Infinity Read online

  Doyle shook his head. “That old thing means even more to me now that you have it. Get yourself fat and healthy, kiddo. The anthropologists’ next excursion is in four weeks.”

  Infinity smiled to herself as she left the administrative hall.

  Later that night, as the fading light was starting to turn the woods behind SafeTrek murky and forbidding, Infinity removed her clothes, dropped them on one of the picnic tables in the center of the lawn, and made her way into the forest. She stepped lightly, taking advantage of logs and exposed rocks to place her feet where ticks and chiggers were less abundant. She tried to move as silently as possible, listening and smelling, sensing everything around her.

  She continued walking for at least a half mile, being careful not to brush against any plants, to avoid thorns, poison ivy, and stinging nettles. She walked until the forest was so dark she could barely see the trees. She knew she should probably turn back, but instead she gazed at the trees around her until she spotted one that looked climbable.

  She approached the trunk and cautiously felt its surface to make sure it wasn’t a honeylocust or some other thorny tree. The lowest branch was just above her head. She grabbed it and walked her way up the trunk, as she had done while escaping the pack of coyotes.

  Once she was about twenty feet above the forest floor, she found a fork in the branches where she could wedge herself in to keep from tumbling to the ground. She shifted around until she was reasonably comfortable and then swatted a few mosquitoes that had followed her up. She knew the mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers wouldn't be a problem once she was settled in, since they typically remained near the ground.

  Infinity closed her eyes and began meditating, doing her best to drive out any thoughts of animal teeth shredding human flesh, of fighting for air in a muddy river, or of semi-digested body parts piling onto the bridging chamber floor.

  She meditated for at least an hour.

  Finally, she opened her eyes, feeling completely at peace. She considered descending the tree and returning to her bunk room. Instead, she shifted her position, draping her left arm over a limb beside her shoulder to prevent her body from leaning too far to the right. She settled in and rested her head on her arm, determined now to spend the night in this tree. She didn't expect it to be enjoyable, but she needed to know she could do it. After all, she was a bridger.

  There’s more to this story!

  That’s right, this story is just getting started. If you think INFINITY was exciting, wait until you read Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity and the rest of the Bridgers series. Bridgers 1 takes place five years after the events of INFINITY.

  Get Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity

  Get Bridgers 2: The Cost of Survival

  Get Bridgers 3: The Voice of Reason

  Get Bridgers 4: The Mind of Many

  Or, for a huge savings, you can get the newly-released Bridgers 1-3 Box Set.

  And you’re also going to want to check out my DIFFUSION series!

  Go to the very end of this book to read a preview excerpt from Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity.

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  Author’s Notes

  Some of you may have questions. So I’ll offer my thoughts on a few things related to INFINITY: A Bridger’s Origin. These topics are in no particular order, and they may not even be important to some people. But I like to contemplate such things.

  Why did you write a book about Infinity’s origin as a bridger? Mainly because I thought readers would enjoy such a book. Several of you asked for this exact thing, so I listened. After all, Infinity is a fascinating character. If you’ve read the other Bridgers books, you may have noticed that in this book Infinity is less sure of herself (at least until the end). That’s because she hasn’t had the years of experience that she’s had in the later Bridgers books. Yes, she is already a good fighter, but she has no idea what it’s like to bridge. And she has no idea how dangerous the creatures on alternate worlds can be. She is only 25 years old in INFINITY: A Bridger’s Origin.

  Did Infinity really hate her parents? Yes, she did… back when she left home at the age of 14. Her parents were not abusive, but they weren’t very nurturing either. They didn’t pay much attention to her. That doesn’t necessarily mean that she should have hated them, but you know how 14-year-olds can be. She decided she wasn’t happy, and she ran away. By the time she was old enough to forgive them, she was already entrenched in an independent, violent life.

  Were Infinity and Scottie ever romantically involved? No, but they have been good friends for several years. Scottie likes to tease Infinity (previously Passerina) about them being romantically involved, but she doesn’t see him as more than a friend. She has a habit of calling him “old man,” which is actually a term of endearment. But more importantly, she knows that it irritates him. Scottie is really only 35, ten years older than Infinity.

  Are the sparring and fight scenes in the book realistic? Well, as realistic as I could make them. The moves and take-downs described are all real, and I made every attempt to insert them in logical scenarios. The Scrapyard is not real, and although I am certainly not an MMA fighter, I tried to depict the overall atmosphere of a training gym as accurately as I could.

  What about Horton and Jarvis’s hypothesis regarding human cultural progression? Is it really logical to assume that humans would progress culturally in basically the same way if we had multiple do-overs? The only way to provide support for this idea is to look at human cultures that have previously existed in isolation for many thousands of years. Some people might argue that the various isolated populations have very distinct cultures. But that depends on the level of detail you are examining. When looking at the finer details, such as the nuances of language, marriage and other life milestone rituals, and religious practices, then yes, you will see great diversity. But what if you step back and look at the bigger picture? For example, every culture has some kind of spoken language. The vast majority have marriage in some form, and they have rituals regarding other life milestones (such as reaching puberty or reaching a certain age). And the majority of populations have some form of religion.

  So, Horton and Jarvis are suggesting that, in a do-over of the last 50,000 years, in which humans again migrate to North America, populate the continent, and develop more complex societies, the result would be recognizable. They expect to see religion. They expect to see towns or cities that are arranged similarly to those in our own world. They expect spoken language, and government, and laws. Of course, the details of these would be quite different, but when they look at the big picture, they expect to see the same overall scenario.

  In a do-over of the last 50,000 years, is it really possible that humans might not migrate to North America? Well, it’s almost certain that humans would populate North America. Unless, as Horton pointed out, something really bad happened to the human species. And by bad, I mean an extinction-level event. As Jarvis pointed out, human migration had already built up significant momentum by 50,000 years ago. If humans migrated to North America 40,000 years ago in our world, then the only thing that could prevent this from happening in a different timeline would be a catastrophic event. Perhaps a virus that wiped out all humans. Perhaps the emergence of some kind of predator or competitor that wiped out humans.

  River otters the size of dolphins, weighing 400 pounds? Really? This isn’t as unlikely as it sounds. In the absence of certain other predators, or perhaps in the pr
esence of a larger type of prey, otters could probably have developed such large size in North America in the last 50,000 years. The giant river otter of South America grows to almost 6 feet (1.7 m) in length and weighs up to 71 pounds (32 kg). And remember that otters are not all that different (at least in their feeding habits and other behaviors) from seals and sea lions, which can weight up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg). And if these giant otters had evolved to prey opportunistically on any large animals they can find, then they certainly might be dangerous to humans.

  Do you really think that coyotes or foxes could live in packs of 500 and could learn to use fire? Hmm… okay, probably not. This is a pretty weird concept. But, in my defense, I will point out that canines (including coyotes and foxes) are quite intelligent. They learn to do a lot of complex tasks. You may laugh at this, but I’m going to propose a possible sequence of events. Let’s say there is a do-over of the last 50,000 years, in which humans (for whatever reason) do not ever populate North America. The coyotes (which are already somewhat social) gradually begin to hang out and hunt in larger packs (something we see wolves do). They develop complex hunting procedures to take down the large mammals that are common due to the lack of humans. A lightning strike starts a fire, which just happens to panic a herd of elk (or other prey animal), and the coyotes benefit from this by killing some of the elk that got trapped by the fire. After that, the coyotes are attracted to fire every time lightning ignites the grasslands. They start to specialize in taking advantage of grass fires.

  Okay, here’s the big leap (please suspend disbelief for a moment). After a successful hunt in which a grass fire has panicked another herd of prey, the coyotes see some logs still burning beneath a rocky outcrop in a ravine. One of the coyotes decides to fetch a stick and bring it to the fire to keep the fire burning (yep, this is a huge leap). Then the other coyotes in the pack see this and they gather more sticks. The fire is in a sheltered place, so it will continue to burn in any weather, as long as the coyotes continue to bring fuel. So they establish their colony in that spot, digging burrows into the hillside and tending to the fire constantly. Now they have a never-ending source of fire to use when they hunt. They become even more successful by increasing the size of their pack, until eventually the pack is at 500 or more, which is more effective for tending the fire and for hunting herds of very large prey like elk and bison.

  I know what you’re thinking, that the above is a bunch of grade-A bullshit. Yes, of course it is. Or is it? Have you ever observed a do-over of the last 50,000 years? Didn’t think so.

  Okay, what about the mind-bending concept of the possible existence of infinite parallel universes?

  While there are certainly cosmologists who are skeptical of the concept, it is important to point out that multiple parallel universes is not a theory. Scientists did not simply come up with the idea using their imaginations. Instead, the concept is a mathematical consequence of our current theories in physics, particularly quantum mechanics and string theory.

  If we assume that quantum mechanics and string theory are not completely wrong, then it is important for scientists to examine all of the mathematical consequences of those theories. Even if those consequences (such as parallel universes) seem strange to us. This is often how science moves forward.

  There are at least five plausible scientific theories that suggest the existence of multiple universes (the “multiverse”). My favorite of these is the concept of “daughter universes” suggested by the theory of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics describes things in terms of probabilities, rather than definite outcomes. The mathematics of quantum mechanics suggest that every possible outcome of every situation actually occurs—in its own separate universe.

  Everything is made up of tiny particles, and what this “daughter universes” concept boils down to is that there could be infinite parallel universes, each of them differing by the position of only one particle.

  The concept boggles the mind. But it certainly makes for a fun story.

  Acknowledgments

  I am not capable of creating a book such as this on my own. I have the following people, among others, to thank for their assistance.

  When it comes to editing, my son Micheal Smith is extremely talented, and his tireless and meticulous suggestions are invaluable. If you find a sentence or detail in the book that doesn’t seem right, it is likely because I failed to implement one of his suggestions.

  My wife Trish is always the first to read my work, and therefore she has the burden of seeing my stories in their roughest form. Thankfully, she kindly points out where things are a mess. Her suggestions are what get the editing process started. She also helps with various promotional efforts. And finally, she not only tolerates my obsession with writing, she actually encourages it.

  I also owe thanks to those on my Advance Reviewer team. They were able to point out numerous typos and inconsistencies.

  Finally, I am thankful to all the independent freelance designers out there who provide quality work for independent authors such as myself. Jake Caleb Clark (www.jcalebdesign.com) created the awesome cover for INFINITY: A Bridger’s Origin, as well as the covers for all the other Bridgers books.

  About the Author

  Stan Smith has lived most of his life in the Midwest United States and currently resides in Warrensburg, Missouri. He writes adventure novels and short stories that have a generous sprinkling of science fiction. His novels and stories are about regular people who find themselves caught up in highly unusual situations. They are designed to stimulate your sense of wonder, get your heart pounding, and keep you reading late into the night, with minimal risk of exposure to spelling and punctuation errors. His books are for anyone who loves adventure, discovery, and mind-bending surprises.

  Stan’s Author Website

  http://www.stancsmith.com

  Feel free to email Stan at: [email protected]

  He loves hearing from readers and will answer every email.

  Also by Stan C. Smith

  The DIFFUSION series

  Diffusion

  Infusion

  Profusion

  Savage

  Blue Arrow

  The BRIDGERS series

  Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity

  Bridgers 2: The Cost of Survival

  Bridgers 3: The Voice of Reason

  Bridgers 4: The Mind of Many

  Stand-alone Stories

  Parthenium’s Year

  Excerpt: BRIDGERS 1: The Lure of Infinity

  Bridgers 1 takes place five years after the events of INFINITY: A Bridgers’s Origin.

  Chapter 1 - INCOMING

  Thirty-six hours can feel like a long time—even longer if you’re being hunted. Infinity Fowler pressed her naked body into the dirt and dead leaves of the forest floor. Small insects began biting her skin, but she was too exhausted to care. She thrust out her right hand, palmed the bare scalp of the tourist beside her, and forced his head down until his cheek was in the dirt.

  “Stay down!” she hissed.

  The tourist nodded. His eyes were wide, but he had a slight grin on his face, as if he were pleased to be getting his money’s worth.

  Just beyond the tourist lay Infinity’s partner, Hornet. He was staring out through the low vegetation, his black body blending in with the shadows of the forest floor. Infinity cursed silently, regretting that she hadn’t taken the time to smear mud on her and the tourist’s pale skin.

  Hornet’s muscles went rigid. He had heard something. Infinity turned slowly and gazed through the sparse saplings they had chosen for cover. She heard something faintly disturbing the leaves, perhaps a hundred feet out. At first she thought it was a squirrel or a bird. But a large body—even a cautious, deliberate one—created a subtly distinct sound. The creatures were coming.

  She applied more pressure to the tourist’s scalp, a signal to stay still. The guy had been willing to work hard and even fight. But he was an idiot, and he was already bruised and bleeding
from half a dozen wounds. Infinity and Hornet would be docked for every one of them. If they made it back alive.

  The sound of crunching leaves was getting closer. If the creatures were moving through the forest randomly, there was a chance they’d pass by without incident. But more likely the creatures were tracking them, following the disturbed leaf litter. Infinity and Hornet had already underestimated the creatures’ skill and perseverance more than once.

  Fight or flight? This was the fundamental dilemma every bridger was trained to face. And Infinity was a good bridger. The sun was low on the horizon, so their thirty-six hours had to be almost up. But how many minutes were left? She had no way to know for sure. If they ran now, they might gain a few more minutes. Or maybe not. If she and Hornet fought and won, they might gain another hour or more. If they fought and lost, the tourist might have a better chance to get away, as long as he started running now before the creatures were within sight. She knew what she had to do.

  She released the tourist’s head. “Run,” she whispered. “Go as far as you can. Don’t stop. Hiding won’t help. Go now.”

  He frowned. “No.”

  She grabbed his head again and tried digging her fingernails into his scalp, but the dead tissue of her nails had been stripped away while bridging to this world. She snarled. “Run!”