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Shadowed Moon: The Death Card
Topic Started: Jul 23 2009, 08:12 PM (250 Views)
The Phantom
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New project I'm working the side while I work on my first story with my co-author. I have a synposis and it can be viewed in my strong box if you have access. After I reach the cut off point, the rest of this story will be in my strongbox. Also, please note, that this is merely rough draft work. Nothing is set in stone. Also, this is under the genre of sci-fi and I'm hoping to reach an audience spreading from teen to young adult to maybe even adult.
Edited by The Phantom, Sep 19 2009, 09:40 PM.
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The Phantom
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Chapter One: Six Days

“And so, in six short days, the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, more notable as the “Mayan” Calendar, will land on its final recorded day in which majority of the population of America and large amounts of people in other countries believe will be the beginning of the apocalypse. In other news, President Christopher McCoy has yet to comment on the recent riots that have begun by cults sprouting up in our nation due to the Mayan Calendar.”

The television was turned off before the news reporter could finish his broadcast on the current situation. The President of the United States, Chris McCoy, sat behind his finely polished mahogany and oak desk, deep in thought. He has grown exhausted of hearing about this theoretical “apocalyptic” event every time he turned on the miniature television that rested on the right corner of his desk. He was even beginning to regret asking it brought into the office to monitor the news on the subject. Instead of getting the news he wanted, he was full of attacks toward him; he wasn’t surprised at this since he was in such a high up office where his opinion mattered.

For the past couple of months the President had to be called upon to discuss new cults that were appearing left and right that believe in whatever they want will stop “the end”. He was starting to forget when the last time he sat down to dinner with his family. The First Family, excluding Chris, was currently at a large cottage in Maine for the winter break. He didn’t plan on being able to see them until Christmas Day.

McCoy knew the citizens of the United States were not the only ones causing uproar. All over the world reports have been streaming in of similar factions popping up and disrupting the government and normal living. The United Nations meetings have never been more hectic. Representatives from the other nations were being filled with substitutes as those with higher power could not find the time to attend.

President McCoy exhaled noisily as his mind wandered through the recent day. It was nighttime now and he was nowhere near exhausted enough to attempt sleep. The president found himself becoming more nocturnal since the first riots started in New York. He wondered if it was even a thought prior to accepting the nomination that being president would be this hard. He just appreciated the fact that in another month he will hand the reigns over to “the new girl”. Or at least that he enjoyed the fact that this is what the people think.

He remembered this morning seeing a young man who should probably have been in college holding up a sign outside the White House reading “The end is near. Is there any way to fight it?”

If only he had the answer to that question he’d be able to control these organizing factions and shut them down; retake control of his boisterous country. He even did a little researching into the date of December 21, 2012 to see if he could come up with anything. Sadly his research was mostly in vain. There were too many speculations on what may occur and no definite answer on which one was right. The theories ranged from dramatic, biblical apocalyptic events to the Earth passing through something called a photon belt that would upset the planets axis and cause an unknown reaction to the inhabitants; if they survived.

He researched further in both subjects as they seemed the leading in the assumed concepts. He met spiritual folks of many different religions alongside other world leaders and each gave several diverse thoughts on the issue. Those belonging to the belief of Christianity say that the only prophecies were written in the bible and spoke no further on the situation with the President. The other religions followed suit or spoke of beasts from hell rising up and devils ruling the world.

Desperate for more examination on religious viewings, President McCoy was the only political leader that secretly met with those of the satanic cult. He was surprised to find that the person, who came with his face covered, found nothing within his own beliefs that would involve any situation happening on the twenty-first. A snicker that came from the masked face caused McCoy to wonder if the person was pulling his leg or not; perhaps they wanted to surprise the world.

When he researched on the subject of any axis shift with astronomers and geologists he found that they too had mixed views. Some believed in the possibility of passing through this “photon belt” which would disrupt the axis. Others, mostly the ones who worked with NASA, threw it aside like those Christians who strictly followed the bible. A group threw the idea of that out and suggested that something on Earth will cause in axis shift instead.

President McCoy did receive few discussions from people who believed that going through this ring of photons is inevitable. Those people spoke of electrical equipment failure and sudden lurches in evolution for those who survived the planets change of atmospheres. They predicted that it would last for only a year. McCoy found it eerie that when he spoke to these theorists he felt they knew more than they should.

Chimes filled the office as the antique grandfather clock struck midnight. The president looked at the calendar on his desk next to the television and flipped it to the next day. Saturday December 15, 2012. He shuffled through the papers that were scattered on his desk. What he brought forward was a bill that would enforce martial law in the United States until the twenty-second of December. President McCoy would sorely regret having to end his term with this as his last highlight in his high position.

He knew though that what he felt about his final imprint on the country could not matter much longer. That’s why he held off so long on signing it. His Cabinet members all understood his fears and told him to give it another day, perhaps it would settle down. If it didn’t, he would have to sign it and force a curfew of eight o’clock and have those in the military patrol major cities. The thought of patrolled streets shortly after getting those across seas back home produced a greater fear of uprising against the government. Chaos would overrule any control they could hope to hold.

A knock on the door startled McCoy from his thoughts. He swore a silent oath in his mind as he rubbed his large calf that he thumped against the side of the desk. A member of his personal security entered as he told her to. Recently, the President grew paranoid when one of the members of the White House staff was seen as one of the picketers outside the gates leading up to the presidential household four days ago. He decided that any information that needed to be given to him could be passed through his security.

“Mr. President, the deadline for that bill has been pushed up to tonight,” the woman told him. “Another five more riots have broken out on the west coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. Two more acts of pillaging occurred on both coasts. This time a bank was targeted. Sadly, the police were unable to apprehend the perpetrators. Also, those cities that we have taken care of rioters and pillagers are now complaining about loss and damage of goods. Everyone, after these reports came in, voted that you should take the action to prevent outbursts as soon as possible.”

President McCoy leaned his elbows against the dark wood of his desk and cupped his face with his large, beastly hands. “Tonight,” he spoke to her through his fingers. “I’ll have the paper signed if it is necessary by tonight. If reporters still want a comment from me, I have none but the warning of this bill.”

“Understood, Mr. President.”

McCoy sat in his chair with his hands covering his scruffy face for a half minute, waiting to hear the door to his office close. He wasn’t surprised when he lowered his large hands that she was still standing there. She looked like she was struggling to decide something while she brushed a bit of her brunette hair back behind her ear.

“Is there a problem, Eva?” he inquired as he heaved a great sigh; stress was mounting on him and he wasn’t sure how much he was going to be able to hold before something blew within him. He could barely stand the hesitation the woman in front of her was giving him. He wanted to attempt to end tonight early; that is, if his mind would allow it.

“Well, Mr. President-” Eva started but was interrupted.

“Kill the formalities for the night, Eva.”

“Yes, McCoy. Anyway, we were wondering what you did think of the entire matter?”

The President raised a thick eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. “Who is ‘we’ and what is ‘the entire matter’?” He was getting frustrated with the time she was starting to cause him.

“Marv, Luke, and I, sir,” she noted his aggravation and worked to get to the point. “We’ve wondered what you thought since speaking to Marv’s brother. You know: the astronomer.”

Eva watched her superior uncross his hands and shuffle through papers on his desk and shoved them into a file through the tinted glasses she wore. McCoy was not looking forward to talking about this subject and Eva understood why. Marv every so often goes a bit over-the-top about certain subjects the president has to deal with. “Send the other two in.” She nodded in understanding and left the office.

In the absence of everyone else, McCoy ran his fingers through his midnight black hair and was able to rack his brain for an answer for them. Out of all the information he gathered, he believed in Daniel Jacobs’, the astronomer, view the most. He was the one that told him about the photon belt and the possibility of axial shift and this sudden rush in evolution.

The President also knew that his close personnel, those who guard him and watch over him as their duty, followed this belief but were unaware of their superior’s standpoint. They probably wanted to know the information so they can have a jump start on how it will affect the bill he needs to sign.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and stiff “come in” broke from McCoy’s lips. Eva entered with two gentlemen at her heels. One of the men appeared well built and the other thinly shaped. All three of the president’s security wore dark shades, mandatory to help conceal their identity. The men wore grey trench coats while Eva wore one in black. McCoy knew what artillery was concealed beneath those coats and was thankful everyday for them; especially recently when they were in need of use when an uprising occurred at a town meeting. The larger man stood the closest to the president’s desk and seemed most intent on hearing every word McCoy planned on saying.

“Now, as you three know, anything I say to you here you take to your deaths,” McCoy instructed them. The three nodded. The President got up from his black leather swivel chair and strode over to the windows, making sure all the blinds were closed. Once positive no one could see in, he returned to his desk and pulled out from one of the drawers a bottle of scotch. He was told he shouldn’t have this in here before and didn’t want to get caught by anyone but the three already in the room. He pulled out four small glasses and poured a bit into each. Grabbing one of the drinks, McCoy sat back down into his chair and leaned it back, eyeing his security; none went to take a glass. He took a sip of his scotch and proceeded.

“When I met with Marv’s brother, Daniel, he presented the most, on what I think, sane position on how things will play off on Friday. That is, if anything happens.”

The larger man with short brown hair shifted in his stance and mumbled something inaudible. The thinner man elbowed him in the ribs with a look of disgruntled disappointment on his face.

“Marv, is there something you would like to say?”

The man moved toward the president’s desk and took off his glasses. His hazel eyes stared into McCoy’s blue ones. “I just think it is foolish to even consider nothing will happen.”

“Your brother is only one of three astronomers across the Earth to even suggest this possibility as a certainty.”

Marv slammed his fist on the desk which creaked underneath the pressure and the liquor in the unclaimed glasses rippled. “We know he is right though! People out there are panicking and they all have a reason to. Mr. President, you should sign that bill now and also make an announcement on what will happen.”

Luke, the thin man with dirty blonde hair that was disheveled, approached Marv and attempted to pull him away from the president. Marv shoved the thin man back into Eva who attempted to catch the man. Luke straightened himself up with his partner’s help and glared through his shades at Marv.

“You are too rash, Marvin,” Luke lectured him. “This is why you are where you are and Mr. McCoy is where he is. I’m sure the President knows what he is doing in holding off on this bill and keeping the citizens of this nation in the dark.”

Marv didn’t bother take a glance at the other two but leaned halfway over the desk and kept his eyes on his leader who kept his down. The desk groaned slightly under the new weight. The drinks continued to ripple. The agent wondered what could be preventing his superior from doing what the four of them knew was right.

“Marv,” the president finally spoke, raising his ocean blues to stare into his inquirer’s eyes. He would be the strong president that the world knew him. Eva could have sworn she saw fire in the man’s glare. “Understand that I have enemies as is. Yes, I have worked hard and have been considered one of the greatest presidents this nation has seen due to my work with the war across sea; but I still have many people who think my tactics were foolish and an alternate route could have been taken. Telling people a tale this farfetched will cause panic from those who believe in me and an uprising against my successor. People will start thinking our party is going to the dogs and that could separate our country more than it already is.

“Yes, Marvin. Our country is split in many directions and it is best, especially with the upcoming events, to keep it as united as the name of our country and to have a leader who they can turn to without having to hurt their own pride. Now I advise you to get off this ancient desk, take one of those drinks and get yourself back in line.” Eva could have sworn she heard a bit of a growl during the order her gave Marv.

Silence followed the president’s speech. Eva wrapped an arm around Luke and leaned her head against him. Luke gazed at Marv, a steady hand near the opening of his trench coat in case his partner decided to assault President McCoy for his views. He relaxed when Marvin straightened himself up, grabbed a glass of scotch, down it and put on his glasses.

“I’m sorry,” he told McCoy, putting the glass back on the desk. “Knowing what is going to happen has ruled my brain since Daniel informed me. I’m just worried if people are in the dark, the human race won’t survive.”

McCoy grinned at the man before him and even gave a hearty chuckle. He even followed suit in downing the rest of his drink in a gulp. Eva was a taken aback by the sudden change in the president’s tone when he finally spoke. The fire that rose up with the president before seemed completely extinguished. “My good man, you don’t have to worry about that. Your brother told me that he has already started spreading the news that it will happen. Most think him crazy but he already has some people following the belief and preparing. The theory is still posted on the internet and is popular enough that when I type in ‘December 21, 2012 theories’ that it is one of the first topics that appears in the search engine. The world will be as prepared as it needs to be. We just need to make sure we are prepared to work diligently for what follows. And we are as organized we can be, given all that we have planned. The only variable we can’t work out is what this ‘evolution’ Daniel talked about will do.”

Marv, feeling more content with this answer, turned for the door. He stopped when he heard Luke’s voice. “What about the new president?”

“I have informed Catherine Frost and she will be working alongside us as my second in command,” McCoy brought the group up to date, in his manner casual. “Are you going to drink that?” He referred to one of the two remaining full glasses on the desk.

“The vice president and the rest of the cabinet are ok with this?” Eva, astounded at the news, completely brushed off the offer.

“Vice President Riley Thompson will not be working with us any further than rebuilding. He feels in his old age that if the events we told him do come to pass he will want to focus only on his family and not much more. I’m sure we can all understand that.” The president scanned the faces of his security expecting to see a look of revulsion at the thought of someone doing this. He was delighted to see that each of them nodded in an accepting way. “As for the Cabinet, most members will be following the vice president’s lead while only Secretary of State, Leonardo Slate, will join me and Catherine in managing the country into what will be the ‘new world’. Now, it is almost one in the morning and I’d like to retire soon. You three are dismissed for now while I finish up my work in here.”

His security nodded and they left his office, Eva and Luke loosening their hold on each other as they were returning back to their job. McCoy felt relieved when the door closed behind them. Pulling himself up from his chair, the president’s eyes wandered to the drinks on the edge of his desk.

“Not one to drink my troubles away, but…” Without finishing his thought, he gripped the drinks and swallowed them without giving the liquor much of a taste. He racked his mind about the meeting with the astronomer. There was something else that Daniel Jacobs told McCoy that he didn’t tell anyone else.

“Some people may start feeling the effects of the photon belt the week before,” he could almost the man’s voice as if he was in the room. “And who knows what the effects may be!”

He stood up walked over to the windows, pulling open the blinds once he got there. Jacobs was afraid. He quickly brushed the subject from his mind. Yawning, he stretched his beastly arms and gazed at the moon.

Another thought crossed his mind. What would happen to the moon when they go through the belt? Would it still be there, dangling above the Earth, keeping a watchful eye? Or would it perhaps be forced back towards the planet, ending all life as we know it. McCoy shuddered at the thought and knew that there was no way he was going to end up sleeping well tonight. There were too many possibilities going through his mind. The unknown, though he would never admit it, frightened him.

The clock in the office chimed when it struck one o’clock, bringing the president back from his fantasies of an advance race of super humans and into reality with a start. He heaved a great groaned as he returned to his desk, passing through paperwork he needed to finish before he turned in. He couldn’t focus though. All he could think about was that whatever would happen, it would occur in six more days.
Edited by The Phantom, Sep 19 2009, 09:39 PM.
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The Phantom
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I changed the prologue to this. I hope people enjoy this a bit more. Lemme know!
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Esaul
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Quote:
 

The television turned was turned off before the news reporter could finish his broadcast on the current situation.


Get rid of the first turned, then you're golden.

It's a good prologue, I enjoyed reading it, especially the part about the guy holding up the fence. Question though, what prompted you to create this new prologue versus the old?
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The Phantom
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Fixed and fixed another part.

Changed: Earth passing through something called a photon belt that would upset the planets axis and do something strange to the inhabitants; if they survived.

to

Earth passing through something called a photon belt that would upset the planets axis and cause an unknown reaction to the inhabitants; if they survived.


And what prompted me to change it is I just didn't feel comfortable with it. I wanted something dealing with the government and instead of starting chapter one off with it, I made it the prologue. I took the elements from the old one and put it into this new one. If you remember the old one you can see it.
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Esaul
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Or I can view the history and see xD.

But anywho, I really do like the government's involvement in the prologue. It feels right compared to what you had before. Still excited for chapter one xD
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The Phantom
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So am I. O.O I must say, I'm proud of how the prologue turned out.
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Esaul
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Well that's good. Just don't go back and make 8 more versions of it, like I did with my story. I'll be looking for updates :D
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The Phantom
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:D If I feel good about it like I do with this, I wont be making any other versions. Tis all about self control, Will. :D
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The Phantom
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Changed a line. Nothing new that is big.
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The Phantom
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Fixed various things in the prologue again.
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The Phantom
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DELETED
Edited by The Phantom, Sep 19 2009, 09:41 PM.
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The Phantom
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OKAY! Big changes has happened since I last updated.

First off, I got a working name. The series (it will be more than one book) is caleld Shadowed Moon. The first book is called The Death Card. Thus, Shadowed Moon: The Death Card.

Second, I have gone back into the prologue and put a shitload of meat in there. I've decided I wanted more involvement with the government in this and the prologue is now the first chapter. Enjoy. P.S. The new chapter one is the second post in this thread. You can't miss it.

Third, I removed the old first chapter (which is now chapter two) from this thread because there is a enough in chapter one that I don't need to put the rest in here. The new and updated chapter two is currently being shifted into my strongbox. I'll make the appropriate announcement in the appropriate forum. Look out for it. I hope people enjoy the changes.
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