PREFACE: Reach was one of seven men named as such who existed in seven separate universes as multiversally intertwined souls. It was impossible for them to meet; and though, theoretically, it was possible for Reach to cross over to another universe, the chances of encountering one of the other seven were ridiculously low. This was … Continue reading Reach I
fiction
Day Forty – Sword and Shield
Back when it mattered, back when corporations could still lie to your face and politicians weren't the subservient eunuchs they've thankfully become, there was a bit of copypasta making the rounds that really drove home what advocates of gun control had been trying to get across to the rest of the world. It went something … Continue reading Day Forty – Sword and Shield
Day Thirty-Nine – Damnatio Memoriae
"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." - Book of Revelation On Thursdays, Gil Chambers left his place … Continue reading Day Thirty-Nine – Damnatio Memoriae
Day Thirty-Eight – Gehenna
The impact of the plasma round against the retaining wall sent shrapnel through Cool Monkey Dataskunk's cloak. His stunt flip off the wall had been effective as a dodge, but at the cost of his high dollar accessory. Upon landing, he dropped the canvas bag he was carrying to the ground and angrily ripped the … Continue reading Day Thirty-Eight – Gehenna
Day Thirty-Seven – Pampers For All Us Kids
The light was painful and unfamiliar. It nipped at the eyelids and chewed the pupils of the newly awoken. Conditioned air knifed at the fugitive's exposed skin; starched cloth, bright white, irritated the rest of its body. It involuntarily cringed in the chair it was strapped to. The impulse to curl into a ball fought … Continue reading Day Thirty-Seven – Pampers For All Us Kids
Day Thirty-Six – Entanglement
(Artwork: Zdzisław Beksiński) This is the last glorious day. The sunlight knifing through the smoky interior of the building that shelters the last two humans in existence has a distinct redness to it. This is the last fantastic day for the human race and its two final members, together at last, together at the end, … Continue reading Day Thirty-Six – Entanglement
Day Thirty-Five – The Everlasting Mister Rolo
Record 2 – Pushing Daisy The building was small and tucked between more architecturally pleasing constructions. It was bare – grey and featureless, save a small logo positioned haphazardly just next to the building’s single door. When Rolo had first been contracted to perform services for Ulysses Robotics, he had difficulty finding the location. He … Continue reading Day Thirty-Five – The Everlasting Mister Rolo
Day Thirty-Four – The Mysterious Flamingo of the Tundra
They say space ruins relationships. I believe it. I’m not talking about personal space, even though they might be. I don’t mean that his demand for guy time away from her coupon clipping is the spark or spur to the inevitable divide. I don’t suggest that two people perpetually intertwined for twenty-four hours out of … Continue reading Day Thirty-Four – The Mysterious Flamingo of the Tundra
Day Thirty-Three – The Mysteries of Porcine Aeronautics and You
I've not written an Inner Wild piece in a while. I'm not sure where this fits, or what planet this is on, or who Meretricious Mandy really is. I just know she's a Solarian, and I know why they call her Meretricious Mandy. --- Limping back from a long day on the hunt, Meretricious Mandy … Continue reading Day Thirty-Three – The Mysteries of Porcine Aeronautics and You
Endpoint
Last night I spent about an hour an half finishing the novel Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos. The novel follows a handful of soldiers as they make their way from training camp to the front during World War I, and what happens after the war ends. I mostly enjoyed the novel, but there has … Continue reading Endpoint
Day Thirty-Two – Rabbits and Other Lies (or, Rockclimbing for Krakens)
After seventeen weeks of unemployment, and numerous hours of standing in lines at the LRC recruitment facility, Ken Baxter has given up. The Labor Replacement Corps have denied his entry into their ranks, citing over-qualification and a full roster of specialists in his field. "I didn't want to be a Lurker anyway," he tells the … Continue reading Day Thirty-Two – Rabbits and Other Lies (or, Rockclimbing for Krakens)
Day Thirty-One – Absolutely the Green Frog Bureau, LLC
Heat. It's what I know as the tunnel widens and the door at the end of this long journey begins to open. It's the brief end to a long day. Eventful and darkened with the wet sheen of closure, this is the day I become more than a man. In darkness, I slip away into … Continue reading Day Thirty-One – Absolutely the Green Frog Bureau, LLC
Day Thirty – Quality Stock Tips From an Okapi (or, Mr. China Has Seven Splinters)
--- TRecTm5.2218.14.11.x.x Rprt -22.22.511.5.5.167.3.7.vv.20491 Earth Interplanetary Logistics and Colonization - Robotic Recon Team - Report - Assmt. 17501.R.TR73 ||\\|| BEGIN REPORT ||\\|| WRECKAGE OF ARTEMIS LANDER : MSN TtnRcn2203 : CONFIRMED ENVIRONMENT SEALS BROKEN ID OF FOUR OF FIVE TEAM MEMBERS CONFIRMED DOCTOR ABRAHAM TOLLE: DECEASED, BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA PTY OFR RAYMOND GILFREY: DECEASED, CAROTID … Continue reading Day Thirty – Quality Stock Tips From an Okapi (or, Mr. China Has Seven Splinters)
Day Twenty-Nine – Papercut Moseby’s Left Withered
There is darkness and sound--a repetitive thud and scraping of metal. I feel heat radiating around me, and I feel trapped and claustrophobic. I cannot move my body more than a few inches in any direction. There are walls surrounding me, lined with soft silk. I feel myself pressed against a cushion to my back--laying … Continue reading Day Twenty-Nine – Papercut Moseby’s Left Withered
Day Twenty-Seven – We Who Are About to Sigh, Salute You
What follows is a list of things no human knows about me. What follows are instances in the great effluvia of creation in which I have found myself directly in control of God's hand, like a golf instructor reaches around his student as their hips swing in unison. What you are about to read is … Continue reading Day Twenty-Seven – We Who Are About to Sigh, Salute You
Day Twenty-Six – The Epic and Sudden Fall of the Gant Family
I estimate one thousand degrees, give or take. My rear-view mirror sags in the heat, and as I drive I see only my hand gripping the gear stick. My car has become a death trap–-every inch a study in the surface temperature of Mercury. I look at the empty pill bottle in the only … Continue reading Day Twenty-Six – The Epic and Sudden Fall of the Gant Family
Day Twenty-Two – All Aboard for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pancakes
"Yes, Chef," Remi Grismain barks. Chef Garret departs the kitchen to attend to something in the dining room. Remi watches him go, then sighs. With the last of the tomatoes cored and skinned, the apprentice dumps them unceremoniously into a blender and sets it for purée. He takes a moment, as the tomatoes turn to … Continue reading Day Twenty-Two – All Aboard for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pancakes
Day Twenty-One – There Will Be Redundancies
Avery Drew is an excellent patient in his waking life. In fact, if the good Dr. Hines were to be of a mind to pick favorites among the subjects in this particular experiment, Avery Drew, aged nine years, would definitely hold the top spot. Hines is cautious about his fraternization with the patient, and for … Continue reading Day Twenty-One – There Will Be Redundancies
Day Twenty – The Last Vestiges of an Inappropriate Man
As is typically the case with events that can be considered to have changed the course of history, through intense and diligent research, and by deconstructing the progression of individual tributaries that, as a whole, make up the entirety of the catastrophic or productive event in question, one can trace the series of cause and … Continue reading Day Twenty – The Last Vestiges of an Inappropriate Man
Day Nineteen – Andrew Lost His Keys While George is Engulfed in Flames
On the third day, the grand and omnipotent entity known as Va'alamyr walked the grounds of his creation. He reveled in the squeakiness of the wet grass beneath his bare feet. He turned his eyes to the blinding sun he had created two days earlier and saw that it was good. The trees were coming … Continue reading Day Nineteen – Andrew Lost His Keys While George is Engulfed in Flames
Godhood of the Infinitesimally Small 