Jake's expression suddenly turned angry. "It's the damn Ruskies! They're sending drone clouds over here to... to...""Zap our wheat?" Sam asked, suppressing his grin."Yes! Zap our--" Jake caught the amusement in Sam's eyes. "Fuck you! What's your idea then?""Ain't got one yet. I need more information. Help me look for the controller. It should have fallen in the same place as this shiny stuff or close by."The two men carefully inspected the ground. Sam paused to use a broken wheat stalk to poke several foil strips into one compartment of his plastic lunch container. The foil was so thin, he was afraid touching them with his fingers might tear it. The box protected it well enough, and he slipped it back into the lunch bag."Sam! I found something!" Jake yelled out.Sam hustled over to Jake's side to see what he was looking at. Hanging on some bent over wheat stalks was a thin mesh of fine gold threads roughly two-foot square. At each thread intersection was a flat, oval translucent
The moment Jeannie placed her silvered hand in his, he felt their minds link. He stopped and looked at her as she gazed back at him in wonder. "I truly never knew how much you loved me until this moment," he whispered in awe. She gasped and pulled him to her to kiss him fiercely. He was a foot taller than she was, so he had to bend down to do it, but he'd kneel at her feet for the rest of his days if she asked.She pulled back from him and looked into his reflective eyes. She saw herself there and him in her reflection. A convergent series of smaller and smaller images were inside each reflection. It was breathtaking and dizzying. "More kissing later!"They rushed from the bedroom, slipped on their shoes, and left the trailer. Sam looked at the truck. "Drive?""Run!" she grinned, and he nodded happily. She'd never been a runner as her chunky body was just too fleshy and heavy to make it enjoyable. Now? It felt like nothing was holding her back.They released hands and started off rela
They all looked back at the commotion their sighting had caused. This far away, they were invisible in the dark, but they weren't going to take any chances."I think we're going to need to stick to night time outings. With this shiny coating, we'll draw too much of that kind of attention in the daylight." Jake suggested.Sam thought that was good advice and nodded with a smile. Besides, he was too charged up to think about sleeping."Where do we go now?" Brenda asked. She was still riding the high from the running and from the energy she got from the magically charged and enhanced wheat field.Sam looked to the far horizon and saw a distant flash. He reached out to take Jeannie's hand. She smiled the moment she picked up his intent through their connection. Words were redundant. She reached for Brenda's hand, and that woman held Jake's hand. They all shared a grin.Storm chasing it was.-=-Colonel Crane watched in frustration as the four silver beings raced away at inhuman speeds. "W
She left the art gallery allowing the last two employees to lock up behind her and finally go home, too. She turned in the direction of the main road where taxis would be easier to catch. She walked along the dark street, humming a little song for protection. With a serial killer roaming the streets of the city at night, she was taking no chances. This particular song was unique as it turned Humans away and made them forget they saw her. For non-Humans, it made them stop and put their hands on their head. This identified them for Lorelei so she could speak to them to get more information about the Council. She would then make them forget her afterward.She was fully aware the Council was still a threat to her life, but they seemed to be hiding in the shadows. She needed to be proactive to protect herself, and for that, she needed information.She was walking through a tunnel of scaffolding when a large man suddenly fell from the platform above to the sidewalk six feet in front of her.
"You have a lovely home Henry," Camila said with a smile."I have you to thank for that." He paused as he had an epiphany. He looked her in the eye as he took her hands in his. "I have you to thank for so much more.""Oh! Ah, well... I-- you--" Camila stumbled with her words as her face heated up. Marisa burst into giggles as she watched her mother become tongue-tied. Camila shot her an annoyed look. When Henry's lips pressed against her cheek, she gasped and blinked at him as an unfamiliar emotion surged in her chest. She smiled and couldn't stop. "Thank you, Henry."Marisa was still grinning at her mother's bewilderment when Henry took her hands in his next. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him cautiously."I believe you may have some inkling how grateful I am that you were there when I first started at VRL and for how you came to my rescue again and again. I wouldn't have made it this far without you at my side," he said sincerely and watched Marisa's mouth open and cl
Henry grunted from the pain of Dayshia performing surgery on his back without anesthetic. He knew he had to remain awake and to keep the energy flowing. That took everything he had.Tish watched in amazement as Dayshia's hands moved with confident precision as she quickly cleared the shards from his back. Each one was extracted then dropped into a dish made of the green light. She almost expected to hear a metallic ping from each dropped piece. She did hear Henry's grunts of pain and realized he was fighting to stay conscious through this. She marveled at his strength and will power.Dayshia was loving working with tools made of light. Once she was sure she'd removed even the tiniest fragment, she handed off the forceps, which faded away, and was about to ask for the suture needle and driver. Instead, she ran her fingers through the green light as she imagined how it could be used since it worked perfectly as the tools she'd needed. "Can this be used to seal the wounds?" she asked Mah
Dayshia's eyebrow rose up and seemed to disappear into the mass of curls. "Is that even possible!?!" she gasped.Mahati nodded cautiously. "I'm no expert in Wild Magic, but for traditional magic, it's the strength of the will and desire that shapes the capabilities of the magic. Considering her only other option appears to be madness, I think if Henry's willing, it's worth an attempt.""I'll speak to him about it when he wakes," Tish said."Let's go speak with Yuko about it. She woke up, and Jun is talking with her, but I'm glad Kesini has a firm grip on her," Dayshia said.Sharing worried looks, Tish and Mahati followed Dayshia back out to the living room. Tish noticed there was no sign of Kali."WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HENRY!" Yuko spat as she tried to thrash loose from Kesini's coils. She was standing but unable to move."Nothing. Henry is resting comfortably after Dayshia and I healed the injuries he sustained in the brief skirmish," the lawyer explained.Yuko glared at Mahati but s
The golden rings caught up to the battle, and one after another, the inner workings within the remaining clouds exploded, dropping their shiny debris onto the streets below.The battle over, Henry's mind drifted down to street level, and he stared in horror at the devastation around him. Not everyone survived the skirmish. People in cars had been roasted alive by the plasma. Out of control vehicles had plowed into pedestrians, and shattered multicolored glass could be seen where these collisions had occurred with people in the process of becoming the Glass People.Henry now understood how they were created.Then he saw her.So small and precious... and dead.The infant must have been thrown from one of the crashed cars. Henry wanted to do something for her, but he couldn't even cover her body in his disembodied state. He was powerless.When he next became aware of his surroundings, his attention was drawn by a large group of Glass People slowly wandering around in shock.As he moved c