Sci-Fi Series (Title Suggestions?), Chris Lutterloah [best ereader for pdf and epub .TXT] 📗

Fire, burning fire inside of him, burning his heart and soul and taking any hopes out of him. The constant pain of it killing him, what can he do? Why doesn't anyone help him? What did he do? The questions run through his mind as he struggles to keep himself in check, this was no way for a king to act. This was no way for anyone to act... he's in pain and not one of his servants helps. He tries to gather his senses, tries not to panic for his own sanity. He takes in his surroundings, by the metal doors and the sounds of engines he is in a space shuttle, where the shuttle is or who is driving he doesn't know. He had shouted for help until his voice was hoarse and he had thrown up twice, the bitter taste still in his mouth because of the lack of water. He smells nothing but metal. His servants are dead, there is no help for him, no one to help the poor king. He is screaming again, something deep in his mind tells him this, tears stream down his face as he keeps the constant wail going, screaming just as a banshee would, letting them have him, letting them win. He needs help, that much is certain. But how can one be helped if no one knows where he is? The king blacks out, he's lost in the swirling waters of his mind. He groans in his troubled sleep as his tormentors stop, they had almost killed the bait and knew their leader wouldn't be happy if this one died. They left the small metal room and turned off the lights, plunging the entire room into darkness that was almost impenetrable, the large metal door of the cell closed and the voices trailed off.

Richard Flemmings woke to the sound of alarms, the usual scent of mildew and old socks flooded his senses and he rubbed his eyes, this was simply a drill for his platoon. The bulky ship they traveled on was too crappy to steal from but good enough to stay running, he slipped on a white shirt and a pair of jeans and stopped at the water hole to check his reflection in the water, his sandy blonde hair was a mess and his blue eyes were rimmed with red from lack of sleep. He pulled out a black comb and ran it through his hair, trying to at least make himself look good for the female recruits. Richard jogged to the front of the ship as he brushed his teeth, nodding at the few rookies he passed on his way. He smiled at a few girls before going to the front of the ship, he cleared his throat and spat on the floor, tossing the old toothbrush away without a second thought. The brush disintegrated in mid air and he smiled, technology was good.

"As you all know, I am Captain Flemmings. We're getting new recruits in today and I don't want a single one of you out of line, not even you, Rookies." he said, taking a stern tone of voice, "We're currently headed for home, if you have any objections to our course say so now." Richard always said this, they had actually tossed a few of the rookies that said yes to that out of the emergency exits, leaving them with fifteen days of oxygen and food. He smiled at the steady murmurers of approval from the troops and set the course on the holo-pad in front of him. The computer turned the ship and they set sail for home.

Richard sat down in a seat next to the recruits that were in the cafeteria, he was the captain of the ship but he was not against eating what the recruits ate. He figured that anything they could eat, he could eat as well, he wasn't a captain that said he was special for good food. Richard smiled and talked just like everyone else in the place, no one cared that he was captain and he didn't care that they were lower ranks then he. The ship was a total circle of friends and crew-mates that you could always count on to have your back. That was how Richard liked it to be, it gave the ship a purpose instead of just being another flying metal object. In Tempestatem CAELATOR

, or The Storm Chaser, was an old X150 Bowin Frince. It was a rust bucket that barely ran, but he made do, the government wouldn't buy him a new ship, even if he was one of their best men. Richard had just began to eat before someone began to whisper in his ear, "Sir, we're having a small problem... it seems as if an asteroid has hit one of the rudders... it was a nick, but that's not the problem, there's something traveling up the ship's back."

Richard looked at the man and frowned, "Are you saying that we have a PC?" he asked, PC meant Possible Contamination, also meaning that some sort of parasite was in the ship. The man nodded and Richard stood up, he got on top of the table and motioned for the man to sound the alarm, "Weapons ready, troops! We have a PC, not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!" he shouted. He grabbed a plasma rifle and got ready to fight, he hadn't ever been in the middle of a possible contamination but had heard terrible stories. He had heard that the gruesome things that happened to people in ones that turned into real contamination's were best left in scary movies. The men began to get ready, a few of them taking a few more bites before heading to the armory. Richard watched them and went to the front, he looked at the pilot, "How're we doing? Will we make it to Earth before the PC turns into something else?" he asked. The pilot didn't answer at all, he wasn't even moving.

Richard frowned and raised his voice, "Soldier, I'm talking to you, I asked how we're doing!" he said. The pilot still didn't answer, Richard's frown deepened and he prodded the man. The pilot leaned to the left and dropped to the floor. Richard backed away just in time as some sort of rodent-like creature attacked him, it had a body like a dog but its skin was scaly like a toad's. Richard shot once but missed it, falling backwards and shooting again, he managed to hit a leg and the creature screeched. Richard felt a sting of pain on his shoulder and cried out, looking right into one of the four eyes it had as its sharp teeth buried into him. He elbowed the second creature and shot it twice, he had two bullets left and now two creatures to fight since after killing the one that bit him another had appeared from the pilot's lap. Richard dodged one of them as it launched itself at his face, he kicked the other one and screamed for help into his radio. Both creatures launched again at the same time and Richard did the only thing her could do. He ducked. The creatures bit each other and in the midst of the confusion turned to a mass of scales and teeth as they fought to kill the other, Richard turned and ran out of the door, locking it quickly.

(Don't worry, I'm going somewhere with this... I know it doesn't seem like it but I am...)

Publication Date: 02-29-2012

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