An Aberration of Apparitions

An Aberration of Apparitions“This ain’t gonna be your usual Disney-type attraction,” explained Charles, self-appointed leader of the motley group.

“It’ll be better!” said Arielle, dark-haired, skinny, wide-eyed.

“The latest in 3D imprint AI technology,” said Brady, a wiry and sandy-haired nerd with thick glasses.

“Scarier than the real thing,” said Arielle.  She was so excited she couldn’t keep still.

Charles was tall, muscular and good-looking, with a full head of brown hair.  He was driving his parents’ old gas-guzzling SUV. It comfortably fit his five college friends, though the ride was not so comfortable since the shock absorbers were bad.

“There it is!” said Arielle. “Cool!”

The Automated Haunted House looked very old, rundown, gloomy. It stood atop a steep hill. Large birds circled overhead.

“Buzzards,” said Louis, short and stocky with curly black hair.

“Robots,” said Brady, smiling.

Arielle said, “Don’t spoil the fun, Brady.”

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Financial Wizardry

Financial Wizardry

As a rule, George Paleologus hated the Christmas party. Pretending to like people whom he knew solely because they shared a workplace was loathsome. But this party was different, because, as far as he was concerned, the cause for celebration was not some carpenter’s birthday but his own promotion. Besides, he had a little business to finish off. It had only been four months since he joined HexBank, London’s foremost boutique bank for the magically inclined, and he was already executive vice warlock. At this rate, he’d be running it by next Christmas.

The floor numbers drifted by, until the lift reached the seventy-seventh storey and its doors opened. It was usually where they entertained idiot sorcerers with more money than sense, but on Christmas Eve it hosted HexBank’s festive frolics.

George stepped out of the lift and raised his hand in greeting to the three dozen other attendees. Most of them returned the gesture, and he made a mental note of those who did not. All were human, more or less, save Barry, the chief of security. A pair of deep gouge marks above the doorway betrayed where the minotaur had forgotten to duck sufficiently.

Chief Executive Warlock Julius Andronicus wandered over and handed him a glass of nectar.

“Thanks,” George said, taking a sip. “I’m surprised Barry’s here. Can’t say I’ve ever seen him before.”

Julius nodded. “Aye, he usually dwells in the security HQ, monitoring the cameras and eating intruders. Can’t stand the place myself, it’s a bloody labyrinth. Come on, I want to have a quick word.” Continue reading

Zodiac Eclipse – The Tiger’s Eye

Zodiac Eclipse – The Tiger’s EyeCoffee was not the same. It tasted just as good, but she couldn’t feel it warm her once she swallowed and it coursed down her artificial oesophagus. Brasidas and Drusus were briefing those selected to fly down to Naxos in The Sun Dancer’s mess hall. The twenty pirates who had been picked sipped coffee and smoked sabketh whilst they listened to their leaders. Gertrude was sat far from the purple smoke, on a table with only Sarah Wellington for company.

“Naxos is in dark space,” Brasidas explained. “The Elthurians charted it immediately prior to their extinction, and when the plague came knowledge of its existence returned to obscurity.”

“You want us to go to a damned plague planet?” Nicephorus interrupted.

Brasidas glared at the crewman. “It’s not a plague planet. The Elthurians never established an outpost there. Ask another stupid question and I’ll have you serve a shift in engineering.”

The other crewmen laughed and slapped Nicephorus on the back. Brasidas’s words had provoked a scowl on Nicephorus’s face.

“What’s so bad about that?” Gertrude whispered to Sarah.

The blonde pirate raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t met Primus yet?” Continue reading

Why I Hate the Seaside

Why I Hate the SeasideJay was laughing and waving to us as we watched from the beach, telling us how nice the water was and that we should go and join him.

That was the last we heard from him. I remember protesting as Kirsty pulled me to my feet. I remember the pair of us running towards the water.

And I remember Jay’s screams as something pulled him beneath the waves.

That was ten years ago now. I was only nine. Kirsty was eleven and our brother was thirteen.

“Unlucky for some!”

“Don’t butt in. That’s not even funny. You wanted to know why I hate this place, I’m telling you.”

We’d always go to this same beach every summer; my aunt and uncle owned a chalet on the seafront so it was a cheap holiday for the family. I never liked swimming but Kirsty and Jay loved it. I preferred to sit on the beach and build sandcastles. Maybe eat an ice cream.

I remember that year we met some other kids, I remember what they looked like but for the life of me, I can’t remember their names.

“I’m going to get an ice cream, do you want one?”

“No! Finish the story. I’m here; nothing’s going to happen.”
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Zodiac Eclipse – Negotiation

Zodiac Eclipse – NegotiationThe twenty hexapod robots, twin pulse cannons still trained on Gertrude, Brasidas and the others, began scuttling slowly towards the compound. The War Dogs shepherded the human pirates through the massive black gates. Gertrude was the last one inside, and the gates rumbled shut behind her.

“Lord Ump’gomptar will receive Captain Brasidas,” one of the War Dogs stated in a robotic voice. “The others shall remain here.”

The robot that had spoken turned around, a prolonged process on its six legs, and led the captain away at walking pace. The remaining mechanoids shuffled a little closer together to fill the gap it had left, and continued to surround Gertrude and the others.

“Is this the normal welcome you get?” she muttered to Drusus.

If he was concerned, the Murovian did a good job of hiding it. “More mechs than usual, and we’ve never had an escort down to the ground before. Something’s rattled the Ralgo.”

The interior of the compound was almost as sandy as the desert beyond the walls. Bleak and featureless grey stone boxes were the only buildings within the compound. They rose only a few storeys high, and, to her surprise, there were no more than half a dozen. The walls encompassed an area large enough to accommodate a town, but the lack of structures meant only a few hundred people could live there. Continue reading

Report on the Testing of PK563217M

Report on the Testing of PK563217M

Background

PK563217M is a highly selective ligand for the dopamine D7 receptor, Ki 4.2nM at the cloned human receptor. GTP gamma S binding establishes it as a full agonist. It has a clean profile of activity against other dopamine receptors (>500nM); the nearest activity is at D4 (230nM), and no significant interaction with serotinergic, adrenergic, noradrenergic, muscarinic, cholinergic or histamine receptors. The bioavailability of PK563217M is 27% in rat (half-life 5 hours) and 38% in dog (half-life 8 hours). No significant toxicological effects were observed during 28 days dosing in rat and dog at doses below 75mg/kg. PK563217M was formulated in a gel capsule with starch filler for first human dosing

Testing Protocol

Subjects were recruited from undergraduates of ****** University Medical School and were medically and psychologically profiled before dosing. Subjects were scheduled to receive 5mg capsules of PK563217M for 5 consecutive days, followed by 9 days washout and 2 x 5mg capsules for 5 consecutive days. The individual responses to the initial dosing are reported below.

Human Pharmacology

Samples were taken from the subjects at 30-minute intervals and indicate that PK563217M achieved peak plasma levels 1 hour post dosing with a mean half-life of 10 hours. Continue reading

Darkness Falls

Darkness FallsIt was Eclipse Day, and Archer Grey would become the first man in Nereid history to witness two total solar eclipses. Frankly, he couldn’t see what the fuss was about. The moon passed over the sun, everything went dark for a little while and then it returned to normal. Anyone damned fool enough to be staring up without the right spectacles on would go blind, but there was precious little entertainment otherwise.

That was one of the few perks of being ancient. He could moan and grumble and nobody could tell him to shut up. They could try, but as he commanded the family fortune and had known every one of his surviving family since they were mewling babies, they invariably failed. And he had much to grumble about. His children had died, three to old age and one to stupidity. Swimming in the height of summer and expecting the jellyfish of Nereus to leave you alone was the act of a fool. In Kayleigh’s case, the act of a dead fool. Most of his grandchildren ranged from tedious to despicable, though he did enjoy the ever-increasing resentment they felt towards his stubborn refusal to die. Over a hundred years old, and still he clung on.

Until today. Because today was the perfect opportunity to kill himself.

Archer’s mansion was built on a mountain so high it was always night, hence its name: Darkness Falls. Eighty years ago he had ordered a wing built equipped with photoelectric roofs that could become completely transparent at the touch of a button. In truth, he enjoyed the stars, but the real reason behind the construction was to amaze guests, whether visiting dignitaries or impressionable young ladies. Continue reading

Zodiac Eclipse – A Warm Welcome

Zodiac Eclipse – A Warm WelcomeBrasidas was waiting for her at Nephros.

“Congratulations on your first kill for The Sun Dancer,” he told her.

She tossed him the maldrive and resisted the urge to test her steel fist on his bloated body. Killing him would be easy, but the ship was in the middle of nowhere and she doubted a crew of pirates would let their captain’s death go unavenged.

Gertrude had no idea where her quarters were, but the thought summoned a diagram of The Sun Dancer in her ocular implant. She was surprised by the ship’s size, and took a moment to examine it. In addition to cargo holds, the mess and crew quarters, The Sun Dancer had not one but two bays for smaller craft. Her mind drifted to where her quarters might be, and an arrow appeared on the plans, guiding her through the narrow, pipe-lined corridors to the cabin she had been allocated.

The cabin was sparsely furnished. A mirror which doubled as an old-fashioned 2-D television was the only decoration. In the locker were two changes of clothes, and the chest of drawers contained a tablet. To her surprise, it also contained what appeared to be several white gold ingots as long as her finger and two flawless sapphires. Uncertain whether they were meant to be hers or belonged to the one-bed cabin’s previous occupant, she swiped the lot. Continue reading

The Gypsy

The GypsyIt was 1983, and we were on a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. My buddy George and I drove the six hours from Dallas to the French Quarter in my – 76 Chevy Nova. We were excited to party it up in the streets now that we were finally twenty-one.  I drove into town in the middle of the afternoon and it was hotter than we were expecting. I don’t recall much from that trip. Between the booze, and the fact it was thirty years ago, I only remember the heat…and the gypsy.

Her, I remember like it was yesterday. I’d stumbled into her tent and when I saw the elaborate set-up, I called George in to check it out. She sat at a round table and told me she would tell me my future. She was wearing a pink and orange dress, and bracelets; a lot of bracelets. I remember the sound they made when she moved her arms and still hear it sometimes when I close my eyes. Incense burned in the corner; the smell stuck in my nostrils.

She turned to me and told me it was ten dollars to know my future. I was a slightly twisted young man so I gave her ten bucks and asked if she could tell me when I was going to die instead. I swear the candles dimmed when I asked. Her eyes narrowed, and she told me it was a dark art, but for another fifteen she would tell us both how we were going to die. George shrugged and pulled out his wallet. We were a few beverages in at this point so this strange event had us snickering as she reached for my hands. Continue reading

Zodiac Eclipse – Distress

Zodiac Eclipse – DistressShe opened her eyes, and the whole world was different. Her ocular implant depicted a clinic painted in psychedelic hues of deep purples and bright oranges.

Reminds me of the time I tried coral mushrooms.

“Shal ma’kreeth?” Doctor Dubrovnik asked.

Before she could express her confusion a  line of blue text appeared in her field of vision.

LANGUAGE IDENTIFIED: J’Karyth.

MESSAGE: How are you?

“I think I’m ok,” she answered.

“Any difficulty breathing?” When she shook her head he nodded. “Good. Each lung cost a bloody fortune. I’m going to activate your artificial limbs, which might feel a bit odd. You can sit up, but don’t try standing until you feel able.”

Her left arm and left leg suddenly tingled with sensation. They felt almost as if they had fallen asleep. She sat up and saw her arm for the first time. Not even the smallest effort had been made to normalise it. The limb wasn’t even painted to resemble flesh, let alone covered with synth-skin and implanted with genuine follicles. Brute bare metal studded with plastic nerves made no pretence of humanity.

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