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October 11, 2007

Thursday

What's that up in the sky?

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Tanya: Untitled

“What’s that?” the tourist lady asked him, as they exited the subway.

“Huh? What’s what?” he replied.

She pointed up at the featureless, silvery-grey disk hovering high above the Chrysler Building. “That round thing up there.”

After a moment, his eyes seemed to change focus. “Oh, that’s been there for months. I don’t know what it is.” He shook his head dazedly and walked away. The tourist continued to stare.

A mile above her head, Watcher 632 nodded approvingly as the pedestrian stopped seeing the ship again. Across the room, the monitor showed another disk settling over the Sears Tower.

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Jim: Home to Roost

A massive plasteel bunker, unused since the Mars rebellion was quashed a century ago, lay nestled under a mile of Antarctic rock and snow. In this bunker, System Admiral Tanamura met with his officers.

“Earth just turned down the Belt’s request for independence last year.” Tanamura waved a hand at a map showing impact zones around the planet. “So how did the Belters pull this off?” he pleaded. “It takes decades for an asteroid to get here.”

“Direct incoming,” a non-com interrupted.

“Shoot it down!" Tanamura yelled, "Blow it up!”

Surprisingly calm, the non-com replied, “We’re out of missiles, sir.”

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Ted: Choices

"Fine, Nidas. I choose him!"

"Him" was the man in command of the agcar that she had noticed coming over the trees. She could tell he was the commander because of his bearing: the solid stance of someone used to adversity but knew his own measure. Like a man used to being in charge.

The rest of the hand turned to look where she was pointing. Most stood mute, but made weapons ready. Some of the younglings murmured among themselves, a break in discipline that Nidas would deal with later, not in front of the strangers. The Sky-Men of prophecy.

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From The Comments: Rick

"…that is what they call the sky. It forms part of the atmosphere, which is made up of 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen.”

"The sssk-eye. I like the way that sounds. Hey, what's that?"

“That is what they call the Sun. It is a star in the…"

"No, no, look to where I’m pointing. Those things floating over there."

"Oh, those are what they call clouds. There are four different types, Stratus, Altostratus, Cirrus and Cumulus.”

“That’s interesting, but you keep saying they call. Who are they?"

“They are a race of beings called humans. They live below the clouds."

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