While being a lab animal, Varan had made a nasty discovery... ----- Chapter 19. Varan: Aching pain. Fear. Red-black light. Mumbling voices, whispers, shouts of half-understood words, thundering nausea in my gut, horror waiting, waiting to emerge when I could remember the reason. I heard a gabble of nonsense: …wait to get Off of that you will isn't the HEY THE READINGS JUMPED hope she doesn't catch TC Conversion Radius 10,119.5, that's a little Oh, sink it, I'll have to I'LL LET THE PRIME MONITOR KNOW Six and One… Only it was [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 11
March 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Back in the present, Dylan's got a hunt to prepare for... ----- Chapter 11. New York City, 2010 It was easy to lose himself in the past. Too easy. Dylan rubbed his eyes and refocused on the pan he was buttering. Back then, he'd felt responsible for Keith and was willing to give up his humanity for what the vampire did to Bridget and Jackson. It was a struggle for Anna to redirect him. He was stubborn, like many of his own clients these days. Anna never did approve of his hunting. It was always a bone of contention between them. [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 18
March 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Varan had been asked to do something incredible... ----- Chapter 18. Varan: "Discomfort feeling now you should not." The R'Thann scientist said matter-of-factly. I felt there were considerable grounds for me to disagree, but I suspected he meant from the procedure itself. Strapped down by form-fitting metallic shackles to a pallet at the center of a nightmarish array of emitters, sensors, processors, field-generators, and other devices, injectors integrated into the armlocks, I was far from comfortable and, despite all [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 17
March 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Time to find out exactly what the Prime Monitor, and the Empire, want from Varan... ----- Chapter 17. Varan: For the third time I entered the huge, enclosed sub-laboratory which seemed to be solely the domain of Sooovickalassa. The second time had been a few days ago, to run some additional tests which hadn't taken nearly as long as the first set. I had been able to talk with the reptilian scientist for a while, these tests apparently being much more a matter of having me present to be scanned rather than having me actually DO [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 10
March 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The problem with being a revenant in this world is that you don't so much remember as you re-live past events... ----- Chapter 10. New York City, 1980 The air was crisp and cool against his cheeks. Dylan turned his face toward the welcoming breeze as it tossed the hair from his eyes and away from his face. He inhaled, tasting the bitter stench of gasoline, grease, garbage and human sweat. It was a new world to him. The smells alone were overwhelming. He had never imagined how acute the sense of a renfield were. If he focused, [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 16
March 7, 2018 By 1 Comment
Well, we had this point of view once before, it's time to look in on her again... ----- Chapter 16. The Eönwyl: With a distant whining screech, her eponymous starship disintegrated and reassembled itself. Where am I? The D-scanners determined her position relative to the calculated exit point and an overlay on her vision system showed that Picket 10 should be nearly dead ahead of her… and she realized that there was in fact a brilliant almost-star in that exact position. Great Darkness, I can see it! Even as the D-comm [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 9
March 6, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan has some work to do, now that he's actually up and awake... ----- Chapter 9. New York City, 2010 The evening went swiftly, and they had a fair number of customers, most of them either students from local universities or art students, since O'Reily's was only a few blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. Dylan worked the back, mixing batter and baking up a storm, while the twins and Qui worked the front. "The twins" were two teenaged Canadian girls from British Columbia who had shown up on his [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 15
March 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Varan was waiting for results of his testing, but at least it was in a comfortable place... ----- Chapter 15. Varan: I emerged onto the sun balcony where one of the servants had told me breakfast was being served. Thank the Eternal that it sounds quiet. No mob this morning. Treyuusei was actually cooking, to my surprise – and gratification, as I got closer. "Sweet Sevens? Trey, you shouldn't have!" "You're going to be spoiled the whole time you're here, Sash, so get used to it." "I don't dare get used to it, Trey; [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Chapter 14
March 2, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Well, Sasham had finished his first day with the Monitor and survived... Chapter 14. Taelin: Taelin watched as Sasham Varan exited from the great gates of Silan-Luria, turn with that characteristic precision and execute a perfect Six and One to the Monitor who'd led him out before turning and trotting down the wide white steps to the waiting Streetwing. "Taelin! Thanks for coming to get me!" "No thanks needed, Sash. Everyone's looking forward to seeing you, and most of them worried that they'll have to try to walk [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 8
March 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment
We're back in the present, and Dylan had made quite a night of it... ----- Chapter 8. New York City, 2010 The black nothingness of death’s sleep slowly broke to the pounding of a fist on the door and the throbbing of Dylan’s head. He heard a click as the door to his studio apartment opened. With a groan, he rolled over, arm draping over the back of the couch and his face sinking deep into the plush white cushions. "Go away. And let me suffer in peace." "Doc Sacco said you’d be hung over," said the lanky, dark haired Latino [ Continue reading... ]
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