Act of God

ACT OF GOD is a collection of short, sci-fi thrillers. Reminiscent of the Twilight Zone, each story studies the human condition, putting ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances, forcing the reader to ask the question, "What would I have done in that situation?"

SHOOTING STAR
Space is an unforgiving place, and even simple decisions can make the difference between life and death. Astronaut Evan Grant is confronted by this harsh reality first hand when he’s recalled from a low orbit, low profile mission and tasked with a high priority, deep-space flight that will have repercussions affecting millions - including his wife and young son.

RESCUE MISSION
Official Mission Statement: A rescue mission to retrieve two downed astronauts who crash landed on an alien world. Hidden Objectives: One, determine if the spacecraft crashed due to mechanical failure or if it was brought down by hostile alien fire. Two, scout for possible invasion sites, depending upon the findings of the first objective. Personal Objectives: How far will the Mission Commander go to rescue the downed pilots and keep peace? How far will the Second-in-Command go to punish the aliens and promote war?

THE JOURNAL
Paranoia can make you hear things that aren’t there, see shadows in the sunlight, and turn on friends you’ve known for years. Three college students begin to have suspicions that a fellow classmate is not who or what he says he is. Are the things they suspect about him true or are they just victims of their own overactive imaginations? Perhaps they should take to heart the old proverb - just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean that someone isn’t after you.

ALL THAT GLITTERS. . .
Sex, along with greed, has been the ruin of more men than any other vice. The motivation for both is clear, but both have consequences that are often unforeseen and unpredictable. The crew of a deep-space exploration ship has stumbled upon an unknown planet and made a startling and unexpected discovery - the world is rich in untapped wealth that will enrich them beyond their wildest imaginations. The only thing standing between them and riches untold are the planet's inhabitants; a simple, backwards people that look upon the spacefarers as gods. What could possibly go wrong?

ANNIHILATION
Returning from a covert mission, the crew of a nuclear submarine surface after several months in isolation to find the world they left behind ablaze in a planet-wide funeral pyre. Their advanced weaponry gives them the might to retaliate, but do they have the right? What would you do with all that power - seek justice or revenge?

ACT OF GOD
Does a person's moral compass stay true despite their circumstances or is it dictated by the situations they find themselves in? Isolated and trapped, a group of refugees are forced to take extraordinary measures in order to survive. Rescue comes, but only after a terrible price has been paid. However, those still living soon realize that salvation, like survival, comes at a horrific cost.

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Two fortune seekers defy government orders and sneak across guarded borders pursuing a treasure that some say doesn’t exist. If they are successful, their discovery will put them into the history books. If they fail, their remains will be the subject of archeologists in the next century.