KevMullins' Favorites
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An eye on the mat

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To Rebuild A Man
I awoke slouched in a metal folding chair, my mouth and throat parched. I worked my tongue around in an effort to reboot my s…
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Trade Secrets

Unfortunately, Isobel didn’t get a chance to answer, because it was at precisely this moment that fatigue completely overtook…
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An Unremarkable Factory

There is a factory in Chongqing. It is unremarkable; there is nothing to distinguish it from the other factories nearby. Work…
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To Rebuild A Man (2)

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Dopplewho?

“Really, you..me..I..” James sighed and leaned forward in the chair and motioned towards the door, “That gets done three more…
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Antiquities

From the 56th floor he surveyed the entire Manhattan skyline. Looking out the floor to celling windows all one could see were…
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The Pillar - Not Quite So Empty Space
“It’s all so…artificial.” Captain Lang breathed heavily. “Thirty years, I’ve been wandering the rim on these hulks, defendi…
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#220 and #221
“Not anymore, Herr Doctor,” she said. “And never again.” Behind her teeth brass cylinders rotated, clicking together to form …
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Within Reach

“Ahh, you did it that time, didn’t you Aery? What did you see?” Her grandmother was so excited that she could hardly contain …
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Video anomaly
Jamie looked in the monitor again. She didn’t believe what she saw. Hit rewind again, and again. Slo-mo didn’t make it any be…
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Splash One, Actual

Jackson could hear the gun’s whine. He watched as the rounds ripped through the horizontal stab on the right side of the tail…
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Bagman: A Clear Blue Spike
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Rules: The Corporation, Incorporated

“Cheer up, Carl Bennett! This is your moment, and I’m sure you won’t disappoint me now,” Commander Aslög said. She lifted my …
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Stella Star and the Great Escape

Stella surveyed the scene. It seemed hopeless. Broken gyro-plane, vindictive ex-boyfriend, monkey-loving evil genius, surroun…
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The Boy

Desperately The Boy screamed “I want for to go the twactor wide!”
The Mother kept a firm grip on his tiny tentacle and, with…
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Tortoise with a Switchblade
The tortoise handled the switchblade with a dexterity Elliot never expected, the feel of cold steel slicing through flesh was…
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The Pillar - A Quiet Conversation

The eyes were glowing. It was a dark, forbidding shade of blue. It was Tom Relk, Commander Stine decided. But he sure as hell…
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Final Exam

She was called in, in a few moments, by a middle-aged blonde who didn’t look at her.
The girl was led into a room with a doct… -
Lifeless, Inches Away From You
I close my eyes and concentrate on the music pounding in my ears,
drowning out the gentle hum of the engine.
All my troubles… -
Not The Standard Procedure

An alarm siren began to blare, tunelessly, somewhere in the building. With a satisfied smile (and just a hint of smugness), t…
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The Legendary Science Slam!

Looking up from his microscope every minute or so to jot a note on the yellow pad, Fred worked with intense focus.
His lab …
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Visitors

As we walked I tried to remember where the path would have led us – if the whole end of the world thing hadn’t turned a perfe…
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Beta Testing

I found myself surrounded by a throng of melting UN Special Forces agents and low level programmers. Next to me, Jen stood fr…
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It's Always the Person You Least Expect
“Wait, wait—wait a minute, Jerry. Stop talking.” Mom never could listen straight through a story without interrupting, whethe…
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Carl's Speech: The Corporation, Inc.

The next day Commander Aslog stepped inside my office and stood motionless in the doorway for several seconds. She always see…
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Revealations

“Hold on, Just slow down Alan. Breathe.” It was just like Dad to slow me down in the middle of a story, he had never been abl…
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off the grid
“Harold, you’re pullin’ too much juice again.”
Neck craned out the side of the vehicle, Harold’s goggles were covered in gn…
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Trouble on Sirius II
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Caldera
I’m blind and I breathe fire. My mouth is full of molten rock, sloshing like soup too hot to close your lips around. I cough …
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Bagman: First Rule: Never Ask

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The Worst News Ever
The metal hinges growled under the strain as he threw his entire weight against the door. Expecting more resistance, he stumb…
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To Rebuild A Man (3)

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” The man helped me back into the folding chair and resumed his place at the table. “I want t…
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Coming of Age: Ritual of Light
Eton could sense the feelings of awe, respect, and reminiscence resonating throughout the Mind. The other Persenian conscious…
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Bagman: Live at the Scene

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A Walk In The Park
A slight breeze rustled handfuls of brown and gold leaves from their home in the tree towering above me. Three of the dead th…
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Fata Morgana
Jaliyah was extremely thirsty. My throat fells like someone pulled an acacia tree through it! she thought wryly.
The dry r…
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The Pillar - Communicate

He could see The Hammer drifting away through the window. His chest was moving. Impossibly breathing. Relk remembered everyth…
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The Pillar - Surrender

It was heard throughout the entire ship. One word, echoed out of every speaker on every console. “Surrender.” the dissembodie…
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The Pillar - Observations From The Pillar

Relk sat still at the Ops console on The Pillar’s C.I.C., watching the events outside unfold through a meter-wide rupture in …
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Port Gun Control

His headset crackled to sudden life, a brief flash of static followed by a single command uttered in a voice completely, chil…
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Yesterday Is Full Of Questions

Jess dropped the open phone in the passenger seat and slammed violently on the brakes, jolting her head forward. She put her …
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Origins of Codenames: Reaper
“WELL NOW WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO?!” Cheshire hollered, slamming the barn door behind her and pressing her back against it.
Ch… -
The Pillar - By a Slim Margin

Salis was in agony. Crumpled in his command chair, he pushed his fists into his temples, trying to squeeze the horrors out of…
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The Pillar - Corporal Blake

Corporal Blake’s entire body was tense. He was panting heavily, sweat beading from his head and fogging his HUD-visor. But it…
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My Final Realization [Realization Challenge]

I opened my eyes to darkness. A black so deep it put Crayola’s waxy imitation to shame. The complete absence of light was ove…
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The Pillar - Around The Room

Stine walked out of chaos into controlled chaos. The C.I.C. was loud. Officers were shouting their reports over each other.
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Bagman: Ghost in the Dinette

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Final Trip Home

As Commander Aslög turned around to leave, she stooped down to Jenna and said, “Dear girl, don’t look so frightened. Everythi…
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Bagman: Reverse ADHD

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Out-of-Order Challenge - Opportunity

My heart was pounding. It thumped in my chest like a jackhammer in slow motion. The stairwell echoed my heavy footsteps as I …
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Out-of-Order Challenge - The Final Check

I sat in the plush leather chair. Johnson only pulled you in his office for two reasons; to promote or to fire.
He didn’t lo…
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Bagman: Hot Pickup

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Never Trust A Big Butt And A Smile

As the goon started to reach for his radio, I ran full tilt in his direction. I lowered my shoulder and drove it deep into hi…
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Nowhere to Hide

When we were inside and out of reach of the ever-present surveillance systems, I pushed Amy and Jenna into a narrow closet by…
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Followed

I pushed the closet door aside to see Commander Kopetzky seated at our kitchen table. He was drinking a cup of coffee and rea…
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Take Off

“Thanks for coming for me, Katie-Bear,” Susan said. “I knew you still cared. Hey, Greenlee – where do you keep the booze?” Sh…
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Airborn

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Bagman: Danger Music

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Bagman: Move with Your Sniper

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Bagman: Through a Killer's Eyes

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A Uniform Not Forgotten
My closet is like most men’s. It is somewhat organized, from formal suits and ties on the right to golf-shirts on the left. S…
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The Pillar - Into The Fold

Tom Relk had not moved from his place on The Pillar’s C.I.C. He simply sat there in silence, staring at the alien vessel stil…
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Ode to Backspace
My fingers gently caress random letters upon the keyboard for mere seconds. The tactile depression signals the requisite time…
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The Mark
Shane walked slowly around the studio apartment, glancing at the oddities displayed on various pieces of furniture, careful n…
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The Mark (2)

Shane made his way down the dimly lit corridor of the storage facility to number 14. He glanced up the hall to make sure he w…
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Please God, Let It End (uselessness's PRECISE MANEUVERS Challenge!)

I was half-asleep, fully reclined on the sofa when I heard his voice. Penetrating deep into my subconscious, it broke my slum…
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Bagman: Back to Work

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Human For Sale
A rush of fresh, clean air tumbled through my ragged lips as the rough burlap was lifted from my face. I blinked hard, disori…
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The Kind That Hate Was Bred In

The man’s limousine was obsidian black and sleek, a modern thing with chrome wheels and lining. He ordered a towel to be thro…
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Not so Sweet Home

Rough hands propelled me forward and around the side of a home I knew I would never live in. It didn’t seem to matter how fas…
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The Pillar - Intruder

The all-clear had come down to all decks about an hour ago. Corporal Blake had submitted his report to Damage Control. He cou…
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Out-of-Order Challenge - 90 Seconds

I pulled to a stop in front of the Office building, one hundred yards from the bank.
Niles was in the passenger seat, checki…
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The Mark (3)

Shane spread the contents of the envelope out on the floor and delved into the life that was William Bledsoe. According to a …
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Bagman: Blurred Image

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Bagman: Not My Style

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Bagman: One Shell Square

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Bagman: Three Black Suits

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Bagman: Payday

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Bagman: A Little Less Red

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Bagman: Benny & Louise

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Bagman: Phantom Leg

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Ask the Wonderball

“You first,” Emily prodded. “I’m nervous. The answer has to be a number of some kind.”
“Alright,” said Lona. “How many boys …
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Numbers pop up in funny places (III)
The buildings fresh paint job did little to cover up its old age. Johnson almost smiled, the place reminded him of an old lad…
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The Future Is Unwritten

Emily dropped the Wonderball. It made a dull thud as it hit the carpet. The two girls stared at each other, both of them pale…
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Bagman: Everyone has a Record

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Bagman: I Heart Mom

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Bagman: Street King

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Alex in Wonderland - Part 6

Alex strolled down memory lane that was the Wonderland Mall. Across from the arcade, a huge line formed in front of the movie…
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Where Am I (Out-of-Order Challenge)

“Bob! Bob, can you hear me?”
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“Come on Bob! Can you hear me?” Hands clap in front of my face; the sound is distant but unm…
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Alex in Wonderland- Part 7: Girls Just Wanted to Have Fun

“Did you see the guy that ducked into the Castle? He doesn’t belong either,” Amanda commented nodding toward the arcade. Stil…
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Griselda

“Have the child sit still.” Doctor Mandrose spoke calmly into the microphone. He was tucked safely away behind thick mirrored…
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Alex in Wonderland: Part 9

Amanda and Jessica stepped into the arcade just behind the Rent-a-Cop. “I think I remember him,” Amanda whispered to Jessica….
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Alex in Wonderland: Part 11

Lost track of time? Jessica’s grin widened. Well, at least he got the hint. She almost turned her ankle in the stumble wh…
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Alex in Wonderland: Part 12

Jessica’s mind reeled for a split second. “Thank you Officer Hampton for tracking down Alex for me,” she smiled sweetly. _S…
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Out-of-Order Challenge - Cadillac Decisions

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Snow White Queen {Paint a Picture Challenge}

She stands statuesque in the center of her crystalline world overlooking the icy formations of Mother Nature’s early wintry b…
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The Pillar - A Guided Tour

Relk found himself feeling strangely at home in an alien room.
But the light was different than the Pillar’s. And it didn’t…
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Burger King Drive-Thru (Out-of-Order Challenge)

“26, what’s your 20?” The crackling of the radio indicated its age.
“Hey Monique, good to hear your voice again.” Jose’s fli…