First Chapter: Resolving the Future (Parallel Universe Saga Book 2) by Randy C. Dockens

In Book 2, Resolving the Future, Declan discovers the secret to his parallel Earth visits …. and it’s not good.

This other parallel Earth lies within a time dilation field which severs his and Rose’s connection to their world. Another way to get back must be found. He discovers why his company’s Board sanctions his trips to parallel Earths and this discovery not only puts his life and that of Rose in danger, but basically everyone he has worked with at his company.

Once he and Rose return to their Earth, all has changed. Only his robot friend, Lyle, has remained unchanged. The AI he created and who sent him on his off-world mission is now in control of the company, has his boss and the Board under its sway, has no knowledge of his unsanctioned mission, and now considers Declan enemy number one. Declan now has to convince a company blinded by greed that they’ve created humanity’s executioner— and do that before there’s no future left to fight for.

╰┈➤ Book Details: Genre: Christian Science Fiction Sub-genre: Biblical Fiction Language: English Pages: 304 Paperback ISBN: ‎979-8992197150

The Parallel Universe Saga (including Retrieving the Future Book 1 & Resolving the Future Book 2) is available at Amazon and the author’s website.

First Chapter:

New Earth, New Journey

Things looked recognizably similar, but Declan knew they were not. He and his girlfriend Rose were on Earth—just not their Earth. While their transport had proven successful, Declan had serious reservations as to the probability of success of this new mission. Yet he had to put on a brave face for Rose. She was already completely on edge about being here.

Back on their Earth, Declan and Rose were employed by Icarus Technologies, where Declan had worked for several years undergoing off-world missions on parallel Earths to collect advanced technology at the request of the company’s Board of Directors. Each mission had been highly praised by the Board and had won him huge bonuses for his efforts.

His last mission, however, proved troublesome in so many ways.

Declan and Rose had just now arrived on yet another new Earth. Declan untucked from the ball he had curled into to facilitate the narrow transport window needed to follow just behind Rose to this new Earth. Rose extended her hand to him. He took it and rose to his feet, standing next to her.

“You okay?” she asked.

Declan nodded as he looked around. They seemed to be in an alleyway, similar to where he entered the previous parallel Earth he had been sent to, a mission in which he retrieved advanced artificial intelligence technology.

Rose had a hesitant look, as if she regretted being here. “You think Anthoni and Lyle will be fine back on our Earth?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m sure they will be,” Declan said in as confident a manner as he could muster. Internally, however, he was not completely convinced of this. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her upper arm. “Let’s just concentrate on our mission here for now.”

She gave a nod, but it wasn’t a convincing one.

On his last mission, Declan had traveled to a parallel Earth collecting plans for an advanced artificial intelligence platform, and he had used that knowledge to transform a rudimentary AI, named Anthoni, that his coworker George had initially programmed. Declan led the work team to turn Anthoni into a realistic-looking humanoid robot with various capabilities—a prototype for Icarus Technologies to use and build units for almost every household. Surely this would turn into huge profits for the company.

Yet, for some reason, one which Declan had yet to understand, the Board suddenly turned against the project.

Why did the Board have this change of heart? Declan had no idea. At first he chalked it up to jealousy as George had overseen the AI project until Declan returned with the plans and knowledge, information which seriously upgraded what George had done for Anthoni. The Board put Declan in charge of making Anthoni mobile by giving him his own lab and a team in the Design Department to create this humanoid-looking robot. Declan had tried to keep George in the loop of all his efforts, but for some unknown reason, George had all but turned against him and his efforts and tried to block his progress at every turn.

To everyone’s surprise, Declan had brought someone named Lyle back with him from the parallel Earth he last visited. Only he and Rose knew Lyle was an advanced robot who appeared and acted extremely human, and who also had been instrumental in helping Declan design and build the body shell for the Anthoni AI. This new AI looked and acted even more human than Lyle. This now-mobile Anthoni had passed all expectations Declan had of how such an AI should function. Anthoni, in his new body, proved to be personable, looked extremely human, and had passed a socialization test Rose had developed to ensure it would integrate well with other humans.

Just a few days ago, Anthoni and Lyle had used their inner workings in company technology to discover that the Board was not just interested in getting new technology that could be developed and sold to the general population but was somehow also calculating . . . what level of technology would put their world on a path for a future they wanted to see happen. Declan had no idea what this was about, but Anthoni had told them, privately, that it may have something to do with how Scripture talked about the world’s future. Still, that made no sense to Declan. So he and Rose made a decision: to find out what the Board was up to, they decided to travel to another parallel Earth to attempt to find out what this potential supposed connection between their future and Scripture was all about. They were banking that newfound information would inform them of the Board’s motives.

Declan was afraid to leave Lyle behind because, if the Board wanted to decommission Anthoni, they could easily find out the true nature of Lyle as well. If the Board found out Lyle was also a humanoid robot, they might, at best, decommission him. At worst they might choose to dissect him to understand how he worked. Declan wanted to avoid that at all costs. Yet Lyle was insistent he had to remain behind to ensure Declan’s and Rose’s return in case something happened to Anthoni. So, in reality, their return to their own Earth was in the hands of two robots. If both Anthoni and Lyle were somehow decommissioned, it would likely mean he and Rose could never return.

Declan glanced at Rose. Did she understand all this? Most of it? He wasn’t sure, but she looked concerned enough without having to tell her they may have only a future here on this Earth—an Earth which now contained two of each of them. Fear suddenly gripped Declan. If caught, would they be able to convince anyone as to why, and how, they look exactly like the Declan and Rose on this Earth?

Maybe, Declan thought with a bit of a sickening feeling, he should have thought this through more carefully.

Once at the end of the alleyway, Declan stopped and looked up and down the street. It reminded him, at least somewhat, of the last parallel Earth he had visited. The more he thought about it, this place seemed a combination of his own Earth and that last parallel Earth he had been on. While the shops on this street seemed to have the same names and locations as those in his last parallel Earth visit, the cars did not hover, and there were traffic lights reminiscent of his own Earth.

Rose looked up and down the street and then glanced at Declan. “If I didn’t know better, I would assume we were still on our Earth. Just a different city.”

Declan nodded; truthfully, he had similar thoughts. The car designs were like those on their Earth, as were the clothes of those who passed by on the sidewalk.

“This place looks less advanced than the previous parallel Earth I was on, but the shops seem to have the same names,” Declan said.

Rose nodded as she continued to look in all directions. Suddenly, she pointed. “Isn’t that where Lyle worked on the other Earth?”

“It doesn’t look as modern, but it has the same name,” Declan said. He pulled slightly on her hand. “Come on. Let’s check it out.”

They waited for the crosswalk sign to cue them to walk, then headed to the other side of the street along with several other pedestrians. On the other parallel Earth, there were no crosswalks; traffic would automatically stop for pedestrians to cross. Things were definitely more manual here.

They walked to the shop Threads By Design and entered. Again, Declan stopped short once he entered. This was so different from the one on the parallel Earth he visited earlier. Here, there were several racks of clothes with a sitting area up front hosting several mirrors and fitting rooms. In the other boutique by the same name, there were no racks of clothes, and all fittings were done holographically.

“Well,” Declan said, glancing around, “this is certainly different.”

Rose patted his upper arm. “Don’t go comparing. Otherwise, you’ll just be disappointed.”

“You’re probably right,” Declan said, then noticed a familiar face approaching the two of them.

The woman smiled and gave a slight nod. “Good day. I’m Tema. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Declan thought it uncanny how similar this woman looked to the Tema he knew from the other parallel Earth. While cute, like her, she didn’t have the same classy flair as the other Tema.

Tema looked between the two of them with a questioning look. “Looking for anything in particular?”

Rose was likely waiting for Declan to respond, but he just kept staring at her; he couldn’t get over the similarity, and yet the differences.

Rose finally shook her head. “No, not really. We’re just looking around. Is that okay?”

“Oh, sure,” Tema said with a slight dismissive wave. “I’ll just have Lyle come and assist you. If you have specific requirements, he can direct you to what you’re looking for. If he can’t help you, just have him ask for me.”

“Thank you, Tema,” Rose said.

“Lyle?” Declan asked, coming out of his slight trance. “You have . . . Lyle here?”

Tema gave him a curious look. “We have several Lyle units.” She spoke into a device attached to her right shoulder. “Lyle-4 to the front of the store, please.” She smiled and said, “He’ll be right here. Let me know if you need anything else.” She turned and walked toward the front of the store to interact with another couple.

“I wonder what the Lyle here is like?” Declan asked, looking at Rose with raised eyebrows.

Rose touched his upper arm. “Like I said, Declan, don’t get your hopes up.” She gestured around her. “Just look at this place. How sophisticated could a Lyle unit here be?”

Declan heard a motorized sound approaching and turned.

“Can’t be,” he said.

“What?” Rose asked as she turned. Her eyes went wide. “Oh, my! Is that . . . Lyle?”

Something that looked like a blue oversized traffic cone with metal arms, for lack of a better word, extending on either side, and nobs along its length, approached. Its “face” was what looked like a computer tablet with animated eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Welcome to Threads by Design,” the unit said in a stilted, mechanical-sounding voice. “I am Lyle-4 at your service. Any clothes you like, just hang them on my arms for your convenience and comparison. How may I direct your selection?”

Declan was speechless. He knew a Lyle here likely would not be anything as sophisticated as his Lyle, but still . . . this was such a disappointment. He had no words. His mouth opened but no words came out. He simply turned and walked toward the store exit.

As he stepped out, he heard the Lyle unit say, “Please come again.” Glancing back, he saw the unit turn and move toward the front of the store.

He shook his head. Still, he had no words.

Rose came up to him, looped her arm around his, and the two walked silently down the sidewalk.

About the Author:

Dr. Randy C. Dockens has a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also of creativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand without being enemies of each other.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).

Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to seek and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas.

He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.

Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian (The Coded Message Trilogy), end-time prophecy (Stele Prophecy Pentalogy), science fiction (Erabon Prophecy Trilogy), uniquely told Bible stories (The Adversary Chronicles), speculative fiction (Cities of Light Series), and a combination of science fiction / speculative fiction (Parallel Universe Saga). All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.

He has also written some nonfiction books as well. One is to show how all humans are connected from God’s viewpoint by looking at biblical prophecy (Why is a Gentile World Tied to a Jewish Timeline?: The Question Everyone Should Ask). This book shows how all scripture is connected and inclusive of everyone. In addition, he and his editor have written two books about writing. The first is on writing techniques themselves and is entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing: Creating Vivid and Colorful Stories that Readers Want to Read. This book not only addresses the techniques of writing, but what makes writing unique to each author. It conveys not only how to better hone one’s craft of writing but also the brand an author wants to portray. This helps an author make their writing unique as well as captivating for his/her audience. The second is a companion book to this one entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Self-Editing: Framing Your Colorful Masterpiece to Keep Readers Engaged in Your Story. This is best used in conjunction with the first one. Yet, self-editing, though intricately connected to writing, is a distinct event. The better the quality of a writer’s draft manuscript when it is delivered to one’s editor, the higher the final quality of the manuscript will be for readers, and that is extremely important.

Dr. Dockens still has creative ideas to share so stay tuned! 

Dr. Dockens’  latest books are Retrieving the Future & Resolving the Future (Books 1 & 2 in the Parallel Universe Saga Series)

Visit his website at https://www.randydockens.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

X: www.x.com/RandyCDockens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens

Instagram: Randy C Dockens (@randydockens) | Instagram

Goodreads: Randy C. Dockens (Author of T-H-B) | Goodreads

   

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