Broken World , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Marco Bucciferro

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96 pages

English

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Inspired by the current world situation, blighted by wars and evil dictators, Broken World thrusts the hero of the story, Mark Angelo, into an alien world, one that he has been chosen to save from extinction. However, despite their technological advances, the alien race is unable to feel love or compassion. Instead, their world's two hemispheres vie against each other for supremacy, driven by jealousy, greed and self-interest and a desire for world domination. Mark has something the alien world needs in order to survive, and he is willing to help. However, the motives of Second Hemisphere's leader are called into question when Mark is sent, as part of a team, on an archaeological expedition to First Hemisphere to retrieve the Eye of Rancour, an ancient artefact with unknown powers. Instead, he finds himself on a mission to save the alien world from destruction, trapped in the midst of a war, and embroiled in a battle of wits and courage to defeat a power-crazed ruler. Throughout the book, parallels can be drawn with our own world, challenging the reader to consider, question and draw conclusions about modern-day events and wrestle with their political, social and personal conscience.

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Science fiction

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	23 décembre 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781910295939
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Title Page
BROKEN WORLD
A Surreal Journey of Death and Life
by
Marco Bucciferro

Publisher Information
First published in 2004 in paperback by
Apex Publishing Ltd
titled ‘Reject World’
First published as an eBook in 2014 by
Apex Publishing Ltd
12A St. John’s Road, Clacton on Sea
Essex, CO15 4BP, United Kingdom
www .apexpublishing.co.uk
Please email any queries to:
mail@apexpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk .com
Copyright © 2014 Marco Bucciferro
The author has asserted his moral rights
Cover design: Hannah Blamires
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

1
“You have shown extraordinary honour and boundless courage. This world is in your debt.”
“Thank you First Senator, I don’t know what to say.”
“Just start from the beginning,” a female voice said.
Suddenly realising he had been daydreaming again, 83 year-old Mark Angelo continued with the interview.
“That’s twice you’ve done that!” Julie said. “If we’re going to finish your autobiography you need to concentrate, the deadline is 1 March 2054.”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” replied Mark. “There comes a time when a celebrated author needs to tell his own story. Did you get that dear?”
“Yes!” replied Julie, wiping sweat from her brow.
“Is there something wrong dear?” asked Mark.
“Well sir, I wouldn’t mind moving the interview indoors,” Julie replied.
“Very well, but what’s the point of having a hundred-acre garden if you can’t enjoy it.”
In a cool library they resumed the interview.
“When I was born in 1969 the world was full of emotions, love and hate, hippies and war.
“My life was uneventful, until I was about nine. I remember our family on holiday in Italy - that’s where my parents were born; they came to England in the early sixties. Anyway, my father had taken my mother to a doctor in the village and left me with my grandparents. After a while I went for a walk into town. After about half an hour I found myself outside the doctors where my parents were. They were baffled as to how I got there ... it was a subject that often came up in conversations as I grew up. From that moment on, my life got interesting.”
“Could you tell me about your school years?” prompted Julie.
“School came and went. I hated it. If it wasn’t for television I don’t know what I would have done. Suppose that’s why I never made any friends. They would mock me for watching that space series, I’ve forgotten the name, the one by Jerry Roxbury. Anyway, that show got me through most of my life.”
“Can we take a break, sir?” Julie asked.
“Certainly. I’ll have Luigi make us something nice.”
After a short break they continued. “One thing remained a constant throughout my life; I was always so damned passive and laid back, that’s probably why I’m speaking to you right now.”
With a look of bewilderment Julie enquired, “What do you mean?”
Ignoring her he carried on. “During my life I acquired a knack for knowing what people were thinking. It didn’t get me anywhere; by the time I was forty I was divorced and living alone. I stayed there until my death at the age of 49.”
With shock and astonishment at what she’d just heard, Julie asked, “I’m sorry, did you just say your death?”
“Yes I did,” replied Mark.
“But even if you are sincere, we haven’t got enough material for your autobiography.”
“Well,” said Mark. “When I asked you here, did I not warn you to keep an open mind?”
“Yes you did,” responded Julie.
“Then just listen and write,” Mark pleaded.
“Okay,” Julie said, by this point bemused and confused.
“When I came round from what I believed was an afternoon nap, I found myself in a pitch black room. There was a big round light in the middle of the floor, which illuminated just the furniture. A figure approached. He had bone ridges where the eyebrows should be, and his nose was longer than that of a normal human ...”
“How do you feel?” the figure asked.
Mark responded, “Who are you and where am I?”
Looking quite angry, the alien replied, “I can see you have many questions just like the last one.”
An older voice came over a speaker system. “When he is ready, show our guest to my office.”
“Come with me,” ordered the alien. Walking through corridors with chrome coloured walls, they reached an office. “Go in and wait.”
Sitting at a desk was an important looking man. “Welcome, sit, I’ve been expecting you.”
“What do you mean you’ve been expecting me? Who are you and where am I?”
“I am First Hegemon Stross, but you can call me Stross. You’re on a planet which has two continents, called First and Second Hemisphere; we are on Second Hemisphere.”
“Let me guess, run by you no doubt.” Mark replied.
“I like to use the word ruled.”
“What about First Hemisphere?” asked Mark.
With a look, Stross replied, “They are a race of warmongering nomads determined to rule over everything and everyone. Several times they have tried but failed to conquer Second Hemisphere and our fear is that they may one day succeed. That’s why you’re here. This is a world of eight billion and no individual has the potential for compassion, or knows how to love.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what that’s got to do with me,” replied Mark.
“Our brains can’t produce a certain chemical that enables one to show love or compassion. Instead, we are driven to outdo one another by having better careers or bigger families. We’ve estimated that in 50 years we will lack the resources to serve an estimated 12 billion people. We are doomed to become a broken world unless you can help us.”
“How can I help?” asked Mark.
“Despite our failures, we have made some technological advances. We have the means to manipulate the brain in many ways. We can wipe long and short-term memory. Also we have just completed tests on our new graphic image representation device.”
“What does that do?” enquired Mark.
“The GIR is capable of creating an image of anything that has been downloaded into its portable device. Would you care for a demonstration?”
“Sure, why not,” said Mark.
Stross walked to a wall safe and took out a GIR portable device. He proceeded to scan Mark’s entire body, much to Mark’s discomfort. Stross then pressed a button and, to Mark’s amazement, there before his eyes stood an exact image of himself.
“I must say, this all sounds very impressive, but still, why am I here, how did I get here and why are you all speaking English?” enquired Mark.
“Actually, you’re speaking our language. We’ve downloaded your brain with a language matrix, which enables you to be fluent in our native tongue. And to answer your other question, you died. Fortunately we had time to revive you; we took your body from six feet under the ground.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Mark.
“Well, Mark, the bottom line is, we need some of the serotonin in your brain.” Stross explained. “What?” Mark gasped in horror.
“We can then replicate enough for eight billion people. It will be a simple process, you won’t feel a thing and there won’t be any side effects. In return, we will send you back to your home world where you can live out your life a healthy person, away from the people that know you; you wouldn’t want to be recognised by somebody when you’re supposed to be dead. We can download any language you wish so you can live anywhere you desire.”
“No way man! This is all crazy, I need to get out of here,” retorted Mark.
“We’ve sent someone back to your world before and he lived a very rewarding life.”
“More lies,” Mark muttered calmly.
“If you just let me explain. On your world the year was 1969. One of our scout ships detected massive amounts of serotonin, and it was finally decided that the serotonin came from an individual called Jerry Roxbury.”
Mark raised his head with interest.
“Ah, I thought that name would spark your interest,” said Stross.
“The scout ship erected a buoy on a nearby moon to monitor his life signs. When he died about 15 years later they retrieved the body for revival.”
“What happened next?” asked Mark animatedly.
“Just before serotonin transfer, Jerry Roxbury changed his mind and became very angry. Of course it meant that the serotonin transfer was impossible, so we returned him to where he wanted to go.”
With great enthusiasm, Mark urged, “What did he want to do? Where did he want to go?”
Stross replied, “He was ranting on about becoming a television producer, whatever that is. However, we did warn him that his short-term memory would be wiped and that he wouldn’t remember anything he saw.”
Mark probed curiously, “Is it possible that the memory wipe procedure could be flawed?”
“Never! The procedure is flawless!” Stross retorted angrily.
Mark sniggered to himself like a little kid.
Stross gathered himself together saying, “Do you know what our scientists found out later?”
“No, what?” Mark asked inquisitively.
“The massive amounts of serotonin detected in 1969 came from you.”
“I was born in 1969,” Mark said.
“Yes, we know, a happy coincidence,” replied Stross.
Meanwhile, on First Hemisphere 13 senate members gathered for crisis tal