What Tomorrow May Bring

by Tony Bertauski

  They rolled the stiff body into the hole.

  It was strange to throw sand on the face. It was hardly recognizable, but it was the only thing Reed had known until a week ago. He was breathing harder with each shovelful of sand. It wasn’t so much the exertion anymore. That’s not me, he kept telling himself. That’s not me.

  But he didn’t resist when Danny took the shovel from him. Reed went to the water while he and Zin finished the job. He listened to them pack the sand over the body’s final resting place.

  Finally, it was at peace.

  The sun dropped below the horizon. The sky was a myriad of purples and reds and oranges. They stood on the hardpacked sand, the water wrapping around their ankles. Home was out there. The outside world was within reach.

  For the first time, Reed embraced hope.

  Zin leaned on the shovel. “You know, they were right, the old men. There’s not much for us to go back to. I don’t know about you guys, but I got nothing out there. I’m not saying I want to stay here, but there’s nothing great waiting for me in the real world. My life sucked. I got no parents, no home… I got nothing.”

  “That’s why we’re not going back there, Zin.” Danny put his arm over his shoulder. “We’re starting a new life.”

  Slowly, the sky went dark.

  They left the golf cart on the beach and walked back. They crossed the Yard and went around the dormitory. For the first time ever, the Chimney was dark. They passed it on their way toward the Mansion.

  Danny was on the back of a yacht.

  The foamy water rippled in deep-cut waves as the ship’s motors churned the water. He held onto the railing and watched the island recede into the night. A few lights twinkled on the back of the Mansion. Danny informed the old men that he would be passing through and they needed to be in their rooms. He reminded them that he had control of their trackers and that he would put them to sleep on sight.

  They were old and harmless. Still, the three of them walked cautiously through the building and across the back yard to the yacht. He saw them watching from their windows. They would see the Director with them (without the beard) and would want to talk to him, to find out why he was keeping them imprisoned after they paid a fortune. They would want to tell him that he would not get away with this. But they wouldn’t get the chance.

  They would never have the chance.

  The Director, as they knew him, was no more.

  Reed had shut down the Looping Program, ending the identity known as the Director.

  Even if the old men knew the Director had passed, there was nothing they could do. There was no communication with the outside world. That was the terms of their contract. They signed their life over to the Director. They had purchased a younger body when they acquired a young man, but had to sell their soul in order to do so.

  Once they were on the yacht, Reed took the helm. Zin stayed up front to watch the way to the other island. The rest of the boys were back on the island and would never know they were gone. They would keep playing games, find food in the cafeteria and sleep in the dormitory. They probably wouldn’t even know something was wrong.

  Until help arrived.

  “There it is!” Zin called. “Straight ahead!”

  Reed waved from the helm. Danny joined Zin at the bow. The water was black and the island invisible in the dark except for a single light at the end of the dock. There would be someone waiting to help them tie off the yacht. Reed had called ahead, telling them to prepare the plane. He would be bringing the boat over soon.

  They sounded surprised. The Director, flying?

  Of course, he told him. Vacation is long over due.

  It took some research, but Danny discovered the Director was a billionaire many times over. He had so much money that if they split it three ways, they would all still be billionaires. For the time being, they were going to stay together. The Director had an estate in Italy.

  That seemed like a good place to start a new life.

  Missing Satellite Uncovers Human Trafficking Ring

  ASSOCIATED PRESS. – The Military Strategic and Tactical Relay (MILSTAR) reported the sudden crash landing of one of their satellites in the South Atlantic when their network was infected with a malicious virus. The virus will likely cost the government millions of dollars to recover and reestablish communication.

  However, the recovery of the downed satellite was near a remote island previously thought to be unoccupied. Authorities of the United States have reported a sophisticated human trafficking ring. Preliminary reports have identified wide-spread use of banned technology called Computer-Assisted Alternate Reality (CAAR), though it is unclear how the organization was using the technology.

  In addition, dozens of previously reported dead or missing people were being held captive in a resort located on the island. All the people are male and worth billions of dollars. None have agreed to cooperate with the investigation until they have consulted their legal counsel.

  However, many have admitted the leader and creator of the island’s society was missing. Currently, his name has not been discovered but he went by the nickname, The Director.

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  Novels by Tony Bertauski

  CLAUS

  Claus: Legend of the Fat Man

  Jack: The Tale of Frost

  Blitz: Journey of a Snowman (Coming!)

  FOREVERLAND

  The Annihilation of Foreverland

  Foreverland is Dead

  Beyond Foreverland (Coming!)

  HALFSKIN

  Halfskin

  Clay

  Bricks (Coming!)

  SOCKET GREENY

  The Discovery of Socket Greeny FREE!

  The Training of Socket Greeny

  The Legend of Socket Greeny

  The Socket Greeny Saga

  DRAYTON

  Drayton (The Taker) FREE!

  The Drayton Chronicles (All 5 Drayton novellas)

  A Taste of Tomorrow

  11 author boxed set including Tony Bertauski, Hugh Howey, Sean Platt and more!

  * * *

  THE GIRLS FROM ALCYONE, Cary Caffrey

  Dystopia, by Cary Caffrey

  Science-Fiction presents a terrific opportunity for any writer. At its most basic it’s a chance for us to wonder about what could be, what might be, or warn of dangers that might come to pass. But when it’s at its best (possibly most subversive), great science-fiction is really all about “what is.” It’s about the here and now. It’s about us.

  I could have set The Girls from Alcyone in the present (I almost did). After all, the story takes place in a world where the corporatocracy has finally supplanted all democratic forms of government, where indentured servitude and bonded labourers are the norm, and where the world’s populations have been neatly divided into the haves and have-nots. Kind of like today!

  But I knew if I did (set the story in present day) it would have radically changed the tone and turned the novel into something I didn’t intend. Politics might be very near and dear to me, but I didn’t want TGfA to become a treatise on the rise of the new industrial imperialism. That wasn’t the novel I wanted to write. I wanted to write an adventure.

  More than that, I wanted to write a story about the endurance of friendship, unwavering loyalty and love (yes, I am that much of a sap). I wanted to show a possible future where inclusiveness and acceptance were the norm, not the exception—even in a world where 99% of the population lives in abject poverty. I wanted to give my characters a chance to live without the burdens of prejudice, where no one cares about your nationality, your sexuality, or gives a second thought to who you date or who you love. All with no questions asked. Because they have bigger things to worry about. Like survival.

  And, goddammit, I wanted the story to be fun!

  Setting a story like this in the present day would be impossible. Who would
believe it? But, that’s the beauty of science-fiction, and that’s why I love it so much. When we look to the future—in the case of The Girls from Alcyone, three hundred and fifty years into the future—absolutely anything is possible.

  The Girls From Alcyone

  Cary Caffrey

  The Girls from Alcyone. Published by Cary Caffrey. Copyright 2011 by Cary Caffrey. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more information, visit Cary Caffrey at carycaffrey.com

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This novel is a work of fiction created by the author. All characters, events and organizations portrayed in this novel are works of the author’s imagination.

  Cover art by Zodev Studios

  Published by Tealy Books, NB, Canada

  All rights reserved.

  For Gisele, for all the reading and listening (and the listening, and the reading…). With thanks to Pete, Mickie, Flood, Tiffinie, Scott, Kelly, Michael, Bob, Andy and Stef. You all get a cookie.

  Prologue

  Planet Earth

  March 2, 2339

  The wet cloak hung heavy over Dr. Lisa Garrett’s shoulders. The wide hood kept slipping low over her face so she had to keep lifting it to see where she was going. She cursed as her foot found another deep puddle. Though cumbersome and stifling, the cloak at least gave her some protection from the torrential rains that always fell on Earth these days.

  She might have passed unnoticed through the narrow and crowded alley were it not for the three hired bodyguards who shadowed her. The men stayed close to her side studying all passersby, shooting warning looks at anyone who ventured near their ward. They kept their sidearms in plain sight, worn on clips at their hips in easy reach of their hands. There could be no mistaking their intent.

  Lisa knew the streets of Earth were no place for a young man or woman to be walking alone, but she felt ridiculous with the hired thugs traipsing after her. She couldn’t wait to get back to Alcyone and the Academy where she’d no longer need the service. As much as she detested Earth, she had insisted on coming. Her work for the Kimura Corporation, the small but prestigious mercenary company, was at a critical juncture and she couldn’t trust anyone to negotiate the meeting on her behalf. She needed this girl too much.

  Kimura hadn’t wanted her to make the trip from Alcyone. On Earth, she’d be exposed to attacks from rival corporations—either from those who wished to steal her as an asset or kill her as a threat. While the dangers were real, she was probably at greater risk of becoming the victim of a simple random mugging.

  The heavy steel gate of the habitat groaned opened for her as she approached; the security system having already logged her as an expected guest. Inside, the small lobby was decorated in typical Earth fashion—garbage and graffiti, and smelling faintly of urine. She frowned at the puddled floor, almost as wet as the street outside and fed by a perpetually dripping ceiling.

  Lisa removed her hood. The constant humidity was doing a number on her hair. She ran her hands self-consciously through her damp chestnut curls. At twenty-five, she was much younger than usual for someone holding Ph.D.s in Neurology, Genetics and Biomechanics. Her soft, curved face and large hazel eyes belied a fiercely competitive nature and a sharp, analytical mind.

  Lisa knocked on the armored door of the small, cube-shaped apartment while her bodyguards waited at a discreet distance. “What a shit-hole,” she muttered to herself, looking around at the crumbling hallway.

  As the door opened, a middle-aged couple greeted her, but Lisa’s eyes were drawn to the young girl standing just behind her parents. She recognized Sigrid instantly. Nine years old, with long blond hair, she was very small for her age. The girl was just a tiny, timid thing, but she was perfect—a perfect physical specimen, an ideal, and a very rare, genetic match for her program.

  Finding her had not been easy. It was only her access to Kimura’s vast resources that had enabled her to locate the girl. Now she just needed to persuade the parents to let her take their child away, halfway across the galaxy. Probably for the rest of her life. At least the family’s current financial predicament was no secret. It was hardly an uncommon problem, but such information could prove to be important—and something she could use.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Novak,” Lisa said, extending her hand. “I’m so very pleased to meet you.”

  Mrs. Novak took her hand nervously. “Dr. Garrett…yes. Sigrid, come say hello to the Doctor.”

  The woman urged her daughter forward. Lisa noticed that the woman pronounced the girl’s name Seegrid, rather than Zigrid. She made a mental note.

  “Call me Lisa.” She bent low, extending her hand to the small girl who took it politely.

  Mrs. Novak motioned her inside. “Come in—please.”

  They ushered Lisa into a tiny living room where she took the proffered chair, while the Novaks and their daughter settled on the small sofa facing her. The apartment was typical of the identical habitat units found in any city on Earth; small and cramped, but efficient. The modular structures could be stacked on top of one another as needed. The cramped confines might be called intimate by some—mostly by the corporations who sold them—but Lisa found them stifling.

  “Lovely place,” she observed.

  “Oh, thank you so much. It’s not much, of course…”

  Lisa smoothed the pleats of her skirt. She knew how sensitive these meetings were, and how easily things could swing either way. Everything hinged on what she had to say next, and she chose her words carefully. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you agreed to this meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Novak. I know Kimura has already informed you they were considering Sigrid for the Academy—”

  “It does sound exciting!” the woman blurted.

  Lisa cocked an eyebrow, noting the woman’s agitated state—or was it anticipation?

  “I want you to know that Sigrid is very important to us,” Lisa told them. “Many girls are considered for the program, but few are chosen. But in your daughter’s case…” Lisa’s eyes fell to the small girl sitting between her parents. “I’m very pleased to say that she does qualify. We would very much like to have Sigrid come and stay with us—if you’ll allow it.”

  The parents breathed a relieved sigh, clutching each other’s hands. Definitely a good sign—the family was clearly more desperate than she’d thought.

  “We’re so relieved—and so happy for Sigrid!” Mrs. Novak said. “She’s looking forward to the Academy—I know it. There’s…just one thing…”

  Lisa braced for the question—the question that always came.

  “We were just wondering…we’re very grateful, of course—we know how reputable Kimura is, but this program…what exactly is it you’re going to do to Sigrid?”

  Lisa’s answer was well-rehearsed, and she leaned forward with a warm smile. “Sigrid will receive the very best education and training from Kimura. I can promise you there’s nothing like this program anywhere on Earth. You’re very lucky, Mr. and Mrs. Novak. Sigrid is a very special girl. She’s been blessed with a unique gift—one not found in millions of other girls.”

  “A gift?”

  Lisa nodded and her smile widened. “Yes. And I will show her how to use that gift.”

  Before Mrs. Novak could enquire further, Lisa took a data-pad from her purse and unfolded it, nudging it
across the coffee table to the Novaks. On it was displayed the contract with the very extravagant sum Kimura would forward to the Novaks’ accounts. “I believe this will be more than adequate to take care of your entire family’s financial…situation.”

  Discussing the finances always felt perverse to Lisa. Fortunately, Mr. Novak’s eyes bulged at the amount displayed on the pad. He pressed his thumb to the screen eagerly.

  Mrs. Novak made a show of at least pretending to read the contract before signing. “The program does sound intriguing. I’m sure if Mr. Novak wasn’t…well, if Peter hadn’t had such bad luck with the markets…”

  Lisa grimaced. She never understood their need to explain their financial difficulties.

  Mrs. Novak sniffed. “No one could have foreseen the downturn in commodities. Still, I’m certain we would have wanted Sigrid in the program, regardless. We always suspected she was gifted. Isn’t that right, darling?”

  Mrs. Novak nudged her husband whose eyes remained fixed on the money displayed on the pad. He nodded, grunting assent.

  Lisa retrieved the pad and folded it back into her purse. “Of course.”

  “And with Sigrid’s birth-debt…” Mrs. Novak wrung her hands together. “Well, you know…”

  Lisa knew all too well. Birth-debts were the increasingly popular practice that allowed debt-ridden families to defer their burdens to their unborn children. Girls like Sigrid were often born into staggering seven-figure debts. For the Novaks, selling their daughter’s life contract to Kimura would rid the family of generations of financial ruin. It would take Sigrid most of her life to work off that debt as an indentured laborer for Kimura.

  “Yes, of course,” Lisa said, with practiced sympathy. “A tremendous burden on a young girl.” Lisa believed in her heart that Sigrid would be better off with her than with these people—better off on Alcyone than on this crowded, dirty and crime-infested planet. The only people left on Earth were the people who couldn’t afford to leave.