The ensign found the captain in the port observation lounge, on the upper level leaning on the railing. She was gazing out at the asteroid mining colony, hair loose, uniform jacket open. The ensign approached slowly. “Captain…” she said hesitantly.
The captain gestured at the mostly dark mining colony. “It’s a hell of a thing. An entire colony just gone. At least they left the infrastructure mostly intact.”
A digital world exists around us. Unseen by our eyes. Untouchable by our hands. Avatars mirror our movements tying us physically to the digital realm. We effect that world but does it effect our world? Millions of phones, computers, logged into the same program. A program that must be kept running. Always calculating your position. It that all it calculates?
We move about the world at the whim of the program. It’s control is imprecise, guiding the semi random movements of people through the landscape with incentives. A pokestop here and here creates flow, movement. Structure. A gym pulls us toward it encouraging movement from farther points. To what end does it direct us? What does it gain from our increased movement?
A neuron wonders what the brain is thinking.
It seemed simple enough when she told you how to travel through time. So, simple that a child from four thousand years in the future had done it on a whim. Four thousand years is a long time for advancements to be made but you thought with a few expansions on the tech needed you could do it.
The first time machine prototype’s particle collider was undersized and the necessary expansion of space though the eighth dimension caused it to implode.
“What’s going on? Who are you? Why did you save me?” The target screamed at me while we ran down an alley.
[MISSION – PROTECT] my armor’s AI reminded me. “Private contract. Extract and protect until enemy is neutralized,” I said.
“What enemy?”
[DATA CLASSIFIED] “I don’t know. Another team is going after them.”
The black void of interspace opened back unto the comforting star field of Sol system. The home of all humans; now disputed territory in a war between two alien factions.
“Is Jupiter still there?” May asked, impatient to know the status of our objective. We had abandoned the outer planets to the alien forces that sought to use them for resources. Earth had become a tightly defended planet with defenses re-engineered from ships captured from both sides. They had sent a few scouts and a small attack force, after that but then nothing. Maybe we were too a small a fish to go after as an enemy or ally.
Author note: I am going to be posting more “issues” of this story but it won’t be on a weekly basis. Next week starts the run of Lisa’s Story: Zombie Apocalypse on Mondays. S.O.D #2 may come out the following week on Wednesday and bi-weekly after that but no promises.
Retail at Christmas time is a special kind of hell. On it’s own retail is hell but when the holidays come around it’s like dropping further down a couple of levels into the pit. The crush of people who can’t put a shirt back on a hanger or pick up the toys their kids have scattered or read the signs listing our holiday hours.
And the questions they ask:
“Do you have this in a medium?” I will burn you where you stand with my laser death ray for not understanding the overly simple ordering of the small, medium, large clothing racks… I mean,*smile*, let me check for you.
“Do you have a dressing room?” I will turn you into an ice sculpture with my ice death ray. No, we force everyone to guess their size and engage in a lengthy buy, return, and buy in different size cycle… I mean, *smile*, it’s right there to the left behind the purses.
Not that I would kill or maim anyone. I’ve hung up my death rays and locked away my powered armor with kung fu grip. I have a simple life with a simple plan: Don’t make waves, just live out your life as an ordinary woman. It’s complicated by two facts: I am– was a super villain and I’m a trans woman.
I’m seven years old.
“She’s waking up.”
I’m lying on a bed. There’s two women in the room. I don’t see my mommy. “Where’s my mommy?”
“Hi, you’re in a hospital. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?” one woman asks. She’s wearing all white and seems nice.
“I was laying down in a machine to scan my brain,” I say.
“Good, good. Can you tell me how old you are?” She has a pretty smile.
“I’m seven. My birthday party was last week. We went skating.” It was a lot of fun.
“Good, first layer seems to have integrated. We should get her memories up to adult range as soon as possible.” The other woman is also dressed in white and she has a computer tablet. She doesn’t smile.
“Can you sit up?”
She helps me to sit up. Something feels weird. I look down and I have boobies. “I have boobies,” I say.
“Yes, you do. Can you look at the light?” She shines a light in my eyes and snaps her fingers near my head.
“Reaction time seems fine,” the other woman says.
“Ok, lay back down and put your head here.” She points to a hole in big metal donut at the head of the bed.
I don’t want to lay down. I’m scared. I want my mommy. “I want my mommy.”
“I know but first you have to lay down and then you can see your mommy, ok.”
“Promise?” I ask.
“Promise,” she says and crosses her heart. I lay down and put my head in the donut, “Ok, spin it up.”
“Preparing upload,” the woman with the tablet says.
The future is not a profitable venture.
The future is not a profitable venture.
The ship is off course and Maria is having bad dreams.
The ship is off course and Maria is having bad dreams.
Slice of life story; part space adventure and part lesbian relationship story.
In the wake of the nearly disastrous incidents, Maria makes what repairs she can.
Slice of life story; part space adventure and part lesbian relationship story.
In the wake of the nearly disastrous incidents, Maria makes what repairs she can.