Christopher B. Wright's Blog, page 42

A Worthy Kickstarter: Mostly Wordless

You probably already know what Kickstarter is so I'm not going to bother with that intro. I'll get to the point: I'm supporting a Kickstarter called Mostly Wordless and I want to plug it here.

Why? Because if it's funded my daughter gets a cool picture book.

Here's Jed's video summarizing the project:

Jed does great work--you can see samples of it on his Kickstarter page if you're curious--and I'm pretty sure my daughter will enjoy the finished product. If you have a son or daughter who might a...

Forces Gather: Part Eight

Showdown

“I would prefer to do this without resorting to force,” Richter says. “I have no desire or need to kill you. It is wasteful.”

Jenny says nothing. She keeps staring at the gun.

“Do not, however, mistake reluctance for unwillingness.” Richter’s voice is calm, almost soothing. “I will do what I must. I will reflect, very briefly, on the unfortunate waste of your life, and then I will continue living mine.”

She doesn’t believe for a second that he’s going to let her live. As soon as she no l...

Forces Gather: Part Seven

Lines of Communication

The rain has picked up since they arrived at the apartment, and the fire escape is so slippery from the mixture of rain and grime that Jenny’s first attempt up the ladder is almost her last. Her foot slips, her body twists, and she feels herself falling over the edge. She avoids falling by thrusting the crook of her arm through the top rung of the ladder. She dangles there for a moment, trying not to panic, then manages to get one foot back on the ladder, then another.

Sh...

Forces Gather: Part Six

Unhappy Reunion

All the lights on the third floor go out.

A few of the lights flicker on, then off, then on, then off, creating a strobe effect as CB cautiously makes his way down the hall to the stairwell. In the brief moments of light, the hallway looks different: the walls seem taller, the ceiling shimmers and rolls like water, and all the while he feels that strange oily, burning, freezing, cutting power slide over him. He reaches out to the wall to brace himself, then immediately draws his...

Forces Gather: Part Five

Albany, NY

The only reason it takes Red Shift fifteen minutes to get to Albany is because he doesn’t want to break the sound barrier.

It’s not hard for him to run faster than sound—he can run considerably faster if he has to. The problem with breaking the sound barrier is the sonic boom: it’s not a one-time event, it’s a continuous, window-shattering sound that follows you, a sonic wake, and he doesn’t want to attract that kind of attention. Anyway, he doesn’t need to go supersonic: 700 miles a...

Forces Gather: Part Four

Farraday City

It’s raining in Farraday City. Water courses through the sewers, the sluggish and nearly stagnant waters now rushing like overflowing streams. The water level has risen above the side walkways to the point that water flows over CB’s ankles. He can feel the tug of the current slightly. It’s inconvenient, and it if keeps rising it might get dangerous.

“OK back there?”

Jenny grunts in reply. Her hand tightens on his shoulder for a moment, and CB feels a stab of pain.

“Easy, Jenny. I mi...

Forces Gather: Part Three

Sky Commando Unit

Sergeant Alishia Webb sits in the Sky Commando Unit briefing room and shifts uncomfortably under the enigmatic gaze of the man in the suit and sunglasses sitting across the table.

“Miss Webb—”

“Sergeant,” Alishia says firmly.

The man nods once. “My apologies. Sergeant. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.”

Alishia’s gaze drifts over to the man’s left, farther down the table, where the rest of his group—two men and three women—sit listening patiently. Their expressions are...

Forces Gather: Part Two

Crossfire Safehouse

Street Ronin sighs, rubs his eyes, and leans back in his chair. His computer has been analyzing the files from a USB thumb drive for the last hour, and it’s boring.

He and Red Shift have been in the safehouse Tactical Room for most of the night, trying to piece together all the information they received from their new partners. He’s tired; Red Shift is bored. As far as Street Ronin knows, Red Shift doesn’t sleep.

“You know how TV shows always have computers showing you a sear...

Forces Gather: Part One

Jacob K. Javits Federal Building

The New York offices of the Federal Bureau of Metahuman Affairs take up four floors of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in the Civic Center district of Manhattan. Peter Raphael Travers’ office is on the 28th floor—the lowest of the four—and it’s small compared to most of the others. Technically he should have moved up to a much larger office in the Department of Homeland Security floors a decade ago, but so much of his work is with the FBMA it didn’t make s...

Issue 12: Forces Gather

Story: Christopher Wright
Cover: Garth Graham
Logo: Garth Graham

Special thanks to M. S. Patterson for his help reviewing this issue before publication.