His fingers found his face, where he could feel dried blood covering most of it. Rolling his head from side to side, he could see absolutely nothing in the darkness. Where in God’s name was he?
Tay tried to play back his last memories. Patchy and jumbled. Panic, with water swirling around him, as he and Lightfoot tried to detach the drill from the ship. But he couldn’t remember why.
Tay retrieved a glimpse of himself making his way to the back of the drill, desperately trying to throw the giant motor into reverse. And then the violent bucking of the drill, smashing into them.
And finally, the massive surge of water sucking them toward the wall.
His bearings slowly returned like a continuation from his last memory. He turned and again tried to peer through the total darkness. He couldn’t see anything at all, at first. But then something appeared. Something distant and dimly lit. Glowing softly.
It would take a long time for Tay’s panic to subside. He was trapped inside the ship. But unlike Lightfoot, he was alive. He was still alive, and more than that… Elgin Tay was an engineer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Grumley is a self-published writer who lives in Northern California with his wife and two young daughters. His email address is michael@michaelgrumley.com, and his web site is www.michaelgrumley.com.
MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
It’s funny. As a teenager, I realized at a certain point that I owed a lot of who I was to my parents, naturally. As a man, I came to accept that I’m nothing without my wife and daughters. And now as an author, I know that I’m nothing without my readers.
I’ve learned an awful lot over the last few years since starting the Breakthrough series. One is that writing a book is much harder than it seems. Another is that many things determine success, not the least of which is some degree of luck. And perhaps most importantly is that no one is an island. In the end, we all need the help and support of others, in anything we do. And for that, I would like to say thank you.
Thank you for investing your precious time with me, and of course with Dirk, Sally, Alison, John Clay, and the others. I could never have dreamed how many people the Breakthrough stories would affect, and how many readers would in turn affect me. I suspect any author worth his or her salt would agree that their readers have touched them as much as they have touched the readers. And for that, I am eternally grateful. I simply would not be writing these stories without you, and I am deeply grateful.
I truly hope you have enjoyed Ripple. There are some big concepts laid out in this story line, and if you’ve enjoyed it so far… just wait until you see what happens next.
In the meantime, please visit my website at www.michaelgrumley.com to get a FREE copy of “Genesis” if you haven’t already. It’s an unpublished Breakthrough novella, which tells the story of Alison Shaw’s run-in with the Navy, how she came to meet Dirk and Sally for the first time, and how the IMIS project was born. I think you’ll like it.
And finally, if you could please spare a minute to leave a review for Ripple, I would be extremely grateful. Many readers may not aware of how essential reviews are to the success of a self-published author. I would really appreciate it if you could help let others know.
Thank you very much.
Michael