Capital "W" Writer (LoA's Geekus Awesomeus)'s Stories

Friends Forever (Part 3)

2008-07-24T07:40:26Z

“Some thing else?” she asks. “What, like an alien?” she asks, sarcasm replacing worry as the taint in her voice.

“I don’t blame you for being skeptical. I was at first, too. And, no. I’m not an alien. I wasn’t born in a galaxy far, far away, although it was a long time ago.” She frowns. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

“So, you’re saying you weren’t born in South Dakota?”

“Oh, god, no!” I say, mock horror in my voice. She laughs.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?” I know exactly what she’s talking about, but when you’ve played a role for so long, it’s hard to slip out of character.

“You always know when I’m tense, and manage to put me at ease. How?“

“Years… of practice.”

“Hold on.” She glares. “What was that.” I open my mouth. ”’What was what?’ Like you don’t know. The pause. You edited yourself, like you always do around me. Truth, now, or get the hell out!” Damn. She’s pissed!

“Alright,” I say, annoyed (at who, I’m not sure). “Years, or rather centuries, of practice.”

That has her attention.

Friends Forever (Part 2)

2008-07-23T18:12:26Z

“What…”

“You’ve said those exact words to me more times than you might believe.”

I look at her. She’s shivering in the night air. Go in, I say to myself. Just keep it together. I take a deep breath. “On second thought, I’ll make the tea.” We step inside.

While I make the tea, she grabs a towel for me to dry off, and a robe I left here last time we had a movie night. Tea poured, we sit on the couch.

“Alright,” she says. “Spill. Straight to the point.”

“Okay.” Another deep breathe. “There are three types of people in this world. Most, maybe 95%, are born, live their lives, and die. End of story.”

“Dramatic start,” she says. “Depressing, but dramatic.”

“Sometimes, one of those gains a sort of enlightenment. Most often, not even knowing it. But through this enlightenment, they continue even when their bodies don’t. Reborn, again and again, subconsciously remembering their lives, thinking them just dreams. And…”

“And… What? You’re saying that we…”

“No. Not we. Just you. I’m… something else.”

Friends Forever (Part 1)

2008-07-23T17:58:02Z

My heart pounds in my chest. I can’t do it. I turn to leave.

The door opens. “Jason?” she asks, half-awake. “What’s wrong?”

I’m committed now. After this, she may think I should be.

“Claire…” My voice catches. Just do it, dammit! “I… We…” Coward, I curse myself.

“Get in out of the rain,” she says, worry tainting a voice I’ve always found musical. “I’ll put on some tea, and…”

“No!” I blurt out. “No, if I come in, I’ll lose my nerve completely. Come up with yet another lie to keep from saying what I have to say. What I’ve wanted to say for so long.”

Now, she really looks concerned. “It must be something important.” A slight smile. “In fifteen years, that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.”

“You’ll hear a lot more from me. I’m not sure how much you’ll believe, or how much you’ll want to. But if I don’t tell you now, I may never get the chance again.”

“Jason, you’re scaring me.” She stops, suddenly, frowning. “Woah. Deja vu. Serious deja vu.”

“Claire, you have no idea…”

The Portal (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-07-09T05:25:58Z

Erin pulled a small device off her belt. “This’ll open a portal to the Ourorboros base.” She turned and looked at Tabitha, her face unreadable behind her armoured helmet. “It’s a little weird when you first step through. Just take a deep breath, and try not to think about it.” She activated the portal, a glowing, golden image of an angled infinity symbol. She stepped through and vanished.

“Try not to think about it,” Tabitha thought. “Thanks, Cerulean Steel. Like that’ll help.” She took a deep breath, stepped into the portal…

...and watched her entire life flash before her. She tried making sense of the jumbled images, but it was like trying to separate a picture with a thousand other layers on top of it. Choices made, choices abandoned. What her life was, is, will be, and could have been. All in a blur of colour and sounds.

Suddenly, there was a flash, and she found herself kneeling on stone steps, what was left of her dinner spilled out before her.

“Told you not to think about it,” Erin said, smiling.

A Favour - Part 3 (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-09T01:49:20Z

“Why not?” Tabitha asked, sounding irritated.

“Because I don’t totally trust them!” Erin said.

“And yet you still work for them,” Tabitha replied, an edge of accusation in her voice.

“Yes, I do,” Erin said sharply. “And I am very selective of the missions I’ll undertake and who in the organization I’ll take them from.”

“Why?” Tabitha forced herself to calm down.

“Look, T.” Erin put her hand on Tabitha’s shoulder. “I understand what they’re doing, trying to fix the time stream and prevent some future invasion. But I don’t like the fact that some of them won’t tell you the whole story about why a certain job must be done.

“I don’t like being lied to. Even if it’s a lie of omission.”

Tabitha sighed. “I understand. But you’re the only person I know who…”

“Hold on,” Erin interrupted. There was a faint click as she activated her radio. “Yes… Yes, I… Yes, she’s right… What? Hello?” Another click. Erin sighed.

“You get your wish, T. They’ve got a job for me. And they want you to come along.”

A Favour - Part 2 (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-09T01:19:35Z

“Thanks,” Tabitha said. “I got Marco to make it for me.”

“With that tight a fit,” Erin grinned, “I bet he enjoyed measuring you for that.”

“Oh, please,” Tabitha snorted. “You know perfectly well Marco’s gay. Cute, but I’m not his type.”

“Well,” Erin said, sounding thoughtful, “technically, he’s bi. And how would you know if he’s cute? You’ve never seen him.”

“He showed me,” Tabitha said, sounding a bit confused. “You do know he’s a telepath, right?”

“No,” Erin smirked. “And I bet you’re the only one he’s ever told.” She thought for a moment. “That explains how he can get these costumes so perfect with only a vague description of what the customer wants. Anyway, back to his crush on you…”

“Not having this conversation.” Tabitha’s voice became serious. “I need a favour, C.”

“You’ve saved my butt on more than one occasion. Anything.”

“I need you to put me in contact with Ouroboros.”

Erin frowned. “Anything but that.”

A Favour - Part 1 (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-09T01:09:16Z

“Surveillance log. June 3, 2008. 12:35am. Observed Atlas Park Bank for six hours, no sign of target. Will remain in position three more hours, then report back to SERAPH . Out.” Erin Radcliffe, aka Cerulean Steel, switched off the recorded in her helmet. “What a waste of a night,” she sighed.

“At least you have company,” a voice beside her said.

In an instant, the cybernetic links in her head engaged her suit’s hover mode, and she nocked an arrow, ready to fight. “Man, are you jumpy!” Tabitha laughed.

“Jesus Murphy, T!” Erin shouted. “You almost took one through the head for that!”

“Oh, calm down, C,” she teased. “It’s not my fault your audio pickups have a dead spot.”

“Oh, no.” Erin shook her head. “Don’t even try that. I did a full systems analysis. Everything works fine. I know you won’t tell me, but one of these days I’ll figure out how you sneak up on me like that.”

“Sure.” Tabitha smirked. “You’ve been saying that for the last two years.”

Erin landed and sat back down, laughing. “Nice outfit.”

Awkward Moments (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-08T23:45:16Z

“You didn’t…” He couldn’t say it.

She laughed. “Oh, god, no! Dad, Marco’s cute, but he’s also queer as a nine dollar bill!” She sighed. “He asked me to go on a date with his sister.”

“He what?!”

“Look, she was sixteen, and had decided if Marco could be gay, she could be a lesbian.” She really did not want to be having this conversation.

“But you’re…”

“No! I’m straight. So is she. She figured that out when she panicked.” She cringed. Oh, great, Tabi, she thought. Now he’ll ask…

“Why?” Robert asked, not sure whether to be annoyed or amused.

Tabitha sighed. “She panicked when I went to kiss her. She realized that she really didn’t want to date a girl, and kind of ran. Literally.”

“And what did you do?” Robert asked, finally settling for amused.

“What could I do?” she said, sounding annoyed. “I called Marco to pick me up.”

She pointed at her sightless eyes. “She drove!” They both burst out laughing.

After a minute, Robert recovered enough to say, “Okay, one last thing. Eighty million?!”

Designer Clothes (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-08T23:31:33Z

She walked over to the cabinet where she stored her swords. Opening it, she revealed a gleaming black costume. “Tada!” she said, with a flourish.

Robert walked over and ran his hands over the material. Small bumps studded the outfit everywhere. “What…”

“0.5mm impervium studs on an eel-skin bodysuit. Pretty sexy, huh?” Tabitha laughed.

Robert looked at her, stunned. “Wait… What did you just say?”

“I said…”

“I heard you. It was rhetorical.” For all the metal on it, the suit was incredibly light. “This must have cost a fortune!”

“Well,” she said, looking somewhat embarrassed, “My friend Marco made it for me. I paid for it from my investments. I got a bit of a discount, too. He owed me a… favour.”

“Investments?” Robert asked.

“Yeah. After we thought mom was dead, her life insurance went to Tommy and me. I had a friend invest my half.” She smiled, sheepishly. “Your little girl’s worth over eighty million.”

“Eighty…” He stopped and frowned, the father in him taking over. “What kind of favour?”

Security Briefing (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-08T23:20:33Z

“Okay,” Tabitha said, all business. “I know your lab was on the ninth floor. What was security like at the time?”

Robert thought back. “Well,” he said, “that floor was pretty heavily guarded. The only more heavily guarded floor was the tenth – bio-engineering.”

“I’ve been going over the layout with a friend, having her describe it to me.”

“How…” Robert started.

“She’s a techie, a damned good one. She hacked their security system. Got the layout via security cameras.” She smiled.

“Glad she’s on our side,” Robert quipped. “Okay, there were two guards at either end of the hallways, three in each lab. They were armed with energy pistols, so as not to risk breaking any flasks and blowing up the building.”

She nodded. “That’s all I need to know, dad. Thanks. I’ve already got everything else planned out.”

“How will you deal with the guns?”

“Oh, my god!” she said, doing her best ‘vapid blond’ impression. “I have this totally darling outfit I’ve been dying to wear!”

Father-Daughter Time (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-05T02:05:51Z

After a while, they sat together sharing Robert’s idea of ‘gourmet cooking’ – Chinese takeout. He looked up from his beef foo yung, eyes still red. “I’m…”

“Shut up,” she said, smiling. “You’ve already apologized about a thousand times in the last…” She made a show of studying her watch. “Ten minutes? Eleven?”

He laughed. “Alright, alright. You’re blind, why do you even wear that thing?”

“Let’s see…” She gave him her ‘I’m thinking really hard’ face. “Vanity? Habit? Just to make you laugh?”

“That I would believe.” His smile vanished as suddenly as it appeared. “But you have to understand, Tabi. The risk you’re planning on taking…”

“I know, dad,” she said softly. “But I have to do this, to try to make things how they’re supposed to be.You and Tommy, normal. Me, not a trained killer. Mom, anything but Robo-Bitch.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “Do you want me to come?”

“No,” she said. “I’m better off on my own. You’re… Well… Noisy.” She smiled, sheepishly. “But you can help.”

“Anything,” he said.

Three Cheers (Farewell Kevin Chain)

2008-06-01T14:08:10Z

Kevin,

I’m sure 99% of what I would say here has been said already, and possibly better than I ever could.

So, I’ll just say this: Thank you for this site. For letting aspiring authors find their voice, have some fun, entertain others, and maybe improve their writing… just a little.

So, let’s hear it! Three cheers for Kev!

Fic-lets HOORAY !

Memories (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-01T14:02:39Z

“Fine. Fine! I give up!” Robert sighed heavily. “You know, you’re even more stubborn than your mother was.”

Tabitha smiled. “That’s what you love about me!”

Robert laughed. “Okay, I admit,” he said with a smile. “That’s part of the reason I married her.” His smile faded. “It’s too bad she…” He stopped, his voice breaking. He started to shake.

“Daddy,” she said, worried, as she always was when he got like this. She reached out, following the sound of his voice. Once her hands found him, she held his face, touching her forehead to his. “Dad, listen to me,” she whispered. “That… thing we fought last year was not your wife. Do you hear me? Allen killed her and brought that thing back in her place!”

Robert shook his head. “No… No, he didn’t… I… It was…” He was starting to lose it. He’d been in therapy for six months, on anti-depressants for four of those. Most of the time, he was fine. But every so often…

Tabitha did all she could. She let him break down, and held her father while he did.

Second Chances (A City of Heroes Story)

2008-06-01T03:45:25Z

One Year Later…

“No,” Robert said, his tone calm, but final. “Absolutely not. I won’t allow it!”

Tabitha laughed, short, sharp, and defiant. ”’Won’t allow’? Daddy, really.” She smiled.

“No. Forget it.” He started to grin, despite himself. “Your ‘daddy’s little girl’ routine is not going to work.”

Her smile dropped, her face deadly serious. “Doesn’t matter. I’m going.”

His grin vanished as quickly as hers, anger creasing his face. “I’m not saying it again. I emphatically forbid it. It’s too dangerous. You have no idea what could happen.”

“Forbid it?” she asked, incredulous. “You forbid it? This is not your decision! I am not 12 years old anymore!”

“No, you’re not!” Robert yelled. “So stop acting like a child who can’t have her way!” He slammed his fist on the counter, then took a deep breath. “I just got you back a year ago, and now you’re going to leave again? What if…”

“I’m sorry. I made my decision. I’m going to talk to the Menders of Ouroboros. I’m going back in time to fix our family.”

Moms & Robbers

2008-05-23T04:26:00Z

He pulled the machine gun from his coat and fired a burst into the bank’s ceiling. “This is a robbery!” he yelled. “Everyone get the fuck down!”

People started screaming as thy dropped to the floor. “Shut up! Shut the fuck up!” He took aim at the security guard, who was reaching for his gun. “You! Throw the gun over here, and get down like the rest of them!” The guard complied.

“Tommy?” He froze. Oh, no. “Thomas Edwin Jameson!“

“Mom, what are you doing here?!”

“What am I doing here? What am I doing here?! You are supposed to be at work, young man!”

“But I…”

“Do not interrupt me! I raised you better than this! Give me that gun!”

“But…”

“Now!” He handed the weapon over. “You go straight home and think about what you’ve done!”

“Yes, mommy,” he muttered, and shuffled out the door.

After he left, the crowd started to rise, applauding their saviour. She turned to them, the gun resting comfortably in her hands. “Uh-uh,” she said, smiling. “Get the hell back down. My turn…”