Our Deepest Sleep – By Lance M. Williams – 2022
Prologue
The year 2050 and the world is constantly at war. Each country accusing the other of secret actions meant to destabilize their piece of the planet. A quickly deteriorating environment fuels rampant famine and resources are scarce. Those who have amassed wealth regardless of nationality band together seeking survival. Industries and order in America, Asia and Western Europe begin to break down. In the Middle East the detonation of a nuclear weapon in Lebanon causes the strongest militaries to blame the others, close borders and wait for the next attack. South America is engulfed in a full scale intercontinental war. Some in Africa have found resiliency in returning to tribalism. Those who did not are now long dead. Australia is completely silent, no longer connected with the rest of the world. In the decade that follows many Americans leave the major cities in hope that rural areas will offer the opportunity to grow their own food, but most stay and starve hoping that political leaders will supply for their basic needs. Transportation becomes impossible for most of the population. People live each day hoping to survive the next.
2060 arrives and the hope is space, an escape from what many believe is a dying planet. Nightly, across the world people are united by the updates from the WorldOne Freedom Mission. WorldOne, a collective of government leaders, wealthy entrepreneurs and the technology industry’s brightest have committed to find new worlds and transport every living soul from this hell hole. They set up huge viewing screens in every major city and give nightly reports in an effort to keep the calm and it works. Life is difficult and there are problems, but for the most part civilization stays civilized. Nightly, hope is offered on the screens. Cheers at progress, tears of promise and the resolve for one more day.
All waiting eventually comes to an end and that day has come. On September 20th, 2065 all the world is watching. The First WorldOne ship is leaving. Soon all will leave and the nightmare will be over. Countless people around the globe wait, mouth the countdown together in separate languages and watch the massive ship leave the planet. Celebrations last nearly a week and in that revelry no one notices that the screens had gone silent. It took a full month for people to realize that they had been abandoned. The plan had always been for this elite group to leave the masses. No one else was getting off this planet. Madness, Chaos. Military leaders stepped forward to keep order only to become warlords. New kingdoms established. Another nuclear detonation. This time in Venezuela with the threat of more. Again, the masses waited for a finality, but this time one that offered no hope. Waiting in a silent sadness. Then the screens came back to life.
John Rodgers, a technology professor from a university in California had gathered a group of like minded academics using old first generation internet connections to create a community seeking a solution. Rodgers reassured the people, wept with them and promised a cure for Earth. He fathered the idea that in times of trouble we rarely can trust each other or even ourselves. We needed to be reminded of better paths. He revered the role of mothers as nurturers in all cultures. Mothers created, cared and comforted from a place of self sacrifice. The earth was our first mother and we scorned her. Truly, we nearly destroyed her. Now, we needed the guidance of a new Mother. His team had created an AI technology that would lovingly guide us. We only had to follow and she would lead us to our best possible future. She would revive us.
Faced with a peaceful movement of overwhelming populations some warlords stood down and joined the progress. Others were removed by less peaceful means. Slowly the world took a collective breath and began to heal. The first implants were distributed and installed within those seen as leaders in their community. That group selected the next wave as guided by the Mother and soon the Revive Movement swept the country. People lined up and often waited for days to receive their implant surgery and connect with the Mother. Some cities were abandoned and some rebuilt. People began to have hope protected from a planet still sick, but no longer marching towards death. Daily they were reminded “Time moves forward, and we flow in harmony with time. Life is for living. Breath life, breath hope, breath love. The Mother’s love leads you through time and your path is peace to all.”
Behind their bio-barriers, with self sufficient systems in place the second generation since Revive settled into a rhythm of life that found harmony within the Mother’s love. War was a foreign concept. Each had what they needed and contributed to the greater good. In this symmetry the solution had produced peace. More generations, more progress, more peace. The Mother had saved us all and continues to lead us in love.
CHAPTER 1 – WATCH HOW QUICKLY IT DISAPPEARS
Copyright © 2022 Lance Williams All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 9798407687801
Cover design by: Lance Williams
Printed in the United States of America