The destroyer Kraben assumed a synchronous orbit over Russia, a silent but powerful reminder of the consequences of their earlier actions. These actions, a series of aggressive moves in space, had provoked the interstellar power and led to the current tense situation. The tension that rippled through Earth's governments was palpable, especially in Russia, where the leadership now found itself in a precarious position. They had acted hastily, and now they were dealing with the fallout—literally and figuratively—of provoking an interstellar power.

Rose’s Place:
Rose woke up early the next morning. She still had a few hours before she had to get ready for work. She does her morning business heads into her kitchen and brews some coffee. While she is waiting for the coffee to brew, she turns the television set on and listens to the local broadcast.

While Rose is waiting for the coffee and listening to the news in the background. She grabs her tablet and brings up the map she made of the appearances of the women. She didn’t know much about magic or why someone would do things like this.

Diva in Disguise Chapter 18

Karen… it could only be she… was seated on the bed when I entered. “Set the food down on the table” she commanded, “and sit in that chair in the corner. You and I are breakfasting together this morning. I’ll be fine here. Now! Isn’t this nice?”

My expression of thanks was perhaps overly hearty. I was wondering what the devious girl was up to now. For one thing the way she was dressed was unsettling to say the least.

CHAPTER 36
The double act had dropped me off at the North Terminal, ready for the Emirates flight. I had dumped my hold bag the previous evening, so it was just a matter of working my way step by step through security, and then switching my brain off while waiting for the call to a gate, then repeating the process at said gate, lined up in banks of chairs with backs that sloped too much for comfort.

Mantra has underestimated her opponents and has been captured by an alternate-world version of her friend Warstrike. The latter seems to be leading a gang of ultra-villains in a ruined version of Los Angeles. She has a right to expect the worst, but the more she learns about what's happening in this alternate Los Angeles, the worse it sounds.

When the children were all in the equivalent of middle school or high school in the education program we had adapted for life on New Mars, when kids on Earth might have had sex ed, we introduced them all at once to the breeding program.

I woke up Thursday morning with a queasy feeling in my gut. I figured it was nerves: today was my first day back to school. I hoped taking a shower would help me get settled. I did my business in the bathroom and felt a little more awake. That seemed to help.

Dot and Sam 46

Jan had put me firmly on the spot with her offer to make more stocks.

“We could do it all ourselves.”

Chapter 3

I slept late on Saturday morning, waking up with the knowledge that I had lived to see another day, and wondered how many more I would see if I stuffed up with this case.

Allan had lectured us on surveillance and things that you would teach to rookie spies. I knew he must have been in the service and wondered how he knew James Harding. Perhaps I would find out tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning.

Epilog

The man was rather ironically young, actually much younger than I was expecting. We met at the small building I'd had constructed where the old and blocky office had stood. He seemed to take personal offense at the fact that I'd had the new, very small structure put up with my own money on my own property. Of course, like many archeologists, he seemed to take any deliberate change to the landscape as a personal offense.

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Nine

Michelle walked past the bathroom, stopped, reversed and looked in through the open door. She saw her wife staring into the mirror over the sink.

"I didn't think you were the narcissistic type."

"My dad likes to joke that noses run in our family," said Vic, sadly. "Mine did look a lot like his, before; it's smaller, now, and a different shape."

"I think you have a cute nose," said Michelle.

Vic just sighed.

* * *

Weld asked one of his other friends when he found him between sims: “Did you know aliens have taken over the world?”

Turra: “What, the aliens now available in the sims?”

When we watched this particular recording, Laura asked the question, “Did we make humans available as an option in the sex sims? I know they are available in the bathroom sims.”

Rose dozed off several times during the day. She managed to get what she had to do, done and called it an early day. Her assistant manager Francis could handle everything.

Just before she laid down, she checked the results from the test she performed earlier in the day. It confirmed what she thought the explosives were. Someone had used a custom binary explosive that when you sent an electrical charge through it, exploded. She knew of only three
companies that sold the chemicals required to make those explosives.

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Eight

Chapter 6

As the meeting ended, we went down to the Inspectors’ office and planned for the two Ascot meetings. I would take Lena in before the next one, at the end of the month, with us both getting the comms. Lena said that she would wear something less girly and that a tiepin microphone would be good. I would be in a similar outfit to last Saturday. For the big meeting next year, I would glam up and wear a hat, so something on that would be all right.