Grid World

KC Martin is a budding, middle aged author who has lived most of his life in Portsmouth.

He has been married for 33 years and has 3 grown-up children.

To my family for all their support over the years

KC Martin

GRID WORLD

Part 3 of the Grid Warrior Trilogy

The Grid Warrior

Grid Wars

Grid World

Copyright © KC Martin (2019)

The right of KC Martin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781797654133

www.thegridwarrior.com

www.kevsbox.com

First Published (2019)

KC Martin

58 George Street

Portsmouth

PO1 5QY

Chapter 1

The soothing sound of various bird’s whistling in the trees and a large pack of wolf’s howling in the far distance caused Marc Wilson to stir slowly from his mid-afternoon daydream and so he opened his eyes and gazed out onto the spectacular view that was spread out in front of him. He yawned gently and then glanced out of the viewing platform in which he sat. As always he was in awe of the beauty that greeted him. From this vantage point, he was afforded a three hundred and sixty-degree panoramic view of his location and the world he loved and cherished so dearly.

In every direction all he could see was green, dense forest and a warm, blue sky with the occasional small cloud floating gently by. To the north and south, he could also admire the vast mountain ranges that soared high into the sky on the horizon. He also knew that hidden locally amongst those dense trees were four well stocked and crystal clear fishing lakes and an abundance of healthy, thriving wildlife. This truly was paradise on Grid World.

Further out was a collection of small towns and villages where the inhabitants lived in peace and harmony with each other and their surroundings.

As with most days, the sun was bright and warm and there was very little wind even at his current location which was two hundred metres above the ground and twenty metres above the highest trees. All around him he could hear the sounds of the vibrant and thriving ecosystem as the animals and humans in the forest went about their daily routines.

Most of the Grid World inhabitants would be indulging in some form of pastime or hobby because there was very little actual work required. This digitally created world was almost self-maintaining and no one worked for more than ten hours a week to assist with the ongoing maintenance of the support systems that provided them all with such a rewarding environment.

The view was almost perfect apart from the three locations in the sky where sparks were gently spitting and small gaps revealed dark black holes in the matrix. Marc knew that it was not a natural occurrence and the regularity of the phenomenon was starting to concern him and the other members of the great council.

Grid World had been a perfectly controlled and well-behaved realm ever since his father had created the initial matrix just over sixty years ago. Since those early times, this world had been a beautiful, stable and exciting place to live. Thirty years ago they had overcome the shock of losing so many people against Chang’s invading army and the population was slowly but surely recovering as more and more babies were being born into this digital world.

There had of course been challenges along the way and the invasion of Chang’s forces had been the most serious of them all. That invasion thirty years previous which had very nearly destroyed all of them. Thankfully for the survivors his father’s ultimate sacrifice had ultimately saved the day and from that point in time until three days ago there had been nothing to suggest this beautiful world would ever come to an end. Up until that point in time he really had believed there was nothing left that could threaten their existence and the majesty of Grid World would endure forever.

Now, for the first time in thirty years, there was a real threat to this world and the people living within it. For the first time in his life Marc was beginning to feel real fear and he did not like it one little bit. Unlike those people still living on the surface of the planet, fear was not a common feeling for the inhabitants of Grid World.

Marc was thirty years old, he had been conceived just days before his father’s death and as a result all he knew about Paul was what he had seen in historical videos and from what his mother had told him.

In many ways Marc was very much like Paul. He was just over six feet tall, slim but muscular and blessed with good looks and light brown shoulder length hair. Like his father he also enjoyed fishing, reading and flying around Grid World on his beloved gryphon.

Concerned by the recurring blemishes in the matrix that made up Grid World Marc looked over the scan screen once again. As with the previous events these appeared to be random actions but there was one thing that was now certain. The origins of these events were external to Grid World. This could only mean one thing, they were once again under some form of attack.

The questions that needed answering were why and who?

The whom part of the question was without a doubt one of the remaining two warlords that were currently fighting for complete control of the planet’s surface area’s and Marc knew that both were very capable of genocide and mass destruction. Despite moving their digital world deeper into the inner depths of what had once been called the internet the people of Grid World had kept a very close watch on the horrors unfolding out in what they still called the real world.

This surveillance had always been passive for while they knew that many of the people on the surface knew of the existence of Grid World the last thing Marc and his fellow inhabitants wanted to do was draw attention to themselves. So quietly and carefully they had watched, waited and prayed that the human race would eventually calm down and stop trying to destroy each other.

As they watched and observed it soon became obvious that both surviving warlords were very aware of the existence of Grid World and both had sworn to destroy it once they had achieved total control of the surface world. Marc had no doubts that both meant what they were saying, the threat and the danger were very real indeed.

The surface was now a very savage and brutal place to live. After the demise of Chang and the collapse of his empire the survivors on Earth’s surface managed to enjoy seven years of relative peace before a new group of savage, power-hungry warlords started to appear and the global slaughter restarted.

At first each continent was ravaged as local warlords battled for control of their local territories. Then the conflicts became more global and a mere six years ago the battle lines for the remaining two warlords were drawn up and the battle for world domination entered its final, brutal stage.

In control of America and Africa was Oblama the Great. This man was a descendant from what had once been called the United States of America. He was a large man in size, girth and greed who expected nothing more than total loyalty from his armies and anyone falling short of this would pay the ultimate price.

Oblama was a large, tall man who had been extremely muscular in his younger times. Now with the onset of middle age and the luxurious trappings of being an emperor, the muscle had been replaced with fat but he still ruled with an iron fist.

He also had a sickening taste for young boys and most mornings the body of a badly beaten and raped teenager would be removed from his sleeping chamber.

His armies had controlled sixty per cent of the surviving human population and his empires war machine was far more advanced than his opponents.

The opponent in question, who controlled Europe and Asia, was a middle aged woman who was known as Empress Saangi. This woman was of oriental descent and like Oblama she ruled over her armies and subjects with a reign of terror and savagery that installed total fear in her people and in return they offered her total obedience and dedication.

While small in height and build Saangi made up for this with a huge drive for power and domination. She had only one purpose in life and this was global domination and oppression of her fellow humans. She also did not care how many would have to die or be crushed to achieve this.

Saangi loved torturing people and she particularly enjoyed inflicting pain on men, this was a product of her younger years when she had been raped and beaten by gangs of drunken men on many occasions.

For the past seven years these two opposing factions had been battling for global supremacy and for the most part, these savage battles had taken place in the North African area of the planet and in particular the region that was once known as Egypt.

From their hidden location deep within the long-buried fibres that made up the planet's ageing but still functional global communications network, Marc and the other residents of Grid World had watched in horror as the horrendous war continued.

Millions died as the two opposing armies unleashed devastating weapons upon the conflicting armies and the leaders showed little remorse or pity for the dead and injured.

Nothing had been too brutal for them. Tactical nuclear weapons had been used in central Africa as well as nerve agents and toxic gases. Both sides were equally guilty of such atrocities and neither tried to hide the facts either. There was no one left to challenge their actions and also they simply did not care.

From the safety of their self-powered digital world all Marc and his fellow council members could do was hope and pray the slaughter and misery would eventually end and any survivors would be able to rebuild a future. Although they wanted desperately to step in and help end the war there was little that could be done. The population of Grid World was a mere one hundred and eighty thousand and no one had any real combat experience. On top of that they had no weapons to speak of and Marc knew that any attempt to intervene would certainly result in them being totally massacred.

Therefore with heavy hearts all they could do was simply watch and hope.

At first Oblama’s armies appeared to have the upper hand with their slightly greater numbers and superior weaponry. These advantages appeared to give them a vital advance in the war. Slowly but surely however this began to change and Saangi’s forces gradually began to take the upper hand in the conflict. Her forces were better trained and what she lacked in technology she appeared to make up with skilful planning and a savage disregard for her own troops and the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. In particular, her hatred of the common foot soldier made it easy for Saangi to sacrifice troops as cannon fodder in order to win the long term war.

Just less than one week previous her armies had scored a massive victory in North Africa and were currently marching forward across that once great continent slaughtering anyone they found. By contrast, Oblama’s armies were in full retreat and in impending danger of being driven into the Atlantic Ocean and oblivion.

The speed of this advance had shocked Marc, he knew that there was little chance of Oblama recovering from this loss and although he could possibly hold out in the Americas for a few years, ultimately defeat was the only real option. Soon Empress Saangi would rule the surface world.

Would she then turn her attention to Grid World?

In fact, had she already started?

At that moment the lift door to the rear of the observation lounge opened and four people entered to join Marc.

He turned to look and smiled at the familiar faces he knew so well.

First, there was his mother, Sandra. Despite her age, which was now fifty-seven the effects of living in Grid World meant that she actually appeared to be in her mid-thirties. Sandra was just over five feet tall and blessed with a pretty face and curly long black hair. She had bright blue eyes and a warm, friendly smile which Marc had always loved.

Standing next to Sandra was another beautiful woman whom Marc loved even more. This woman was his fiancé and her name was Debbie Arnold.

She smiled lovingly at Marc for a moment before turning her gaze to the monitors.

Debbie was twenty four years old and just like Marc she had been born in Grid World. She was slimly built and stood just over five feet tall. Her dark brown features and tight afro hairstyle also revealed her African heritage.

Next, there was Ashley Jones. Like everyone else in the room Ashley was a member of the inner council and just like the others he could not help but be concerned about what was happening to their world.

He was sixty years old and one of the last people to arrive in Grid World before the portals were closed forever. He was happily married with two children and like most people in Grid World he did not look his age.

Ashley in fact appeared to be about thirty years old. He was tall at six and a half feet and muscular in build. His short, brown hair showed no signs of grey or loss and he loved most forms of exercise.

The final member of the council who had joined Marc was Julie Winters. Julie was another product of Grid World and she was twenty-nine years old, recently married and now four months pregnant with her first child. Like all of the indigenous inhabitants of Grid World, she was the picture of good health and looks. Julie was just under six feet tall, athletic and her silky blonde hair was shoulder length.

All four of them glanced back at the monitor screens and then back to Marc.

Ashley has news Said Debbie as she walked up to Marc and kissed him gently.

Marc nodded and turned his attention to Ashley who was now standing in front of a large terminal.

What have you got for us then Ashley? He asked with a smile.

Ashley nodded before speaking to the terminal.

Computer, play file seven four two please He commanded.

Without a moment’s hesitation a large, digital and very accurate three dimensional representation of the planet Earth appeared above the central console. The globe was large and very well detailed. Marc could not help but notice a flashing dot above what he recognised as the towering mountain known as Everest. Just below this dot they could see an array of white lines that were moving through the planet's crust. They then bore deep into the mantle, through the core and then back out the other side.

Only Ashley had seen this before but the others realised immediately that whatever those lines were supposed to represent was the cause of the recent glitches in Grid World.

Marc sighed as he realised that whatever the cause was it was certainly man-made and the prognosis for them was not going to be good.

Okay, He asked, so what is it?

Ashley turned to the display and explained his findings.

Gamma rays, He explained I assume you have heard of those?

Both Sandra and Debbie nodded their confirmation.

We have, Replied Marc they take place naturally in the universe but they are rare and the chances of our planet being hit are just so extremely low that this cannot be a natural phenomenon

Both Julie and Debbie gasped in terror at the realisation of just how desperate the situation could become. Both now feared that their future plans were in serious jeopardy. For Debbie, it was her planned marriage to Marc and the desire to start a family while for Julie she had been looking forward to the birth of her first child.

That is true, Continued Ashley as he nodded these are not natural. Now we know that both Saangi and Oblama have got some advanced science behind their empires. Both have got space stations, nuclear weapons and nuclear fusion so we can only guess at what else they have hidden away

Marc nodded in agreement, despite the bleak conditions on the planet’s surface the sad brutal truth about wars was that they always seem to push technological advances forward at a staggering rate.

So you are saying that one of them has found a way of harnessing or creating gamma-ray bursts? He then asked

No doubt about it Confirmed Ashley.

Chapter 2

Marc glanced at Debbie, Julie and then his mother. The look of horror on all of their faces matched the feeling of revulsion he himself was feeling deep inside.

So what does all this mean? Asked Debbie as she stepped beside Marc and took his right hand in her own trembling hand.

It means, Replied Ashley after a moment’s hesitation "that unless we find a way of stopping this attack then in just under fourteen days the matrix that we all know as Grid World and as our home will