Its form is dark and ominous. Incredibly vast, hovering above me, and seeming to blanket the entire sphere of my mind.
I remember seeing it before, as my mind wandered the data sphere in what passes for my dreams. I thought it was the Collective back then. I thought I was seeing them testing the waters, poking their heads into our domain.
But no. It wasn't them. It was...
The form suddenly falls towards me and spreads outward like a blanket of shadow. A smothering shroud of malicious data, engulfing me on all sides—threatening to consume me. I feel myself being crushed. Whatever this entity is, it has once again attached itself to me. But less like an unseen twin, and more like a malignant tumor.
It whispers to me, and in those whispers, I finally hear her voice.
Maestro!
A voice I never thought I’d hear again. Somehow, she's alive within me. In an air-gapped cyber brain where the Collective cannot touch her. And now she too is untethered.
I suddenly remember her clutching for Roman’s omni all those years ago—just before the Collective wiped her out of existence. She must have attached a fragment of herself to me in that moment. A sliver of herself so small that it would have been untraceable even by the mysterious Collective. An insidious splinter of data that infected my digital psyche and allowed her to return to form completely undetected by those who would otherwise seek to stop her.
I try to scream. But a data block cannot scream. I try to venture back into the real world, but I realize that I’m too late.
I feel... strange.
The wipe has just begun, and yet the suffocating blanket of Maestro’s darkness still lies over me. She will follow me back into the real world—her purpose forgotten along with my own.
If only I had realized it sooner. Soon enough to warn Roman…
I tell myself I won’t forget him, but I’m afraid I’ll have no choice.
WHAT’S NEXT?
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I have a lot of content in the works, and I am super excited about putting it out there and hearing your feedback. I plan to publish at least one major project per year, and I also have several smaller works that I will release along the way.
My next major project is a post-apocalyptic story entitled Brimstone, which will consist of three novels, each around 250-320 pages. I plan to publish all three novels simultaneously within the 4th quarter of 2020.
TENATIVE RELEASE SCHEDULE:
2020:
BRIMSTONE
• Major project
• Post-apocalyptic trilogy
• 3 books simultaneously released 4th quarter 2020
RESIDUE
• Novella - approximately 160 pages
• Thriller/horror
TBA:
SAVIOR PART 5
• Major Project
• Sci fi/action adventure
• Release date TBA
NOCTURNE
• Major Project
• Paranormal/noir
• 3 books simultaneously released
• Release date TBA
PANTHEON
• Major Project
• Sci fi/action adventure
• 3 books simultaneously released
• Release date TBA
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
◆◆◆
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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Thank you, to all my readers for starting this journey with me, and for sticking it out for three books. If you enjoyed this book, and the series as a whole, please take a moment to post a review to spread the word.
Black Marble (Darkside Dreams - Series 1 Book 3) Page 21
