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Downward Cycle

Page 35

by JK Franks


  Scott nodded, having considered this possibility before. Despite his internal conflict at which side to support, he had come to some decisions. “Commander Garett, there is something else you should know… or perhaps you already do,” Scott began nervously. “The pandemic overseas...” He got no further.

  The commander leaned forward and made a silencing motion. He went to the door, requested the guard on station to leave and firmly closed the solid door. He came back to his desk, opened a drawer and flipped something that looked like an electrical switch.

  “Are you telling me that Catalyst is behind the pandemic?”

  Scott swirled the tumbler of Scotch in his hand pensively. “Yes, sir. It was part of a larger plan to ensure that other world nations would not be in a significantly better position than the US. I only got fragments of intel from my original research, but we have a contact who has been working with the Catalyst paramilitary doing bioresearch."

  The Commander looked stunned, then fell back deeper in his chair, even wearier. “You have someone working with them to concoct that damn doomsday bio-weapon?”

  “No, sir, you misunderstand. He’s my niece’s boyfriend, he’s actually just a grad student at FSU. He’s not working on the pathogen. They…” Scott paused, "They have him trying to find a cure.” Scott let that statement hang in the air, waiting for the obvious question.

  The commander instead said, “Go on.”

  “His best guess has been that it was a bio-weapon, an engineered virus that got away from them. It mutated. Whatever cure they previously developed isn’t working any longer.”

  Commander Garett stared in quiet horror out the port window at the darkening sky, the words of the atom bomb’s inventor, the late Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, coming to him, “What have these fools done? They have become death, destroyer of worlds.”

  Scott stood up and approached at the rail, looking out over the flat land now surrounding the large ship. Now he truly knew this was only the beginning. A storm was approaching and with it, even greater trouble.

  About the Author

  Fiction author, JK Franks’ world is shaped by his love of history, science and all things sci-fi. His work is most often filled with vivid characters set in dire situations only a step or so away from our normal world. His focus on gritty realism and attention to meticulous detail help transport his readers into his stories.

  The first novel of his apocalyptic Catalyst series: Downward Cycle, was published in 2016. The follow-up to that, Kingdoms of Sorrow, continued the tale of a near-future apocalyptic event and a group of survivors’ efforts to hang on to the remnants of a collapsing civilization. The novella American Exodus published late in 2017 takes a look at the disaster from a fresh and more personal perspective. Look for at least one more book in the series.

  Always writing, JK Franks now lives in West Point, Georgia, with his wife and family. No matter where he is or what's going on, he tries his best to set aside time every day to answer emails and messages from readers. You can also visit him on the web at www.jkfranks.com. Please subscribe to his newsletter for updates, sneak peeks, promotions, and giveaways. You can also find the author on Facebook and Twitter or email him directly at media@jkfranks.com.

  Please connect with the author online:

  www.jkfranks.com

  media@jkfranks.com

  Other books by JK Franks:

  The Catalyst Series

  Book 1: Downward Cycle

  Life in a remote oceanfront town spirals downward after a massive solar flare causes a global blackout. But the loss of electrical power is just the first of the problems facing the survivors. In the chaos, that follows. Is this how the world ends?

  Book 2: Kingdoms of Sorrow

  With civilization in ruins, individuals band together to survive and build a new society. The threats are both grave and numerous—surely too many for a small group to weather. This is a harrowing story of survival following the collapse of the planet’s electric grids.

  Book 2.5: American Exodus Novella

  This companion story to the Catalyst series follows one man’s struggle to get back home after the collapse. No supplies, no idea of the hardships to come; how can he possibly survive the journey? Even if he survives, can he adapt to this new reality?

  Connect with the Author Online:

  ** For a sneak peek at new novels, free stories and more, join the email list at: www.jkfranks.com/Email

  Facebook: facebook.com/JKFranksAuthor

  Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/-/e/B01HIZIYH0

  Smashwords: smashwords.com/profile/view/kfranks22

  Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/15395251.J_K_Franks

  Website: JKFranks.com

  Twitter: @jkfranks

  Instagram: @jkfranks1

  Table of Contents

  Catalyst Book One

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Introduction

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Other books by JK Franks:

 

 

 


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