2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) Read online

  2041 SANCTUARY

  3: Genesis

  (Book Two, Part Three of Ancient Origins)

  Robert Storey

  By Robert Storey

  2040: Revelations

  (Book One of Ancient Origins)

  2041: Sanctuary

  Part 1: Dark Descent

  (Book Two, Part One of Ancient Origins)

  2041: Sanctuary

  Part 2: Let There Be Light

  (Book Two, Part Two of Ancient Origins)

  2041: Sanctuary

  Part 3: Genesis

  (Book Two, Part Three of Ancient Origins)

  —————

  Forthcoming titles

  by Robert Storey

  2042: Apocalypse

  (Book Three of Ancient Origins)

  First published in Great Britain in 2015

  by SANCTURIAN PUBLISHING

  Copyright © Robert Storey 2015

  Robert Storey has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

  1st Edition

  All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance

  to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  eBook design by Robert Storey

  Cover design by Robert Storey

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  Sancturian Publishing

  www.sancturian.com

  CHRONOLOGICAL MEMORANDUM

  The Ancient Origins series of books run sequentially in time, year on year. Within each volume, however, a multitude of characters, located in various parts of the world, may experience events simultaneously despite their narrative being separated by a significant number of chapters. In certain instances, some character timelines may be interrupted in order for other characters’ tales to be told, for them only to resume at a later stage in the book despite minimal time passing in their life. If the reader is prepared for such deferrals in narrative it will serve to let the book’s structure and chapters flow as intended.

  Dedication

  2041 Sanctuary: Genesis is dedicated to those who fight the good fight.

  Acknowledgements

  A massive thank you as ever to my parents for helping me stay the course and for their invaluable editing and insight into what works and what doesn’t. Also, another big thank you to my copy editor, Julie Lewthwaite, who continues to keep me on the straight and narrow.

  Furthermore, thank you to everyone who has given me their support and encouragement, which includes anyone who’s been kind enough to contact me or leave a review for my books online or otherwise. It’s your kind words and feedback that has kept me motivated through difficult times, both professionally and personally.

  IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

  Please note this book was written and finalised prior to the 31st October 2015 and any event within these pages that may resemble real life, prior to, or after this date, is entirely coincidental.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and entities are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual entities, events or locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  AUTHOR NOTE

  QUOTE

  FACT:

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

  CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

  CHAPTER FIFTY THREE

  CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

  CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

  CHAPTER FIFTY SIX

  CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER FIFTY NINE

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

  CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

  CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

  CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

  CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

  CHAPTER SIXTY SIX

  CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER SIXTY NINE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO

  CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY SIX

  CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY

  CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO

  CHAPTER EIGHTY THREE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY FOUR

  CHAPTER EIGHTY FIVE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY SIX

  CHAPTER EIGHTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER EIGHTY NINE

  EPILOGUE

  APPENDIX A

  APPENDIX B

  APPENDIX C

  APPENDIX D

  APPENDIX E

  APPENDIX F

  APPENDIX G

  APPENDIX H

  APPENDIX I

  APPENDIX J

  APPENDIX K

  APPENDIX L

  APPENDIX M

  APPENDIX N

  APPENDIX O

  TERMINOLOGY / MAP

  POETRY … I SEE YOU

  ENTER THE LIGHT

  AUTHOR NOTE

  Please be aware Genesis was never intended to exist, as I originally planned to conclude 2041 Sanctuary (which began in Dark Descent) with a single volume. However, as I wrote Let There Be Light it became clear my characters had other ideas and the completed book, with appendices, was one thousand, three hundred and fifty pages long. Due to paperback constraints, and trying to keep weight and thickness down while preserving font size, it was decided, after much deliberation, to split the book in two.

  I was loath to go down this route for a number of reasons, most prevalent being I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the read and secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I didn't want it to appear like a money-making exercise
. However, unlike the paperbacks, I was at least able to half the price of the e-books, due to the minimal production costs, when compared to their hard copy counterparts.

  Therefore the story that begins in Let There Be Light concludes in Genesis, and 2041 Sanctuary comprises three books (or parts) and they are as follows:

  2041 Sanctuary (1: Dark Descent)

  2041 Sanctuary (2: Let There Be Light)

  2041 Sanctuary (3: Genesis)

  For more detail on my deliberations behind this decision, please visit the website: www.Sancturian.com

  —

  In the blackest pits, or emptiest of voids, there is always a guiding light; it’s just up to us to find it.

  – Robert Storey

  FACT:

  On the 31st of October, 2015, an asteroid (possibly a dead comet) with the designation TB145, shot past close to Earth at eighty thousand miles an hour. This rock measured approximately half a kilometre in diameter and its impact on our planet would have had the power to devastate a whole continent. The worrying thing is, due to the unusual nature of this asteroid’s solar orbit, TB145 was only discovered three weeks prior to its flypast of our planet.

  That an object of this scale evaded our notice highlights the tenuous nature of our existence on the Earth’s surface and opens up the questions, why is there no mechanism in place to detect these threats? Why aren’t our governments uniting to combat them? And perhaps most importantly, how many more dark comets are out there waiting to strike?

  On the 8th January 2011 an asteroid with the potential to impact Earth in 2040 was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey. This near-Earth object was given the designation, 2011 AG5.

  TERMINOLOGY / MAP

  USSB – United States Subterranean Base

  GMRC – Global Meteor Response Council

  Darklight – World’s largest private security contractor

  SFSD – Special Forces Subterranean Detachment (Terra Force)

  SED – Sanctuary Exploration Division

  Deep Reach – Special survey team working within the SED

  Silver – An elite military unit available to the highest bidder

  Sanctuary Proper – Ancient underground structure built by an extinct species of Hominid, Homo giganthropsis (the Anakim)

  [For easy reference this page is duplicated in the final Appendix and is also listed as the last entry in the Table of Contents]

  Prologue

  ‘This is SED Command. We are a go for express shuttle launch Zulu–Seven–Two in T minus twenty seconds.’

  The countdown timer in the Control Station sank under ten seconds and SED Command spoke again. ‘T minus seven seconds … five, four, three, two, one – launch.’

  Another air-shuttle roared forth from USSB Sanctuary’s Exploration Division, plunging down into the great shaft that cut down into the rocky substrate beneath. Soon after, rockets fired and the craft picked up speed, its blazing lights ploughing through the darkness like a tethered jet fighter as it twisted and turned through massive dark chambers and tight spiralling tunnels. On the same track, many miles south, another shuttle emerged from a transparent tunnel to cruise to a stop at an SED outpost. A unit of armoured Special Forces soldiers disembarked, their Terra Force insignias standing out against their grey and brown camouflage. Weapons and kit were unloaded, and with little ceremony the group of men struck out on a pre-planned route punctuated by waypoint beacons. Following this treacherous path, lines of shielded cabling had already been laid down by those that had gone before. These red conduits of electricity snaked up vertical climbs, down sheer drops and across the gaping fissures that littered Sanctuary Proper like a scaly plague. Deeper into the pitch-black void, teams of men and women tackled the unforgiving landscape of the ancient, Anakim, subterranean world. And further still, at the head of the far reaching expedition, hundreds of people congregated on a vast plateau, where portable floodlights lit up an enormous cavern, transforming the endless night into the dazzle of day.

  Stripped to the waist, a couple of hundred men heaved on ropes, dragging up heavy pieces of equipment from a deep ravine below. Amongst these toiling souls, an armoured man bellowed out orders.

  ‘Pull, you sons of whores! Put your fucking backs into it!!’

  The efforts of those nearby increased and the Terra Force leader walked to the cliff edge and peered down, before unleashing a string of threatening curses at those beneath.

  Further back amidst the masses, Deep Reach team leader Riley Orton heaved back on a rope. His muscles bunched and sweat dripped down his naked torso while around him blazing lights added to the heat of his exertion. Without sleep for forty-eight hours, Riley felt fit to drop and it seemed he wasn’t the only one. Ahead of him, a man slumped to the ground in exhaustion, his grip failing. The rope’s momentum slowed and stopped as two other men went to his assistance.

  The incident drew the attention of their uncompromising mission commander, Colonel Samson, who strode to the scene. ‘Leave him!’

  ‘He needs rest,’ one of the men said. ‘We all do.’

  ‘You’ll rest when I say you can rest.’ Samson pushed aside the unconscious man and picked up the rope. ‘NOW PULL!’

  Everyone lent back against the massive weight they were attempting to drag up from below. Hand over hand, the rope moved through Riley’s gloves, slow at first but picking up speed as Samson continued to berate and push them, while his prodigious strength added impetus to the struggle.

  A shout of warning came from the cliff edge and the ground beneath Riley’s feet shuddered. Fifty feet away a section of rock disappeared in a cloud of dust and ten men vanished from view, their screams echoing into the chamber as they fell.

  The rope snapped taut, dragging Riley forwards before shearing through his grip as the heavy load dropped.

  ‘Hold!’ Samson shouted. ‘HOLD!!’

  The man nearest the edge let go and rolled to safety. Samson, next in line, coiled his arms round the rope and activated his armour’s inbuilt anchors. Two metal bolts fired into the ground, jerking the colonel to a stop with their attached cables.

  Samson grunted in pain as opposite forces threatened to rip him in two, and Riley held on as others rushed to their aid. The unbearable weight lessened and, inch by inch, foot by foot, the tide turned back in their favour.

  After what seemed like an age, their goal neared its conclusion and the equipment appeared over the ridge and continued up onto flat ground.

  Riley released the rope and sank to one knee as the other teams around them finished hauling up their respective machinery. He breathed deep and not for the first time he questioned their conservation of power. It had been deemed prudent to conserve energy by limiting the use of winches now they were beyond the reach of an electrical supply. He could see the wisdom behind the decision, but it didn’t stop him complaining about it.

  As Riley contemplated passing out, Samson detached the cables that secured him in place and made a beeline for the man who’d abandoned his position on the rope.

  The colonel punched the soldier to the ground. ‘Disobey my orders again,’ Samson said, standing over his victim, ‘and I’ll throw you over the edge myself. Do you understand me!?’

  Silence fell on those gathered.

  Dazed, the man looked up at his attacker before nodding his head.

  Riley felt a pang of sympathy for the soldier, who’d done the only thing he could to save his own life. But as everyone knew, arguing with the colonel was like wrestling with a rabid bull; it could only end one way.

  Samson swung round to glare at them. ‘What do you think you’re looking at? Get back to work!’

  The noise of labour resumed, the incident forgotten, but Riley knew Samson had saved many more men below from being crushed to death, putting his own life on the line when no one else would. It was hard to accept such an animal could demonstrate such selflessness. Although, Riley reasoned, he was probably more worried about losing his precious equipment than lives. W
hatever the case, he’d saved them from yet more losses, but there was one thing his actions could never change, it was the colonel’s single-mindedness that had pushed their death toll to over forty and they were still only a few days out from base.

  How many more will die in the coming days? Riley could only guess.

  His hand strayed to the safety harness at his waist, the touch reassuring him he had options should he find himself freefalling to his death.

  Samson wiped sweat from his brow and accepted a water canister from one of his commandos, and Riley caught himself glaring at the man who seemed hell-bent on pushing them beyond their limits.

  ‘If he keeps this up,’ a voice said from behind, ‘none of us are gonna make it back to base.’

  Riley turned round to his friend and Deep Reach team mate, the bald-headed Jefferson Church. The bear of a man took on some water, wiped the back of a thick forearm across his bewhiskered face, and passed the flask to Riley, who drank his fill.

  ‘And it’ll be for naught if Sarah has already made it to the surface,’ Riley said.

  Jefferson looked sceptical. ‘If that’s where she’s going, she’s headed the wrong way.’ He lowered his voice. ‘What’s she doing down here, Ri? I still don’t get it.’

  Riley shrugged. In the spare moments he’d had to ponder such questions, the answers remained as elusive as the woman herself.

  ‘One thing’s for sure,’ Jefferson said, ‘whatever she’s taken, they’ll do anything to get it back.’

  Riley murmured his agreement as the colonel turned in their direction.

  ‘You, team leader,’ Samson said, pointing at Riley, ‘a word.’

  The colonel stalked away as more soldiers and SED personnel flooded up onto the plateau from below.