My entry in the Reader Retention contest.

My entry in the Reader Retention contest.

Part Twelve

Part Eleven

Blue Impact ran into the equipment chamber just as Energia finished cooling the thermite charges below the combustion point. There was some damage, but she thought that most of the equipment would be fit for study. The place was half full of smoke and completely full of odd odors, but an air current from somewhere was already moving all that out.

"Hopefully there's enough left to tell us how to reverse the effects on Stone's test subjects," said Energia.

"Did you see Stone?"

"The only person here ran down that way!"

Part Nine

Vic woke slowly, which was odd. With her level of regeneration, even a powerful narcotic should have worn off quickly once her body began eliminating it. To her alarm, she discovered that she had been stripped and dressed in a paper examination gown. Even her ear bud was gone. She wasn't certain, but from the condition of her hair suspected she'd actually been washed.

"Someone was being thorough," she muttered, her voice hoarse.

Were to Start

Part 4

One Saturday Night at Magee’s
by Ellie Dauber

I’m afraid that I screwed up in attaching the .pdf file that was the bulk of Magee’s story #2. I have fixed it. So if you couldn’t read it before please try again. And comment. I did get 8 comments on what was posted, but they were all “Where’s the .pdf?” Still eight comments are eight comments, so here’s the third story. I’d like some comments on this one, also. Just because I only wrote three doesn’t mean that a fourth one might show up, given sufficient feedback.

This is the last of three stories about Magee’s, a neighborhood bar with a most unusual owner. Out of work – and bitter -- Vic Cantrell lets his wife. Betty, drag him into Magee’s for a drink. Only to find an evening far different than they ever expected.

This is the second of three stories about Magee’s, a neighborhood bar with a most unusual owner. When Jim and Don decide to steal a valuable display item, they find out just how unusual.

This story is a .pdf file -- which has been attached, sorry -- to allow for the experimental formatting. Story #3 gets posted after I see at least three comments.

And, in response to someone's question, Magee's is not an open universe. Sorry.

Warped Space - Chapter 2
By Misty Steppes

Don't go expecting these every night, folks, I'm just trying to decide where exactly I'm going with this story, and I do that by writing until I'm happy with a chapter and where it takes the story. That being said, enjoy!

Were to Start

Part 3

"Marcos, I feel weaker this morning." I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but the diminished scent of Marcos, and the feeling of having less strength needed to be expressed.

"There's a good reason for that Bianca." His reply caught me off guard, I heard it with my ears. My eyes opened in a flash, to see his smiling face. The same face he had at the altar in my dream. "Good morning beautiful." I couldn't help it, I smiled back, a full on ear to ear smile.

Warped Space - Chapter 1
By Misty Steppes

Welcome to my first story! Be warned, this may receive a rewrite at some point, but I'm not going to do much good staring at it so I might as well let it out into the wild. Enjoy, and I'd love to hear comments or criticism down below.

Were to Start

Part 2

Emily and I had found ourselves in a bit of a predicament. How do you change back to human form if you don't really understand how you ended up as a large predatory cat? We could communicate, but were we automatically interpreting our growls, or was it simply telepathy?

We decided to test out the telepathy first. About the last thing we wanted at this time is for a neighbor or a passerby to hear us growling at each other. About that time, the grandfather clock chimed one in the afternoon. 'Damn, that's a lot louder now,' I thought.

Choice By Ellie Dauber © 2003

Another one of my older stories, served up for your consumption and your comments (if you please).

* * * * *

Joe Neville grew up as “the Mayor’s kid.” Thanks to an African artifact, he gets a chance to be something else.

Part Six

The next day was a Saturday, and supposedly a day off for Tricorne, at least as far as giving lectures was concerned. However, they were still cleaning their breakfast dishes when they got an emergency call from Ma. Blue Impact took the call, then quickly put it on speaker, while Ma did the same. The bakery quartet gathered around the kitchen phone.

"Go ahead," said Blue Impact.