The
Underminers
A.C.
Thompson
Genre:
Young Adult Science Fiction
Publisher:
Short on Time Books
Date
of Publication: August 20, 2014
ISBN:
1500822396
ASIN:
B00MWIQCVE
Number
of pages: 202 pages
Word
Count: 52,000
Cover
Artist: Tony Bryson
Book
Description:
In
an alien galaxy, two dangerous criminals are sentenced to a remote
prison planet known for its savage brutality and low life expectancy.
The planet is Earth. Many years later, a mysterious substitute math
teacher arrives at a suburban Southern California high school. A wave
of inexplicable vandalism begins. High school senior, Tory, and her
bullied brother, Jason, find themselves caught up in the conflict as
the entire population of the school, student and staff alike, are
affected by random acts of maliciousness. Although she hates him at
first, Tory becomes increasingly drawn to her very handsome, but
oddly vindictive math teacher who seems to be connected to what is
going on.
Available
at Amazon
Excerpt:
Prologue
Inside
the vermilion-hued walls of Court Number VXV on the gas giant planet
of Kratora in the Core of the Gateway Galaxy, the verdict of a trial
was about to be handed down. The court floated in the midst of giant
banks of roiling clouds, its thick, crimson cellophane-like sides
gleaming dimly with the constant flashes of lightning discharging all
around it. Within, the silence hanging over the chamber belied the
fury of the atmosphere raging outside. The interior of the court was
vast and empty, with the exception of a large dais set in the center
of the dark, gleaming floor. The far wall facing it consisted of a
huge screen displaying the image of a sparkling whirlpool galaxy, its
spiral arms streaked with swaths of deep pink, red and silvery blue,
rotating slowly in deep space. At its heart pulsed a brilliant,
blinding eye of light, hypnotic and irresistible. Two figures stood
on the dais, sealed inside individual energy fields that hugged them
like second skins. The fields held them completely immobile, unable
to even turn their heads to look at one another. Powerless, helpless
and frozen in their soundless environment, they waited for judgment.
A
voice suddenly broke the stillness, bodiless and ethereal. It filled
the empty space in an omniscient manner, seeming to issue forth from
the walls, ceiling and floor, enveloping the two captives. “Subject
B-25841. Subject N-79306. Direct your attention to the victim of your
crimes.”
Mute
and paralyzed, they gazed forward at the galaxy on the screen, their
eyes held open wide by the invisible force surrounding them. “Is
this not an example of the perfection of the
Universe?
Have our paltry thousands of years of knowledge yet to explain even a
fraction of how such a miraculous creation operates and exists?”
On
the left side of the dais, a tremor passed through Subject B-25841.
The energy field around him shimmered in response.
The
voice continued. “The work you have both done is renowned
throughout the Gateway. Your discoveries have been remarkable and
beneficial indeed. However, your arrogance has kept pace with your
advances.”
The
image of the galaxy in front of the prisoners began to fade away
until the screen was totally black. Gradually another image took
form, almost impossible to see at first, as the center of it
contained an utterly blank void, gaping and huge. Dots and circles of
light appeared at the edges of the space, revealing a massive black
hole. Perfectly round, streams of light orbited around it, outlining
a sharply defined border. Beyond it, stars near and far shimmered
like crystals strewn across a black velvet cloth, providing a milky
background for the ominous emptiness. “Your meddlesome and
dangerous experimentation has put the entire Gateway at untold risk.
A phenomena that has existed at the heart of the Core for millions of
years in benign balance with the matter around it has suddenly grown
exponentially in size and strength. The solar systems in closest
proximity to it are now in immediate need of evacuation. In addition,
we have not yet determined what the extent of this evolving disaster
will be, or what measures will need to be taken to resolve it.”
The
voice ceased, leaving the chamber bathed in tense, expectant silence.
The bound prisoners scarcely seemed to breathe, waiting. Up on the
screen, the black hole faded from view. As the quiet stretched to a
nearly unbearable point, a final picture formed above. It was a
planet, glittering in the reflected rays of its home star. Streaks of
filmy white cloud cover drifted across the surface, and far below
great expanses of blue water shone, broken by large masses of land at
various intervals. The disembodied voice resumed to deliver final
sentence.
“There
is no doubt the Universe will correct the imbalance you have wrought.
However, the cost to life in this galaxy is yet to be calculated. It
is for that as yet unknown tragedy that you are sentenced to exile at
the farthest edge of the Gateway Galaxy for the rest of your natural
life cycle. The planet before you is your destination. It is a Level
8 Containment World in the Vector 285-346 Quadrant of the North
Hyper-Extension. The indigenous life forms there call it Earth. Your
sentence will commence immediately.”
Above
the dais, the glossy red cellophane material of the ceiling began to
shift into a colorless opaque color. With much pained effort, Subject
N-79306 forced his gaze upward to stare at it, his eyes dilated with
fear. The energy fields around the condemned pair sparked and
rippled, tightening even further around their hosts. Subject N
struggled against the constriction, working his mouth desperately to
speak. A whisper pushed through his lips, hoarse and low.
“You…”
he croaked. Subject B-25841 shook slightly, indicating that he had
heard his companion. “I’m going to kill you,” he hissed. The
ceiling became fully transparent, revealing the violent electrical
storm that never ceased beyond the courtroom.
High
above the structure, a funnel-shaped space emerged, pushing the
billowing clouds of gas aside and blocking the jagged spears of
lightning. The funnel descended until it reached into the chamber
itself, hovering over the heads of the captives. Subject B-25841
closed his eyes with resignation as the fields around them levitated
into the blackness and disappeared.
About
the Author:
A.C.
Thompson lives in Southern California with her husband, a pooka in
the form of a white bunny rabbit, and two feline overlords. When she
isn’t writing, she subtitles and captions movies and TV shows,
putting her degree in English literature to some use.
The
Underminers is her first novel.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ACTales
Great excerpt! What an intriguing book!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for hosting me on your blog! A. C. Thompson
ReplyDelete