William Johnson had a problem. Two days ago a department of the government ordered his family eliminated. He was stunned and he was angry. Ever since 2025, the government has been out of control. Doing as it pleased without concern for who it hurt along the way. He had ignored it up to this point, but no longer. He was determined to make a change. He didn’t know how, or when, or what form it would take, but it was going to change.

Gloria Ashley, Director in Charge of the Technology Branch was a lot of things, but stupid and inexperienced she was not. She didn’t understand why, but she realized in an instant what was going to happen. She made a quick turn to her left reaching for her weapon, but there wasn’t time. Pulling her right leg back, she snapped it straight out with everything she had. The three inch spike of her heal caught her assailant in the upper chest. Blood began spreading around the embedded heal that was left behind.

Tim Anderson and Peter Burke were two typical teenage boys. Finishing up their last years of high school, doing all the usual things teenagers do, while preparing themselves for college and a life beyond. Just average teenagers. That was their public image. Behind the scenes, they were the apprentices of William Johnson, Hero of the World and genius inventor, and they had an assignment. They were tasked to develop a new power system. One that would produce continuous electrical power without polluting the Earth it was meant to protect. It was an absurd assignment. Ridicules to even think it could be done. Yet... they had an idea. A theory. A rather ingenious theory, which begged the question, can they turn it into reality? And what happens if they can’t? How can an Earth Defense System protect anyone without it?

R. E. Link