"Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the Republic of Alsace Trey Thompson!"
Applause rang through the television. John Hammond emitted a slight smile as he watched the man take the stage.
"John, why do you keep watching the speeches of the various heads of state?" Benjamin Lockwood asked him, sitting next to him. "You have already looked at every speech of every nation at least four times"
John gave a cough. Even if he tried not to show it, he felt life slipping away from him day after day. He knew he didn't have much time left. Even though the doctors had told him he could last another year, he doubted he would last another month.
Yet despite all the mistakes he had made in life, he was at peace with himself. His only concern, for a long time, had been to create a peaceful world for his grandchildren. And finally, even though he knew that he would not live long enough to see it realized, he was now able to glimpse the hope of a bright future on the ho
At least the first part of the plan put in place by the governments proved to be working: when the factories began to be converted into new plants, the population had flocked in search of work. As Sobek had predicted, providing food and shelter was not enough to ensure that humans could provide for all of their services. Even though they were no longer at risk of starvation or cold, people still needed to work.For the time being, governments and large financial groups were doing their job. The demand for workers to repair and modify the factories had greatly lowered the unemployment rate. Obviously, this was not a definitive solution: once the repairs were completed, further maneuvers would be necessary to guarantee the workers a permanent job. However, for at least a few months, many people could finally go home with a salary.Converting the entire energy industry of the country into clean energy was a titanic undertaking. Not only the factories: even the houses and
Throughout the day, the work continued without further hitches. Although everyone observed Owen in a strange way, no one had gone to disturb him while he was riding the einiosaur. Who, by the way, had discovered her name was Tricky.Around noon, it was time for lunch. The workers began to go to their tables and sit down, waiting for the ration. Normally, dinosaurs would eat on one side and humans on the other: it was one of the many unwritten laws that had formed in that short period of time. Neither Owen nor Tricky seemed intent on breaking that rule, in fact they were already about to say goodbye, when a mighty hand fell on the man's shoulder. "Hey friend! Won't you introduce me to your new helper? Who are you, brother?"It was Barry. Of course, he also worked there. As a good friend, he had followed Owen wherever he had decided to go.Three years earlier Owen and Barry had steady jobs as cops; but as soon as the economic crisis unleashed by the disastrous war
"I am seriously beginning to believe that humans deserve extinction"It was rare for Jocelyne to lose control like that, but she couldn't help herself sometimes. She knew that getting humans and dinosaurs to get along would not be an easy task, and that it would surely be much more difficult than what she had already faced in Beleriard. However, sometimes human stupidity really made her exasperate.The reports she received daily from the reforestation work sites weren't flattering. Seriously, were people really so stupid that they didn't even try to talk to those they had finally made peace with, and who were helping them out of famine and economic crisis? Maybe it was her fault since she was too much of a trade mentality, but from her point of view it was stupid to hold a grudge against someone. Yesterday's opponent could have been an excellent ally tomorrow. But apparently she was the only one who thought so.“Miss Jersey, don't do that. We knew it would
[Evolution complete: congratulations, you have evolved to Spinosaurus divinus!]Sobek finally opened his heavy lids. He felt as rested as he hadn't been for months, even though his body was a bit stiff due to the humidity. As usual, as soon as he woke up completely his senses now much more developed than before him hit him so hard it almost made him dizzy.It took him a few minutes to recover and familiarize himself with his senses. Now he had such powerful eyesight that he could see parts of a leaf without a microscope, his hearing could sense a raindrop falling to the ground more than twenty kilometers away, and his sense of smell could detect odors from at least a hundred kilometers.“Damn, my senses have gotten really powerful. I bet if I ate something I could taste every single molecule” he thought.He stretched and then stood up. The shape of the legs and the little body that he could see immediately turned out to be different from
In the center of the continent of Laurentia was a nation known as Kabolong, and it was not a nice place to live. Although on paper it proclaimed itself a federal republic, it was in reality a militarist dictatorship. Its leader, Svetlana Belikova, was a tyrant who ruled with an iron fist over the whole nation, putting any opponent on the gallows.For twenty years that dictatorship had continued without anyone ever daring to raise their heads. Now, however, things were about to change.The people were exhausted due to the lack of food and the economic crisis. The army struggled to keep the population at bay and it was not uncommon for it to carry out public executions. However, this had done nothing but further alienate the consent of the population from the current government.Moreover, things had further deteriorated after the proclamation of the Eden Union and Sobek's speech. Even though the government had done everything to limit access to information, it sti
"So the Meilong Republic wants to join the Eden Union?"Pauline was on a private video call with President Palma, who seemed rather irritated by the satisfied smile on the lips of the Queen of Prettania. “Queen Mackenzie, with all due respect, by the time I formally submitted the application, you should already know my intentions. Why this call?""I just wanted to know what she convinced you to change course" Pauline replied.Palma bit his lip. “It was going too far. In order to prevent any other nation from abandoning the NMWA, those madmen have decided to finance the dictatorships. It wouldn't take long before one of them proposed dropping the nuclear bombs”. The president shook his head. “I was willing to use them against animals, but I will not accept that they are used against humans. With two superpowers united against them, the NMWA will think twice before pulling the trigger"“In that case I have to thank you. You may
That day, it was a rainy day. It was strange: on the human continent it was rare for it to rain in the height of summer. But that day, however, it seemed that heaven had decided to cry to give one last, worthy greeting to the man in the coffin.Jocelyne was under her umbrella, staring blankly at the cemetery. The chapel in front of her was besieged by countless people, and many others were out waiting, like her. All of them were dressed in black and had a mournful face. After all, no one could be happy at a funeral.Jocelyne just waited for her turn. She could have used her position to get in before her, but she didn't want to. Even though there were dozens of armed guards around her who kept an eye on her to protect her, she at least wanted to pretend to behave like a normal person.Finally, her turn came. Entering the chapel she noticed the dejected looks of some people staring at her curiously. She paid no attention. She just went quickly to the altar. There,
"Mr. Hammond's vault is this here"Jocelyne stared at the door indicated by the butler. It was a huge circular steel door of at least three meters in diameter, located below the villa of Hammond, similar to those of the banks. Judging by the size, it was likely that not even a jackhammer would be able to break through it."How did Hammond open it?" muttered Mitch, not understanding how a single person could open such a heavy door."The key currently in miss Jersey's possession triggers the automatic opening. Also, disable all safety devices inside" replied the butler."Safety devices?"“The key in miss Jersey's hand has a microscopic design on her handle, invisible to the naked eye. Inside the door lock there are sensors that detect this design. If someone tried to cast the key, the sensors would activate the alarm devices and anything inside the vault would be instantly incinerated, including people"Ian wrinkled his nose. "Hammond di