Previously “Is he dead?” It’s a girl’s voice that filters into the darkness that I live in now. At least it feels like I do. I sort of recognize it. I think. “Sadly, no.” This time a man speaks, one that usually uses grunts. Doc. “Be nice! The girl is concerned!” A woman. Her voice … Continue reading The Last Assassin: Part 4 →

Previously I wake, opening my eyes slowly. I expect drab gray ceilings and walls, that everything will have been a dream and I will be waking up in Tartarus once again. I expect a prison. I am pleasantly surprised by sunlight pouring in through a window over my head while my hands touch smooth sheets … Continue reading Hyperion 2: Part 3 →

Previously The flashbang should shatter my eardrums and demolish my retinas, at least temporarily. It doesn't. Nova. The air roars with light and sound but it doesn't get further than a foot and a half away from the device. Which means the first pair of boots to come down the stairs is expecting us to … Continue reading The Last Assassin: Part 3 →

Previously The door almost takes my nose off when it slams shut. I am leaning on a twelve-year-old and listening to blood drip on the floor around me. She looks up at me. "I told you. I'm just going to take a seat here if you don't mind." My back hits the wall and I … Continue reading The Last Assassin: Part 2 →

Previously “I will not retreat!” Ptah slammed his hands onto the wooden table so hard it cracked, his commanders startled by the outburst. Ptah, King Ptolemy, was widely considered to be an unflappable leader. His sister, Cleopatra, had managed to undo that demeanor with a single civil war. When siblings turn on each other, there … Continue reading Hyperion 2: Part 2 →