Jim Sanumá parked his car, such as it was, far enough west of the airport not to be seen. Retrieving its cargo from the glove compartment, he gave the lock mechanism a sharp kick. It folded sharply, forming a rough box shape, which Jim shoved into the dit…

The girl whimpered in pain as a man made tiny incisions in her arm. Or... what was left of her arm, anyway.

"Sh, it'll be alright soon," the green-haired girl nearby said softly to her, taking a break from what she was doing to stroke the small girl's hea…

He reluctantly tapped at the keyboard with his fingers. They had taught him in school how to type properly, but he wasn't sure if he was executing it the way his teachers in 6th grade had intended. It did, however, get the job done.

He didn't want to del…

Things like "i-mutations" and "syntax" rushed through Brad's head as he stared at the etchings of the most ancient examples of Kalovay.

He took a deep breath and tried a new approach. Only a few words were known to the world to be true translations from …

The Waityu hunter gathered his primitive gear and headed out, searching for bugs.

Bugs might not seem like big game, but the Waityu are small, mouse-like creatures that walk on two feet and the bugs in the area can get to be as large as they are.

He spr…

Two white ears poked out of the sand, followed by a fluffy white head, and then a body popped out. The little white rabbit shook off the sand. It failed to understand why the world had to rain sand, and then suddenly, inexplicably, it would turn on its he…

"What kind of like?"

The kind that drives a childish desire to be clever. To be recognized as smart and interesting so I can be worth your attention.

The kind that makes me fear that perhaps you are just nice and put up with my shenanigans not because …

They say she's got an awesome knack

For giving people love

How can we know if this is true?

Just take it for the truth,

Or is there some way we can test

To verify the claim?

But yes, of course. Just listen to

The way she says my name.

Another night, another peaceful dinner with gently clinking silverware and soft voices discussing the days events.

"How about you, Aria?"

"Ah, you know, usual boring school."

"Same old?"

"You know it." Oh no. "I'll be back!" Aria took off up the stairs.…

"Ow," I inhaled.

Tucker winced too, but smiled and kept going. "Not many people come in at 5 AM to get a tattoo all by themselves."

"Not many tattoo artists set appointments for 5 am, either." I snapped, broken winged, but immediately regretted my ret…

A shadow fell across the window. Hable glanced out, pen hand poised over his journal, his mouth slowly forming into a frown. The sky held only the ghosts of clouds. This shadow was cast by one of the midrocks, a large one. It's arrival meant-

Sure enough…

"DRAW"

Launcher's voice echoed over the amplifier.

The box began to descend into what miners called the slingshot. The similarity in operation was not far off.

From the lowest seat, Hable glared upward at the two extra passengers. He wasn't the only one.…

When I write, the usual result is:

This happened.

If I'm lazy:

This happened loquaciously.

If I'm lucky:

This happened verbaciously.

But if I want depth?

This happened, but it indicates a lot of other things may or may not have happened too.

T…

It had only been a few months since the invasion. Aliens had killed a lot of humans, others were just missing.

Presumably dead.

Or, with any luck, if such a word was appropriate, they were still alive, but being used for research. No one dared try to imag…

Ryle handed the reins to the head butler, nodding, and we rolled off the coach at the next available turning. The evening was well advanced, and it was a simple matter to merge into the deepening shadows.

The Silver Skies was hardly a difficult ship to…

Sadie sat in silence with four others while their up-armored civilian vehicle swerved through the afternoon traffic towards the hostage site. Every piece of equipment gleamed, new and fit-for-purpose - a stark contrast to her military days. In private mil…

Etril cowered in fear. This was it. She'd known it was coming, but hoped it wouldn't be this soon.

...

No gunshot came.

"Forget it," the alien said.

Etril looked up, hesitantly. "...What?"

"Forget it, I'm not going to shoot you. It's not even worth it." S…

By the third day, or at least after my third extended rest, I knew something was wrong.

I woke as usual to the appearance of lighter fog, but discarded the idea as wishful thinking. The light never changed here. Slinging my bag, I set my foot upon the ne…

Tenever's weapon ran dry first. A ghostly third hand appeared to swap magazines while his real hand hit the bolt release, and he was straight back into semiautomatic fire.

Sadie dropped her weapon on its sling and drew her sabre to deflect a darting thru…

Lightning flashed like teeth biting into the stone walls. Athel's sandals slapped ungraciously as he ran. His mouth muttered undiscernable phrases. His eyes snatched fearful glimpses of the stormy shore between narrow windows.

Father Osgar was at prayer.…

"After what?"

"After I kill you."

........................

Devra turned her attention away from the Big Ben lego model and glanced over her notes for the evening weather report, her faculties barely involved in the process.

Did this even count as "working on television"? Her path had not led to where her she had …

I still remember her like it was 9 o'clock this morning. She had this new confidence I had never seen before. She knew who she was and what she wanted and I was just happy to be with her, to watch her grow and do the things she wanted.

She was close with…

Regina Semper! Endless Queen!

Your subjects’ love is evergreen!

We hearken close to your decree

We bow in great respect

.

And when our monarch grandly stands

And utters gentle, firm commands,

Each resident soon understands

Just what you do expect.

.

For y…

Silvertown ripped the empty magazine out of the Thompson, let it fall and retrieved a spare from the garter on her right leg to make the weapon ready again.

Newkirk rolled to his feet with surprising nimbleness and the two spellcasters exchanged fire on…