The Rift (Richards novel)
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|
 Cover page of The Rift | |
| Authors | Douglas E. Richards Joshua T. Calvert |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Independently published |
Publication date | January 31, 2025 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 328 (paperback), 330 (e-book) |
| ISBN | 979-8308990307 |
| Followed by | The Rift 2 |
The Rift is a science fiction novel written by Douglas E. Richards and Joshua T. Calvert in 2025. It is about an operative-turned-doctor forced to fight among shadowy organisation aiming to gain control over a series of breaches between two realities.
Plot
[edit]Two researchers embark on a journey to a place in Antarctica to investigate mysterious seismic disturbances originating from the region. They find a black sphere hovering above the ground and tentacles emerge from it, killing them is a plot. Some time later, an airplane begins its journey from Australia to the US, carrying all members of the Majestic Twelve (MJ-12) except a man called 'Unicorn'. They are accompanied by many skilled commandos.
Dr. James T. Barron is a British doctor working in Africa with his wife Laura for Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), a humanitarian organization. They try to cure a terrorist who has strange symptoms, and discover weird metallic blue popcorn-shaped pieces in his pylorus. That night Laura is attacked while checking on the patient, and exhibits similar symptoms. In a bid to save her, James and two nurses drive their SUV across a desert, towards the USA air base at Agadez. However the car suddenly loses power and crashes into a boulder killing the nursers, while Laura mysteriously liquefies at the same time.
James observes that an airplane above him has also lost power simultaneously and has crashed. He suspects that an EMP was the cause for the crashes, but is puzzled since airspace was closed at the time. He goes to the crash site and sees a nearly-dead man Linus who is wearing an airbag-vest and a black cuff on his hand. The plane contains a black sphere, called the 'Portal' and Linus wishes to be sent into it. Linus also asks James to take the cuff to a man named Dodger. Outside, a ruthless commando called Agent Slate slaughters trespassers. The cuff slides off and ties itself around James's hand. James puts Linus through the Portal and hides. When the commandos engage in a gunfight with terrorists, James steals the terrorists' vehicle and escapes to Agadez where he crashes into the gate of the air base. After some first-aid, he is taken in a flight and deported to the US for interrogation by the CIA.
Upon landing, James sees Slate waiting for him. He is terrified and shouts that he has a bomb, to gain an armed escort from the FBI who take him to Special Agent Hannah Walker for interrogation. Hannah asks him to tell the truth, and believes his story because of recent anomalies such as a Manhattan skyscraper vanishing without a trace. The CCTV footage from the CIA is manipulated to remove Slate, and Hannah realizes James is in danger. They narrowly escape an attack at the FBI office and rush in an SUV to Hannah's flat. There, they attempt to escape from the fire exit, but are tranquilized and find themselves in a strange room. They break the door but are caught by Wulfhart "Wolf" Gemmlinger, a tall and strong German, who takes them to Dodger. Dodger is the leader of an organization called Dawn, which opposes the MJ-12, and gains vital information from Linus, who is a rebel. Dodger reveals that the Portal connects them to a parallel Earth, populated by humans called the 'Others'. The cuff is supposed to be a key for the Portal to work.
After a gunfight between the FBI and commandos, James rescues a fully-recovered Linus whose hand has mysteriously regrown. James reveals that he was previously an SAS commando and later worked for the British Foreign Legion. He left this job and became a doctor because of his wife Laura.
The portal is kept in the FBI Headquarters under the supervision of Director Ortega. Meanwhile, Linus tells James about the blue-popcorn which is actually a highly-stable form of Moscovium called Element 115 or E115, used as a Qbit. He tells that the MJ-12 began after the Roswell Incident and he always was a rebel. He mentions that Slate is an elite commando, whose real name is Colonel Andrews. He also informs about a plot to make the White House disappear. James and Hannah contact Justin Lin, who works in the White House, to evacuate it and protect President Metcalf. They travel by the Air Force One to Camp David. On the plane, Metcalf is assassinated by an invisible man who turns out to be Slate. John Gallagher, the vice-president, immediately takes office as the President, and gives a lot of powers to James and Hannah. Slate reappears on the plane and pushes Hannah from the back exit. James takes a parachute bag and saves Hannah.
They travel to the FBI Headquarters and take the Portal to Camp David, dodging an ambush by Slate. James meets his Dawn colleagues near the Great Lakes where they plan to break into the NASA Headquarters to use its satellites and detect E115 Qbits. However they are attacked by Slate and James is imprisoned.
It turns out that Linus was a traitor and he convinced President Gallagher that he was one of the Others, while James was a terrorist. They decide to send a petty thief into the Portal to check whether it is safe. If so, the various dignitaries could also travel through it. Linus's secret plan is to replace the dignitaries with Others, who can shapeshift or use advanced plastic surgery. Only Speaker Helen Schrader is absent at the time. James, who has the key, is brought into the chamber where the Portal is kept. The thief runs away, and James tries to attack Slate. Slate however cuts his hand with a khukri-lightsaber and steals the cuff. Linus and Hannah try to take the cuff but the Qbits in the room are activated and the two disappear through the Portal. James manages to escape, while the Portal blasts killing everyone else present. In its place a large black spherical void has appeared, which also behaves mysteriously.
James flees and meets Wolf. James is sure that Hannah is still alive and resolves to rescue her.
Main characters
[edit]- Dr. James T. Barron - A British operative-turned-healer ,who is a member of Dawn and works for the good of humanity.
- Special Agent Hannah Walker - An FBI agent ,who accompanies James on his fight against the MJ-12.
- Wulfhart "Wolf" Gemmlinger - A German member of Dawn, who helps James in times of need.
- Dodger - Founder and leader of Dawn.
- Charles Linus - A member of MJ-12 and rebel. Pretends to aid Dawn, but is revealed to be a traitor.
- Colonel Andrews/Agent Slate - A ruthless commando ,who works against Dawn.