Release date: September 20, 2015
Sub-genre: Hard Science Fiction, Post-apocalyptic
About Terminal Reset:
Renowned Astrophysicist Dr. David Harding discovers The Wave, a mysterious force on a collision course with Earth. He has no idea of just what will happen as the Earth passes through its influence.
But when The Wave hits our planet, all organic life undergoes a dramatic regression. The physical changes wrought by The Wave create massive upheavals in the traditional ways and value systems of previous generations.
There are devastating consequences, on an apocalyptic scale. Governments topple; food supplies and animal life are decimated. The world is suddenly poised on the brink of nuclear devastation. Strife between the countries of Earth – and the discovery of an ancient scourge - create a hazardous environment for those affected by The Wave.
Harding sets out with his catatonic wife to survive in this strange and dangerous environment. When his former lover and colleague, Dr. Tatania Golovanov, contacts him via radio, he faces choices no man ever expects to have to make!
Follow the adventures and romances of a cast of intriguing people, thrust into one of the most unique situations ever depicted!
Terminal Reset is a story set in today's world, filled with complex characters, each learning to cope and adapt to the new reality imposed by the effects of The Wave.
When The Wave Hits, Everything Changes!
Excerpt:
NEW MEXICO –
Dr. Martin Groenig was one of the top astrophysicists in the world. When The Wave struck, he had 40 years and about seven months in age.
One time, long ago, Groenig had been on a triumphant arc in his life.
He had just been married, was recognized by the Nobel committee for his work on deconstructing the Solar irradiance influence on global warming, thereby cementing his chances to win the coveted award for the year. He had been the recipient of an enormous grant and had founded a scientific chair at his alma mater.
His girlfriend, although upset at his marriage, had capitulated, and even found a sense of humor about the situation. His OTHER girlfriend had decided that she was just fine with their current arrangement as well.
To top it off, he had just come back from his honeymoon, which, coupled with a Safari in Africa, allowed him to return with four trophies; one of them was a Cape buffalo he had nicknamed “Colonel Cooper.”
His pleasure at having killed the beast with a .50 caliber handgun was long forgotten, given his current predicament. Groenig fumed and struggled, trying to raise his head enough to see where his caregiver had gone.
When Groenig had found out the truth about Mars, it changed him. He became furious that such an important discovery was being withheld from public knowledge. Such information would change the political face of the globe.
He believed that when the fact of life on another planet could be unequivocally proven, religious superstitions would come under question, and logic and reason would finally prevail. Mankind would raise itself from the muck of ancient traditions based on the oral history of people long dead. A new age of Enlightenment, this time borne on the shoulders of Science and not Religion, would finally allow humanity to achieve its real purpose. All the petty squabbles of the world, warfare, famine, wanton slaughter, prejudices and ignorance would be healed by being illuminated by the fact that we were not truly alone in the Universe, that there was indeed another form of life that could only be proof of the Natural Evolution of things.
*****
Groenig styled himself to be the one man who could bring this blinding light of the truth to the unwashed masses, the political heathens, and the entrenched nobilities of Earth. He would be a modern Prometheus. Or, a modern Lucifer, if one trusted the stories of the old books. Only he did not intend to be cast aside, nor have his entrails ripped out by vultures.
He felt the prestige of his achievements warranted a measure of gravitas, and thus protection, from the baser instincts of the uninformed.
Of course, he was very wrong, and soon after his first attempts to have a press conference on the discovery of Martians, he found himself suddenly on a precipitous arc. His work was being examined and questioned. His Nobel was rescinded. His wife was alerted to the presence of his other female companions, and divorce proceedings were initiated that took half his net worth away.
Luckily, there were no children from his marriage, but in the aftermath of the public revelations of his indiscretions, he found no solace from his girlfriends. They also left him, and ultimately he was abandoned by his peers as being a ‘nutter’.
Groenig was not a man who folded easily, however, and now he made it a personal vendetta to inform the world about the hard facts regarding life on Mars. He regrouped and began working simultaneously on rebuilding his wealth, and getting the word out. He found the former childishly easy, setting up a series of blind trusts, shell corporations, and other legal constructs so circuitous only his highly honed intellect could keep them straight. He made killings in the markets but never had obvious signs of wealth. It took much of his will power to not flaunt his improving fortunes. He rarely met with women, and only to put paid to any rumors that he was on the outs. His reputation preceded him. Women would usually only date him a few times, and he found that tolerable. He had set his sights on a higher purpose and contented himself with the knowledge that he would finally reap his rewards as they met their peak. He was a frequent guest among many of the fringe talk shows, insisting that NASA had been covering up the most incredible discovery of the last millennium. The talk show hosts nodded knowingly and encouraged their most bizarre callers to engage with Groenig.
The discussions often devolved into shouting matches, or outright verbal fights that ended with Groenig calling into question the heredity of the other party. After several months of this, he decided he was only being used for his entertainment value, and stopped pursuing this path.
Meanwhile, many of those in the know within NASA, the Elite circles, and the US government began to worry that Groenig was not as harmless a threat as he had originally been defined. It was certainly true that his genius was legitimate, and that he had been exiled from the higher levels of academia and militaria. However, the man was not without his resources and kept surprising them with his tenacity, and ability to always be three or four steps ahead of them. His public relations campaigns had begun to create positive notions for him, and even his ex-wife had been known to speak of him in admiring tones.
This was unacceptable, and a campaign to further attack his credibility began.
About A. E. Williams:
Born near Pittsburgh, A.E. Williams is man of a mystery. As a young man, Williams served the United States government in various capacities, which he then followed with ten years as an outfitter. Williams finally retired and moved down to rural central Florida, where he ran a medium - sized tilapia farm. He did his writing at night, usually accompanied by a bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon and a large supply of Classic Dr. Pepper and ice.
A.E. Williams is the author of the exciting hard science fiction series "Terminal Reset", which is about the effects of a mysterious force from billions of miles away from Earth that was formed millions of years ago. When The Wave strikes, everything changes!
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