The Called Read online

  FOREWORD

  I want to first thank you, the reader, for purchasing this book. I want to thank God for creativity and imagination. Without Him, this book would not be possible. I also want to thank my wife, who has supported me during the months of writing, rewriting, and editing that have gone into creating this novel. She has been so supportive and I love you dearly Rachel. I would also like to thank the many family and friends who have supported me in this endeavor and encouraged me along the way. Your kind words and encouragement have kept me motivated. I would last like to thank my little team who helped make sure that I presented my best to readers. Brad, thank you for your great book cover and Ruth, thank you for giving it a read before anyone else to make sure that it was the best it could be. I hope that you enjoy this first book of the series.

  Justin R. Price

  CHAPTER 1

  Charles sat in the hospital staring at her lifeless body. There was nothing that could be done now. His wife of twelve years was gone. She was so full of life and happiness at one time. Always laughing about something or playing with the kids. She had been taken before her time by a foe that had taken many before her. The cancer had spread so rapidly that there wasn’t much he could do to save her, though he tried. Dr. Charles Billingsley was one of the most respected and bright doctors in his field at the time. Yet, even with all of the medical advances in recent years, some his own doing, he could not save the love of his life.

  He sat in his suburban New York home remembering his last moments with his wife, Erica, and thinking about all of the hours he spent in the lab trying to find a cure for the spreading disease. It was a rare form of cancer that had begun in the kidneys. Before she was even diagnosed, it had gone deep into many of her vital organs. One-hundred years ago it would not have been possible to slow it down or stop it, but he knew there was a chance as most forms of cancer had been eradicated thanks to advances in medical technology during the 21st century.

  “Charles, I know that you have done all you can do. Don’t have any regrets. We have spent some great years together and built a wonderful life with two beautiful children. I need you to take care of yourself so you can take care of them. I believe that I will see you again.”

  He interrupted with tears running down his face, “No! Don’t talk like that Erica. We are going to find a way around this. I know we will.” But, he knew just as well as she did that it wasn’t going to happen. Those would be some of the last moments he would spend alone with his wife while she was still alert enough to speak.

  'Well, I do have regrets', he thought to himself as he sat in his large living room. 'I only wish that I had known that those were the last days I would have had with her. If I would have known, I wouldn’t have wasted all my time in the lab trying to find a cure.'

  He felt useless and he was certainly never the same from that day forward. He had always tried to remember the beautiful, happy person that Erica was during the nine years that she had been gone, but the memories of her lifeless, ninety pound shell would always come back to haunt him. By the time she was gone, she didn’t even look like the same beautiful person that he had known…not in body anyway. The only real comfort that he found in that image burned into his mind was that he knew that she was no longer there in that body. She was somewhere else. He didn’t know where. All he knew was that she was better off.

  He had noticed it many times before, but not nearly as much as he did with his own wife. The dead never look the same after they are gone. Her physical house was empty and since that day, he was empty. All of the world’s knowledge could not make up for it or explain what truly happens to a person after they are gone. The ancient wives tales and myths about life after death could not be tested in a lab, and for him, that just wasn't good enough. He should have seen the clues in front of his face. If he had just listened to his wife in her final days, all of the pieces would have come together. But, like most men, he had to discover the secrets of life, death, and the universe for himself.

  Dr. Charles Billingsley was a fairly tall man at 6’2’’. He always wore his black and gray peppered hair slicked back, his receding hairline and the wrinkles on his forehead showing all of his forty-two years.

  “Time to wake up girls."

  “Oh, come on dad. Just give me ten more minutes.” His oldest daughter, Caitlin, was seventeen years old and just starting her senior year of high school. Her dirty blonde hair hung over her blue eyes as she struggled to open them.

  “You should consider yourself fortunate honey. When I was in school, we actually had to leave the house and spend a whole day at school listening to lectures and then we had homework. Can you imagine the horror?”

  Technology had evolved quite a bit in the last several years. It was only the poor who had to still attend a public school at a physical location. For most in the middle and upper classes, a live feed could be beamed right through to wherever they were at. All that was required was a hologram projector that summoned an image of the teacher. They never even had to leave their home. Those who wanted to be more mobile could use a pocket size projector that they could carry anywhere with them.

  “Come on, you too Raelynn”. His twelve year old was only three years old when her mom died, but she certainly had her disposition. Most people who knew her called her Rae. She was a spunky pre-teen with plenty of energy and compassion for the people around her. She was passionate about everything, which sometimes translated to attitude when she didn’t agree with someone.

  "I have to head off to work girls. Your breakfast is ready and R.A.I.N. is in the living room if you need anything at all."

  R.A.I.N stands for Robotic Artificial Intelligence Nanny. Most homes in the area had one. It made life a lot easier for working parents. They have the ability to do everything that a human nanny can do with more efficiency and she even has a built in screen so that parents can stay in visual contact with their children throughout the day. Life for some people had become much easier and more secure in the twenty-second century.

  For others... life was a struggle for survival...

  "No! Come on Jake! Wake up man. Wake up!" John Robertson cradled his best friend's shredded body in his arms. He was in such a state of shock that he didn't understand that he was only holding the upper part of his body. In fact, not even that was all there. The explosive device detonated on the side of the road he was walking on. The sound and shockwave from the blast knocked John off of his feet and momentarily dazed him.

  Jake and John had become best friends during the third World War when they were stationed together in Iran. They always had each other's backs. He could count half a dozen times that they almost died together. Somehow, they always seemed to manage to get out alive with each other's help. Not on this day.

  "Come on Jake”, he said crying as he shook his remains. John lay on the ground under the bridge moaning and fighting in his sleep as the scenes played out in his unconscious mind for the hundredth time. All he could see were his friend’s lifeless eyes staring blankly at him as he jerked awake, clutching the backpack that he carried with him.

  His story was similar to what hundreds of thousands of men and women had experienced after the war. Despite the fact that many drone strikes were done and hand to hand combat was no longer as necessary, there still had to be feet on the ground to root out the enemy as well as recover and repair destroyed military technology.

  Captain John Roberts was the quintessential American in every sense of the word. He was a smidge over six feet tall with broad shoulders and blonde hair. His icy blue eyes stood out from his tanned face. His muscular build still intact well into his thirties. Even on the run, he still took care of himself. He had to stay in shape to elude the authorities.

  In the eyes of the government, hi
s post-traumatic stress disorder was a liability to the country now. Thousands of soldiers had returned home to undergo a procedure called cerebral reconditioning, which was just actually memory replacement. They would erase every memory he ever had and replace them with the ones that they created.

  John knew that if the government took him into custody, that he would never be the same person. They would give him a new identity and new memories. They would make him their property, to do their bidding. He would rather die. At least he would die being himself. He wasn’t going to become another government robot. There were far too many of those already; and two of them were on his heels.

  John realized where he was as he woke up. He threw his bag over his shoulder and continued on, walking at a fast pace. It was only three o’clock in the morning and a car quietly pulled up behind him with spotlights shining on his back.

  Fear in the pit of his stomach gripped him and his heart started to race. He could either turn around and surrender or run for his life.

  The President looked out the window of his armored limo as it hovered a foot off the ground outside of the World Council of Nations headquarters in New York. This meeting would be one of the most important in history and for the nations of the world, it was a long time coming. President Liam Cain had spent his entire first term working on rebuilding the world after the end of World War 3. The entire face of civilization had been changed after those resistant to peace and unity had been destroyed.

  He was a Senator from Michigan when the war was going on. He had ordered many of the arrests in his own state for anyone who propagated religion in public. It was seen as a divider that separated all of mankind for centuries. It caused wars, hatred, and even terrorism in some cases. In this new world, there would be no place for it any longer. The years of humanism had effectively purged most religious adherents from the earth. There were only a small percentage that still claimed any belief in a higher power.

  For the few hold outs, their fate would be decided. They could either renounce their faith or spend the rest of their lives in prison camps throughout the world. For those who were violent extremists in Muslim countries, their fate was decided during the war. Religion had been all but eradicated and a new century had dawned. In the years since, human achievement grew by leaps and bounds. No longer hindered by barriers of religion or even language, it was one world.

  The infrastructure had been built and it was time for the world leaders to concede sovereignty for the greater good of the world. The door opened, and President Cain stepped out into a sunny New York day that would go down in history as a victory for all mankind.

  “Alright men, are we ready?”

  Two secret service agents stepped out in front of him as a couple more got out of the car behind them to survey the street. They walked him into the entrance of the tower within seconds. The WCN headquarters was something to behold. A beautiful tribute to human ingenuity, it towered two hundred stories in the air and two city blocks were set aside for its enormous base. It was by far the tallest man made tower in history as it seemingly stretched into the clouds above.

  “Mr. President, thank you for coming. On behalf of the world council, I welcome you.”

  Syrian President Samyaza al Assad was the current chairman of the council. He had won the Nobel Peace prize by playing a large part of purging the Middle East of the religious scourge that had troubled the world and bringing peace and stability to the region that had been torn apart by conflict for years. Samyaza was of both European and Middle Eastern descent. He had light brown skin, dark blue eyes, and jet black hair. He was somewhat of a short man, but he carried himself with great confidence and boldness as he walked to the elevator with the President and his men.

  “This is a great day for the world. For millennia, the universe has waited for mankind to be united with one purpose. This day, we can become like the gods of legend. Nothing will be impossible for us.”

  Cain agreed, but there was just something about this guy that was different. It was almost chilling. He had been such a visible figure on the world scene for years and he had first had the pleasure of meeting him when he was still a state senator years ago. Despite this, there was a part of al Assad that nobody could seem to access. Although a humble man, there was still something about him that he couldn't put his finger on.

  “I am glad that we can move forward with the agreement. How are things in Damascus?”

  “They are exceptional. We have made great breakthroughs in the past several months. I think that we will be able to contribute a great deal to the world community. Our scientists have been making great strides toward understanding the fabric of our universe.”

  “That sounds great. I am very excited to hear all about it.”

  “Yes, I am sure that everyone will be excited about it. Well, we have made it to the top. It has been a pleasure speaking to you again Mr. President. You may enter the hall around the right side. I will give the introduction and then you will be free to make the announcement. My people will see you to your seat.”

  “Very good. Thank you Mr. Assad.”

  They both entered the top floor, which was a football field in length and width, to the sound of ferocious applause. All of the main media outlets of the world had been patiently waiting to cover this historic event. Every electronic device both large and small in the world were automatically tuning in to the live feed with each person being able to hear it in their own language instantaneously.

  Assad stood up and began, “Citizens of the world community, I am honored and humbled to greet you as this is a great day for the people of our planet. We have seen wars and terrible struggle in our time, but a new day is here. The sun of mankind has risen to shine brightly. With today’s proclamation, we will exalt our race above the stars. We will finally live together in peace and unity where struggle and bloodshed once abounded. I stand here in this great country, which has stood for centuries as a melting pot of cultures and races. It is only proper that the World Council of Nations be headquartered right here in this exceptional place that has stood for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We can now pursue it together. I am pleased to introduce to you the President of the United States, Mr. Liam Cain.”

  Thunderous applause erupted from the room as the President took the podium. Twelve billion eyes around the world sat captivated at what was taking place. For most, tears of joy and for some feelings of fear and uncertainty flooded them.

  “Thank you for the warm welcome Mr. Assad and thank you to all citizens who have shared this vision and who have ran with it through all the sacrifices and heartbreak. We salute you. Throughout the history of modern man; war, famine, disease, and ignorance have been hurdles that we have had to navigate throughout our evolutionary process. Even in our lifetime, we have seen much bloodshed and bigotry within each of our great nations. These sacrifices were necessary for the good of all, but nevertheless a painful reminder of the turmoil that divisions among us cause. Today, I stand here beside President and chairman al Assad to welcome a new day in our history. For years, relations between the United States and Syria were strained, often coming to needless violence and destruction. Thankfully, this man along with ten other world leaders took the initiative to bring peace and prosperity to all people. No longer do we allow petty nuisances such as race or religion divide us. We can now be one people with one purpose…the greatness of mankind. Because of what the World Council of Nations has done and will continue to do for our world, we can look forward to a brighter future together. There will be nothing impossible for us as we continue to technologically advance. In the coming decade, we expect to reach new solar systems through our space travel, create new technologies to increase life expectancy, and unlock the secrets that our universe and our planet hold. With this being said, I am pleased to announce the United States official membership in the council as of today. President Assad and I have come to a seven year agreement between these ten great groups of nations that are
represented here today. Your example in unity has been the predecessor for this one world government and we look forward to reaching new heights together. We no longer believe in the exceptionalism or dominance of one country, but of the human race. The next seven years and beyond will be a time of discovery, progress, and peace. I thank each and every one of you for your participation.”

  The standing room only crowd erupted in applause as Cain and Assad shook hands and then raised them together in unison.

  "Hey Chuck, are you still going to Damascus next week?” Nick said as he watched the end of the speech on his optic monitor that was implanted in his contact lenses.

  "Yes, I am. I have to get this equipment over there."

  "Alright, just checking. If you see al Assad, do you think you could get his autograph for me?"

  "Oh, come on buddy", he said with a smirk. You know that they won't let any of us mortals within one hundred feet of him."

  Nick, just shrugged and brushed his blonde highlighted hair from his face. "Well, you can't blame them. There's still people out there that want him dead. Peace isn't profitable and he just upset a lot of war mongers."

  "You've got that right. It looks like our President has followed suit. Of course, I didn't even vote for the guy. I see it as a pretty brave thing to do though. They are sacrificing their own safety to bring unity to the world. It doesn't get much nobler than that."

  "Alright Nick, are you ready for round twelve?"

  "Yea boss, let's do it. Let's just try not to blow up the lab again. I don't think my heart can take another mishap like that."

  Professor Billingsley and his young protégé, Nicholas Young had been working on a new piece of technology at Cosmic Labs. The technology allowed them to open up what was basically a very small wormhole wherever they pointed the device. For decades, scientists had seriously theorized that there were other dimensions transposed over our own and that the universe was actually folded over itself. They theorized that since two objects cannot occupy the exact same space at the same time, that there has to be a type of veil where other matter exists. They had discovered that wormholes in space were actually a gateway or tunnel that led to a different point in space and time. Unfortunately, nobody could theoretically survive the journey on that large of a scale. Now, with this new device they could manipulate energy and matter on a small scale and possibly even survive the journey. They could both open and close the portal using the device without much side effect except that everything in a ten foot radius succumbed to its slight gravitational pull and drifted toward the opening.