Can one woman stop a chemical magnate from destroying life on Earth?
108
by Dheepa R. Maturi
Genre: Eco-Thriller
Can one woman stop a chemical magnate from destroying life on Earth?
While working the night shift at a San Francisco news agency, Bayla Jeevan has a shocking out-of-body experience. Her consciousness is transported deep into an Indian forest, where she witnesses a noxious liquid spreading through the soil. At the same time, she receives a message from her father, presumed dead for fifteen years, warning her of imminent danger. Coincidence? Unlikely.
Halfway around the world, agrochemical corporation ZedChem-led by billionaire Krakun Zed-tests its latest innovation, a product heralded as the solution to topsoil erosion. But the data reveals something else entirely.
As Bayla sets out looking for answers, she learns more about her past-and her family’s connections to a secret organization with ancient roots and to Zed himself. Will Bayla be able to stop the corporation from ruining global agriculture and devastating human existence forever?
In this action-packed eco-thriller, the bonds of family-and the power to save Earth-are put to the test.
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September 2040—San Francisco, California
The scent of jasmine caught Bayla Jeevan off guard.
She never allowed herself to think about the land where she’d grown up, but here she was, daydreaming of axlewood groves and haldina plants and, yes, jasmine. And of a woman, unfamiliar and yet . . .
Stop it, she scolded herself.
Her eyes scanned the room. The interns sat working at their desks while the rest of the staff exited the Environment Wire news agency. Most were heading to La Cantina next door before going home.
“Weren’t you here just a few nights ago?” Braden Turner had stepped out of his glassed-in office and was looking at her with concern—or was it amusement?
She winced. “Someone needed to switch. It’s okay—really.”
“Well, keep an eye on the board.” He tipped his head to indicate the electronic monitor mounted nearby. Originally installed to track fire activity in Northern California, it now showed an office-evacuation prompt at least once a week.
The overhead purifiers kicked into high gear as they labored to scrub the day’s accumulation of toxins from the office air. Bayla jerked her thumb toward the EtherScreens and spoke loudly: “I’d better . . .”
Braden answered through the din. “Yep, go ahead. See you in the morning.”
She nodded and turned away, making a show of adjusting the EtherScreen projections but watching from the corner of her eye as Braden walked toward the door.
For the next eight hours, she’d be working alone.
Bayla scanned the screens. Taking in twenty-four rotating screens of environmental data at once required sharp concentration, but she was used to it. A few times per month, midlevel researchers like her monitored overnight information and siphoned it to the appropriate interns. They, in turn, pushed their findings up the writing and editorial chain.
Bayla’s hands flowed through the air in front of her. The EtherScreen technology allowed her to manipulate the displays and information by gesture alone, with no physical touch required.
On one screen to her left, the Global Monitoring Lab released the latest spikes in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the Arctic Circle. That was Ethan’s area. She swept the data to him for examination.
She grimaced at eyewitness photos of New Yorkers skirmishing around bread trucks, attacking hapless drivers. Rani could handle that—sweep. Immediately, an e-zine headline popped up on the same screen: “NYC mayor’s office plants evidence of food crisis.” Sighing, she pushed it to the trash folder.
On her right appeared the Census Bureau count of persons displaced from the South Florida coastline. Usually that information would go to Kwame, but Tara was already analyzing similar numbers along the entire East Coast. Sweep.
The same display rotated to satellite images of the latest lethal heat wave moving across South Asia. She flinched a little, then swept the information to Min-Lee.
Minutes, then hours, slipped by as Bayla continued to review and sweep, review and sweep. When she began to yawn, she stood to stretch and ward off her sleepiness.
There it was again—a whiff of jasmine.
Stop it, she admonished herself, shaking her head in an effort to push away the daydream. What had triggered it again?
“Bayla!” Her eyes widened, and she sat down hard. She dug her fingernails into her forearm.
That voice.
Craning her neck, she looked around. At the far end of the floor, the interns sat bent over their desks. One was snoring, his head buried in his arms. The only other sounds were the hum of EtherScreen projections and the whir of air purifiers.
“Bayla, we need you!”
Yes—it was her father’s voice.
She hadn’t heard it in fifteen years.
Dheepa R. Maturi is a New York–born, Midwest-raised Indian-American writer who explores the intersection of identity, culture, and ecology, especially through hope in the face of ecological grief. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and her essays and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She lives with her family in the Indianapolis area.
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I enjoyed the excerpt; I hope to have the pleasure of reading your book:)
The excerpt sounds really interesting. I like the cover art.
This sounds like a great read for the summer. I am loving the cover too. Sounds like one that will keep me reading all night for sure!
This sounds like a great thriller.
interesting cover
Sounds like a good book.
Time travel is indeed a possibility, though it's onlya theory in 2025.
Awesome cover
question for author-What personal experiences or observations influenced your writing?
Sounds like a interesting book.
This sounds like an exciting book.
I like the book details.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
I enjoyed the excerpt for 108. Thank you for the giveaway!
Looks exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
Thanks for the great excerpt. The book sounds very thrilling. Love the cover.
Eco-Thriller - this genre ensures a great read!
Thank you for sharing the excerpt.
looks interesting
Sounds good. Thanks for the book trailer & excerpt! Added to the TBR! :)
It looks like a good read.
Great cover!
Lokks very interesting.
Sounds good!
Sounds like an interesting book.
I enjoyed the excerpt. I can not wait to read this book
sounds like a great book!!!
The eco thriller sounds exciting to read.