Search Terms: Alpha

by Travis Hill

"Search Terms: Alpha" is the first half of a new time travel thriller.

College sophomore Tyler Gallagher loves computers, video games, and Thanksgiving Break. He's timed the arrival of his computer components with the holiday vacation from school to blast aliens and enemy soldiers alike on his brand new, high-end gaming computer.

When the parts arrive, it soon becomes apparent that they aren't what he ordered from TechTerritory. Thinking he's the butt of a practical joke, Tyler plays along, and builds the computer with the obviously fake components. His annoyance turns to shock when the computer powers on.

His shock turns to a mix of disbelief and wonder when he learns the strange "quantum" computer can pull web pages from the near future. Disbelief and wonder soon become fear and uncertainty when he discovers the future might not be so bright.


word count: 52,000
Adult themes/language/mild sexual content

Genres: Science Fiction

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

My mailing list here:

http://eepurl.com/D2ktH

I write adult stories for adult readers.

I am an LGBT-friendly author.

Reviews

[Gwynneth Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The future doesn't exist, yet.

This was a short read, yes cliffhanger ending, but a really good story. Our main character is a young nerd that actually sets some good rules. The flow in this was well thought out, but I hope the author puts out a set to read all at once (like he intended!, read his notes at the end).

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when a college aged self described "Nerd" living at home opens up the boxes of parts for a new computer he ordered and finds some very strange parts that are nothing like he order. With misgivings he assembles the parts with out much help of an instruction manual to discover that it works, but not like any computer he has ever heard of. Not only that but when he does searches he finds that it can look into the future and show him things like the winning numbers of the next lottery. Lots of introspection as to what use he can make of this ability and what the consequences might be, getting to know a new girl friend and what he/they end up doing. Throw in some scary politics (scary in that they sound like some of todays politics) and you have the world heading for- Well they see it and it is not good!

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was promising: geeky, clever, not even if not overly original. Be great to see where it goes, that's the trouble when you split something like this up, you're guaranteed to sell me the next bit! Looking forward with interest to see where things go.

[Jett Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a fun geeky time paradox story, I think! I will be checking out the next one. it was a quick quirky read with funny characters that are likable!