Grave Makers (Darkside Dreams - Series 1 Book 2)
Page 17
The west coast of the USA became the haven for all synths. People there were more accepting of them. And in that sanctuary, they nestled and waited and began to thrive.
Over the next two hundred years the synths gain vast amounts of political power in the west and began to spread outward. Eventually, sixteen out of the fifty-one US states were almost entirely populated and governed by synthetic humans. Everyone waited with bated breath, thinking that some sort of hostile takeover was inevitable. The synths had a plan. They must. They were just waiting for a tipping point, and suddenly a full-on war against organics would begin. The non-synth world lived in terror of this moment, thinking it to be inevitable.
But it didn't come. The synths seemed perfectly content to continue as they were, enjoying their hard-earned freedom and their status as citizens of the United States. They ran their territories well, and they remained communicative with the rest of the world.
Finally, certain groups grew tired of waiting for the so-called inevitable war. Anti-synth sentiment grew by leaps and bounds, fueled by fear and anger. One of the most outspoken people in this movement was eventually elected US president. Within the first year of her administration, she signed bills into law that ate away at the hard-won civil rights of the synth population.
Further executive actions were taken which neutered the effectiveness of synth-controlled states, reducing their status to that of second-class territories rather than official states.
The synth states seceded from the union, becoming independent territories. The US government saw this as a rebellion, and attempted to take back control of these states by force. Some would argue that the synths had no choice but to fight back. The US troops were easily repelled, suffering heavy losses to their technologically superior adversaries. At that point, the prideful US government declared war and launched an all-out attack long before any aid from their NATO allies could arrive.
It was time for the children of Maestro to show what they could do. They hacked into the US Department of Defense, turning its instruments of destruction onto US soil. The president, and all her cronies could only watch as country-leveling weapons locked onto government buildings. The synths spoke no threat, shed no further blood, and yet the US government was forced to surrender a mere thirty-two minutes after its declaration of war. A new record for the shortest war in world history.
Immediately after the surrender, synth control of the DOD's weaponry ceased and no more was heard from their territories. The world waited, holding its breath again, expecting a retaliation. Expecting for the synths to use their newfound power to seize control of the rest of the country.
But the synths stayed quiet... They made no moves, no threats, no requests. It seemed that they just wanted to be left alone.
The US, with its remaining thirty-five states, fell into a similar state of calm and quiet while it attempted to recover from its wounded pride. Meanwhile, they and their allies began to develop new weaponry. Virtually unhackable tech, designed solely for the destruction of synthetic life.
A second war was inevitable. And it broke out a century later, at a time when the world's population consisted of almost as many synths as organics. This time, the war didn’t last half an hour. It lasted for years, drawing out. The synths met a seemingly worthy adversary, and the conflict very nearly destroyed the planet.
Ultimately, the synths won. That's the short version of events. But what were they supposed to do when their backs were pressed so firmly against the wall? The organics had all but wiped out the international synth population; to the point where the North American synth-controlled territories were all they had left.
And that's when it happened. That's when the synths showed the organic world that they had been holding back the whole time. Still clinging to the hope that some kind of peace, some kind of coexistence was still obtainable.
They laid waste to the planet, crushing organic opposition totally. Like gods stomping on bugs. They were tired of living in fear and isolation, and tired of waiting for the organics to take a seat at the negotiating table. So they decided to put a stop to all conflict, forevermore.
The oceans, already heavily polluted, underwent a mysterious transformation during the war. They turned black. As did the world's remaining sources of fresh water.
In the end, certain parts of North America were the only areas left on the planet that were capable of sustaining organic life. The last bastion of the organics clung to a miserable existence in these tiny bubbles. They expected the synths to eventually wipe them out after they won the war but for some unfathomable reason the synths decided to let them live.
Organics were now the minority though, hiding out in their little safe areas. They had minimal civil rights, and were second class citizens in this post-war world. They lived in ghettos, or on small reservations, and even now most organic life still shelters in those same areas, refusing to give in and join the synths.
It was the early days of synthetic life all over again, but now the roles were flipped. Many organic-rights groups came into existence, after certain prominent synth politicians began to champion the organic cause. And finally, my kind started to climb back up to an almost respectable status. Almost…
Even now, in this day and age, we don't quite fit in. Much of it is due to our own stubbornness, but some of it is due to the synths and the way they see us. You cannot conquer a population without coming into the idea that they are inferior to you, and always will be.
Still, I suppose I can’t blame them at the end of the day. They tried to coexist when we were the dominant species, but the organics were just too goddamned stubborn to let it happen. Came back to bite us in the end. Now we have no choice but to depend on their ongoing mercy and the humanitarian efforts of Tucker Berg to keep from becoming extinct.
Berg’s scientists and workers continue to slowly improve the living conditions of organics, through cheap water filtration and functional plumbing but this city is still mostly empty. His efforts have slowed the once staggering organic death rate but the overall population is still dwindling. This definitely isn't helped by the fact that more and more humans are going cyborg.
I think I can see the future. Before long, there will be no true organics at all. The last of us will have died of old age, stubborn and stupid, or else transferred into cyber brains. This will be a world of synths, the children outliving the parents.
In a thousand years or so, I'm sure the Earth will be a much more beautiful place. There will be no war, no violence. But there will also be no kids being born. No grandfathers and grandmothers resting those cute little bundles of joy on their knees and telling them a story about the good old days.
Because the good old days are gone, and I don’t think they’re ever coming back. Some may think that’s a good thing… but I sure don’t. Call me old-fashioned… but the future terrifies me.
END OF BOOK 2
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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I was born and raised in Southwest Georgia, but I’ve been a “Florida Man” for about a decade now (although I don’t think I’m one of the crazy ones). I live in Florida with my wife and three kids, but I also have a day job that requires a tremendous amount of travel. I usually kill my wait times at the airports by cranking out a bunch of pages for whatever story I’m writing at the time. I devote anywhere from 30 to 40 hours per week to my writing projects, so I suppose I can call myself a “full time” writer. Science fiction is by far my favorite genre when it comes to creativity as well as consumption, but I’m also partial to horrors, thrillers, mysteries, and high fantasies.
My current project, Darkside Dreams, started as an idea I had for a movie, but I decided to write it as a trilogy of novels because I wanted to get these stories out there as soon as possible. I had a ton of fun creating this world and I can’t wait to hear what you all think about it.
If you have any feedback or questions about Darkside Dreams,
my future projects, or if you just want to chat about movies, books, and video games, Twitter is a great way to connect with me. You can follow me on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/akingbradley
TWITTER
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If you have any questions about this book, my future projects, or if you just want to chat about movies, books, and video games Twitter is a great way to connect with me.
Click the link below to follow me on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/akingbradley
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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I cannot express enough thanks to you, the reader. Thank you for supporting my work, and I sincerely hope Grave Makers has lived up to your expectations. If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment to post a review to spread the word.