Better Times Facet Iii

Spavin Lawson kept his promise to the united human population of 32nd Century Texas City. He and his wife, Clarissa, had gathered the brightest minds they could find and put together the Technology Development Plan. The Plan was a template to build a civilization based upon ecologically sound principles. Unfortunately, the completion of The Plan required a population density that did not exist in the 32nd Century. Cataclysmic events a millennium earlier had reduced humans to uncivilized tribes totaling fewer than ten thousand people in what was once North America. Unknown to the citizens of the new city, long lost humans who were struggling to survive on Mars and Luna also assisted in the development of The Plan. A secret node on the Technology Development Plan was dedicated to the eventual reunification of all Humankind. Spavin could not entrust the future of his progeny and the human race to chance. He knew that the two-hundred year plan would need a boost at the critical point of Reunification. With his family and Shadow Warrior Nevlyn Bydman, he used his time dilator so he could guide the completion of The Plan and ensure Humankind would find better times.

From 32nd Century Wyoming, Spavin Lawson led a group of one-thousand refugees from the bunker that housed Resurgent City in a search for better times. The 22nd Century Government bunker had exceeded the design specifications of its creators thanks to the leadership of its first elected Mayor. A small city had expanded and prospered inside the mountain. The original population of less than two hundred souls had grown into nearly five-thousand. Unfortunately, the ancient nuclear power plant that provided the people the power to survive had leaked radiation for generations. The net effect of the radiation and the cave environment had altered the population. The people had developed genetic albinism with eyes well suited to the dimly lit cave city. Small in stature yet curious and adaptive, the Tribe followed the tall, dark-haired man and his wife without question. The outside world was foreign and frightening but within days, the people realized that The Judges of Resurgent City had held them in a grasp of religious fervor not based on factuality or reality. The journey they embarked upon was destined to lead them to the coast of Texas. Spavin Lawson, physicist by training, believed the coast would provide better opportunities for the otherwise doomed population. He reckoned that South Texas coast would allow the petite, pale people to re-establish the human race on Earth. That location was further from the immediate geological and environmental effects of the Yellowstone super volcano eruption that had induced a global deep freeze ten centuries earlier. His greatest concerns for Humankind were the long term effects of the high radiation exposures and the lack of genetic diversity.

ABOUT THE BOOK Chief Sarah James is hooked on the horns of a dilemma. She must decide whether the murder of a police officer or the murder of a prominent Devaney citizen takes precedence with only one detective at her disposal. Multiple suspects and an interfering Mayor complicate matters. Sarah must rely upon her motto, the one made famous by Davy Crockett, "Make sure you're right then go ahead." But - being right is not always easy.

Humanity One was built for one reason, and maneuverability was not it. The vessel was a massive biosphere that plowed its way through space guided by values established by humans long dead. Captain Cesar’s paradigms were rocked by the fact that the Innovators did not anticipate the possibility of an alien encounter. Added to the Captain’s burden was the fact that fifteen-year-old Maddie and her Generation 4 Group engaged in heresy that could spell failure for future generations and Humanity One’s Mission. Torn between the teachings of the Innovators and the radical behaviors of the Gen 4 teenagers, the aging Captain struggled to find solutions to the dual dangers to humankind. Either an attack by the aliens or the assault on tradition by the teens could lead to the extinction of humans, and the Innovators offered no guidance to successfully resolve either danger.

Baker Standish would rather do anything than stand in front of a history classroom full of disinterested teenagers. He chose a career outside of academia. His mentor, Professor Bill Jamison, suggested Lineal Chronology as the ideal career choice for a US History major. Baker Standish was overwhelmed by his new responsibilities. A Timekeeper’s duties were far reaching, farther than he could have ever imagined. One of the hazards of the job was something HR Manager Kara Leflar called Timekeeper confusion. Between the confusion and his persistent earworm, Baker wondered if his career choice was a good one. Against a backdrop of his own reality, Baker engages in mission after mission to set the links in the chain of events that create reality in the proper order. Someone is messing with the clock and it’s a constant struggle to reset it.

Baker Standish knows his world-time, his reality, the culmination of his history is at a crossroads. He also knows he is destined to play a pivotal role in choosing the right road. His experience tells him that meddling with realities can do more harm than good, but from his vantage point, meddling is the only reasonable choice. Traitors within Lineal Chronology are hell-bent on controlling the quantum elevator and the secrets that surround it. Whoever controls the elevator controls reality. With no one to trust, Baker must discover the identities of the traitors. That single task proves daunting because the traitors are not inclined to be stopped. Professor Bill Jamison set Baker on his journey. From all indications, the journey cannot be denied. Once a path is chosen, small events compound to reshape the present and the future. Baker must move forward as rapidly as possible, even though time is seemingly on his side. The risks are real, and the stakes are high. Failure is not an option ... because a reshaped reality will eliminate those closest to him.

Police Chief Sarah James has questions. Questions about a murdered John Doe. Questions about an uptick in drug usage among Devaney's teens. Questions about a major copper theft. Questions about a multi-fatality traffic accident. Questions about the new Sheriff's agenda. Questions about her future. She engages her entire department in finding the single best clue that will solve each mystery – except the last one. She has to solve that one herself.

Seldom is the path to justice easy to follow or clearly marked. The kidnapping of Terry Overton was prefaced by the murder of his younger brother, Bentley. Detective Sarah James searches for clues and a motive while the kidnappers play a nerve-racking game of cat and mouse with the Overton family. Terrys life is at stake and the clock is ticking.