Better Times - Facet III
Finding Better Times
by
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Scout Guard Lorenz moved back a step and drew her Taser from the belt holster. “I need all of you to place your hands on top of your head. Resist and I will immobilize you with my weapon.”
Spavin felt a rush of rage. His eyes hardened as he glared at the Scout Guard. He struggled to gain control of his emotions. He glanced to see how the females were reacting. Sasha’s hand was on her sword’s hilt. He drew in a deep breath and slowly raised his arms and placed his hands on top of his floppy hat. He did not want a fight to take place their first day in the 34th Century. “Very well, we will raise our hands.”
Clarissa complied as soon as Spavin’s arms started to rise. Sasha hesitated momentarily. Stephanie crossed her arms angrily. Scout Guard Lorenz misinterpreted the motion and pulled the trigger on her Taser. An electric spark flashed from the weapon and struck Stephanie’s midsection. The girl’s arms immediately dropped and stiffened. Her eyes widened and her body tensed before she toppled to the ground.
Nevlyn reacted before Spavin realized exactly what had happened. She leapt into the air and kicked her left foot against the side of Scout Guard Lorenz’s face. The Scout Guard was knocked backward. The Taser fired again. The errant spark of energy struck Spavin. Clarissa screamed. After the foot blow, Nevlyn somersaulted while in the air and landed beside the sprawled Scout Guard. By the time her feet hit the ground, she had drawn her two knives.
Sasha sprang forward and put her body between Nevlyn and the Scout Guard. “STOP!” Sasha’s commanding voice stopped Nevlyn in her tracks.
“She attacked Warrior Stephanie,” explained the pale girl angrily.
“Stephanie didn’t do as she was told.” Sasha focused on Nevlyn. She knew that she could overpower the young girl. She did not know if she could outmaneuver the nimble former citizen of Resurgent City.
Clarissa knelt beside Stephanie to check on her daughter. The girl’s eyes were squeezed shut tightly. “Stephanie, are you alright?” Worry creased the attractive face of the forty-something woman.
Stephanie responded haltingly, panting and unable to take a deep breath, “I’m okay. It hurts.” She remained still as her nerves slowly returned to normal and gave her control of her body. “I think I peed myself.”
“Nevlyn, step over there by Mother and Stephanie,” Sasha commanded. The seventeen-year old girl was angry.
Nevlyn’s goggles and hood hid her facial expressions but her exaggerated stomp toward her fallen idol did not belie her unsatisfied anger.
Sasha knelt beside Scout Guard Lorenz and removed the woman’s twisted sunglasses. A small cut on the bridge of Scout Guard’s nose was bleeding into her eyes. “Mom, I need something to wipe away blood. Her sunglasses cut her nose.”
“You are all under arrest,” Scout Guard Lorenz said weakly but angrily as she tried to rise into a sitting position. She pushed Sasha away and refused the girl’s attempts to assist her to her feet.
Spavin’s body reacted spasmodically for several moments. He had no muscle control. Every nerve in his body screamed in agony. Even so, he did not feel the impact of his body when he hit the ground. He heard voices but understood nothing he heard for several seconds. Finally, Clarissa’s voice broke through the haze.
“Spavin. Spavin. Are you alright?” Clarissa had straightened his contorted limbs so that he would be more comfortable when normal sensations began to return to his body.
“I think so. What brought that on? Why did she zap me?” Spavin’s eyes still were not focused clearly. He saw the Scout Guard standing over them with something in her hand. He knew what it was.
Scout Guard Lorenz vehemently answered his question. “The girl called Nevlyn attacked me. I am arresting you all.”
“You attacked Warrior Stephanie first. I was defending her. Then you attacked Glorious Leader Spavin.” Nevlyn responded loudly and petulantly.
“Shut up and sit down,” demanded the Scout Guard. The looks and behaviors of the strangers were unnerving even to the experienced Scout Guard.
Spavin’s eyesight finally cleared.
Sasha leaned forward. “Scout Guard Lorenz, Nevlyn reacted instinctively to something she did not understand. She did not mean harm to you.”
“Yes I did,” snapped Nevlyn. “If you hadn’t…”
“Nevlyn!” Clarissa commanded to silence the girl.
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About the Book
Spavin Lawson kept his promise to the united human population of 32nd Century Texas City. He and his wife, Clarissa, had gathered the brightest minds they could find and put together the Technology Development Plan. The Plan was a template to build a civilization based upon ecologically sound principles. Unfortunately, the completion of The Plan required a population density that did not exist in the 32nd Century. Cataclysmic events a millennium earlier had reduced humans to uncivilized tribes totaling fewer than ten thousand people in what was once North America. Unknown to the citizens of the new city, long lost humans who were struggling to survive on Mars and Luna also assisted in the development of The Plan. A secret node on the Technology Development Plan was dedicated to the eventual reunification of all Humankind.
Spavin could not entrust the future of his progeny and the human race to chance. He knew that the two-hundred year plan would need a boost at the critical point of Reunification. With his family and Shadow Warrior Nevlyn Bydman, he used his time dilator so he could guide the completion of The Plan and ensure Humankind would find better times.
About the Author
Gary B. Boyd spent his early years writing technical packets for manufacturing equipment training. His love for writing became a passion after he retired. Whether on the deck of his home near Beaver Lake, under the hardwood canopy that shades his Ozark Mountain cabin or sitting at the kitchen table, his laptop is always nearby so he can capture the characters that inhabit his tales and wring their stories from them.
Gary's career with an international manufacturing company provided him the opportunity to travel and meet a wide range of people, both private and public. The behaviors of the people he encountered drove him to dig deeper into the human psyche. Aside from the psycho-babble that he read, Gary found that all humans are driven by a desire for acceptance. Acceptance is measured differently by each person; the desire for acceptance becomes the core of each person's character. He discovered that each unique character demands a story. Gary's goal is to capture as many of the stories as he can.