61 - Mystery
62 - In a Village
63 - Darkness in and Abandoned Sanitarium
64 - Self preservation
65 - Solve world hunger
66 - Dream house
67 - When man lost arrogance
68 - Short Story on Writing a book
69 - Phobias
70 - Processed food
71 - Book Club
72 - Artificial Ignorance
73 - Women's Clothing Style
74 - The Artist
75 - My First RV in America
76 - Foreign land: Japan
77 - OCD on a Cruise
78 - Write what you don't know
79 - Charity begins at home
80 - Cooking show
81 - Used planet salesman
82 - Zombies
83 - World Peace
84 - Top _ things you don't wanna know
85 - Biodome
86 - Cyborg of the year
87 - Deep Sea
88 - Nanites in drugs
89 - Universal Language
90 - Duct Tape Engineering
91 - Post - Apoc. First aid.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
61 Mystery - RT Shores (Mystery)
Nature and Crime: The Blizzard
Have you ever been completely out of your element, alone and trapped, due to a blizzard?
I am, right now.
I had an interview Friday morning and they asked me to stay the night to meet more employees. I am at a private school and I am interviewing to be the Infirmary nurse. Sounded like a fat job, but I didn't know about this blizzard stuff.
All of the interviews were done and I have the job and should have been excited, but the place they gave me until the roads cleared wasn't not very soothing. It is a two story white structure, divided by locked doors for the two floors. It was pitch black when I arrived by foot, frozen in my flannel shirt and jeans.
I unlocked the side door and hit the light switch and a dim bulb flickered at the top of a long flight of stairs. Holy crap! I went in so I wouldn't freeze to death, but there was no heat, I had been warned. I would need to make a fire.
First I had to search the place. I locked the flimsy glass paneled door behind me and ascended the steep stairs, slipping frequently due to ice embedded shoes. I was shivering so hard I felt my teeth would break.
I hit a switch in the hall and fluorescent bulbs lit the length. Brightness! Now that is better. I went from room to room and turned on lights making sure they were empty and then headed to the living room to light the fire. It took awhile and they lost all their outdated magazines, but soon I had a roaring fire and felt half human again. I was dripping wet from ice and snow, but had no extra clothing.
I stripped the linen closet and hung my clothes to dry in front of the fire as I wandered to the kitchen in search of, well, anything. My mummy wrap and shawl were a hindrance, but necessary.
The fridge was off, so no food there. The water was clear and cold, so I would have fluids. I found saltines and soup and even a saucepan. I took my feast to the fireplace and ate.
The heat, inside and out, had me quite drowsy, so I dozed and then slept fully on the hearth rug.
Strange sounds awakened me with a start. Air in the pipes? No. I dressed in my now toasty warm clothes and put my damp shoes back on. I may need to run somewhere.
I heard door knobs turning and then glass break. I decided to hide instead and went to the darkest corner of the living room with my pile of linens. That was coming from the downstairs stairwell.
I had no weapon and my soup pot was across the room. I slid behind the couch and dragged my linens with me.
Heavy footfalls and panting were in the hallway now.
I held my breath and even put my hand over my mouth so as not to be heard if I screamed.
An odd clicking was coming closer, but the footfalls had stopped. I heard snuffling and then a God awful barking began. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
I felt the couch pull away and then there was laughter. I opened my eyes slowly and was rewarded with a wet kiss from a very large dog and the twinkling eyes of his very large master.
"You must be Miss Stuart! I came to rescue you, but didn't mean to scare you half to death."
"Oh, more than half!" I took his hand to arise and the dog decided to kiss and wanted to dance as well. We soon were untangled, the fire was doused and we headed to a waiting truck with the heat on full blast.
We road on for awhile, leaving campus. "Where are we headed, uh, I don't know your name!" I laughed and so did he, but he had nothing to offer.
He kept driving and I was getting nervous. That deserted white house seemed so inviting right now.
The truck finally stopped, but I saw nothing. How could this be a place? It was pitch black and if you've heard of not being able to see your hand in front of your face, this was one of those moment. I couldn't see anything.
He cupped my elbow with his huge hand and led me. The dog began to woof excitedly and soon a blinding light shone through an obvious doorway. Man that thing must have been sealed hermetically!
Folks were laughing and dancing around a huge fireplace and I realized it was a lodge meeting or something along those lines.
My new boss approached. "Sorry we had to put you in Hill House, but it is just until the roads are cleared." I nodded and smiled.
"You will stay with us, won't you?" He had a strange look on his face.
"Of course!" I had planned to until right this minute. He was kinda creepy, well they all were.
He nodded and walked away. His wife was next, but she led me to a buffet laden with pounds of food. I made a plate and was even given a doggie bag, well, doggie box, for the weekend. I would be able to eat off the box for days if need be.
What I really needed was coffee. I set my package aside and went into the kitchen. The cook, I assumed from his attire, was in an embrace with my boss's wife. I gasped and looked down.
I pretended to look around. "Is there some coffee in here?" I found the large coffee maker and poured a big mug and left the kitchen, my heart thumping wildly.
Tapping my foot to the music, I pretended all was well. It wasn't. The cook glared at me and even bumped my chair as he passed me. I had to get out of here, out of the white house and off the mountain.
"Would you care to dance?" I looked up into the eyes of one of the counselors I had met. I nodded. I must pretend all was well.
Luckily, it was a slow dance, so we were able to talk.
"How long have you worked here?" I asked him.
"Too long!" He said quietly and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He looked scared too.
"My name is Sally Stuart. What's yours?"
"Todd. Todd Greenfield. I am the counselor in the teen-aged boys house."
"How long have you been here?"
"About three months and like I said, too long. We need to get off this mountain, by the way."
"I realized that about five minutes ago. Can it be done?"
"Yes. I have a new four wheel drive and even chains on the tires and I want to go for it. I think we should pretend to be smitten with each other and I need you to get drunk, not really, but act it, so I have to rescue you. Okay?" I nodded and smiled up at him.
We headed to the open bar; a plank on two saw horses, but pretty well stocked. I ordered a Seven and Seven and sipped it. We sat next to a large potted plant and I pretended to guzzle my drink, but really dumped most in the plant. Todd went for a refill as we pretended to get into the music. I clapped, yelled 'Yahoo!' and tapped my feet.
When Todd returned, I lurched at him and we were soon on the dance floor again. Heck, maybe they won't want a nurse who gets drunk!
We danced and kissed and we were even getting into it. I let him lead me to the chair and we pretended to be infatuated. I feigned a nap on his shoulder and he helped me up, grabbed my take-out food and told the crowd he would take me to Hill House. They all nodded and I gave a weak and simpering smile to them.
"I think I drank too much! Shh!" I said in a slurred manner. Some laughed.
Once in the truck, I still played the slumped over drunk, but we spoke clearly.
"What is going on up here?" I asked.
"The less you know, the better, but we need to get out of here. Blizzards are excuses for deaths; accidental deaths."
He drove slowly and carefully and we even went to Hill House. We stoked the fire, put away the food after plugging in the fridge and even made a pallet that looked like I was sleeping in front of the fire. Finding a fur in the wood box helped to make it look like a human was sleeping there.
We doused some lights to suggest that I went to sleep and he left.
I was actually slid down in the truck seat and we were driving slowly to his cabin, luckily part way down the mountain. He turned into his drive and went to the cabin and performed the same machinations we had before. We packed some items for the trip and waited an hour.
Not a sound was heard except the crackling of the fire. We left and drove away without headlights.
***
The newscaster began, 'We have Breaking News from the the mountains. A truck was found at the bottom of a landslide early this morning. The bodies have been identified as Sally Stuart and Todd Greenfield. They were both employed at the children's home. What a tragic loss for that home, where many accidents occur during these harsh Winter storms.'
Have you ever been completely out of your element, alone and trapped, due to a blizzard?
I am, right now.
I had an interview Friday morning and they asked me to stay the night to meet more employees. I am at a private school and I am interviewing to be the Infirmary nurse. Sounded like a fat job, but I didn't know about this blizzard stuff.
All of the interviews were done and I have the job and should have been excited, but the place they gave me until the roads cleared wasn't not very soothing. It is a two story white structure, divided by locked doors for the two floors. It was pitch black when I arrived by foot, frozen in my flannel shirt and jeans.
I unlocked the side door and hit the light switch and a dim bulb flickered at the top of a long flight of stairs. Holy crap! I went in so I wouldn't freeze to death, but there was no heat, I had been warned. I would need to make a fire.
First I had to search the place. I locked the flimsy glass paneled door behind me and ascended the steep stairs, slipping frequently due to ice embedded shoes. I was shivering so hard I felt my teeth would break.
I hit a switch in the hall and fluorescent bulbs lit the length. Brightness! Now that is better. I went from room to room and turned on lights making sure they were empty and then headed to the living room to light the fire. It took awhile and they lost all their outdated magazines, but soon I had a roaring fire and felt half human again. I was dripping wet from ice and snow, but had no extra clothing.
I stripped the linen closet and hung my clothes to dry in front of the fire as I wandered to the kitchen in search of, well, anything. My mummy wrap and shawl were a hindrance, but necessary.
The fridge was off, so no food there. The water was clear and cold, so I would have fluids. I found saltines and soup and even a saucepan. I took my feast to the fireplace and ate.
The heat, inside and out, had me quite drowsy, so I dozed and then slept fully on the hearth rug.
Strange sounds awakened me with a start. Air in the pipes? No. I dressed in my now toasty warm clothes and put my damp shoes back on. I may need to run somewhere.
I heard door knobs turning and then glass break. I decided to hide instead and went to the darkest corner of the living room with my pile of linens. That was coming from the downstairs stairwell.
I had no weapon and my soup pot was across the room. I slid behind the couch and dragged my linens with me.
Heavy footfalls and panting were in the hallway now.
I held my breath and even put my hand over my mouth so as not to be heard if I screamed.
An odd clicking was coming closer, but the footfalls had stopped. I heard snuffling and then a God awful barking began. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
I felt the couch pull away and then there was laughter. I opened my eyes slowly and was rewarded with a wet kiss from a very large dog and the twinkling eyes of his very large master.
"You must be Miss Stuart! I came to rescue you, but didn't mean to scare you half to death."
"Oh, more than half!" I took his hand to arise and the dog decided to kiss and wanted to dance as well. We soon were untangled, the fire was doused and we headed to a waiting truck with the heat on full blast.
We road on for awhile, leaving campus. "Where are we headed, uh, I don't know your name!" I laughed and so did he, but he had nothing to offer.
He kept driving and I was getting nervous. That deserted white house seemed so inviting right now.
The truck finally stopped, but I saw nothing. How could this be a place? It was pitch black and if you've heard of not being able to see your hand in front of your face, this was one of those moment. I couldn't see anything.
He cupped my elbow with his huge hand and led me. The dog began to woof excitedly and soon a blinding light shone through an obvious doorway. Man that thing must have been sealed hermetically!
Folks were laughing and dancing around a huge fireplace and I realized it was a lodge meeting or something along those lines.
My new boss approached. "Sorry we had to put you in Hill House, but it is just until the roads are cleared." I nodded and smiled.
"You will stay with us, won't you?" He had a strange look on his face.
"Of course!" I had planned to until right this minute. He was kinda creepy, well they all were.
He nodded and walked away. His wife was next, but she led me to a buffet laden with pounds of food. I made a plate and was even given a doggie bag, well, doggie box, for the weekend. I would be able to eat off the box for days if need be.
What I really needed was coffee. I set my package aside and went into the kitchen. The cook, I assumed from his attire, was in an embrace with my boss's wife. I gasped and looked down.
I pretended to look around. "Is there some coffee in here?" I found the large coffee maker and poured a big mug and left the kitchen, my heart thumping wildly.
Tapping my foot to the music, I pretended all was well. It wasn't. The cook glared at me and even bumped my chair as he passed me. I had to get out of here, out of the white house and off the mountain.
"Would you care to dance?" I looked up into the eyes of one of the counselors I had met. I nodded. I must pretend all was well.
Luckily, it was a slow dance, so we were able to talk.
"How long have you worked here?" I asked him.
"Too long!" He said quietly and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He looked scared too.
"My name is Sally Stuart. What's yours?"
"Todd. Todd Greenfield. I am the counselor in the teen-aged boys house."
"How long have you been here?"
"About three months and like I said, too long. We need to get off this mountain, by the way."
"I realized that about five minutes ago. Can it be done?"
"Yes. I have a new four wheel drive and even chains on the tires and I want to go for it. I think we should pretend to be smitten with each other and I need you to get drunk, not really, but act it, so I have to rescue you. Okay?" I nodded and smiled up at him.
We headed to the open bar; a plank on two saw horses, but pretty well stocked. I ordered a Seven and Seven and sipped it. We sat next to a large potted plant and I pretended to guzzle my drink, but really dumped most in the plant. Todd went for a refill as we pretended to get into the music. I clapped, yelled 'Yahoo!' and tapped my feet.
When Todd returned, I lurched at him and we were soon on the dance floor again. Heck, maybe they won't want a nurse who gets drunk!
We danced and kissed and we were even getting into it. I let him lead me to the chair and we pretended to be infatuated. I feigned a nap on his shoulder and he helped me up, grabbed my take-out food and told the crowd he would take me to Hill House. They all nodded and I gave a weak and simpering smile to them.
"I think I drank too much! Shh!" I said in a slurred manner. Some laughed.
Once in the truck, I still played the slumped over drunk, but we spoke clearly.
"What is going on up here?" I asked.
"The less you know, the better, but we need to get out of here. Blizzards are excuses for deaths; accidental deaths."
He drove slowly and carefully and we even went to Hill House. We stoked the fire, put away the food after plugging in the fridge and even made a pallet that looked like I was sleeping in front of the fire. Finding a fur in the wood box helped to make it look like a human was sleeping there.
We doused some lights to suggest that I went to sleep and he left.
I was actually slid down in the truck seat and we were driving slowly to his cabin, luckily part way down the mountain. He turned into his drive and went to the cabin and performed the same machinations we had before. We packed some items for the trip and waited an hour.
Not a sound was heard except the crackling of the fire. We left and drove away without headlights.
***
The newscaster began, 'We have Breaking News from the the mountains. A truck was found at the bottom of a landslide early this morning. The bodies have been identified as Sally Stuart and Todd Greenfield. They were both employed at the children's home. What a tragic loss for that home, where many accidents occur during these harsh Winter storms.'
61 - Mystery - J.F. Hire
She spoke on the interrogation room camera. John watched the recording over and over again. He was on his fifth cup of coffee. The police-office lights felt dim to him.
"You'll never find him,
I left him alone.
He'll die tomorrow,
Cold and unknown."
The woman: wide grey eyes staring just beyond the camera.
"I've ripped up his cassock,
And taken his boys,
He'll never have angels again,
Not within The Voice.
He's heard the word of God.
Be he denied the woe of me.
If you can find him,
Then you could set him free.
Just remember,
I'm not as crazy as I seem."
He looked down at his notes, some scratched out, but some highlighted:
bound and gagged
a priest
outside?
an ex lover?
injured? castrated?
But where was he. His office-members felt that he was crazy for trying to decipher such a cryptic murderer.
It was only the next morning, when his team was removing an unconscious, but alive, priest from an abandoned psychiatric hospital in the east of town. He was tied in a straight jacket, gagged and left in the solitary confinement cell of the small facility from the fifties.
His team asked him how he did it.
He responded, bags under his deep blue eyes, "St. Gabriel's Hospice. She was admitted as a child. There were reports from her neighbors of this priest often visiting. If you were a woman scorned, who lived half of her life in an asylum, where would you store the man who broke your heart for God?"
Reporters asked him similar questions. But, due to his need to keep most of this confidential before the trial, he merely stated this: "Well, it was all very Elementary, I guess."
60 CCTV - RT Shores (Suspense)
The Tedious Nature of Man: The Insanity of Man
"Call it! Twenty she kicks him to the curb!" My supervisor yelled to me.
"Hmm, No, she likes him. Twenty she doesn't."
Watching CCTV was boring for the most part, but the moments of sheer terror made it worthwhile. The problem was, they were usually fleeting and quite far apart.
I won the twenty and was getting ready to sign off when one of those moments happened.
"Car in the middle of the intersection at the square! Dispatch teams!" My boss yelled to the police line. "No! The car isn't moving. It is stopped and I can't see inside. Switching to alternate cameras. Nothing. We need eyes on the street."
He manually changed close to forty cameras to focus on the square. There was a woman at the wheel, blood on her face and a man next to her, wide eyed and panic stricken. He was waving a gun.
Twenty cameras went back to work as usual, but twenty remained focused on every angle of the scene. a piece of white paper floated to the ground near the Bank of America corner. Luckily it was face up, for a camera focused on it: 'An armored car filled with five million dollars in small bills will pick me up at four PM. It will drive me to the airport where I need a fully fueled jet. The bitch may die sooner than I thought, so hurry up!'
They focused a camera on the woman and she was quite pale and they could see multiple stab wounds. She was dying right now. Footage of the note was shifted to the police mobile command.
They couldn't lock face recognition on the perp, but they found out the woman was an ER nurse at CMC. She was thirty two and probably knew she was dying. She seemed to know what camera to look into and it was heartbreaking. You could see the will drain out of her with her blood.
I picked up the Mic. "She's almost gone guys... "
He saw her making motions with her left hand out the window where it hung. It was sign language. She was spelling words. "G U N E M P T Y"
"She is signing that the gun is empty! Go!"
SWAT hit as the woman's face hit the steering wheel and the horn blared. The perp jerked and then slouched from the head shot. SWAT cleared the scene and Paramedics raced to the woman.
CPR was being performed as fluids were manually squeezed in through the IV bag. She was almost completely red with blood. The CPR was paused and they nodded with smiles. She was back. They rushed her to a waiting helicopter to take her to her own Trauma Unit.
My boss switched to the aerial view and I raced to pull up cameras at CMC ER and one outside the Trauma Unit. We watched step by step as they resuscitated her. Her evaluation was hard to listen to. She had been stabbed, shallowly, close to one hundred times; enough to bleed to death, cause pain and be debilitating, but not enough to hit internal organs.
They lost her again, but blood transfusions brought her back. Four teams were stemming the flow of blood from the wounds and suturing them. She couldn't be seen anymore, just he flow of bloody liquid on the floor. It was almost clear.
Her name was Marcy, said a reporter, and they showed her pretty smiling face pre-attack. She would never look like that again. They had heard that a plastic surgeon was evaluating her face and would do the best he could, so it was a waiting game to see if she lived and what life would be after reconstruction.
She was holding her own and we watched from camera to camera as she was transferred to ICU. She wasn't visible under the bandages, but my focus was on her left hand. She was signing again.
'T H X'
We all assumed it meant 'thanks' and smiled.
***
She made it and was back working in the ER after six weeks. She didn't look so bad, but all we could see was her face. The plastic surgeon had done a great job, but her nursing scrubs were different than others; they went to her neck, down to her wrists and no V neck. She was hiding many scars.
***
I still watch her, but just to keep her safe. I can see as far as her apartment door, to make sure she gets home, but I can't see inside. If only I could make sure that she's safe inside as well.
"Call it! Twenty she kicks him to the curb!" My supervisor yelled to me.
"Hmm, No, she likes him. Twenty she doesn't."
Watching CCTV was boring for the most part, but the moments of sheer terror made it worthwhile. The problem was, they were usually fleeting and quite far apart.
I won the twenty and was getting ready to sign off when one of those moments happened.
"Car in the middle of the intersection at the square! Dispatch teams!" My boss yelled to the police line. "No! The car isn't moving. It is stopped and I can't see inside. Switching to alternate cameras. Nothing. We need eyes on the street."
He manually changed close to forty cameras to focus on the square. There was a woman at the wheel, blood on her face and a man next to her, wide eyed and panic stricken. He was waving a gun.
Twenty cameras went back to work as usual, but twenty remained focused on every angle of the scene. a piece of white paper floated to the ground near the Bank of America corner. Luckily it was face up, for a camera focused on it: 'An armored car filled with five million dollars in small bills will pick me up at four PM. It will drive me to the airport where I need a fully fueled jet. The bitch may die sooner than I thought, so hurry up!'
They focused a camera on the woman and she was quite pale and they could see multiple stab wounds. She was dying right now. Footage of the note was shifted to the police mobile command.
They couldn't lock face recognition on the perp, but they found out the woman was an ER nurse at CMC. She was thirty two and probably knew she was dying. She seemed to know what camera to look into and it was heartbreaking. You could see the will drain out of her with her blood.
I picked up the Mic. "She's almost gone guys... "
He saw her making motions with her left hand out the window where it hung. It was sign language. She was spelling words. "G U N E M P T Y"
"She is signing that the gun is empty! Go!"
SWAT hit as the woman's face hit the steering wheel and the horn blared. The perp jerked and then slouched from the head shot. SWAT cleared the scene and Paramedics raced to the woman.
CPR was being performed as fluids were manually squeezed in through the IV bag. She was almost completely red with blood. The CPR was paused and they nodded with smiles. She was back. They rushed her to a waiting helicopter to take her to her own Trauma Unit.
My boss switched to the aerial view and I raced to pull up cameras at CMC ER and one outside the Trauma Unit. We watched step by step as they resuscitated her. Her evaluation was hard to listen to. She had been stabbed, shallowly, close to one hundred times; enough to bleed to death, cause pain and be debilitating, but not enough to hit internal organs.
They lost her again, but blood transfusions brought her back. Four teams were stemming the flow of blood from the wounds and suturing them. She couldn't be seen anymore, just he flow of bloody liquid on the floor. It was almost clear.
Her name was Marcy, said a reporter, and they showed her pretty smiling face pre-attack. She would never look like that again. They had heard that a plastic surgeon was evaluating her face and would do the best he could, so it was a waiting game to see if she lived and what life would be after reconstruction.
She was holding her own and we watched from camera to camera as she was transferred to ICU. She wasn't visible under the bandages, but my focus was on her left hand. She was signing again.
'T H X'
We all assumed it meant 'thanks' and smiled.
***
She made it and was back working in the ER after six weeks. She didn't look so bad, but all we could see was her face. The plastic surgeon had done a great job, but her nursing scrubs were different than others; they went to her neck, down to her wrists and no V neck. She was hiding many scars.
***
I still watch her, but just to keep her safe. I can see as far as her apartment door, to make sure she gets home, but I can't see inside. If only I could make sure that she's safe inside as well.
60 - CCTV - J.F. Hire
Flying October
"They won't find us in here, baby."
"... We're in a tree house."
"Yea, so? Come here, let me kiss you."
"Aw, c'mon. Whose treehouse is this anyway?"
He attempted to sooth her by kissing along her neck messily. She merely groaned at the tickling sensation.
She pushed him from trying to remove her silk button up. "How do you know that they can't see us here?"
"Well, you know what they say... What business does the government have in watching kids?"
"Ooh... That's my sweet spot, Eli!" A giggle turned into muffled kissing and the two of them landed on the hard wooden floor of the treehouse.
-----------------------------------------------------
From the mobilized unit halfway across town, the two female FBI agents were viewing the live feed of a couple necking. While one of the women giggled under her breath, the other swatted the feed until it paused.
"I thought that you said there would be evidence of this kid who has been developing a potential WMD?"
"Yea, yea. I mean, that's what the analysis was speculating. It's all so automated these days. The system picks up signs of fluids, tubes, and a damned ignition sequence, and it's call for investigation."
"Right. Well are we headed there, or are we supposed to assume that it was a false alarm, considering the state of these two?"
"Eh. You're right. It's just a tree house anyway, no use in wasting money on it. Let's call it false."
"I'm gonna... double check these two. Could be spies..."
"Pervert..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Son. Have you taped together the outside of the tube?"
"Yes, dad."
"When you're done with that, insert the string, and place it outside."
"Okay. Why can't you help me, though?" The young boy whined, wishing to spend actual time with his father."
"You know why, son. Now take the lighter, and ignite."
"Okay, hold on." The son set the phone down on the ground, it nearly got lost in the brown leaves. "Okay, I'm done, dad. Can you look out the window?"
"Sure, I'm doing it now." The father rolled his electric cart to the window, his respirator straining to catch up.
From the window, he could see his son waving from the side of the model rocket, smiling and pointing to what he had created. The fuse fizzled, popped, and the boy looked dejected. He was about to lean forward when the model rocket burst to life and sped into the sky, beyond anyone's ability to see.
The two celebrated, the boy by jumping and doing cartwheels. And the man, by pumping his fist in the air, hooting and hollering.
Since he had brought his son into the world, he wanted to share with him the love of model rockets that he and his father before him had experienced.
From above, and out of sight due to the tree limbs, were two heads of disheveled hair peeping from a window in the treehouse. The couple from the night before admired the burst of life, and the tiny rocket flying into the air. With a hung-over kiss on each others lips, they embraced in the light of the sunrise and went back to sleep in a hungover haze.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A terrorist drone was found flying over the city of Coalwood, West Virginia. The location of the treehouse was discovered within four minutes of the rocket's launch, and the occupants of the vicinity were doused with Napalm. No civilian casualties. More on this story, tonight at ten."
"They won't find us in here, baby."
"... We're in a tree house."
"Yea, so? Come here, let me kiss you."
"Aw, c'mon. Whose treehouse is this anyway?"
He attempted to sooth her by kissing along her neck messily. She merely groaned at the tickling sensation.
She pushed him from trying to remove her silk button up. "How do you know that they can't see us here?"
"Well, you know what they say... What business does the government have in watching kids?"
"Ooh... That's my sweet spot, Eli!" A giggle turned into muffled kissing and the two of them landed on the hard wooden floor of the treehouse.
-----------------------------------------------------
From the mobilized unit halfway across town, the two female FBI agents were viewing the live feed of a couple necking. While one of the women giggled under her breath, the other swatted the feed until it paused.
"I thought that you said there would be evidence of this kid who has been developing a potential WMD?"
"Yea, yea. I mean, that's what the analysis was speculating. It's all so automated these days. The system picks up signs of fluids, tubes, and a damned ignition sequence, and it's call for investigation."
"Right. Well are we headed there, or are we supposed to assume that it was a false alarm, considering the state of these two?"
"Eh. You're right. It's just a tree house anyway, no use in wasting money on it. Let's call it false."
"I'm gonna... double check these two. Could be spies..."
"Pervert..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Son. Have you taped together the outside of the tube?"
"Yes, dad."
"When you're done with that, insert the string, and place it outside."
"Okay. Why can't you help me, though?" The young boy whined, wishing to spend actual time with his father."
"You know why, son. Now take the lighter, and ignite."
"Okay, hold on." The son set the phone down on the ground, it nearly got lost in the brown leaves. "Okay, I'm done, dad. Can you look out the window?"
"Sure, I'm doing it now." The father rolled his electric cart to the window, his respirator straining to catch up.
From the window, he could see his son waving from the side of the model rocket, smiling and pointing to what he had created. The fuse fizzled, popped, and the boy looked dejected. He was about to lean forward when the model rocket burst to life and sped into the sky, beyond anyone's ability to see.
The two celebrated, the boy by jumping and doing cartwheels. And the man, by pumping his fist in the air, hooting and hollering.
Since he had brought his son into the world, he wanted to share with him the love of model rockets that he and his father before him had experienced.
From above, and out of sight due to the tree limbs, were two heads of disheveled hair peeping from a window in the treehouse. The couple from the night before admired the burst of life, and the tiny rocket flying into the air. With a hung-over kiss on each others lips, they embraced in the light of the sunrise and went back to sleep in a hungover haze.
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"A terrorist drone was found flying over the city of Coalwood, West Virginia. The location of the treehouse was discovered within four minutes of the rocket's launch, and the occupants of the vicinity were doused with Napalm. No civilian casualties. More on this story, tonight at ten."
Friday, August 23, 2013
59 Government Intervention - RT Shores (Fiction)
The Selection Committee
"Next!" The head of the committee yelled. A parade of elderly citizens entered the room, heads bowed.
"Number 453071678! Step up!" He yelled again.
"Okay, tell me why you should stay alive another year." The Chairman sat back with his hands crossed over his rotund belly. He smirked at the tiny man.
"I shouldn't. I am ready to die." The little man whispered.
"Excellent! Your family will receive a check for $5000 at the time of your demise. Do you have a day in mind?"
"Today is fine." They led him away.
"Next!" This went on as one hundred people gave in or fought for their lives. There was strict criteria for keeping someone alive and no one knew it.
"Okay, done for the day and it cost us less than half a million, so a good day. Go home and have a nice long weekend." He stood, then suddenly leaned forward, grabbing his chest.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
***
The new Chairperson was female, much to the dismay of the completely male committee. Women had emotions and might save someone due to feeling sorry for them.
They were wrong. She was tougher than any two of them combined.
She also had different tactics.
"All those who want to relieve the burden of their useless bodies from their families and gift them $5000, stand to the right. Those who don't care about their families, stand to the left."
All but one moved to the right. They were narrowed down again to date of death and it was done. Now they could all focus on the one who remained.
"Step forward, Ma'am." A spry little woman walked forward and looked each of them in the eyes.
None could hold eye contact, except the Chairperson. She stared unblinkingly at the old woman.
"So, you hate your family?"
"I have no family."
"Oh! Well, you are a burden on society!"
"No, I am not."
"Bailiff! Give me her medical records!" He handed her one sheet of paper. There were yearly statements of good health from a well known physician.
"We pay for you to live and eat!"
"No, you don't."
"Of course we do! You can't work!"
"I work five days a week and pay all my own bills."
"Uh, well, you are old and we will have to pay to bury you."
"No, you won't. I have my own plot bought and paid for."
"Well... " She looked at the men and they shrugged or looked away.
"Fine! You are dismissed and you are to return next year, if you survive. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The old woman turned away and left the court room.
The Chairwoman went to chambers after the session and trembled until she could shake no more. She hoped she could hold up under the pressure until this new law was found illegal.
Her mother had just walked out of the courtroom saying she had no family.
She had forgotten her own mother was even alive.
"Next!" The head of the committee yelled. A parade of elderly citizens entered the room, heads bowed.
"Number 453071678! Step up!" He yelled again.
"Okay, tell me why you should stay alive another year." The Chairman sat back with his hands crossed over his rotund belly. He smirked at the tiny man.
"I shouldn't. I am ready to die." The little man whispered.
"Excellent! Your family will receive a check for $5000 at the time of your demise. Do you have a day in mind?"
"Today is fine." They led him away.
"Next!" This went on as one hundred people gave in or fought for their lives. There was strict criteria for keeping someone alive and no one knew it.
"Okay, done for the day and it cost us less than half a million, so a good day. Go home and have a nice long weekend." He stood, then suddenly leaned forward, grabbing his chest.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
***
The new Chairperson was female, much to the dismay of the completely male committee. Women had emotions and might save someone due to feeling sorry for them.
They were wrong. She was tougher than any two of them combined.
She also had different tactics.
"All those who want to relieve the burden of their useless bodies from their families and gift them $5000, stand to the right. Those who don't care about their families, stand to the left."
All but one moved to the right. They were narrowed down again to date of death and it was done. Now they could all focus on the one who remained.
"Step forward, Ma'am." A spry little woman walked forward and looked each of them in the eyes.
None could hold eye contact, except the Chairperson. She stared unblinkingly at the old woman.
"So, you hate your family?"
"I have no family."
"Oh! Well, you are a burden on society!"
"No, I am not."
"Bailiff! Give me her medical records!" He handed her one sheet of paper. There were yearly statements of good health from a well known physician.
"We pay for you to live and eat!"
"No, you don't."
"Of course we do! You can't work!"
"I work five days a week and pay all my own bills."
"Uh, well, you are old and we will have to pay to bury you."
"No, you won't. I have my own plot bought and paid for."
"Well... " She looked at the men and they shrugged or looked away.
"Fine! You are dismissed and you are to return next year, if you survive. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The old woman turned away and left the court room.
The Chairwoman went to chambers after the session and trembled until she could shake no more. She hoped she could hold up under the pressure until this new law was found illegal.
Her mother had just walked out of the courtroom saying she had no family.
She had forgotten her own mother was even alive.
59 - Government Intervention - J.F. Hire
"DROP THE FUCKING ACT, BRIDGE!"
"Okay.YOU can go JUMP OFF OF A FUCKING BRIDGE! MY NAME IS BRIDGETTE!"
"Oh, no it isn't. Bridgette is my daughter. And MY daughter is NOT some IV POPPING, PILL SPLITTING DRUG ADDLED SLUT!"
"Havin' a good time on your high horse, Pop? Having a good day trying to chew out the only family that you have left?! WHAT DOES IT MATTER THAT I TOOK THE MONEY!? You get paid BY THE GOVERNMENT! You get PAID whenever I get arrested!"
"Oh as if that matters. You'll stop this now, you'll clean the fuck up and get the fuck out of those boxes that you and your little friends call Stash. Oh yea, watch that grin just melt away. We know about the Stash. We've got eyes and ears even as low as your stoop!"
"Whatever, old man. It's not as if that's the only place I can go. It's not as if my sources are all tangible. I'm riding the slipstream of life, you old shit. I'm old enough to make my choices, and I choose to make some really shitty ones, so? BETTER THAN YOU MAKING THEM FOR ME!"
"Aren't you Little Miss Responsible. And what about your left arm? Did you choose to lose that to amputation for that bump last week? Looking a little pale now, aren't we? I can spot a cheap prosthetic from a mile away. Ontop of that, I'll have you know, it was my mole who cut you."
"... I'm joining The Smarmy tomorrow. I'll see you in the field."
"What?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? COME BACK HERE!"
She left the rancher. She removed herself from the suburbs and beyond the border line, into the unknown. Her choice was made, she was joining the anti-government Smarmy. She had her father to thank for making this choice easier.
The cons: she would have to get clean from street drugs overnight and she would be fighting for a cause.
The pros: she would have the best nanite-filter drugs that the sub-government could manufacture, and for free. And she would finally show her father just what she thought of his cushy job.
Only from the trenches did political clarity reveal that the fish in the barrel were the ones who should be heard.
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Later that decade, the president had to watch his daughter overthrow his government. Ten years strong.
By the time her regime made it to the White House foyer, he was already eating the barrel of his Smith and Wesson.
He would not be proven wrong.
An announcement rang through the building:
"Authorized detonation. Please evacuate the 200 mile vicinity. T-Minus five minutes. Jet's loading now. Please evacuate."
"Okay.YOU can go JUMP OFF OF A FUCKING BRIDGE! MY NAME IS BRIDGETTE!"
"Oh, no it isn't. Bridgette is my daughter. And MY daughter is NOT some IV POPPING, PILL SPLITTING DRUG ADDLED SLUT!"
"Havin' a good time on your high horse, Pop? Having a good day trying to chew out the only family that you have left?! WHAT DOES IT MATTER THAT I TOOK THE MONEY!? You get paid BY THE GOVERNMENT! You get PAID whenever I get arrested!"
"Oh as if that matters. You'll stop this now, you'll clean the fuck up and get the fuck out of those boxes that you and your little friends call Stash. Oh yea, watch that grin just melt away. We know about the Stash. We've got eyes and ears even as low as your stoop!"
"Whatever, old man. It's not as if that's the only place I can go. It's not as if my sources are all tangible. I'm riding the slipstream of life, you old shit. I'm old enough to make my choices, and I choose to make some really shitty ones, so? BETTER THAN YOU MAKING THEM FOR ME!"
"Aren't you Little Miss Responsible. And what about your left arm? Did you choose to lose that to amputation for that bump last week? Looking a little pale now, aren't we? I can spot a cheap prosthetic from a mile away. Ontop of that, I'll have you know, it was my mole who cut you."
"... I'm joining The Smarmy tomorrow. I'll see you in the field."
"What?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? COME BACK HERE!"
She left the rancher. She removed herself from the suburbs and beyond the border line, into the unknown. Her choice was made, she was joining the anti-government Smarmy. She had her father to thank for making this choice easier.
The cons: she would have to get clean from street drugs overnight and she would be fighting for a cause.
The pros: she would have the best nanite-filter drugs that the sub-government could manufacture, and for free. And she would finally show her father just what she thought of his cushy job.
Only from the trenches did political clarity reveal that the fish in the barrel were the ones who should be heard.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that decade, the president had to watch his daughter overthrow his government. Ten years strong.
By the time her regime made it to the White House foyer, he was already eating the barrel of his Smith and Wesson.
He would not be proven wrong.
An announcement rang through the building:
"Authorized detonation. Please evacuate the 200 mile vicinity. T-Minus five minutes. Jet's loading now. Please evacuate."
58 Madame President - RT Shores
After the Inaugural Speech
Being Secret Service for the President was daunting and now we had a female president, it was much more so. I also had to share the charge with a female agent. Don't ask me why.
I never complained, for I was honored to have been chosen; being of German descent still had its drawbacks.
I reviewed the day's calendar with my female counterpart, who only growled once. "It isn't secure enough there!" I agreed.
It didn't matter though, we were off in thirty minutes. The Limo was full, because new rules required caregivers in attendance at all times. Was this a dig at females?
The park dedication went well, but it was nerve-wracking and not secure. Madame President loved parks though. Most of our activities were outdoor venues, it seemed.
Back at the White House, Madame went to her suite and rested before the State of the Union.
She walked out of her suite, head held high, the First Husband at her side. They were a glorious couple.
She stood tall at the podium and the chamber quieted.
"Tonight is a very special night! Tonight we are equal on the platform with the males!" The room sounded like it would explode with the response from the mass in the chamber.
A caregiver approached and Madame lowered herself and drank from her dainty water bowl. The caregiver dabbed her chin.
"Tonight, Collies and Shepherds, mixed breeds and immigrants unite!" More barking erupted in the chamber.
"My caregiver asked me to share one thing with you... 'Humans have feelings too.'
She waited for a pause. "I support this! I believe that Humans have feelings and can think! I ask you to support this as well!" Barks and woofs and all manner of sounds erupted, for it was a Democratic and Liberal Congress and Senate.
The caregiver approached when summoned, head down. Madame took her hand with her mouth and then high-fived with her large paw.
"To Human liberation!" The caregiver jumped at the sound, but was soothed by the 'Aww's' and bared her teeth, only slightly, in a Human smile. She then was whisked away to the side, where she sat and looked up at the President with utter devotion.
The President smiled down at her and swore to herself that a better day was coming for Humans.
Being Secret Service for the President was daunting and now we had a female president, it was much more so. I also had to share the charge with a female agent. Don't ask me why.
I never complained, for I was honored to have been chosen; being of German descent still had its drawbacks.
I reviewed the day's calendar with my female counterpart, who only growled once. "It isn't secure enough there!" I agreed.
It didn't matter though, we were off in thirty minutes. The Limo was full, because new rules required caregivers in attendance at all times. Was this a dig at females?
The park dedication went well, but it was nerve-wracking and not secure. Madame President loved parks though. Most of our activities were outdoor venues, it seemed.
Back at the White House, Madame went to her suite and rested before the State of the Union.
She walked out of her suite, head held high, the First Husband at her side. They were a glorious couple.
She stood tall at the podium and the chamber quieted.
"Tonight is a very special night! Tonight we are equal on the platform with the males!" The room sounded like it would explode with the response from the mass in the chamber.
A caregiver approached and Madame lowered herself and drank from her dainty water bowl. The caregiver dabbed her chin.
"Tonight, Collies and Shepherds, mixed breeds and immigrants unite!" More barking erupted in the chamber.
"My caregiver asked me to share one thing with you... 'Humans have feelings too.'
She waited for a pause. "I support this! I believe that Humans have feelings and can think! I ask you to support this as well!" Barks and woofs and all manner of sounds erupted, for it was a Democratic and Liberal Congress and Senate.
The caregiver approached when summoned, head down. Madame took her hand with her mouth and then high-fived with her large paw.
"To Human liberation!" The caregiver jumped at the sound, but was soothed by the 'Aww's' and bared her teeth, only slightly, in a Human smile. She then was whisked away to the side, where she sat and looked up at the President with utter devotion.
The President smiled down at her and swore to herself that a better day was coming for Humans.
57 Celebrations in the Future - RT Shores (Science Fiction)
There IS No Independence Day Anymore
"What are we celebrating?" I asked.
"Anything you like!" My friend answered.
"Shouldn't we wait for a holiday?"
"What is a holiday?"
"Like, the Fourth of July, Independence Day or Christmas!"
"I have no idea what you are referring to. There is no independence day anymore and your christmas is long gone with the full separation of church and state."
"I guess that makes complete sense. Space station life has to be different." I looked around at different humanoid species and nodded. "Yeah, complete sense."
Wandering about, I tried to focus on my task of cleaning trash receptacles, but was constantly distracted my trying to understand all the new languages. I had a language chip inserted, since I was a public servant, but you had to see how their languages actually worked before you could use them.
I was shooed away again and again, many thinking me a lousy human spy. That was the worst part, humans were low species on the ladder here. We were treated much like immigrants on 21st century Earth.
Sweeping up a pile of unknown material, I heard a party inside a room. Peeking through a crack in the draperies, a parade of humanoids were carrying another of their clan around the room. Well, carrying might be too specific a word. They were an airborne/humanoid species, so very long and feathery looking, so it really took almost the whole group to carry him, or it, or her. Looked like fun in any case!
Each species had their own section of the space station, except the high-gravity folks, who had to be divided, due to their weight and width. Most of us were balanced well though.
My favorites were the species from Canus5, the canine/humanoid species. I loved them! They were so friendly and wanted to play all the time. Their leaders had a rough time keeping them in check and I told no one how I got them to mind me. Had to do with a bit of meat product in my right pocket...
My home side of the space station was boring. everyone missed Earth or fast food or TV or something else just as trivial. The leaders were fine, of course. Well, fine enough after they were castrated of being number one.
My pod was shared with my sister, brother and our aged aunt. They were sleeping, as usual. I awakened them with food and juice. They moaned and ate and settled back again to sleep.
"Wake up! There is a whole new world out that portal! Come meet the Canines, at least. They are a dog/humanoid species and tons of fun!" They ignored me.
I bathed in the dry mist and dressed for an evening out. It was the Canines celebration of victory over their enemies from the planet Lupine, the wolf species.
I walked right into the celebration, well known by now, and started to dance around like they did, kinda on all fours and kinda upright. I even learned their woofs and barks that meant celebration. We had a ball!
At home, I slept, but was ready to get back to work. My family was pathetic and needed to go back to Earth.
***
My prayers were answered when we received word that a ship from the ISS would be docking and had room for thirteen to return to Earth. My family was first in line, thanks to an aunt of 92 years old.
They were gone and I had the pod to myself, for now. I knew they would find me a roommate and it could even be a man. I hoped it was!
My boss, one of the Lowlanders from the high gravity planet, looked up at me at work and shook his head. "They wanna know if you will bunk with a male." I nodded.
"What are we celebrating?" I asked.
"Anything you like!" My friend answered.
"Shouldn't we wait for a holiday?"
"What is a holiday?"
"Like, the Fourth of July, Independence Day or Christmas!"
"I have no idea what you are referring to. There is no independence day anymore and your christmas is long gone with the full separation of church and state."
"I guess that makes complete sense. Space station life has to be different." I looked around at different humanoid species and nodded. "Yeah, complete sense."
Wandering about, I tried to focus on my task of cleaning trash receptacles, but was constantly distracted my trying to understand all the new languages. I had a language chip inserted, since I was a public servant, but you had to see how their languages actually worked before you could use them.
I was shooed away again and again, many thinking me a lousy human spy. That was the worst part, humans were low species on the ladder here. We were treated much like immigrants on 21st century Earth.
Sweeping up a pile of unknown material, I heard a party inside a room. Peeking through a crack in the draperies, a parade of humanoids were carrying another of their clan around the room. Well, carrying might be too specific a word. They were an airborne/humanoid species, so very long and feathery looking, so it really took almost the whole group to carry him, or it, or her. Looked like fun in any case!
Each species had their own section of the space station, except the high-gravity folks, who had to be divided, due to their weight and width. Most of us were balanced well though.
My favorites were the species from Canus5, the canine/humanoid species. I loved them! They were so friendly and wanted to play all the time. Their leaders had a rough time keeping them in check and I told no one how I got them to mind me. Had to do with a bit of meat product in my right pocket...
My home side of the space station was boring. everyone missed Earth or fast food or TV or something else just as trivial. The leaders were fine, of course. Well, fine enough after they were castrated of being number one.
My pod was shared with my sister, brother and our aged aunt. They were sleeping, as usual. I awakened them with food and juice. They moaned and ate and settled back again to sleep.
"Wake up! There is a whole new world out that portal! Come meet the Canines, at least. They are a dog/humanoid species and tons of fun!" They ignored me.
I bathed in the dry mist and dressed for an evening out. It was the Canines celebration of victory over their enemies from the planet Lupine, the wolf species.
I walked right into the celebration, well known by now, and started to dance around like they did, kinda on all fours and kinda upright. I even learned their woofs and barks that meant celebration. We had a ball!
At home, I slept, but was ready to get back to work. My family was pathetic and needed to go back to Earth.
***
My prayers were answered when we received word that a ship from the ISS would be docking and had room for thirteen to return to Earth. My family was first in line, thanks to an aunt of 92 years old.
They were gone and I had the pod to myself, for now. I knew they would find me a roommate and it could even be a man. I hoped it was!
My boss, one of the Lowlanders from the high gravity planet, looked up at me at work and shook his head. "They wanna know if you will bunk with a male." I nodded.
"They also wanna know if you'll bunk with another species."
"Depends on the species... Canine for sure." I frowned, wondering what was on his mind.
He nodded again and I went back to work.
There was a Lowlander in my pod and he was dressed in full grandeur for their annual celebration of life.
"Hello!" I said happily. He turned with a start and looked me up and down.
"A human for a roommate?" He was disgusted.
"Yep! Sorry you have a problem with me," I wasn't. He left, thank goodness.
I was told that I would be reassigned to another bunk-mate shortly.
I was told that I would be reassigned to another bunk-mate shortly.
57 - Celebrations in the Future - J.F. Hire
Video Log 13:
Our Bastard Day is coming up. Yea, 'our'. We're twins. Ejected into the world on the 5th of August twelve years ago. We're getting a pair of twin-barrel shotguns, per tradition. In another year, we'll be trained for guard duty. We'll get to shoot a pair of the mutated turkey for the table on Takes-Giving day, too. Oh, hold on, here comes our Foster-- crap, he's singing:
Foster John claps as he enters, smiling brightly:
Your Foster is so gleeful
You two are nearly people!
We found you at the steeple.
We raised you up,
And now you're here,
So keep people
At bay with fear.
Here's a shotgun for my dears.
You'll keep it with you for all the years.
Don't blink an eye or shed a tear!
Or the mutant rebels grab your ears,
Cut them up,
Drink your tears.
The mutant rebels fight your heart,
Take your rights,
Kill your fight.
The mutant rebels do not sleep,
You must gaurd,
Through the night.
Good thing you're twins,
It makes it work.
Good thing you're twins,
Your lives are long.
Good thing you're twins,
Mutant rebels can't stand a twin.
The twins are bred to beat the rebel.
To beat the rebel,
Make them see double.
Remember:
Always carry bubbles.
Well, I'm going to end this video here... I probably won't make it public-- but friends. There you go. My birthday celebration begins. I hope to see you all at the Pool of Leagues. Get someone to cover your guard shifts!
End Log 13.
End Log 13.
56 - House Shopping in 50 Years - J.F. Hire
The realtor arrived, sitting down with Jim and John in their foyer. They got to talking.
"Well, Jim wants an open concept, while I would love a customizable bio-dome. Some people think they're inter-changeable, but you and I know that's not true."
Jim cut in. "Okay, what John doesn't understand is the upkeep of a dome facade. In the environment that we're looking at, we can't afford to remove the unimaginable amount of algae and salt that the floating plot would cake on!"
"Well Jim, John... it's no big thing to ocean-proof a facade these days. Since the rise of the oceans, everyone's had to find innovations in that industry. It shouldn't be a problem. What are we looking for in size?"
"Well... Jim?"
"I would LOVE a space large enough to fit my greenhouse, studio, and the three dogs need nice yard."
"Well, that would be looking at at least half an acre."
The two men looked at each other, seeming to weigh the number. "Yea... That sounds about right."
"So, what kind of air unit are you two considering?"
"We were thinking that our greenhouse would allow for about fifty percent of the Oxygen filter-- but that's the great thing about the bio-dome."
Jim chuckled. "Here we go... John, we don't NEED a bio-dome!"
"--YET! You've heard the news. Ozone levels are increasing, radiation is pockmarking our atmosphere faster than we can synthesize one. If we can just create our own little world..."
"Gentlemen-- Okay. I think I have a good idea as to what you're going for. I have two words for you... 'The. Hamptons.'"
The two men nodded, ready to get to house-hopping.
"Well, Jim wants an open concept, while I would love a customizable bio-dome. Some people think they're inter-changeable, but you and I know that's not true."
Jim cut in. "Okay, what John doesn't understand is the upkeep of a dome facade. In the environment that we're looking at, we can't afford to remove the unimaginable amount of algae and salt that the floating plot would cake on!"
"Well Jim, John... it's no big thing to ocean-proof a facade these days. Since the rise of the oceans, everyone's had to find innovations in that industry. It shouldn't be a problem. What are we looking for in size?"
"Well... Jim?"
"I would LOVE a space large enough to fit my greenhouse, studio, and the three dogs need nice yard."
"Well, that would be looking at at least half an acre."
The two men looked at each other, seeming to weigh the number. "Yea... That sounds about right."
"So, what kind of air unit are you two considering?"
"We were thinking that our greenhouse would allow for about fifty percent of the Oxygen filter-- but that's the great thing about the bio-dome."
Jim chuckled. "Here we go... John, we don't NEED a bio-dome!"
"--YET! You've heard the news. Ozone levels are increasing, radiation is pockmarking our atmosphere faster than we can synthesize one. If we can just create our own little world..."
"Gentlemen-- Okay. I think I have a good idea as to what you're going for. I have two words for you... 'The. Hamptons.'"
The two men nodded, ready to get to house-hopping.
58 - Madam President - J.F. Hire
She stood at the oval office window, admiring the White House lawn.
From here, she could gain clarity on the situation in the Middle East.
After that, she assessed America's presence in the riotous Egypt.
Finally, she came to one overwhelming conclusion:
"Why did I sign up for this?
I have no urge to fight.
Don't they understand that I'm already right?"
56 House Shopping in Fifty Years - RT Shores (SciFi)
Ma'am, This Is Open Concept!
The Realtor glanced at the glowing alarm under the skin of his left arm. His client was late. He would give her the usual five more minutes. He glanced at his listing and was impressed he had so much property for sale/rent.
She came running up to him at the last minute. She was spry for such an old woman.
They rode the elevator to level 62 where he led her to the apartment of the week. The list to see it was over 100 citizens and she was the first. He opened the door, waiting for a gasp. Nothing happened. He looked at her and she asked what this room was.
"Room? This is the apartment! It is open concept at fourteen by sixteen feet." He beamed with pride, but she frowned and began opening every port she found.
"Bathroom, kitchen, closet, balcony in the smallest space I have ever seen." She said.
"Have you been in cryosleep lady?" He asked her.
"Why, yes! How did you know?" She smiled and kept walking around the room.
"It is your idea of apartment size and some things you said. In 2071, this is luxury."
"Oh yes, that makes sense. When I was frozen, houses were up to 4000 square feet many times, and this is one room, so it is a shock."
He nodded and couldn't imagine someone living in that size space. "Let me show you some features, because I have 99 people after you."
She gasped. "Ninety nine? So I have major competition and I hope I didn't blow it with what I said, but I have been asleep since 2013."
"No, no. I will keep that in mind and the fact you have been banking money for that long too helps." He chuckled.
"Yes, I can definitely pay, but let me not stop you from the tour." She followed him around.
"The kitchen has a cold box and a hot box, water and a ceiling garden." She looked up and was shocked to see food growing from the ceiling.
"Amazing!"
"The toilet is a composter and there is no flush, but there is a dump. Instructions are clearly posted in that area." She gasped again.
"Wow! So much has changed! My last bathroom was the size of this whole apartment!" She shook her head. "I'll take it!" She knew she better, for she had been told at the CryoScience Center that the main thing in demand was personal space.
Paperwork done and money paid, she was a home owner. She stepped to the "balcony" but immediately stepped back. She still had vertigo, it seemed. She pushed the button that said SLEEP and a double bed dropped slowly to the floor. Now half of her space was bed. She tried it and it was fairly comfortable, so that was a plus.
Her next stop was the bathroom, well, a new age bathroom. A circular metal door slid into the wall and you backed up to the toilet, which was truly filled with compost, not food stuffs, thankfully, but dry plant matter. The dump lever was apparent.
To shower, the toilet slid back as the opening was covered with a sliding metal plate. The shower head then appeared. Showering was allowed anytime, but only one minute of water was provided at a time.
"Oh boy!" She said aloud. Shrugging her shoulders, she stretched out on the bed. Her memories were still returning and it was shocking to realize that the cryosleep had actually worked and all her infirmities and diseases had been cured. She felt twenty-seven again.
There was no mirror in the apartment, so she needed to go shopping and also to see what she looked like and what nanosurgery she wanted for her old body. It was hard to look over sixty, when your body was as healthy as a twenty something again.
Back down the elevator, she felt she was being watched, and of course she was. She waved and then saw her reflection in the shiny door.
"Holy crap! I need a face-lift!" Her fast departure was stalled by the "doorman" though. He was really just a cyborg, but you had to be nice to cyborgs, she had been told and this one was over six feet tall.
"Madame Lockhurst, step this way." The non-human voice directed.
"Yes, sir." She responded automatically.
"I am not a Sir, madame, but a CB1110. You are here for your implantation, which is mandatory and only a bit painful." He was so fast that she couldn't have stalled had she wanted to.
There was a quick sharp zap to her left deltoid and it was over.
"What was that for, CB1110?"
"You may call me, CB. There are no keys, so this allows you entry to the building and your abode. It is also a GPS should you be abducted. I can find you anywhere and anytime."
"Uh, thanks, CB. Could you tell me where I can have my hair cut and a nanosurgery location, a good one?"
He tapped a lot of keys very quickly. "I have programmed the location into your GPS and you will be guided there." He walked away.
"Guided?" It felt like I was being pushed from behind, but it was kind of pleasant.
The location was a shabby looking store front, reminiscent of a seventies adult book store. Inside, well, 21st century chic!
Another cyborg greeted me and had all my information, and my bank balance, it seemed.
"Please, Madame Lockhurst, this way." I followed and missed my push.
Two very modern looking young women took me in tow and tsked a lot. "So, you are all young on the inside and all old on the outside, right?" One asked with an old fashioned British accent.
"Yes, that is just about it. What can you do for me?"
"We do it all! We make a plan and you check and then you decide how much you want done and when." I nodded.
"Could I have my hair and face done today?"
"Oh yes! We begin!" I was sedated and whisked away.
"Madame? Madame! You must awaken!" I stirred and looked around, groggy from drugs. They were smiling above me.
"We had photos of you from your beautiful years and you are now young and beautiful again!"
The stretcher slowly lifted and I gasped yet again. It was me, but me from the 1970's!
"Oh my God! How wonderful! Thank you!" My hair was rich and dark and thick again and my face was the young me. I sighed and then scheduled other surgeries to be done a week apart.
"Can I leave now?"
"Oh yes, there will be no pain and there was only minute blood loss, so go shopping for that new apartment and maybe one new outfit. Your new body will have you buying new clothes again, so only one new outfit." I nodded.
The cyborgs stopped me at the door and I could actually see beams scanning me.
"Ah, Madame Lockhurst, of course. We have provided a CB for you for your outing. She will remain with you and keep you safe. The fee was included in the surgery." I nodded.
The female CB was also six feet tall and looked very fit and able. She directed me to a shop for both my shopping needs and then told me I needed to eat.
"Why?" I asked.
"You have not eaten in eight hours and 13 minutes and your blood sugar is dropping. You also need water due to medications from surgery. Eat here." She stopped suddenly and guided me inside a creepy looking place, but again, modern and spotless on the inside.
"Will you pick optimal nutrition for me?" She did. I ate and then we shopped.
By the time we arrived back at the apartment, I was very tired. CB1110 greeted us and my new CB said she would sleep outside my door.
***
A tickling in my upper arm awakened me and then I heard a tapping at the door. CB1337, the female one, was standing there and then walked past me.
"You have slept for exactly six hours and now need food and water again." She walked to the kitchen port and opened every section. "You have no protein." She left the apartment and I went back to sleep.
The tapping had been replaced with a hard knocking the second time I awakened. CB brushed past me and filled every kitchen portal with healthy foods. She then prepared me a healthy breakfast and watched as I ate every morsel and drank every drop.
"You may sleep again. Your body is tired." I went back to sleep and dreamed of my large home from 2013. I was smiling when the tickle awakened me and this time, I was going to stay awake.
CB helped me decorate my new home and asked many questions, pausing as she searched for further data to try and understand things I had told her.
"I still do not understand why you need "pretty" in your abode."
"I like color and fabric and textures and they can be combined to be pretty, or pleasing, to the eye." She nodded and then "slept."
She came to life suddenly and walked to the door, standing in front of it, facing out. She was tensed and a red light was blinking over each ear. Pounding began at the door.
"Step away from the door, human!" CB commanded.
"Let me in you piece of metal scrap! The woman was my wife long ago and I intend to see her!"
I was shaking my head violently.
"You are mistaken. Step away from the door or you will be vaporized."
I panted and heaved violently and then CB came to me. "He is gone. He had ill intent. He will be dealt with. A dispatch has been sent to track and arrest him."
I nodded. "I thought he had died long ago! He tried to kill me many times."
"I have sent the appropriate records to the dispatch. I will protect you."
"May I call you something other than CB?"
"You may call me anything you like."
"How about, Susie?"
"Susie." She repeated.
***
In the weeks after, I found out my ex-husband had been vaporized, Susie liked CB1110, my new body "rocked" and I was very much in demand at gatherings and parties.
My apartment was the setting for a party as well and I was amazed at the compliments about colors and art and all my decorating. The small space held twenty people comfortably and everyone knew to turn away when the bathroom was utilized. Amazing!
It was a new life, a big life, a small life... a life.
The Realtor glanced at the glowing alarm under the skin of his left arm. His client was late. He would give her the usual five more minutes. He glanced at his listing and was impressed he had so much property for sale/rent.
She came running up to him at the last minute. She was spry for such an old woman.
They rode the elevator to level 62 where he led her to the apartment of the week. The list to see it was over 100 citizens and she was the first. He opened the door, waiting for a gasp. Nothing happened. He looked at her and she asked what this room was.
"Room? This is the apartment! It is open concept at fourteen by sixteen feet." He beamed with pride, but she frowned and began opening every port she found.
"Bathroom, kitchen, closet, balcony in the smallest space I have ever seen." She said.
"Have you been in cryosleep lady?" He asked her.
"Why, yes! How did you know?" She smiled and kept walking around the room.
"It is your idea of apartment size and some things you said. In 2071, this is luxury."
"Oh yes, that makes sense. When I was frozen, houses were up to 4000 square feet many times, and this is one room, so it is a shock."
He nodded and couldn't imagine someone living in that size space. "Let me show you some features, because I have 99 people after you."
She gasped. "Ninety nine? So I have major competition and I hope I didn't blow it with what I said, but I have been asleep since 2013."
"No, no. I will keep that in mind and the fact you have been banking money for that long too helps." He chuckled.
"Yes, I can definitely pay, but let me not stop you from the tour." She followed him around.
"The kitchen has a cold box and a hot box, water and a ceiling garden." She looked up and was shocked to see food growing from the ceiling.
"Amazing!"
"The toilet is a composter and there is no flush, but there is a dump. Instructions are clearly posted in that area." She gasped again.
"Wow! So much has changed! My last bathroom was the size of this whole apartment!" She shook her head. "I'll take it!" She knew she better, for she had been told at the CryoScience Center that the main thing in demand was personal space.
Paperwork done and money paid, she was a home owner. She stepped to the "balcony" but immediately stepped back. She still had vertigo, it seemed. She pushed the button that said SLEEP and a double bed dropped slowly to the floor. Now half of her space was bed. She tried it and it was fairly comfortable, so that was a plus.
Her next stop was the bathroom, well, a new age bathroom. A circular metal door slid into the wall and you backed up to the toilet, which was truly filled with compost, not food stuffs, thankfully, but dry plant matter. The dump lever was apparent.
To shower, the toilet slid back as the opening was covered with a sliding metal plate. The shower head then appeared. Showering was allowed anytime, but only one minute of water was provided at a time.
"Oh boy!" She said aloud. Shrugging her shoulders, she stretched out on the bed. Her memories were still returning and it was shocking to realize that the cryosleep had actually worked and all her infirmities and diseases had been cured. She felt twenty-seven again.
There was no mirror in the apartment, so she needed to go shopping and also to see what she looked like and what nanosurgery she wanted for her old body. It was hard to look over sixty, when your body was as healthy as a twenty something again.
Back down the elevator, she felt she was being watched, and of course she was. She waved and then saw her reflection in the shiny door.
"Holy crap! I need a face-lift!" Her fast departure was stalled by the "doorman" though. He was really just a cyborg, but you had to be nice to cyborgs, she had been told and this one was over six feet tall.
"Madame Lockhurst, step this way." The non-human voice directed.
"Yes, sir." She responded automatically.
"I am not a Sir, madame, but a CB1110. You are here for your implantation, which is mandatory and only a bit painful." He was so fast that she couldn't have stalled had she wanted to.
There was a quick sharp zap to her left deltoid and it was over.
"What was that for, CB1110?"
"You may call me, CB. There are no keys, so this allows you entry to the building and your abode. It is also a GPS should you be abducted. I can find you anywhere and anytime."
"Uh, thanks, CB. Could you tell me where I can have my hair cut and a nanosurgery location, a good one?"
He tapped a lot of keys very quickly. "I have programmed the location into your GPS and you will be guided there." He walked away.
"Guided?" It felt like I was being pushed from behind, but it was kind of pleasant.
The location was a shabby looking store front, reminiscent of a seventies adult book store. Inside, well, 21st century chic!
Another cyborg greeted me and had all my information, and my bank balance, it seemed.
"Please, Madame Lockhurst, this way." I followed and missed my push.
Two very modern looking young women took me in tow and tsked a lot. "So, you are all young on the inside and all old on the outside, right?" One asked with an old fashioned British accent.
"Yes, that is just about it. What can you do for me?"
"We do it all! We make a plan and you check and then you decide how much you want done and when." I nodded.
"Could I have my hair and face done today?"
"Oh yes! We begin!" I was sedated and whisked away.
"Madame? Madame! You must awaken!" I stirred and looked around, groggy from drugs. They were smiling above me.
"We had photos of you from your beautiful years and you are now young and beautiful again!"
The stretcher slowly lifted and I gasped yet again. It was me, but me from the 1970's!
"Oh my God! How wonderful! Thank you!" My hair was rich and dark and thick again and my face was the young me. I sighed and then scheduled other surgeries to be done a week apart.
"Can I leave now?"
"Oh yes, there will be no pain and there was only minute blood loss, so go shopping for that new apartment and maybe one new outfit. Your new body will have you buying new clothes again, so only one new outfit." I nodded.
The cyborgs stopped me at the door and I could actually see beams scanning me.
"Ah, Madame Lockhurst, of course. We have provided a CB for you for your outing. She will remain with you and keep you safe. The fee was included in the surgery." I nodded.
The female CB was also six feet tall and looked very fit and able. She directed me to a shop for both my shopping needs and then told me I needed to eat.
"Why?" I asked.
"You have not eaten in eight hours and 13 minutes and your blood sugar is dropping. You also need water due to medications from surgery. Eat here." She stopped suddenly and guided me inside a creepy looking place, but again, modern and spotless on the inside.
"Will you pick optimal nutrition for me?" She did. I ate and then we shopped.
By the time we arrived back at the apartment, I was very tired. CB1110 greeted us and my new CB said she would sleep outside my door.
***
A tickling in my upper arm awakened me and then I heard a tapping at the door. CB1337, the female one, was standing there and then walked past me.
"You have slept for exactly six hours and now need food and water again." She walked to the kitchen port and opened every section. "You have no protein." She left the apartment and I went back to sleep.
The tapping had been replaced with a hard knocking the second time I awakened. CB brushed past me and filled every kitchen portal with healthy foods. She then prepared me a healthy breakfast and watched as I ate every morsel and drank every drop.
"You may sleep again. Your body is tired." I went back to sleep and dreamed of my large home from 2013. I was smiling when the tickle awakened me and this time, I was going to stay awake.
CB helped me decorate my new home and asked many questions, pausing as she searched for further data to try and understand things I had told her.
"I still do not understand why you need "pretty" in your abode."
"I like color and fabric and textures and they can be combined to be pretty, or pleasing, to the eye." She nodded and then "slept."
She came to life suddenly and walked to the door, standing in front of it, facing out. She was tensed and a red light was blinking over each ear. Pounding began at the door.
"Step away from the door, human!" CB commanded.
"Let me in you piece of metal scrap! The woman was my wife long ago and I intend to see her!"
I was shaking my head violently.
"You are mistaken. Step away from the door or you will be vaporized."
I panted and heaved violently and then CB came to me. "He is gone. He had ill intent. He will be dealt with. A dispatch has been sent to track and arrest him."
I nodded. "I thought he had died long ago! He tried to kill me many times."
"I have sent the appropriate records to the dispatch. I will protect you."
"May I call you something other than CB?"
"You may call me anything you like."
"How about, Susie?"
"Susie." She repeated.
***
In the weeks after, I found out my ex-husband had been vaporized, Susie liked CB1110, my new body "rocked" and I was very much in demand at gatherings and parties.
My apartment was the setting for a party as well and I was amazed at the compliments about colors and art and all my decorating. The small space held twenty people comfortably and everyone knew to turn away when the bathroom was utilized. Amazing!
It was a new life, a big life, a small life... a life.
Friday, August 16, 2013
55 Desert of the Real - RT Shores (Suspense)
The Getaway Driver
"Okay, get out." My date told me.
"Get out? Where?" I asked incredulously.
"Here! Get out!" If I hadn't seen the shine of metal, I would have ignored him, but I thought it was a gun, so I got out." He pulled away slowly. I stood there, alone and in pitch blackness, waiting for my eyes to adjust. I pulled out my iPhone, but closed my eyes, knowing it would blind me. Through the tiniest slit, I punched 911, but of course, I was out of range.
I knew I was in the desert, but where and which way was town? As my eyes adjusted, all I saw was a glow in one direction, but which direction? In any case, I decide to start walking, for I was surrounded by sheer blackness.
I toed my way to the road, I didn't need to fall in a gopher hole. It was getting colder and all I wore was a slip dress, since we had been to dinner and dancing. I decided to replay the whole evening and figure out which clue I had missed.
Sure, I had met him online and it was a blind date, but we had met in public at a fancy restaurant, well, I did have to pay the check for he had forgotten his wallet, but that happens. Right?
Then he needed to stop at a convenience store on the way to his part of town. I was just going to drop him off. He asked if he could drive and of course, knowing how much guys like sports cars, I let him. My Audi wasn't that special, but he kinda swooned over it.
And then when we left the convenience store, he had such a large bag for a pack of cigarettes and he wouldn't talk and he headed out of the city and... okay, way too many clues and I had been had.
I kept walking, but cursed my very high heels. I was going to break an ankle. I broke of the heels, but stuck them in my evening bag, thinking they might make a good weapon.
The sky was beginning to lighten behind me, so I was heading West toward town, but which town? I kept trying my phone and suddenly I had a signal! I punched 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Can you see my location?" A pause.
"Yes, Ma'am. You appear to be a few miles from Desert City. Do you have an emergency?"
"Yes! Yes... my date stole my car and I am heading to the city lights."
"I have dispatched the Sheriff's office ma'am and they are on the way. I will stay on the line until they arrive. Can you tell me about your car?"
I gave the Audi's info and then saw flashing lights headed toward me. I stepped carefully off the road and waited. I waved as the car approached and it pulled to a stop in front of me. A seasoned sheriff donned his cowboy hat and helped me into the big SUV.
I was shivering so he blasted the heat and gave me a jacket from a hook. It smelled like Old Spice after shave, so it was reassuring.
"Thank you!" I said through chattering teeth.
"Yes, Ma'am. You okay?"
"Oh yeah, he didn't assault me or anything, just dumped me in the desert and stole my Audi." I laughed nervously. We were soon at the Sheriff's office and he led me to a comfortable chair near the fireplace, still wearing the jacket. I was glad he hadn't asked for it, for I felt so naked in the utilitarian office.
The 911 operator waved to me and I waved back. "Thank you!" I told her and she nodded and gave me a thumbs up.
I gave a description of the guy and told of the night's events, prefacing my story with, 'I know I was an idiot, but... '
My car was found, unscathed, in the next town over and they found the empty bag, that had held all the cash from the store. They also found a note, 'Sorry, Cherie, but I needed a way out of town and some money. You are a charming young woman and will do well.'
I gaped at the note. He was so civil and it seemed as if he was thanking me for a tea party!
"Can we take you home, Miss?" Asked the Sheriff.
"Please, well, back to the hotel. I am just out here to see the desert and party a little. I haven't seen the desert yet and the partying was less than pleasant, so the hotel would be great."
"Since we have to drive back the way you came, I will give you a quick tour as I drive you back, deal?"
"Deal!" It was still chilly outside, but I kept the jacket and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise on the desert and the micro tour by the Sheriff. The hotel came too quickly and I hated to give up the jacket at the hotel, knowing he would see my scanty dress.
"Have a good day, young woman and always bring a sweater when you go out after dark in the desert." He smirked and drove off. I did the walk of the shame into the hotel lobby, but was met by the manager who told me the police would return my car and keys when they were finished with the exam. I thanked him and headed to my room.
I shivered one more time, ordered room service and headed for a hot shower. Breakfast was wonderful as was the terrace with a view of the desert floor, waves of heat already beginning to rise. It was a magical place I would always remember.
---
He smiled from the desert floor. Sure, he was a wanted man now, but he had already mailed the store their money and he had been paid extremely well by the young woman's family. They felt she needed an adventure; an adventure to last a lifetime. He lifetime was short, it seemed... An inoperable brain tumor.
"Okay, get out." My date told me.
"Get out? Where?" I asked incredulously.
"Here! Get out!" If I hadn't seen the shine of metal, I would have ignored him, but I thought it was a gun, so I got out." He pulled away slowly. I stood there, alone and in pitch blackness, waiting for my eyes to adjust. I pulled out my iPhone, but closed my eyes, knowing it would blind me. Through the tiniest slit, I punched 911, but of course, I was out of range.
I knew I was in the desert, but where and which way was town? As my eyes adjusted, all I saw was a glow in one direction, but which direction? In any case, I decide to start walking, for I was surrounded by sheer blackness.
I toed my way to the road, I didn't need to fall in a gopher hole. It was getting colder and all I wore was a slip dress, since we had been to dinner and dancing. I decided to replay the whole evening and figure out which clue I had missed.
Sure, I had met him online and it was a blind date, but we had met in public at a fancy restaurant, well, I did have to pay the check for he had forgotten his wallet, but that happens. Right?
Then he needed to stop at a convenience store on the way to his part of town. I was just going to drop him off. He asked if he could drive and of course, knowing how much guys like sports cars, I let him. My Audi wasn't that special, but he kinda swooned over it.
And then when we left the convenience store, he had such a large bag for a pack of cigarettes and he wouldn't talk and he headed out of the city and... okay, way too many clues and I had been had.
I kept walking, but cursed my very high heels. I was going to break an ankle. I broke of the heels, but stuck them in my evening bag, thinking they might make a good weapon.
The sky was beginning to lighten behind me, so I was heading West toward town, but which town? I kept trying my phone and suddenly I had a signal! I punched 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Can you see my location?" A pause.
"Yes, Ma'am. You appear to be a few miles from Desert City. Do you have an emergency?"
"Yes! Yes... my date stole my car and I am heading to the city lights."
"I have dispatched the Sheriff's office ma'am and they are on the way. I will stay on the line until they arrive. Can you tell me about your car?"
I gave the Audi's info and then saw flashing lights headed toward me. I stepped carefully off the road and waited. I waved as the car approached and it pulled to a stop in front of me. A seasoned sheriff donned his cowboy hat and helped me into the big SUV.
I was shivering so he blasted the heat and gave me a jacket from a hook. It smelled like Old Spice after shave, so it was reassuring.
"Thank you!" I said through chattering teeth.
"Yes, Ma'am. You okay?"
"Oh yeah, he didn't assault me or anything, just dumped me in the desert and stole my Audi." I laughed nervously. We were soon at the Sheriff's office and he led me to a comfortable chair near the fireplace, still wearing the jacket. I was glad he hadn't asked for it, for I felt so naked in the utilitarian office.
The 911 operator waved to me and I waved back. "Thank you!" I told her and she nodded and gave me a thumbs up.
I gave a description of the guy and told of the night's events, prefacing my story with, 'I know I was an idiot, but... '
My car was found, unscathed, in the next town over and they found the empty bag, that had held all the cash from the store. They also found a note, 'Sorry, Cherie, but I needed a way out of town and some money. You are a charming young woman and will do well.'
I gaped at the note. He was so civil and it seemed as if he was thanking me for a tea party!
"Can we take you home, Miss?" Asked the Sheriff.
"Please, well, back to the hotel. I am just out here to see the desert and party a little. I haven't seen the desert yet and the partying was less than pleasant, so the hotel would be great."
"Since we have to drive back the way you came, I will give you a quick tour as I drive you back, deal?"
"Deal!" It was still chilly outside, but I kept the jacket and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise on the desert and the micro tour by the Sheriff. The hotel came too quickly and I hated to give up the jacket at the hotel, knowing he would see my scanty dress.
"Have a good day, young woman and always bring a sweater when you go out after dark in the desert." He smirked and drove off. I did the walk of the shame into the hotel lobby, but was met by the manager who told me the police would return my car and keys when they were finished with the exam. I thanked him and headed to my room.
I shivered one more time, ordered room service and headed for a hot shower. Breakfast was wonderful as was the terrace with a view of the desert floor, waves of heat already beginning to rise. It was a magical place I would always remember.
---
He smiled from the desert floor. Sure, he was a wanted man now, but he had already mailed the store their money and he had been paid extremely well by the young woman's family. They felt she needed an adventure; an adventure to last a lifetime. He lifetime was short, it seemed... An inoperable brain tumor.
55 - Desert of The Real - J.F. Hire
As the world changes, a new form of reality takes hold. Man has acquired the ability to adapt physically for centuries-- and with that they have cultivated the ability to adapt mentally.
We are the leftovers of a race that was reluctant to prepare for change. A race keen on sleeping in the cavernous grooves of the desert cracks. A race who perished at the hand of adversity.
We are ten. Gerty is our eyes. Rebecca is the logic. Andrew is the ears. Craig is our voice. Dustin leads us. Trish gathers. Finn fights. Jake hunts, and tracks. Lottie raises the heart. Bronson gardens.
"Should you mention the other five?"
"Not yet, I think it's best if we start from now, and then recap."
"Oh, okay Beck."
Today we've found a recording device. We're recording this for those who find it in the future, our future. We will prosper and we will survive. Trish is pregnant now. Our generations must know about what happened.
We live in the Autumn. For five years now, we have survived in the Fall. As the trees have no more leaves to shed, the birds nests are easy to find, and the shade is a commodity. We find shelter in the only thing that we can-- vehicles. Cars and buses that are left from the change. For now we have set up in a bright orange bus. It's home, and it's safe.
Our main threat is the land. Animals avoid us, and the weather is mild. The land is what attacks. Passively, the land will fall out from under us. It will open up as we travel, it longs to take us.
We avoid cliffs, mountains, and valleys. We have traveled to the flattest existence that we could. We now live on the tree-lined edge of the Mojave desert.
"We think it is."
"Right. It could be any desert."
Trish added. "I'm back, found some cactus. Oh-- are you recording that now? Hi, MoMo." It was the name she planned for her child.
They're right, we're not sure what desert we're in. The only thing that we're certain of is that it's the most habitable place we could find. As we look to the east, more of the world is ragged and missing. To the west, there are holes in mountains, and engulfing blackness.
The world fell away with our other five. On the edge of the lake. John, Tommy, Adam, and Judith were taken. The Earth claimed them. Water followed them as they fell from us.
"They're in a better place.'
"Yes."
"Or they're in no place at all..." Finn offered. No body humored his comment.
"Trish... Trish! Hold on. Gerty! Help!"
"What's going on?"
"Trish, she's not breathing!"
"Trish, talk to me! Someone get water and the batteries."
"Here's the van batts. Oh shit... Trish is bleeding."
"GET TOWELS!"
-Transmission lost.-
"Sir. What do you think is happening?"
The commanding officer, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the virtual reality unit with the fifteen plugged in. Five of them were covered in black bags. A sixth one was being approached by two men and a bag.
"Whatever their mind is allowing."
A medical officer reports: "the remaining nine are experiencing high adrenaline levels and a spike in blood pressure. Permission to sedate."
"Denied. This is their reality. Let them live it. Cadet Lois. Take note for the team about to go under-- Create a fail-safe which allows for a 'better place' override, we can't allow anyone else to die."
The commander muttered under his breath, leaving for a meeting. "Six people in as many minutes... The human mind is a weak military tool. Let's keep this under wraps until our success rate is above 50%."
We are the leftovers of a race that was reluctant to prepare for change. A race keen on sleeping in the cavernous grooves of the desert cracks. A race who perished at the hand of adversity.
We are ten. Gerty is our eyes. Rebecca is the logic. Andrew is the ears. Craig is our voice. Dustin leads us. Trish gathers. Finn fights. Jake hunts, and tracks. Lottie raises the heart. Bronson gardens.
"Should you mention the other five?"
"Not yet, I think it's best if we start from now, and then recap."
"Oh, okay Beck."
Today we've found a recording device. We're recording this for those who find it in the future, our future. We will prosper and we will survive. Trish is pregnant now. Our generations must know about what happened.
We live in the Autumn. For five years now, we have survived in the Fall. As the trees have no more leaves to shed, the birds nests are easy to find, and the shade is a commodity. We find shelter in the only thing that we can-- vehicles. Cars and buses that are left from the change. For now we have set up in a bright orange bus. It's home, and it's safe.
Our main threat is the land. Animals avoid us, and the weather is mild. The land is what attacks. Passively, the land will fall out from under us. It will open up as we travel, it longs to take us.
We avoid cliffs, mountains, and valleys. We have traveled to the flattest existence that we could. We now live on the tree-lined edge of the Mojave desert.
"We think it is."
"Right. It could be any desert."
Trish added. "I'm back, found some cactus. Oh-- are you recording that now? Hi, MoMo." It was the name she planned for her child.
They're right, we're not sure what desert we're in. The only thing that we're certain of is that it's the most habitable place we could find. As we look to the east, more of the world is ragged and missing. To the west, there are holes in mountains, and engulfing blackness.
The world fell away with our other five. On the edge of the lake. John, Tommy, Adam, and Judith were taken. The Earth claimed them. Water followed them as they fell from us.
"They're in a better place.'
"Yes."
"Or they're in no place at all..." Finn offered. No body humored his comment.
"Trish... Trish! Hold on. Gerty! Help!"
"What's going on?"
"Trish, she's not breathing!"
"Trish, talk to me! Someone get water and the batteries."
"Here's the van batts. Oh shit... Trish is bleeding."
"GET TOWELS!"
-Transmission lost.-
"Sir. What do you think is happening?"
The commanding officer, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the virtual reality unit with the fifteen plugged in. Five of them were covered in black bags. A sixth one was being approached by two men and a bag.
"Whatever their mind is allowing."
A medical officer reports: "the remaining nine are experiencing high adrenaline levels and a spike in blood pressure. Permission to sedate."
"Denied. This is their reality. Let them live it. Cadet Lois. Take note for the team about to go under-- Create a fail-safe which allows for a 'better place' override, we can't allow anyone else to die."
The commander muttered under his breath, leaving for a meeting. "Six people in as many minutes... The human mind is a weak military tool. Let's keep this under wraps until our success rate is above 50%."
Monday, August 12, 2013
41 Dr. Who - RT Shores (Whovian Fiction)
Are you a Whovian?
What a bunch of geeks! I thought to myself. Why had I agreed to go to this with the kids? Who the Hell was Dr. Who and why did I care? I looked at the survey I had to complete before I was allowed entry into the Whovention and tried to wrack my brain for the answers. The kids were already inside and roaming without me.
Okay, think, think...
Blink - angel statues, right...
Who says exterminate? - Daleks, right...
Who is my favorite Dr.? - Easy, Tennant...
What is one of the crossover series? - Geez! Well Jack was in Torchwood, so that is one.
The questions continued and I stood at the desk hoping I could get in to check on the kids pretty quickly.
"Good job, one hundred percent!" The young woman said to me and I was holding my ticket. I walked to the short security line and wondered how I had a perfect score, and could only guess I absorbed in unknowingly from the kids always watching the shows.
They were waiting for me at the entrance. "What did you score, Mom?"
"One hundred percent and you guys?"
"Ninety." Said my son and my daughter had an eighty five. I laughed. How had I beaten them? Maybe since I had only listened, for the most part, I had absorbed more.
"Can we got find David Tennant now?" I asked them. They each took a hand and we were off. I think they thought I was special now, for they stayed with me, held my hands.
We stood in line to wait for David's autograph and when I finally was right in front of him, all I could think to say was, 'Thank you for bringing my family closer together, Doctor David.' The kids let go of my hands and rolled their eyes.
David leaned forward, 'They'll be back, never fear.' I smiled and held his hand until he pried mine off of his.
I liked Dr. Who!
What a bunch of geeks! I thought to myself. Why had I agreed to go to this with the kids? Who the Hell was Dr. Who and why did I care? I looked at the survey I had to complete before I was allowed entry into the Whovention and tried to wrack my brain for the answers. The kids were already inside and roaming without me.
Okay, think, think...
Blink - angel statues, right...
Who says exterminate? - Daleks, right...
Who is my favorite Dr.? - Easy, Tennant...
What is one of the crossover series? - Geez! Well Jack was in Torchwood, so that is one.
The questions continued and I stood at the desk hoping I could get in to check on the kids pretty quickly.
"Good job, one hundred percent!" The young woman said to me and I was holding my ticket. I walked to the short security line and wondered how I had a perfect score, and could only guess I absorbed in unknowingly from the kids always watching the shows.
They were waiting for me at the entrance. "What did you score, Mom?"
"One hundred percent and you guys?"
"Ninety." Said my son and my daughter had an eighty five. I laughed. How had I beaten them? Maybe since I had only listened, for the most part, I had absorbed more.
"Can we got find David Tennant now?" I asked them. They each took a hand and we were off. I think they thought I was special now, for they stayed with me, held my hands.
We stood in line to wait for David's autograph and when I finally was right in front of him, all I could think to say was, 'Thank you for bringing my family closer together, Doctor David.' The kids let go of my hands and rolled their eyes.
David leaned forward, 'They'll be back, never fear.' I smiled and held his hand until he pried mine off of his.
I liked Dr. Who!
Friday, August 9, 2013
54 Townies - RT Shores mystery
When You're A Stranger
Josh felt the impact of the car on his legs and then he was flying through the air. His landing is what saved him. He landed in the lake. He was hurt, sure, but it could have been far worse.
Half the town was there for his rescue and followed the ambulance to the hospital. The other half held the woman, a stranger, in place until the sheriff could arrive. She was drunk or something.
Sheriff Tom Wade arrived and looked madder than they had ever seen. It was understandable since Josh was his son. He talked on his radio for a minute and then stormed up to the young woman who had hit him.
He appraised her and then smelled her. She just smelled of soap and coffee.
"If she's been drinkin', it's an alcohol I never heard of." He called for another ambulance, fearing some serious medical condition.
In the ER, he checked on his son again and found out he had a simple fracture of his fibula, so 'a cast for six weeks should do the trick', the ortho guy had said.
Next he went to the young woman. She was completely out of it and he didn't know how she had driven at all. The doctor attending her pulled him aside.
"Looks like someone drugged her, but she got away in time. Unfortunately, it hit her right about the time she hit Josh. I am doing a full drug test and we will know what it was, hopefully."
They both looked at her. She was young, but had no ID or even a purse. Her clothes were disheveled and buttoned wrong. She had on one shoe and it looked like she was very lucky to have gotten away when she did.
He ran the plates on the car when he returned to the station and found it was from the next town and had just been reported stolen by the Mayor's son.
Tom Wade slapped his forehead and his office staff moaned. The gesture indicated rage. He always hit himself before a lick went to anyone else. He said it grounded him.
Standing at the front of the office he reported on what he knew so far. Everyone looked at him and then at each other. Another town war was going to erupt. The Mayor's son was at it again.
***
Before long, the Mayor from Blueberg stormed into his office, son in tow. They couldn't have looked more different. The Mayor was short and fat, while his son was long and lean. He was dark and his son blond. Many said his wife had strayed.
"Well, Wade! Where is my son's car?" The mayor demanded.
"His car is part of a criminal investigation." The mayor reddened and the son paled.
"What are you on about here, Wade? You know my son is the pride of the town!" He puffed out his chest and almost fell over.
The son's eyes glowed with vehemence and were very dark against the pale skin. "Give me my car." He said quietly and it could have been threatening to anyone other than Tom Wade.
"Shut up, Junior and have a seat. You are also part of this investigation." The mayor tried to pull his son away, but the son pushed him off, preferring the sheriff to contact with him.
"We will see about this!" The mayor screamed and waddled out of the office.
"So, Junior, you wanna tell me what happened?" He said quietly to the young man.
"I have no idea what you are talking about other than the fact that my car was stolen." He put his nose in the air like a prissy deb.
"Did you leave the keys in it, for it wasn't hot wired and I have the keys."
"Just give me the keys and I won't file a complaint."
Tom Wade laughed and the office busied themselves to avoid what was to come next. If they didn't see anything happen, they couldn't report on it.
Junior was in the air about a foot above the sheriff who had lifted him up with one hand. "Don't threaten me you little piss ant." He said quietly. "You are in big trouble this time, Junior and I don't think daddy can save you from this one." He sat him heavily in the chair.
"You all saw that!" He turned to see not one set of eyes was watching the encounter. "Fuck!"
"Don't move!" Tom went to the phone and called the ER. He said few words and then came back and sat in front of Junior.
"I am going to give you another chance to tell me what happened before the young woman talks to me." Junior's head shot up.
"She's alive?" He asked. "I mean, I heard she had a wreck." He tried to recover.
"Oh, she is just fine. They are waiting for me in the ER to get her statement and I know we have some bad blood between us, but she's a stranger and us townsfolk gotta stick together."
Junior nodded. "Well, this little bit wandered into the pub at Grant and Lincoln and she acting all hoity toity and you know us townies ain't standing for any of that. So, she says her car is out of gas, but she can't push it to the station and can we help. We said we could and we did."
He sipped a cold Coke that a deputy, who was also recording the conversation, had handed him.
"Did she thank us? Well, yeah, she did, but not properly. So we just wanted to get a thank you. She starts getting all excited and yelling and screaming for help, so Jim Bob gave her the bottled water she wanted, but added a little city dope and then she quieted down."
"And then?"
"And then, nothin'! She was out like a light. I passed out on the couch."
"Who else was there?"
"Jim Bob, Wayne and Fremont. If somethin' happened, it was one of them." He stood and the sheriff let him leave. He wouldn't go far.
----
Back at the ER they were trying to flush whatever drugs were left in the young woman's system.
"She said anything?" He asked the head nurse.
"Just a few words: no, stop, let me go and help." The nurse then shuddered.
"Was she raped?" The nurse nodded.
"Crap!" He turned on his heal and called the Sheriff in Blueberg, a friendly, and told him the situation and that he needed the boys. The sheriff agreed.
They were brought in, fighting and trying to pull off the handcuffs. "One at each desk, please Paul. Thank you, brother." He told the other sheriff.
"My boys are searching the lodge and the grounds around it. I'll sit right over here and watch the door." I chuckled, for he was watching for the mayor of his own town, who would not be happy.
Tom took Jim Bob, the ugliest and most needy of the group of punks. "So, what happened, JB?"
"Jim Bob! What do you mean, what happened?" He asked defensively.
"Oh, okay, JB. I mean, what happened with the young woman last night?"
"What young woman?"
"The one you helped who ran out of gas."
"Oh! She ran out of gas, we pushed the car and she got gas and left." He said defiantly.
"Ah, she did? What did she look like?"
"Uh, young, blond, pretty, long legs and that's all I recall."
"What was her name?"
"How the hell do I know? Junior was the one all hot on her, as usual. Bet he knew all about her, if you catch my drift. She was asking for it anyway. Did you see what she was wearing?" He smirked and Tom slapped the smirk off his face.
The sound rang through the room, but not one set of eyes saw what happened.
"Gee, Junior figured it was one of you three." He said loudly.
"Hell no! He kicked us out and said she was all his. We left together." The other boys nodded in agreement.
"It was Junior! It's always Junior and he likes 'em young too! That's new. He can't find enough strange, so he goes after girls now!" Fremont volunteered.
The room became completely silent. It hadn't recovered before the mayor walked in with the other mayor and Junior.
Tom pulled Junior aside, cuffed him and read him his rights. He was in a cell in record time, the whole time accompanied my the mayor's screams.
"What's the meaning of this, Tom." The other mayor asked.
"Looks like Junior here is not only a rapist, but possible a pedophile as well."
Junior's father gawked at his son. "You told me it stopped! You after kids now too?" He was disgusted and sat at the desk waiting to give a statement.
"I ain't protecting no pedophile, I mean, what's a little sex with the visitors, you know? But kids? Hell no! Lock him up! I know, and the girls will testify, that Junior has raped several of the town's young women, but I paid 'em off to shut up, so you gonna have to arrest me too."
The two sheriffs helped the fat mayor up and into a cell, a cell with his son. The phone rang and it was the ER. The young woman was awake and said an tall blond boy raped her.
***
Josh recovered. The young woman, Cathy, recovered and was taken home by grateful parents. The question was would the town, and townies, of Blueberg recover?
Josh felt the impact of the car on his legs and then he was flying through the air. His landing is what saved him. He landed in the lake. He was hurt, sure, but it could have been far worse.
Half the town was there for his rescue and followed the ambulance to the hospital. The other half held the woman, a stranger, in place until the sheriff could arrive. She was drunk or something.
Sheriff Tom Wade arrived and looked madder than they had ever seen. It was understandable since Josh was his son. He talked on his radio for a minute and then stormed up to the young woman who had hit him.
He appraised her and then smelled her. She just smelled of soap and coffee.
"If she's been drinkin', it's an alcohol I never heard of." He called for another ambulance, fearing some serious medical condition.
In the ER, he checked on his son again and found out he had a simple fracture of his fibula, so 'a cast for six weeks should do the trick', the ortho guy had said.
Next he went to the young woman. She was completely out of it and he didn't know how she had driven at all. The doctor attending her pulled him aside.
"Looks like someone drugged her, but she got away in time. Unfortunately, it hit her right about the time she hit Josh. I am doing a full drug test and we will know what it was, hopefully."
They both looked at her. She was young, but had no ID or even a purse. Her clothes were disheveled and buttoned wrong. She had on one shoe and it looked like she was very lucky to have gotten away when she did.
He ran the plates on the car when he returned to the station and found it was from the next town and had just been reported stolen by the Mayor's son.
Tom Wade slapped his forehead and his office staff moaned. The gesture indicated rage. He always hit himself before a lick went to anyone else. He said it grounded him.
Standing at the front of the office he reported on what he knew so far. Everyone looked at him and then at each other. Another town war was going to erupt. The Mayor's son was at it again.
***
Before long, the Mayor from Blueberg stormed into his office, son in tow. They couldn't have looked more different. The Mayor was short and fat, while his son was long and lean. He was dark and his son blond. Many said his wife had strayed.
"Well, Wade! Where is my son's car?" The mayor demanded.
"His car is part of a criminal investigation." The mayor reddened and the son paled.
"What are you on about here, Wade? You know my son is the pride of the town!" He puffed out his chest and almost fell over.
The son's eyes glowed with vehemence and were very dark against the pale skin. "Give me my car." He said quietly and it could have been threatening to anyone other than Tom Wade.
"Shut up, Junior and have a seat. You are also part of this investigation." The mayor tried to pull his son away, but the son pushed him off, preferring the sheriff to contact with him.
"We will see about this!" The mayor screamed and waddled out of the office.
"So, Junior, you wanna tell me what happened?" He said quietly to the young man.
"I have no idea what you are talking about other than the fact that my car was stolen." He put his nose in the air like a prissy deb.
"Did you leave the keys in it, for it wasn't hot wired and I have the keys."
"Just give me the keys and I won't file a complaint."
Tom Wade laughed and the office busied themselves to avoid what was to come next. If they didn't see anything happen, they couldn't report on it.
Junior was in the air about a foot above the sheriff who had lifted him up with one hand. "Don't threaten me you little piss ant." He said quietly. "You are in big trouble this time, Junior and I don't think daddy can save you from this one." He sat him heavily in the chair.
"You all saw that!" He turned to see not one set of eyes was watching the encounter. "Fuck!"
"Don't move!" Tom went to the phone and called the ER. He said few words and then came back and sat in front of Junior.
"I am going to give you another chance to tell me what happened before the young woman talks to me." Junior's head shot up.
"She's alive?" He asked. "I mean, I heard she had a wreck." He tried to recover.
"Oh, she is just fine. They are waiting for me in the ER to get her statement and I know we have some bad blood between us, but she's a stranger and us townsfolk gotta stick together."
Junior nodded. "Well, this little bit wandered into the pub at Grant and Lincoln and she acting all hoity toity and you know us townies ain't standing for any of that. So, she says her car is out of gas, but she can't push it to the station and can we help. We said we could and we did."
He sipped a cold Coke that a deputy, who was also recording the conversation, had handed him.
"Did she thank us? Well, yeah, she did, but not properly. So we just wanted to get a thank you. She starts getting all excited and yelling and screaming for help, so Jim Bob gave her the bottled water she wanted, but added a little city dope and then she quieted down."
"And then?"
"And then, nothin'! She was out like a light. I passed out on the couch."
"Who else was there?"
"Jim Bob, Wayne and Fremont. If somethin' happened, it was one of them." He stood and the sheriff let him leave. He wouldn't go far.
----
Back at the ER they were trying to flush whatever drugs were left in the young woman's system.
"She said anything?" He asked the head nurse.
"Just a few words: no, stop, let me go and help." The nurse then shuddered.
"Was she raped?" The nurse nodded.
"Crap!" He turned on his heal and called the Sheriff in Blueberg, a friendly, and told him the situation and that he needed the boys. The sheriff agreed.
They were brought in, fighting and trying to pull off the handcuffs. "One at each desk, please Paul. Thank you, brother." He told the other sheriff.
"My boys are searching the lodge and the grounds around it. I'll sit right over here and watch the door." I chuckled, for he was watching for the mayor of his own town, who would not be happy.
Tom took Jim Bob, the ugliest and most needy of the group of punks. "So, what happened, JB?"
"Jim Bob! What do you mean, what happened?" He asked defensively.
"Oh, okay, JB. I mean, what happened with the young woman last night?"
"What young woman?"
"The one you helped who ran out of gas."
"Oh! She ran out of gas, we pushed the car and she got gas and left." He said defiantly.
"Ah, she did? What did she look like?"
"Uh, young, blond, pretty, long legs and that's all I recall."
"What was her name?"
"How the hell do I know? Junior was the one all hot on her, as usual. Bet he knew all about her, if you catch my drift. She was asking for it anyway. Did you see what she was wearing?" He smirked and Tom slapped the smirk off his face.
The sound rang through the room, but not one set of eyes saw what happened.
"Gee, Junior figured it was one of you three." He said loudly.
"Hell no! He kicked us out and said she was all his. We left together." The other boys nodded in agreement.
"It was Junior! It's always Junior and he likes 'em young too! That's new. He can't find enough strange, so he goes after girls now!" Fremont volunteered.
The room became completely silent. It hadn't recovered before the mayor walked in with the other mayor and Junior.
Tom pulled Junior aside, cuffed him and read him his rights. He was in a cell in record time, the whole time accompanied my the mayor's screams.
"What's the meaning of this, Tom." The other mayor asked.
"Looks like Junior here is not only a rapist, but possible a pedophile as well."
Junior's father gawked at his son. "You told me it stopped! You after kids now too?" He was disgusted and sat at the desk waiting to give a statement.
"I ain't protecting no pedophile, I mean, what's a little sex with the visitors, you know? But kids? Hell no! Lock him up! I know, and the girls will testify, that Junior has raped several of the town's young women, but I paid 'em off to shut up, so you gonna have to arrest me too."
The two sheriffs helped the fat mayor up and into a cell, a cell with his son. The phone rang and it was the ER. The young woman was awake and said an tall blond boy raped her.
***
Josh recovered. The young woman, Cathy, recovered and was taken home by grateful parents. The question was would the town, and townies, of Blueberg recover?
54 - Townies - J.F. Hire
Quantum Man: Anything But Germaine
I don't enjoy my town. Every time I visit the cafe nearest to me, I'm left wondering why I bothered moving here. Why did I have to move from a quiet, quaint, low-population town of Hooplah, and into this rowdy party-city of Germanium. It was apparently a mining town back in the day, but now it was all neon lights, flashy fibre-optic signs, and solar panels outlining the beefcake district.
I headed into the cafe, trying to find a corner of this world to make for myself. As if a cat circling atop the foot of my bed, making a dent in the sheets, and curling up for a sleep, I circle the cafe with my coffee until I find a spot. My laptop cracks open, sticking out like a sore thumb in this city. Needless to say, it stuck out in the last city, too. That was for entirely different reasons, though. No one had a computer there, the only computer in the city was at the library, and people weren't exactly lining up to use it.
In this city, it was a different story. I was still the outlier, but only because the technology in this city was nearly alien to the rest of the PC world. Where most of the world utilized the silicone counterparts like chips and hard drives and motherboards, Germanium utilized its namesake.
Back in the 19th century, before the discovery of the uses of Silicone, Germanium was the foundation of the semi-conductor industry. With it's relative abundance, especially in this town, the country capitalized on it. Even after the rise of Silicone, the city of Germanium was determined to advance the industry with Germanium as the bread-winner.
So, here I was, in a city where women wore fibre-optic dresses, ran on synthetic energy supplements, dealt with regular 'toxic dumps' of their systems, and had no clue what a MacBook was good for. Sure, I wasn't exactly in the mood to date-- but who couldn't look? They used something like a Bluetooth, but it was impossible to see. With their cultivation of the nanowires, otherwise known as quantum wires, they were able to create unreasonably small electronics. They had to be monitored on a quantum level, these wires each approximately ten to the negative ninth meters in diameter.
That meant that when they were on the phone, which they often were, it was uncertain if they were talking to someone in person, or someone in the ether. Well, it was uncertain to me, at least. Nearly everyone in the city knew the rules of the city: no one is talking to you, no one is looking at you, no one is pointing at you, and no one is trying to interact with your nano-interface.
These were rules that I only recently began to understand. I would need to understand them more fully, though. I didn't know this at the time, but the man looking at me through the window was looking at me, walking into the cafe, sitting in front of me and my PC, and talking to me.
"You must be new here."
"I am." I would hesitate.
"Me and the firm have a proposition for you."
"Oh, 'the firm'? What firm is that?"
"Wow, you sure are new here. Well, let me back up, I'm Val Halihurt. What's your name?"
"Steve."
"Nice last name, Steve. We'll talk more about each other later. Let me explain what the firm is. I am one of the executives in charge of PR. Our company is in charge of making sure that this city remains the top if the Germanium industry."
That shouldn't be hard, I thought. To me, this entire city seemed keen on alienating the rest of the world with top-secret methods, out-dated techniques, or so I thought-- even their populace was out of touch with the world wide web as I knew it. Facebook and Twitter weren't their social networks of choice. I was still unsure as to what they used, up to this point at least.
He continued, "Our motto is 'Advance the quantum computer, evolve into the quantum man.' We hope to do this by branching out. We would like for your help with this."
"Okay... And what does that mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough, if you choose to join us. I have one question about your qualifications."
"Sure, should I pull out a resume?"
He ignored my quip. "How are your kidneys?"
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Four years later
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New York city was different from what I remember from visiting as a kid, so much of the sky was cosmic-looking. Everyone had a glow about them. I could sense the amount of energy emitting from all of the buildings. My eyes, though it was eleven at night, were cutting through the scenery for miles with ease. Compared to Hooplah, even compared to Germanium, this city was fiery with light. People were staring at me. I was staring at the high-end radio waves their bulky cell phones were emitting. I was making good use of the nano-optic infrared implants on my occipital lobe.
My present mission was underway: locate the subway ventilation units at the Orange line, and plant the Germanium 'Fresheners'. After the briefing, and the years of catch-up, training, and modifications, I had been sent back to the world I once knew. Sure, I may be acting oddly compared to some of the New Yorkers, but I was not as readapted as the native Germaniums. This is why he chose me, Val. He knew that I wouldn't be found out immediately on this mission. Even with my enhancements, I was just as odd as any drug-addled street-walker in the Big Apple.
I passed down the stairs, blinded momentarily by a ghetto-blaster on AM radiowaves, but stumbled closer to my checkpoint finally. Without the fancy brainframe that most of the Germaniums were equipped with, I had to use my eyes and remember the school field trip to the city. We took the subway, then. It was a great novelty.
Maps led me to the bathrooms. Then they led me to the maintenance closets. From there, I followed a janitor's map to the ventilation shaft.
"Here's to the future." I would offer the unhearing masses through the vents, watching their heat signatures pass in and out of sight.
I planted the 'freshener', and turned it on to spray every ten minutes for the next year. I was mobilizing the human race with the push of a button.
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Two years later
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"Welcome back to Dayline 5 on ABC. Tonight we observe the anniversary of the first account of the Renal Pandemic. New York was struck first, and thousands died of kidney failure. We're here tonight with Jordan Grain, the man still on life-support since the East Coast death rate finally declined. Hello, Mister Grain."
The marquee at the bottom of the screen scrolled on during the interview: A new strain of kidney clone found in grown organs, immune to renal hot-spots. "Hi there, thank you for having me." "You're really an American inspiration, Grain. How are things at Forbes?" The attacks in the Middle East are at a cease fire to commemorate this day. "Since the new rise of the Germanium cell, we're sure up to our necks in start-up companies..." Forbes top 10 industries include Germanium and Solar Cells. "Of course, and your family?" "Oh, they're well. Thank you." "Now, Grain. I would like to talk to you about what has been discovered in your kidney cells. These nephrotoxins have yet to be identified-- but your kidneys have recently revealed Germanium. Does that have anything to do with the rise of the industry, do you think?" "Well I would think so. It's a catch-22. The fact that we've been recently bombarded by the element to the point of a pandemic is tragic-- but our silicone resources are vanishing, and Germanium is an advancement into the future that we, as a race, are striving toward." The city of Germanium due to host the next Olympics in 2090. "We really appreciate you coming, Grain. We will be right back after these messages from our sponsor: "The G-Firm - are you living the quantum life?"
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Val sits with me on the penthouse patio in Germanium. We clink our glasses together. Without moving our mouths, we converse:
"Job well done, Steve."
"Thanks, good champagne."
"Only the best. You've implanted what remains of the East Coast population with what we need to adapt into the Quantum Man."
"No problem. Did you get those Germ Nano Healers for me and my wife?"
"Sure did, operations are open tomorrow."
"Cheers."
I don't enjoy my town. Every time I visit the cafe nearest to me, I'm left wondering why I bothered moving here. Why did I have to move from a quiet, quaint, low-population town of Hooplah, and into this rowdy party-city of Germanium. It was apparently a mining town back in the day, but now it was all neon lights, flashy fibre-optic signs, and solar panels outlining the beefcake district.
I headed into the cafe, trying to find a corner of this world to make for myself. As if a cat circling atop the foot of my bed, making a dent in the sheets, and curling up for a sleep, I circle the cafe with my coffee until I find a spot. My laptop cracks open, sticking out like a sore thumb in this city. Needless to say, it stuck out in the last city, too. That was for entirely different reasons, though. No one had a computer there, the only computer in the city was at the library, and people weren't exactly lining up to use it.
In this city, it was a different story. I was still the outlier, but only because the technology in this city was nearly alien to the rest of the PC world. Where most of the world utilized the silicone counterparts like chips and hard drives and motherboards, Germanium utilized its namesake.
Back in the 19th century, before the discovery of the uses of Silicone, Germanium was the foundation of the semi-conductor industry. With it's relative abundance, especially in this town, the country capitalized on it. Even after the rise of Silicone, the city of Germanium was determined to advance the industry with Germanium as the bread-winner.
So, here I was, in a city where women wore fibre-optic dresses, ran on synthetic energy supplements, dealt with regular 'toxic dumps' of their systems, and had no clue what a MacBook was good for. Sure, I wasn't exactly in the mood to date-- but who couldn't look? They used something like a Bluetooth, but it was impossible to see. With their cultivation of the nanowires, otherwise known as quantum wires, they were able to create unreasonably small electronics. They had to be monitored on a quantum level, these wires each approximately ten to the negative ninth meters in diameter.
That meant that when they were on the phone, which they often were, it was uncertain if they were talking to someone in person, or someone in the ether. Well, it was uncertain to me, at least. Nearly everyone in the city knew the rules of the city: no one is talking to you, no one is looking at you, no one is pointing at you, and no one is trying to interact with your nano-interface.
These were rules that I only recently began to understand. I would need to understand them more fully, though. I didn't know this at the time, but the man looking at me through the window was looking at me, walking into the cafe, sitting in front of me and my PC, and talking to me.
"You must be new here."
"I am." I would hesitate.
"Me and the firm have a proposition for you."
"Oh, 'the firm'? What firm is that?"
"Wow, you sure are new here. Well, let me back up, I'm Val Halihurt. What's your name?"
"Steve."
"Nice last name, Steve. We'll talk more about each other later. Let me explain what the firm is. I am one of the executives in charge of PR. Our company is in charge of making sure that this city remains the top if the Germanium industry."
That shouldn't be hard, I thought. To me, this entire city seemed keen on alienating the rest of the world with top-secret methods, out-dated techniques, or so I thought-- even their populace was out of touch with the world wide web as I knew it. Facebook and Twitter weren't their social networks of choice. I was still unsure as to what they used, up to this point at least.
He continued, "Our motto is 'Advance the quantum computer, evolve into the quantum man.' We hope to do this by branching out. We would like for your help with this."
"Okay... And what does that mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough, if you choose to join us. I have one question about your qualifications."
"Sure, should I pull out a resume?"
He ignored my quip. "How are your kidneys?"
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Four years later
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New York city was different from what I remember from visiting as a kid, so much of the sky was cosmic-looking. Everyone had a glow about them. I could sense the amount of energy emitting from all of the buildings. My eyes, though it was eleven at night, were cutting through the scenery for miles with ease. Compared to Hooplah, even compared to Germanium, this city was fiery with light. People were staring at me. I was staring at the high-end radio waves their bulky cell phones were emitting. I was making good use of the nano-optic infrared implants on my occipital lobe.
My present mission was underway: locate the subway ventilation units at the Orange line, and plant the Germanium 'Fresheners'. After the briefing, and the years of catch-up, training, and modifications, I had been sent back to the world I once knew. Sure, I may be acting oddly compared to some of the New Yorkers, but I was not as readapted as the native Germaniums. This is why he chose me, Val. He knew that I wouldn't be found out immediately on this mission. Even with my enhancements, I was just as odd as any drug-addled street-walker in the Big Apple.
I passed down the stairs, blinded momentarily by a ghetto-blaster on AM radiowaves, but stumbled closer to my checkpoint finally. Without the fancy brainframe that most of the Germaniums were equipped with, I had to use my eyes and remember the school field trip to the city. We took the subway, then. It was a great novelty.
Maps led me to the bathrooms. Then they led me to the maintenance closets. From there, I followed a janitor's map to the ventilation shaft.
"Here's to the future." I would offer the unhearing masses through the vents, watching their heat signatures pass in and out of sight.
I planted the 'freshener', and turned it on to spray every ten minutes for the next year. I was mobilizing the human race with the push of a button.
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Two years later
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"Welcome back to Dayline 5 on ABC. Tonight we observe the anniversary of the first account of the Renal Pandemic. New York was struck first, and thousands died of kidney failure. We're here tonight with Jordan Grain, the man still on life-support since the East Coast death rate finally declined. Hello, Mister Grain."
The marquee at the bottom of the screen scrolled on during the interview: A new strain of kidney clone found in grown organs, immune to renal hot-spots. "Hi there, thank you for having me." "You're really an American inspiration, Grain. How are things at Forbes?" The attacks in the Middle East are at a cease fire to commemorate this day. "Since the new rise of the Germanium cell, we're sure up to our necks in start-up companies..." Forbes top 10 industries include Germanium and Solar Cells. "Of course, and your family?" "Oh, they're well. Thank you." "Now, Grain. I would like to talk to you about what has been discovered in your kidney cells. These nephrotoxins have yet to be identified-- but your kidneys have recently revealed Germanium. Does that have anything to do with the rise of the industry, do you think?" "Well I would think so. It's a catch-22. The fact that we've been recently bombarded by the element to the point of a pandemic is tragic-- but our silicone resources are vanishing, and Germanium is an advancement into the future that we, as a race, are striving toward." The city of Germanium due to host the next Olympics in 2090. "We really appreciate you coming, Grain. We will be right back after these messages from our sponsor: "The G-Firm - are you living the quantum life?"
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Val sits with me on the penthouse patio in Germanium. We clink our glasses together. Without moving our mouths, we converse:
"Job well done, Steve."
"Thanks, good champagne."
"Only the best. You've implanted what remains of the East Coast population with what we need to adapt into the Quantum Man."
"No problem. Did you get those Germ Nano Healers for me and my wife?"
"Sure did, operations are open tomorrow."
"Cheers."
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
53 Future Food - RT Shores (SciFi)
Enough to Feed a Family!
I daydreamed about Leeloo in The Fifth Element as I waited for dinner to be ready to serve my ungrateful family. Why couldn't I have a giant roasted chicken dinner?
What I was preparing was eaten quickly and every plate was literally licked clean. It was all mush, of course, but had different flavors. Tonight it was chipped beef flavor on rice flavor with applesauce flavor and real coffee flavor.
They lined up and I portioned exact measurements on each plate. Each member of my lovely family groaned and walked on. They were lucky to have anything and was it my fault we only got half rations? Nope! They just kept bringing people home and now we had to share with them.
If they irritated me too much, I would just poison them and they knew it, so they tried to be civil. I would kill the strangers first, of course, my husband second and then the kids. The damn kids are the ones who kept adopting people!
Dinner over, we sat around the view box and hoped some type of show my be aired tonight. Personally, I hoped they would discover some more seed banks and grow us some damn food.
Every citizen was required to be ever vigilant in searching for any type of growth they saw. There were Plant Alert Buttons on every block and all one had to do was push it and a team would come and collect the item.
That was my job, the PABs. I cleaned them and checked to see if they worked. I prayed to push one because I had found some plant one day.
I went to bed and dreamed of a quiet place with plenty of fresh food.
***
PAB patrol went well the next day and I even received a pack of juice chews from my boss. I ate one and hid the rest in my work pouch. What my family didn't know wouldn't hurt them. I felt energized now and hurried through my duties.
I stopped at the food depot and received my food allotment for the week. I asked a neighbor who worked there about extras for new household members. She gaped at me.
"You have extra people? You should have said something! How many new people?" I told her and my food was doubled. I gleamed with pleasure and thanked her. I didn't see the look of concern she shot at her work mate.
We ate well that night and every one was more pleasant. Maybe I wouldn't have to kill anyone.
***
Pounding awakened us before daybreak. I went to the door and jumped back as the troopers stormed in. They were cyborgs and very dangerous. They scanned every house member and took away the ones who were not blood relatives. My kids cried and begged, but their friends were taken. They would be dead very soon. Hell, at least I didn't have to kill them.
I hid the extra portions my friend had given me, but wondered why she had reported me at the same time. Oh well, water under the bridge. I dressed for work and said god bye to my sleeping family. No one else worked. They would sleep and moan all day and try to find my food hiding places. They hadn't found one yet and I had many.
There was something electric in the air when I hit the street. The street was also empty. Had I not realized it was a holiday? I decided to use my air scooter to check the office first. What could be my excuse? I loosened a wire so my lights flashed constantly.
The office was full and noisy. Something was up. My boss jumped in front of me when I entered and blocked the view box. I could see and hear excitement though and the other employees were smiling.
"Why are you here? Get back to work!"
"My lights won't stop flashing, sir."
"Go around back and a mechanic will meet you." I left, but listened as I refastened my coat.
I heard words: seed bank, food, new growth and other positive words. I wondered if they would come down to people of my level though.
The mechanic fixed the scooter and I went on patrol. If I found anything now, I would just keep it. Looked like the hoity toity folks would have their own soon.
I found nothing and went back home. My family was watching the view box too. A treasure trove of canned goods and seeds was unearthed in the mountains and it would be dispersed to all members of the city.
I sighed and my family turned to me.
"Mom? Will you still work after we have food?"
I thought about that and wondered if I would still have a job. "Yes, I will still work, for I bet it won't last long and we must always search for seeds and plants. There is work for all of you too, you know."
They looked me up and down and then ignored me again. They would just sit there and die probably. I wouldn't though.
"I will fix dinner and then I have a meeting." They shrugged.
We all ate full portions and then I left for my nonexistent meeting. I didn't take the air scooter, for it was tracked. I walked to the end of the town limit and then slid under the metal barricade. It was black as night and silent.
I leaned against the barricade until my eyes adjusted and then headed for the garden. It wasn't a garden by earlier standards, but it was life and growth for me.
Rolling back the steel plate, I could smell rich soil inside. I rolled back the plate and pushed a button. Low lights filled the space with an ethereal glow.
In the front were the new seeds. I had no idea what kind they were, but would see what developed. I walked on and the second group was shooting up through the soil. It was so exciting!
I ran to the back where the lights flowed brightest and saw colors. There was a round red thing and a green thing like a tube and all sorts of colors and shapes and I bet it was all food. I wanted to eat it all right now, but didn't know what to do with it.
Before I went back home, I decided to see if the Library was still open. I needed a book to tell me what I had in my garden.
It was open and empty as usual. I went to the library desk and asked for a book about identifying plants. Three titles popped up: Victory Gardens, Plants of the Twenty-First Century and Can I Eat This? I took them all and hid them in my tote.
I read them all, cover to cover and knew I would need to take them to my garden so I could label my plants. When though? I needed to sneak out since I could only pretend a meeting once a week. Maybe I could lace their food with sedatives again.
I filled them with sedatives in a pudding flavor food substance and crept out. My tote was full and I also had my pencil and paper for labels. No one stopped me.
I ate the round red thing, a tomato and swooned at the flavor. The other items I would save and cook at home somehow. I picked them and placed in wrappings in my tote.
Dropping the books in the return chute at the library, I felt I was being watched. The feeling persisted and I was glad I could take a break from the garden.
My boss and the troopers were outside my building. I stopped abruptly and gawked at them.
"Get the tote bag before you kill her." A cyborg grabbed it off my shoulder. Two cyborgs took aim and the last thing I saw was my family standing near my boss eating from my stash of food, pointing and laughing. They would be provided with an extra share of food for turning me in and even more perks for turning me in for everything else. They would be set for awhile.
I should have killed them when I had the chance.
I daydreamed about Leeloo in The Fifth Element as I waited for dinner to be ready to serve my ungrateful family. Why couldn't I have a giant roasted chicken dinner?
What I was preparing was eaten quickly and every plate was literally licked clean. It was all mush, of course, but had different flavors. Tonight it was chipped beef flavor on rice flavor with applesauce flavor and real coffee flavor.
They lined up and I portioned exact measurements on each plate. Each member of my lovely family groaned and walked on. They were lucky to have anything and was it my fault we only got half rations? Nope! They just kept bringing people home and now we had to share with them.
If they irritated me too much, I would just poison them and they knew it, so they tried to be civil. I would kill the strangers first, of course, my husband second and then the kids. The damn kids are the ones who kept adopting people!
Dinner over, we sat around the view box and hoped some type of show my be aired tonight. Personally, I hoped they would discover some more seed banks and grow us some damn food.
Every citizen was required to be ever vigilant in searching for any type of growth they saw. There were Plant Alert Buttons on every block and all one had to do was push it and a team would come and collect the item.
That was my job, the PABs. I cleaned them and checked to see if they worked. I prayed to push one because I had found some plant one day.
I went to bed and dreamed of a quiet place with plenty of fresh food.
***
PAB patrol went well the next day and I even received a pack of juice chews from my boss. I ate one and hid the rest in my work pouch. What my family didn't know wouldn't hurt them. I felt energized now and hurried through my duties.
I stopped at the food depot and received my food allotment for the week. I asked a neighbor who worked there about extras for new household members. She gaped at me.
"You have extra people? You should have said something! How many new people?" I told her and my food was doubled. I gleamed with pleasure and thanked her. I didn't see the look of concern she shot at her work mate.
We ate well that night and every one was more pleasant. Maybe I wouldn't have to kill anyone.
***
Pounding awakened us before daybreak. I went to the door and jumped back as the troopers stormed in. They were cyborgs and very dangerous. They scanned every house member and took away the ones who were not blood relatives. My kids cried and begged, but their friends were taken. They would be dead very soon. Hell, at least I didn't have to kill them.
I hid the extra portions my friend had given me, but wondered why she had reported me at the same time. Oh well, water under the bridge. I dressed for work and said god bye to my sleeping family. No one else worked. They would sleep and moan all day and try to find my food hiding places. They hadn't found one yet and I had many.
There was something electric in the air when I hit the street. The street was also empty. Had I not realized it was a holiday? I decided to use my air scooter to check the office first. What could be my excuse? I loosened a wire so my lights flashed constantly.
The office was full and noisy. Something was up. My boss jumped in front of me when I entered and blocked the view box. I could see and hear excitement though and the other employees were smiling.
"Why are you here? Get back to work!"
"My lights won't stop flashing, sir."
"Go around back and a mechanic will meet you." I left, but listened as I refastened my coat.
I heard words: seed bank, food, new growth and other positive words. I wondered if they would come down to people of my level though.
The mechanic fixed the scooter and I went on patrol. If I found anything now, I would just keep it. Looked like the hoity toity folks would have their own soon.
I found nothing and went back home. My family was watching the view box too. A treasure trove of canned goods and seeds was unearthed in the mountains and it would be dispersed to all members of the city.
I sighed and my family turned to me.
"Mom? Will you still work after we have food?"
I thought about that and wondered if I would still have a job. "Yes, I will still work, for I bet it won't last long and we must always search for seeds and plants. There is work for all of you too, you know."
They looked me up and down and then ignored me again. They would just sit there and die probably. I wouldn't though.
"I will fix dinner and then I have a meeting." They shrugged.
We all ate full portions and then I left for my nonexistent meeting. I didn't take the air scooter, for it was tracked. I walked to the end of the town limit and then slid under the metal barricade. It was black as night and silent.
I leaned against the barricade until my eyes adjusted and then headed for the garden. It wasn't a garden by earlier standards, but it was life and growth for me.
Rolling back the steel plate, I could smell rich soil inside. I rolled back the plate and pushed a button. Low lights filled the space with an ethereal glow.
In the front were the new seeds. I had no idea what kind they were, but would see what developed. I walked on and the second group was shooting up through the soil. It was so exciting!
I ran to the back where the lights flowed brightest and saw colors. There was a round red thing and a green thing like a tube and all sorts of colors and shapes and I bet it was all food. I wanted to eat it all right now, but didn't know what to do with it.
Before I went back home, I decided to see if the Library was still open. I needed a book to tell me what I had in my garden.
It was open and empty as usual. I went to the library desk and asked for a book about identifying plants. Three titles popped up: Victory Gardens, Plants of the Twenty-First Century and Can I Eat This? I took them all and hid them in my tote.
I read them all, cover to cover and knew I would need to take them to my garden so I could label my plants. When though? I needed to sneak out since I could only pretend a meeting once a week. Maybe I could lace their food with sedatives again.
I filled them with sedatives in a pudding flavor food substance and crept out. My tote was full and I also had my pencil and paper for labels. No one stopped me.
I ate the round red thing, a tomato and swooned at the flavor. The other items I would save and cook at home somehow. I picked them and placed in wrappings in my tote.
Dropping the books in the return chute at the library, I felt I was being watched. The feeling persisted and I was glad I could take a break from the garden.
My boss and the troopers were outside my building. I stopped abruptly and gawked at them.
"Get the tote bag before you kill her." A cyborg grabbed it off my shoulder. Two cyborgs took aim and the last thing I saw was my family standing near my boss eating from my stash of food, pointing and laughing. They would be provided with an extra share of food for turning me in and even more perks for turning me in for everything else. They would be set for awhile.
I should have killed them when I had the chance.
53 - Future Food - J.F. Hire
"Okay, good morning everyone. Thank you for getting here so promptly. Now, let us go over the menu for service tonight."
Dawnson pulls out the large digital display board, standing with his laser pencil.
"Okay, so first off, the special of the night is Jumbo Tofu stuffed with marinated prawn. This serves as an appetizer, but because of the protein additives, it could easily be a main dish-- let them know that it's filling.
Our two entrees tonight are Trickle Waif Pasta with a delicate limone zest crementh sauce, and topped with hearty chunks of our locally-processed Grackle sprouts. We all know how light this dish can be, so suggest that they add additional protein like the skewered Trak meat, or even some of the tofu.
Entree number two consists of a throw-back. Your simple, traditional, delicious Pepperocini Pepper Pesto Pizza-- but we are calling it the Peppy Pan. It'll be deep dish with five peppers, jalapeno, cayenne, red, yellow, and ghost. Please tell them the peppers, even if they don't ask. Make them aware of the spice-- because with this traditional dish, they might get startled."
"Sir, what about desserts?"
"Of course, we have one main dessert tonight. Our Carrot Cake."
"Is... Is that all?"
"Yep. And keep in mind that it's shipped from corporate, so... Yea, it's not made fresh, but let them know that the slices are HUGE!"
"Sir, are we going to advertise the same way we did last night?"
"OF COURSE! Would it be a Disney Resort in orbit any other way?"
About an hour later, two flashy servers were placed out front of the orbiting craft, bouncing back and forth, singing the specials, and spinning around in the microgravity of orbit.
This draws the customers. It makes them stop in their tracks, turn their Private Shuttle around, and park around back.
Spared no expense.
Dawnson pulls out the large digital display board, standing with his laser pencil.
"Okay, so first off, the special of the night is Jumbo Tofu stuffed with marinated prawn. This serves as an appetizer, but because of the protein additives, it could easily be a main dish-- let them know that it's filling.
Our two entrees tonight are Trickle Waif Pasta with a delicate limone zest crementh sauce, and topped with hearty chunks of our locally-processed Grackle sprouts. We all know how light this dish can be, so suggest that they add additional protein like the skewered Trak meat, or even some of the tofu.
Entree number two consists of a throw-back. Your simple, traditional, delicious Pepperocini Pepper Pesto Pizza-- but we are calling it the Peppy Pan. It'll be deep dish with five peppers, jalapeno, cayenne, red, yellow, and ghost. Please tell them the peppers, even if they don't ask. Make them aware of the spice-- because with this traditional dish, they might get startled."
"Sir, what about desserts?"
"Of course, we have one main dessert tonight. Our Carrot Cake."
"Is... Is that all?"
"Yep. And keep in mind that it's shipped from corporate, so... Yea, it's not made fresh, but let them know that the slices are HUGE!"
"Sir, are we going to advertise the same way we did last night?"
"OF COURSE! Would it be a Disney Resort in orbit any other way?"
About an hour later, two flashy servers were placed out front of the orbiting craft, bouncing back and forth, singing the specials, and spinning around in the microgravity of orbit.
This draws the customers. It makes them stop in their tracks, turn their Private Shuttle around, and park around back.
Spared no expense.
52 - First Virus of 2050 - J.F. Hire
"Today on Fox News we uncover the past behind the newest flu sweeping the nation. Doctor Kuplah is explaining it to us now. Welcome, Doctor."
"Thank you."
"So, you call it Neuro Virus, correct?"
"Correct. The thing about this flu is that, while it doesn't move that quickly, it permeates the cerebral processor for weeks, sometimes months. There is no known cure, and the symptoms are as aggravating as a bad rash."
"Go on while we play some clips in the background."
"Okay, well as you can see from this clip, those stricken ill by Neuro Virus appear normal and don't show any physical signs-- but if you look closely you'll notice that they're all hunched, or otherwise standing in a manner which would suggest discomfort. If we go to the next clip then we notice that they have trouble interacting with others."
"And some individuals report having stroke-like qualities? Where they are unable to process words, and sometimes cannot speak the words that they intend?"
"Yes, it seems that the nervous system is targeted with this virus. Sometimes when someone is trying to say "Hello" they actually say something else. They cannot control this. And there are other, more severe, symptoms. In a few instances, the symptoms are first noticeable while operating machinery. This has caused multiple car collisions and machinery accidents in central Texas."
"This seems pretty sensational, don't you think? I mean, what's the science behind it?"
"Well if you look to the diagram here, we are shown the basic functions of the nervous system. The command is sent from the brain, down the nerves, to the dendrites, and then the action is completed. Well, with the virus, people's nerves do not react in time, or the commands are sent to the wrong place, or they aren't sent at all."
"We'll talk more, after this word from our sponsors."
Annabelle chuckled, watching the television with her husband, leaning into his chest, sighing.
"Why do we even watch this? Fox news is so unreliable."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"What?" She pulled from her husband, eyes wide at the suddenly aggressive reaction from him. "Are you okay?"
"Trying fight fight fight trigger."
In a panic, she stepped away from him, a worried look in his face, arms reaching out-- pleading for something. "Caster oil freight." A tremendous groan escaped his throat, as his knees began to jerk involuntarily, leaving him laying on the ground.
She called 911, panicked that the line was busy. How could 911 be busy? When she finally got through, she heard, on the other line, multiple people shouting and gasping. An operator picked up. "Hi yokel forget em."
And they hung up.
As her husband seemed to seize on the floor, she began to wonder just how long it would take before she was effected.
She hid in the bedroom, waiting for one or the other-- help, or helplessness.
"Thank you."
"So, you call it Neuro Virus, correct?"
"Correct. The thing about this flu is that, while it doesn't move that quickly, it permeates the cerebral processor for weeks, sometimes months. There is no known cure, and the symptoms are as aggravating as a bad rash."
"Go on while we play some clips in the background."
"Okay, well as you can see from this clip, those stricken ill by Neuro Virus appear normal and don't show any physical signs-- but if you look closely you'll notice that they're all hunched, or otherwise standing in a manner which would suggest discomfort. If we go to the next clip then we notice that they have trouble interacting with others."
"And some individuals report having stroke-like qualities? Where they are unable to process words, and sometimes cannot speak the words that they intend?"
"Yes, it seems that the nervous system is targeted with this virus. Sometimes when someone is trying to say "Hello" they actually say something else. They cannot control this. And there are other, more severe, symptoms. In a few instances, the symptoms are first noticeable while operating machinery. This has caused multiple car collisions and machinery accidents in central Texas."
"This seems pretty sensational, don't you think? I mean, what's the science behind it?"
"Well if you look to the diagram here, we are shown the basic functions of the nervous system. The command is sent from the brain, down the nerves, to the dendrites, and then the action is completed. Well, with the virus, people's nerves do not react in time, or the commands are sent to the wrong place, or they aren't sent at all."
"We'll talk more, after this word from our sponsors."
Annabelle chuckled, watching the television with her husband, leaning into his chest, sighing.
"Why do we even watch this? Fox news is so unreliable."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"What?" She pulled from her husband, eyes wide at the suddenly aggressive reaction from him. "Are you okay?"
"Trying fight fight fight trigger."
In a panic, she stepped away from him, a worried look in his face, arms reaching out-- pleading for something. "Caster oil freight." A tremendous groan escaped his throat, as his knees began to jerk involuntarily, leaving him laying on the ground.
She called 911, panicked that the line was busy. How could 911 be busy? When she finally got through, she heard, on the other line, multiple people shouting and gasping. An operator picked up. "Hi yokel forget em."
And they hung up.
As her husband seemed to seize on the floor, she began to wonder just how long it would take before she was effected.
She hid in the bedroom, waiting for one or the other-- help, or helplessness.
52 First Virus of 2050 - RT Shores (SciFi)
Killer Flu Hits the East Coast!
Scientists wandered the empty streets in spacesuits, carrying automatic weapons. If someone made a run for them, they were shot. If someone was dying on the sidewalk, they took their blood and then they shot them. These men and women of science were now terminators of life.
The scientists in the warehouses watched as their counterparts did hazardous duty and sweated with them. They knew it would be their turn in a few hours. They were glad is was Winter, for the temperature in the suits, though controlled somewhat, was claustrophobia producing.
January 13, 2050, the flu had struck with a vengeance unheard of in modern times. It was so virulent, Martial Law had been instituted within the first week to save the health care workers constantly being attacked and infected. It was the first time they would also carry weapons to protect themselves.
Hospitals were Petri dishes that were constantly emptied of the dead and the corpses transported right to incinerators. It was like a new kind of hell. Once a hospital was emptied it was sanitized from top to bottom with chemicals so potent, no one could reenter until it was aired and wiped down.
Medical care took place in tents and in the streets. The cold was making things harder, but the worst part is that, to date, only handfuls of people had survived the flu. They were under forced confinement due to the value of their blood in trying to make a vaccine. It was a tough time for all.
The scientists at the CDC and other level IV labs were working desperately with blood they had obtained from flu victims who had survived the flu. The antibodies were finally isolated so it was time to try to make the vaccine now.
They were out of monkeys, so they sought out volunteers from the prison populations that had just been exposed. If the inmate tool the vaccine and didn't become ill, they would be pardoned and released from prison, except to the worst offenders.
The inmates readily volunteered and were inoculated. They were observed for twenty four hours in the infirmary of the prison, due to the virulence of the flu and then released and checked hourly for symptoms. The prison population was quickly decimated by the flu, but the volunteers were still healthy at 24, 48 and 72 hours. They were released after blood specimens had been obtained from each of them. Vaccine production went into overtime and the first to be inoculated were those on the front lines.
No one suffered adverse reactions except one female scientist who developed Bell's Palsy. She would receive cortisone for it, should it not resolve.
The vaccines were spread throughout the USA. The country began to get back on its feet, but the damage had been done. The estimated population now was about three million as opposed the previous figure of three hundred million.
The same figures were worldwide. The populations had dwindled to ten percent of previous counts.
People were shuttled to farming communities while the cities were vigorously disinfected or burned. Hidden pockets of virus didn't need to reemerge in a few years.
The worldwide attitude was still extremely guarded. There were very few international flights and those never touched down anymore, but did drops using parachutes. The ship lines carried only supplies and the only people aboard never left the ship.
The cities were ghost worlds. The farming towns and villages bustled. The largest employers were now security firms to assist in the quarantine for new arrivals. Martial law was still in effect.
The Earth seemed to sigh. The animals stretched and roamed. The air was light and the water was clearing. It was a new world...
Scientists wandered the empty streets in spacesuits, carrying automatic weapons. If someone made a run for them, they were shot. If someone was dying on the sidewalk, they took their blood and then they shot them. These men and women of science were now terminators of life.
The scientists in the warehouses watched as their counterparts did hazardous duty and sweated with them. They knew it would be their turn in a few hours. They were glad is was Winter, for the temperature in the suits, though controlled somewhat, was claustrophobia producing.
January 13, 2050, the flu had struck with a vengeance unheard of in modern times. It was so virulent, Martial Law had been instituted within the first week to save the health care workers constantly being attacked and infected. It was the first time they would also carry weapons to protect themselves.
Hospitals were Petri dishes that were constantly emptied of the dead and the corpses transported right to incinerators. It was like a new kind of hell. Once a hospital was emptied it was sanitized from top to bottom with chemicals so potent, no one could reenter until it was aired and wiped down.
Medical care took place in tents and in the streets. The cold was making things harder, but the worst part is that, to date, only handfuls of people had survived the flu. They were under forced confinement due to the value of their blood in trying to make a vaccine. It was a tough time for all.
The scientists at the CDC and other level IV labs were working desperately with blood they had obtained from flu victims who had survived the flu. The antibodies were finally isolated so it was time to try to make the vaccine now.
They were out of monkeys, so they sought out volunteers from the prison populations that had just been exposed. If the inmate tool the vaccine and didn't become ill, they would be pardoned and released from prison, except to the worst offenders.
The inmates readily volunteered and were inoculated. They were observed for twenty four hours in the infirmary of the prison, due to the virulence of the flu and then released and checked hourly for symptoms. The prison population was quickly decimated by the flu, but the volunteers were still healthy at 24, 48 and 72 hours. They were released after blood specimens had been obtained from each of them. Vaccine production went into overtime and the first to be inoculated were those on the front lines.
No one suffered adverse reactions except one female scientist who developed Bell's Palsy. She would receive cortisone for it, should it not resolve.
The vaccines were spread throughout the USA. The country began to get back on its feet, but the damage had been done. The estimated population now was about three million as opposed the previous figure of three hundred million.
The same figures were worldwide. The populations had dwindled to ten percent of previous counts.
People were shuttled to farming communities while the cities were vigorously disinfected or burned. Hidden pockets of virus didn't need to reemerge in a few years.
The worldwide attitude was still extremely guarded. There were very few international flights and those never touched down anymore, but did drops using parachutes. The ship lines carried only supplies and the only people aboard never left the ship.
The cities were ghost worlds. The farming towns and villages bustled. The largest employers were now security firms to assist in the quarantine for new arrivals. Martial law was still in effect.
The Earth seemed to sigh. The animals stretched and roamed. The air was light and the water was clearing. It was a new world...
51 Something In Your Purse - RT Shores (Supernatural)
Hidden Compartments
The leaves crackled as walkers and joggers went by. The air was chilly and stimulating.
He watched her and wondered how long she could handle sitting on the cold bench with only a thin sweater. She could move into the sunlight at least. It was always the same though. She came, sat for an hour and left. She didn't meet anyone or even watch the people pass in front of her. She was a mystery.
Her job was right across the street from the park and as soon as she hit the lobby she became a different person. Her face suddenly glowed and was animated. She talked to coworkers and bosses. He was intrigued; too intrigued.
He had been watching her for over a year, trying to get her attention, some eye contact, just once. He guessed some would call him a stalker, but really, he was just eating his lunch in the park. I mean, if he happened to go near her house as he walked home, that wasn't stalking, was it?
He didn't know her name or age or anything except the park her and the work her.
***
Spring was here now and he hoped this Spring he could say hello. She was pretty in pink and flowers and he liked how her long hair was caught by the breeze and lifted gently.
She suddenly stirred and he looked around. Something had changed. He felt it, but couldn't see it; a change was coming, but they seemed to be the only two to notice.
She stood, but it wasn't time for her to return to work. She was frightened. She saw me and held out her hand. I took it and we began to run, run away from her work and mine.
We ran faster and faster and soon we were on the other side of the park. We both bent over to catch our breath, but we knew whatever was going to happen hadn't happened yet. We waited.
She climbed to a small rise and I followed. She opened her tote and pulled out juice packs for both of us. We guzzled them and then a small bottle of water as well.
Suddenly she clung to my right arm and looked into the sky. My eyes followed. All I saw was a helicopter. I looked back at her, but her eyes were frozen to the sky. I looked back and watched as the helicopter exploded. Our eyes followed the path of the falling chopper and it was to our sitting area and her work.
I turned slowly, in amazement.
"How did you know?" I asked breathlessly.
"I just knew it would be within the last year, but had no date, just the time. I knew to wait quietly, and my purse would tell me when it was near."
"Your purse?"
She opened it and it seemed bottomless. I could see a small pantry, first aid kit and some type of strange electronic device. It was blinking green now.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am just like you, but have the ability to recognize a coming disaster by time. The problem is that I never have the date. I waited close to two years in one place before, but I did save a family. Today I just saved you and me."
"Sounds wonderful to me and thank you!"
She smiled and let out a huge sigh. "Now I can relax until I get the next feeling. Your workplace should be fine, but mine was destroyed and all my friends there. You should go back, but after work come to my place, okay?"
I nodded and we walked to my work, hand in hand. She headed to her burning and destroyed workplace and just shook her head. They never listened to her. She reached into her tote and toggled the switch to Ready on her sense enhancer, though she never wanted to be alerted again.
She began to walk home, but stopped and sat near a trash can. She toggled the switch off and placed the machine in the trash. She had done enough. They could find someone else for the next disaster.
The leaves crackled as walkers and joggers went by. The air was chilly and stimulating.
He watched her and wondered how long she could handle sitting on the cold bench with only a thin sweater. She could move into the sunlight at least. It was always the same though. She came, sat for an hour and left. She didn't meet anyone or even watch the people pass in front of her. She was a mystery.
Her job was right across the street from the park and as soon as she hit the lobby she became a different person. Her face suddenly glowed and was animated. She talked to coworkers and bosses. He was intrigued; too intrigued.
He had been watching her for over a year, trying to get her attention, some eye contact, just once. He guessed some would call him a stalker, but really, he was just eating his lunch in the park. I mean, if he happened to go near her house as he walked home, that wasn't stalking, was it?
He didn't know her name or age or anything except the park her and the work her.
***
Spring was here now and he hoped this Spring he could say hello. She was pretty in pink and flowers and he liked how her long hair was caught by the breeze and lifted gently.
She suddenly stirred and he looked around. Something had changed. He felt it, but couldn't see it; a change was coming, but they seemed to be the only two to notice.
She stood, but it wasn't time for her to return to work. She was frightened. She saw me and held out her hand. I took it and we began to run, run away from her work and mine.
We ran faster and faster and soon we were on the other side of the park. We both bent over to catch our breath, but we knew whatever was going to happen hadn't happened yet. We waited.
She climbed to a small rise and I followed. She opened her tote and pulled out juice packs for both of us. We guzzled them and then a small bottle of water as well.
Suddenly she clung to my right arm and looked into the sky. My eyes followed. All I saw was a helicopter. I looked back at her, but her eyes were frozen to the sky. I looked back and watched as the helicopter exploded. Our eyes followed the path of the falling chopper and it was to our sitting area and her work.
I turned slowly, in amazement.
"How did you know?" I asked breathlessly.
"I just knew it would be within the last year, but had no date, just the time. I knew to wait quietly, and my purse would tell me when it was near."
"Your purse?"
She opened it and it seemed bottomless. I could see a small pantry, first aid kit and some type of strange electronic device. It was blinking green now.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am just like you, but have the ability to recognize a coming disaster by time. The problem is that I never have the date. I waited close to two years in one place before, but I did save a family. Today I just saved you and me."
"Sounds wonderful to me and thank you!"
She smiled and let out a huge sigh. "Now I can relax until I get the next feeling. Your workplace should be fine, but mine was destroyed and all my friends there. You should go back, but after work come to my place, okay?"
I nodded and we walked to my work, hand in hand. She headed to her burning and destroyed workplace and just shook her head. They never listened to her. She reached into her tote and toggled the switch to Ready on her sense enhancer, though she never wanted to be alerted again.
She began to walk home, but stopped and sat near a trash can. She toggled the switch off and placed the machine in the trash. She had done enough. They could find someone else for the next disaster.
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