Something for readers of avid science-fiction @MortHerman

The year is 2230 and this protagonist Sam Greenhut's interview
from the book

Future's Edge

by

Mort Herman

 

Janus: “I’m sitting with Sam Greenhut, Chief Scientist of the Wheeler Corporation and head of Global Network operations. Sam thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule.”

Sam: “You’re very welcome Janus. My schedule is not as busy as you might imagine.”

Janus: “That’s hard to believe, but many say you are very accommodating. You do realize, you’re a celebrity. You have a great family legacy. How does that feel?”

Sam: “Yes, everyone tells me that.  The Wheeler Corporation does a good job marketing the name Greenhut, but I have an important job to do.”

Janus: “You are in charge of the most technologically advanced Network in history, yet you shun the spotlight. Some tell me you avoid the technology in your daily life, hardly ever tapping into the resources offered by the Global Network. You even insisted this interview take place face-to-face. That’s highly unorthodox.”

Sam: Janus, “I prefer to interact one-on-one. I just feel more comfortable that way. The neural implant is just a tool and I use it only when it’s necessary.”

Janus: “Would you say you are anti-technology?”

Sam: “Hardly. I marvel at the technology involved. It’s truly groundbreaking, impacting humanity in a ways no one could have imagined. We all know of the benefits. However, I see another side. A side where people have become too dependant on it. Yes, it fills our every want and need, but along the way, we have lost something. I prefer self-reliance. For example, I communicate with the people at this facility using the spoken word, not by sending a neural message. I think people appreciate this. For me it’s all about personal relationships and teamwork.”

Janus: “Is that a page out of your sailing excursions?”

Sam: “Exactly. We conduct team-building exercises on board. Not a bad job sailing with your team.”

Janus: You are credited with creating a backup system for the Global Network. Something done without the blessing of the Wheeler Corporation and the Corporate Federation. Some feel it undermines the faith people have on the Global Network….. Standby please.” Yes. Really? Yes sir. Immediately.

“Thank you all for listening. That concludes our interview with Sam Greenhut.”

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Mort Herman has a Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. Holder of six patents, he worked at several companies including IBM, Texas Instruments, AT&T and Lucent Technologies where his specialty was semiconductor electronics, systems design, and marketing.

Mort lives on the Jersey shore with his mate Mary Ann. When he’s not writing, Mort is an avid sailor, a wood sculptor, and a charter member of the Arts Society of Keyport. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, he added his technical, artistic, and project management skills to the design and implementation of three, free form concrete sculptures that replaced destroyed public art in the town of Keyport, NJ.

Future's Edge

Most people do not carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. Sam Greenhut does. 
 By the year 2230, the world is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. All power is harnessed directly from the Earth’s core. 
A clever integration of neural technology and wireless energy gives rise to the Global Network (GNET), revolutionizing society.

Amazon

Diverse industries operate efficiently under the umbrella of a neurally connected world economy, powered by an unlimited geothermal fuel supply controlled not by Presidents, Sheikhs nor Monarchs, but by a Corporate Federation run by seven individuals. 

This is the state of the world when the Corporate Federation charges Sam Greenhut with ensuring GNET’s unquestioned reliability and integrity. 

Sam sees a world whose population is totally dependent on GNET, as if the previously admired trait of self-reliance was weaned from the gene pool. Inevitably, the insatiable demand for energy prompts a reckless decision by Corporate Federation board members to expand the geothermal energy lattices. 

Despite Sam’s protest, the choice to exceed the cautionary “Greenhut Limits” precipitate a string of earthquakes that destroy GNET and plunges the planet into the chaos known as “The Upheaval.”

What happens next fundamentally alters the destiny of the planet and catapults Sam into the center of The Seed – book one in my science fiction trilogy, Future’s Edge.

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Excerpt from Future's Edge

… With the village stabilized and work preparations for the upcoming season proceeding smoothly, it was finally time for Kappi and Elizabeth to depart – a little later than usual, but still in time to be comfortably cradled between winter and spring. They left Tyber in the capable hands of the core group of people who had been with Kappi since the beginning of their enterprise. As agreed, Frank stayed behind to carry out his primary job of caring for the puppies. This was to be Kappi’s and Elizabeth’s alone time.

Their preparations were simple and swift. They chose to take their three favorite dogs led by Jupiter, the oldest, strongest, and most even-keeled of the lot. He had the experience to tame any wild or unsafe actions of the other dogs and could administer discipline when needed. Tassi (Tassiorpok, the guide) was the youngest and she possessed the keenest of senses. When there was uncertainty concerning the weather, a sound, or what path was the safest, Tassi was the one all looked at for guidance. Lastly, there was Angus (Angusuktok, the good hunter). Angus could smell prey for several kilometers and understood by verbal command what animal Kappi and Elizabeth wanted him to seek. This proud team was considered a vital, integral part of their family.

Off they went on their adventure with their dogs carrying food, supplies, clothing, hunting weapons and tools. They were finally able to leave behind the realities of the real world. There was no need to discuss their destination. Each knew instinctively where they would go.

With Tassi in the lead, Kappi provided the verbal commands that guided them toward a special hidden river valley. In the summer months, the river would flow freely, but now it was completely iced over. Tassi understood where Kappi wanted to go, and he let Tassi guide them with little intervention.

Elizabeth and Kappi were struck by the sheer majesty of this place even though they had been there before. Their place, which they called Uyaraut (meaning “precious stone” in the Inuit language), was bounded on three sides by cliffs providing a magnificent vista of the frozen river valley as it stretched for kilometers between the Arctic Ocean on the north end and the cloud-topped mountains to the south. Their camp was about halfway down the steep slope on a relatively flat area with a deep cave at the most easterly point. Uyaraut presented a perfect view of the sunset at this time of year. The setting provided shelter from the strong winds relentlessly funneling across the treeless, snow-encapsulated tundra.

Throughout their stay, Kappi and Elizabeth hardly uttered ten words to each other. In Uyaraut, they let in the solitude, the silence, their heartbeats, their individual breaths and all that surrounded them. It was an empathic event for Kappi and Elizabeth and it bridged the barrier of mental separateness intrinsic to humans. Uyaraut acted as an amplifier…