Stolen World

This title is narrated with virtual voice. Computer-generated narration for audiobooks. Stolen World by B. J. Farmer Chapter 1 The filtration system hummed in the background. If he'd known beforehand, Walter would have made the PC prepper consultant, put the security room somewhere else in the bunker, or at least install the motor somewhere it wouldn't drive him crazy. On and on, it droned. Hmm. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on the camera feed. Instead of the area around the bunker, he saw a glimpse of his reflection in the monitor and had to look away. He'd not aged particularly well over the last 333 days inside the bunker. At 35, he was much too young for the crow's feet and gray hair that grew both on his face and head. But then, Walter Grom had a lot on his mind. Walter Grom wasn't, or at least hadn't, been a vain man. He was far too interested in other things much more important than vanity. He was a bookworm and loved learning new things. More than anything, he loved computers and technology. He started programming when he was in middle school, after he'd gotten his first Raspberry Pi. That led him to learning C++ and then Python. He wanted to use his programming skills to change the world. One day he would. Walter wasn't alone in the bunker. His wife, Mira, was there with him. She spent most of her time painting in the art studio Walter had built for her in the bunker. Although, her love for art had lessened a great deal by that time. Walter had tried to make her time in the bunker as happy as it could be. He argued vigorously with the PC over the wasted space the studio took up. Walter wouldn't give in, saying, Redesign it all. Make the kitchen smaller. Do what you got to do, but she gets the studio. Walter and Mira met in a tutoring center at the University of Chicago, where Walter was one of the student math tutors. The only reason she'd taken calculus in the first place was because a guy she liked was in the class. Lucky for Walter, he was a total asshole. Mira dumped him but stuck around for the calculus. She wasn't a quitter. It took exactly two tutoring sessions for both to know they'd found the person they'd spend the rest of their lives with. Mira was a free spirit. Her dad nicknamed her Flighty Bird, which her mother didn't care for one bit. Mira's father wanted her to take over the auto dealership empire he'd built. But Mira was never too keen to follow in her father's footsteps. Her mother knew it, and even though there was a tremendous amount of pushback, she guided Mira towards what made her happy. Art. The first thing Mira liked about Walter was his hazel eyes. Then there was his ambition. He reminded her a lot of her father, which was both good and bad. In the end, though, she thought they rounded each other out. Walter was very goal-oriented, and she wasn't. She even thought she could make him lighten up a little, which proved to be mostly true in the beginning. For Walter, it was love at first sight. Mira was his first and last mentee. Any free time he could manage was spent with his blue-eyed, dark-haired beauty. Beauty aside, Mira was smart and witty. She was also a fantastic artist, painting landscapes Walter believed to be just as good as the greats. Admittedly he was partial. They made an ideal couple, and the two of them moved in with each other during their senior years. As far as their former lives were concerned, both got Ph.D.s from UChicago. Not surprisingly, Walter's was in computer science. Mira's was in art history. She got a job as an adjunct professor right after graduation. Walter had to wait several months before he also became an adjunct professor. Within a couple of years, both had become associate professors, and were tenure-tracked. Their careers were blooming as much as their relationship was. Walter thrust all of his energy into his disaster mitigation AI that he'd been working on in some form or another since his middle school days. Mira went to Paris and worked with some of the best art restoration experts in the world. Everything was going wonderfully to plan. Something caught his attention on the main monitor, breaking him from his thoughts. He was sure he saw something in the shadows, skulking in the darkening woods. Something more than the black plumes of smoke he'd spotted earlier.