Varan is finally at the Capital, and time for him to meet the Prime Monitor! ----- PART TWO: Mind Dances Chapter 13. Varan: "Welcome, Commander Varan. It is a genuine pleasure to meet you at last." "Thank you, Monitor Shagrath." The Prime Monitor had a handclasp of E-steel; I did my best to match it. I'm not sure which of us got the better of it. I could see what made Shagrath unsettling to Taelin, or at least part of it. The Prime Monitor wore a reflective sensevisor, hiding his eyes behind blank silvery [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 7
February 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan was reliving the event that changed his life... ----- Chapter 7. New York City, 1980/2010 With that decision made, he felt ready to at least face what was coming. "You can't fool me," he said, returning to their prior conversation, "there is no cure for someone going revenant, save blowing 'em up before they turn all the way. I’ll still raise." Dylan's voice dropped and he curled his shaking hand around his injured shoulder. His soul would be doomed if either he killed himself, or if she killed him. Unfortunately he [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: REVELATION, Chapter 12
February 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Sasham and Taelin were heading for the capital... ----- Chapter 12. Varan: I heard the faint chiming hum of the DD drive kick in just as the blaze of emergence from the Nexus faded. I glanced at Taelin, who was already grinning in his usual sunny way. "Still trying to get yourself and your passengers killed?" "I have a bet on with Kyrell – you remember, Treyuusei's big brother? – that I can't get from this Nexus to Oro orbit in less than fifty minutes." Taelin was already working the dimensional balance controls, [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 11
February 23, 2018 By 4 Comments
So Taelin was taking Sasham to the capital... ----- Chapter 11. Taelin: "Sasham?" The emptiness of his friend's cabin was clear evidence that Sasham wasn't there. Excellent deduction, Taelin! Worthy of a Monitor! So where… Fortunately, there were only so many places that Varan could go, even on a yacht such as Valabacal. Taelin first checked the small bridge, in case Varan had taken the other hallway up as Taelin came down to check on him this morning, then worked his way down systematically. He could have just queried the [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 6
February 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan had blacked out after an unexpected savior had shown up... ----- Chapter 6. New York City, 1980 Darkness. Pain. Memories of a chair pushing through something that ripped and crunched and screamed. He sat up with a gasp – and knew right away that was a mistake, because pain ripped through him from his toes to his scalp. He sagged back into the cushions but let his eyes open. He did feel cushions. In a bed. Turning his head, he realized it was a hospital bed. Metal railing, obviously adjustable. The faint beep-beep of [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 10
February 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Well, Varan had met up again with his old friend Taelin finally... ----- Chapter 10. Varan: "…and then you came up behind Canta as he was trying to get in and did a crystal-perfect imitation of a windwailer!" Taelin laughed again as he remembered. "He almost jumped out of his snowsuit!" I chuckled. "Oh, yeah, it seemed real funny to you. If you remember the rest of it, once he came back DOWN from the roof he almost killed me." Taelin poured another glass of Oron jucilla, a sort of creamy fermented juice [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 5
February 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan was having a not-pleasant-at-all flashback... ----- Chapter 5. New York City, 1980 Darkness gave way to awareness and a tight, painful feeling in his chest. Slowly, Dylan cracked open his eyes. He was lying on his side, in tall grass, back up against a small hard surface. Three tall shadows stood around him, two nearby, their reflective silvery eyes focused on him. The third stood a few feet away; he drove a shovel into the earth, and scooped away heaps of dirt as he dug a shallow grave. Struggling for breath, Dylan [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 9
February 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Captain Varan is having a tough workday... ----- Chapter 9. Varan: I refuse to let this beat me. "No, Z..Zakhla. I'm okay. Just… don't move too quick, okay?" I saw my old friend in a haze of sinister double vision; a part of me, the part that was focused on the job of finishing the readjustment of the combat simulation contact generator, recognized the old tilt of the head, the lopsided way Zakh held his second manipulator pair whenever he was worried, the way the light played on the lenses of his eyes. I could see how worried and [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Revelation, Chapter 8
February 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Taelin Mel'Tasne had been sent out on a mission... ----- Chapter 8. Taelin: "Frankel! Good of you to meet me here." Taelin glanced around, verifying that no one else had come with the Station Monitor. His scanners blinked a silver confirmation directly to his retina, showing that all security monitors were also switched off. "I could hardly do anything else," the Monitor said with a small smile, "given who sent you." He also glanced around, but his was the look of a security man uncomfortable with having to be [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 4
February 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan's about to have a flashback to a not-very-happy day... ----- Chapter 4. New York City, 2010/1980 Didn't I promise myself I'd never drink the blood of others? Dylan thought to himself. Immediately his brain responded, This blood is donated, from volunteers. It's not like I'm eating from a fresh kill. It's fine, and I really need some tonight. Yeah, good work on that rationalization, brain, Dylan thought, as he stared at the Doc Sacco's patio garden and thick vine covered lattice. The ghoul lived in a basement [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying