#maygrey fiction

[maygreyfiction]

Mission 26

This is an old flash fiction that was written to a series of word prompts.  I really had very little idea where I was going with it, but I honestly like the setting and plot.  It feels very retrofuturism/superhero to me, and I like that. Setting: Retrofuturism/Historical - Time Travel Pairing: None Warnings: Setting-typical violence

Mission 26

He'd skipped breakfast for this?  The ragtag group in front of him looked more like poster children for an intervention group than society's best chance at saving the world.  And he was supposed to train them for the mission.  He wasn't sure he could train them to clean their rooms, let alone a complicated spy mission a thousand years into the past.  "Alright, any questions?"

"Yes, actually-" One boy who looked like he was maybe fifteen spoke up.

"Too bad." Marcus cut him off. "You aren't here to ask questions. I tell you what to do, and you do it. I give you something to learn, and you learn it. Information is earned, not given.  Any objections?"  A few in the group opened their mouths, but Marcus only cut them off again. "If so, the door is right over there, and you can leave at any time. Go right back to where you came from."  Nobody spoke.  Marcus felt a twinge as he wondered just where they had pulled the kids from that this kind of situation was preferable.  He would have walked himself.  "Alright. The stations over there are marked with your names. Each one has a computer. Sit down and start reading."

—

Remember. Remember the mission. Do not, at any time, for any reason, risk the secrecy of the mission.

It was rote. What Marcus had driven into all their brains over, and over, and over again.

The group watched as Jordan was walked toward the car.

Don't risk the mission. Absolute secrecy. The words were a chant in Amanda's brain.

"Screw it." Carson hissed beside her. Pulling out her light grenade, Amanda tossed it toward the car. "Code Gold!" He shouted. Jordan threw her hands in front of her face as the weapon went off - filling the space with light so intense it could blind permanently. The rest of the group had already shielded their eyes at the warning. Wearing his protective goggles, Carson dropped down into the group below, kicking the man holding the semi-automatic in the stomach, and grabbing Jordan's arms. "Let's jet!" He shouted in her ear.

Jordan gave a stomp with one foot, activating the zero-gravity device in her boots. She ran up the open space to the roof where the others were crouched down, hiding from view as commotion raged on the street below.

—

"Marcus always told us never to do anything to jeopardize the mission." Jordan reminded Carson and Amanda as the group gathered in the small hotel room.

"You did pretty much blow our cover." Pete pointed out.

"I didn't see you objecting at the time." Carson crossed his arms. "Besides, we can't afford to lose any of our own. Not if we want the mission to succeed."

"There wasn't much of a cover to blow." Sandoval pointed out. "So far we haven't been able to infiltrate the mini-ranks. Let along get anywhere close to Thorn. It's like he knows our next move before we do."

"Maybe he does," Amanda spoke up. "After all, no one knows how he broke out of the prison or escaped into that time portal. Maybe it was an inside job."

"So now the plot's gone all conspiracy theory?" Sandoval groaned.

Jordan rubbed at her forehead, a headache forming behind her eyes. "Oh, shut up the lot of you before I throw you out the window!"

#retrofuturism #time travel #original fiction #science fiction #maygrey fiction #flash fiction

[maygreyfiction]

Cold Lemonade

This started as two separate short stories, one that continued the tale fo the other.  They were inspired by word prompts years ago.  It was one of the short pieces I always considered turning into a full story but never got around to. Like most of my ventures into Science Fiction it leans towards Retro Futurism - a genre I am very fond of due to my love of older science fiction.

Setting: Sci-Fi/Retro Futurism Pairing: Hint of F/F Warnings: Mentions of death and dead bodies

Cold Lemonade

Marybeth was excited to be going to the state fair. She was up and dressed before her parents. Getting herself a bowl of cereal, she looked at the pamphlet they'd received in the mail for what must have been the hundredth time as she ate.

Games, rides; all kinds of foods and sweets. It would be her first time going and she wanted to try everything!

Her mother laughed when she saw her at the table. "Looks like someone's all ready to go." She took one of the cups of coffee the coffee maker had brewed on a timer.

"I'm all dressed!" The nine-year-old told her, jumping off her chair to show her.

Her mother smiled indulgently. "Well, I'll go get your father up. Doesn't look like he'll be sleeping in today."

The car ride was long, but it didn't dull Marybeth's excitement any. Her mother had brought a notebook for her, and she drew pictures as they drove. She tried to draw some of the things on the pamphlets. The Ferris wheel, and one of the games.

"Shouldn't we be able to see the Ferris wheel by now?" Her mother asked, sounding confused and worried.

"Maybe it's around the next turn." Her father replied slowly.

Marybeth peered ahead anxiously as the car rounded the cliff, expecting to see the fair finally.

"Watch out!" Her mother screamed.

Her father slammed on the breaks and the small computer flew out of Marybeth's hands. Something, no, someone hit the front of the dash before floating off over the car.

"What the hell..." Marybeth's father whispered.

Marybeth stared, unable to tear her eyes away. People were floating everywhere. She thought they must be dead because they'd said in class that going outside without a suit killed people. The dome that housed the state fair was crashed open - shattered as if hit by something. She thought she saw the Ferris wheel lying on its side on the red Martian sand.

"What happened to the state fair?" She asked, but her parents had no answer.

The stall they were parked by read: ‘Cold Lemonade’. Police were everywhere. Marybeth's mother had said to stay in the car. They were talking to the police.

Marybeth stared at the sign. She'd been excited about going to the state fair. It was all she or her friends had talked about for weeks. But something awful had happened. Nobody seemed to know what either.

She remembered suddenly that her best friend Casey had said she was going to the fair. Did that mean Casey was dead? Her hands were shaking as she pulled out her cellphone and pressed her picture. They'd taken her picture at the science museum. She was in the middle of a 3-D hologram of the Milkyway making a funny face. She pressed 'Call'.

The phone rang four times, and Marybeth felt herself start to cry when it was answered.

"Hello?" Casey's voice sounded funny and out of breath.

"Casey! Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

"Marybeth! Marybeth, I'm at the state fair-"

"Me too! But it's all a big mess and there are cops and dead people and-"

"I'm trapped!" Casey interrupted.  "Underground. There was this ride, and the doors won't open. I tried calling out but I couldn't. I don't know how you called in."  It sounded like Casey was crying.

"Hold on, I'll get someone." Getting out of the car, she could see the patch in the dome high above. You could walk around without your space suit now, but Marybeth left hers on. She tried talking to the cops, but they just told her to stay with her parents, not listening to what she said.

"Mother..." She came over.

"Marybeth, don't come out here. Go back to the car." Her mother told her.

"But-"

"Please, Marybeth." Her mother turned her around and gave her a gentle nudge. "Just stay in the car."

Marybeth brought up the phone, frustrated. "Nobody's listening!" She complained to Casey. "Where's the ride entrance?"

"It's near the Cold Lemonade stand. It's painted to look like wood."

"I'm at the lemonade stand!" Marybeth looked around. Down the lane, she saw the building. "I'm coming!"

She got in the car on the one side and got out on the other where her parents wouldn't see her. She then hurried up the lane to the building.

"I'm here! I'm here!" She told Casey. The doors were closed. A red light flashed a warning sign. "How do I open them?"

"I don't know. It's really hot in here, Marybeth. I want out."

Marybeth read all the signs around the door. Finally, she spotted a red box that read: 'Emergency Open Only'.

"I think I've got it." She opened the box to find a button inside.

"Hey! Hey, kid, what are you doing over there!" A cop exclaimed.

"Hold on, I have to hurry."  Placing her phone in her pocket, she held the box open with one hand and hit the button with the other. The doors screeched open.

The phone rang.

"Cold Lead Investigations." Marybeth greeted the caller.

"Hey, partner." Casey's voice came over the line. "How are you doing today?"

"Just another day."

"Liar."

Marybeth chuckled. "You stuck on a lead or are you going to the memorial?"

"Have I ever missed it?"

"Neither of us have in sixteen years. They say they're releasing new information regarding the incident."

"You believe it?"

"Not a word."

"Sooner or later, we'll get those answers too." Casey's voice was determined.

"That's how we got started in this business," Marybeth replied.

Hanging on her wall were printouts of articles. 'Disaster Strikes State Fair', one read. 'Hundreds Die in State Fair Incident', another read. In a framed photo two young girls were standing in front of a sing. It read, 'Cold Lemonade'.

"See you at the Lemonade Stand," Casey promised before hanging up.

#original fiction #short story #science fiction #retro futurism #maygrey fiction

[maygreyfiction]

Frayed

Setting: Fantasy Pairing: None Warnings: None The edges were frayed. She knew that wasn`t good. It was delicate work they did. If a thread unraveled... "Sisters." she pointed to the spot that had caught her eye.

"So it has begun." Her eldest sister paused a moment to study the loose strands.

"And so early." Her second sister commented.

"What effect will it have?" She couldn`t help but ask. 

"We can only wait and see." Second sister began stitching again.

"Shouldn`t we fix it?"

"Do you feel the need to?" Eldest sister questioned. She blinked in surprise and focused on the fabric again. "I… I`m not sure. I think I do. But I don`t know how."

"Then the time to fix it is not now."

"When will it be?"

"You will know. Our kind always knows."

"What if I don`t?" She bit her lip, worried. "This is only my third work."

"What will be will be." Second Sister intoned. "If it is meant to unravel, you cannot stop it."

She frowned at the piece in her hand and reached down to touch one of the loose threads. It came off into her hand. She gripped it tightly, pained by the sight of the loose ends. "It isn`t meant to be like this."

The two looked at her again, stopping their work briefly. 

"What do you mean?" Eldest Sister asked her. 

She studied the loose thread she held, confused by her own conviction, but knowing she was right. "It isn`t meant to be like this. Something is wrong."

Setting aside her newest piece, Eldest Sister moved toward the gallery door. As one, the other two set aside their pieces to follow her. In the gallery, their current works were displayed. Eldest Sister moved through them until she came to one row. She kneeled down and reached out to scoop something from the floor. When she held out her hand, it contained more loose threads. The three gazed around the room, noting several other works were frayed.

"It appears something is indeed wrong."

#original fiction #fantasy #flash fiction #maygrey fiction

[maygreyfiction]

Sealover

Setting: Fantasy Pairing: F/F Warnings: Tragedy  

Sealover

Destiny knows no reason or mercy.  And from the start she loved the sea.

 As a baby it was the sound that lulled her to sleep in the little cottage on the beach.  As a child she would stare endlessly into the waves, enraptured.  Her father often teased she must hear or see things they did not in its endless blue.  As she grew, so did her passion for the waters.  And it seemed she did indeed have a gift for all things of it.  She could outswim anyone in the village, and the little skiff her brother made her seemed to stay afloat regardless.  

"It seems the sea loves you as much as you love it."  Her brother told her one day.  She only smiled in reply.

Her true name is lost in the records of time, but they called her Sealover most, and that was the name history came to know her by.  It was more suiting than any of them knew.  At fourteen she blossomed into the beauty her mother often said she would, with long blonde wavy tresses and the body of a siren.  And she was wanted by the boys of the village, but her grey-green eyes only had room for the waters they seemed made of.  It was then she began to disappear from her room late in the night, and her mother would worry for her honor as much as her safety.  They would always find her on the sandy shore alone, though.  And when asked straight out if she had a lover, she would laugh.  "No lover but the sea."  And her family's worries were eased.

They couldn't hear the other laugh that joined hers from the waves, Sealover alone could hear it.  A musical sound, and distinctly feminine.  A voice she loved, and that loved her.  And protected her time and again from those that would steal her from it.  For the boys of the village came to try and claim her, and some accepted being turned down.  But others didn't.  

She was alone only by the sea, and there they would try to sneak up on her.   She was warned, though, by the musical voice she alone could hear, and into the cool waters she would dive - to safety.  For try as they might to follow her, the sea itself seemed to forbid it and never could they reach her.  And as she tread the water far from shore, watching them, a protective hand that she alone could feel or see, wrapped around her waist and held her up when she tired.  And always the boys walked home soaked with seawater, frustrated, and never having come near her.

And again and again her family found her alone by the shore, and again they would ask the same question.  And each time she would laugh and answer the same.  "No lover but the sea."  

She was mysterious to the people of her village, but those with secrets often are.  Sealover knew, for she had been warned before, that no one could ever understand, and so she never explained though she spoke the truth again and again.  And as she grew older and the queries about a lover came not out of fear but hope - for her family hated to see her go without love for her whole life - then there was sorrow.  For they could not know, or understand, or share in the joy.  And even if she told them, they would not believe her.  

Tears her lover didn't understand, for there had been no tears for her in her whole existence.  And Sealover hadn't wept since childhood, and never in front of her, though she'd known her since she was a babe in her mother's arms.  "I love them, but I love you as well.  And in making one happy I make the other miserable."  

And then her lover understood, and sorrow was not alien to her, though tears were.  "You could hear me as a babe, you are gifted.  And it was not by me, for that is a gift I have no way of giving.  Even I do not control fate, destiny is the domain of another.  If you choose someone else, I would never blame you.  I do not know what it is like to be stuck between like you, but I can guess it is not pleasant."

"Life isn't always pleasant," Sealover told her, still crying.  "I could never find another, for in my heart there is only room for you."

Was it strength or folly?  Who is to say?  But perhaps it was destiny from the start.  And, as I stated, destiny knows no reason or mercy.  And it was destiny's hand, perhaps - her family's decision to take a journey inland, away from the sheltering shore.  Maybe that was why, when she begged to stay, their answer was no.  More tears came then, near to hysterics, and for the week before she stayed in her room.  Even the musical voice that called for her through her window could not get her to move from it, until the final night.

For the second time, she cried in front of her lover, and her lover knew sorrow again, and their lovemaking desperation.  With the knowledge she was created with long ago, perhaps she knew.  But perhaps she didn't, for why give her the gifts if she did?

"Gaze into this and you will see my face.  Place this to your ear and you will hear my voice.  A remembrance, not truly me.  It is all I have to give, as away from the sea I cannot be with you.  Cannot protect you.  But keep my gifts close by, and I will know if you are well and safe."

It was a beautiful pearl, the size of her fist, with a rainbow that danced across its surface even in starlight.  The shell was no smaller, and colored a pale pink, with a rainbow at its edges. Sealover took them, crying again, and left.

When her family saw what she carried on her return home, they asked her the infamous question.  And for the final time, there was no laughter, only a nearly inaudible response, though it was the one they knew so well.  "No lover but the sea."  

As they left, she gazed back one last time, clutching the bag that held the treasured gifts.  And to the musical voice's wishes for a quick return, she only nodded.  Perhaps there were secrets she kept even from her lover.  Perhaps she knew what lay ahead.

Destiny's hand was revealed two weeks later to the village that was waiting for the family's return.  And no one doubted what it meant.  That they would never return.  That Sealover had died.  What other reason was there?

For one day the sea raged in a stormless sky, and a wind howled through waves that crashed against the shore.  And rain fell, though there were no clouds to bear them.   And briefly, only briefly, the people of the village could hear her.  A sound that was beyond natural, and contained more sorrow than a human heart could take.  The broken-hearted crying of a goddess.

#original fiction #fxf #lesbian #tragedy #maygrey fiction #romance #fantasy