End of The World: The Beginning Read online

  End of the World: The Beginning

  Nesly Clerge

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2016 by Nesly Clerge

  (Electronic) ISBN: 978-0-9965017-5-0

  Publisher: Clerge Books, LLC

  Editor: Joyce L. Shafer (http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com)

  Ebook formatting by ebooklaunch.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author or publisher.

  ALSO BY NESLY CLERGE

  When the Serpent Bites

  (Book 1 of The Starks Trilogy)

  When the Dragon Roars

  (Book 2 of The Starks Trilogy)

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my editor, Joyce Shafer, for her patience, coaching, experience, and expertise, and for having the courage to take this journey with me.

  Heartfelt gratitude to Tierra Guy, my significant other and best critic. Your encouragement and motivation fuels me to keep going. I also want to thank Roberson Lapierre and Hensie Lapierre for their continued support. Your significant feedback is invaluable to me, as is your eagerness to read what I write the moment it’s published.

  Special thanks to all my goodreads readers, followers, and fans, which includes: Linda Strong, Dianne Bylo, Brenda Telford, Kay Smillie, Dee Cherry, Veronica Joy, Kimberlie Lashley, Lynn McCarthy, Anthony Richard Parsons, Tracy Fisher, K. Morton, Laura Cerone, Russell Dent, Libby Ball, Torrie Angel, Patricia Brooks and many, many others.

  And to authors C. P. Bialois, J. Kahele, Rebecca McNutt, and Maxine Groves—your inspiration and guidance mean the world to me.

  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

  They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. - Psalm 14:1

  Table of Contents

  ALSO BY NESLY CLERGE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ENTRY 1

  ENTRY 2

  ENTRY 3

  ENTRY 4

  ENTRY 5

  ENTRY 6

  ENTRY 7

  ENTRY 8

  ENTRY 9

  ENTRY 10

  ENTRY 11

  ENTRY 12

  ENTRY 13

  ENTRY 14

  ENTRY 15

  ENTRY 16

  ENTRY 17

  ENTRY 18

  ENTRY 19

  ENTRY 20

  ENTRY 21

  ENTRY 22

  ENTRY 23

  ENTRY 24

  ENTRY 25

  ENTRY 26

  ENTRY 27

  ENTRY 28

  ENTRY 29

  ENTRY 30

  ENTRY 31

  ENTRY 32

  ENTRY 33

  ENTRY 34

  ENTRY 35

  ENTRY 36

  ENTRY 37

  ENTRY 38

  ENTRY 39

  ENTRY 40

  ENTRY 41

  ENTRY 42

  ENTRY 43

  ENTRY 44

  ENTRY 45

  ENTRY 46

  ENTRY 47

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ENTRY 1

  To whomever finds this journal, I swear two things: My name is Gayle Conyers, Ph.D., and I am not insane.

  It’s important I state that last part because this chronicle you are about to read—if there is anyone left to read it—will sound as though written by someone whose mental wellness medications ran out, or that she took too many.

  I want to make it clear this chronicle is not about religion, despite biblical references interspersed throughout. It’s about much more. It’s about actual events and my experience of them.

  But it’s best to begin at the beginning.

  I am a scientist, specifically, a biologist first and geneticist second, whose primary focus is on genetic management as it relates to disease. And although I teetered on the edge for a long time, I now believe in a higher power—I am now firm in the existence of the true higher power—as a result of the events I’m documenting here. However, I wasn’t able to admit that aloud or in writing before now. You see, belief in the true higher power—a benevolent, all-wise supernatural power—had been frowned upon for quite a while. In fact, because of the subtle and not-so-subtle societal changes interspersed with the dynamics of the day, such a faith profession eventually brought harsh ridicule and even destruction of property, if not bodily harm and in certain circumstances, death. As a mother of two, I needed to be especially cautious, even during my time of doubt.

  This dispute about science versus faith went through a number of iterations over time. In days of old, science, rudimentary as it was initially, was seen as evidence of a higher power. This was so even in more contemporary times. When Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity, he believed this would convince people to believe in a creator. Werner Heisenberg, who became known as the father of quantum physics said, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass, God is waiting for you.”

  As science advanced, that field of exploration and religion were separated yet again and the true higher power was denounced—“Only the foolish and uneducated believe in such a thing.” Both science and religion turned into inflexible dogmas. Each called those who didn’t get on board heretics.

  During that particular time of advancement, scientists grew arrogant, believing they were creators, rather than discovering and using what already existed. They failed to see or admit to the existing synergy. When discovery of quantum physics expanded as a proper field of study, science once again became evidence of a higher power to many, but not all, scientists. That admission didn’t last, at least not publicly. Then those with an evil agenda that has spanned the ages blurred the lines again, and we found ourselves primed for the one-world religion that did merge science into it, initially, as I said, without our knowledge or awareness, until it was all too clear to some what was happening. But there was nothing divine or spiritual or holy about that dark religion, that false form of spirituality. One phrase fits that time perfectly: the hour for mankind was late, and very few of us knew to check the time.

  My family was not particularly religious. My mother held the faith more than anyone in our three-person unit. The effect her faith had on her lingered in my memory. She used to speak about the end of days, which terrified me as a child, a terror that waned as I grew, and disappeared altogether during my studies and subsequent work years in my field. As a young new scientist, I fell into the expected professional mindset of questioning the existence of a higher power. So it wasn’t until I was thirty-five, when things I’d heard as a child began to happen, that I started to cross over that line into the realm of belief.

  Just prior to my receiving my doctorate, a popular contradiction arose and grew over time: A new premise became mainstream among some groups, where the higher power’s existence was no longer denied. The prevalent thought behind that u-turn was that the so-said higher power, around in speech and texts for millennia, was to be shunned, because He/She/It was flawed. That entity, scientists and Order of World Society leaders said, was the cause of the turmoil that was and always had been on Earth. That entity, they said, was the cause of all human affliction and imperfection. They affirmed there was only one solution: Supersede the power of that hidden entity and surpass it. Put it in its place a
nd replace it. And one way to do that was to merge humankind with technology to eliminate the flaws and create true peace on Earth via improved humans.

  As with any “improvement,” there is a period of trial and error. This particular improvement began with implanting chips into mice brains. After advancements in this process ceased to make the mice psychotic before they died soon after the implantation, scientists used certain humans as test subjects (prisoners on death row and those reported to have been homeless for twelve months or longer). It took from 2026 to 2036—a full decade—to get the first confirmed success, success meaning the test subjects’ brains didn’t reject the chip, the test subjects behaved normally (or specifically, behaved as programmed via the chip, the excuse being this was the only way to return them to society as productive workers), and test subjects continued to live after fifteen months.

  Medical scientists made the implantation as simple and pain-free as possible for the public. A minuscule but powerful chip was injected into the spinal fluid. Nanotechnology guided it to the brain, where it attached to, and then penetrated the medulla at a sub-surface level. About three percent of recipients experienced acute vomiting and heart palpitations, which the Order considered insignificant, as well as evidence of a huge success.

  No, those running the show didn’t want us to believe in that ancient-of-days higher power in the way we were intended to. They wanted us to believe in the power of the other one. They slipped that belief to us in incremental doses over time, decades really—through television and movies, commercials and advertisements, fiction and non-fiction books, song lyrics, subliminal messages, and any means possible. Built our tolerance to its more often subtle but sometimes flashy inclusion in our daily lives, especially by introducing means and methods guaranteed to increase our personal power over space, time, and matter. Overwhelmed us with so many rapid changes and civil and climactic disturbances, we failed to recognize what was happening.

  Eventually, the two supernatural powers were acknowledged; though, the war between them went unrecognized by most, until it became obvious to all. Humanity was caught in the middle. We were forced to awaken from our collective trance and see reality for what it was.

  But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

  ENTRY 2

  There was a specific problem with getting the chip accepted voluntarily by the people on Earth: Although a lesser number of individuals embraced the idea and promoted benefits of transhumanism, the majority of the planet’s population wanted to act independently and were suspicious of possible abuses. Many people believed they were too much on the grid as it was. Those in power were not pleased, but there were more of us than of them, so they had to find another way. The used the ever-effective Hegelian Dialectic: create a problem that causes the masses to react and insist on a solution from leaders, and then provide the solution you always intended but knew the masses would resist.

  Our reliance on the Internet—the global communication source via computer and numerous electronic devices—provided the solution. Everyone was used to this convenience, some were addicted to it. To be cut off from what was going on or the ability to communicate with others, as happened during a few of the most severe solar storms, as well as a number of natural disasters (most of them orchestrated, as I later learned), was intolerable. Withdrawal set in. Riots erupted. Economic fluidity screeched to a halt. Leaders declared that the way to ensure this never happened again and to keep the peace across the globe, was the removal of currency as a means of exchange and the chip to be accepted by all (a two-for-one achievement on their part), the chip being enhanced with Kinetic Advanced Transitional Emissions as part of the solution: KATE. KATE revolutionized our lives, or at least, those who accepted the chip. There were some who refused.

  Because of KATE phones were instantly no longer needed. Television sets were obsolete. Movie theaters were either converted for some other purpose or razed for another structure to occupy that plot of land. If you wanted to watch a movie, a program, or the news, you simply instructed KATE, who provided a projected program list, unless you knew specifically what you wanted to watch. The program or movie was projected as an animated hologram with sound. The image appeared as real as though you were there. As a result of a mandate created to protect the environment, books were read via KATE—no paper allowed (though, if you knew where to look or who to contact, you could find some). Want to call someone, tell KATE. Wherever the person was, if the call was accepted, a holographic screen popped up for image-to-image conversation.

  KATE also did the shopping, any shopping. We told KATE what we wanted. Our financial credits information was stored in the main system. No more need for money, if you recall. No more standing in line at a store. No more stores, only warehouses and drones that delivered your order.

  Everyone was happy.

  Everyone was duped.

  ENTRY 3

  My own qualms and questions began one day in the year 2050. I was in the lab, working on a cure for HIVm. The cure for HIV—a hideous virus that ravaged the body—had been found decades before, and was successful, until the mutation happened, hence, the lowercase “m”. The original, supposed “successful” vaccine was effective until it changed the HIV RNA, causing the mutated virus to enter the CD4 T-cells rapidly. Millions of people died after lingering in agony, with no relief other than prescribed suicide for those who chose that legal release from their decimated body. The Order called the mutation a tragic accident. Protesters called it deliberate.

  On that day in 2050, it became time for lunch. I decided to watch television in my cubicle during the break and instructed KATE to access the Humanist Advancements Network. The program had been on for several minutes, so I had KATE back it up to the beginning.

  The host beamed at the camera and introduced her guest in a chirpy voice. “Dr. Karl Lee Armstrong, renowned in the field of neuroscience and key player in stem cell research and usage is my guest today. His work has led to the cure of Alzheimer’s and spinal cord injuries, among others. Dr. Armstrong was—”

  The small, wiry man I took to be in his late fifties or early sixties held up a hand. “Please. Call me Dr. Karl.”

  The grinning host shimmied her shoulders and smoothed her hair on one side. “You’re most gracious.” She turned back to the camera. “Decades back Dr. Karl,” she flashed a toothy smile at him, “perfected regenerating healthy human organs by using human embryonic stem cells. Because of his prodigious efforts, transplanting and treating diseased organs has become as simple as getting a haircut.”

  “Perhaps just slightly more complex, madam,” he said. He winked at the camera, ran a hand over his balding pate and said, “Still haven’t solved prevention of genetic hair loss as yet, as you can see.”

  The host giggled. “Of course. But you did make saving and transplanting organs a far simpler matter and changed the world of healing.” Facing the camera again, she said, “Dr. Karl asked to be on today so he could make an announcement about something quite remarkable.” She turned to her guest. “Dr. Karl, please tell the world what you believe is transformative for humankind.”

  An overhead studio light glinted off Dr. Karl’s mostly bare scalp when he turned to face the camera. “Although we were pleased with our ability to successfully transplant organs and have the new host body accept the organ or organs without rejection or complications, as well as regenerate organs at the initial sign of potential failure, there was one organ that challenged us: The brain. This is no longer a problem.”

  “I realize this may be a silly question, but why would anyone wish for a brain transplant?”

  “Dear lady, it should be obvious. Imagine if the brains of fellow scientists Einstein, Tesla, or Malcolm and other geniuses could have been transplanted. Imagine what it would have meant advancement-wise had we been able to preserve their brilliance.”

  The host pasted a sympathetic expression on her face. “Were they associates of yours?”

  Dr. Karl stared at he
r until she blushed.

  She cleared her throat and said, “Wouldn’t it be disconcerting to have the thoughts, words, and mannerisms coming from one person through the face and body of another?”

  “That, we realized, could be off-putting for all involved. So we researched and tested until we found a way to transplant the head, with the brain intact, onto a younger, stronger, healthier body.”

  “But, wouldn’t the donor body be dying?”

  Dr. Karl scowled. “Using a near-corpse would be futile, wouldn’t it? I just said we require a healthy body.”

  “But, wouldn’t that—”

  “There are willing volunteers. Those dedicated to the improvement and advancement of humankind. Plus, healthy death-row prisoners who must pay their debt to society. This is one way they can accomplish that.”

  “You’re saying you’ve done this transplant?”

  Dr. Karl beamed. “Successfully.”

  The host mouthed a silent Wow at the camera. “May we know whose head and brain?”

  “World renowned mathematician and genius, Dr. Angelo Everett.”

  “And you’re certain it’s successful?”

  “Yes. The transfer occurred thirteen months ago, on June 7. We wanted time to confirm all was well before sharing our success with the public. Of course, our test subjects had proven that, after a number of regrettable failures. Once we were certain of success, the transplant was performed on someone who contributes significance to society as a whole, and was willing to volunteer.”

  “Who was the donor … um … body?”

  “We do not disclose such information.”

  “I don’t mean to be a party-pooper, but is this legal?”

  “Order Provinces Overseer, Paula Monroe, recognized how significant this process is and signed it into law.”

  “I’m surprised. Overseer Monroe has been quite vocal about her Christian faith. I’d think this was a huge conflict for her.”

  Karl waved a hand. “There was the initial reticence to use human donors, but we pointed out that one can only use mice, dogs, pigs, and monkeys for so long. It took persuasion, but she was soon converted once enlightened as to the ultimate outcome, as well as recognized the significance for society as we move forward into our future.”