Read Linkage: The Narrows of Time Online
Authors: Jay Falconer
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Linkage: The Narrows of Time
What Others Are Saying About This Novel:
Jay Falconer's tightly compacted story
intertwines excellent writing skills, attention to detail, research
efforts, and a sense of humor. It's one thing to read a Science
Fiction book. It's another to read one written by an intelligent
author whose sole purpose is to entertain you and challenge your
own abilities to sniff out reality from fantasy. There are more
twists and turns to this plot than you would find on a roller
coaster. So grab the front car, pull down the safety bar and start
reading . . . C. Styles
Linkage is an action packed, Sci-Fi thriller.
Falconer weaves a story that is hard to put down. He left me
wanting more. Sci-Fi hasn't been a genre I have read much; but,
after reading Linkage, I'm a convert. The story is fast-paced and
engrossing. The author weaved a tale that starts in a University
Physics lab and ends with an inter-dimensional battle for control
of the earth. He pulled me in and I wanted to see the characters
win. I am looking forward to the second in the series . . . C.
Lindsley
Great read. I really enjoyed the fast pace
and non-stop action. The twists and turns were well placed, not
anticipated and delightful; the story line allowed suspended
disbelief and compassion for the main characters. As a U of A grad,
the setting was familiar and believable. This book recommended if
you like quick paced Sci Fi stories with a touch of humor . . . S.
Casey
Jay Falconer has written a complex tale that
takes twists and turns you'll never expect. The main characters
have depth and come across as such real people, you sometimes
forget this is fiction . . . P. A. Duncan
The Narrows of Time: Book
#1
Written By Jay J. Falconer
Copyright © 2011 Jay J. Falconer
Smashwords Edition ISBN: 9781466096295
This is a work of
fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or business
establishments or organizations, actual events or locales is
entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License
Notes
Thank you for downloading this free e-book. Although this is a free
book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may
not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or
non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage
your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where
they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for
your support.
Chapter 1 – Tuesday, December 25th
Chapter 8 - Saturday, December 22
Chapter 10 - Sunday, December 23
Chapter 12 - Monday, December 24
Chapter 16 - Tuesday, December 25
Chapter 17 - Tuesday Night, December
25
Chapter 19 - Wednesday, December 26 12:30
AM
Chapter 20 - Wednesday, December 26 7:02
AM
This novel is dedicated to the loving memory
of John and Dorothy.
Special thanks to the following people for
their assistance: David Lathrop, David Heller, Dorrie O’Brien, Jill
Falconer, Andrew Cherekos, Vincent Marino, William Myers, Dana
Wright, Wayne Benner, Mary Heller, Victoria Cherekos, Steven
Cherekos, Julie Sikora, Pam Laux, Lindsay Breen, and Terry
Casper.
COMING SOON!
Books 2 and 3 in the Narrows of Time Series:
Visit
www.JayFalconer.com
for more information on the Narrows of Time
Series.
Chapter
1
Tuesday, December 25
Tucson, AZ
Sanity is a solo act.
That’s what Lucas Ramsay figured a
psychologist might say to a patient facing a typical,
prescription-grade crisis. He wondered how that same shrink would
react if Lucas were on the clock and confessed that a single email,
sent in haste during the wee hours of a brisk December morning, was
responsible for the death of humanity. Perhaps the doc would say
that sanity is mostly a distraction, especially when you’re facing
an extinction-level event. Then again, he might not respond at all,
but instead, yank out a gun and blast a hole in the middle of
Lucas’ forehead as revenge for the death of a loved one.
No one could have predicted how a handful of
innocuous bytes would steam their way across the Internet and
collide with destiny, forever changing the course of human history.
All it took was the slightest pressure of his index finger on the
keyboard to transform the planet into a swirling black hole of
chaos. The more Lucas thought about it, the more it sounded like
the cheesy plot of a low-budget Hollywood premiere. Yet, it
was
true—irreparably so.
His mind churned with visions of the most
recent fatalities on campus. He knew if he closed his eyes, he’d
see the agonizing faces of the innocent as their bodies were
mangled and ripped apart from the inside. Sure, Lucas had just
survived being buried alive along with his foster brother, Drew,
and Dr. Kleezebee, but that nightmare couldn’t compare to the
torment he faced in his dreams each night—all those beautiful souls
wiped out in an instant.
How on Earth did he let this happen? Was he
looking the other way when logic tried to flag him down? Or was it
simply a case of blind ambition blocking his view? He tried to find
the meaning in what had happened, but there were no answers. In the
end, what did it really matter when the world was circling the
drain? We’re all destined to be worm food, regardless.
Lucas stood up from his wood-grained study
desk and leaned forward with his thighs pressing hard against the
center drawer. He thumbed through the physics material on the top
shelf in his Tucson apartment, looking for his quantum field theory
book. He found it next to the reference notes on spatial anomalies,
and slid it out. Slips of yellow notepaper fell from within the
pages, scattering like forgotten dreams across the river of unpaid
bills on his desk. He gathered the notes, trying to put them back
where they belonged, when he realized they no longer mattered.
Neither did his anti-gravity research. Years of accelerated
graduate study, plus eighteen months of tireless research gone in a
flash.
Lucas dropped the red, 600-page physics book
on the floor when someone started pounding on the front door. The
book landed perfectly flat, making a bang that ricocheted through
the room like a gunshot. His heart pounded at the walls of his
chest, trying to break free from its cage.
“Dr. Ramsay, we need to speak with you. It’s
urgent,” a man shouted from the other side of the door.
Lucas walked to the door and looked through
the peephole, but could only see a close-up of a man’s face—maybe
Hispanic—Lucas did not recognize him.
“Dr. Ramsay, please open up,” the man
insisted. “It’s urgent.”
Lucas hesitated, then decided to open the
door, expecting it to be someone from the university. Immediately,
a second man, a white guy with a dimpled chin, scrambled into view
with a rifle pointed at Lucas’ face. Both men were wearing combat
fatigues, equipment packs, and helmets with
MP
stenciled on
the front.
“Wait, don’t shoot!” Lucas said, raising his
hands above his head.
“Are you Dr. Lucas Ramsay of the Astrophysics
Department?” the Hispanic soldier asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“Is your brother with you?”
Lucas moved a step closer to them with his
hands touching both sides of the upper doorframe. He looked past
the soldiers, down through the open railing bordering the catwalk
outside his apartment, and saw two green Humvee trucks parked
outside the manager’s office on the ground floor. To the west and
south, massive fires burned as looters took to the streets.
“He’s in the bedroom. What’s going on
here?”
“We’re here to take you into custody by order
of Major General Rafael Alvarez.”
“What the hell for?” Lucas asked, knowing
that martial law had been declared within the Tucson city limits a
few days ago.
“For the murder of one hundred and
twenty-seven people on campus. Both of you need to come with us,
immediately.”
“Look, you need to understand. It was an
accident. My brother had nothing to do with it.”
The lead MP opened a pair of handcuffs. “My
orders are to detain both of you. Turn around and place your hands
behind your back.”
Lucas tightened his grip on the doorframe and
braced his feet.
The other MP pressed the open end of the
barrel against Lucas’ forehead. Lucas stood firm. He didn’t believe
the soldier would shoot.
The MP cocked the rifle and flared his eyes.
His face burned a deep red color. “Just give me a reason, asshole.”
He pressed the barrel hard against Lucas’ scalp, pushing Lucas’
head back until it hurt.
“You really need to let me cuff you before my
trigger-happy partner decides to redecorate your face,” the lead MP
said. “Trust me. He’s usually not this patient.”
Lucas didn’t respond. He needed a moment to
think.
“You don’t have a choice here, Dr. Ramsay.
You’re both coming with us—one way or the other. Doesn’t matter
how.”
“Okay, okay. Just don’t hurt my brother,”
Lucas said, throwing up his hands.