《Dungeon Ship (Ash Rising)》The Last Thing I Remember...
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...new attack expected in the next few days! An evacuation order is expected, but...
I cut the radio off mid-tirade. The news was, as always, depressing. I didn’t need any more depressing in my life.
Today was supposed to be a good day.
I swiped left twice on the dashboard screen, accessed the scheduling control app, then took out my phone and synced my calendar to the car’s. I’d forgotten to do it earlier. The snooze button debacle had downshifted my morning routine from the usual distracted scramble to a minor disaster. A disaster that ended with me running out of my apartment at full speed, slice of buttered toast in mouth and shirt half-buttoned.
“Car, confirm today’s pick-up time, please.” I made sure to enunciate each word carefully. The voice recognition software for the car’s Artificial Proto-Intelligence was 2 years out of date, but the best I could afford.
“June 18. 9 a.m. appointment at Map Lab. Pick up outside Lobby Entrance at 12:20 p.m.”
The unaccented, stiff, mechanical voice of the car’s API was off-putting, but you get what you pay for (or don’t pay for). As long as it got all the pickup details right, I didn't care...much.
I pulled up to the curb and slid out of the driver side. The door shut behind me, and I thumbed the fob as I moved around the trunk toward the sidewalk. The reassuring double-clunk sound of the door locks engaging followed me through small open plaza in front of my destination.
I glanced back, making sure my car joined the queue heading toward the parking garage down the block. Sometimes it got confused, and I had to use the command app on my phone to get it moving back into the flow of traffic.
I stared up at the glass and metal behemoth looming over me. The mapping project was just one small cog in the Delphi Industries corporate machine, so they’d tucked the lab in a seldom-seen corner of the sixteenth floor of the company’s downtown-situated hi-rise monstrosity.
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I hated the place. Every time I visited I had to jump through a bunch of security-related hoops just to reach the elevator. Scanning my ID at the lobby doors, rotating metal detector booth, and two separate pat downs by bored looking security guards. The same routine, all twelve times I visited.
Once I was through the gauntlet, I signed in at the front desk terminal with a distracted flourish, nodding at the coffee-swilling receptionist sitting in the booth behind. We exchanged nods, but his glazed, thousand-yard stare hinted he didn’t seem any more interested in chatting than I did. He handed me my visitor badge and lanyard without a word.
The panel next to the elevator scanned my badge and 'dinged' pleasantly in confirmation of my identity. The elevator itself opened its doors to me with a warmly inviting ‘Good Morning’ seconds later. I pressed the button for the 16th floor and said muttered a ‘no, thanks’ to the elevator’s conciliatory offer of music selections, weather forecast, or news updates.
The doors opened after a long six seconds and I stepped out into the hallway, nodding absently at the elevator’s “Have a pleasant day.” that called out behind me.
I unsuccessfully tried to suppress a surge of irritation. It sucks when the vocal software of my car can’t stack up against that of a random elevator.
The hallway was blandly sterile, with off-white walls and slate-gray carpeting. I turned left and hurried along to the heavy reinforced door at the end. A small, discrete sign at eye height was staring back at me.
NEURO MAPPING PROJECT (LAB C).
Dr. Morrow was waiting to buzz me in and greeted me at the door with a distracted smile. She was a small woman, with greying frizzy hair and wide, continuously surprised-seeming blue eyes. Her lab coat was the only thing neat about her, doing little to hide her rumpled blouse or tan slacks. I glanced down at her feet as she led me from the tiny waiting room to the slightly larger lab space. She’d remembered to wear two socks today. They even matched.
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“How was your week, Ash?” She asked the question over her shoulder, sounding anything but interested in the answer. I didn’t blame her. She’d know exactly what I’d been up to by the end of the session, so asking was more politeness than anything. I appreciated her attempt at friendliness, though.
“Not too bad, Doc. Nothing too exciting.” This was, depressingly, true. Still, my exceedingly mundane life was what had gotten me this gig.
“Wonderful,” murmured Morrow, “That’s great.” The Doctor was busy tapping at something complicated on her ever-present tablet. I doubted she’d even heard my answer. Her inattention didn’t bother me, though. I was plenty used to her absent-minded professor style by now. Truthfully, I preferred her to some of the creeps I’d had to deal with in previous research studies. I’ll take a distracted kook over the cold, dead-eyed types you typically find running experimental drug trials.
I deposited everything save my clothes in the plastic bin near the door, then lay down on the scanning bed. Morrow snatched up the bin and closed the door behind me. Seconds later she appeared from behind the observation window inset in the far wall. She blinked owlishly at me, then stared down at the large bank of controls and started pressing buttons. I could see her visibly relaxing as she got to work. She always seemed more comfortable in the control room, with some plexiglass between her and another person. A sentiment I could get behind, most days.
Then I lost sight of her as the bed slid me head first into the waiting mouth of the machine.
I ignored the humming and clunking as the scanner surged to life. For a high-tech brain scanning device, the thing always sounded seconds away from breaking down. I waited, patiently, to get started. I could afford to be patient. This was my last session, and my project completion check would be deposited in my account three short hours from now. Soon, I could afford to pay off my credit card bills, renew my gaming accounts...hell I could maybe even afford an upgrade to my car API.
“Ash,” said Morrow, her voice only slightly tinny as it came over the intercom, “I’m ready when you are.”
“Alright, Doc,” I said, smiling at the thought of debts repaid and smooth-talking vehicles, “Let’s do-
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No More Respawns
Synopsis: The first time Allen died, he was forced back into a living hell where death is temporary, and power is all that matters. With evil and depravity as the rule, tragedy becomes comedy and life becomes an act. Only a deal with a shady god can get him back to his old life, but what happens if there’s nothing left to save? Maybe hell isn’t so bad if you have infinite lives… until you don’t. Needless to say, it’s all fun and games until there’s no more respawns. Foreword: This story is meant primarily as an action adventure and secondarily as a dark and nihilistic comedy. It may not be readily apparent in the beginning, but that's what I have planned (I feel the need to emphasize the dark; don’t rage at me if it gets too ‘traumatizing’ or something). I’m going to take my time with this, so it won’t immediately inundate you with doom and gloom. This is also a comedy, remember? On that note, if for some cursed reason you just can't handle either the references or the jokes, I am willing to battle in the comments. Anyway, I still put a significant amount of effort into the system, so I hope you enjoy that part. It is a little bulky, I'll admit to that, but I wanted to try something new and its more fun when there's more depth to it. Regardless, I still have a lot of fun doing math in the middle of writing a fictional story (/s). I also want to see if I can keep from messing up the pacing. Many times, I end up going too fast because I'm afraid of the story getting boring, which tends to ironically have the opposite effect. I'm still learning I suppose; we'll see how things go. Lastly, please leave reviews and comments, they really mean a lot to me and (usually) help me improve considerably. I'll be asking for feedback in the polls and I do still check the old ones from time to time. Notes: The story takes a bit of time to develop; give it time if you're here for drama, grimdark, or antihero. The system is all blue boxes and I'm not half-assing the numbers. Chapters will be between 1k and 2k words usually. I always use the oxford coma, fight me. Might drop if rating falls below 4 stars, idk. It depends on how my life is going. Cover drawn by yours truly in MS paint. (I have skill, I know)
8 183The Arrayist
The world has many paths for each person; to live a simple life, to become rich, to become famous, to become the strongest, to explore the world.Many ancient civilizations fell and history faded through the sands of time. Within one of the rising empires, a youth, Teo, encounters a mysterious turtle that will help him find his path as an Arrayist.Inspired by mostly Xianxia and Wuxia web novels such as Coiling Dragon, Against the Gods, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Chaotic Sword God, and True Martial World.Note: The story is a really slow starter, be warnedThis is also my first "novel", most chapters are in a rough draft form unless marked otherwise. This work is also hosted at: http://www.bycienz.com/
8 167Revenge of the Chaotic Sorcerer
Ten years ago, Kai's brother was killed by a mysterious masked man. His dying words? "Continue what...starte...Chao...ergy..." Now 15 year old Kai is out for revenge. On a quest for strength, he travels to the corners of the world. Will he succeed in getting his revenge? Will he die? The only thing that's sure about this world is... Chaos. I pretty much release chapters whenever I feel like it so don’t expect any consistency at all lol
8 79They Can't Stop Us All
Have you ever wondered if you made the right choices in life? If you could have done just one thing differently, would it have been enough to avoid this mess? That's what Grant Miles is thinking when an army of alien hunters, otakus and weebs descend on the base known as Area 51. Follow Grant Miles as he is thrown from his universe into a metaphorical wirlwind and a literal fantasy land.
8 83The Mystery Fighter II
With her deadly secret out in the open, Cassie must fight even harder to protect not only her sister but her own heart. *****Cassie has never been in a tighter spot. In an unexpectedly grim fight, Julian, her annoying yet charming tutee, uncovers her deadly secret! With the threat of homelessness pressing down on her, she has no choice but to move in with him to keep her and her sister safe. But when the past continues to catch up with her, rival gangs ramp up their challenges, out for her head. And as Julian's family's dark past comes to haunt Cassie, a mysterious stranger's return could challenge everything she has built to protect.*Sequel to The Mystery Fighter*Content and/or trigger warning: scenes depicting violence[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]
8 86great love disasters: Lucian and Treegan
Ian and Lucy are dating and in love. Troian and Keegan are in love, but want to wait until Pretty Little Liars is finished. When Ian sees Lucy and Keegan spending a lot of time together he gets jealous and tells Troian and she gets jealous also. What will Lucy and Keegan do?
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