Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Novella: Loop (Beginning)


I've found a couple of Betareaders for A Decaying World, but only one of them has given me feedback as of yet, and only up to chapter 1. But if he continues to provide the same amount of feedback, then it would almost be as good as having an editor. I've already deleted one of the prologues and shuffled a few things around to add anything that might be missing.
Apart from that, I've started working on Loop, my scifi novella. The game it's based on is about an hour long, so it shouldn't get too big, which is why I'm not going to post the complete story, except for the first beginning. Not much is happening yet, but it should give you an idea of what it is about.
Don't forget that this is only a first draft. A lot might change later on. And I have no idea why the last story kept its indents and this doesn't.

 

Loop


A deep and steady humming noise reverberated throughout the metal chamber, its source somewhere in the depths of the facility. A red light spread across the wall-sized monitor at the front, until it had enveloped the dome displayed on its surface. At the same time, an egg-shaped structure in the center of the room began to glow, almost blinding the chamber's occupants.
Status report!” bellowed a middle-aged man with brown hair from in front of the monitor.
The Chronoshield is running at full power and the Reversal Engine is at fifty percent. There are slight fluctuations in the energy flow”—the speaker, a young man with azure-colored hair, moved his fingers across a touchpad, adjusting dozens of values within seconds—“but they're gone now!”
Professor Visan, start the countdown!”
An old man with pointy ears and graying-hair entered a command into the console in front of him. The humming grew even louder and the room began to shake.
Temporal reversal in ten,” a robotic voice echoed through the room, its source the loudspeakers embedded in the walls, “nine, eight, seven, six, five ...”
The occupants of the room, some dressed in white gowns, others in full-body armor, turned towards the egg-shaped construct. Its light was pulsing in the rhythm of the countdown, slowly transforming from blinding white to bluish black.
And when the timer reached zero, a wave of energy rippled through the room, knocking everyone from their feet. The humming turned into a shrill squealing noise and was instantly joined by the screams of the room's occupants. The walls shimmered and undulated, flesh and clothing became translucent, people were moving back and forth, the light grew dim and bright ... and then everything came crashing down.
The room fell silent as every living being vanished from within. And then it was enveloped by darkness, making it impossible to see anything.


 

First Iteration


Jadaan Iroda rose sleepily from his bed and pressed his fingers onto his temples. His head was pounding as if he was drunk, but he hadn't so much as touched a glass of alcohol in recent years.
Come on, not today!” he groaned and slammed his hands against his head, as if trying to crush the headache.
Dear”—Jadaan's blonde wife rose from beside him and crawled over to his side of the bed, gently laying her right hand on his shoulder—“is something wrong?”
My head is pounding ...”
Must be the stress. You really shouldn't work until late at night.”
It's not like I had a choice. Professor Fedor wanted to have everything ready by today.”
She muttered something under her breath before speaking up again. “Any idea what you're going to do starting tomorrow?”
Jadaan turned his head towards his wife, his hands still pressed against his skull. “You mean if everything pans out?”
She nodded and flashed him an angelic smile.
I haven't really thought about it. Let's just hope that it does work. We've never tested the machine on a scale this big. Not like we could have, even if we wanted to.”
Shall I make you breakfast before you go?”
That'd be nice. I'm going to take a shower while you're at it. Maybe it'll get rid of the pain.”
Jadaan staggered to his feet and toppled forward, almost slamming his head into the wall.
Maybe I should help you out instead,” said his wife, partially worried, partially seductive. “It doesn't take that long to replicate a meal.”
He smiled, but another wave of pain turned it into a frown.
Sorry, not in my condition. I'll manage … somehow ...”
His hands moved across the wall, steadying his steps, and after an entire minute of lurching back and forth, he finally arrived in the bathroom. He threw his sweat-soaked shirt into a corner and staggered into the shower stall.
Cold water please.”
If the bathroom hadn't been soundproof, his following scream would have echoed through the entire apartment.

Refreshed and free of the throbbing sensation within his head, Jadaan returned to the living room. A steaming cup of coffee stood on the table, next to an assortment of eggs, meat, and sandwiches. The small news-screen over the couch said: “I wish you all good luck. Wake me when everything is over.”
He smiled, slumped onto the couch closest to the bathroom, and had just taken a sip of coffee when the door into the corridor slid open. A blonde girl dressed in a green nightgown pranced into the room, her arms hidden behind her back. She grinned when she saw that her father was already awake.
Ann, what are you doing up? It's not even five o'clock.”
I know, but I couldn't sleep without giving you a lucky charm!”
She ran towards the unoccupied couch, jumped onto it, and then crawled towards her father, as if she was still an infant. Then she squatted in front of him, held out her right hand, and opened it up. A tacky amulet in the form of a four-leaf clover came into view.
Where'd she buy that? Looks like the chain would break under the slightest pressure. He smiled nonetheless and accepted her present. “You know, if everything works out, I'm going to find you a real cloverleaf!”
Really?” Her eyes widened in anticipation.
Jadaan nodded and was almost thrown from the couch when Ann jumped into his arms. He ruffled lovingly through her curly hair, took another sip from his cup, and watched his daughter gulp down an entire sandwich before he freed himself from her embrace.
Shoo! It's time for little girls to return to bed!”
But I'm already ten!” she pouted.
And still as small as a dwarf!”
Meanie!” she jumped from the couch, stuck out her tongue, and hurried away. She might have even slammed the door shut if such a feat had been possible.
Jadaan chuckled and looked at the four-leaf clover in his hand. It was far from remarkable—the material felt more like plastic than metal—but something held his attention nonetheless. He just couldn't put his finger on what.


One and a half hours later, Jadaan and his friend Taran Drago—he'd met him on the way to work—arrived at their lab. The egg-shaped structure in its center was connected to the last hope of the Seraphim: the Reversal Engine, a machine that could undo the nuclear war that had ravaged the world by enveloping it in a time bubble.
Would you look at that,” remarked Theodor Fedor, the leader of the Time Reversal Project, while stroking his scrubby brown beard. “I didn't expect to see either of you so soon.”
An old man with graying hair—Akandor Visan, one of the last elven half breeds—studied the newcomers from behind a console. “Seems like no one got any sleep today.”
Who'd be able to sleep on such a fateful day?” said Professor Drago.
Theodor nodded approvingly. “Couldn't have said it any better. We might as well start the reversal-process. Unless you've got any objections.”
Are all the safety measures in place?” asked Jadaan.
Of course,” answered Professor Visan. “Any excess energy will instantly be discharged. And the Chronoplasm has already been pumped throughout the dome. As soon as the first temporal impulse hits, the Chronoshield will jump into action. We might be able to feel a displacement of a few seconds, but that's about it.”
And did you check the machines for defects?”
Professor Iroda”—Professor Fedor crossed his arms and stood upright, peering into Jadaan's eyes like a hawk—“do you think of us as amateurs? We double- and triple-checked everything.”
Just making sure,” stammered Jadaan, involuntarily moving half a step back.
Anything else you need to make sure of?”
No, that's about it.”
Great!” Professor Fedor grinned from one ear to the other and clapped into his hands before he whirled around. “Everyone to their stations! It's time to take Meceruun back!”
Jadaan and Taran headed to their stations and a couple of scientists who had been talking in a corner did the same. Apart from them, there were only about a dozen guards as well as cyborgs gathered in the room. The general public had no access to the area, and they were supposed to think of this day like any other, just in case something went wrong. No one wanted them to get their hopes up only to disappoint them later on.
Elena, initiate the start-up protocol!” bellowed Professor Fedor.
His assistant, a stunning blonde who seemed horribly out of place among all the scientists, nodded and entered the sequence into the console she was sitting at.
The lights around the egg-shaped structure began to glow as the Reversal Engine booted up. It occupied five levels at the bottom of the dome and the part generating the time bubble consisted of a series of spinning rings. Their movement created a deep humming noise that traveled all the way into the lab, where it reverberated back and forth.
Jadaan, who had been engrossed in his work, suddenly decided to look up. Something was nagging at him, a strange sense of déjà vu. He had heard the Reversal Engine before, but never at full power. Yet he remembered this sound … this entire situation vividly, as if he had already experienced it before.
Status report!”
No, it can't be. Jadaan scratched his head as he stared at the ceiling. I must be confusing dream with reality. I really should have slept longer.
Professor Iroda, status report!” yelled Professor Fedor, clearly enraged.
Wha—oh, wait a moment ...” He hastily lowered his eyes, missing the confused look Taran send his way. “The Chronoshield is running at full power and the Reversal Engine is at sixty percent. There are slight fluctuations in the energy flow”—his fingers moved across the touchpad, adjusting dozens of values within seconds—“but they're gone now!”
Thank you!” But Professor Fedor did not sound pleased at all.
Something wrong?” whispered Taran, but Jadaan shook his head.
Professor Visan, start the countdown!”
The old man quickly entered a command. The humming grew even louder and the room began to shake.
Temporal reversal in ten,” a robotic voice echoed through the room, its source the loudspeakers embedded in the walls, “nine, eight, seven, six, five ...”
The occupants of the room turned towards the egg-shaped construct, except for Jadaan. He couldn't shake the feeling that they had gone through the same motions before. But his thoughts were scattered when a wave of energy rippled through the room, knocking everyone from their feet.
The humming turned into a shrill squealing noise and was instantly joined by the screams of the room's occupants. The walls shimmered and undulated, flesh and clothing became translucent, people were moving back and forth, the light grew dim and bright ... and then everything came crashing down.
The room fell silent as every living being vanished from within. And then it was enveloped by darkness, making it impossible to see anything.

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