ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 23)

 Wow, over 600 followers! When I came to Steemit on July 5th (what I now refer to now as MY Independence day) I had no idea what I was getting myself into.Cryptocurrency? Markdown? Whales? What?This amazing community has inspired me in countless ways, it’s caused a spark in creativity like I’ve never experienced before. In two months Steemit has changed my life.I had been struggling as a writer for over two decades before I found this platform. Honestly, before this there were days where my hope was on life-support. Sometimes I even worried that I had wasted over twenty years of my life chasing a dream that would never materialize.In just two months everything has changed. I’m actively pursuing some pretty large aspirations for the Alarm Clock Dawn trilogy of novels (feature films, Netflix original series’, or independent films-if anyone has contacts or advice please let me know) and will share more information about this when I can. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, NEVER give up on your dreams people because you just never know when your day will come.I would like to thank each and every one of you (minnows, dolphins, orcas, and whales) for your continued support, upvotes, comments, shares. I’ll do my best to return that favor. Life is getting incredibly busy for me now, sometimes the days get away from me. I do read every single comment but if I don’t respond to each one please don’t take it personally. Your comments are the highlight of my day.Now let’s get on with this episode!Oh, I almost forgot! Who’s your favorite character so far and why? A random commenter who answers this question will receive 5 Steem dollars at the close of voting.Did you miss Episode 22 of Alarm Clock Dawn? If so click here to catch up.Are you new to Alarm Clock Dawn? If so click here to start at the beginning.

 “This mission could take five minutes or two hours.” Busby continued. “Listen closely, this part is very important.” He pointed at a lone switch on the control console. “For the return trip, you must flip this switch, wait at least five seconds and then press this red button. That will bring you home. It's as simple as that. The most important thing is that you wait at least five whole seconds before pressing that button or else the machine won't have amassed enough power to bring you back and you’ll need to wait hours before the machine will be recharged. Now, repeat it to me.”Adam nodded and tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry. He hated to even imagine what would happen if the mission were to fail. “I f-f-flip this switch, wait five-seconds, then push this red button.”“Exactly!” Busby quickly spoke into his Holo. “We're ready. Send in the team.”Adam now felt physically sick as the events were unfolding around him a little too quickly for his liking.“Neiman, please secure Mr. Harkin in his seat.” Dr. Neiman led Adam to a large black chair, sat him down, and pulled a large harness down over his shoulders. As the buckle clicked between his knees, five of the largest and meanest looking people he had ever seen marched up the ramp and into the craft, securing themselves into the remaining seats and staring straight ahead. They all wore the stock black uniforms of XenTek security.“Two minutes to jump!” Dr. Neiman blurted out as the rest of those wearing white coats and jumpsuits exited the craft.“Jump team, this is Adam Harkin,” barked a large security team commander standing towards the back of the room. “He's going to be monitoring your helmet cams in real-time and will tell you what your targets will be during the mission. You are to carry out his orders to the letter. No questions. Got it?”“Yes, sir!” The team’s unified bark made Adam twitch. He looked up frantically at Mr. Busby. “But sir, no one told me what the targets are.”“That’s what that uncanny intuition of yours is for. Godspeed, Mr. Harkin.” Busby winked at Adam and then sped down the ramp. At the bottom, he locked eyes with Adam and slowly mouthed the words “Five seconds, three blinks” as the hatch door closed.Adam closed his eyes and nodded. He felt as though he had just been strapped into a roller coaster. His heart was beating as though it would leap out of his chest as the seconds slowed infinitely.“T-minus 30 seconds to jump,” a voice from the control room announced over the intercom as Adam began to feel as though he just might pass out. 

 He clawed desperately at the harness that secured him in his seat. “Five, four, three, two, jump.” Suddenly, Adam heard a muffled pop like a flashbulb, felt a slight vibration, and smelled a metallic odor in the air. The word “jump” reverberated repeatedly, fading away a little more with each echo. 

 Strangely, he felt not a single sensation of movement, but Adam noticed that the air of the cabin was charged with so much static electricity that the hair of the other crew members was standing straight up on the tops of their heads.“Hmm, it must not have worked.” Adam said aloud. He watched as the rest of the crew quickly unlatched themselves. The largest and meanest looking of the crew powered up his Holo, smiling.“Oh, it worked as planned all right. Didn't hurt a bit!” He held the device up so Adam could read the date on the screen.“June 18, 2068,” Adam whispered in total disbelief. In what seemed like just a handful of seconds they had traveled twenty full years into the future. The team opened the hatch and quickly exited the craft as the door closed. Adam was filled with elation at being one of the first people in history to time travel.His curiosity then began to nag at him. Adam wasn't going to just sit here and wait. He slid his Holo out of this pocket and switched on his favorite news program, “World Wise.” He noticed that the anchors had aged considerably. They each wore a tinted lens that came down over one eye and looked as if makeup was caked on a little more than usual.Adam’s eyes were drawn to the news crawl that ran across the bottom of the screen, it read:Millions moved into detainment camps by the government for their own well-being as violent riots erupt in protest of rising hunger, lack of clean water, and affordable housing. . . ------------>Devastating storms continue to cripple the coasts as sea levels rise by nearly two feet, “a crisis of unimaginable proportion,” declares “World Wise” senior reporter Tristan Mack . . . --------->XenTek stock continues to soar nine months after its unveiling its implantable computer module, fully integrating human biology and technology . . . ------------------>Military personnel are being applauded as great heroes for seizing control of the last 500 acres of rainforest held by the rogue environmental group “Planet Keepers.” This valuable land will soon be cleared for farmland in the battle to keep pace with rising world hunger . . . .>Adam was transfixed by the stark images of detainees that flashed across the screen. Most were extremely thin and dirty, frayed ends of their tattered clothes blowing in the wind as they were herded like cattle into the camps by the thousands.Adam was shaken to his core as all of his previous fears from the past few months came to fruition right before his eyes. This was where the world he knew was headed and in only twenty years’ time.Adam was stunned by the desperation of these news headlines. He looked up at the bank of monitors that displayed the video feeds from the different security team members' helmet cams, their faces appeared in a smaller screen to the bottom left of each of the five video feeds. Suddenly he noticed that three of the five feeds went blank, quickly one right after another. 

 Adam spoke into the microphone of his headset, “Hey, are you guys all right?” he asked, speaking into the microphone of his headset. Silence was all he heard in return. 

 Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.Please visit my website to sign up for my author newsletter. My newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates on the release of the sequel and other special offers.If you’re enjoying this serialized version of my debut novel the best compliment you can give is to share this story with others, either face-to-face or online. I appreciate all of your continued support!