Maharg67's Den (shorter works, short stories, poetry, etc.)

[Maharg67]

DC Torchwood
One 44.3[64]

The Torchwood people awoke to find themselves floating in zero gravity. They were no longer in the antechamber but were inside a great metallic chamber. The Doctor was there but he was grinning nastily as he stood inside a transparent armored dome of standard gravity. He wore dull golden metallic power armor. He spoke. "In my universe the Doctor is an evil villain and so are his companions. Those supposed clone companions are my shapeshifter companions who changed to be like those of your universe. You were very easy to trick."

Jack shook his head. "The fake RiverSong, is she the female version of myself?"

The Doctor sneered. "No, she is known as BloodSong and she is my sweetness of a sociopathic killer. I am not known as 'the Doctor' but DocTime and I am for ever being hunted by those damned TimeRangers. We are free from that crazy impossible chamber but that Mysterious Stranger escaped from us and into the damned labyrinth of the TARDIS. I was sure I had him fooled but now I have my doubts."

Jack grinned. "You did not even have us Torchwood people fooled; at least not me and I informed the others of the truth. Your shapeshifter followers, I doubt they truly are your 'companions', have an odd subtle bad smell about them. They, like you, are not truly alive. You come from an alternate universe not of life but of undeath of some kind."

The Doctor sneered some more. "A mixed place of savage brutal life always at war with undeath, restless death and the unlifen. A realm of no mercy offered or wanted. Yet there are those who want to bring peace, harmony and other foolish changes."

 

Alarms began to sound and the 'Doctor' vanished with a soft sparkle shimmering.

[Maharg67]

The Possibly Probably True Adventures of Me, Myself and I
Part B of Part One of Chapter 3289a
Subtitled: the Day I Ate Chicken Soup

I ate chicken soup, with noodles, bits of potato and crunchy tidbits that I could not identify. Perhaps it was best that I did not try despite that they tasted like sweetest of pineapple-garlic lollies.

Pineapple-garlic lollies, what grand memories does that idea bring back to me? None, actually!

It was 1915, during World War One, and the Germans were marching across the moon, in their steel armored bathing suits, singing about their lovely wives, girlfriends and girls next door that they had left behind in the motherland, fatherland and first-cousinland. I stood in fear, not of their weapons but their terrible singing. Yes, the atmosphere of the Moon was poor but somehow those brutally untalented voices got to me.

I cried out and mustered my forces with the use of the best mustard that I could buy (on the Moon). Damned expensive it was so I had to take out a second mortgage on my third best pair of cardboard high-heel boots. I was getting increasingly annoyed by that mean mannered bank manager even if she was my wife. They say familiarity breeds contempt but she already felt it, for me, the first time that we met. It was a shotgun wedding and she was damned good with a shotgun.

 

Aaahhh, but all of this is boring me and so I will hurry the story to where I was fighting Von Baron. (Noise of story being fast forwarded, what ever that happens to sound like!?) Yes, now I am at the part where I am fighting hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, nose-to-nose with the evil Von Baron Von Naughty. Clash went my golden ornamental soup-ladle, bought at Wallfarts for $4.87 on special, as it crashed off his carbon fiber pirates hat. He was a big man, Von Baron Von Naughty Von Fatty, in almost every way. Aaahhh, great big and ugly, really ugly!

 

Von Baron Von Naughty Von Fatty Von Nasty hit me with his big hard belly and with a sharp, embarassing, yelp I flew through the air.

 

Yes, Von Baron Von Naughty Von Fatty Von Nasty Von Ugly had won that particular battle but he had not won the war; limping badly on all three legs, I made my way from the battlezone. In my mind I was already making up the kind of, sort of, almost true story of how I had defeated Von Baron Von Naughty Von Fatty Von Nasty Von Ugly Von Farty.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Not This Earth
One 6.1[7]

He got to the back garden toolshed, approaching along a dirt laneway at its back, and then he was opening what looked to be a normal toolbag. Out of it Lucky Eddie took a black compact palmtop computer and, after entering a code on a small keypad and using his thumbprint, he carefully opened it. He raced to enter another code into its, now revealed main keyboard, before it fused into a useless lump.

Data flowed across a small flatscreen being mostly writing but also pictures and diagrams. The faction behind the attempt to kill the US President was out to destabilize the Western Alliance and cause warfare between it and the Soviets. Not nuclear war but conventional war on a more controlled, limited, basis. Why? No firm answer was evident but a strong possibility was the chance for the powerful AllEarth Corporation to sell both new advanced weapons, and more general weapons, to both sides. AllEarthCorp would also sell both sides other equipment and supplies to go with those weapons.

AllEarthCorp had recently been the first nongovernment body to establish both a spacestation, in low orbit around the Earth, and a moonbase. Both were small compared to the United Nations, US and Soviet ones and about the same size as those of the EU, Japan and other factions. Other corporations had low orbital spacestations and autorobotic spaceplatforms but none had moonbases,

Yet there was a problem with the theory because the USA was neutral friendly with the AllEarthCorp and it was the Soviets who were much more hostile to them. So why not go after the Soviet Premier instead of the US President?

He got more supplies, such a ammo, some new handy devices but he fused the palmtop computer as a necessary security measure. Eddie paused to drink milky coffee from a thermos, as provided for him, along with some food. He was careful not to leave any fingerprints behind and he destroyed a few items.

Eddie rested in a corner for a couple of hours and was only woken by the hysterical screaming of a woman.

[Maharg67]

Not This Earth

One 6.2[8]

 

The house 'next door' was a typical renovation job that went through the gentrification of a once poorer area that had been, more previously, quite prosperous. Eddie bolted straight over a fence and landed next to a fightened, chained dog. He released the canine, who at once vanished under the house.

 

The growler came smashing through a window, crashing into the ground as if hurled by somthing stronger than it was. Now he was most concerned as even Lucky Eddie himself could not have done such a thing and he was extensively enhanced. The woman leapt out through a doorway, hauling a baby and pulling a little girl. She pelted towards Eddie, being half naked (naked from the waist up). Eddie signalled her to go past as he aimed his pistol at the doorway and such was her terror, of the thing behind her, that she just ran past him.

 

He spoke to her. "Call your dog; he is hiding under the house since I freed him. Then go to the garden shed in the back of the house for sale next door; it is far stronger than it looks. Inside you will find some sleeping backs, food and water along with a toilet, washing, cubicle. Stay there until help comes!"

 

She did so and was gone, with the happy to leave Labrador.

 

The growler sprang up and 'growled' at Eddie but he quickly gave the necessary truce signal and pointed to the doorway. The growler nodded and moved to Eddie's side, but not too close. The creature pulled out a big pistol, having lost its main weapon.

 

What came out of that house was new to Eddie, in that he had not seen such a thing before, but he had heard accounts from the Outbreaks of the Z-Years. The leathery monstrosity had been a man, one could tell because the rapid infestation transformation was still taking place. Real zombies never fell to pieces unless they failed and then they were easily killed or just died for real. The thing was living-dead.

 

The two of them fired, aiming for the chest and head, with their nodes. The zombie shuddered as high calibre bullets struck it and then it was falling to the ground, was dying and crumbling with unnatural speed as if nature was having its revenge on something that dared to break its laws.

[Maharg67]

I removed the colorization from post #242 to make it less painfully bright if you wish to take another look at it. It is titled as below:

 

The Possibly Probably True Adventures of Me, Myself and I
Part B of Part One of Chapter 3289a
Subtitled: the Day I Ate Chicken Soup

[Maharg67]

Not This Earth

One 6.3[9]

 

There was more noise coming from inside the house, suggesting more than one zombie was in there. The blast, of a 12guage shotgun, suggested defensive efforts were taking place as zombies did not use guns. The Z-Years had proven hard enough with out that added threat.

 

Then the growler spoke, with a very gruff voice that was natural to him. "Not good, not good at all. Others are there. They are like zombies but not like zombies. They use guns and blades."

 

That was very bad news! He slipped a smartphone out of a pouch, flipped it open and then flipped open a small panel. Then he pressed a sequence out on a set of three small green buttons, being careful to ignore the fourth one at the end. Seconds later the telephone rang and he answered it.

 

Voice, computer generated and neutral female: "Please confirm the nature of the treaty emergency and-or threat."

 

Eddie spoke. "Confirming Z-threats and Trojan-Z emergency protocols. Z-threats using guns. More confirmations to come. All possible assistance required. Trace coordinates through this unit."

 

There was a pause of a few seconds. "Verification is needed."

 

Eddie scowled. "A growler has informed me, through his network, that zombie not zombies are fighting growlers using guns."

 

Voice: "Verification is needed."

 

Eddie spoke again. "Will you send assistance?"

 

Voice: "Negative. Further verification is needed!"

 

Eddie scowled. "Then go screw yourself."

 

Voice: "Verification is satisfactory. Assistance is on its way. You are a rude boy, Eddie!"

 

Eddie grinned. "Very clever, very funny, most amusing!"

Edited August 30, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Oh Oh Oh, Poor Pitiful Me!

My throat is sore!
My throat is really sore!
My throat is really really sore!
For I am sick!
Though not really sick!
But you have I my permission to feel sorry for me, anyway!
I do feel sorry for myself!
I do feel very sorry for myself!
I do feel very very sorry for myself!
You may feel sorry for me!
I am so generous!
I am so very generous!
I am so very very generous!
But at the same time...
I am so humble!
I am so very humble!
I am so very very humble!
You may also applaud me on my humility and generosity!

PS: Please do not take the above seriously!

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/ce322fb4-0bc0-48ab-b7a3-5bc9ffb07539_zps7p9gtnde.jpg

 

The Curse of Quamaire
One 37.1[37]{37}

EllessTane sat meditating, legs crossed, with the sensation of 'floating' peacefully that was mistaken for levitation, high in one of the changing Network-Towers when she gained the message. It was surprising, to her, but not greatly so. It seemed more surprising to those who sent it, who had never expected to send it. It was a message from powerful undead entities pleading for her assistance so they could become free from the Great Enemy or even from the 'undeath coil' itself.

 

A large group of mediate undead, such as lichs and vampires, had come to realize that the Great Enemy was using them as expendable pawns and was secretly feeding upon them even as they fed upon others. They were increasingly becoming but psychic-spiritual puppets with decreasing choices of action or thought or even feeling. Yet worst of all was the discovery that the Great Enemy was intending to 'feed upon' all of them when they had done its bidding.

 

By the GodGoddess of Balances, by the Goddess of Light, by many deities including the Divines and some Daedric Princesses, she came to know that they spoke truth.

 

The knowledge that the majority of Tooze had turned against necromancy was not a total surprise. Rebellions had happened before. One major one had led to the creation of the Aratoron people who became the traditional enemies of the Tooze. The siege of the Aratoron capital city was over. ZenrenQua had not really suffered and neither had its people; now many former enemy soldiers were finding shelter, medical help and other assistance in an outer section of the fortified city.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/ce322fb4-0bc0-48ab-b7a3-5bc9ffb07539_zps7p9gtnde.jpg

 

The Curse of Quamaire
One 38.1[38]{38}

The group, descending from the surface and heading towards the Network-Towers, gathered allies as it went. Hobgoblins, goblins, damphirs, gnomes, other humans, albino aemans, beastfolk of varied kinds and others. They were attacked twice by groups of undead but once, that group of attackers was assaulted by other undead. Thus the group found itself being wary allies of undead entities who feared the Great Enemy more than they did the living alliance.

Led by the newly allied undead, they began to travel through the Pale Pathways being ancient tunnels built by the Necromer but also by other, unknown, peoples. In a great dismal chamber they found many dessicated corpses of young Tooze adults who had been sent to serve their priests but who had been betrayed; they had died in bizarre and torturous sacrificial rituals.

 

The priestess AvastiaTye led prayers for the intervention of the Light and many of the Tooze were ressurrected but only to live for shortened life spans of repentence. The Tooze bowed and vowed that they would serve as strong allies to the cause, against the Great Enemy, and the size of the expedition was more than doubled. They gathered up weapons, and other items, that had been left with their bodies, but altered them for they no longer worshipped undeath.

 

The long, difficult, journey began through the Pale Pathways that was the most direct route to the Network-Towers. Pale light emenated from the very air, thus the name, and they trod upon great pale bone like flagstones. Often they came upon strange temples, statues or other structures of long gone peoples. DelentaTi knew of the symbols, the picture-letters, the strange ugliness of symbolic murals, but she would not speak of what they meant except to say that they belonged to the very ancient past that should be left undisturbed.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/ce322fb4-0bc0-48ab-b7a3-5bc9ffb07539_zps7p9gtnde.jpg

 

The Curse of Quamaire
One 39.1[39]{39}

 

The Great Enemy, once a vast powerful tentacular, surged up out of the liquid that had supported it and fell upon lesser under things, that were still very big, and crushed them while feeding upon them. Undead creatures fled away from the Great Enemy but, for the moment, it just remained in the one place. Soon it would begin to move, would begin to make its way towards the Network-Towers and more than one prize that was there.

 

A great fireball came burning through the air, struck the great undead monstrosity, and exploded savagely. The Great Enemy of Life quivered but was only lightly burned from the powerful magical attack. The healing began at once and was done before another mighty magical projectile struck it, this one being of solar elemental burning light. This one was anti-undeath in nature but, though it burned more, it also was quickly fixed. The attackers must have realized that all they were doing was wasting much magical energies for no real gain for the attacks ceased.

 

The Great Enemy did not even bother to send out its undead puppets to try to hunt down the attackers; it just did not care to focus on what it observed was no threat at all.

 

And thus it made a very big mistake for the magical attacks had been diversions and sunken deep into its putrid, ever rotting, ever regenerating, unnatural flesh were two special magical beacons. Some faction, force, very much wanted to know just were the Great Eater of Life was and in what direction it was going.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Maharg67