by Eliza Green
‘Let’s keep in touch more frequently,’ Bill said, removing the communication stone from his bag and tapping it with his finger.
Stephen’s expression changed. ‘I’m afraid we haven’t been able to increase the stone’s effectiveness over distance.’
‘So, how do we keep each other informed?’
Stephen shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’ Then he tapped the side of his head. ‘I’ll have to get this “reader” thing working. Then maybe I’ll be able to see you before you get here.’
Laura pulled on Bill’s arm. ‘Come on. We need to get moving if we’re going to make the next ship’s schedule. I can’t take any more time off work.’
‘And I’ll need a few minutes to sign my spacecraft out of temporary storage at the docking station,’ Jenny added.
Bill nodded at the pair then paused for a second. ‘Stephen, if you can’t get through to Anton, what will happen to him?’
‘I don’t know. Things are going to be strained without Elise. We’ll need to keep an eye on him, make sure he isn’t a danger to himself. The elders from District Seven, Gabriel and Margaux, have agreed to help out. Pierre is in no fit state to lead right now.’
‘Well, that’s your priority—to find out if Anton knows anything.’
The lines on Laura’s forehead deepened. ‘We’ll keep looking for answers, Stephen. We won’t leave you to fight this alone,’ she said. Bill placed a hand on her shoulder.
They walked off towards the city. Bill turned to wave goodbye to Stephen but he’d already disappeared into the hidden tunnel entrance. ‘What did you say to Stephen to make him smile?’ he asked Jenny.
‘I told him if he scares me again the way he did on the spacecraft, I’ll kick his arse next time.’
Laura laughed but it soon faded.
An uneasy silence hung in the air as Bill thought about the repercussions they faced when they returned home. Judging by Laura’s dour expression, she was thinking the same thing. He worried about how he could uncover new information about the government’s plans without demanding it directly from Deighton. It would be a battle.
But it was a fight that Isla had been willing to take on and one he was determined to win. With Laura’s help, he was confident that he could.
About the Author
Eliza Green tried her hand at fashion designing, massage, painting, and even ghost hunting, before finding her love of writing. She often wonders if her desire to change the ending of a particular glittery vampire story steered her in that direction (it did). After earning her degree in marketing, Eliza went on to work in everything but marketing, but swears she uses it in everyday life, or so she tells her bank manager.
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, she lives there with her sci-fi loving, evil genius best friend. When not working on her next amazing science fiction adventure, you can find her reading, indulging in new food at an amazing restaurant or simply singing along to something with a half decent beat.
Becoming Human, Altered Reality and Crimson Dawn make up the Exilon 5 series so far. Derailed Conscience is her interesting foray into psychological thrillers with a sci-fi twist.
Feeder, brand new young adult sci-fi, coming soon in November 2016. Available for preorder at a special price.
Purchase other books in the series
Prequel books to the Exilon 5 Series
Echoes of Earth
New Origin
Boxset containing both prequels
Continue with the Exilon 5 Series
Becoming Human (Book 1)
Crimson Dawn (Book 3)
Check out other books coming soon
Sign up for Eliza Green’s reader group and get a free copy of her novella, Derailed Conscience, a science fiction thriller. Click here to get started.
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Acknowledgements
I enjoyed writing Altered Reality because I got to delve into the characters a little more than Becoming Human. While Becoming Human introduces you to the dystopian Earth and “utopian” Exilon 5, Altered Reality brings my vision for the Indigenes and humans to life.
There are strong references to genetics in Book 2 and I must thank my cousin ‘P’ for her incredibly detailed account of how genetics and current gene therapies work. I now have a greater respect for the work she does as a clinical biologist. Readers should know that all my characters are fictitious, including the clinical biologist, Dr. Caroline Finnegan. Her character is based purely on my interpretation of what I believe are the moral struggles biologists must face when working with genetics.
When I wrote Becoming Human, I didn’t know what was in store for the Indigenes. It really only started to make sense as I wrote Altered Reality. The Indigenes would not be the perfect super-human race they were created to be but flawed, like humans. They are also a great deal more vulnerable than their predecessors are. Humans have nothing to lose and everything to gain by colonising Exilon 5. The Indigenes view things very differently.
I want to thank my beta readers, Kathryn, Guy and Alison for giving me solid pointers on how to improve the story. Thanks to Andrew Brown for designing an eye popping cover I can be proud of (pun intended), and to Averill, for editing and improving the flow of a story I could only ever take so far myself.
Table of Contents
Review
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Author Links
Acknowledgements