Stand Alone 9

Sapphire sighed. She had been doing that way too much these days. “That didn’t tell me anything. I have no context for that meeting.” 

Zoe spoke up at her side. “Perhaps you asked the wrong question?” 

Sapphire shot her a dirty look. “I am being given free reign over The Knowledge, and when I was with the Archivist I was given specific ‘visions’, and those led me to other specific trains of thought. So now I see a catalyst moment in time without context, and I’m supposed to try and gain some kind of epiphany from it?” She frowned at Zoe and then threw herself to the ground and sat crossed legged. 

“I have no idea what to ask next." She thought for a while, and at last something emerged from the edge of her memory. "…Everyone has a boss...”

Stand Alone 9 - Authoritative Action

“Everyone has a boss.” He spoke to his minions beneath him.

“Even you, sire?” One of them asked.

Nearby, Darion leaned forward to regard the minion with wonder. They hadn’t been designed to question, and this was an enormous oddity. 

He smiled at it. “Everyone, even one such as I, has someone that they must answer to. But I am very near the top of our chain of command, and that is something that I have worked very hard to achieve.”

His lieutenants, Darion and Kristoff, walked over to his side. “I am their boss, and you answer to them. Someday you might gain enough status to have your own henchmen to command and so on and so forth.”

The minion smiled, “I hope so, sire! I truly hope so.” He beamed at the masters and their lord. 

Kristoff leaned forward and held out a palm, and the orbs within incinerated the small being. “The cattle shouldn’t speak or think for themselves.” Darion snickered as he flickered in and out of phase-space. 

“I am sorry, my lord, if I acted out of place.” Kristoff bowed.

“Do not be hasty, Kristoff. You eliminated a potential threat to your command... but I do feel that it might prove interesting to watch over.” He snapped his fingers and the total obliteration of the minion was reversed, and the being began screaming as soon as it was whole again. Kristoff shot his lord a look, who merely shrugged. 

He stepped forward and laid a hand on its head and it quieted down. “Little one, you have proven to be a curiosity, and so I have decided to give you a chance at life... a chance to survive against all odds.” The being smiled at its lord.

“Thank you, sire. I will try my best.”

The lord smiled at it and snapped his fingers again and the being vanished. Kristoff cocked an eyebrow. “You will keep an eye on it for me, Kristoff. Do not interfere with it at all, or you will be punished severely.” Kristoff frowned. “Keep me informed on Project Genesis.”

TBC in Religion 108

Demonology 107 - Part 4

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

In unison the three people in the throne turned as one and spoke.  “Why have you come to Carcass?”

Sapphire responded after a moment.  “We came looking for a man, and a prophetic vision brought us to the…city?”  Wynn nudged her from behind.  “I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude, but the Mystic City of Sham’bala is an actual city.  The Dark City seems to lack an actual city.”

They pointed the floor and she noticed a pentagram begin to glow, the fountain at its center, and the top of the star pointed north.  The glow spread to encompass the stone at their feet and she began to make out the carvings set into the walls of the pit below them.  Outcroppings that looked like buildings cut into the bedrock.  “Huh, how about that a city built into the stone.”  Sapphire mumbled.  She spoke up, “We do not know why we were guided to this location.”

“You came seeking one man, but did not find him but perhaps you did?”  The female spoke alone.

“They did not come for him sister.”  The brothers spoke in unison.

“We came looking for Damien Lockheart, this man’s father,” Sapphire gestured to Wynn behind her.

“He was here once, many years ago,” once again in unison.

Demonology 107 Part 4 - “Bled Chaos, Raw Power”

Damien stared up through the blood pouring from the wound over his eye and grinned through the blood, a tooth dropping from his maw.  He chuckled at the man attacking him.  “So an artificial immortal thinks he can kill one of the High Blood?”  He cocked an eyebrow.  “WELL BOY!!  YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN KILL ME!!”  The shadows in the temple darkened and the man shifted his fighting stance.  The three others stood back and watched.

“We are the Four Woes and we protect this place from those who would take the power and use it for themselves.  I am bound as one of the first to kill you to prevent its release.  My name is Chang and I am your doom!”  His fists lanced out and a flurry of attacks came at Damien, but each one was swallowed just before impact and landed on the wielder of those fists.  His flurry stopped almost as fast as it had begun.  “I…what?”  He shook his head to clear the clouds that had overcome him suddenly.

“I came to this place looking for an immortal and I find four, guarding a cursed well, my time has been wasted and you will pay for attacking me with your life.”  He stood to his full height and straightened out his coat and held a hand out to his side, a weapon of solid darkness forming in his palm as his fingers closed around the handle.

“We cannot die,” one of the others spoke.  “We are cursed to remain for all eternity.  We must stand watch and prevent the rising.  You must finish the combat.”  Chang nodded and the battle resumed.

When the dust settled the temple was missing part of two of its walls and several of the stained glass windows.  Chang of the four Woes was missing, lost in the ether of the Chasm of Never-ending Darkness deep in the Abyss of Lost Souls.

Damien turned and walked through the wreckage as the three remaining Woes sat in their thrones to watch over the fountain.  He paused next to one of the stained glass images and puzzled at the spelling of dark with two k’s.  He shook his head and left the Darkk City of Carcass behind him.

Epilogue

Sapphire slide into the alley and continued running after him, he had been leading her through these back alleys for several minutes, always remaining just out of her line of sight, she could swear that the shadows were hiding him.  “I just want to talk!!”  She cried out.

“They always say that.”  His voice echoed back to her.

“You may be the only hope I have in saving my…a man I care about.”  Her speed jumped up and she cut the next turn a smidgen faster then he counted on and she grabbed his speed and he stumbled. 

“Please leave me be.  I’m not the man you’ve been looking for anymore.  Damien Lockheart died years ago.  I’ve put him behind me and I have bigger problems than you do.  Any skills I had back when I was him are gone now.” She stared at the man before him, and the shadows were actually swallowing him.

She collapsed to her knees.  “I need to save him.  He’s the only thing that I have that’s even close to my old world.  I hate this place.  My family and friends are lost to me and they only people from my old life that survived the Cascade closing seem to be enemies.  I found a tenuous link to that life and he is infected by a cosmic evil that I wish to purge from him to restore his soul.  Magick was my only hope.”

“There are plenty of other actual magicians out there in the world that are more powerful than I was.  You should find one of them to try whatever it is that you want to try.”

“I did try them but no one wants to attempt to displease the Entity, he has ignored the Earth since the Event and a few of them said that Spectacular made a truce with him to leave us alone.  So I tried to think outside of the box and hunted you down as my only chance.”  She stared with pleading eyes as the shadows grew so dark that she couldn’t even make out a shape anymore.

“Perhaps you aren’t thinking enough outside of the box at all.  Magick is a solution but ultimately always has a price, you might end up curing him and the curse might end up attaching itself to another, probably someone you care about.  I would go deeper.”  The shadows snapped back into place as they resumed their normal density and the man who was Damien Lockheart was gone.  Sapphire knew she would never find him again.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and blinked at the wall of the alley before her, amongst the graffiti was a huge yellow number three; it caught the light of a nearby doorways overhead lamp just right.  She stood and walked to the lamp and pulled the bulb from its socket and looked it over.  “I think it’s a black light?”  She mumbled to herself.  “Why would someone use a black light to light an alley?”

TBC in Stand Alone 9

Demonology 107 - Part 3

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

Sapphire moved quickly and quietly across the chain links towards the temple, occasionally glancing backward once in a while to watch Wynn pick and chose his steps carefully. She sighed and continued toward the temple and the fountain, watching the shadows for any sign of movement. The cloud cover broke as she stepped onto the ‘floating’ island, the sun igniting the stained glass windows that could be seen within and on the wall before her.

She looked it over quickly, but couldn't make sense of the images without being within and having the sun lighting the way for her. She turned and waited for Wynn to finish trekking across the links and assisted him down to the ground, motioning for him to be quiet and to follow her to the doors.

They swung open silently and motes of dust swirled in the air, catching the sunlight and further obscuring the windows. Each wall would have held two massive frescoes, but whatever had caused the partial destruction of the northwest wall had knocked at least three of them down. As soon as the dust settled, Sapphire gasped and stared at the north corner, on which was a slanted wall and the largest of the stained glass visions: Pandemonium in all her glory. To her left hand was Discord, in another glass window. Only Jerusalem Walker seemed to be missing from the trinity.

“There is a similar temple in Sham’bala. No stained glass, but there are frescoes on the walls and they are prominently of Jerusalem Walker,” Wynn said from her side.

“Then that implies a third temple, if this one is for Pandemonium and the Sham’balan one is for Walker. Discord is the third, and has no temple.”

“That we know of. But if she was to have a temple or city of her own... where would it be? Sham’bala and Carcass sit on the intersections of the eight major lei lines of Earth and the galactic ninth that runs through them both, linking good and evil like two halves of a coin, as it were,” Wynn replied.

“Pandemonium wasn't evil; she died a hero when she sealed the Cascade.” 

Wynn shook his head before responding, “She was the darkest one of the trinity. Jerusalem Walker embodied what was good in the universe and Discord the neutrality. Each was a representative of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, and when they came to this barren universe they created the balance of the three.”

“How do you know this stuff?” Sapphire asked.

“They taught us many things in Sham’bala. Jerusalem Walker left behind many teachings. He loved to write, and there are hundreds of volumes of text in which he revealed the creation of the universe... and the world from before. He was the real hero of the trinity, and if it had been up to him he would have sacrificed himself to seal away the Cascade.”

“Always with the teaching, aren't you?” Sapphire knelt down and thought back to those last moments…

"But...why does it have to be you?" Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Because of what I represent. When I am gone, the world will be a better place." She turned away and leaped across the void. The Cascade shuddered and snapped back in on itself and ripped and tore at the Universe. The Armada was lost, and the Cascade was gone.

…Sapphire stood and nodded at Wynn. “You’re right. I was with her just before the Cascade was sealed and something she had said hadn’t made any sense to me at the time. But it does now. She was the darkness in the hearts of man, and when she died, that shadow left the human soul, making the world a brighter place. It was why we have had so much peace since that day. It also makes me wonder why the Shrulk broke that peace all those months ago. Why did it come forward when it did?”

“I have no idea, but just to let you know, we aren’t alone in here.” Wynn pointed at four thrones which were facing the fountain, one was shattered and empty, but the other three each held a person watching the fountain, two men and a woman. They stared straight ahead and did not move.

“This can’t be good…”

Demonology 107 - Part 3: “When Walks the Dead”

My name is Damien Lockheart and this is my journal. If found, please mail it to the Raven Estate in New York.

Joanna paged through the book, reading entries that seemed interesting to her, but ignored most of them. The journal had belonged to an occult detective, and he seemed to be searching for his brother, mother and a close friend who were all lost to him some time ago. She frowned at the whorish nature of some of his cases, and smiled when he shared some insights on who he was before he came to this Earth. She was certain he was an alien, and that his real name wasn't Damien, but beyond those facts she was lost.

She had found the book a few outings before she had started to read its contents. It was found during one of the adventures with her cousins, and she had held onto it, fully intending to mail it to the Raven Estate when she had arrived back stateside... but she could not seem to let it go. She needed to meet this mysterious man, and perhaps go on an ‘investigation’ with him, but his cases always seemed to center around clues that he tried to use to find his family.

“Hey, cousin, if you’re done reading that damn book again we need to move out. We got word of a herd of Yetis rampaging through Oregon and Washington,” Barnabus called down to her.

“If they are in the U.S. then they are Sasquatches,” she returned.

“Nope. Yetis. Trust me. It’s going to be awesome.” 

She sighed and closed the book. She was going to find this "Damien" someday, and it was going to be one hell of a story.

TBC in Demonology 107 - Part 4

Demonology 107 - Part 2

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

Sapphire whistled low.  Wynn came up to a stop next to her.  “We find this shithole yet?”  His breath came in heavy and sweat poured from his face.  She nodded and motioned with her head down the ridge.  Wynn turned and looked for the Dark City of Carcass and only saw the already decomposing vegetation they had been trudging more than a day through slowly.  “I don’t see anything.”

Sapphire sighed.  “Look dingleberry,” she pointed down at the ridge, Wynn turned to look and spotted what she was pointing at, a huge chain link, easily as big as a full sized refrigerator and it wasn’t alone.  “That tribe was right about the location, and the place feels like its eating my soul.”

“It probably is eating your soul.  This place is the counter point to Sham’bala which is a source for life; this place must be death’s house.  The rot is worse as we get closer and I would bet money that if my abilities were stronger I would be puking by now.”  Wynn whispered.

“Alright let’s get a closer look and see what we can see,” she slide over the rotting log in front of her and gradually made her way closer to the chain link.  She whistled again as she saw thirteen identical links reaching to an island suspended over a vast pit.  Three other lines held the island in place and the remains of a fifth hung from the island and the cliff face.

The island held a crumbling temple and even at this distance she could see through one of the fallen walls the fountain that had drawn hundreds of people to this place with the promise of eternal youth.  “I don’t see any remains.  There should be bodies somewhere right?”

“I doubt it; I would think that the rot would consume them quickly.  The rate of decay is amazing and its even eating away at the stone, the only things unaffected seem to be this chains and the island the fountain is resting on.”  He straightened up and began to scan the area around them.  “There should be a village or something here; I know that they teach dark magicks here just like Sham’bala teaches the good.”

“Maybe it’s in the temple?”

Demonology 107 Part 2 - “The Once and Future Queen”

Damien slide to a stop and smiled back at the horde of Orcs.  “Seriously fella’s it was only your queen and it wasn’t all that good or sexy.”

They roared and continued to chase after him.  He laughed and sprinted onwards.

A few hours ago at the Drunken Mule in the Village of Everdale

“So you want me to find this evil queen and kill her and her minions and free some sword from her control so that the kingdom may live in peace once again?”  Damien asked the noblewoman who sat across from him, two pints of mead sat untouched in front of each of them.

“That is correct Sir Lockheart.  Tales of your bravery have reached us even here in the outlands.  The Empress is wicked and drives at the hearts of our people, driving men insane and leaving the women barren.  Her army surrounds her in her tower deep in the Blackmire forest.  We want you to go there and take care of her.”  Damien shrugged.

“Why would I do this?  I’m not exactly an adventurer, I came here looking for someone and thus far haven’t located any sign of them.”  His finger ran across the edge of the mug and he fought the urge to drink, being this close to something that strong was taking a massive amount of willpower but he had been dry for more than a year now, and he was strong.

“You said someone, and then said them which imply more than one.”  The noblewoman responded.

“I am looking for my brother, a friend, and my mother.  We are a long lived people and when I heard rumors of someone that has lived for decades without aging a day I assumed that perhaps one of them had arrived here.”

She frowned, “I do not know of anyone that fits that description.  They say that the Empress is a demon of the highest magnitude and perhaps she has lived here for that long.  But I do not think so.”

He nodded.  “Okay I will take up this quest and see what I can see, but I do not make any promises for murder.  I will attempt to negotiate surrender or an exile, but I will not kill.”

“Agreed.”

Sometime later in the heart of the queen’s chambers

“So that is what the people want.  Do you agree to these terms?”  Damien asked the Queen.  Her skin was ivory, and twin horns spun around the side of her head.  She smiled her teeth perfect beneath her crimson lips.

“I cannot concede to any negotiation Immortal, I am here at the behest of my masters and I need to accomplish my goals before I can move on from this plane.  It is not my concern if my very presence causes mankind ill, I do not make war on them unless they come to me, then I defend myself.”

“Why are you here?  What do you want with this place?”  Damien asked.

“I am here to perform the ritual once the chosen come.  They will be guided to this place and perform the tasks needed to free the masters, they cannot be coerced and must do so willingly.”

“I see.  Is there nothing I can do to get you to leave?”  He said with a sly smirk on his face as the shadows around him seemed to brighten.  She returned his grin and stood from the bed and went to him.

Now

“Seriously guys it was great sex, but Demon’s just aren’t my thing!!”  He screamed over his shoulder and leapt through the portal that had brought him to this place.

TBC in Demonology Part 3

Demonology 107 - Part 1

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

“So, tell me about your father,” Sapphire leaned across the counter to stare right into the face of  ex-teacher for the Raven Institute for the Academically Gifted, Mr. Wynn Hunter Lockheart.

Wynn set his sandwich down and looked up at her. “Umm,” he spoke with a mouthful of food, “There’s not much to tell. I haven’t seen him in years, since I was a little kid, really.”

Sapphire frowned. “So you have no idea where I can find him, then?”

Wynn shook his head. “I don’t even know if he managed to stay on this side after the Cascade was sealed. He was always working cases when I was just born, and he didn't really spend that much time with me. Enough that I spent a few years in Shambala perfecting the gifts I inherited from him, but we didn't exactly have a great relationship.” 

Sapphire nodded. “What kind of gifts are we talking about here?” She asked.

“When I’m agitated or profoundly lost, spiritually I sort of "bleed" my tattoos.” Wynn stood up and removed his coat and vest and unbuttoned his white shirt. Beneath the shirt his skin was pale and there were traces of a tribal tattoo on his right shoulder. “In a way, I am a precognitive.” His eyes widened and his hands slapped down on the table and he began grunting, his breath catching as he fought the urge to scream. He slammed back into his seat and his chest was exposed, an image defined.

“Well fuck me sideways, it looks like we’re going to South America.” She smirked at him.

Demonology 107 Part 1 - “Demon Days of Summer”

He pulled the candle closer to his face and smiled at the possessed one. “I have a serious response to your ‘who are you?’ question. One hell, pardon the pun, of an origin story, if you ask me, and you sort of did,” the possessed thrashed at its bonds and snarled at him.

“It all started centuries ago on another world, in another universe, after one of my brother and I’s friends vanished. We came searching for him, and we in turn were also lost. We seemed to be spit out of the cascade randomly, and in different eras, which makes finding each other hard.”

“So anyways let me back up, slightly, to earlier tonight…”

Earlier that night

“The name’s Damien Lockheart. Someone called for an occult detective?” Damien smiled at the officers outside of the apartment building and showed his ID. The shadows seemed to hug him on the gloomy night and the two policemen were having a hard time ID'ing him from the card and his actual face. The lead officer handed his identification back to him and waved him into the building, calling up that he was on his way with a visitor in tow.

“So what can you tell me about the situation?” Damien asked the officer as they walked up the flights of stairs.

“Not much to tell. The perp, one Juan Gonzales, seems to be high on drugs and attacked his family. His father came home as he was carving symbols into the walls and floor and using blood to perform some kind of... ritual.” They continued to climb.

“Then who called me in?” Damien asked.

“The father saw some of your cases in the papers from a few months back and decided that his son would never attack anyone or do any of this, so he assumes that it must be the Devil.” 

Damien snorted in derision. “It’s never the Devil. He has better things to do. Possibly a lesser demon?” He said to himself as they ascended to the correct floor, what would have been level 13 if building had allowed it. “14th floor, ladies lingerie, music and housewares.” He said glibly. The officer smirked.

Introductions were made and Damien was left alone at the scene and the suspect.

Now

“So that brings us up to date. Sort of, anyways. There was an earthquake a while back and I got trapped in a way that really wouldn't allow me to slip out quickly, plus I was really, really drunk. Anyways I waited it out and sobered up, let me tell you though I had this friend back home that made a brew like you wouldn't believe. Turns out it took months to sweat it out of of my system. When I finally managed to get myself free, I found that I was kind of pissed off at my life. Lost a close friend and my brother and finally my mother,” he looked at the possessed reaction to that and quickly added, “Not lost as in dead, lost as in can’t find. It’s why I’m on this backwater world.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” It asked calmly.

“Because when I send you back to Hell I want you to have one hell of a story to tell,” he rested the candle back into its position and started the incantation that would exorcise the demon and smiled as it began to wail.

TBC in Demonology Part 2

Stand Alone 8

Sapphire sat up and yawned. “I feel like crap,” she declared to the empty chamber. She stood up and stretched before walking to the wall and requested water from the food-generating device attached to it. Soon there was a knock on the door, and it slid open silently. A young female alien entered and bowed before her.

“I am called Zoe. and I have been sent by the Archivist to assist you with anything you may need this evening.”

“Evening? I was only asleep a few hours.”

“Incorrect. You were asleep almost one whole day by your Earth standards.”

“Well shit, that kind of screws up my plans then. I was only planning on being here for a few days before getting back home and trying to deal with this Coming Darkness thing.” Sapphire sat back down on the edge of the bed and held her head in her hands.

“You came to us in search of Knowledge, and that knowledge tends to add more questions. Perhaps you are looking at the problem in the wrong way?” Zoe had moved across the room silently and was standing to the side of Black Sapphire now.

“When I was still on Earth with the Dark Avenger, and before Zero happened, I had access to his database. And the files written by the heroes involved in all the cases he handled with the WMD and the IED and his other various alliances like the Raven Institute and the Family. I thought they were as complete as I could get before I discovered that you people existed. Now I have access to a font of the universe's knowledge and I don’t know the correct questions to ask it.”

“Correct. I was once taught by another of the Catalogers, one who became exiled. He is only referred to as the Nameless now. He told me two simple things. There’s always a Bigger Picture, and everyone has a boss.”

“So I should ask what the bigger picture is.”


Stand Alone 8 - V

We were the future of the world, this Earth.

The five of us made a pact to change things.

We were wrong.

*******

“Alright, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. I’ll start. My name is Richard Reader.” He tipped his cap and sat back down as the next member stood.

“Harold Prick.” Reader cocked an eyebrow. “Please don’t call me Harry,” he sat back down.

The next man stood up and cleared his throat before speaking. “Andrew Jessup, and that’s my sister Erica sitting in the corner. I have to watch out for her and she had no place to go tonight.” Reader nodded and continued to ignore the young woman. Andrew sat back down and looked to the next in line.

“Oswald Johnson.” He stood and returned to his seat quickly and looked to the final member of this group that Reader had brought together.

“Rex Ruthless.”

 Harold gasped. “Don’t you already have a company that you run?” he asked. Ruthless nodded. Harold quickly followed up. “Why do you even need to go to college?”

“Because while I am in the top one percent of the world’s most intelligent people, there are things that I still do not know. Also, it is my father’s company, and I am only technically the Vice President of it.” Harold frowned. “For now,” Ruthless finished. Harold leaned back, suddenly slightly scared. He shut his mouth and looked back to Reader.

“We five are the future. We have the highest GPA's and make up the most brain power in the entire school. Each of us has similar interests in science, astronomy, genetics and other various fringe sciences. I propose that we work together to make the world a better place.” 

Ruthless snorted. “I do not think that I will or can work well with others. I tend to be a brutal taskmaster when it comes to doling out assignments, and I expect them to be done my way.” Rex spoke honestly. 

Reader listened and nodded his assent. “I am the same way when it comes to my experiments.”

“I work with my sister when it comes to the things that... fascinate me,” Andrew added. “We make a great team.” 

Erica smirked from her chair. “Only when you get something right,” she muttered under her breath.

Richard Reader stood. “Any one of us can change things as an individual, but as a unit, we can change and progress the entire world along any path that we choose.”

TBC in Demonology 107

Astrobiology 106 - Part 4

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

“I am filled with such hate, such rage, it consumes me. I fear that I will lose myself in the days to follow. My soul holds on as my conscience berates me.”

“I do not understand what you are saying.”

“I am saying that my essence is corrupt and fails me.”

“I will cure you and I will save your soul.”

Astrobiology 106 Part 4 - Fate of the… 

“Hope comes with the Dawn.” Dawnbringer

Sapphire exited the ship and stormed off towards the Director, her fist clenched at her side, one mega-ton punch primed. 

“I assume you are angry?” He said when she was within range. “Understand that any attack on my person will constitute an act of aggression and result in your expulsion from the Academy and exile from ever stepping foot on the grounds again. Also you will not receive the information you came for.” The Director smiled smugly.

“MEGA-TON PUNCH!!!” Sapphire’s fist slammed into the Directors jaw and lifted him from his feet and he flew backwards. She watched him sail across the room, heading towards a large pillar. Immediately he slammed to a stop and several potted plants launched in random directions, their momentum accelerated as his was bled off into them. He dropped to the ground a moment later unharmed from an additional impact.

“Look asshat, you sent me to capture or kill someone who actually does need to die for murdering my boyfriend some time back, but now seems to be the only one protecting that world from you.” She straightened from her punching posture and began to walk toward him again. “You people claim to be scholars, but you're thieves and conquerors.”

“That is incorrect,” bright orange blood dripped from his mouth and a cut on his cheek. “We wish to witness the rebirth of a Star Force whole. KhazaRhan refuses to allow anyone on the world. There is only so much we can learn from orbit, readings from the surface would be beyond useful. Can you negoti…” Sapphire growled and cut him off as she took another step closer.

“Not going to happen. Once that thing hatches, I’m going to find KhazaRhan and kill her permanently. Now you are going to hand over the details that you have on the Scions and the one called Alex, and I’ll give you the rest of my report.” The Director stood and brushed himself off and thought it over for a few seconds, then nodded.

“Follow me.” The Director turned and walked away. Sapphire shot a look over her shoulder to Hr’lune and nodded.

Sometime later, Earth…

“We once played a game between the two of us.  Well, my father and I used to play a game. Once my kinetic abilities began to manifest he developed a way to hone them and narrow their field and improve my line-of-sight capabilities. It was all done with a baseball and a blind fold, believe it or not. I was so bruised by the time we got done playing but it was fun and I don’t regret a single minute of it.” Sapphire sat in a chair across from the Scion imprisoned in the SPIRaL.

Alex looked up after a moment, “Please continue. I like hearing stories.” His head sagged again. “I never had a chance to have any children myself. The Entity claimed me as one of his Scions some time ago. I have been trapped ever since.”

“The way that it is understood is that the Entity chooses one whom is worthy to take in the god seed and become his Scion. But he cannot force that choice on to someone. They must choose to become greater?” 

Alex nodded. “Cannot be forced. But who would ever turn down so much?”

“I see. I know there’s a power and responsibility speech somewhere or one that has absolute power corrupting, but I’m not here for moral dilemmas. I am here to try and free you from his hold.” Sapphire stood and walked to stand in front of him. The light weakened him and only had a slight effect on her, but she felt queasy nonetheless. “There are ways to free you. One is by death. A second is if the Entity takes back his seed. Thirdly, there is a way to drain the power from you and move it into another host. The Academy believes that is how the third killed the first; she drained him and then murdered him.” A glimmer of hope shown in his eyes and he smiled.

“But what if I don’t want to be free from the Entity?” His voice had shifted and his demeanor seemed harsher. “What if I am allowing myself to be caught and wish to be held captive in this place? Do you really think humans could hold D’eth, the final Scion?” He began to push at the restraints and the metal began to groan.

“Yes I believe that Alex Whitman is a good man, a human man, and he does not wish to wreck havoc across the universe. You weren’t captured by a human; you were captured by an alien bounty hunter. That proves just how weak you currently are. But then again, you are on Earth, and we have at least a dozen Super Geniuses, and they designed this cell, your restraints and the block you currently reside in.” She took a step away from him and turned back to speak over her shoulder. “Oh, and the power dampener as well. SuperDude might have a hard time escaping from here, and he’s the most powerful person on this planet. Enjoy your stay. I’ll be in touch.”

Epilogue

Mercedes sat at the bar quietly waiting for her date to arrive. The waiter set down another beer and grabbed the empty from the countertop. The bell dinged above the door as someone entered. She glanced at the mirror over the bar and saw Nicolette Chalm walk in. She was dressed like a normal person, as off-duty as someone in her position ever got. Mercedes swiveled in the stool and grabbed the glass from the bar and stood. She motioned to a booth, and met her halfway.

Nicolette sat as the waiter arrived with two menus and a glass of water. Mercedes thanked him and sat down, picking up a menu after she set the beer on a coaster. She opened it up to the entrees and found a large green "4" colored in crayon across the face. She sighed and waved the waiter back over and ordered an appetizer.

TBC in Stand Alone 8

Astrobiology 106 - Part 3

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

“It calls itself the Warlord KhazaRhan and it has slowly begun taking over the universe system by system, planet by planet.”  The Director stated.

“Why do you refer to it as an It?”  Sapphire asked.

“It wears a suit of armor the likes of which we have never seen before.  Some of the scholars think that it might be a relic of the past, others an artifact left over from the Event.  The armor itself hides the gender and species of the wielder, so It seems appropriate for now, that is until we have more knowledge.”  The Director explained.

“So what exactly do you want me to do to so that you will share your information on the Scions with me?” Sapphire questioned.

“Capture or Kill it.  Either way we gain the knowledge we seek.  I would prefer you to bring it in alive however because a living specimen is far more valuable as a source of information.”

“Nel’sunn you are a fucking weird guy you know that?”  The Director moved his head to the side again.

“I do not understand?”  Sapphire sighed.

Astrobiology 106 Part 3 - Dark Times

“So tell me where exactly are we headed?”  Sapphire shouted over the sound of the engines in Hr’lunes ship.

“To the surface luv, KhazaRhan has a compound nestled in a volcanic mountainous range just off the equator of this ice world.”  His ship cut through the cloud cover as ice peppered the exterior hull loudly.

“Great.  Just great.”  Sapphire leaned over to check the port and watched the ship break free of the clouds and saw the massive fields of ice covering the surface.  “I know I should make a Hoth comment here but it doesn’t seem appropriate.”  Her eyes scanned the surface and focused on the massive bowl shapes covering the ground everywhere.  “This is nuclear winter isn’t it?”  Hr’lune nodded.  “Jesus what or why would they do this?”

“Planets core is valuable and the people here fought over it until they resorted to the big guns.  Needless to say they killed themselves right into oblivion.  KhazaRhan found the world sometime later and raided it and then set up shop in one of the abandoned cities.  The bounty of its head is mainly for piracy as it raids nearby systems for supplies to feed his growing army, which he uses to protect the core.”  Hr’lune finished his speech and was quiet as he passed over several mountain tops poking up through the lower level clouds.  “Heading in for the final pass before we land.”  Sapphire nodded and pulled back from the window and adjusted her harness one more time. 

Reverse thrusters popped into life and slowly the descent and Hr’lune tweaked the controls to come in for a landing on an elevated platform near the front of the compound.  A single guard stood watch at the door, unmoving.

Sapphire adjusted the controls for the temperature on her suit and fitted her helmet into place as their chairs swiveled and the exit ramp opened and lowered down.  They exited and he punched a few keys on his exterior armors pad and they set off for the solitary guardsman.

Hr’lune held up a hand in greeting and the guard continued to stand perfectly still.  He slowed his walk and blinked a scan of the surroundings.  Readings filtered in and the data was collated and finally spit out as answer.

“It’s a statue.  I’m getting only one reading inside the complex but near it is a data glitch, my systems aren’t able to break through it.  Might be some kind of masking device or EMP maybe.  I’ll need more data,” Hr’lune began to move forward once again.  Sapphire looked the statue over as they passed by it and saw that it was made of ice. 

“Not a statue, I can feel it,” she spoke quietly.

“How is that?”  He asked.

“My abilities are elemental in natural, Fire, Ice and Kinetics.  I can feel the life flowing through that ice, normal ice I would be able to manipulate, that isn’t normal.”

“Understood,” Hr’lune pushed the doors open and walked through as Sapphire followed.  They swung shut silently and instantly the building seemed warmer.  She adjusted the controls on her suit and continued to follow him; his mapping software leading the way to what she assumed was the throne room of KhazaRhan.

The doors swung open as they neared them, again silently.  The Warlord sat perched on a throne of ice suspended between two huge engines, their turbines quietly humming softly.  Its armor was something to behold, like some kind of bullet made of gold, platinum and silver.  Its faceplate swiveled to view them both.  Sapphire focused on the rest of the chamber, it was filled with hundreds of the ice statues and near the Warlord was another figure she had a hard time focusing on him, her eyes kept pushing off to the side.

“Is he the source of your data void?”  Hr’lune confirmed it with a small nod and took another step forward and spoke loudly.

“ALIEN WARLORD KHAZARHAN YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE HUMANITIES AND TERRESTIAL TRESSPASS ON DEAD WORLD FORMERLY DESIGNATED AS SPYRIA.  AS A LAWFUL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED UNIVERSE I PLACE YOU UNDER ARREST.”  The Warlord cocked its head to the side to take in the two of them, and then looked to its left at the void being before standing.  In the armor it was easily over eight feet tall.

“I find you amusing little one,” the Warlord took a step forward, the ice statues moved slightly to continue to watch it.  “You have come to my dead world to arrest me for trespassing?  I am here to protect this place from those who would harvest the core before it is ready.”  

The being tisked at the Warlord.  Sapphire really stared at the thing to try and get a good look at it, try to find some kind of defining attribute so that she could ID it later but it wouldn’t allow her.  She grew angrier by the moment.

“DAMNIT!!”  She screamed as she slammed a foot down of the ground.  The Warlord began to laugh.  “You’re really beginning to piss me off.  I don’t know what you want here or who your partner is by the both of you are going down.”  Her fists began to glow, one of flame and the other chilled.

The being began to laugh with the Warlord.  “Mercedes,” it spoke.  “We have been planning this for quite some time.  This world must live without the constant harassment of people trying to mine the core.  This world lives as a chrysalis to a being of vast importance to the future of the Universe.”

Sapphire gritted her teeth.  “I need to take the Warlord in so that I can get the answers I want.  We aren’t here for you info void guy, you can leave.”  He responded by laughing again.  The Warlord took another step forward.

“I can tell you exactly what they want Mercedes, they want to know who I am.  They want this world for themselves.  They want the knowledge it contains.”  The armor began to glow in lines across the surface, and then peeled away as it seemed to melt along the seams.  A woman’s face was revealed, a cross shaped scar across one cheek.

“It…can’t be…you’re dead…I SAW YOU DIE!!”  Black Sapphire screamed.  CC laughed at her.

“Alpha saved me little one, before the universes went to war, before everything changed, before William found me.”  Crystal’s eyes welled up as memories overtook her.  “But now I have purpose again, and I will protect this world from the Academy.”  The armor melted back into place.  “I will not fight you this time Mercedes, but mark my words if you return to this place again, I will kill you.”

Sapphire stared at her long and hard before responding only with a nod, it was then that she noticed the man had vanished.  “What about your partner?”

“William?  Oh he has his own agenda and being here any longer must interfere with it in some manner.  Hopefully your paths will never cross again.”  The Warlord KhazaRhan stepped back and sat in its throne.  “Now leave this place unharmed.”  Sapphire clenched her fists and forced her inner turmoil to fade before she lost control again, just like the night George had died and she had killed CC, or so she had thought.  Again she nodded and turned to leave just as Hr’lune placed a hand on her side stopping her for a moment.

“Are you sure about this?”  He asked quietly.  She nodded.

“We need to verify why the Academy was interested in this place to begin with.  A dead world with only one being on it, not counting her Ice Army, doesn’t seem like an Academy worthy project.  He wanted to know more about the Warlord and I have that information, so we can go.  But mark my words little bounty hunter, I will be back to kill her once I have the chance.”

TBC in Astrobiology 106 Part 4

Astrobiology 106 - Part 2

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

Several days had passed since she had seen the Scion Alex Whitman in an attempt to achieve some closure with her muddled past and feelings that had lingered since the Event. Her attitude had grown prone to outbursts of anger; anger not against anything in particular, but at everything that ever was.

She eventually took a sabbatical into the deserts near Las Juegos and knocked on the stars and meditated on finding her center, because if she could not she could swing violently into one of her explosive outbursts and lose the control that she had maintained for most of her life.

“Dune guides me.” She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing. Hours passed very quickly in the desert but soon the ground beneath her began to roil and the sand began to shift and whirl around her. She opened her eyes and watched as the Bounty Hunter Hr’lunes ship descended into the dunes nearby, its landing struts digging deep. The hatch hissed and opened and the little Minotaur strode out.

“If’n it ain’t the most beautiful bird on this planet!” he called out to her.

“I’m the only ‘bird’ you know, short round,” Sapphire retorted.

“True, true, but it would be the same if I knew the many flowers this world has to offer.” She sighed at his attempts at flirting. “If you wish, my princess, we will be on our way to the Academy.” Hr’lune bowed and gestured for her to enter his craft. She rolled her eyes and walked to the ship that would take her to the XenoBiological Institute for the Discovery and Archival of Foreign Species.

Astrobiology 106 - Part 2: Agent of…

“You may call me Director Antonius Nel’Sunn. I oversee the Academy and its multiple functions in this sector of time/space.” The Director walked over to one of the viewing portals and watched as several of the mining droids moved throughout the belt, harvesting the minerals from the asteroids around the Academy. Black Sapphire watched from a short distance behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “They harvest minerals that can be converted into the energy that fuels the Academy. We use androids because of the risks involved.”

“Seems kind of harsh if you ask me,” she responded.

“It is good that I did not then.” He turned back to her, his full height just over seven feet, and his skin a deep onyx flecked with spots of an ivory mineral. The Director looked down on her with a smile. “I am kidding, of course. I frequently attempt Earther humor in an effort to be ‘cool’.” He held up two fingers on each hand of his four arms in air quotes.

“Hilarious,” Sapphire retorted.

“What is it that you need? Why have you come to us?” The Director began to walk away from the viewing portals and deeper into the complex. Sapphire followed close behind him as she began to tell her tale of the Event and the Scion kept on Earth.

“I see,” he responded after a while. “You have come seeking knowledge of the Scions in hopes of finding a way to purge the God Seed from the Scion you believe to be your father.” She nodded. “Our knowledge of the Scions are limited; the one called Alex Whitman is the only living specimen we have thus encountered.” 

She stopped in her tracks. “Living?” she asked. 

The Director nodded but continued moving forward she had to rush to keep up with his long gait. “We have the body of one of the older Scions. He was slain sometime ago by another Scion and one of our exploratory missions recovered the corpse, perfectly preserved in the depths of space. The find was quite fortuitous and accidental.”

“Which one was he?” Sapphire asked, her mind going back to the files Walters had her go through when the bounty hunter Hr’lune was on his way to Earth.

“We think he may have been The First. We cannot confirm that, however. But we do know that he was probably killed by Cyn’dre; she is the only one that controls flame.”

Sapphire thought a moment before responding, “Do you have a list of the Scions?” The Director nodded and stopped at a large mural afixed to the wall. It showed a vast alien landscape before he touched it. Immediately it showed a directory that looked like an encyclopedia. He stepped aside so that she might make her inquiry. She asked the monitor the question and it showed her…

Mercury - Cyn’dre <The Third>
Venus - Spin’dell <The Sixth>
Earth - Alex Whitman <The Recent>
Mars - D’eth <The Second>
Jupiter - A’Gon <The Seventh>
Saturn - N’tre <The Fifth>
Uranus - V’pr <The Sixth>
Neptune - Aq’uila T’rt <The Fourth>
Pluto - Fre’on <The Eighth>
Unknown - The First <The First>

“They are chosen from species that seem to dominate a planet or one of the moons of the world. We have them classified based on tales of their Chaos unleashed upon the universe and assume at their planet of origin,” the Director revealed. “Some races like the Z’rkull and the Shi’lar have not been used as far as we have been able to discern.”

“Why is that?” Sapphire asked.

“Well,” he paused in his walking before continuing, “The Z’rkull is a race of shape shifters, and their skin is a bright orange. Unfortunately the whole species is color blind and when they assume another’s visage they maintain this color. It has made for some awkward attempts at overthrowing governments or assassinations.”

“They have no clue about this defect?” The Director shook his head. “What about the Shi’lar?”

“Being a warrior race of bird men they suffer just as Earth birds do. They have hollow bones, which make them speedier than most races while flying but also hinders them in combat as they suffer broken bones easily. This of course does not deter them from waging war on every species that crosses their path.”

“That seems idiotic,” Sapphire said. 

The Director nodded before continuing to speak. “True, but they have developed ways to swarm and kill targets from a great distance or with incredible speed. They evolved past their limitations to control a vast amount of space near the Milky Way Galaxy. They are your direct neighbors as it were. I have heard tales of a vast intact Star Force at the center of their kingdom, but none of our expeditions have ever returned and their people are rather wary of outsiders.”

“I am beginning to think that you want something from me in exchange for the knowledge I wish to learn. Is that correct, Director?” Sapphire asked, her voice blunt as she stopped in her tracks.

The Director smiled. “Everything has a price, Ms. Whitman. And everyone has a boss.”

TBC in Astrobiology 106 Part 3

Astrobiology 106 - Part 1

My name is Mercedes Whitman and I'm a hero on a foreign world. I am the daughter of two heroes, and was trapped on this Earth during an Event that sealed the way back home forever. They call me Black Sapphire when I’m out patrolling, and these are my Blogs.

Black Sapphire stood up and stretched.  She walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge and looked down into the still waters.  “I need to see him.”

“Not going to happen.”  Walters materialized from the shadows behind her.

“I need this.  Think of it as closure or something.”  Walters was quiet for a moment.  Then he nodded.  “Thank you sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet.  I promise you it won’t be easy.”  He vanished into the darkness again.

Astrobiology 106 Part 1 - Legacy

Deep in the Column Research Facility, ARCten

“The Dark Avenger himself vouched for you.  Ordinarily we wouldn’t allow an unknown like you into this facility but apparently you have some kind of connection with this…thing.”  Nicolette chewed on a pen as she talked a sign that she hadn’t had a cigarette in quite a while.  She glowered at Black Sapphire expecting an answer.

“He’s my fath…a version of my father.”  The pen dropped to the floor.

“You’re fucking kidding me.  That alien thing is your Dad?”

“A version of him yes, my actual parents were sealed on the other side when the Cascade was closed,” Sapphire looked sad as she reminisced.

“Could be worse, my father bought it a little bit after Spectacular and his Family went and started the whole damn war.  Lucky fucker didn’t live to see what a shithole the world became.”

“Yeah, lucky,” Sapphire turned to look back at the monitors holding the Scion Alex Whitman

“Don’t be like that.  I’m not trying to be an asshole; truth is I’m not good with the whole emotional part of social interactions.  I’ll let you talk to this guy and afterwards we’ll get a beer and talk about our families.  My dad the Super Spy and your parents the…?”

“Also super spies.”

“Huh, ain’t that a bite in the ass.”  Nicolette led her deeper into the complex.  She stopped before a bunker like door, a small round window showed the room beyond, it glowed from the ambient power radiating from the Scion.  “We dampened him as much as possible but we just don’t have the resources or abilities to keep aliens contained like the Academy is.  Somewhere below us we still have a handful of Harvesters from the invasion years ago, only one of them has ever talked with us and provided any kind of solid intelligence.”

Sapphire looked back to Chalm from the window.  “I thought they were all dead?”

“Oh hell no, that’s what the world was meant to think.  The fact of the matter is that the species was on the verge of extinction and we had prisoners of war.  So the United Nations decided to house them in a level all to their selves and ensure that they never escaped.  The last Director was in charge of that.”

“Wasn’t the last director your father?”  Sapphire asked.

Nicolette shook her head.  “Gregory Haines was the last guy in charge.  He stepped down when I was able to take over and runs the Columns Strike team.  He’s useful when I need to send someone in black ops style.  Heroes being the vigilantes that they are and all wouldn’t look right if the media caught wind of me sending them in.”  Sapphire shook her head as she thought of just how different this world was to her home, and where the heroes worked with and for the government to maintain the peaceful balance against the dark forces of villainy.

“Well I’m as ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.”  Sapphire stepped away from the door and waited patiently for it to open and allow her passage.

“Anything gets wonky in there you GTFO.”  Chalm spoke calmly.  “Understand?”  Sapphire nodded.  Chalm punched a huge red button of the way and the lights dimmed as red alarm lights powered up.  Air hissed as the door unsealed and pressure between the rooms normalized.  Sapphire stepped through and the claxons announced the doors closing once again.  She waited patiently as they resealed and the lights came to life in the chamber holding the Scion.

“Alex Whitman?”  She asked the prisoner as she reviewed the bonds they had him in.  The Scion stirred slightly and raised his head to look at her.  She noticed a purple hue to the light directly above it.  It tilted its head to the side and began to look the room over.  “I ask again are you Alex Whitman?”  It shook its head.  “What are you called then?”

“I am my Father’s son.”

“Your father?”

“He who filled me with his Seed, the Entity.”  The Scion beamed at this announcement.

“You were born Alex Whitman of Earth, born in New York City, New York.”

“I do not know these places, or recognize these names.  I am only Scion now.”  Sapphire narrowed her eyes at him then.

“You aren’t lying are you?  You really don’t remember who you were.”  She walked back and forth in front of the Scion and gradually built up speed, she grabbed the Scions head and force fed kinetic energy right into him and through him.  He thrashed against his restraints and screamed then, loud and long.  A speaker crackled to life near her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Sapphire?”  Chalm asked mild confusion in her voice.

“I am my fathers’ daughter.  My true father and I are linked to a dimension that eats kinetic energy and I was hoping that this version would be linked to the same place.”

“Why would you even think that?  You’ve already said he isn’t the same person.”  Chalm questioned.

“Because during the Event we found out that a lot of people had doppelgangers and that they had similar power sets.  I assume you know about SuperDude and AEONs battle across North America that lasted days because they were too evenly matched.  Although not everyone has a double and that led to major victories on both sides when it came down to using these wildcards.”  The Scion stopped moving and its breathing came is gasps.

“I remember something.”  He spoke quietly in between breathes.  “I like cheeseburgers.”  His head sagged and he was unconscious.

“I guess whoever they were is still in there.  I just need to find a way to get to it.”  Sapphire turned away from the Scion and waited to be let free from the cell.  Her mind went over what she knew of the Scions and came to the single conclusion.  “Let me out of here I need to call Hr’lune and see if he can get me into the Academy.”

TBC in Astrobiology 106 Part 2

Stand Alone 7

Black Sapphire gasped for a few moments and then drifted back into slumber, where once again her dreams were invaded by The Knowledge and the final story of Arien the Immortal.

Stand Alone 7 - The Bank job

” I walk a lonely road, the only one I have ever known.”

“Don’t know where it goes. “

“But its home to me and I walk alone.”

“I walk this empty street, on this boulevard of broken dreams.”

“When the city sleeps, and I’m the only one and I walk alone.”

                                                                                    - Billy Joe

Once upon a time I was part of the royal family, one of the High Blood Caste, I was called Arien and I acted as an advisor to the Queen’s two sons and served at her behest to the best of my abilities.  This lasted for centuries until one fate filled day I arrived in another universe.  I was taken by the government and experimented on for many years.

I eventually escaped from my captors and made my way to the corner of Eden and Prairie where I will take the last step in my journey and push forward the unsuspecting destinies of eleven people.

As I stepped through the glass doors and looked at the small crowd there I took in each individual. A young man and his girlfriend giving each other small kisses as they waited in line near an aging security guard standing near the entrance who was picking at his teeth with a pen cap.  The manager watching as the two female tellers handled the late evening customers.  A middle aged mother trying to keep her young son from causing a ruckus with the other customers.  A young Asian woman mumbling to herself, an angry look on her face and her checkbook in her hand being crushed.  A young Jesuit priest, his bald head perfectly shaven clean.  His clothing hiding several tattoos on his neck and arms and finally a young woman brushing her hip with her right hand each pass showing a badge clipped to her belt that read COLUMN.

I go into the arms of our gods with a smile on my face and destiny in my hands.  They began to scream and react as my coat dropped to the ground and they saw the explosives.  The woman officer and security guard began to draw their weapons and cry out as I detonated the device strapped to myself.

He imploded into a fine red mist that circulated the room and was breathed in by all in the enclosed space.  The curse that had bound him to the universe was released and he drifted into oblivion.

“One of these days the ground will drop out from beneath your feet.”
“One of these days your heart will stop and play its final beat.”
“One of these days the clocks will stop and time won't mean a thing.”
“One of these days their bombs will drop and silence everything.”

-        David Grohl

“We are on scene at the Show of Force bank and trust.  A failed terrorist attack was just performed by an unknown individual that resulted in a failure to kill anyone or destroy any property; however it managed to claim the life of the bomber himself.”

“They are being called The Force Eleven.  Eleven survivors of the attempted suicide bombing that only claimed the life of the bomber.  Information on his motivations is unknown at this time.  What is known is that no one was hurt and all eleven are being taken to Saint Angel of the Prophet to be more thoroughly examined by the professionals.”

Christopher Kolumns, Bank Manager

Abdul Manual, Security Guard

Cathleen Richards, Bank Teller

Charisma Portman, Bank Teller

Todd Nichols, Customer

Lilac Stevens, Customer

Peaches Yakazachi, Customer

Marla Washington and her son James, Customers

Jasper Fact a priest, Customer

Jezebel an officer with the Column, Customer

Elsewhere…

“Gaddamn lying brother of mine.  I followed him see, followed him to this here bank and I’ll get that money he owes me.”  An explosion sounded from within and he looked up to the source of the sound as a reddish mist puffed from a vent and he inhaled.  “What?” He managed before collapsing into a heap amongst the garbage of the alleyway.

Willie Nichols, homeless Person

* Lyrics from Green Day and Foo Fighters used without permission.

TBC in Astrobiology 107