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Books From Ken Wasil
Category:
Action/Thriller
Publisher: Draft2Digital
ISBN-10: B07GC9QHHB
Type: Fiction
Pages: 255
Copyright: June, 2018
Price: $4.99 (eBook)
This fast paced, young-adult thriller collection of short stories reveals changes in our modern world.
Technology and modern values turn the world upside down as the new edges out the old and breaks the way of doing things wide open in this coming of age, action-adventure collection of stories:
Clark, Jennifer, Rebecca and an international network of students design and build the “Car of the Future” that runs on “pure clean air” and flies through the sky like a bird. They must fight off a conspiracy of oil producing countries that is set on making every last dime from what has be known as “black gold”. The motley group relies on the Sequoia, a native tribe from South America, secret agents from a foreign country, and a space station refuge to assist them towards presenting their Car of the Future to mankind.
Also in this collection of sixteen stories:
Security Guard Mom – a mother of six children, who is an artists and teacher, returns to work in the only job she can find and introduces new ways of treating wrong doers and solving crimes.
The Crown of the World - A flight from Bangkok to New York City is hijacked by terrorists and then crashes on a snow covered mountain high in the Himalayan Mountains. The passengers, from a variety of countries, work together to survive and find a way to return to civilization and their daily lives.
The Flood – a farming family on the Mississippi River that befriends dogs, cats, raccoon, birds, and any other wild creatures that come along, is split apart by a devastating flood.
The Shepherdess – a young woman takes a temporary job herding sheep, so she has food to eat and a place to live after being robbed while traveling in Sophia, Bulgaria. She falls in love with the young man and the family she is working for.
The Care and Feeding of Elephants - Emu befriends an elephant, who saves him from drowning after he is thrown into a river by bullies while playing soccer. Emu, Gotva, a young woman he befriends, and the elephant they name Mountain, travel the jungle fighting evil.
Excerpt
Chapter 1 of The Car of the Future
A Deadly Conference
Clark, a tall, clean-cut young man with dark hair, is passing out flyers at the Student Environmental Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on a crowded pathway between exhibits. There are twenty students from universities all over the world helping him.
Clark dialed a number on his cell phone, “Hey, Rebecca, looks like we’re going to have a good turnout for the presentation, five-hundred or more. You sure you’ll make it on time for the demonstration?”
Rebecca, Clark’s sister, is eighteen and lying on the beach on her stomach in a bikini with her legs up in the air while holding a glass of wine. There’s a sexy Latino man in his twenties lying next to her who is kissing her cheek and ears. In the background, a group of musicians dressed in carnival costumes play Brazilian Jazz.
“Sure Clark, don’t worry, it’s ready to roll! There won’t be any problems.”
“You sound far away, Rebecca, are you sure everything’s O.K.?”
“Never been better.”
“And you’ll be here to demonstrate the car, won’t you? I don’t think it can handle any more of those 200 lb college athletes?”
“Yes, Clark, I’ll be there. What time does it start?”
“7:30 pm sharp, see you then.”
Jennifer Tatoka, a young Japanese woman, came up to Clark and said, "What-you-gonna-do-big-man-on-campus, show us a car that floats?"
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I hope to change the course of history–if we can by-pass the next 50 years of fighting over oil, we might just prevent World War III. A group of us at Cal tech have designed a car that doesn’t need oil; why don’t you come by and see it…. Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Did you go to the round-table discussion on the World Bank’s impact on the environment?”
“Your Jennifer Taka... Taka.... you did that presentation using the Tsunami Software that predicts increased levels of war and unrest through the world as our supply of oil runs out.”
“Jennifer Tatoki.” as she extended her hand.
“You’re just what I need. If I give you fifteen minutes, can you give the same presentation tonight at 7:30? We’ve got about five-hundred people coming?”
“Well . . . sure, alright.”
Clark stood on the stage at the podium and wore a red and black plaid flannel shirt with his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Students filled hundreds of plush seats in the large circular arena. Spotlight illuminating Clark and chatter filled the air.
“Thank you for coming to this emergency transportation meeting. I promise you, I won’t waste your time.
I don’t have to tell you that the world’s supply of oil will run out in the second half of the 21st Century–oil has been the cause of most of the conflicts in the Middle East including the 1991-1992 Gulf War, and the 2003 United States War in Iraq. More recently, it has been the cause of the United States invasion of Venezuela. And it may ignite World War III as prices soar and the China, India, and the Eastern countries scramble to get their share of the dwindling resources before the West gobbles it all up. In addition, cars and oil are polluting our cities and environment, killing millions of people every year with lung diseases and auto accidents. And you all know that emissions from automobiles are breaking down the ozone layer and causing global warming.”
A young women in blue jeans and a red and white striped T-shirt shouted from the audience, “Come on Clark, we’ve heard this before, what’s new?”
“I’m going to show you proof that oil was the real motivation for the United States invasion of Venezuela and for their continued fighting in the country and in the Middle East. Using some “Yankee ingenuity”, my sister Rebecca was able to video a secret conference headed by the Vice President and attended by top level executives from United States oil companies and an assortment of congressmen. Rebecca, roll’em.”
A crowded room in the basement of a government compound faded into view. Several dozen people were huddled around conference tables under hanging “pool-hall” lamps. The room appeared bright in many places with dark shadows in the corners. The Vice-President stood in front of a small podium.
“I asked you here today because the President and I are aware of the crisis you all are facing. As you know, I’m an oil man myself. Our supplies of affordable crude are getting desperately low–as many of you have told me over the last several months. The Arabs make one excuse after another for raising prices. Soon, they’ll be able to charge anything they damn well please . . . and this will plunge this great country into a depression if not ruin the United States economy for decades to come. I’m going to go around the room and let you talk. You can say your name and company if you want. Those of you who have asked for anonymity can wear the face masks I’ve passed out.”
Several people wore horrible black pointed hoods that covered their entire head with only slits for the eyes and nose. “Of course, I know all of your voices, but the others here may not.”
“Well your right, Mr. Vice President. When we go to the Arabs, they screw us around . . . they won’t commit to a price for more than six months. Valesquez in Mexico can cut off our supply if he doesn’t like our politics. Then we don’t know what we’ll have to pay or what country we’ll have to deal with. Modest sources are available from Canada and Kozinski in Russia speaks with a forked tongue–he says one thing to the President and then does something else when he deals with us. Besides, we need a pipeline to get the oil from Russia and the Stans (Kazakhstan and other countries ending with “stan’’ in Asia Minor) to a warm port for shipment. If it goes through Afghanistan, chances are it will be blown it up.
“And of course you know the environmentalists want to stop us whenever we try to develop our own supply in the United States. As I see it, we’ll pay three to four times the current price for a barrel of oil in a year or two . . . and ten times as much in five years.”
“Thank you Tom.”
One of the men wearing a black hood said, “Mr. President, the only way we’re going to get the oil we need is to take it. I’d start with Mexico then move my way down through Latin America and wouldn’t stop until I got to Kazakhstan."
There was laughter, then applause with lots of “yeas”, “yea, you said it”, and finally a standing ovation from the audience.
Ralph, a heavy set man sitting near the back of the room said, “We’ve got too many radicals in this country that don’t know their gas tank from a hole in the ground. They want to stop us anywhere we dig for oil. Yet, they keep driving their big cars, SUV's and motor homes . . . where do they think the oil comes from that they use in their vehicles, anyway.”
The Vice President said, “Who’s behind these environmentalists anyway?”
Ralph added, “You know, it’s the dregs of the hippie generation of the 60’s, “free love and love of nature”. Of course, Al Gore and a few key liberal Democratic senators are the rallying point for their cause. They’re the ones that block our congressional bills for drilling on the North Slope every time.”
A Security guard stepped through the two swinging doors at the side of the room and motioned to the Vice President. “Our special guest has arrived, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the President of the United States,” another round of applause.
The President began, “The first lady said to me this morning, ‘Go get those environmentalists, Harry. I just love sunbathing on the White House lawn and if we had a sandy beach with the ocean waves crashing on it right here, I’d be in Seventh Heaven’,” laughter, then clapping.
The honorable senator from Georgia said, “Be careful Mr. President about what you say to us, they’ll try to get you for colluding with the oil and defense industries.”
“Naw, they’ll never get me, I’ll deny every word of it. And if they question me, I’ll say, ‘Ah don’t recall.” Tremendous laughter and applause.
“I wanted to let you know today that the Vice President, myself, and our entire staff are with you and support you. We know that it’s impossible to stay in business and make a profit if every time the environmentalists see an ice cube melting or an endangered salamander, new laws are passed to restrict your drilling and manufacturing.
“We’re going to protect you with tariffs from imports from other countries. I’m going to issue an executive order allowing drilling on the North Slope in Alaska and the coastal waters surrounding the United States, a solid round of applause.
One executive near the back of the room began scribbling on a piece of paper. Then he stood up, “Mr. President, I’ve just written out a check for ten million dollars addressed to the “Reelection Committee for the President of the United States.” Shouting and hooting from the attendees.
Another executive stood up, “I’ve just written one for twenty million dollars” Several other executives joined in the fun and wrote checks of their own.
When the video ended and the lights came on in the auditorium in Rio, a loud standing ovation erupted from the students that went on for several minutes. Then the crowded chanted, “Rebecca . . . Rebecca . . . Rebecca.”
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