EXCERPT #1
...The guards stood in front of the ten-foot tall rolling gate, shoulder to shoulder as their sweaty hands clinched their billy-clubs. Looking across the fragile scene, each security officer mimicked the lifeless expression of Greg Miller, the Captain of the guard. As the union members began their battle cry, Greg yelled out his first command.
“Attention!”
He continued with, “Hold your ground gentleman, this might get ugly.”
The bus was getting close enough that it had to slow down in order to avoid running over the protesters. As the driver applied the brakes, the dry dirt under the dew began to fill the air with a dusty fog that replaced the mist. The peaceful scenery that served as a backdrop only minutes prior to the bus’s arrival was now clouded and filled with tension and fear of what might transpire. A sense of anxiety began to permeate throughout all three parties.
As the bus approached, the guards held their ground. Without hesitation, the union began to encircle the front of the vehicle. The union’s war cry ended and was replaced with the squealing brakes on the old bus. When it stopped, silence emerged, as if it stepped out of the dusty smoke and rolled through the crowd.
Blake stepped toward the bi-fold entry door. He stretched out his arm with the baseball bat in hand. He knocked on the glass portion of the door with the bat.
“Open the door!” He shouted and repeated himself as his voice increased in decibels. “Open the door, damn it!”
Subsequently, the door began to open. It squeaked and rattled as the dilapidated door started to fold and jiggle to the right. With his arm stretched as he held the door handle, the bus driver looked at Blake, dropped his head in frustration, and said, “Hey, mister. I don’t want any trouble. All I want to do is drop these folks off, and get home to my family…safely. Now, if you’ll kindly let us pass, I sure would appreciate it.”
Blake coldly responded with, “You’re not going inside these gates with those scabs. We’re on strike, and we’re not going to let them in there. So if you don’t turn around, you’re going to be driving these folks to the hospital today. Is that what you want?”
“No…I…I don’t think anyone here wants that, but I’ve got a job to do.”
Angrily, Blake stepped inside of the bus. Fearful of Blake’s motives, the bus driver attempted to close the door on him. As the closing door thrust Blake to one side, he lunged forward, and grabbed the bus driver’s arm. With his other arm, he grabbed his shirt collar, and with the strength of his intimidating frame, he pulled the driver out of the captain’s chair and down the steps. The driver’s arms and legs were kicking and flailing about as Blake mercilessly dragged him onto the dusty gravel road....
EXCERPT #2
...“There were a lot of holes in the big picture that I couldn’t fill with what I was being taught by my professors. They meant well, but they were just passing on the same information that they were taught. But the reason things changed once I entered the Doctorate program is because I met Dr. David Liggin. The one and only!"
“Really? So who exactly is this Dr. Liggin? I’ve heard of him, but I really don’t know who he is.”
"He’s the Dean of the School of Economics, and Political Science at MIT. Dr. Liggin was my mentor. I was intrigued by his wisdom, and he was likewise intrigued by my curiosity and discernment into the deeper truths of economics, global power shifts, and how time seems to bring the realities of human nature full circle, one empire at a time.”
“Whoa…whoa, wait a minute here. What are you talking about? Global…political…power shifts? What’s that all about?” Max interrupted. Tim sat there quietly. He was always entertained by Sarah’s story.
"Well, in a nut shell, we’re living in a moment in history like any other. There is good. There is evil. There are empires, slaves, kings, queens, saviors, droughts, climate changes, et cetera. Nothing has changed on this planet since the dawn of intelligent life, with the exception of the means and technology used to accomplish the end result. The result…the ultimate goal of the Giants, as they are called today, is to maintain power and control of the masses by a select few. Throughout time these select few, although they have come and gone, have slowly increased their control over more and more nations; ours included.”
Tim chimed in and asked, “Now wait a minute. I thought these so-called Giants were just part of Dr. Liggin’s conspiracy theory and theoretical ramblings.”
Sarah responded with, “You know, I used to think that too. However, I’m convinced that he’s right...
