"Professor," began the student, after class, as he was putting his materials away.
"Yes?" he said, hardly looking up at this point.
"Do you know much about botany?"
This question was somewhat unusual, as he was a professor of ancient history specializing in migration period Europe. "I know a little," he said, not letting on just how much he knew. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that I've noticed this odd trend. Whenever we have class here, the vines on this side of the building are longer after class than they were before."
He hadn't realized that there were visible effects this far into town. "Well, maybe those vines just grow quickly," he said, playing dumb.
"But I have classes in this building Monday and Wednesday, too, but it only seems to happen Tuesday and Thursday. Since you're here those days, too, I thought that you might know why."
"Well, that's really outside my field," he said, "It's not like I've measured them or anything, either." He sought to cast doubt on her observations. "Maybe you could ask someone in the botany department, though," he continued, maximizing his cover.
"OK," the student replied, "It was just a thought. Well, see you next week," she added, departing.
The professor was relieved, but nevertheless worried: Was the Wellspring of Life continuing to affect him? Had they closed the ritual improperly? He would have to convene with the other Ur-Dren immediately.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Sudden Short Story 93
In the center of the room, on a raised dais, knelt an angel, its wings spread and raised, its face covered in its hands, weeping.
"How did you get in here," asked the stranger of the interloper.
"I honestly don't know," he replied. "Tell me, do you know what this place is? There are so many strange rooms...."
"This is the afterlife, and I am the Keeper. The rooms are all occupied, so you haven't wandered off. Part of my job is to keep you out," spake the Keeper, indicating a door. "Come, this way."
On their way out, the interloper asked: "Tell me: That angel back there, how did it die?"
"It died of grief - the first one in a long time. And that was no angel."
"How did you get in here," asked the stranger of the interloper.
"I honestly don't know," he replied. "Tell me, do you know what this place is? There are so many strange rooms...."
"This is the afterlife, and I am the Keeper. The rooms are all occupied, so you haven't wandered off. Part of my job is to keep you out," spake the Keeper, indicating a door. "Come, this way."
On their way out, the interloper asked: "Tell me: That angel back there, how did it die?"
"It died of grief - the first one in a long time. And that was no angel."
Sudden Short Story 92
The mottled brown undulated along the forest floor, crawling toward the new host that had been offered to it. It wasn't fast, but the human was paralyzed, just standing there, facing away. They had been very lucky with this planet: What were the odds that they'd find a habitable world with a dominant clade with dorsal nervous systems? The humans were especially advantageous: Aside from grasping appendages, they had already built an infrastructure that was useful to them - and thus to anyone that they hosted.
The extraterrestrial alien buried itself under its new host's skin. This one would do just fine.
The extraterrestrial alien buried itself under its new host's skin. This one would do just fine.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Sudden Short Story 91
She ran down the city neighborhood streets, but she forgot why she was running, so she stopped.
Nobody was around. The air was warm, though the sun was behind some building or other. She heard a sound, faintly, off in the distance, and began to wonder what it was....
"Hey," came the voice of Jason, the boy that she liked. Or did she? Didn't she?
"Hey," she said, somewhat hesitantly, as he ran to her.
"Did you get lost or something?"
"No," she said, looking around. "This is 15th Street, isn't it? I know where we are. Do you hear that noise?"
Jason listened for a moment. "No. What's it like?"
She thought for a moment. "It's sort of... a cry? Or a long note, like in a song."
Jason listened again. "I don't hear anything.... Oh!" he cried out, "The others are waiting for us." He reached out and grabbed her hand. Or did he?
She didn't move. "Hey," she said, hesitantly again, not budging, "Do you... How long has it been summer?"
He stopped. "I don't remember, exactly. It's been summer all summer, anyway. C'mon," and he tried once again to pull her along.
"What did we do this morning?"
"We can talk about it on the way," he said, but tears were welling in his eyes.
"And that sound..." she said, her eyes staring off into the distance.
He put all of his weight into pulling her, but he may as well have been a breeze. Tears were streaming down his cheeks now. "Please," he begged, "Just come on."
She closed her eyes, and it was over.
Nobody was around. The air was warm, though the sun was behind some building or other. She heard a sound, faintly, off in the distance, and began to wonder what it was....
"Hey," came the voice of Jason, the boy that she liked. Or did she? Didn't she?
"Hey," she said, somewhat hesitantly, as he ran to her.
"Did you get lost or something?"
"No," she said, looking around. "This is 15th Street, isn't it? I know where we are. Do you hear that noise?"
Jason listened for a moment. "No. What's it like?"
She thought for a moment. "It's sort of... a cry? Or a long note, like in a song."
Jason listened again. "I don't hear anything.... Oh!" he cried out, "The others are waiting for us." He reached out and grabbed her hand. Or did he?
She didn't move. "Hey," she said, hesitantly again, not budging, "Do you... How long has it been summer?"
He stopped. "I don't remember, exactly. It's been summer all summer, anyway. C'mon," and he tried once again to pull her along.
"What did we do this morning?"
"We can talk about it on the way," he said, but tears were welling in his eyes.
"And that sound..." she said, her eyes staring off into the distance.
He put all of his weight into pulling her, but he may as well have been a breeze. Tears were streaming down his cheeks now. "Please," he begged, "Just come on."
She closed her eyes, and it was over.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Life Update - August 31st, 2015
OK, so, I keep forgetting to do Flash Fiction Friday. Sorry about that. Also, life's about to get even busier than it has been for the next 2 months, so I really don't know when I'll get back to anything from before.
I keep thinking that I'd like to finish what I was doing in Minecraft - which I'm sure is many more versions out of date by now - and there's so much more, too, like the great webcomic catch-up, but life's been so busy that I really don't know when any of this will land. Hopefully, I'll be able to shake everything out and finally get things back to normal.
I keep thinking that I'd like to finish what I was doing in Minecraft - which I'm sure is many more versions out of date by now - and there's so much more, too, like the great webcomic catch-up, but life's been so busy that I really don't know when any of this will land. Hopefully, I'll be able to shake everything out and finally get things back to normal.
Sudden Short Story 90
"I still don't understand," he said to no one in particular, in the place where his mind went every night.
"Your kindness," said a voice from behind him. He turned, and was confronted with himself.
"My kindness?" he asked himself.
"Your kindness killed her! She could not stand it. She was forever torn between the fantasy that you'd written for her and her ..." Even his other self could not finish the thought.
And he though that, maybe, he could just never wake up again.
"Your kindness," said a voice from behind him. He turned, and was confronted with himself.
"My kindness?" he asked himself.
"Your kindness killed her! She could not stand it. She was forever torn between the fantasy that you'd written for her and her ..." Even his other self could not finish the thought.
And he though that, maybe, he could just never wake up again.
Sudden Short Story 89
"Sir!" cried out a soldier in a headset, interrupting his CO.
Ordinarily, Captain Chueng would have reprimanded the soldier, but the battle had only just evened out, and he couldn't risk that it might be important. He went over to the soldier's terminal.
"What is it?"
"Sir, we've lost control of the enemy drones," he said, frantically manipulating flight controls with no apparent consequence, according to the radar. Flight camera was dark, and the code display indicated that the cracking team was trying frantically to regain control.
Chueng looked around and saw similar reactions among the other jump-jackers. "Have you tried nosediving it," he asked as he considered the next move.
"Yes, sir, and I tried dropping its payload while it was still over barren ground. I also saw the hacker try to force a shutdown."
"How long ago were the hackers booted out," Chueng asked into his radio.
"They're still in," came the voice back. "Every indication is that the hackers are still in, but there's some kind of super-root that's countervailing every command as fast as they make it, even from batches."
"Well, if there's a super-root, then why hasn't it just kicked them out?"
"We've got counter-countermeasures in place, constantly fighting for control. I don't think that they have spare CPU cycles to-- Wait, no, we're losing them!" There was a pause, and then, "I don't think that we're going to regain control. I recommend jamming all control signals and grounding the entire battle."
"Jam all controls!" shouted Chueng, as the jump-jackers got out of their seats, suddenly knowing that they'd have nothing to do. "Acknowledged," Chueng said into his radio, quickly, before he lost contact. He only just realized that the officer with whom he was strategizing had already left to oversee the anticipated mobilization of ground forces.
"Hey," Chueng said to a straggling soldier - that same soldier, come to think of it - who was still by the monitors, "Remember your training. When we start jamming, jump-jackers become regular troops. Grab your--"
"The enemy drones are still airborne," the soldier interrupted, indicating the radar screen, which now had a lot of static.
The captain peered at the radar, through the static, and saw the blips that indicated UAV-sized aircraft. They weren't just still on what was left of the radar - they were moving. Dread suddenly rose within him, and he went running for the jammer array.
"Cease jamming! Get our drones back in the air!"
Soldiers are trained to follow orders. Two specialists deactivated the jammers while the jump-jackers returned to their seats, to fill any vacancies left by the pilots back home who figured that they had a long break ahead of them - probably all of them. The lucky bastards didn't have to be in the field because they had a nice secure pipe from home to their own drones.
"Does anyone back there read me?" asked Chueng over the radio, hoping to get the hackers - or, anyone, really.
"Yes," came the reply, "we read--"
"We have weaponized AI out here. I repeat, we have weaponized AI."
Ordinarily, Captain Chueng would have reprimanded the soldier, but the battle had only just evened out, and he couldn't risk that it might be important. He went over to the soldier's terminal.
"What is it?"
"Sir, we've lost control of the enemy drones," he said, frantically manipulating flight controls with no apparent consequence, according to the radar. Flight camera was dark, and the code display indicated that the cracking team was trying frantically to regain control.
Chueng looked around and saw similar reactions among the other jump-jackers. "Have you tried nosediving it," he asked as he considered the next move.
"Yes, sir, and I tried dropping its payload while it was still over barren ground. I also saw the hacker try to force a shutdown."
"How long ago were the hackers booted out," Chueng asked into his radio.
"They're still in," came the voice back. "Every indication is that the hackers are still in, but there's some kind of super-root that's countervailing every command as fast as they make it, even from batches."
"Well, if there's a super-root, then why hasn't it just kicked them out?"
"We've got counter-countermeasures in place, constantly fighting for control. I don't think that they have spare CPU cycles to-- Wait, no, we're losing them!" There was a pause, and then, "I don't think that we're going to regain control. I recommend jamming all control signals and grounding the entire battle."
"Jam all controls!" shouted Chueng, as the jump-jackers got out of their seats, suddenly knowing that they'd have nothing to do. "Acknowledged," Chueng said into his radio, quickly, before he lost contact. He only just realized that the officer with whom he was strategizing had already left to oversee the anticipated mobilization of ground forces.
"Hey," Chueng said to a straggling soldier - that same soldier, come to think of it - who was still by the monitors, "Remember your training. When we start jamming, jump-jackers become regular troops. Grab your--"
"The enemy drones are still airborne," the soldier interrupted, indicating the radar screen, which now had a lot of static.
The captain peered at the radar, through the static, and saw the blips that indicated UAV-sized aircraft. They weren't just still on what was left of the radar - they were moving. Dread suddenly rose within him, and he went running for the jammer array.
"Cease jamming! Get our drones back in the air!"
Soldiers are trained to follow orders. Two specialists deactivated the jammers while the jump-jackers returned to their seats, to fill any vacancies left by the pilots back home who figured that they had a long break ahead of them - probably all of them. The lucky bastards didn't have to be in the field because they had a nice secure pipe from home to their own drones.
"Does anyone back there read me?" asked Chueng over the radio, hoping to get the hackers - or, anyone, really.
"Yes," came the reply, "we read--"
"We have weaponized AI out here. I repeat, we have weaponized AI."
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