Exodus by Andreas Christensen

Author:Andreas Christensen
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781482320794
Publisher: Smashwords
Published: 2011-11-30T06:00:00+00:00

March2079 ~ Somewhere in Arizona

The first launches were only weeks away, and there was a much more competitive mood in the compound these days. The candidates that remained knew that not all of them would be on the final list, and that sometimes brought out the worst in them. Cheating seemed commonplace, and there had been several instances of even close friends sabotaging each other’s projects and assignments. If someone seemed to get too much praise, or do too well on tests, they were disdained by the others. And of course, everybody hated the newcomers.

Kenneth Taylor understood that all too well. It wasn’t just the competitiveness; it was also a basic instinct for survival. Devastator was coming, and the latest predictions said it would hit Earth in a little more than five years. There was a margin of error, but the closer it got, the more certain the predictions were. A direct hit. The worst possible outcome. By now, there were so few candidates left that everybody felt they stood a decent chance. Humans are funny that way, Taylor thought. In the face of certain death, men will show great courage, make great sacrifices, show a selfless determination to complete an impossible task. But if there is a slight chance they might actually get out of a sticky situation by sacrificing their friends or their ideals, the dark side of mankind shows itself. Taylor had long since concluded that humans could be both selfless and selfish; it all came down to the situation. So, in this particular situation, most candidates acted according to their nature, sad as it was. But he understood. If the astronomers were right, everybody knew what would happen to those who didn’t make the cut. The greatest adventure in human history seemed a far more tempting prospect than the greatest disaster.

“I heard Carol Larkin had to go last night.” That was Geena Travis, the girl he’d been teamed up with when he arrived just two weeks ago. There were three others on the team, but he couldn’t see them anywhere. He guessed they were back at H Building, studying, or maybe plotting how to get ahead on tomorrow’s advanced technical aptitude test. He had always thought that the human machinery works best on a full stomach, so here he was in the big dining hall, enjoying a nice after-dinner Italian coffee and Tiramisu with Geena, whom he’d quickly learned to like.

Geena Travis was a twenty-three-year-old girl, still in high school when she was picked for Selection five years ago. A pretty blonde, always with a smile on her face, and a positive outlook on life, she sometimes provoked people who didn’t share her attitudes. She had often been underestimated, based on that big smile, long blonde hair, and typical high school cheerleader appearance. Kenneth Taylor wouldn’t dream of making such a mistake. As a college professor, he’d often seen the most unlikely freshmen excel when put in an environment that reinforced their innate abilities. He’d seen

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.