Kato's War: Book Two of the Kato's War series
Page 20
I have already lived an entire lifetime. Well, three if you go chronologically. But, I feel like I’m just beginning. Being physically renewed has a lot to do with it, of course. There’s more to it though. I’ve drawn a line under the frustrations and pain of the first time around. I also have a new appreciation for life, after Dr. Evil tried to assassinate me. And I also love my dad to the ends of the earth, for saving me. It was like seeing an angel!
Tokyo is as nuts of a city as I’ve ever seen. But then I am too, so I’ll probably fit right in. Besides, Akio and I are an item. With Dr. Evil now gone, life is an open book for me. Believe me, I am gonna fill the pages. This is just the beginning.
Chapter 42
August 17th, 2057
Lights flickered on in a wide, long-dormant stone passage. The walls were hewn completely smooth. On the left side was a door, that led to a vast storehouse containing a mountain of food. It, too, was illuminated. On the right side were corridors that led off at right angles, and opened into enormous rooms. Light reflected from row upon row of boxy silver machines the size of houses. All was completely silent.
Other doors on the left side of the main passage led into dormitory-sized rooms. Each of these contained six chambers that looked like large chest freezers—except that the tops were clear. Inside each one was a single human being, motionless, appearing to be asleep. In one room, on two adjacent chambers, small touchscreens came to life. They said: REVIVAL: PHASE 1. TIME REMAINING 17:59:59. The seconds ticked by, counting down. Still nothing stirred in the complex.
Thirty-six hours later, the lids of the two units hinged open, with a hiss. Two humans sat up, blinking under the harsh fluorescent lighting. The one in the right chamber was a few inches taller than the other. He had shortish black hair that flared out slightly front and back. The other was completely bald. Both appeared to be Chinese. After a few seconds, they looked at each other, wide eyed with fear.
“W… we’re alive!” Tall Man said. His voice was shaky. “Something must have… happened. Something unthinkable.” He closed his eyes, and tried to cover his mouth. It was too late. Vomit sprayed out from around his clasped hand. It traced straight paths in all directions, owing to the lack of gravity, and stuck to walls, other chambers, and a large screen above him.
Short Man gulped. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Eventually, he composed himself enough to say: “I never expected to see you again.” His words echoed from the room’s stone walls and hung in the air like the smell of a lightning bolt. A deafening silence followed.
Tall Man looked up at the screen. The date was displayed at the top. “It’s only been twenty-six years,” he said. “I was expecting it to be thousands of years, if we were ever awoken at all. What happened?”
Short Man sighed and shook his head. He also looked very queasy. “I don’t know. Let’s read the briefing. It should tell us and also instruct us on what to do next.”
Both men began to read the text on the large screen, which was displayed below the date.
You are the key to the continuation of the Yi Dynasty. You gave up your lives in service of the Master, by volunteering to be hibernated indefinitely, only to be revived if some catastrophe befalls the Dynasty. The master system was instructed to activate this backup colony only if no radio transmission is received from Entara for five years. This has now happened. The reason for the silence of our home world is unknown.
Master Seung Yi is also in hibernation, in the chamber next to this one. His body was copied, atom for atom, before he was awoken. That means his memory is still in the exact state it was in the year 2105, when he first entered hibernation. Unlike you, he has no knowledge that the original Entara ever existed. After his revival, he must be informed of all that has happened in the intervening years.
Your first task is to bring the Master back, and care for him. Your second task, while you wait for this to happen, is to begin reanimating the other ninety-eight men and women in the neighboring rooms. The one hundred individuals, including you, will be honored as the Torch Bearers of the Yi Dynasty. The guardians of his blood line. You will rebuild, and continue his legacy of an alternate and powerful humanity. The next chapter of the Yi Dynasty begins now.
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed this book. That’s all I really want from writing: to craft tales that people enjoy reading. Please sign up for my mailing list to stay up to date on my new releases: http://www.andrewcbroderick.com/subscribe
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And finally, you want to know what happens next! The sequel, The Extinction Switch, is available here
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42