The Communication Room

Leonard Ackerman lies low in a mysterious lab filled with strange communications devices and telephones—a last-ditch experiment to save Earth from an alien invasion. Then the first telephone rings. The only thing Ackerman can do is answer...

In this tale of post-apocalyptic survival, Leonard Ackerman works at a remote army base trying to solve the greatest threat facing mankind—an alien invasion has eroded our species down to very few numbers. His base is compromised, and Ackerman retreats to a laboratory he has never been seen, locking himself there with the enemy right outside his door. Inside the lab are 13 telephones—from the American Civil War through to Ackerman's present day.

This laboratory seems to be some sort of closed experiment, and Ackerman discovers that he cannot exit the lab until the experiment has run its course. The method and ultimate goal of the test is beyond his reach for now...but the first telephone rings, and the only thing Ackerman can do is answer....

©2016 Adam Aresty (P)2022 Adam Aresty

Tight, interesting and well-written

I'm glad the author did not try to pad this into a full-length book--it was just right. I hope the ending suggests a 2nd installment. Excellent narration as well.