The Storm

The streets of New York are flooded with ice, rain, hail, sleet and snow. Extreme temperature shifts swing well below zero. The wind chill is deadly it’s too dangerous to be outside. Millions of people have already died. The power is down. The whole city has gone dark, people frozen solid like statues in Central Park. It’s all part of a diabolical plan, set in motion by a terrible man. He wants to manipulate the markets for money of course because that’s all that matters, but not to him, he’s not materialistic… just very vindictive. He used to be a veterinarian who loved his life, loved his children and loved his wife but most of all he loved his work, saving lives and doing research. He was developing a form of cryogenic therapy that essentially cured death. Cellular rejuvenation or resurrection he could never decide what to call it. There were thousands of test runs and failed attempts before ever seeing any success. Then one day their dog died. He lived a long happy life, it was his time but still the family cried which led to tequila then the sunrise. Drunk and half asleep he spills his drink. The molecules mix with nitrogen and begin to freeze. The catalyst he needed. The solution to his problems was upstairs in the closet. Before putting Lucky through the Cryo process, he removes the dog’s collar, a heart-shaped locket. It has his name engraved on the front and the back, a home address and a number to contact. He sets it aside on the table and runs the program. He’s now entering no-man’s land. He’s pushing the bounds of science further than they’ve been before, an adventurer ready to explore. The lights flicker and a couple minutes pass… then a total system crash. Smoke spews from the computer, the room is getting stuffy, but once it clears up he sees a newborn puppy. He can’t believe his eyes. What a pleasant surprise. It worked better than he ever could have imagined but his collar won’t fit him at that size. He grabs Lucky and heads to the flea market, after checking his vitals. He has a fantastic idea for a gift to cheer up his family before their arrival. 3:35 he returns to sounds of sirens and the rumbling of firetrucks. His wife’s car is in the driveway and the neighbors say “it only took five seconds for the house to go up in flames and we thought it was strange that it happened right after that man in the white van came and went. Yea, it is super suspect because it looked like he had your computer equipment with him, we got a vague description but the detectives don’t want to listen.” The next morning the papers blamed it on some faulty wiring, which is false entirely. The corporate conglomerate that runs the State made that decision in less than a day. No investigation they said the case is closed, “sorry for your loss, here’s a check for your home… we’ll mail it to you, be on your way.” Alcohol could not numb the pain. A month went by wallowing in his sorrows until he decided to change. Fueled by his rage he trained through the pain until he learned how to master his body and brain. He’s a new man. “The Storm” is written on every front page on every newsstand. He found a way to take his technology and upload it on to the cloud. Now he decides when it rains and it snows and controls the exact amount.