So begins our journey together. This novel took me eight years to produce from concept to completion. The story was locked inside of my head until I put in the hard work that allowed me to find the key. That key was to learn the mechanics of how to write a novel. The good news for you other writers is it gets much easier after you produce the first work of long fiction. Writing your first novel is like boot camp and forges neuropathways that make future books far less difficult.
I can’t wait to introduce you to the cast of characters and this world, which (sadly) now isn’t too far from our own. It’s my ultimate wish to turn this trilogy of books into a film someday.
Without further ado, here it is, my “first born”…Alarm Clock Dawn.
Prologue
Desire, draw us ever deeper
To the keeper of our hearts.
We seek but a glimpse
Of timeless twilight in this long day's night.
The Peace we seek begins within
And ripples forth in silent waves
Bathing each soul with light.
“THE POWERS THAT BE” wish us
To continue our slothful slumber
But our numbers are too great
For our hunger to be quelled.
Put your ear to the tracks and hear
The low rumble of our humble awakenings.
Take this, your first gasp of pure Truth.
Utter your first cry, then a long cleansing sigh
As we say goodbye
To the darkness of this world.
CHAPTER 1
As his limousine rolled to a stop at the curb, Johann Pfizer glanced up from his phone long enough to notice the protestors congregating near the convention center's back entrance. He sighed and pressed the black button on the center console, lowering the glass that separated him from the driver.
“Driver, are you sure this is the only way in?”
“I'm very sorry, sir, but this is our best option. There are even more protestors at the other entrances.”
Dammit. These imbeciles are relentless.
Bodyguards the size of giants clambered out of their vehicles, smoothing black suits and adjusting earpieces. Johann looked over his shoulder to make sure the second security vehicle was in place at his back. The bodyguards fell into formation, flanking the front and back doors of the limo. Johann glanced up at the rearview mirror, waiting for the signal from the driver that all was clear.
“Director, security is ready when you are.”
Johann turned back to the crowd of protesters for a personal security survey. A mock headstone bobbing above them read “Here Lies the Middle Class, Killed by Wicked Corporate Greed.” Johann gave a shake of his head in disapproval, and his eyes diverted to his reflection in the window. He put on his trademark smile and gave the bulletproof window two short raps with his knuckles.
Just as soon as the limo door opened, the sound of the protesters erupted into a ferocious rhythmic chant. “Equal rights, not wealthy parasites. Equal rights, not wealthy parasites.”
The army of security guards swarmed around Johann, dwarfing him as they pushed their way through the crowd to the convention center’s rear entrance. At the door, the security team fanned out, and Johann’s team of assistants took their places.
“Your latte and lozenge, sir.”
Johann's assistants knew to always have these two things readily available before any speaking engagement or there would be hell to pay. As he continued toward the stage, Johann took one long sip of the coffee before handing it off and then unwrapped the lozenge and placed it on the middle of his tongue.
“We start on your cue, Director,” Patrick said. Patrick was one of Johann’s newest assistants and donned an ill-fitting suit whose color clashed with his thick, unruly red hair.
Johann possessed a nearly photographic memory when it came to faces and names. As he watched this recent college graduate dab at his sweaty brow with a handkerchief, Johann realized that Patrick reminded him of himself in his awkward younger days. Twenty years ago, speaking in front of a live audience of fifteen thousand and a broadcast audience of millions would have shaken him to the core. In a way he missed the adrenaline rush that came with nervousness. He had found that everything gets easier with time and practice, and that old rush of insecurity had been replaced by steely confidence and a void of sameness. Today his speech was to be given completely off the cuff and he didn’t have even a hint of butterflies.
Johann remembered the naïve and idealistic man he had been when he gained control of the company his father built from just a dream. Even back then he was convinced he would change the world and was far too young to realize the world he would craft would also change him in ways he never imagined. His father, Michael Pfizer, created XenTek with a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar loan pooled together from his college buddies, and the company had grown far beyond what he ever could have envisioned. By the time Johann took the helm thirty years later, XenTek had become known worldwide for technology consistently a decade ahead of any of its competitors—if you could even call them competitors.
Johann gave Patrick a quick wink as the heavy black curtains parted to roaring applause. The director strutted to the podium, planted two massive hands on either side, and stared into the crowd, offering his trademark smile as he waited for the crowd to quiet.
“I know what you are here for, and we’ve kept you waiting long enough! Before we get started, I would like to thank our friends in the media from all over the world who are broadcasting this event live so we can share XenTek’s latest wonder with millions.”
The crowd’s cheering elevated to a deafening decibel as Johann began thinking of the massive amounts of money he and his shareholders would make in the next few days on this tidal wave of hype.
Johann reached into the breast pocket of his gray pinstriped suit, pulled out a thin black rectangular device, and held it up for all to see. The room hushed. He stepped a few feet to the left, gently set the device onto the hardwood floor, and returned to the podium. Johann had the entire audience’s full attention.
To be continued...(the next installment of Alarm Clock Dawn will appear here on Steemit tomorrow)
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first book of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published on Amazon in the spring of 2017.)
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Link to Part 2 - https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/alarm-clock-dawn-an-original-novel-part-2