#Bermuda and picking up wild dogs story

[cassthepilot]

Cass Background & Lore

Decided to finally make a dedicated post to a large part of Cass’ story. Definitely a bit of read but it’s finally a little more streamlined & less chaotic than her age old about pages now I think. Anyway, for those who are interested, here goes, Apologies in advance for the long read.

CASS’ STORY

Cass was born & raised into a colorful life navigating the trailer parks, hollers & eventually prison system of West Virginia. Having never known a life outside of abject poverty & limited opportunities, Cass dreamed of a future where her & her mother could be free of demanding labor & the occasional early death from black lung that came with a toilsome career in mining. From a young age Cass assisted with supply runs for the local miners & her mother who helped oversee them and used the local rivers to transport whatever equipment they needed (as well as the occasional trafficking of moonshine which she brewed on the side.) The work was dirty, chaotic & about as hellish as you’d expect an open fiery mouth in the belly of the earth to be but there wasn’t a person there who wouldn’t shove a pick axe right up the ass of the devil himself for one another. To Cass it was the closest thing to family outside of a prison riot & a time she misses terribly.

Sadly after an tragic turn of events involving robot prototypes, the devil & a significant amount of property damage, Cass unexpectedly found herself both alone in the world & in prison where she was sentenced to do time before eventually going on to do some brief work for Amelia Earhart’s Hot Dog Service through the prisons work release program; F.U.N (Felonious Unemployables Network). This might’ve been a salvageable opportunity had she been allowed to use the delivery plane but apparently air travel is restricted if you “don’t have a license” &  are a “felon serving time.” - who even comes up with these rules right? Alas working to repay a debt to society isn’t without a processed meat blunder or two - the biggest being an accidental delivery to the funeral of a burn victim from the great weenie blaze of Mason County. Exasperated by the hours of public apologies & PR campaigns she now had to look forward to, Amelia exploded at Cass; berating & screaming at her to get lost before storming off. Fed up & determined to escape what she considered a lifelong sentence in hot dog hell, Cass simply replied to herself “No, why don’t you?..” while proceeding to punch the exact coordinates into her plane where she could go do that.

Finding herself now on the run from state & federal authorities and in need of someone who could saw off a thick set of shackles, Cass took refuge in the wilds of Appalachia. Moving steadily down the Appalachian trail into Tennessee, she finally rejoined civilization and went on to use the identity she “borrowed” from Amelia to stumble her way into a pilots job for Elvis as his personal food delivery service. After being briefed of the king’s mission to eat one of every animal, she soon found herself en route to a remote island in search of the world’s most endangered (& presumably tastiest) species. Or at least she would have, had a series of entirely preventable circumstances not landed them both in the middle of the ocean. Instead she now found herself stuck in the Bermuda Triangle where she spent the next half decade of her life before escaping (again), spending some more time on the run as a fugitive/drifter, and going on to finally (finally) work as a cargo pilot for Mann Co.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

In the duration of time that she was stranded in the Bermuda Triangle, Cass spent a lot of that time hatching poorly thought out escape plans in a desperate bid to escape the island & her situation. Having such limited resources and opportunities ended up leaving her with the remarkable ability to improvise so she always made the most of what little she had. A couple of these attempts included; harnessing a flock of island birds together in an attempt to create some kind of skyraft and utilizing the abundant radiation in the area in hopes of growing a coconut large enough to sail up to 10 people. There were also a number of attempts made during the occasional time slips that occurred there but nothing that ever held up. These slips were almost always generated by old, experimental transporter technology that had been tested in the ocean in that region years ago.

Pretty much all of of her efforts to escape from the island, however, ended in failure and in some cases landed her and her crew more lost then when they began. Still, she worked hard to continue to find a (sort’ve) solution and while, in itself that wasn’t a bad thing, it did eventually develop into an unhealthy fixation of sorts. It wasn’t until nearly losing bigfoot in the center of the earth that  she accepted that maybe this problem was just a little bigger than her and that it might be in everybody’s best interest if they just stuck to trying not to die. Relinquishing all hopes at any kind of rescue she went back to her usual survival routine of punching crabs in the face & harvesting coconuts for food until one day opportunity finally arrived during an unexpected pit stop from Howard Hughes.

Turns out Hughes became disoriented at some point during his round the world flight. Needing to re-fuel, Hughes looked to Cass’ ability to improvise for help and a mutual agreement was established. Fascinated by the group, Hughes thought it would be an incredible press opportunity for himself but after realizing they would all track sand into his plane he went back on his word and initiated plans to continue solo. Hitting her breaking point, Cass settled this debt by tearing off the plastic bags from his hands and face and then jacking his plane while he was busy screaming hysterically & suffering a full mental breakdown over germs. It wasn’t what she had in mind but that’s what improvisation all about right?

RADIATION & STRANGE WEAPONRY

Abandoned long before modern 1960’s technology, the tropical waters surrounding the island were (accidentally) discovered by Cass and her crew to have been somewhat of a graveyard for nuclear & old teleportation testing. Nobody really knows why but it’s speculated that (at the time) so little was known about teleporters or how they functioned that these classified prototypes & the surrounding area must have been discarded when energy reached unmanageable levels. This seems the only likely explanation anyway given the sheer amount of radiation in the area, saturating the waters like some kind of surreal oil spill. It’s certainly a mystery as to why they’re in this region or how they’re even still functioning. Overcharged & churning eternally on the ocean floor, they create quite an impressive sight; manifesting on the surface of the water as a massive field of black vortexes. (akin to this except 100 million of them). Stranger still, they seem to have a bit of a weather system all their own too. The charges building up until they create what can only be described as a timephoon. Like the clouds that roll in before a thunderstorm, the time slips on the island usually began with small ripples in the tide until eventually things intensified and the very fabric of the area was disrupted & ripped apart. For Cass & her crew it was like watching a living history lesson..except.. all at once…and in the rain.

The waters in the area yielded quite an array of strange weaponry as well. Having salvaged what she could from nearby shipwrecks, it wasn’t long before it was discovered that these weapons had developed a bizarre form of sentience that, when used, seemed to exhibit a passion for keeping track of anything it killed. Fascinated by these guns intense craving to end human lives, Cass made it a point to secretly cache away as many of these affected weapons as she could whenever she came across them. This would later prove to be a wise move as she is now responsible for the regular procurement & trafficking of them for Mann Co.

[the-bermuda-project]

THE BERMUDA PROJECT, write-up 1.

Bermuda; a planet discovered in the year REDACTED was found to be an inhabitable planet, sitting just outside the milky-way galaxy. Unable to just pack their bags & move planet, EARTH saw scientific opportunity & the potential to snuff out a good chunk of overpopulation;10 million newborn children were unwillingly boarded onto a ship capable of housing that amount, the B-VESSEL. This act of reckless curiosity was a means to see how a new era of human beings would react to the technology they felt the world wasn’t quite ready for; and what they could, or would rather, do with it. 

The children were put in a coma like state; resting in various pods keeping them sustained & healthy on docked ships until they reached the age of 16. Once ‘born’; they found caches filled to the brim with materials & technology; that of which they hardly understood. 

Yet, with the digital recordings left behind by scientists & military personnel; they learnt. They had to. The wild-life sitting on the surface of BERMUDA was picking off teenagers left right & centre. For about a decade; it was reminiscent of the caveman era. Yet, houses were erected. Then sewage systems, transportation, & with the first generation of ‘Bermudans’, they had started having children of their own. & so naturally, the need for hospitals had come about. Jobs were sprouting, and so an economy was established. Men & Women alike from ‘The First’ had become what the world would know as its government. Leaving the less intelligent to sit in the working class. Some more physically enabled & wiser people made more money than others, leaving their future children being born into wealth. The first society on Bermuda was shaping. 

One hundred years after the initial awakening of the first batch of Bermudans-- BERMUDA was already as advanced as Earth. This was accounted for, but what wasn’t was the surpassing of Earth in terms of what they knew. Turns out, underneath the surface of BERMUDA, was a self - sustaining source of energy. One that didn’t pollute the air, & rapidly replicated itself. It was a natural gas-compound that could be used as not only fuel, but energy for electricity. This gas was named by a Bermudan scientist ( the name of which was Oliver Zyph. One thing Bermudans never strayed from was how humans went about names. )  ‘Zyphertroxium’ or ‘Zyph-Gas’, for short. They had the technological means to contain it in fuel cells; however only for a short period of time. Due to the self replicating nature of this element, the cells had to be emptied, otherwise they would overload & combust. This was learnt the hard way, the loss of an entire base & the lives within was the result of Bermudan scientific ignorance. 

Something of a setback sprouted once Oliver went on to found his own company, REMNANT-INCORPORATED. Alternatively REMCORP, had decided to keep the knowledge of how to harvest & use this fuel, to their-selves. This left smaller companies in the dirt, & pretty soon REMCORP had become the planets top-dog in terms of business. However, Oliver only did good by the people. Engineering vehicles, new medicines, him & his newfound allotment of staff & scientists worked alongside the government to essentially set them into an apex era of scientists, but not for free. People living in BERMUDAS wealthier cities who could afford REMCORPS goods now had access to what were essentially robotic slaves ( REMBOTS ), nice cars, & buildings / homes that were AI controlled. Those living in poor-towns & neighbourhoods, worked as lab-rats for the company. The tests however, were mildly tame. For now. 

BERMUDA, though, now has the need for military. EARTH, after seeing what the planet had, invaded. They attempted mass genocide. Many were killed, but REMCORP helped stave off this initial attack, quite easily in fact. To begin with, the government sent men trained with weaponry meant to defend the people from the planets carnivorous wildlife. This meant they were evenly matched. That was at least, until REMCORP stepped in for the sake of the people.

Earths far inferior technology hardly stood a chance against the weaponry REMCORP had established behind closed doors. This however, has yet to stop them from actively trying. EARTH & BERMUDA are actively at war, however BERMUDA is far from concerned about this. Despite earths one - hundred years to advance, they still didn’t scratch what BERMUDA was capable of thanks to the government & REMCORP 

MODERN BERMUDA, roughly one-hundred & fifty years later is a paradise in the wealthier cities. Robotics has become a staple of the planet, replacing people in certain jobs, and serving people rich enough to afford personal REMBOTS. In the poorer cities, its a different story. Disease is common amongst those who cannot afford REMCORPS care, & with REMCORP under new leadership, they couldn’t care less. People who cannot afford to feed their families, volunteer as lab-rats. The tests however, are far less humane. With their hearts set on finally working on ROBOTIC SUPER-HUMAN soldiers, people are pumped full of things and merged with machinery they don’t understand, and most end up dying. So far, none of REMCORPS attempts at these soldiers have yielded successful results, however they have manufactured robotic-soldiers, those however mostly consist of adapted REMBOTS. Capable, but nowhere near good enough, Not yet. 

The families of the lost are compensated, but never enough to replace the hole left in many hearts. This caused a stir amongst the lower class, REMCORP trucks delivering weaponry and tech began getting ransacked mid escort, and with the stuff stolen, desperate people sparked a resistance. With nothing to lose, these people have learnt to stand their ground, and a few fights between the resistance & REMCORP have actually ended in the resistances favour, yet ... most end in tragedy for the rebels. 

Now, the world is advancing, but not without bumps in the road. People, despite the peril in BERMUDA, live their lives. Those less fortunate go to work, go to dark bars, then home to see family feigning happiness. Those with money in their bank, go to clubs, socialise, and sit pretty whilst tech does everything for them. The resistance is still attempting a foothold, REMCORP is growing more corrupt in search of power, and BERMUDA is still at war with EARTH. Who knows what the future holds? Only time will tell. 

[readingontheedge]

As the Light Fades

By Catherine West

Women's Fiction

Paperback & ebook, 362 Pages

September 10th 2019 by KDP

 Sometimes we’re placed in the strangest of circumstances for the most important reasons.

 After her carefully constructed life crumbles, Liz Carlisle finds herself back on Nantucket, picking up the pieces. With the family estate under renovations, the solitude she craves seems out of reach.

 Matthew Stone intends to steer clear of his new tenant. She’s carrying a load of baggage, but as long as she pays the rent, he’ll let her be. He’s got enough to deal with caring for his wayward niece, Mia.

 Liz doesn’t have time for teenagers and her track record with men is abysmal, but an unlikely friendship forms between the three.

 When her former boyfriend is charged with assault, Liz is called to testify against him. But he knows the darkest secrets of her life—secrets she’d hoped to keep buried forever, and he’s ready to reveal them. Telling the truth is the right thing to do, but it may cost her everything she’s worked so hard for, and all she’s come to love. 

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CHAPTER ONE (CONTINUED)

Liz scanned the area for children or unsuspecting cyclists. Thankfully, the roads weren’t that busy now, most of the island’s summer residents and tourists having reluctantly made their way back to the mainland.

A striped cat suddenly scooted out from under the wild rose hedge to her left, and Liz held her breath. “Seriously?”

Sure enough, the small animal raced for the road, straight across the Jeep’s path. Tires squealed and skidded, sending sand, crushed shells, and small stones every which way as the vehicle lurched off the road onto the nearest lawn, finally coming to a crunching stop at the base of an old black oak.

“Stay.” Heart pounding, Liz hastily tied the dogs’ leashes around a low hanging branch, not terribly confident of their obedience, but they were close to home. She raced down the hill, glanced back to see the two dogs settled under the tree, then pressed on toward the Jeep, hoping there wouldn’t be blood. She hated blood.

There was no sign of the cat, so she assumed it was safe. The Jeep didn’t look as bad as she feared. She hoped the driver was okay. Liz stepped over tire marks embedded in the grass and the bedraggled remains of what had been the last of summer’s magnificent display of roses. Evy McIntyre’s prize-winning roses, to be precise. 

Catherine West is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband reside in Bermuda, and have two adult children and one beautiful granddaughter. Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew). Where Hope Begins released May 2018, and her latest novel, As the Light Fades, releases September 2019. 

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Tour Schedule 

October 7th:

Launch

Hearts & Scribbles - Excerpt

Jorie Loves A Story - Review (print)

October 8th:

I'm All About Books - Guest Post

Andi's Book Reviews - Review (ebook)

Paulette's Papers - Guest Post

October 9th:

Pause for Tales - Review (print)

Christy's Cozy Corners - Guest Post

October 10th:

janicesbookreviews - Review (ebook)

Splashes of Joy - Excerpt

October 11th:

Two points of interest - Review (print)

Book Reviews & More by Kathy - Excerpt

October 14th:

Hallie Reads - Review (ebook)

Paper Ink & Lizard - Review (print)

October 15th:

Wishful Endings - Guest Post

Cover Lover Book Review - Review (print)

October 16th:

Tell Tale Book Reviews - Review (print)

Colorimetry - Guest Post

October 17th:

All-of-a-kind Mom - Interview

Reading On The Edge - Excerpt

Locks, Hooks and Books - Guest Post

October 18th:

Red Headed Book Lady - Excerpt

Heidi Reads... - Review (ebook)

October 19th:

Grand Finale 

Tour Giveaway 

One winner will receive a $75 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of The Things We Knew by Catherine West (print to US/CAN, ebook to INT)

Ends October 23, 2019 

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