Burn Out Read Online Free PDF Page A

recorded, the then-government tried a crazy idea. The idea worked. Sort of. They successfully hit the asteroid with a rocket and diverted it
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    Dad said the problem was where it ended up. The huge, moon-sized mass was accidentally sent straight into the sun, which would have been fine, except this particular asteroid contained more dark matter than scientists had seen before. An unexpected reaction occurred and the sun kicked into hyperdrive. It began burning hydrogen like crazy, and before anyone could comprehend what had happened, the helium in the core was exhausted. It went downhill from there. Anyway, Dad was the final scientist tapped by the Consulate to see if there was any possibility of reversing the burn out. Turns out there wasn’t. Even supersmart scientist guyscan’t outsmart Mother Nature. If you’re reading this, feel free to share your survival tips. Or, you know, just say hi. Anyone else out there tired of sunsuits?
    Keep on living—Tora
    I had no subscribers and had yet to see a comment. If everyone weren’t dead, I’d take it personally.
    I stared at the Infinity. It reminded me of the first and last time I encountered an actual Consulate member. We’d been living in the pod city and I’d begged Dad to take me with him to work one day. I must have been nine or so at the time, and needed a break from the monotony of the pod. Visitors weren’t usually allowed into his office building, but Dad gave in to my whining. We climbed in his cruiser and took off through the pod city toward the Consulate headquarters. All I could see aside from other cruisers were the rows of pods. Even though we lived in a city, I rarely saw other people unless they were going from their cruiser into their pod homes and vice versa. My sister was the only renegade who ran outside whenever she could.
    I’d never been to the center of the city and stared wide-eyed at a large electronic billboard that flashed Consulate messages like “Pumping Air Because We Care.” We neared the main Consulate building and slowed at the gated entry, where a three-dimensional virtual keyboard popped out of thin air. Dad punched in a code and the gate swung open. We parked the cruiser and walked to the building entrance where another keyboard appeared.
    I frowned. “Why do they need so much security?”
    Dad punched in more numbers and pulled me inside. “It’s not safe to talk about it right now. Just don’t draw attention to yourself.”
    I stared at him quizzically but kept silent. What wasn’t safe? I mean we were inside the Consulate building so I couldn’t imagine a safer place in the whole city. The Consulate protected us and provided air. Maybe they were worried about people breaking in to the building and stealing things—it would certainly explain their discouragement of visitors.
    The halls and floor shone as if everything had just been polished. I stepped carefully, afraid I might slip, but my shoes held their grip on the glossy surface. We passed several others in the hallway who wore badges similar to my father’s. A few nodded at him, and passed cursory glances in my direction.
    “There sure isn’t a lot of chitchat here, is there?” I observed.
    “Shhhh. We’re almost there.” He guided me around a corner.
    The feminine voice seemed to come from everywhere. “Please keep your badges visible at all times. Help the Consulate help you to stay safe.” It took me a second to realize it was an automatic recording projected through a sound system.
    We stopped at a small door and Dad waved his hand over a lock. The door slid open and we stepped inside asmall, perfectly square room. It was as blindingly white as the hallway. The door closed soundlessly behind us.
    I stared at the stark walls. “They’re not big on color here, huh?”
    Dad sighed. “They don’t want people distracted from their work. Color and artwork is a violation of code 203b.”
    “Geez. That seems like a dumb rule.”
    Dad put a finger to his lips