CHAPTER 31 : The Rumpus Room Gregor Challis was beginning to wonder if perhaps things were moving too fast. Everything had seemed so much simpler just a few days earlier when he could focus on perfecting his Raven Bug Swarm, but lately he was finding himself distracted not only by the time-consuming complications of modifying … Read more
CHAPTER 29 : Lies, Damned Lies “Exactly how did you do that?” asked Kane. “Do what?” “You told the orderly you had cramp. You appeared to be in pain.” Rother could feel another new sensation, akin to the sound of a swarm of bluebottle flies circling over a lump of decaying meat, emanating from his … Read more
CHAPTER 27 : Just Maybe Mercy Yoo pulled her E-Class back out onto Marina Boulevard and crossed over onto Girard Road. “I think,” she said to Coral, “that it’s time to start maxxing out my cards.” They had sat for a few anxious minutes in the Wave Organ parking lot and, between them, had roughed … Read more
CHAPTER 25 : Crimson Scorcher Kane dropped a classic $64,000 question into their conversation so casually that Rother barely registered that it was a non-sequitur. They had been brainstorming ideas about how to escape, and coming up with nothing much, when Kane asked, “So, that scar under your left eye. How did you get that?” … Read more
CHAPTER 23 : That’s My Girls It had not taken long for Lucifer, employing all of the illegal resources available to The Belonging, to locate a registration number for Mercy Woo’s E-Class. From there it was a simple matter to determine the vehicle’s location. “She’s just left the Grace Volunteer Refuge off Union Square, travelling … Read more
CHAPTER 21 : Ghazal “The angels?” asked Mercy. Coral nodded. “They’ll be coming.” “What angels?” Coral looked into Mercy’s eyes as if she couldn’t believe the question. “You don’t know?” “You mean, like Hell’s Angels?” Coral appeared astonished by the question. “The Angels of Retribution,” she said, as if Mercy should have known. “The Angels … Read more
INSIDERS CHAPTER 1 – The Cheek Of It Rother did not notice that the first of them had burst through the skin of his right cheek, slightly below the faded scar under his left eye, until a moment or two after he sliced off its head with his twin-bladed shaving razor. The pain was brief … Read more
CHAPTER 19 : Hu Cares “Not now,” snarled Kintsugi, as he pushed through a pair of heavy swing doors in the ICU of the Bayview Aurora Residence. “We can do this later.” The doctor who was holding a syringe up in front of Kintsugi’s face disagreed. “No,” he remonstrated. “You need to do this now.” … Read more
CHAPTER 17 : Black Is Black Kupferberg had pulled his chair away from the table and was now sitting beside the window, watching the city drift inexorably into night. He was looking down at the tele-link on his right wrist, planning what he should do next. As he sat there, he was singing under his … Read more
———————————————————————————CHAPTER 15 : The Refugee At night, with all of its exterior lights dimmed, The Tempel presented a sinister aspect which was almost precisely the opposite of the calm, soothing, meditative image which its founders, the Belonging Chamber, had intended. The outline of the building, sitting prominently on an unmarked trail bordering Lobos Creek in … Read more