Eclectic Narratives - Interview with a Part-time Supervillain [#199]

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         “Welcome back to the First Panel! Where we interview all your favorite personalities from around the world,” the blonde man on the stage announced to a clapping crowd. “I’m your host, Steven Stephen, and we’ve got an extra special guest tonight.” The camera panned to the far side of the stage. “From the shallows of the east coast, it’s the part-time Supervillain we all know and...ahem...fear, Crab Man!”

           Emerging from backstage came a man dressed in a frayed lab coat and glasses—his frazzled graying hair in line with the stereotypical mad scientist. A giant, mechanical crab claw replaced his right arm, which he displayed for all the crowd to see. “Thank you, thank you,” he waved to the crowd as he approached the host. “It’s great to be here, Steve. Can I call you Steve?”

           “No problem,” Steve shook hands with Crab Man before sitting down at a large wooden desk. “So, Crab Man, how goes the life of a part-time supervillain?”

           “Ah, it’s the usual,” the villain sat down in a leather chair. “Petty crimes, heroes stopping you at every turn, experiments gone wrong, those sorts of things.”

          “I see,” Steve nodded. “I hear you just got released on bail after your latest encounter with Amphibious Man. Can you tell us the full story behind that?”

           “I’m always ready to monologue about my greatest nemesis,” Crab man declared. “It all began a few short weeks ago; I was raiding those large fishing vessels to steal their catches. I had finally perfected my telepathic crab control helmet, and was the theft was going to be the first field test. Of course, Amphibious Man showed up immediately. Turns out he was friends with the ship’s captain and had swum up to the ship that morning to say hi. My army of crabs should have swarmed and destroyed him in an instant. Sadly, crabs aren’t the fastest creatures. Amphibious Man merely walked up to me and smashed my helmet before the crabs could attack.”

           “Sounds like a lot of bad luck,” Steve commented.

           “Oh, you have no idea,” Crab Man exclaimed. “The worst part was sitting on deck tied to the mast until the coast guard showed up. It took them hours to find us. Mainly because they had to wade through a mile or so of crabs that scattered after my telepathic control helmet broke.”

           “Really?” Steve’s interest was piqued. “If you don’t mind me asking, was there any ecological impact from that influx of crabs?”

           “Well, I haven’t been back to see for myself,” Crab Man shrugged, “but my guess is yes. I’m planning on avoiding the beaches near there for a while.”

           “Aren’t you concerned you’ll be held responsible for any potential damages from the ecological impact?” Steve inquired.

           “Not if my lawyer has anything to say about it,” Crab Man replied.

           “Okay, let’s change the subject,” Steve shifted gears. “What’s your opinion on the country’s economy?”

           “Invest more in the marine sciences and fishing,” Crab Man answered.

           “Alright,” Steve nodded, “tell us, why do you call yourself a part-time supervillain?”       

           “Because that’s exactly what I am,” Crab Man explained. “I really only picked up the supervillain bit as a side job at first, mainly to fund my research.”

           “Oh, and what kind of research was that?” Steve asked.

           “The reproductive habits of starfish,” Crab Man replied.

           “That’s not what I expected,” Steve was surprised.

           “I don’t blame you,” Crab Man sighed. “The crab theme was sort of incidental, but it’s my thing now, and I’ll wear it proudly.”

           “Sounds good,” Steve smiled. “We’ve got a little more time. Anything you’d like to say to the audience?”

           “Stay in school and always eat breakfast,” Crab Man turned the audience.

           “You heard it heard first folks,” Steve laughed. “Stay tuned. After the break, we’ll have another special guest, Zarn, Emperor of Darkness. And now a word from our sponsors.” The camera panned away from the stage. Crab Man and Steve continued to chat, but their audio was replaced by the talk show’s main theme. This continued for a few moments before it cut to commercial.

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I don't have any sappy pseudo-philosophy for this one, I just wrote this out on a whim. Honestly, I want to revisit these concepts and try something else with them. I'll keep Crab Man, but maybe next time it won't be a talk show, I need to think about this...

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Those Tiny Girls, Part 2

Part 1 [link]

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           The last thing to grab on Allison’s checklist was her toolbox. It was the most essential item to bring. However, it was so bulky it was best to save it as the last thing to grab on her way out the door. The redhead noted the box felt a little heavier than usual; but, the thought quickly exited her mind with the task at hand taking priority.

           Allison and two of the radar girls rushed into the blizzard. The last girl was left behind to monitor the radar while they were away. While the storm outside was harsh, the girls powered through the ice and snow. They quickly found their way to the building that contained the antenna. After prying the frozen, steel door open, they promptly shut it behind them. The trio didn’t strip off their coats as the structure was only somewhat warmer than the exterior.

           The tower that contained the antenna was a cylindrical structure that stretched up for hundreds of meters. A system of ladders and platforms circled around it. Each granted access to numerous systems, panels, and reading that displayed the health of the antenna. The antenna itself was a massive steel construction and showed no signs of severe damage or wear.

           “You, first third,” Allison pointed at one of the radar girls. “You, second third,” she told the next, “I’ll handle the top.” The three scattered to their own sections of the antenna’s tower. Normally, they could use their wings to fly to the top, but the cold weather discouraged such practices and forced them to climb.

           After a quick once over of the antenna, all its systems, and panels, the three convened in the structure’s central shaft, albeit on separate floors. “Did you find anything?” Allison yelled from the highest floor.

           “I told you we found nothing last time, and I guess what? I found nothing this time,” the first radar girl on the lowest floor replied.

           “Same, nothing was wrong. Everything looked to be running smoothly for the most part,” the second radar girl on the middle floor answered.

           “What do you mean for the most part?” Allison asked.

           “Well one of the panels had a weird reading, but it was within acceptable limits,” the second girl explained.

           “Every little detail matters,” Allison commented, “I’m coming down there.” The girl rushed down to the middle floors, toolbox in hand. “Well, what’s the problem?” Allison arrived in record time.

           “Well, it’s this one,” the second girl pointed to a panel with dozens of readings on it. “It’s supposed to keep track of some power lines, but a few of the readings are a little lower than usual. Not enough to be an issue, and they kind of flit back and forth between being fine and being low.”

           “That sounds like a sensor issue,” Allison deduced. “Give me a sec,” she discarded her coat and expanded her wings. The mechanical girl flew down below the platform they were standing on. She found another panel with the sensor she was looking for. After prying it open and fiddling with the electronics, she got the system working again. “I was right,” Allison returned, “the sensor needed a quick reboot, so what does it read now?”

           “Not good,” the radar girl went pale, “one of the lines is producing under half its normal power. It looks like it works fully sometimes, but most of the time it’s not putting out nearly enough energy.”

           “Just great,” Allison flew back down to the sensor and traced the power lines running to it. Each of the cables ran into a wall through a narrow gap. “Are you kidding me? No wonder you never found anything; you can’t actually see the problem,” Allison exclaimed. “Who thought it was a good idea to have power lines out of sight like this?”

           “I think there’s a panel to reach in from the outside,” the radar girl on the lower floor commented.

           “We can’t get there in this blizzard,” Allison pointed out. “We’d get blown away or freeze,” she returned to the platform with the second radar girl. “How could we possibly get in...Hmm?” Allison noticed her toolbox shaking and moving around on its own. “Don’t tell me,” she popped open the box to find Dee, Ver, and Mera inside.

           “Hi, Allison,” Dee greeted the larger girl.

           “I don’t even know how I got here,” Ver rubbed her sleepy eyes.

           “It was Dee’s idea,” Mera passed the buck.

           “You guys again?” The second radar girl grew annoyed.

           “No wait, this is a blessing in disguise,” Allison smiled. “Ver, do you want to make up for what happened before?”

           “Of course, I do!” Ver jumped to attention.

           “Alright then, you three come with me,” Allison picked up her toolbox with the three small girls still contained inside.

~--~

           The three tiny girls crawled into the narrow gap. Their small size allowed them to fit comfortably through the opening into the wall’s slightly wider interior. They followed the power line until they reached a small panel that the lines ran through. Ver quickly popped it open and found the issue immediately. The board controlling the flow of power through the panel had fallen out of place. This was clearly indicated by a couple of decayed screws falling out as soon as the panel was opened.

           “Allison can you see this?” Mera trained her camera lens on the panel. While her video feed was transmitted back on its own, her voice was being broadcasted through Dee’s radio.

           “Yeah, I can,” Allison replied through Dee’s speakers. “Should be an easy fix. Nothing looks seriously damaged. Just turn off that switch to the right, and Ver can screw the board back in.”

           “Alright,” Mera replied. She and Dee moved over to the box’s right side and tugged on the metal switch. For their size, it was a difficult, but not impossible, task to pull it down and cut off the flow of electricity to the panel. Meanwhile, Ver pulled out some spare screws from a little bag that Allison lent her.

           “This shouldn’t be hard,” Ver screwed the board back into place. A satisfying click indicating that it had settled right back into place.

           “Now switch it back on,” Allison ordered; Dee and Mera quickly obliged. “Alright, is it looking better on your end?” Allison radioed the radar girl who remained back at the bunker.

           “Still not quite there,” the girl replied, “it’s better, but we’re still missing some power. Hurry though the fleet is going to be here in the next-” She was suddenly cut off.

           “Dang it, the storm’s picking up,” Allison noted the wind had grown louder and beat against the tower’s walls. “Mera’s feed is going bad too,” the redhead noticed the video becoming mostly static.

           “What do we do?” Ver began to panic.

           “The panel is on, so watch it close,” Allison began. “If I’m correct about what model it is, then it shows the flow of power through its circuits using a flowing yellow light. But, if the light is red anywhere, that means there’s a problem.”

           “Oh, I see it,” Ver noticed three points where the flow of power turned red, each at a crucial junction.

           “Okay, in the little baggy are a few gold wires,” Allison explained. “They’re basically a band-aid for panels like this. Just stick them over the problem spot, and they’ll remedy the problem for a bit. Be careful so that you don’t-” Allison’s voice was cut off as the storm grew even worse outside.

           “That’s not good,” Dee shivered as the metal around them creaked from the force of the winds.

           “Got to work fast. The fleet is coming,” Ver quickly snatched up the gold wires.

           “Let’s switch it off again, so you do n’t-Eeek,” Mera slipped from her position as the tower began to sway in the flow of the storm. Dee tumbled away as well, their small size betraying them as the building shook.

           “Got to hold on,” Ver wedged her screwdriver hand into the wall to keep herself stable. “Forget the switch. I need to put these on.” The tiny girl carefully applied the gold wires to the trouble spots. Like Allison’s metaphor described, they stuck on like band-aids. “Last one,” Ver put the last wire on before slipping from her perch and falling after her companions. The trio tumbled down through the interior of the wall, which grew alarmingly steeper. Finally, they dropped out of the narrow gap, only to be caught by Allison.

           “We need to leave now,” Allison exclaimed as she stuffed the trio back inside her toolbox. She grabbed her coat and flew back to the tower’s entrance. She and the two radar girls fled the building with haste as it finally bent over too far and fell. Allison raced back to the bunker as the storm grew to further terrifying speeds. The three mechanical girls, plus the three tiny girls, made it back to the bunker in record time. Although, each was more than a little frostbitten.

           “Are you guys okay?” The last radar girl greeted them at the entrance.

           “We’re sorry we couldn’t-” Allison coughed. “We couldn’t fix it in time.”

           “What are you talking about? It worked for a moment, at least,” the radar girl explained. “There was the brief window where everything went back to full power, and I blasted the emergency signal to the fleet. The signal may have cut out at the end, but that’s all the more reason for them to investigate.”

           “Wait, that means,” Allison realized as she pulled open the toolbox. “Ver, did you?”

           “I stuck them on like you asked,” Ver saluted with her screwdriver hand.

           “You saved us, little one,” Allison smiled warmly.

           “Aw, well, Mera and Dee helped too,” Ver blushed while Allison hugged her tightly.

~--~

           Just as the radar girl predicted, the main fleet investigated the emergency signal within a cycle. The sight of the destroyed antenna was not pleasing to them. But, upon learning what had happened for them to even get the emergency signal, they changed their tune. The girls stationed at the bunker would be relocated to a more temperate portion of the planet. While that happened, some off-planet engineering experts would sort out the antenna’s repairs. However, before all that could occur, Ver was in line for some special praise.

           “For going above and beyond your programming. As well as ensuring the safety of your colony, however small,” a captain from the main fleet praised Ver, Dee, and Mera. “I award each of you with the Dawn Heart Medal.” The three tiny girls were each decorated with a heart-shaped golden medal. Dee was giddy; Mera tried to hide her excitement while Ver blushed from all the attention. All the mechanical girls in attendance clapped for the three. Even the radars girls celebrated the tiny girls’ victory.

           After the captain stepped back, the radar girl who yelled at Ver initially approached the three. “I’m sorry for yelling at you last cycle, Ver,” the radar girl apologized.

           “It’s fine, I screwed up,” Ver brushed it off.

           “Come on, don’t be like that, let me apologize, you little,” the radar girl pinched Ver’s cheek. Wrapped up in their little comedic routine, neither noticed the captain approach Allison.

           “Someone told me they were in your charge,” the captain stated, “do you feel proud?”

           “They are their own people; I just watch them to make sure no trouble follows them,” Allison denied. “But yes, I am very proud of them.”

           “Then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing some secrets on their creation?” The captain inquired. “The other colonies could use such useful little ones.”

           “I’d be happy to,” Allison and the captain shook hands while the cheering and clapping continued. Whatever the future may hold, Dee, Mera, and Ver wouldn’t mind. Ver’s smile grew bigger and bigger as they celebrated her achievement. She was finally useful, and that’s all that mattered in her little mind.

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It's the ones you least expect who end up saving the day.

That should end this string of tales about the mechanical girls. Maybe I'll post more about them some other day. To give a little insight, I tend to write my posts in batches of four. So every four stories tend to be written in the same mindset, while the next four are written several weeks later. That's where this whole robot girl kick came from. By the time you're reading this, I'll have started on the next set of posts, so let's see where my imagination takes us next.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Those Tiny Girls, Part 1 [#198]

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           The mechanical girl shut the thick steel door tight behind her, cutting off the sound of the blizzard outside. Having finally returned from the frigid outdoors, she unzipped her thick winter coat and dropped it to the floor. This allowed her angelic wings to spread open freely. After brushing a lock of her short red hair out of her face, she observed the rest of her people. Each of them was hard at work inside their little bunker. Three girls were glued to a radar screen. One was in a chair against the wall with a rifle in her hand, who nodded, acknowledging the girl’s entrance. Several more were scattered about the room and the adjacent hallways performing miscellaneous tasks like repairs and cleaning. However, they were too engrossed in their work to notice her entrance.

           The girl paid them no mind. Instead, she approached a seemingly unattended table. It was mostly barren aside from a small radio, an oversized screwdriver, and a video camera. She patted the radio with a gentle smile on her face. “It’s time to wake up, you three,” the mechanical girl stated.

           “Morning already?” The radio’s case opened up to reveal a tiny girl inside of it. The small girl was built very similarly to the much larger mechanical girl, with some key differences. Besides being so much smaller, she had short, lilac hair and tiny, translucent wings. The radio case folded up around her, forming a pseudo armor covering her from the neck down. Only parts of her shoulders and knees were exposed.

           “Allison, did you bring food?” The screwdriver’s case popped open, revealing another tiny girl with long, blonde hair. The case folded away, becoming a pair of shoulder pads for her. Meanwhile, the actual screwdriver became her right arm. The rest of her body matched the girls around her, including her translucent wings and the light clothing she wore.

           “Don’t be such a glutton,” the camera transformed into a third small girl with white hair in a ponytail. While physically no bigger than the other two, the video camera’s case formed a much bulkier armor for her. The lens sat atop her right shoulder, while the fold-out screen became a small shield on her left arm. She possessed a pair of wings like the other two; however, hers were so short and stiff they could not possibly be used to fly.

           “Dee, Ver, Mera, how was your nap?” Allison asked.

           “It was nice,” Ver the transformed screwdriver nodded, “but I’m getting pretty bored. Wish we had something to do.”

           “I like being able to nap all the time,” Dee, the former radio, commented.

           “Keep thinking like that, and people will just keep ignoring us,” Mera pointed out. “If it wasn’t for Allison, no one would even know we exist.”

           “Now, now, it’s fine,” Allison assured. “Here, I did bring some food,” the redhead reached into her pocket and produced a little bag of chips. For the average person, the bag would barely qualify as a snack; for the tiny girls, it was a grand meal. The trio each devoured a chip on their own, gnawing at them like hamsters. Once their meal was complete, each girl burped in satisfaction.

           “Excuse me,” Mera apologized while leering at her two companions who didn’t do the same.

           “You three,” Allison rolled her eyes and laughed.

           “Allison, are you done playing with the little ones yet?” One of the three girls attending the radar asked. “We need you on the radar. The system is acting up again.”

           “We’re not playing. We’re just talking,” Ver huffed.

           “It’s okay, I’ll be right there,” Allison pat the little one on the head. “I keep telling you three there’s something wrong with the equipment itself for this problem to crop up so often.”

           “The equipment is fine,” another of the radar girls insisted. “It just needs your magic touch. So could you please help us?”

           “I’m coming,” Allison sighed. “You three behave yourselves.” She left the trio to their own devices.

           “I can’t believe they treat us like a bunch of kids,” Ver grumbled.

           “Dee, we were only constructed a half dozen solar cycles ago,” Mera pointed out. “Most of the girls working here have been doing this job since before our blueprints were finalized.”

           “So, we are kids, then?” Dee asked.

           “Kids are a relative term created by species with actual maturity cycles,” Mera explained.

           “You and your big words,” Ver grew more annoyed. “I’ll show them; I’ll fix the radar myself.” Dee hopped off the table and made a beeline for the radar.

           “Should we stop her?” Dee watched in concern.

           “She’ll never learn if we do.” Mera asserted.

           Ver raced across the room, running as fast as her little legs would take her. While it only took Allison a few steps to reach the radar, it took Ver ten times as long. After her short jog, Ver quietly approached the radar. It was an extensive system of computers, encased into a console bolted into the floor. Ver used her screwdriver hand to open up a panel on the side of the radar and slip inside.

           “So, is that the whole issue?” Allison inquired as she finished her quick once over of the radar.

           “That’s it,” one of the radar girls assured, neither she nor Allison noticed Ver’s intrusion.

           “Okay, well, the loss in range is probably the worst issue,” Allison explained. “I don’t think that’s a problem with the equipment here. It must be the antenna itself.”

           “Now she tells me,” Ver mumbled from inside the radar system, trapped in a tangle of wires. “I’m afraid to move.”

           “How bad is the loss in range?” The radar girls asked.

           “Bad enough that we’ll need to fix it before the main fleet returns in the next decacycle,” Allison continued. “If not, our all clear might not reach them. So unless you want to go another solar cycle without supplies, that will need to be dealt with.”

           “We just did maintenance on the antenna in the last decacycle, though,” the third radar girl exclaimed. “There was nothing wrong.”

           “We’ll have to go over it again,” Allison insisted. “Either you missed something, or something happened since your last check. We’ll have to-What’s wrong with the display now?” The four girls looked back at the radar, which began to glitch out.

           “What now?” The first radar girl started frantically checking the system for any damages, “How could-? What the, who opened the cover?” She noticed the entrance Ver made in the side of the radar.

           “Uh, oh,” Ver struggled inside the mass of wires but still couldn’t free herself.

           “Why you little,” the radar girl spotted Ver inside the system and yanked the tiny girl out of the case. “Are you trying to cause trouble now?”

           “I was just trying to-” Ver attempted to reply.

           “I don’t care, you’re in so much-” The first radar girl yelled.

           “Stop it, that wasn’t the problem,” Allison cut in, taking Ver out of the other girl’s hands. “The radar is still glitching out. The storm must be picking up.”

           “F-fine,” the radar girl muttered and backed off.

           “Be careful. You almost got yourself more than just hurt in there,” Allison scolded Ver.

           “I wanted to help,” Ver gave her a pair of puppy dog eyes.

           “I understand that, but you need to understand a problem before you try to fix it like that. Okay?” Allison stated.

           “Yes, ma’am,” Ver looked down at her feet.

~--~

           “I’m such a screwup,” Ver lamented her recent mistakes. She and the other small mechanical girls had hidden in a little cubby overlooking the bunker’s main room. Dee and Mera looked on at their friend with a pair of complicated expressions. Neither was able to find the right words to console Ver.

           “Ver, you didn’t...well you almost...I mean, um,” Mera tried to console the other girl. Yet, she couldn’t come up with a single sentence that didn’t at least contain a partial lie.

           “You just need to find the right time to shine,” Dee exclaimed proudly.

           “And where’d you pull that from,” Mera looked at the radio girl suspiciously. “Was it from one of the stories Allison reads to you?”

           “N-no,” Dee looked away sheepishly.

           “You two...” Ver sighed. One part of her was happy her two friends tried to help; the other part was disappointed by how bad they were at it. “I’m going to take a nap,” she changed into her screwdriver form.

           “Ver,” Mera felt a little guilty but said no more.

~--~

           No more than a cycle had passed since Ver’s little incident in the radar when Allison found herself a new problem. In between the radar’s frequent glitches and flitting between reaching its full range and half strength, the mechanical girl got sight of a familiar signal—several familiar signals at that.

           “They’re over half a dozen cycles early,” Allison stared on in shock. “Do we have enough time to fix it?”

           “Who’s early?” One of the radar girls leaned over to observe Allison’s monitor.

           “Unless the equipment is spitting out bad information, that’s the main fleet incoming,” Allison explained.

           “What!” All three radar girls fell out of their chairs in surprise.

           “We’ve got maybe a half a cycle to fix that antenna,” Allison declared, “we’re going out there now!” She and two of the radar girls scrambled to gather their belongings and tools before suiting up to brave the blizzard outside.

~--~

           “Did you hear that?” Dee commented, “They’re going to fix the antenna, or the main fleet won’t notice us.”

           “And?” Mera inquired.

           “I have an idea,” Dee beamed, “one that’ll make Ver and Allison happy.”

           “Oh no,” Mera gulped.

To Be Continued...

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Well, this story just sort of ballooned out of control. It's been a while since a story took me three days to write (four if you count editing). Look forward to the second part next week.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Workaholic? [#197]

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           The mechanical girl was holed up deep inside her dark lab. The light metal armor she wore was covered up by a white lab coat covered in oil stains. A pair of small, translucent wings protruded out of an extra set of sleeves on the back of the coat. A thin glass visor covered her eyes. It was held in place by a pair of grippers attached to the two metal devices she had in place of ears.

           Despite her mechanical nature, the girl appeared almost human, her face, hand, and legs appearing flesh and blood. Yet, just below this layer of skin was very little flesh and blood; it was mostly circuits, wires, and more metal. Still, from the outside, the only thing that betrayed her true nature was her machine like precision.

           The lab was a complete mess. It was about half the size of the average classroom, yet felt so much smaller because of the clutter. The room’s three tables were filled with spare parts, nuts, bolts, wires, and boxes. There were two chairs; one was covered in a half dozen filthy lab coats. The other had several more boxes of parts and books stacked on it. The single small trash can in the corner of the room was overflowing with rags and broken parts. The excess spilled out in a five-foot radius. The rest of the floor was coated in more boxes, rags, and heavier spare parts. It appeared more like a mechanic’s garage after an earthquake than a lab.

           The mechanical girl cared little for the state of her workspace and relentlessly worked on her current project. The large rifle she was piecing together was larger and heavier than her own body. Yet, she still nimbly pieced it together like there was no problem. Her smile grew wider and wider as the weapon grew closer to completion.

           “Gaddy,” the door to the lab opened, flooding the room with light from an exterior hallway. Gaddy flinched at the sudden change in lighting. She quickly covered her eyes and retreated behind the table she was working on. The intruder huffed upon seeing this. She was a being much like Gaddy, with the same light metal armor, translucent wings, and mechanical ears. However, she was much cleaner and a little taller.

           “Go away, Ann,” Gaddy hissed, still covering her eyes.

           “You’ve been locked up in here for months,” Ann marched into the room. “You need some fresh air and a deep cleaning,” Ann looked at the mess of she walked into, “and so does this room.”

           “I’m not done yet,” Gaddy turned back to her creation, “quit interrupting my work.”

           “Forget about that for a minute and think about your own health for once,” Ann insisted. “Your processors have been running nonstop for so long you’re going to fry them.”

           “If it means I finish on time, I’m okay with that,” Gaddy continued working on the rifle, not even looking in Ann’s direction.

           “I take it back, your processors are clearly fried already,” Ann sighed.

           “Hey once this gun is finished, it’ll being saving lives on the front lines,” Gaddy asserted. “Won’t that make this all worth it?”

           “You said that the last eight times,” Ann pointed out. “After that plasma grenade, the giant laser, and those oversized cannons, each time you insisted the same thing. Then what do you do? Start another project immediately without a moment’s rest. Why don’t you think about yourself for once?”

           “Whatever,” Gaddy screwed in a loose bolt on the rifle.

           “And you’re not even listening to me anymore,” Ann clutched her forehead.

           “Meh,” Gaddy rooted through a nearby box of spare parts.

         “Wait, a second,” Ann muttered to herself. “So you’re going to come with me for a bath and some sleep, right? Say, whatever if the answer is yes.”

           “No,” Gaddy snapped.

           “I knew it was too good to work,” Ann sighed. “Fine, I’ll leave you to your mess, but once you finish this one, you’re coming with me for a tune-up, got it?”

           “No promises,” Gaddy glared.

           “Whatever,” Ann left the room and closed the door behind her.

           “What an idiot,” Gaddy started cleaning the rifle. “Of course I’m thinking about myself,” the mechanical girl admitted, “I’m doing what I love, and they’re paying me for it.” She picked up her nearly finished creation and grinned as she clutched it tight. “Who cares about health and that crap. I just want to make weapons.” Gaddy leveled the rifle at the trash can and pulled the trigger, obliterating the object with a burst of energy. “The bigger, the deadlier, and the more destructive, the better,” the mechanical girl stroked her newest creation. “But, all that attention and fawning over little old workaholic me isn’t bad either.” Gaddy laughed maliciously before continuing to work on her weapon.

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Loving your work is typically seen as a good thing, then you meet people who love their work a little too much...

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Bliss [#196]

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           Systems rebooting...cognitive functions online...error: file systems 1, 5, and 8 are corrupted...auditory systems online...

           “Ami, are you still with us? Give me a sign if you can hear me,” a voice echoed into her auditory receptors.

           Vocal systems online...error: voice chip not found...running diagnostic...voice chip damaged...optical systems online...

           With her optics finally online, the world came into view all at once. She was on the bridge of a spaceship, but not one flying through space, rather one that had been firmly grounded. As her olfactory systems booted up, the smell of burnt wires and smoke filled her nostrils. In front of her was a familiar yet unfamiliar person, a medic holding a light to her eyes. The medic appeared older than herself, with long blonde hair that almost looked pink in certain light. A light, mechanical armor covered everything but the medic’s head, which was topped with a small nurse’s cap. Two angelic wings came out of the medic’s back; the wings surrounded the two girls like a small halo of protection.

           “Voice chip is damaged. That’s not a surprise,” the nurse commented. “Come on, Ami, I can see your optics working. Blink twice if you can hear me.”

           ‘Ami,’ that was her name; it sounded right, at least. She tried to access her own file systems to double-check, but such personal data was stored in the corrupted file 1. Ami wanted to say something, but even as she moved her mouth, no sound came out aside from some static. The medic was right; her voice chip was damaged, but was it always like that? Any data confirming or denying that was also corrupted. With little else to do, Ami blinked twice as the medic had asked.

           “That’s good. I was afraid that last explosion screwed something else up,” the medic sighed in relief. “You took a pretty nasty fall there. You avoided the brunt of the explosion, but the force of the blast threw you fairly hard, and you landed on your head.”

           Ami didn’t remember what she was talking about. In fact, she didn’t remember much of today at all. Recent memories are stored in file 8, and all she could pull from the corrupted folder were fragments. Something about panicking, then an attack, and then she had to run away. She could remember scattered words, images without context, and emotions whose attached memories were lost. Her mind raced and raced but couldn’t understand.

           “Okay, next check, how are your wings?” The medic inquired.

           ‘Wings, wings...my wings?’ Ami’s thoughts began to form again. That was right, she was the same as the medic. No, that was too broad, the medic was more advanced than she was, but they came from the same origin. Ami’s turned her attention to the pair of little wings on her back, which flapped unconsciously. Unlike the medic’s, which were large enough to surround the two, Ami’s wings were tiny. In all honesty, they shouldn’t have been able to support her weight in flight. That was fine, however, as she had other systems to support her flight. But, as a result, she could only hover around slowly.

           “Excellent, it looks like they still work,” the medic patted her on the head. “You’re lucky they didn’t get incinerated.”

           ‘Lucky? Oh, that’s right,’ Ami’s memories began to clear up a little. That slow hover is what got her hurt in the first place. She was convinced she could move across that gap on her own. She didn’t want to wait for someone to help her across. Then there was an explosion and then darkness. But why was she flying across the gap again?

           “Listen,” the medic stated, “I know you’re probably still all jumbled in the head, but we need to get out of here. It won’t be safe for much longer. We can’t use this ship to evacuate anymore, so we’ll have to-Oh, shit.” The medic grabbed Ami and threw her against the floor, shielding the smaller girl with her own body. A massive explosion rocked the ship’s hull. The sound of creaking metal assaulted their ears as the ship shuddered.

           ‘Explosions are not fun,’ Ami thought to herself. A frightful chill went up her spine as she relieved her recent experience.

           “They’re closer than I thought,” the medic looked towards a nearby window. Ami couldn’t see out of it from on the floor, but she could hear something in the distance. Something violent, something dangerous, something scary. Not to mention the occasional far off explosion. “We need to leave, right now,” the medic stated seriously. “Come on, I’ll help you,” the blonde woman pulled Ami to her feet.

           ‘Why is she so concerned? Can’t we just hide here?’ Ami thought to herself. ‘It’s been safe her so far, so why do we need to go? We’ve already been her for...um...I don’t know.’

           “No slouching, let’s go,” the medic threw Ami’s arm over her shoulder and started to lead her towards a hole in the ship’s hull.

           ‘I don’t know what’s happening anymore,’ Ami lamented, ‘I don’t like this.’ Another explosion slammed the ship as they left. Ami didn’t bother to look back, but she could hear the metal creek again before something collapsed. ‘I don’t want to run, I just want to...something...there’s something I need to do.’

           “Oh, thank the creator,” the medic exclaimed, “that was far too close for comfort.”

           ‘I need to, I need to do something. Then, I need to do it again tomorrow, and the day after that and...’ Ami’s mind repeated the same phrase ad nauseam. Her file system was running a recovery program to restore her corrupted files. Piece by piece, her memory was restored.

           “I’ve got one injured,” the medic yelled. Ami looked up to see more of her people. They wore mechanical armor like the medic and had the same large wings, but their armor was thicker, and they were most certainly not medics. One of them approached and helped the medic carry Ami back over to the others.

           ‘I remember now,’ Ami’s eyes lit up as her body was filled with a flood of positive emotions. ‘I need to clean up after work today, or the boss will yell at me. Tomorrow’s an important day.’

           “Over here,” the other woman helped the medic move Ami, towards an armored vehicle with its back folded down into a ramp. “We have enough room for her.”

           “Just in time,” the medic smiled.

           ‘Tomorrow is going to be so fun,’ Ami thought to herself, ‘I can wait for this scary day to be over.’

           “I’m surprised you got her to go with you,” the other woman commented. “They normally never deviate from their programming unless ordered by a direct superior.”

           “She was injured, hit her head real bad,” the medic explained. “She probably doesn’t even know what’s going on.”

          ‘I need to practice for tomorrow, practice my...uh...what was it that I did again?’ Ami struggled to remember.

           “Even if she wasn’t injured, she wouldn’t know what’s going on,” the other woman shook her head. “How did you even find her? Most of them don’t leave their posts even if it collapses on their heads.”

           “I was a regular at her workplace,” the medic explained, “I was there when they gave the evacuation order. I was directing them to one of the evacuation ships, but she was a little impatient and got caught in a blast. Thing is, that might have been what saved her.”

           ‘Was it juggling?...no...Oh wait, it was jokes, boss loves my jokes,’ Ami giggled to herself.

           “This is going to be hard on her,” the other woman set Ami down on a bed in the armored vehicle. “Attacked on the day before a major holiday.” She looked down to see Ami giggling to herself. “Probably hasn’t realized everything will be canceled for tomorrow.”

           “In her mind, this will all be over in a few hours,” the medic explains as she sat down next to Ami. “Thank you for your help.”

           “Don’t mention it. You stay safe to okay?” The other woman nodded before leaving the vehicle, which closed up behind her.

           ‘Maybe I should start practicing now,’ Ami considered. ‘I’ll tell some to the nice lady. Oh wait, voice chip is damaged.’ The girl furrowed her brow.

           “It’s okay, Ami, we’ll be safe soon,” the medic stroked the younger girl’s hair. “If we’re lucky, you’ll be back to work in a few months, and maybe we’ll see your...” The medic paused. ‘No, I shouldn’t give her that hope.’

           ‘What’s she so upset about? Tomorrow’s the best day of the year.’ Ami wondered. The mechanical girl wanted to sit up and ask her, but then she realized her legs weren’t moving. Ami looked down at her lower body; her right leg was a little banged up and very num, but her left leg...‘Where’d the rest of it go?’ She noticed her half missing leg, a trail of sparking wires dangling out of her knee.

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I guess ignorance is bliss after all.

I'm excited for the next few stories, expect them to star more of these mechanical girls.
 
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Enigmatic Fantasies - The Temple of Flowing Water [#195]

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The waters flow, the canals run, the temple swirls with an ocean’s swirl.

The denizens sit by the water’s side, observing the liquid’s current and its bed of pearl.

The temple sits upon a network of rivers, the heart of all things fluid.

It was founded upon the work of a single all-knowing druid.

People flocked to this temple of water, immersing themselves in its calming streams.

They say those who sleep by the river’s side will be visited by the spirits in their dreams.

These spirits of water, goddesses of the river, lakes, and flow, bless those who pay their due.

But then there are those who do not, those who abuse the waters and don’t think things through.

Those who taint the stream, who paw at its bed of pearl, who squabble over the plentiful resource.

The spirits would punish them, torment them, destroy them, and for this, there was no recourse.

Those who tainted the stream would be tainted themselves, poisoned by their own actions.

Those who reached for the bed of pearls would be pulled under, laid to bed for their infractions.

Those who squabbled and hoarded what was plentiful would be left with nothing.

No water would fill their cup, no liquid would clean their bodies, they say it was crushing.

Lessons learned may ease their punishment, but no one was said to be truly free.

The waters flow openly for all to partake, but they cannot be claimed, the same as the sea.

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Treat the water well and it will treat you well. Treat the water poorly and you'll suffer as well.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Night of One Hundred Horrors - Tram Accident [#194]

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           His head was spinning, his body was sore, the smell of burnt electronics filled his nostrils. His body didn't want to move, yet this tiny part of his brain screamed at him to start moving. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the tram's interior, shattered windows, and mangled front.

           "That can't be right," Dr. Kenton muttered, "no wait, I remember." He recalled his morning commute to work from the dormitory. He boarded the facility's internal tram line, the same as always. However, at some point in the trip, there was a power surge, and Kenton's tram car fell from its railing into the abyss below. The scientist crawled out of the twisted metal vehicle, finally noticing his broken leg and the blood dripping down his forehead.

           "Phone, where's the damn phone," he searched his person for the device. Unfortunately, all he found was its caved in remains. "Lovely," he sighed as he reached back into the tram, searching for the emergency supply cabinet. He'd seen it every day since he started working at the facility. Still, he had never expected to actually need to use it. In a stroke of luck, the heavy-duty flashlight contained within was still functional. There was even a box of spare batteries and basic medical supplies.

           After patching himself up as best he could, Dr. Kenton dragged himself away from the tram, flashlight in hand. It was best to keep his distance; he could still smell something burning and didn't want to wait for the vehicle to burst into flames. Instead, Kenton began his search for a service ladder or stairs, maybe even an emergency phone. There had to be something of the sort down here, he was certain.

           Dr. Kenton kept to the wall to ease the weight off his broken leg while pointing the light every which way into the darkness. If he was lucky, rescue was already on its the way; if not well, he'd hopefully spot something that would lead him out of there. In the worst case, the power surge could have wrecked the whole facility. If that was the case, he'd be easily missed in the rush to get everything back in working order. For all he knew, dozens of people in the facility were in similar or worse situations as him.

           "I don't have anything to worry about," he assured himself. "This is concrete down here, which meant there were people down here when the facility was being constructed. They had to get back above somehow. Ah, speak of the devil." Up ahead, his flashlight revealed the outline of a metal door. It looked old and rusted, but not terribly so. With one good tug, Kenton forced the door open and made his way inside.

           "Let's find those stairs," he scanned the room; however, all he found was a long hallway and a few sets of doors. The doors were wooden and rotted, the hallway filled with the unpleasant smell of decay. "Where the heck...What is this place?" Dr. Kenton was taken aback as he shined his light through the hall, revealing a set of windows. Through each window was a room that resembled one of the labs he worked in above, only smaller, older, and unkempt.

           "I knew the facility was old, but I didn't think we had abandoned sections," Dr. Kenton was aghast. "There has to be a way to the current facility, right?" The scientist tried to convince himself, but the area he found himself in looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. "Just keep moving," he forced himself forward.

           The further he went, the deeper he seemed to descend. All he could find were more abandoned labs and rooms, each in further disrepair than the last. The stench of decay only grew stronger. While at first, it seemed to be mold or mildew, a light smell of something rotten started to creep in.

           Dr. Kenton finally came to the end of the hall. The smell had only grown stronger as he approached the single door that remained. Kenton hesitated to open it, knowing full well he wouldn't like what's behind it. However, the scientist knew he needed to check every space if he had any hope of getting out.

           "Here goes nothing," he opened the door, the rotten stench magnifying as he peered inside. What Kenton saw made him wretch. He couldn't tell what he saw, but whatever it was, it was dead, and there was a lot of it. Swarms of flies, the horrid stench of rotten meat, and the color red filled the entire room. Kenton had no idea what happened in this lab, but he certainly didn't want to know and shut the door tightly.

           "I'm getting out of here now," he picked up the pace the best he could. Alas, no matter where he went, he could find no path, no stairs, no ladders, just the same deserted labs. His options spent he exited out the door he came and back into the tram tunnel. After puking his guts out, the scientist tried to renew his search for an escape. However, exhaustion, pain, and the psychological impact had slowed him down.

           "This is horrific," Dr. Kenton sat down against the wall. "I don't know what the hell I saw, but I have no intention of finding out." The stress and pain finally got to the injured man, and he found himself passing out. He didn't even have a chance to turn off his flashlight before the darkness took him.

~--~

"You still with us?" A voice cut through the darkness, and Kenton opened up his eyes to see a medic attending him.

           "What happened?" Dr. Kenton mumbled.

           "You took a pretty nasty fall in the tram. You're lucky to be alive," the medic explained. At this point, Kenton noticed the whole team of rescue personnel behind the other man. "Good thing you left your flashlight on, or we might not have found you. Come on, let's get you out of here." The team swiftly moved Dr. Kenton onto a stretcher and carried him away.

           "I hope this isn't a dream," Dr. Kenton muttered as he faded in and out of consciousness. As he finally faded back into the darkness, one last thought crossed his mind. 'That place looked like it had been abandoned for decades,' he recalled. 'If that's the case, how could there still be so much rotten meat? It wasn't sealed, was it?' This last realization hung in his mind as he slipped back into sleep.         

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The deeper you dig, the more questions you have, the more you learn, the less you want the answers.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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