Facing the Cave

This flash fiction story originally appeared in MindFlights. The magazine is no longer active though the story still shows up. This is one of my allegorical fantasies.

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"And though countless have tried," the bard said to the tavern audience, "The dragon that never dies continues to devour all who come to its cave."

Galak clapped with the people but noticed Sir Humblart, his teacher and friend, stared as if into another world. When Galak saw Sir Humblart's jaw set, he knew the story had stirred a desire in his master. Galak took another gulp from his stein in hopes of numbing the rising fear.

Sir Humblart rose from his seat. "Come, Squire. We have a dragon to slay."

The bard laughed. "Didn't you hear me? This dragon is death itself. No man can defeat death."

Sir Humblart smiled and his eyes lit as they always did when he would say something of importance. "Correct: no man can if no one attempts it."

"Attempt away! The dragon is always hungry." Laughter erupted from the patrons.

Sir Humblart nodded. "And if I return from death, then what?"

The bard stumbled over words, then blurted out, "I'll believe that when I see it!" More guffaws arose.

Sir Humblart downed the last of his ale and motioned for Galak to follow.

After grabbing supplies, Sir Humblart led Galak through the forest toward the undefeated foe.

"Sir, I have your sword," Galak said.

Sir Humblart didn't turn his head. "I'll have no cause for such weapons. Keep hold of it. You will need it."

Their feet crunched the dirt and dried leaves on the forest floor as they pushed toward—what? His death? Galak watched the armor-clad knight marching resolutely to face the monster that had sent so many to hell's gates. No hint of fear twitched across his face. No evidence of second thoughts surfaced in those coal-black, unblinking eyes.

In due time, they entered the clearing where the dragon's cave bore into the mountain. Strewn across the knoll lay scorched armor and rusted swords. Bones rested thick across the grass, piled by the cave opening. Many lives had been spent attempting to destroy the dragon.

A roar erupted from beneath the earth, and the ground shook. Smoke belched from the entrance as if dust long undisturbed exploded from its cloisters. Mournful cries underlay the horrific noise; Galak wanted to cry with them.

Galak fled behind a tree as he watched the beast burst from the cave and land a few feet from Sir Humblart. A mélange of greens and browns shimmered in the sunlight on its hide. The slender body tapered to a tail, which whipped to and fro. The other end held aloft a neck three times as long as any man's body. At the end of the neck, a broad head examined Sir Humblart with fiery eyes, and a forked tongue lashed the air.

"Sir, flee before it's too late," Galak yelled out.

Sir Humblart turned to Galak. "To free them, I must die." He faced the dragon, his feet together, lifted his arms as if to fly, and cast his head forward.

Now Galak knew his master had lost his mind. Perhaps the villagers brewed a stouter ale than they realized. He cowered behind the tree as a deafening roar caused him to cover his ears in pain. But he couldn't remove his gaze from Sir Humblart.

The beast's head dove, and its open mouth scooped in Sir Humblart. Its head flung back. Galak watched as a bulge slid down the dragon's neck. Apparently satisfied with its meal, the dragon lumbered to the cave.

Galak's stomach twisted, and bile rose up his throat. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he remembered: he still had the sword. He could yet save his master and friend. An attempt likely ending in death, but love demanded no less. He steeled himself, unsheathed the weapon, drew himself to his feet, and prepared to charge.

The dragon halted before reaching the cave. A mournful cry shattered the air, and the dragon thrashed about, as if attempting to throw an invisible rider. It spun and writhed until another shriek filled Galak's ears. He fell to his knees; the sword dropped to the ground.

The dragon teetered and fell over onto its side with a ground-shaking crash. Galak peered at it, but the dragon no longer moved.

The ground rumbled until a blast of air exploded from the cave and twirled into a vortex. Galak swore he heard joyous singing within the gale. The bones around him rattled before the swirling wind sucked them into its grip, and they flew beyond the mountain and into the sky.

The pull of the music and push of the wind encouraged Galak. He crept toward the beast, eying it through wind-whipped hair, ready to flee, but it did not move. Not until Galak came close enough, did he see a bulge pushing against the skin.

He gasped and stumbled in haste to retrieve the sword. He raced back to the carcass and swung the sword two-handed upon the base of the neck. Green blood spewed forth, and with it the dragon's body vomited out Sir Humblart, covered in chunky, pea-green slime.

In his acid-seared hand, Sir Humblart held a heart the size of a grown man's head. He arose and cast a bright gaze upon Galak.

"No man can escape death. It can only be defeated from within. And now, I have destroyed it." Sir Humblart cast the heart into the cave.

Galak's pulse quickened as Sir Humblart's eyes pierced through him. The master turned and proceeded down the path to the village.

Galak followed, as he had always done—but now, through death to life.

The Eternal Clock

The ticking of the clock reminded me of my own mortality. I glanced out the window of my quarters. Starlight streaked by as we traveled at light speed four. The vacuum of space a few feet away, held at bay by inches of metal and transparent stealium, served to remind me of the truth as well.

"Captain," sounded over the comm.

"Go ahead."

"We're picking up a ship on long-range sensors on an intercept course."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"

"Unknown."

"How long till they reach us?"

"About one hour. Forty-five minutes until we're in communication range."

I thought for three seconds. "Keep me posted if they change course. Captain out."

"Aye, sir."

I rocked back in my chair. Would this be a first encounter or and old friend? Or worse, an old enemy?

"Captain Bay," my own voice call from behind me.

I spun around. Another me, with more gray and wrinkles, stood before me. Different outfit. Same face.

I rose to my feet. "I'd ask who you are, but I think I already know what you'll say. Questions are, how, why, and do I believe you?"

The corners of his mouth turned up. He raised a finger, then walked to the cabin door and locked it. "It might not go over well if I'm found here by your crew."

I noticed the balding spot on the back of his head. I filtered my fingers through mine, pausing at the top of my head. "Let me guess. You're me from the future."

He nodded. "Yes. We need to discuss the approaching ship."

I grinned. "Nice hologram of me. Who's behind this? Is this Dan?"

He clenched his jaw. "Listen. I returned to warn you about that ship. It is a new species. Very hostile. I waited too long to respond. Only a few of us escaped. We've been hostile since then. If you respond first, take out their weapons, you'll have the upper hand."

I rubbed my jaw. "Let's assume you are who you say you are. Did you try to communicate with them?"

"Yes, but the translator didn't recognize their language. While we tried to understand, they fired."

I paced the floor, then turned to face him. "Okay. We'll know soon if your telling the truth. What does this species look like?"

"Small, furry heads. No neck to speak of. Four arms with six fingers on each. Fur all over. Oh yeah, and two big black eyes."

I nodded. "If that's what greets me, I'll know you're from the future. Then I'll shoot first, ask questions later."

He smiled. "Good. Now I'll be able to sleep at night." He held his wrist up, punched a few buttons, and then vanished.

I breathed deep. "So I'll be able to time travel one day. Interesting." But his warning gave me more prep time. I could have missiles loaded and ready to fire before they arrived. Just in case. I reached over to signal Lieutenant Reece in munitions.

"Captain Bay," my voice echoed in the cabin again.

I turned my head to see myself. "Forget something?"

He waved his hands. "Don't attack them. That didn't work. Their shielding is much stronger than ours. We barely made a dent before their weapons ripped our ship apart."

I feared asking this question. "That's twice now you've made it through the destruction of your...I mean, my ship. I thought a captain was supposed to go down with his ship."

"The crew has this mutinous plan to save their captain upon destruction of the ship. Watch out for the doctor's hypo-spray." He winked.

I leaned back. "So now what?"

He stared out the view port. "We must be trespassing in their space. Would be best to turn and run."

I smiled. "Sounds logical, but maybe you don't want me to see them and learn you're lying."

He turned and met my eyes. "You can wait until you see them, but by then it'll be too late. Your call, but I'd rather not have to make another trip back to convince you again."

I ran options through my brain. "Are you able to translate their language in your time?"

"Yes."

"Then you translate for us now."

He shook his head. "You're crew would know I'm not you. Too much age difference."

"I'll tell them I grayed my hair and plucked out some in the back."

"They'll buy that?"

"Probably not."

He pointed at me. "Try running. If that doesn't work, I'll be back."

"I'll give it due consideration." If he was me, he knew that meant I'd do it.

He let out a breath. "Thank you." He pecked away on his "watch" and vanished.

I waited five minutes. He didn't return. Must have worked. I reached for the comm to call helm.

"Captain Bay, it didn't work. Their ships are much faster than ours. They caught up and destroyed us."

I stood and stepped toward him. "So fighting doesn't work. Running doesn't work. What's left?"

He rubbed his forehead. "Not much. Who knew polluting the timeline was so hard. It's like God's going to have this turn out the same no matter what."

"I have an idea."

His eyes jerked open as my decision became his future.

I swung my fist hard upon his left temple. The spot I always protected in my boxing days. He collapsed like a sack of sand onto the floor. I slipped his time-watch off and stored it in my vault.

I dragged him into the captain's personal shuttle connected to the captain's quarters, programmed the greeting, "This is Ambassador Bay, I come in peace to make friends," to broadcast in all languages in the database. Surely if they've gotten around, they'd recognize one of them. I set the autopilot on a countdown, and exited the shuttle.

I hit the comm button. "Ensign Jones, I'm sending my shuttle to the oncoming ship as a decoy. As soon as it departs, turn the ship around and leave the system at full speed."

"Acknowledged, sir."

Docking clamps clunked open. Thrusters fired. Through the window, the wing-tipped craft glided away.

I saluted. "Good luck in retirement, Ambassador Bay." Sending someone who knew the alien's language in a non-threatening ship provided the best opportunity of first contact. Meanwhile, when my turn came to go back in time, I'd pass. The timeline was effectively polluted.

The ticking of the clock reminded me of my own mortality. And an eternity that would not be denied. No matter how hard we sought to change it.

The Call of Nature

Since a lot of my early short stories/flash fictions were on sites that are no longer active, I thought I would post them here. This story was my first accepted story, back around May of 2006, and was published in Raygun Revival on February 2007. I've also included in my anthology, Ethereal Worlds. Enjoy.
~~ R. L. Copple

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The metal hanger, which housed the Z-14X prototype space plane, shined in the moonlight just beyond the barbed-wired fence. The moonlight reminded John of the sun. He couldn't wait to see it against the blackness of space.

The security fence gloated, "Just try to get through," but it hadn't counted on someone who could simply fly over. It hadn't counted on—Moth Man.

The only real ability John possessed: he could fly using the soft wings on his back. That and the fact if someone ate him, they would die of toxic poison. "A lot of good that would do me. Why couldn't a radioactive spider have bitten me? Why a moth?" he had often wondered.

Yet now the wings came in handy. He lifted himself into the air. Wind flowed through his hair as he bounced though the cool night over the compound. Soon he sank to the ground beside the hanger.

John peered into the window and saw the craft bathed in dim moonlight:  a black shell, adorned by four wings well back on the craft, spread out in an "X" pattern. Just as his web research had revealed. Touted as the first plane to fly successfully out of earth's gravity and into space, it looked the part.

A growl sounded. He swung around to see a German Shepherd baring its teeth. He froze. I could probably fly away before he reached me. He prepared to launch.

"Freeze!" A uniformed man swung around the corner, brandishing a rifle pointed straight at John. He froze again.

I might be able to escape the dog, but not the bullet. "Sorry, can you tell me how to get to the Hilton? I seem to be lost."

He didn't buy it. "Up against the wall, hands high." The dog threatened with a low rumbling growl.

John complied, what else could he do? As he followed the officer's orders, his black and gold tiger-moth wings came into view.

"What the…" The officer moved closer and felt the wings. He rubbed the wing dust off his hands with a grimace and then patted John down for weapons.

John saw his opportunity. He swung his wings hard, hitting the officer in the head. The hit and wing dust disoriented him. John's fist landed a hit squarely on the back of his neck. The guard dropped unconscious. John launched himself into the air before the dog could reach him. The Shepherd's snapping jaws just missed John's dangling foot.

The barking dog now broadcasted the fact that an intruder had penetrated the compound. John no longer had time for subtleties. Landing on the roof, he kicked in the skylight.  It shattered open, and he winged his way inside.

Now, where did they store the plutonium fuel rods? John swung around and spotted them, in a box labeled as such along the wall. He grabbed a handful and flew to the cockpit. Once inside, he inserted all but two fuel rods into the power receptors and initiated the injection process.

By now, several guards filed in the door, guns encircled the ship. The engines had power, so John increased the throttle. The plane lurched forwards. Gunfire echoed in the hanger. Warning shots, hoping it would scare John into stopping no doubt. They didn't want to riddle their craft with holes. Not until they had no other recourse.

Doing a standard take-off would take too long. John thought about going right to the nuclear escape engines. Such force, designed for airborne ignition, could tear it and him apart from a near-dead stop. He had only one viable course of action.

He braced himself, then hit the ignition switch. The Gs slammed him into the seat. He struggled to maintain consciousness. The metal groaned under the strain. The plane shot forward and ploughed through the hanger doors. Scraping metal sounds echoed through the cockpit. It bounced along the ground. A fence raced toward the plane. John pulled back on the stick, already speeding past 200 knots. The prototype shot upward. The Gs squished him as if a giant hand pushed on his head.

As the plane cleared the buildings and the land quickly receded, John cut the ignition and switched to standard fuel. His field of vision returned and his face reshaped to its rounded state like a baby fresh out of the womb.

John glanced at the escape-engine fuel gauge. The stunt had expended a third of what he needed to escape earth's gravity. He inserted the other two rods. The solar panels should keep life support going as long as needed. John didn't expect to return anyway.

John released manual control to the computer. The escape engines fired. Again he sank into the seat. The craft angled higher. The blue sky receded. The stars brightened, looking like white sand dusting a black void. The horizon shifted to a curved surface rimmed with the sun's golden silhouette.

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight broke over the earth's rim, bathing John in awe. Its beauty filled his mind. The light entranced John; its song called to him.

Time suspended, the shinning light against the blackness of space filled all desire. Before, John had flown as high as his wings would let him but the sun remained out of reach. Now, he could soar until he soaked in all of its beautiful light.

John pulled a disk from his pocket and held it before his eyes. He had pre-programmed the flight path:  a one-way trip to the sun. His gaze moved back to the enveloping fireball. He could hold back no longer. John slid the disk into the ship's computer. It responded with beeps and a message reading, "program accepted." The engines adjusted the trajectory.

Did John know it would kill Him? Yes. But he didn't care. He could not rest until he took in all the glorious radiance his body could endure.

"Why couldn't I have been bit by a radioactive spider instead?"

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Check out Ethereal Worlds for more short stories.

Power Hungry: A Virtual Chronicles Short Story

This short story is set to happen shortly after the events in Hero Game. This story does not appear in any of the books.

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Bridget snapped her eyes open. She'd almost fallen asleep. She peered across their bedroom and examined her brother, Jeremy. The moonlight filtering through the blinds gave enough light to illuminate his face. Yes, he had fallen sleep, and yes, he didn't have his mask on.

He'd declared tonight a night off from virtual superhero patrolling. Saving people seemed minor in comparison to saving two planets. Besides, Jeremy said we made only a small dint in the number of crimes around the globe. Earth would get along without them for one night.

Jeremy may have seen this as an opportunity to relax, but that made it a prime chance for her to do her own thing without worrying about Jeremy or Mickey looking over her shoulder. Being nine, they tended to treat her like a kid. She would show them.

She slid her mask from under her pillow and pulled it over her head. She glanced at Jeremy to make sure he hadn't woken up, then pulled her covers over head, just in case he got up in the middle of the night.

"Suit, appear as Comet Girl," she whispered. Darkness overtook her for a couple of seconds before the control room on Titan materialized. Banks of screens, five rows high and twenty across, flashed images of live TV news feeds from across Earth.

She skipped to the control panel extending along the width of the screens and seated herself. She wiggled her fingers over the buttons in anticipation. "First, I want to see what new superhero I can use." She pushed a button and the screen in front of her lost its feed and a computer desktop appeared.

"Computer, display superhero list for Bridget Goodhue."

A list scrolled up the screen and stopped. Bridget slid her finger down them as she read. "Buggy." No, she'd tried that one before. Being a superhero gnat had limited advantages. "Duster." Being able to turn into dust and reform was cool, but got old real quick. Throwing dust in people's eyes was the worst she could do. How lame was that.

She scanned further down. Most of the options she'd seen before. They're weren't many choices. None of them had guns, rays, or such. Comet Girl came the closest to having any kind of real crime-fighting power.

She flopped back in her seat and crossed her arms. "No fair." What she needed was access to the programing and add in some features, but she didn't know anything about programing. Especially in Zorian.

She sat up. "Robert. He's a help robot. Maybe he. . . " She leaped from her seat and sped out of the room, down the stainless steel hallway, and into the bay. She picked an Eagle-class ship and entered. She stopped in the middle of the ship's control room. "Help!"

A door slid open and Robert rolled out of his bay. Flashing lights dotted his metallic chest. Accordion arms extended claws into the air. The glass bulb atop him sparked with electricity as he talked. "Robert is here to help. State your question."

"Can you access the programing of my superheroes?"

The flashing buttons sped up for a couple of seconds. "Affirmative."

"Can you add a feature to one of my superheroes?"

"Negative. I'm not programmed to build virtual features."

Bridget stomped her right foot. "How can I get more powers then? This sucks."

Robert retracted his claws back into his body. "Transfer."

Bridget met Robert's globe. "Transfer? What do you mean?"

"Move established superheroes from one account to yours."

"Move!" She smiled. "You mean, I can transfer Astro Man to my list?"

"Affirmative."

She clapped. "Then do it. Move Jeremy's superhero to my account."

A claw extended and touched his bulb, ever so slightly tilted. Lights flashed. He pulled his claw back in and straightened up. "Files are moved to Bridget Goodhue's account successfully."

"That's more like it." She closed her eyes. "Suit, appear here as Astro Man." Light dimmed to black and back again. Except now she stood taller. "Thank you, Robert. You can return to your bay."

She gasped. Her voice. It sounded like Jeremy's. She raced to the sleeping quarter and found a mirror in the bathroom. She swallowed. She looked exactly like her brother. "I'm a boy!" Her hand brushed against something on her side. "A boy with a raygun!" She slid it out and examined it. A sleek barrel widened to cover a stock. A cutaway section on the back held several buttons, with tiny code written under them.

How am I supposed to know what these do? Bridget holstered the gun. "Looks like I need a crash course on Astro Man's gun." She sped out of the ship, noticing how stronger her muscles pushed against the floor and longer her leaps. She returned to the control room and settled down into a chair to review Astro Man's bio and weapons specs. Minutes ticked by as she attempted to memorize the button codes.

She pulled the gun out and stared at the buttons. "BL for blinding light. R for ray gun. G for gravity ray. Not hard."

"Hey, Bucko! I see you couldn't stay away either."

Bridget jerked out of her chair. She spun around, her heart racing. "Mickey?"

Mickey, suited up as Blue Nova, frowned. "What's the matter, Bucko? You're as jumpy as Bridget? And what's with the formality?"

Bridget sucked in a deep breath. Did she tell him the truth? She didn't want to get caught. "Huh. . .you surprised me is all. Mick. I was. . .focused."

Mickey glanced at the screen. "On Astro Man's info? You know that superhero inside and out. He's your favorite."

Bridget shut the screen down before Mickey could notice it was under her account. "It had been a while since I looked at it. You never know if you've missed some little detail that. . . ," How would Jeremy say it? ". . .you've overlooked before."

Mickey slapped Jeremy on the back. "Always studying the instructions. I think you're addicted to them." He laughed.

Bridget feigned a half-smile.

A beeping penetrated the room. Bridget found the monitor whose light was flashing. "There." The news cast covered a mine opening that had collapsed in India. A group of miners, trapped inside, struggled to live.

Mickey glanced at Bridget. "We'd better act. What's the plan?"

"The. . .the. . .the plan? Uh, what do you think?"

Mickey focused on Bridget. "Bucko, you're always barking out orders."

Bridget shrugged. "I know. How rude of me. I think it's time to not hog all the authority around here. Suggestions?"

Mickey shook his head. "Sometimes you surprise me, Bucko. My suggestion would be Astro Man uses his gravity ray to lift the rocks up. I'll zoom in as Blue Nova and carry them out in less than a minute."

Bridget smiled. "Good idea." At least she'd identified the gravity ray. This sounded simple enough. "Let's go."

She entered the coordinates. "Suit, appear at coordinates as Astro Man." The control room faded to be replaced by the bustle of emergency workers scurrying to remove rocks from the opening.

One man noticed them, pointed and began chattering in his native language. Some men clustered around a table looked up, then headed their direction.

Mickey glanced at Bridget, as if expecting her to do something. He faced the men. "Any of you speak English?"

Two men raised their hands. One of them stepped forward. "We know who you are. Are you here to help?"

Bridget nodded, realizing she needed to take charge like Jeremy would. "Yes. Have everyone stand back from the opening. We'll take it from there."

The man nodded and communicated her message to the others. Men barked orders and the workers around the opening cleared away.

Bridget grinned. Seeing everyone obey her as the authority sent a surge of energy through her. Have ray gun, will save the world!

She turned to see Mickey staring at her with a frown. "Anytime you're ready, Astro Man. I'm sure those men don't mind waiting a few more minutes while you bask in your glory."

"Oh, yes. Of course." She forced the grin off her face as she pulled the raygun out. She pushed the button labeled "G" and pointed it at the rocks.

Mickey zipped next to the rocks. "I'm in position."

Bridget pulled the trigger. A blue ray erupted from the barrel and hit the pile of rocks. They quivered for a moment, then collapsed. More of the entrance crumbled down and onto Mickey. Mickey fell unconscious onto the ground as a pile of rocks pinned him onto the dirt.

Bridget gasped and let up on the trigger. Gravity ray meant more gravity. She'd not read how to reverse it. She ran over to where Mickey lay. What do I do now?

"I thought you know what you doing!" the Indian man shouted at her.

She raised her visor to wipe tears away. "I did too."

"What you plan to do about this? Fix it or get out of the way."

"Maybe I can help."

Bridget knew that voice. Jeremy, dressed in blue jeans, sneakers, and a tee-shirt, stood before her. "Uh oh."

"You better believe this is uh oh. Now, give me that gun." Jeremy held out his hand. Bridget placed the gun in his palm. Jeremy hit a button on the gun and pointed it at Mickey. "First, we need to kill Blue Nova."

The Indian man jumped in front of him. "Who are you? You can't kill Blue Nova!"

Jeremy sighed. "I'm not really killing him. He'll reappear in a few seconds if I shoot him."

The Indian man focused on Bridget. "Is this true?"

Bridget nodded. "Yep."

The man moved out of the way. "I hope you know what you doing."

Jeremy pointed and pulled the trigger. Mickey's body vanished in the flash of a red ray.

Bridget stood. "How did you know?"

"You never sleep with covers pulled over your head. Not to mention all my superheros are gone. That's why I had to come here as myself."

Bridget widened her eyes. "But I thought I only moved Astro Man over. Robert must have misunderstood me."

Jeremy cracked a smile. "So that's how you did it. Smart, Sis. Though I'll have to have a talk with Robert about authorization protocols."

Blue Nova appeared beside them. "Bucko and Bucko? What's going on?"

Jeremy laughed. "You think that's strange. I've been having a conversation with myself." He punched a button and moved a slider bar at the top, then handed the gun back to Bridget. "I don't need to attract attention to myself. You'll have to do the honors."

Bridget received the gun and stepped back.

"That's good. Now aim and keep the trigger pulled until Blue Nova can get everyone out."

Mickey backed away from the entrance. Bridget shot the gun. A green ray, wider in radius, engulfed the entrance. The rocks rose into the air. Bridget kept the ray aimed on the rocks.

Mickey disappeared, then reappeared every two to three seconds carrying a miner. Medical personnel scurried to attend to them. Once Mickey indicated everyone was out, and the entrance was clear, Jeremy told Bridget how to lower the rocks safely.

Once done, they hurried behind some trees and returned to the control room. Bridget hung her head in preparation for the rant.

Jeremy sat and crossed his arms. "Why, Sis?"

"I don't know." She huffed. Yes she did. "Just, everyone treats me like a kid."

Mickey laughed. "You are a kid."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Am not!"

Mickey pointed at her. "Case closed."

Bridget huffed. "I wanted a superhero with punch, like Astro Man. Do you know how much stronger you are than any of mine?"

Jeremy run a hand through his hair. "Sis, you'll have superheroes with more punch eventually. But you may not be ready for them. Do you think you were ready to be Astro Man today?"

She bowed her head. "No."

"You'll be ready in time. Meanwhile, you're an important part of our team."

Mickey nodded. "You've saved my butt a few times."

Bridget smiled. "I have to admit, Comet Girl is easier to control. I just think what I want the dust to do, and it does it. No buttons and dials to figure out."

Jeremy rose from his seat. "Now that we've got that settled, I want my superheroes back. Time to pay Robert a little visit."

Bridget smiled. "Suit, appear as Comet Girl."

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Read more about Mind Game and Hero Game, along with sample chapters and where they can be purchased.

The Three Little Pigs, or How to Invest Wisely

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. No, not those pigs. Come on. Stay with me here. Must you always jump to conclusions?

Okay. As I was saying, there were three little pigs. One day Papa Pig says to the three, "I'm getting old and can no longer work the farm. I need to give you each your inheritance so you can invest it and provide from me into my old age."

And so he did. To pig number one, Sam, Papa Pig gave him $500,000 dollars. To pig number two, Jake, he gave $300,000. To Bubba, pig number three, he gave $100,000.

Sam decided he would invest his money in stocks. Surely the profits he would get would more than pay for his Papa's retirement. So he bought $500,000 of stocks in real estate notes.

Jake thought it better to invest in something more solid. He decided to buy property. Then not only would his Papa gain an investment, but a nice place to live that was paid for.

Bubba thought for a while and then decided both of them were wrong. He hit the streets and found the lame and beggars. He gave them $1000 with the words, "This is from Papa Pig to help you."

As luck would have it, a big, bad wolf...what? No, no, no! Not that big, bad wolf. This is altogether different. Trust me.

Now, there came a big, bad wolf market to Sam's investments...oh, I see I got the animal wrong, didn't I. My bad. There came a big, bad bear market. It knocked on Sam's computer market tracking software and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me in. Trade off your stocks or I'll growl and I'll snarl and I'll eat them up!"

Yeah, yeah, I know. Not the same punch, but like I said, this ain't your mama's three little pig story. Now where were we?

Sam said, "Not by the...click of one little mouse." So the bear growled and he snarled and he ate the stocks up!

Sam ran to Jake's house, and lamented his losses. He cried, "I've lost all $500,000 of my Papa's money. It is left to you to provide for him. We know Bubba doesn't have any business sense. He gave all his away."

Jake patted a wall of his mansion. "Papa will do just fine. I knew those stocks you bought were risky."

But then the big, bad, wolf...I know I got it wrong last time. I'm on track now. Let me finish. The big, bad, wolf in sheep's clothing, otherwise known as a politician, knocked on Jake's door. He said, "Little pig, little pig, let me in. Or I'll write a 5000 page bill and add it as an amendment to the "Keep our Kids Safe from Drugs and Bullies" bill (otherwise known as KKSDB), and I'll confiscate all your land."

Jake shook his head. "Not by the vote of the next election."

So the big, bad wolf in sheep's clothing stayed up into the night writing a huge bill, introduced it to Congress, added it to the "Keep our Kids Safe from Drugs and Bullies" bill, and it passed by a vote of one.

Jake then heard another knock at his door. "Who's there?"

"We're from the EPA, and your land is the only habitat for the endangered albino wolf. We'll have to take your land and kick you out."

So Sam and Jake ran to Bubba's humble abode. They both decried their poor fortune at losing their inheritance, and Sam pointed out, "And you have nothing to show as well. Our Papa will live in poverty for the rest of his life."

Bubba shook his head. "Yusa jist don't git it, do ya?" A knock at the door interrupted him. "Who's banging?"

It just so happened to be the big bad wolf in sheep's clothing again. "Little pig, little pig, let me in. Or I'll...I'll..." The wolf in sheep's clothing grumbled. "What did you invest your money in?"

Bubba snickered. "I gone and put it in peoples."

"Peoples? I mean, people?"

"Yes. I giv it away to folks who need it."

The WISC snarked. "That's government's job. You can't give it away."

"Too late. Already gone and done it."

The WISC remained silent for five seconds, and then said, "I'll need to expand the gift tax. Yes, it needs attention." Then he left.

Jake threw up his hands. "We got rid of the wolf, but not before he drained all of our Papa's retirement away."

Bubba shook his head. "When a person gives, it comes back ten-fold and stores treasure in heaven."

Sam slapped his forehead. "What good will that treasure do him now, unless you plan on speeding up his death from starvation?"

Bubba opened his door. "Fowler me." The two shrugged and followed. Bubba led them to their Papa's house.

Some men worked on house repairs. One family carried a crock-pot full of slop to the door.

Bubba pointed at the house. "Looks like he'sa gitten cared for right nicely, if you'sa to ask me."

Sam and Jake stared wide-eyed. Sam said, "Friends in this life."

Jake nodded. "And a treasure in the next."

Bubba smiled. "And no wolf cana take that away, no how."

A Dose of Virtual Reality

A bell rang through the classroom. The black-haired teacher stood from her desk and straightened her snug, blue dress. "Today class, we will study the female anatomy."

Mickey stopped thumping his pencil against his desk and sat up. About time. Maybe we'll get to see some pictures.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Mickey frowned. Probably nothing. Surely the authorities could handle it. Not like he could be everywhere at once. Well, almost, but not quite.

The teacher pulled down a graphic of the female reproductive organs. "First, we will go over the names of the parts."

Mickey sighed. What if it was something? What if Blue Nova could make a difference? Mickey rubbed his forehead before slipping his hand into the air.

"Okay, class. Repeat after me. Urethra."

"Urethra," the students echoed back like robots.

Mickey waved his hand. Did this woman think she was teaching kids instead of teens?

The teacher breathed in to say the next part when she turned her head. "Mickey, do you have a question?"

"Yes, ma'am. Can I be excused to visit the restroom?"

Snickers echoed across the classroom. Robert said, "I think he's scared of girls."

Laughter erupted across the classroom. Mickey's face grew hot.

The teacher snapped her pointer stick across her desk. The laughter died as fast as it erupted. "Class, that is quite enough." She frowned at Mickey. "You're excused. Don't be gone long or I'll send someone to check on you."

Mickey hopped up from his seat and headed to the door. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you." As soon as the door closed behind him, he raced to the bathroom, entered a stall, and seated himself on the toilet. He pulled his mask from his pocket and pulled it over his head.

"Hero game time!" He snuggled his body against the side wall and hoped he didn't fall over while out. "Suit, appear here as Blue Nova."

The stall faded out and then back in, except he now stood over himself, apparently asleep on the toilet. "Blue Nova to the rescue. Fast as light and just as bright!"

Blue Nova sped out of the stall, bathroom, and the school doors in less than a second. He zipped along the roads until he arrived at a row of flashing patrol car lights around an office. A group of officers huddled behind one car while individual ones pointed pistols at the office over the hoods of their vehicles.

Mickey stopped beside the group of officers. They jumped upon noticing him. He forgot from their perspective, he had appeared out of thin air. "Sorry, officers. Didn't mean to frighten you."

One of them gritted his teeth. "Get out of here, son. This is no place for you to play."

Play? Really? "What seems to be the problem, officer?" He'd always wanted to say that.

"You're becoming the problem. Do I need to escort you away?"

Mickey put his hands on his hips. "Officer, I'm Blue Nova."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Mickey's face fell. "You mean, you haven't heard of me? Fast as light and just as bright?"

The officer pointed at one of his men. The man reached out to grab Mickey. Mickey flashed around him to his back.

The man grabbed thin air. "What. . .  Where did he go?"

A man holding a gun to a young girl's head appeared at an open window of the office building. "You have one minute left, officers, to give me passage out of here, or the girl gets it."

Mickey smiled. "So that's the problem. I can take care of this guy."

The head officer pointed at him. "Don't you dare do anything. This is a delicate situation. We're trained for this. Now leave or I'll have you in jail."

This guy didn't understand what he could do. He'd have to prove it. "Just watch, sir. I'm faster than a speeding bullet too." Mickey cupped a hand around his mouth and yelled, "You might as well go ahead and shoot her. We're taking you down."

The officer's face turned beat red and he ground his teeth together. "You idiot! You don't know what you're doing."

The man poked his head out the window of the office building. "Have it your way, officers. I have plenty of hostages to go through." He ducked back in and the beginning sound of a gunshot hit Mickey's ears.

Mickey raced for the door. From his perspective, every movement slowed to a bare crawl as he fled through the door of the office. He saw the girl on her knees, hands tied behind her back. The man who had talked with the officers stood over her, a gun pointed at the back of her head about four feet away. A bullet inched its way toward the back of her skull.

Sweet. I'll just knock the bullet up toward the ceiling. Don't want to put my hand in front of it. He sped to her, stopping as the bullet neared her neck. He only had one shot at this. He swung his hand underneath the bullet to meet it about an inch from her neck.

He didn't connect in the middle of the flying metal, but only nicked it, causing it to wobble up toward the top of her skull. "Blast it all!" He only had one option left.

Mickey snagged the base of the bullet with his right hand, clamped down as hard as he could, and braced his right arm with his left. Then he pulled as hard as he could.

The bullet neared her skin. Mickey yelled as he pulled back, throwing his body into it. He could feel the bullet slipping from his fingers. I can't let it go! Mickey bore down and grunted. He could feel the edge of the bullet moving across his fingertips. No! It escaped his grasp.

Mickey watched as the projectile pierced her skin. Blood slowly shot out, though he knew in normal speed it was spewing. The bullet stopped moving. It didn't go into the head. He must have slowed it down enough it didn't totally penetrate!

As the girl's head reacted to the impact, Mickey raced to each of the armed men, pulled the gun from their hands, and gave them a blow to the back of their heads, collapsing them onto the floor in slow-mo. He threw the weapons out the window, then scooped the young girl into his arms and fled out of the office building.

He exited speed mode by a waiting ambulance. "She needs attention. A bullet is lodged in her skull."

The medics jumped into action. Mickey laid her on a rolling bed and they examined the wound.

"Is she going to be okay?"

One of the medics glanced over his shoulders. "Won't know for sure until we get some x-rays, but from the looks of it, the worst it might have done is fracture her skull."

The other medic shook his head. "But she must have one hard head to stop a bullet like that. Never seen the likes of it before. By all rights she should be dead."

Mickey's gut churned. A hand rested on his shoulder.

The head officer stood beside him. "Sorry, Blue Nova. I guess I was wrong about you. You did know what you were doing."

Mickey stared at the young girl as her eyes blinked open. "No, sir. I didn't."

"I'd like to get your real name, to give you a commendation."

Mickey realized he had been holding his breath. He sucked in air. "Exit, suit." The business district faded away to be replaced by the bathroom stall.

"Mick. Are you in here?" Robert's voice sounded as stall doors opened and shut.

Mickey yanked his mask off and stuffed it into his pocket. The stall door opened and Robert stood before him. Mickey sat up.

Robert put a hand over his mouth and tried to hold back a laugh, without much success. "I see your problem, dim wit. It helps if you take your pants off first."

Mickey knew he'd never hear the end of this. "Not enough sleep last night, I'm afraid." He yawned. "I must have fell asleep."

"Whatever. But the teacher sent me in here to get you. Are you going to come peaceably like or not?"

Mickey stood up. "Let's go."

"By the way, you missed all the cool pictures."

Mickey figured he toyed with him, but it peeved him off anyway to think it might be true. He followed Robert back to the classroom and settled into his seat.

The teacher stared at Mickey for a moment before continuing. "Now class, we will have a pop quiz over the parts of the reproductive system.

Mickey grimaced. A piercing pain grew in his bladder. She would never believe him now. He lifted his hand.

-----------------

With Mickey's body safely in bed, he virtually sat in the control room at the Titan base as Vulture, watching blankly the bank of monitors displaying TV feeds from all over Earth.

"Hey, Mick." Jeremy as Astro Man sat in a seat next to him. "How goes it? What adventures are on tap for tonight's hero game?"

Mickey jerked his head around. "Those are real people, Bucko. Not some non-existent video game characters who will never care."

Jeremy backed away. "Hey. I know that more than anyone. What gives?"

Mickey returned to staring at the monitors. "Let's just say, I realized our 'game' isn't one to the people we're saving. We shouldn't treat it that way either."

Jeremy nodded. "I agree. But what brought about this realization?"

Mickey moistened his lips. "Knowing I can fail."

Jeremy patted Mickey on the shoulder. "Welcome to reality, Mick."

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Read more about Mind Game and Hero Game, along with sample chapters and where they can be purchased.

Love is a Many Crazied Thing

"And remember. . . " Milnore pointed a long, bony finger at Josh. "Be careful with this spell. Love is a very powerful emotion. It isn't to be used without good cause."

Josh raised his eyebrows. "What is a good cause?"

Milnore tipped his pointed hat back and scratched his forehead. "When it is in the best interest of all parties to do so."

"And how will I know that?"

Milnore huffed. "Use the thought reading spell."

Josh wrinkled his forehead. "I don't think you've taught me that one yet."

Milnore's eyes grew wide. "I haven't, have I?" A smile cracked across his face. "I suppose you are right. But one spell at a time. Avoid using this one until I teach you that one, then."

Milnore raised a finger. He closed his eyes and murmured a spell. His eyes flashed open. "No one is around or listening in. Here is the spell to cause someone to love you."

Milnore leaned in and Josh tilted his ear to him.

"You obtain an item of the one to make love another. Hold it in your hand, and recite the following words after you initialize for a spell: Eros love comes from above, from within, from the heart, instill it in thee for me."

Josh recited the words a couple times.

Milnore nodded. "Good. Keep practicing. I have a meeting to attend. When I return, I'll see if you can use it."

Josh smiled. "If I can't use it on anyone, how can I practice using it?"

Milnore opened the front door to the house and paused. "Insects and animals." He turned and exited the door, shutting it behind him.

Josh grimaced. "I'll not be using that on mosquitoes." He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and recited the words of the spell several times between gulps of water. After the tenth time, he yawned.

A knock echoed from the front door. Josh leaped up and answered it. His best friend, Sisko, stood in the doorway. "Hi. Come on in."

Sisko stepped inside the house. "Thought I'd come by and see how your training is going."

Josh smiled. "I learned a new spell today."

Sisko's eyes snapped wide. "Huh...I just remembered my mother had some errands for me to run." He wheeled around on his heels and headed for the door.

Josh mumbled the kinetic spell, and the front door slammed shut. "Not so fast! I'm not going to use the spell on you."

Sisko put his hands on his hips. "That's what you said the last time. You about killed both of us with those flying axes."

Josh held up his hands. "I know, I know. I blew it that time."

"And then there was the incident with the dentist."

Josh closed his eyes. "Okay, so I've blown it a few times. But this spell is easy. So easy, it is foolproof."

Sisko seated himself on the living room sofa. "So what is this spell?"

"A love spell."

Sisko rubbed his chin. "A love spell, eh? To make people fall in love with...?"

"Me."

Sisko smiled. "So someone would fall in love with you? Not me?"

"If there is a spell for that, Milnore hasn't taught it to me yet."

Sisko sat up. "I'll bet you can't make Sarah fall in love with you."

Josh gulped. "Sarah? Are you crazy? She's the last person I want falling in love with me." The crazy girl taunted Josh every chance she could.

Sisko pointed a finger at Josh. "That's just it. We both know she hates your guts. If she can be made to love you, you'll know the spell is working."

"It would be a test. But Milnore said not to use it yet."

"I'll do a chore for you."

"Really?" Milnore did expect him to haul wood in and chop it for the fireplace. The spell was simple enough. "Okay. Deal."

Sisko stood. "I believe she is at the market. Let's go."

What had he gotten himself into this time. Why did Sisko want to see this so bad?

-------------------

Sisko pointed down the isle of vegetables. "There she is. With her sister Lori."

Sarah held a brush, combing it through her hair every once in a while. Josh breathed deep and stepped toward them. Sarah glanced his direction as he approached, and then fixed her eyes on him. "What do you want, goofy."

Josh grinned. "Your love."

She gritted her teeth. "In your dreams, wizard want-a-be."

Josh laughed, and then stuck his tongue out at her. The action had the desired effect. She launched the brush at Josh. He ducked, but not quick enough. A thud resonated inside his skull.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his forehead as the brush landed at his feet. He glanced at Sisko, who covered his mouth in a controlled laughter as he approached. He began to think Sisko wanted to see him squirm.

Sarah laughed. "Now, give me the brush back, or I'll beat you up myself."

Josh picked the brush up and then mumbled the love spell. He focused on Sarah to see what she would do or say. Instead, Lori ran his direction.

Sisko patted Josh on the shoulder. "Looks like you nailed the wrong girl."

Josh glanced at the brush in his hand. "This must be Lori's brush." Josh braced himself as Lori raced toward him, a crazed look in her eyes.

Lori flew past Josh and landed on Sisko, sending him sprawling into the dirt. Her lips locked onto Sisko's, as he stared wide eyed at Josh and flailed about on the ground.

Lori moved to kissing his face and neck. Sisko gasped. "Josh, do something!"

Josh snickered. He must have said "thee" twice instead of "me." But this wasn't innocent fun. Lori had started unbuttoning Sisko's vest. She'd have him naked in the middle of town if he didn't do something.

A hand grabbed Josh's shoulder and spun him around. Sarah bared her teeth. "What did you do to my sister, you perverted spell-caster?"

"Nothing really. I..." Sarah's fist landed across his face. Blood trickled from his nose as he staggered back, cradling his jaw in his palm.

Sarah reared her fist back again as she gritted her teeth. "Now fix her, or I'll knock your teeth out."

Josh blinked at the hovering knuckles. He could only think of one solution. He grabbed her arm and said the love spell under his breath.

Sarah's face relaxed. She jerked her head around to see Lori spread Sisko's shirt open, revealing his chest. Her kisses worked their way toward his stomach.

Sarah shoved Josh away and raced toward Sisko and Lori. "You can't have him. He's mine!" She banged into Lori, rolling her to the side. Then she caressed Sisko's bare chest. She closed her eyes and smiled into the sky.

Sisko tried to push her away. "Josh! I'm not doing your chore!"

Lori rose to her feet and plowed into Sarah. "He loves me! Get off him!" The two girls rolled off Sisko and into the dirt road.

Sisko scrambled to his feet. "Now what?"

Josh scratched his head. "I don't know."

A voice behind Josh said, "That's the first sensible thing you've said so far."

Josh spun around. "Master! Am I glad to see you."

Milnore lips tightened. "I thought I told you not to use the spell yet?"

Sisko raised his hand. "My fault. I encouraged him. I should have known better." Sisko glanced at the two girls clawing at each other.

Milnore frowned and shook his head. He mumbled a spell and cast his hand at the two women. "Never mess with a woman's emotions. Way too unpredictable."

Sarah and Lori stopped fighting. They paused for a moment as they stared at each other. Then Sarah rose and dusted herself off. She stalked toward Josh.

Josh ran behind Milnore and peaked out from behind him.

She pointed at him. "You better hide, numb-face. I'll get you back for this humiliation." She growled before turning on her heals.

She paused to look at Sisko, his shirt and vest hanging open. She wiped her mouth with her arm and spat on the ground. "In your dreams, scrawny." Then she stomped away with Lori in tow.

Sisko shrugged his shoulders. "What did I do?"

Milnore cracked a smile. "I do have a spell for turning people into toads."

Josh stood by his side. "Really?" That certainly sounded appealing.

Milnore cleared his throat. "But now would not be a good time to teach it to you. However, I hope you have learned your lesson today."

Josh nodded. "Yes. Don't let friends convince you to use a spell before you know how to reverse it."

Milnore nodded. "Good, but not what I was thinking of."

Josh stared up at him. "Then what?"

Milnore stroked his beard. "Eros love is not a tame mistress. Treat her with respect, and a good dose of agape love to balance it."

"I didn't know about that."

Milnore patted Josh's head. "That, my apprentice, is why I told you to wait. I hadn't told you the whole spell yet."

Josh groaned. Would he ever learn?

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Read more stories about Sisko and Josh in Reality's Dawn!