Genesis: Vision of the New World (Terra Nova 2) by David Overttun - Guest Post

Please help me welcome David Overttun to My Bookish Bliss with a guest post relating to his book Terra Nova 2 – Genesis: Vision of the New World. In this post, you will find a synopsis of the book as well as the complete 2nd chapter. Follow the links at the end for more information.

Through My Wife, Natasha, on Twitter: @neoverttun

Synopsis of Terra Nova 2 – Genesis: Vision of the New World

A light streaking across the predawn sky, an explosion and an impending menace from above, seemingly unrelated events but connected to space-time distortions predicted by an obscure scientific paper over 250 years ago. That same paper has predicted an end to the universe.

Has the unthinkable become a reality?

The ruling-class Celesti see the danger as real and imminent since planet Arkos could become compromised in as little as 1,000 years. To them, that is one lifetime. That same timeframe is ten lifetimes to the servile-class Gendu. To them, the threat does not even exist.

There are those within the Celesti who see the Gendu as a more immediate threat. Their solution is to genetically engineer a more pliant servant class and leave Arkos for an unknown planet. Is that even possible?

But will it even matter? The leaders of the Celesti, the Transcended, know a terrible secret: The Celesti are dying.

Against this backdrop of extinction lies the politics of power. A new leader has just assumed her role as the head of the Gendu Houses. However, she is an outsider. Will she be accepted or will she be cast out as an interloper?

Also, the leader of the most powerful religious organization on the planet is missing and presumed dead. It is the opportunity of a lifetime for anyone bold enough to seize the moment. Who will fill this void? Someone with a hunger for influence and privilege? Or someone with a calling for a higher purpose?

Finally, there is a prophecy from the Codices of Taru which foretells of a time of darkness when the “head will be cleaved from the body” that will announce the coming of the “Deceiver”. Ancient superstition or a vision of the future?

Genesis: Vision of the New World tells this story in vivid detail, an evolution of the narrative begun in Universe: Awakening. As part of this journey, it takes a fascinating look into the world of the Gendu and introduces readers to a host of new characters and relationships. It is a potpourri of science, political intrigue, and discovery-driven by characters with selfish and selfless motives.

Genesis: Vision of the New World – Chapter 2 – Person of Interest – Background, Commentary, and Excerpt

I would like to extend my thanks to Kimberly for allowing me to do the inaugural excerpt of my second book, Genesis: Vision of the New World, on My Bookish Bliss. The excerpt that I’m presenting today is the second chapter of my second book. Why not start at the Prologue or chapter one, you ask? Well, my selections are always dictated by my wife, Natasha, since she prepares the visuals. Whatever chapter happens to inspire her, that’s the one that gets presented. So, if readers that follow my posts think the posts hop around, they do! If you want something with more continuity, DM my wife (@neoverttun). I just work here.

Anyway, I digress…

The scene opens with Jo’el, one of the MCs, being led down a corridor. He is physically restrained and under guard. Is he a criminal? No, as the title for the chapter suggests, he is a person of interest. Why? Without being a spoiler, all I can tell you is that he had a scheduled meeting with First Minister Odessa, the leader of the Governing Council of planet Arkos. Her office has enhanced advanced security technology designed to detect threats, security that our MC triggered. This is not the first time they have met in this venue. So, what’s changed?

To find out, I misquote Macbeth: “Read on, MacDuff. Read on…” — Genesis: Vision of the New World, Chapter 2: “Person of Interest”.

Jo’el, with two guardians in front and two behind, made his way down a long corridor. He was encased in a one-way, translucent bubble. It made him unrecognizable to an outside observer yet allowed him to observe his surroundings. It was standard transportation procedure for an individual who was of interest but had not been charged with a crime. It prevented him from fleeing but, at the same time, protected his identity and any resulting stigma of wrongdoing should he subsequently be released. The detail stopped in front of a nondescript door.

“Please enter,” one of the guardians said.

Two guardians followed him inside, while the two remaining guardians took up position in the corridor.

“Good afternoon to you, Director Jo’el,” a friendly voice said, as the bubble began to dissipate.

“That remains to be seen, Dr. Kyros,” Jo’el replied, as the two men grasped forearms.

“Setting off alarms, are we?”

“So, it would seem,” Jo’el replied apprehensively.

“Well, have no fear. We will soon get to the bottom of this!” Then, Kyros turned to the guardians. “I will be conducting a physical examination. You may wait outside.”

“With respect, Dr. Kyros, standard procedure is to be within close proximity to the person of interest at all times.”

“May I put up a translucent barrier to at least give my patient some measure of dignity?” he replied, with mild exasperation in his voice.

“That is permissible.”

“Thank you,” he replied cheerfully. He made a large gesture, waving his hands as if he was making a grand presentation. “Examination privacy.”

A floor to ceiling barrier formed, separating them from the guardians. It was visually translucent and provided audio privacy.

“My office configuration complete with armamentaria,” he called out.

The space within the barrier transformed into a replica of his office.

“Please take off your jacket, roll up your sleeves and have a seat,” he instructed Jo’el, pointing to an examination chair. “You can hang that up over there.”

A bank of monitors along one of the walls activated once Jo’el was seated.

Kyros looked intently at the multitude of readings taken by the examination chair then turned his attention to Jo’el. “Ok…good. Now keep your forearms flat on the armrest,” he said, pressing gently down on Jo’el’s forearms. “You will feel a slight itching sensation as I take some blood and tissue samples… Good. You can relax.” Returning his attention back to the screens, he called out, “Examination table with footrest. Recline to horizontal.”

After the chair morphed into the examination table, he picked up a flat-black, metallic device and moved it slowly from Jo’el’s head to his feet just above his aura’s visible corona. “Raise to standing.”

The table tilted to almost vertical.

He took a device that resembled an auriscope and looked into Jo’el’s left ear. “Cover your right ear…” he said. “Ok, put your hand down.” Then, he repeated the procedure on the other side. “Well, everything looks just fine. I can see right the way through,” he said jokingly.

Jo’el’s concern made him oblivious to the attempt at humor.

“Audio scanner.”

A device that looked like a pair of earmuffs appeared on a nearby counter.

“Please put these on. These will test your audio acuity,” he said, handing Jo’el the muffs. He watched the monitors for Jo’el’s aural reaction to a series of sounds of different loudness, pitch, frequency, duration, and timbre. “Clear audio scanner. Ocular scanner.”

The audio scanner dissipated and something akin to a pair of bulky, shaded glasses appeared on the nearby counter.

“Next, I will examine your eyes and test your vision. Please put these on,” he said, handing Jo’el the glasses.

As the device scanned Jo’el’s eyes, he watched the monitors for Jo’el’s ocular reaction to a series of light pulses of different frequency, duration, color and brightness. “Clear ocular scanner. Examination chair.”

The glasses dissipated as the table morphed back into its original form.

Kyros looked intently at the screens that displayed the results of the examination. “Hmmm…my preliminary assessment is that everything looks…” Something seemed to have caught his eye, and he took up a position beside the examination chair. He waved his hand and the screens moved in front of them. “You seem normal except for an odd energy reading in your aura. See? It is almost imperceptible, obscured by the others. It could have easily been missed. Maybe, we can have a closer look. Computer, remove all screens except the one displaying auric readings.”

All the screens save one disappeared. He grabbed the opposite corners of the remaining screen and stretched it on the diagonal, making it larger. He then framed his hands in the middle of the screen, creating a rectangle around a band of energy streams. He waved his hands above, below and to the sides of this rectangle, eliminating the view of the screen outside of it. Then, he grabbed the upper and lower borders and pulled them apart, separating the strands into more identifiable tendrils. “That one,” he said, pointing to a particular thread. “Computer, isolate, magnify and enhance.”

The other energy configurations disappeared leaving one with a dark-green signature. Jo’el’s eyes widened.

“Strange. I have never seen anything like this before,” Kyros said. “Computer, label as ’Unknown Energy’ and save. Does this energy signature match any known configurations?”

“No.”

“Does this energy pose any sort of health risk?”

“Unknown.”

“Does it conform to any known energy signatures that do present a health risk?” Jo’el interjected, with some trepidation in his voice.

“No.”

“Do I exhibit any cellular degradation?”

“No.”

“Do I exhibit any micro-cellular degradation?”

“No.”

“Does this energy signature appear to be incompatible with living tissue or any of the corporeal systems of my body?”

“No.”

“Then, I should be fine,” he concluded, with a sigh of relief.

“An excellent diagnosis, Doctor Jo’el,” Kyros said, with a smile.

“My apologies, Dr. Kyros,” he said contritely. “It seems my health concerns have gotten the better of me.”

“Of course, Director Jo’el,” Kyros replied kindly. “I understand your concern.”

“What will you recommend?”

“For the moment, I can see no health risk, so I will release you with a provisional clean bill of health. You may resume your normal activities providing you wear a monitor, so I can keep an eye on this energy reading.”

“That is very reasonable. Thank you.” Then, another concern dawned upon him, a remnant from his past. “Dr. Kyros…I know you have to report to Minister Odessa, but could you wait until the final results? I have fallen under a cloud in the past because of my health, and I would not want to go through that again, especially if it turns out to ultimately be nothing.”

As his physician, Kyros knew Jo’el had recovered from mental trauma. He also knew the stigma attached to the condition. Here, yet again, was something that could dog his patient. He could appreciate Jo’el’s request. “Well…it is unusual. However, I do remember what happened the last time…Very well, I will withhold all judgment until my final analysis.”

I have a confession to make. I am more of a movie than a literary buff. My reading tends towards nonfiction, books like: Antifragile by Nassim Taleb and The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford. For that reason, I write like I would be describing a scene from a movie. That’s why there’s a lot of description. It takes more space on a page but would only last a few seconds on the silver screen.

The point of the chapter is to get to Jo’el’s aura that has picked up an unusual energy. It was the inspiration for Natasha’s visual that she has entitled…well, I can’t tell you because it will give away some of the plot. Let’s just call it Undisclosed for now.