Doug Beck

Maximum Voltage Doug Beck

This story invites readers on a fantastic voyage through the imagination of a child. The story begins with Army Sergeant Major Reed Hodges ( a career soldier nearing retirement assigned to the Utah National Guard as an advisor.) jogging down a rural Utah road reflecting on his life and career. Suddenly he is forced to jump off the side of the road and into a ditch to avoid a car full of teenagers swerving and almost hitting him. When he tries to climb back onto the road he is struck by lightening. When Hodges regains consciousness he finds himself severely injured with a raging thunderstorm right on top of him. What follows is a story based on Hodges' Hallucinations. He believes that he is stationed in Europe during the cold war and nuclear war has started. Convinced he is behind enemy lines, he fights to escape as his family and fellow soldiers search for him. When he is captured by an underground right-wing militia seeking to take control of the United States, he and an undercover F. B. I. agent discover a plot to attack the National Guard base. The F. B. I. agent is killed in battle and Hodges dies in the hospital after receiving a medal from the president. The death of Hodges uncovers the real focus of Maximum Voltage. Hodges is actually a figment of the imagination of 10 year old Reed Hodges. Raised by his struggling mother Kate. Reed is desperate to discover the truth about his father, who was declared missing during the Gulf War. He has invented Hodges through dreams and visions. After the accident he begins telling the story to anyone who will listen. When world-renowned child psychiatrist Peter Kimball meets Reed he becomes obsessed with Reed's condition. Jeopardizing his career, finances and heart, he searches for a cure for Reed's condition in an attempt to help him and his mother. He somehow falls in love with Kate in the process. Maximum Voltage is a thrilling story about the power of imagination and love. I believe this to be a fascinating story which will keep