Tag Archives: Portal

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 1

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The good point about owning a “jet” created from the remains of alien spacecraft is that it does surprisingly well even in the presence of enormous explosions.

The engines, meant for sending the ship into orbit, shot us far out of the range of the blast. Its shields absorbed what little of the blast could reach us.

The ship’s inertial dampers did well enough that I felt a little pull, but kept standing as the ship shot forward, creating huge sonic booms.

Given that we were in northern Manitoba near Nunavut, the noise probably wasn’t bothering many people. We might have upset more polar bears. Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 1 →

Arc 5.1: Ready or Not

Ready or Not: Part 6

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Bits of light sparkled around the end of the barrel. I waited to see if it did it again. It didn’t.

Good. Then I didn’t have to put it back in the locker.

I put on a little speed, and joined everyone else by the jet. Haley had touched the door, and it opened, lowering to the ground, and altering to become a short stairway.

Sean looked down at the gun and said, “What’s that? You looked like you were talking to it.”

Not even waiting for me to answer, he reached out to take it.

It fired.

Continue reading Ready or Not: Part 6 →

Arc 3.6: Targets

Targets: Part 24

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I didn’t even think about what I’d be hitting. I fired, holding the button down even though I knew it used more power.

I don’t think I panicked, but I can’t say I was thinking clearly.

Being rushed by someone who you know can kill you does that. Continue reading Targets: Part 24 →

Arc 3.6: Targets

Targets: Part 22

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Haley parked the car by the side of the road. As we got out, I couldn’t help but notice who wasn’t there–Jaclyn, Cassie and Julie. And that sucked because Cassie could have chopped them to pieces, Julie could have told them to stop, and had a pretty good chance that they’d listen, and Jaclyn…

Jaclyn could have done something. Physically, she was the only one of us who was in Prime’s army’s league. Plus she was a whole lot faster than any of them.

I couldn’t say that we were doomed, but part of me would have felt better knowing they were with us.
Continue reading Targets: Part 22 →

Arc 2.5: Three

Three: Part 16

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When the brightness and the thundering boom of the explosion ended, I saw that the guitar’s charge had turned a chunk of the mech’s chest into a smoking ruin.

It fell backwards, crashing onto the street.

The left arm beat the ground with jerky flailing motions. The shell muffled the sound of screaming, but I could still hear it.

“Oh God, oh God, it hurts…”
Continue reading Three: Part 16 →

Arc 2.5: Three

Three: Part 15

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“Lumbering” wasn’t quite the word to use though.

It looked slow and clumsy, but it moved. Within seconds it had gotten past the piles of concrete on the street and caught up to us. It swiped at a line of Jennys with its arm, knocking some of them over, hitting others hard enough that Jenny discorporated them, probably just to stop the pain.

A few more Jennys appeared to replace the ones that were gone, but not as many as there had been. I noticed that none of the new ones had copies of my guitar and all of them seemed tired.
Continue reading Three: Part 15 →

Arc 2.5: Three

Three: Part 14

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They were in front of the building but beginning to run down the street. I landed next to them.

I ran around a couple Jennys to join the core of the group.

“This is bad,” I said. “They’ve got snipers and supers on the shops over there and a giant robot hiding off to the side of the Syndicate L’s building. Can you teleport yet?”
Continue reading Three: Part 14 →

Arc 2.5: Three

Three: Part 12

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Thanks to having fallen face down in the stairwell, I could only listen to what happened next.

A voice, the same voice that had been in the video conversation with Raptor, said, “Surrender. We’ve captured all your friends.”

Alex must have, because the next thing I knew, people were picking me up and carrying me to an elevator.
Continue reading Three: Part 12 →

Arc 2.5: Three

Three: Part 11

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Lee made us think through the circumstances in which we were willing to kill people.

Partially, I’m sure, it was because the circumstances in which you’re willing to kill dictate the sort of moves you need to practice. Partially, it had to be because when the moment came, you needed to recognize it and not hesitate.

We were close to mine.
Continue reading Three: Part 11 →