The Immortal Harvest Read online

  The Immortal Harvest

  Is it an Alien Threat or Something Far Worse?

  L.J. Wallace

  To find out more about this book or contact the author, please visit:

  www.vividpublishing.com.au/theimmortalharvest

  Copyright © 2015 L. J. Wallace

  ISBN: 978-1-925341-88-1 (eBook)

  EPUB Edition

  Published by Vivid Publishing

  P.O. Box 948, Fremantle Western Australia 6959

  www.vividpublishing.com.au

  eBook conversion and distribution by Fontaine Publishing Group, Australia

  www.fontaine.com.au

  The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All characters portrayed in this novel are purely fictional and are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any real person in purely coincidental

  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 or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior approval of the author as described above.

  This book is produced subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form or binding or cover other than that which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  Subjects include: Theories of the Multiverse, Parallel Universes, Immortality, Worm-Hole Travel, Aliens.

  This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife Julie – Thank you for being you.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  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

  Epilogue

  Connect with the Author

  “Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality”.

  —Abraham Lincoln

  One

  Matt Rojerson had taken off his gloves to get a better grip on the arms of his friend Bob Webb, who hung helplessly suspended within a large ice crevasse.

  Like razor sharp scimitars, the icy winds of the Antarctic tore at the flesh on his hands. The pain was unbearable. He gritted his teeth. Every muscle in his body ached from the exertion of grasping the arms of his comrade.

  Fortunately for Matt, he had tethered himself to the sled. He silently prayed that the weight of all of the geological surveying equipment would be sufficient to stop him from following his friend into the giant crack in the ice.

  He shouted through the deafening scream of the Antarctic blizzard and the menacing rumble as the ground shook mercilessly. The looming edifice of Vinson Massif towered above him.

  “Hang on Bob; I’ll get you out of there. Don’t let go. Try to crawl up my body.”

  He attempted a comforting smile, but knew immediately that his suggestion was ludicrous. It would take superhuman strength to even attempt such a feat, even without the nasty wound that Bob had on his leg.

  He could imagine that the sheer terror of the situation would be contorting his features, as thankfully, he could not see all of Bob’s face. He had lost his goggles in the fall.

  Bob’s eyes darted frantically behind the holes in his balaclava. Even in this dim Antarctic light, Matt could see that the pupils of Bob’s eyes had expanded to the point that his normally blue eyes looked black.

  His arms were shaking under the enormous strain of having to hold up his own body weight, plus the eighty kilograms of equipment which hung suspended below him from a rope around his waist.

  “Matt, I don’t think I can hold on much longer,” said Bob, his voice high pitched and quivering under the strain.

  “You have to. Can you untie the rope from around your waist? That will make you lighter.”

  “What about all the equipment?”

  “Fuck the equipment Bob. You are more important than a sled full of crap.”

  Matt’s mind raced. He needed a solution fast; he decided that drastic actions were needed as he screamed his instructions at his terrified friend.

  “I will let go of your left arm so that you can release your karabiner and let the sled go. That will make it easier for me to pull you up.”

  Matt released Bob’s left arm causing Bob to scream in pain from the incredible strain placed on his right arm and shoulder joint. He kicked his legs wildly as he spun around in the air. The added movement caused the sled anchoring Matt, to slide slightly forward. His whole body shifted forward and caused a jolting movement. He yelled at Bob in desperation.

  “Bob, try to stay calm. Can you release the karabiner?”

  Matt could feel the pain in his jaws from grimacing from the sheer strain of combating gravity. He watched as Bob used his free left arm to fumble with the frozen metallic device that held the loop of rope. The task made even more difficult by the bulk of his gloved hand.

  He knew that the rope around his waist would be extremely tight. He tried not to think about the futility of the task and thrust his arm down towards his friend. He saw the look of fear and dejection spread across Bob’s face as his attempt at releasing the rope failed.

  “It’s no use it won’t release. Just let me go Matt. Save yourself.”

  “No. I can get you out. Just hang on.”

  “It’s over Matt. I’m fucked. Just let me go. Tell Trudy I love her for me mate. Tell her I’m sorry,” his voice cracked as he spoke.

  Matt suppressed the urge to scream at his friend. Tears stung his eyes and then were instantly swept away by the howling wind. He buried his face in the lump of crushed snow that had piled up in front of him. Anger and frustration welled up inside. He screamed into the snow.

  “Damn it Bob, I’m not going to let you go. Do you hear me? I need you to complete this mission.”

  His arms and shoulders burned from the constant strain. His hands were numb from the cold and the grasp that he h
ad on Bob’s arms.

  Suddenly, the sled which was supporting his weight slid forward again. This time his whole body lunged forward further into the crevasse. The unexpected shift in weight caused his grasp to momentarily loosen.

  Seizing the opportunity, Bob wrenched his arms free from Matt’s grasp; remaining deathly silent as he plummeted into the icy blackness, the weight of the sled and the conspiracy of gravity hastening his descent.

  Within seconds he had disappeared from Matt’s vision. He stared in horrified silence as his friend disappeared. His fingers outstretched into the abyss as if they were subconsciously willing Bob not to fall. It was too late, he was gone.

  He remained in the same position for a long time. The sheer effort of supporting his friend and then losing him had rendered him lifeless. His energy was depleted.

  After several minutes the horrifying realisation of his being alone and a renewed upheaval in the ice, forced him to back to reality.

  He hurriedly put his gloves back on and resecured his sled. He clenched his jaws tightly as he proceeded to make his way to his original intended destination. He had a mission to accomplish.

  Just one thought flashed across his mind as he stared up at the massive monolith of Vinson Massif and tugged hard on the sled.

  It will be called Bob Webb’s meteorite.

  “You’re sacrifice will be remembered Bob,” he screamed into the wind as he pushed steadily into the blizzard. The bitter wind driven snow, pummelling his balaclava, as a small pool of tears formed at the bottom of his goggles and solidified in seconds.

  As he trudged slowly through the knee deep snow he let his thoughts wander. He thought about the lead up to this expedition. He thought of the months of preparation and the impetus that fuelled the haste to secure the find of the century.

  He remembered the first time he had met Bob.

  They were both in the office of one of the largest ore exploration companies in the world.

  They had been summoned to attend a meeting with several interested parties. He noticed Bob who was sitting quietly outside of the CEO’s office reading a science journal. He rushed to introduce himself.

  “Hi. My name is Matt Rojerson.”

  “Good for you mate. My name is Robert Webb. My friends call me Bob.”

  “Hi Bob it’s nice to meet you.”

  He shook his hand with a firm grasp and smiled at the man with the obviously laconic Australian accent. He liked him. He had never met an Australian that he did not like. They all had those rugged good looks with the mischievous smiles and their infamous sense of humour. Bob’s reply proved that he was certainly no exception.

  “I didn’t say that you could call me Bob.”

  He quickly pulled his hand away. He was unsure of what to say. Until he heard Bob’s hearty, booming laugh.

  “Just kidding mate, I’m pullin’ ya leg. Seriously though mate, what’s all this about? Do you have any idea? Who are these jokers?” he asked as he pointed to the impressively large office door.

  “They’re obviously over compensating for something.”

  Bob wriggled his little finger to emphasise the point.

  Matt laughed at the innuendo and continued. “I heard that there has been a discovery made in Antarctica. They needed a leading Geologist so they called me in.”

  “Bloody hell, someone’s got tickets on themselves. I’m not exactly chopped liver in the field of Geology myself you know.”

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were a Geologist.”

  Matt felt his face redden as he proceeded to sit down across from Bob. He attempted to change the subject.

  “I don’t know anything about this discovery, do you? It must be something big.”

  He noticed Bob’s raised eyebrow and his uncanny smile as he replied.

  “Why do you say that?”

  Matt ignored the response and continued.

  “Well as you know, it goes against the Madrid Protocol to even suggest mining in the Antarctic region. If that is their plan, they must be in possession of some extremely extenuating circumstances. Maybe they found a substantial oil reserve.”

  At that moment their eyes were drawn to the sound of the large door opening. Matt smiled at Bob when he saw him get to his feet and gesture for him to walk ahead of him.

  “Well mate, I guess we are about to find out.”

  * * *

  The memory of that first meeting had a calming affect against the blizzard as Matt smiled to himself, recalling the brusque manner in which Bob had entered the meeting and his deliberate attempts to bring humour to an otherwise seriously deadpan meeting.

  Unfortunately his attempts were met with derision from the men who were in no mood to joke around. Almost as soon as the introductions were over they were given their briefing.

  He thought of the voluminous document that had been placed in front of the Geologists in that meeting. The front cover imprinted with the words Top Secret. This immediately piqued his curiosity. He listened intently to the presentation as he scanned through the document. The appendix contained the ultimate surprise.

  “Using a satellite with newly developed microwave radar system, they have discovered a large deposit of exotic metals in an unexplored area of Antarctica.”

  Matt’s heart raced at the prospect of being the first Geologist to provide the samples required to confirm the find. However, the breakdown of the find was both baffling and suspicious.

  “According to this report you have apparently discovered an exotic metal compound containing Beryllium, Iridium, Cobalt and Titanium. That’s preposterous. It cannot exist naturally; your instruments need to be recalibrated.”

  “That’s why we have invited you and Mr Webb here to this meeting. Our company needs solid evidence. We need you to go to Antarctica and bring back samples. We do not know how to proceed until we have had a chance to do a detailed analysis with actual samples. Now gentlemen, when can you leave?”

  Matt was excited for the duration of the preparations to embark on this adventure. He had spent many nights with Bob arguing over the best type of equipment to take, the best time of year to leave and the best place to set up the base camp.

  They had both decided the simplest way to make the journey to Antarctica would be to travel via military cargo plane from Australia to Davis station. Luckily for them it was summer.

  From Davis they could then travel to Byrd Station in the unclaimed area of Antarctica, known as Marie Byrd Land.

  Permission was granted by the US Department of Defence to use Byrd Station as their base. The following morning, they set out on the arduous journey towards the Sentinel Mountain Range that contained within it the mountain known as Vinson Massif. The exact co-ordinates of which contained the metal. Matt had set the co-ordinates seventy eight point three one south, eighty five point three seven west into the GPS.

  He double checked all of their equipment. There was no margin for error in such a hostile environment.

  They had started out using snow mobiles. Matt had made sure that they had sufficient fuel for the journey both to and from Vinson Massif. Unfortunately, on the third day of their trek they lost the snowmobiles.

  Although it was midsummer, the weather had begun to close in. The bitterly cold Antarctic wind licked at whatever pieces of flesh it could access, like some ravenous wolf.

  They had agreed to stop, make camp and hunker down for the duration of the blizzard. They barely had time to erect their tents when the blizzard struck. It prevailed for five hours and then eventually subsided. The tents were almost completely covered by the snow.

  After successfully digging themselves out of their tents they discovered that, somehow during the night, the snowmobiles had disappeared. Bob was livid.

  “God damn it! How could two snowmobiles just disappear?”

  He kicked at the freshly dumped piles of snow, hoping to hear the sound of impacted metal. There was nothing but snow. Matt stood in the snow outside of his tent scratching his
head. The disappearance of the machines was illogical.

  “I don’t know Bob. You don’t think they were stolen do you?”

  “What the fuck? Mate, I doubt if there’s anyone within a thousand miles of here. The only other living creatures we’ve seen have been seals and penguins. Do you think a fucking seal stole them? What about those pesky Penguins from Madagascar?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Well, maybe the blizzard has blown them away from here. Maybe we should take a look around. They may not be too far away.” Matt tried to sound optimistic.

  “Ok that sounds feasible, it’s been pretty blowy. We’ll each travel in a larger circle in opposite directions around our present position and see if we can find them, I need a piss anyway.” With that, Bob turned on his heel and stormed off away from the camp. Matt yelled after him.

  “Ok but keep you’re walkie talkie on so we don’t lose each other.”

  Bob waved his hand in the air in acknowledgement of Matt’s request and kept walking.

  The area around where they had set up camp was flat with the occasional black glistening boulder protruding from the ice.

  Like giant sentinels, the boulders cast eerie shadows across the surrounding ice and snow. In the distance, across the bleakness, loomed the ominous signs of further bad weather. Bulbous black lumps of cloud rushed across the sky as though they were sheep pursued by wolves. Matt shuddered and walked slowly outbound from the camp.

  He scanned the horizon to see if he could make out any tell tale signs of where the two snowmobiles could have travelled, had they been swept along by the cyclonic force of the blizzard. There were none.

  After trekking for approximately half an hour he decided to call Bob on his radio.

  “Bob this Matt, come in, over,” there was silence. He tried again. “Bob can you hear me? This is Matt. Where are you? – Over.”

  The eerie sound of static emanated from the radio speaker. Matt waited for a minute. He thought that Bob could have been out of range or behind one of the boulders. He tried the walkie talkie again.

  “Bob, this is Matt if you can hear this transmission please respond, over.”