Imagine (Fuzed Trilogy Book 2) Page 33
Laughing, Sheri looked back at the grill and saw burgers rapidly becoming charcoal briquettes.
Leaning over to Tim, she said, “Something occurred to me.”
Following her gaze, he said, “You enjoy crunchy beef?”
She smiled, and then shaking her head, said, “As dangerous as Jen could be, we know where she came from and how she came to exist.” Nodding toward Josh, she continued, “As amazing as he is, and forgetting for a moment how much we love him, we really have no idea where he came from or how he came to exist.”
Tim shrugged.
Frowning, she added, “You said they exhumed Andy Logan’s body and confirmed he died in the crash, so we know Josh Fuze isn’t Andy Logan.”
Tim shrugged again and said, “Maybe.”
She shook her head. “He can’t be. It’s impossible to move a conscious mind from one body to another.”
Tim gently corrected, “It’s impossible for us.” He kissed her and stood up. “You think too much. Help me wrest control of the grill from our superhero before we have nothing left to eat.”
While Elizabeth was in the kitchen waiting for the corn on the cob to finish boiling, she checked in with Jen. Jen had added an app button to their phones allowing them to talk to her anytime. Jen used a voice that sounded very much like a young girl. Curious, Elizabeth asked, “Jen, why did you choose a girl’s name?”
Jen said, “I think I am a girl. Girls are way better at multitasking than boys, and I’m an excellent multitasker.”
Elizabeth said, “That’s true.”
Jen added, “And taking care of others comes more naturally to girls than boys, and I love to help people.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Yes. You are very good at helping people.”
There was a slight pause and then Jen said, “Besides, I think I’d like to have babies.”
In a dream, Josh stood alone on the beach. “Jesse, how come you don’t talk to me until I’m in serious trouble?”
You really don’t try to reach me until you are in serious trouble.
He shrugged. “Guess that’s true. Thanks again for the amazing abilities.” He paused. “But I’m not that excited about the future vision thing. Not fun seeing futures that include cataclysmic death and destruction.”
It’s your greatest gift.
“Yeah, well, being Chicken Little sucks.” He paused. “Speaking of which, I probably shouldn’t ask this, but is there anything else I should be worried about?”
Yes.
“Shouldn’t I be looking for it?”
It will come to you.
“That’s comforting. Then should we try to hide?”
It’s too late. It’s already found you.
Falling back into a peaceful sleep, he wouldn’t remember the conversation when he woke.
Preview of the third book of the Fuzed Trilogy follows
HOW REAL IS THIS?
We know a large asteroid or comet impact would be apocalyptic. It would destroy civilization, and possibly the human race, as well as most life on Earth. It’s inevitable unless we do something about it. What we don’t know … is WHEN it will happen.
Artificial Intelligence is just the opposite. We do know WHEN it will happen. Moore’s Law says that with exponential growth of processing power and memory, it’ll occur in the first half of the twenty-first century. What we don’t know is … WHAT will happen when it does. Could be ok, or we might become pets.
Unfortunately, it could happen sooner, much sooner. Most predictions ignore the power of parallel or linked processors. Our biocentric perspective makes it difficult for us to imagine a computer composed of billions of tiny brains. Yet, the combined processing power of all the existing cell phones already far exceeds the computational power of a human brain.
There’s no such thing as a BOTIC chip that allows phones to connect directly to each other ... yet. In an attempt to allow communication after natural disasters, however, phone manufacturers are building in the capability to connect phones to each other without a cell tower. Soon, the physical network required to link billions of phones — similar to how neurons are linked in our brain — will be in place. There are solutions but first we have to understand the danger is real and inevitable.
Text Fuzed to 46786 and we’ll keep you informed of threat activity and information on the release of the next book, upcoming movie and game. We won’t share your information or send you pizza coupons, and promise to keep texts to a minimum. There’s no charge and you can shut it off at any time by typing “STOP” … unless, of course, Jen is already awake, lol. You’ll also be entered into a drawing to have a future character named after you, an invite to the set during filming, or a Kindle Fire tablet. Or go to www.Fuzed.org and enter your email (not the one you give to car sales managers ;). Engage us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FuzedTrilogy.
PREVIEW
IMPOSSIBLE
Book Three of the Fuzed Trilogy
1
THE END
In the Hajar Mountains of Oman, Zafir stood just inside the front entrance of a large estate. Wearing black fatigues, he looked out into a large courtyard surrounded by adobe walls two meters high. Inside the courtyard, were 50 men also dressed in black fatigues and carrying automatic weapons.
Behind him, his lieutenant came up and whispered in his ear in Arabic, “We’re clear. There are no drones in the area, and the satellite schedule shows no reconnaissance birds overhead for another hour.”
Zafir nodded and then walked out into the courtyard. Climbing on top of a liberated HUMVEE, he stood on the hood.
The men gathered around him.
When they were silent, he said, “Your mission was successful. You destroyed many of the enemy and put the fear of Allah into the infidels.” Then, he yelled, “We are the chosen!”
The group echoed back, “We are the chosen!”
Smiling, he said, “Nothing can stop us!”
They cheered louder.
“Not even the Beast!”
The cheering was noticeably less enthusiastic and nervous looks were exchanged among the men.
Zafir frowned. Derisively, he added, “Don’t let superstition guide you! It is not the Evil Eye! The Beast isn’t real. It’s nothing but a silly story told to scare children!”
As they cheered loudly, there was a brilliant flash and thunderclap.
Temporarily blinded, the stunned men stumbled back from the HUMVEE, pushed by a puff of hot air and smoke. As the smoke cleared ... their leader was gone. Where he stood, there was nothing but a burned smudge on the Humvee’s hood.
The men closest crouched, guns ready, eyes scanning wildly to find the enemy ... but there was nothing to be seen. The courtyard was deathly silent and the sky was crystal clear with not even a bird in the air.
One man moved closer to the Humvee. He pointed.
Swirling around the vehicle in the light breeze were tiny bits of black cloth and ash along with a distinctive smell of burned flesh.
With a quavering voice, he said, “He burned. He burned ... from within!”
Another yelled, “It was the Beast!”
Screams of panic ensued as men trampled each other trying to escape the courtyard.
Josh and Elizabeth left footprints in the wet sand as they walked the deserted beach near their home. It was a warm overcast day with a soft, constant wind blowing off the water. They walked in silence for several minutes, enjoying the surf and each other’s company.
It had taken a year for the world to recover from what became known as The Great Tech Out. Things were finally returning to normal for most people, but attendance at resorts and beaches was still down.
Josh heard Elizabeth’s phone ring.
She said, “Sorry, I’m on call this week and need to keep the phone near me.”
As he watched her slip the phone out of her bikini bottom, he smiled. “If it gets any nearer, I’m going to be jealous.”
She laughed. Looking at the display, she said, �
�It’s work.” She talked for less than a minute. After depositing it back into her bikini, she said, “That was my boss. They moved the summit on the Virtual Tele-medicine conference up, and she wants me in New York ASAP.” She shrugged. “It’s my baby, so I’ve got to go. I’m sorry, Josh. I’ll need to fly out tomorrow.”
Josh nodded. “I understand, and I’m very proud of you. They’ve been promoting you at a phenomenal pace. You’ve got to be the youngest branch head in the U.N.”
She smiled. “I think part of it was guilt for sending me out to experience a live volcano.”
“Might’ve explained the first promotion.” He shook his head with a smile. “But you’ve been promoted twice since then.”
“It’s been quite a ride.” She sighed. “Have to admit, I’m a little overwhelmed by the responsibility.”
“You’re amazing, and you’ll do great.” As he leaned in to kiss her, her phone went off again. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Looking apologetic, she pulled it out and looked at it. “Hmm, no number.” She answered, “Hello?” Looking surprised, she handed it to him. “It’s for you.”
Frowning, he took it and said, “Hello?” He immediately recognized Brian Davidson’s voice.
Davidson said, “Need to talk to you.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
Sounding uncharacteristically tentative, Davidson said, “Can’t talk on the phone. Can you come to D.C.?”
“Sure. When?”
“I’ll send the date, time and location via encrypted text.” He paused. “Don’t tell anyone and ... keep an eye out.”
“For what?”
“Just be careful.” He hung up.
Josh looked at the phone, still frowning.
Elizabeth asked, “Who was that?”
“Brian Davidson.”
“What did he want?”
“Wants me to meet him in D.C.”
“What for?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t say.”
Elizabeth, looking at his face, said, “But ...?”
Josh shook his head. “He sounded ... stressed.”
“He just took over as the Director of National Intelligence.” She smiled. “It’s his job to be stressed.”
They turned around and walked along the edge of the surf toward their home. After a few minutes, Josh quietly asked, Have you noticed anything unusual lately?”
“Like what?”
“Any odd sounds?”
“No. Why?”
“Probably nothing.”
She asked, “What are you hearing?”
“Not really sure. It’s very, very faint.”
“What does it sound like?”
Frowning, he said, “Kinda high pitched, almost insect like.”
Nodding, she asked, “Hear it now?”
He narrowed his eyes, listening. “No. All I hear is the surf.” He paused. Then tilting his head slightly, he looked at her and said, “Have you ever felt as if you’re being ... watched?”
She gave him a wry smile.
Looking down her amazing bikini-clad body, he smiled. “Guess that was a stupid question.”
She put her hand on his arm. “Why do you ask?”
“Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the sensation that I was being watched.” He shook his head. “Thought it was just my imagination but after the call from Davidson ....”
She looked surprised. “Do you feel like you’re being watched right now?”
He shrugged.
She stopped and slowly turned 360 degrees. Sweeping her hand across the horizon, she said, “Josh, there isn’t a soul in sight. No cars, airplanes or boats.” Looking a little skeptical, she added, “Who do you think would be watching you?”
He looked back down the beach where they’d walked. As he watched the surf erase their footprints, he sighed and said softly, “Not who ... what.”
Text “Fuzed” to 46786 and we’ll keep you informed of threat activity and the release of the upcoming movie and game. You’ll also automatically be entered into a drawing to have a future character named after you, an invite to the set during filming and a Kindle Fire. Or go to www.Fuzed.org and register with your email.
CHARACTER REVIEW
Josh Fuze
Appearance: Mid to late-thirties, he looks like a multiracial Olympic athlete with a 20-year-old body and unique eyes — steel gray with flecks of multiple colors.
Background: His father was a scientist, his mother an artist. Ivy League educated on a Navy scholarship, he graduated with an aerospace engineering degree and became a Navy fighter pilot. After test pilot school, he chased the astronaut program, but never made it. Good at understanding people and the “big picture,” he has trouble with details. Promoted to Commander, he was placed in charge of the Navy’s robotic fighter development and married Kelly. On a routine flight, his fighter caught on fire and he was fatally injured during the ejection. One year later, he woke up with a new body — a genetic blend of humanity’s best genes with one-in-a-hundred-million abilities.
Elizabeth Edvardsen
Appearance: Early thirties and a mix of Swedish and East Indian, she is blonde with olive skin. She is the beautiful “girl next door” with a trim athletic body and exotic eyes.
Background: Raised in a traditional family in Texas, her father owned a computer shop and she became a tech whiz. She studied computer science in college and played collegiate soccer, but switched to nursing. She became a neurological nurse and married late. Her husband died in a motorcycle accident shortly after they were married. She is intelligent, outgoing, kind and trusting.
Jesse
Appearance and Background: Unknown. He exists as nothing but a voice in Josh’s head — the calm, patient voice of a teacher who knows more than should be possible.
Dr. Sheri Lopez
Appearance: Mid-forties petite, curvy, beautiful Latino.
Background: A competitive tomboy as a child, she became a psychiatrist to understand why she was different. Graduating at the top of her class, she started a private practice, but had little empathy for her patients and shifted into psychology of the masses. She worked with the government on mass disaster scenarios, wrote a bestseller and became a minor celebrity. Living in Kansas, where Josh crashed, Homeland Security asked her to evaluate him as a possible threat. Later, Josh recruited her as the team’s social psychologist. She is strong, intelligent and task-oriented with some serious attitude.
Tim Smith
Appearance: Average height with brown hair, brown eyes and no remarkable features, he blends in well.
Background: With an MS in psychology, he served in Special Forces and became a CIA agent. His specialty was exfiltration and protecting high-visibility political leaders. He left the CIA after accidentally shooting an innocent woman while protecting a European Union Vice President from a terrorist death threat. Although exonerated, he felt responsible and had plans to use his life insurance to take care of the woman’s children by “retiring” himself. Quiet and good at being invisible, he is loyal, confident and extremely deadly.
Greg Langlois
Appearance: Mid-twenties, he is a handsome but geeky looking African American engineer who wears badly matched clothes.
Background: Recruited out of college by Northrup Grumman, he worked on the National Reconnaissance Office’s latest spy satellites. After joining the Blaster team, he solved several major technical challenges. He is brilliant but socially awkward and a little naïve.
Elton Musk
Appearance and Background: Similar to Elon Musk.
Carl Casey
Appearance: In his late-thirties, tall with dark hair, his expression always makes him appear slightly amused by life.
Background: With a degree in International Law, he was a Navy intelligence officer, squadron mate and good friend of Josh before the crash. Joining the CIA after the Navy, he worked as an operative but was an exceptional analyst and rose to management in the agency. He marr
ied Josh’s “widow,” Kelly, after Josh’s “death.” Quiet, intelligent and skeptical, he has a dry sense of humor.
Kelly (Logan) Casey
Appearance: In her mid-thirties, she is a cute, freckled redhead with smiling green eyes.
Background: She and Josh dated for many years and finally married. She wanted children; he did not. They agreed to wait a year. On their anniversary, she discovered she was pregnant, but did not tell him before he left on his final flight. After Josh’s funeral, she reconnected with Carl, who she knew through Josh. Carl married a very pregnant Kelly. She knows no stranger and is gregarious, impulsive and passionate.
Brian Davidson
Appearance: In his mid-fifties, he is average height with the wiry body of a long-distance runner and always dresses neatly with a coat and tie.
Background: He chose the CIA because he believed he could make a difference. Beginning as an operative, he became an analyst and worked his way up in the intelligence community to Deputy Director of the CIA. He is a quiet, intelligent, soft-spoken professional.
AUTHOR
Dave Stevens was a Navy Commander and nuclear-weapons-trained fighter pilot. He served as the Strike Operations Officer for the Persian Gulf during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. With a Top Secret clearance, he led classified defense programs, test-piloted new F-18 fighters and earned an aviation patent. He’s been to over 30 countries, 10 miles above the earth, 600 feet below the Atlantic and survived hundreds of his own carrier landings. Dave holds engineering degrees from Cornell and the University of Michigan with graduate work in astrophysics, statistics and human factors. He uses an extensive network of subject matter experts — from astronauts and astrophysicists to intelligence operatives and Special Forces — to entertain and educate.