantic thunder clap outside of the castle. For a second, the lights flickered and came back on, and all the guests started to get a little nervous.

Relax, everyone. William confidently extended his comforting voice toward the rest of the group. My castle has backup generators should we lose power and has withstood the best that nature can throw at it. Now, back to the document for those that are left.

Zachary looked toward his father, both because he was well aware that Samuel was wise enough not to trust William, but somewhat ashamed that he, like his father, would be made out to be a bad guy to not trust his uncle on his own death bed. He was the first of Samuel’s line to sign, not wanting to leave the other family members out in the cold if Samuel was right, or forfeit his portion of his inheritance if he was not. With Zachary out of the way, Isaac, Alex, and Gladys all signed. Samuel had the unfortunate aspect of being the last to sign. Twin brothers Thomas and Toby did not hesitate and with that Abraham, Jonathan, and even the unhappy Jacob added their signature. Now, just like he said, Samuel was alone and being the trusted mentor of his family, even Samuel could not hold the respect of his piers if he was the only one to refuse.

Okay, dear brother. I will sign even if every fiber of my being tells me that I am still right for not trusting you and wrong for doing so. I cannot let the rest of my family suffer any such fate, good or bad, if you are the cause of it. It is with the deepest regret that I do so because I still do not believe you can be trusted. Samuel signed his name, the last on the list, below all of the others. At long last, it was finally done.

William was now smiling gleefully, as he took up the document and looked through the pages. Satisfied that all of the signatures went all the way through the copies he put the document in his briefcase and closed it. I will send you all a copy of the document in due time, but it is now that I must tell you that this is not the only aspect of my will. You will all receive something more than you expected, even greater and grander than all the wealth I now possess. I trust several of you may not like surprises, but I assure you, it is well worth the wait.

Samuel stood up. Now wait just a minute here. Why should we not receive a copy now instead of later, and how are we to know that you will not alter the deed we signed? It is just like you brother to hold out on us all, and this gathering was just another example of all of this.

William also stood up, somewhat nose to nose to his older brother Samuel. Relax, dear brother, you will receive a copy in due time, but as I said there is more to this document than meets the eye. You see, the document was only part of the surprise I had in store for you, and in truth, it now means next to nothing that the other conditions have been met. I will not alter the document because it now makes little difference to this matter.

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Samuel let out his comment with bitterness. I just knew you could not make some kind of a deal without a catch. For all I know you will probably attempt to seize whatever assets we have before you die and attempt to leave us penniless! That wealth you will no doubt attempt to distribute toward some of your seedier business partners so that we will never see it.

William smiled. Oh, quite the contrary, brother Samuel, the will you signed was nothing but valid, and although you believe otherwise, there was no attempt on my part to deceive you. However, the will in itself is not about something you should be concerned, rather it is the big picture that you do not yet know.

Samuel was quite disgusted in this whole matter. What? You’re not even making sense! Okay, out with it, just what exactly do you mean? What is the big picture?

William smiled a smile that somewhat unnerved Samuel. Oh, you were right, Samuel. You had every reason to be concerned. William walked toward the mantle and confidently rested his left arm on it, turned back to his guests, and spoke. My intentions, as you were first right to doubt me from the beginning, were NOT entirely noble. You see, you are now but helpless pawns in a much bigger game of survival. William absolutely gloated over his perceived victory. You all, every one of you who had signed the document, are now part of a contest which I am sure that you will surely regret. All of you must work together to beat the strangest manner of beasts you have ever known. It is called the Genesis Beast, and in order for you to survive, you must find a way to kill it. William paused, trying to let his guests take in what he was telling them. "You see, Samuel, the big picture is not the will at all, but a game of ultimate survival. It is a game you cannot afford