4211 AD Scifi

The Barrister's Handbook

by William Fleming

4211 AD, in our future while conducting a volcanic study of a series of large holes, a university Professor finds an anomaly. He was surprised to find they were underground dwellings destroyed by an earthquake. There he finds an artifact in an underground room, he does not know what it is.

The next chapter takes us back 1200 years. We are on a battlefield, where wars are fought in virtual reality. This is Harry Ballard’s profession. He lives in Chicago, where the citizenry live underground. Because Harry suffers from claustrophobia, luckily, he works in one of the four remaining skyscrapers. Now, Chicago has become the capital, because of its central location in the center of the nation.

Looking for a new apartment higher up, he finds the perfect place. However, strange things begin to happen. Harry thinks it is haunted, because a scientist named Aaron Powell keeps appearing and disappearing. He discovers she is using a time travel device.

Aaron’s boss, Leo Barrons, was using the time machine to trick Harry into assassinating a senator. Harry was captured by Barrons and sent to a mental institution. After a harrowing escape, Harry returned to his apartment to find Aaron. They join forces and escaped in Harry’s skimmer to a forest preserve. They meet Amos, who tells them drilling deep vents, and underground housing are causing Chicago’s earthquakes. Harry and Aaron try to leave Chicago, but are caught by Aaron’s boss.

Harry finds Barrons, was’s his childhood friend. He was put in a wheel chair because of a race with Harry, Barrons was attempting to return to the past and stop the race. Unfortunately, his DNA was damaged. While using the device in an attempt to get rid of Harry and Aaron, there is an earthquake. It kills Barrons, destroys the city, and Harry and Aaron disappear.

The last chapter of the book returns to 4211 A.D, the volcanic research study. The professor has photographed the artifact and sent the pictures to another professor. She knows what it is. The artifact is a book. She sends a research assistant to the site to translate “The Barristers Handbook”. The assistant is Harry.

I graduated with a B.S., and M.S. at Eastern Illinois University. My studies consisted of management, marketing, advertising and the future developments in our society. I have been an artist since the age of seven with over two hundred paintings and 800 sketches.

My career has involved working for several architects and industries as a draftsman. I was an alternative teacher for several years.

Photography has always been my passion. The Vermilion County, Museum in Illinois’ Heritage magazine used my photos and published an article of my mine in their magazine. I have written two complete books and about six short stories. I am over half way finished writing a third book. I also have started writing two other books. I have always written several stories at once. I also wrote a 300 page family history.

4211 AD 4211 AD 11/14/11