Valerie led a simple life. One might even call it hedonistic. That’s not hypothetical; many people had, not the least of whom was her best friend, Amelia. Even her other best friend, Kelly, would have described it that way, although she never did—possibly because imaginary friends don’t fixate on things like that. But when Val discovered a mysterious artifact in the basement of her grandparent’s house, everything changed. She was to be Earth’s Champion… although it would have been nice for someone to let her know.
Gabriel also led a simple life. although for very different reasons and far from hedonistic. Born to the Circle Massaea on the southern continent of Jasseth, one learned at an early age to listen to the Beacons, the mysterious Callings from the future that guided all who live on Aerth. And Gabriel’s Calling, his ultimate Purpose, was to be Aerth’s Champion. He didn’t know the job title, nor what the responsibility entailed. He didn’t know of Valerie or Earth. But then he didn’t need to. It was enough to understand that he had to journey to the City of Visions and speak with the First Mother.
While the Champions may not have understood what was happening, someone else did. This person was the last in a long line of Keepers, travelers between the worlds, and well aware that The Nexus was fast approaching. And moreover, this stranger was certain beyond any doubt that when the Champions finally received their instructions, that guidance would lead to everything going horribly, apocalyptically wrong.
It was mid-morning on Wednesday by the time the pair had cleared customs. They purchased three espressos and a baguette from a small stand before approaching a bank of rental car agencies near the airport exit. Valerie had downed two of the espressos before being summoned to the counter by a woman with a severe bun of dark brown hair and a hint of eye shadow. The makeup was tasteful, perfectly matched with her crisply pleated uniform, and Valerie knew she must be tired because the clerk’s attractiveness didn’t bother her in the slightest.
“Góðan eftir—” she began, but Valerie immediately cut in with caffeine-fueled enthusiasm.
“Hi. We just arrived. From… well, I suppose you don’t care where we came from, do you? I bet you get a lot of people telling you where they just came from, and you probably don’t care at all.” She grabbed the third espresso from Amelia’s hand, took a big swallow, and handed it back. “I wouldn’t. But I mean, it’s your job to be pleasant, right, so you have to just listen anyway, don’t you?”
The woman glanced over at Amelia, who just rolled her eyes, and then the attendant returned her attention to Valerie.
“Welcome to the Keflavíkurflugvöllur Thrifty. What can I—”
“Holy crap!” gasped Valerie. “Wait. Say that again.”
“Keflavíkurflugvöllur.”
“Kepler week ahh…”
The woman pronounced the airport’s name syllable by syllable as Valerie followed along.
“Why are you doing this?” Kelly asked, materializing next to the woman behind the counter. “You aren’t going to remember this in ten minutes.”
“I’ll remember it,” she shot back.
“She didn’t say you wouldn’t, Val,” Amelia interjected. Then she realized what was happening and tried to edge in front of her friend. “Maybe I can—”
“Shhh shhh shhh shhh,” Valerie hissed, pushing her back. “I got this.”
The clerk looked at Amelia with a patient smile. “Has your friend been drinking on the flight, perhaps?”
“No,” Amelia sighed. “She actually handles alcohol just fine. A little too fine, honestly. Exhaustion mixed with caffeine, however, brings out this special person you’re seeing at the moment.”
“Will she be safe to drive?”
“Oh, yeah. Her reflexes seem to be wired to some part of her nervous system other than her brain.”
“You are certain?”
“I’m right here, you know,” Valerie said indignantly.
To demonstrate, Amelia reached out to flick Valerie’s ear, and the martial artist’s hand shot back like lightning to swat her away.
“Trust me,” Amelia said to the clerk, “she’s fine. Annoying, but fine.”
Val spun to grimace at her friend. “Do you mind?” She turned back to the brown-haired woman. “Do you have any motorcycles?”
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Following that math, this 3 minute, 26 seconds video, clocking in at 30 frames per second, should convey 6.2 million words. For comparison, that’s nearly 62 times as many words as are in Nexus in the first place. Personally, I’d still recommend reading the book.
Nexus is currently available in digital format at Amazon for a low promotional/introductory price of $3.99. You can also purchase paperback copies at Amazon for $15.99.
In addition, you can also purchase signed copies of Nexus from the author for $20 plus shipping, as well as Nexus Challenge Coins for $12. Reach out to Jeff using the contact form below if you are interested.
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