A Different Kind of Fairy Tale Ending

Posted on by bookdragon143

Can you really be “Happy Ever After”?

The other day I was thinking about some story, I don’t even remember what it was but its quite common for me to be thinking about stories, and I had a simple thought: “Is the concept of “Happy Ever After” Biblically-sound and is it even possible in our world?” We have seen or heard this phrase most likely many times in our lives (especially if you’re an avid reader), but have you really ever thought about what it means. It is essentially and literally saying that the prince and his princess (who just defeated the evil witch, her black knight, his gigantic fire-breathing dragon, took back their kingdom and got married all in the span of a few pages and are now riding off into the sunset on an extended vacation) will be completely happy forever, that they will never encounter another villain and the princess will probably never even ruin her dress. That is truly what the phrase implies.

Note: For those of you who think I’m being too literal right now, hold on. That’s the point.

We live in a world of turmoil, a world of pain. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit, its been a fallen world. Consequently, I don’t believe that any of us can be truly happy all the time. Happiness is a state of bliss and I don’t think very many people experience bliss 24/7 in their Earthly lives. Yet our culture is focused on the pursuit of lasting happiness. We are supposed to be working on reaching that “Happy Ever After”.

But joy, joy is not necessarily bliss. Joy and happiness are too separate things. I would argue that lasting joy is impossible without faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that true joy, that contentment that comes from knowing that God always has your back and will take care of you if you trust him, that joy is what we should look for at the end of the story. Maybe “Joyful Ever After” is the phrase we should be using instead.

So how about this: That prince and princess who just defeated all of their enemies and then got married in their newly recovered kingdom. And as they ride off into the sunset their hearts are warm because together they are ready to face all of lives challenges.

Instead of looking for that next step in the ladder to the unattainable goal of “Happy Ever After,” let’s try to search for the “Joyful Ever After” that’s right in front of us.

Another Typical Day

Posted on by bookdragon143

This may amaze those of you who know me well, but (drum roll please…) I ACTUALLY WROTE SOMETHING. This is “Another Typical Day.” It is the first story in the Rogues of Mystery Series which is part of Project Infinity. The Rogues of Mystery Series is somewhat of a collection of spy thriller stories with a good amount of humor thrown in. This characters will be introduced in the Dragon’s Call series (the main series), but most likely not until book 2. So, without further ado, enjoy! Oh, and comment please!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the odd formatting issues there isn’t really a good way to make it work. Click on the title for the file if you would like to read it that way.

Another Typical Day

By Andrew Corey

 

From the Journals of Charles L. Brannon, Agent and Ambassador for the Order of the Rising Sun, named Watcher of the Order of Infinity, and 44th President of the United States of America.

November 29th, 2013

To whomever is reading this, whether I am dead or still alive, whether the lands of Novana are still hanging in the sky unseen or the world now knows of their existence. May you read my words and know more of the wonders of our world.

If you are not aware, this planet, the one called Earth, is not only inhabited by one race of humans. The Novana live on lands that float high in the air, hidden from the view of normal humans by God at the creation of the world. The Novana are super-humans that are born with genetic abilities and the gift of magic. The Novana have been stuck in a constant civil war which began when Novana started to experiment with dark magic that went against God’s laws. Eventually two countries were formed; Skyren, where the good Novanans live and Deathrall, where the many Novana are under the rule of the Order of Blood. Some Novana have elected to involve themselves in human affairs and live among them. Others, like myself, have chosen to protect the weaker humans from those in Deathrall who would exploit or hurt them for their personal gain.

I have created many teams in my tenure as the Watcher but it’s safe to say that none have been quite like the Rogues of Mystery.

It was an experiment more than anything, at least at first. Take three of the best, brightest, and most troubled Novanna the world had to offer and forge them into something better than they were alone. That’s what I challenged myself to do. These three had never met, and without guidance, would never have worked together or even liked each other.

David Blaze, the grieving, vengeful detective; Tennyson Sane, the reckless, violent, possessed adventurer; and Neal Gold, the charming and skilled thief and con-man.

This first story of the Rogues begins like every other. The Rogues were doing what they typically do; it was just another typical day…

 

 

11:14 a.m. Tuesday, December 11, 2012

 

Tennyson Sane was in an ancient Greek temple. He wore a leather jacket and brown pants, and his short blond hair was hidden under his brown fedora. Walking through ancient temples wasn’t unusual for him as one of Skyren’s most famous adventurers and archaeologists. Well, he wasn’t famous anymore, not since he had been possessed by a magical being called Set that gave him amazing power but also could make him crazy and uncontrollable. Since then, he had been globe-trotting on his own, tracking down ancient ruins that he could explore.

He had already fought through a swarm of hornets, dodged walls of firing arrows and swinging axes, leapt over pits of spikes and pools of acid, and defeated three hungry lions. And I’m not even out of breath.

Deep green moss grew all over the walls, and water dripped from the ceiling. Tennyson caught a drop on his tongue. Hmmm, salty. I must be under the Mediterranean Sea now.

He turned a corner and found himself in a giant granite chamber. Unlike the rest of the temple, this chamber was clean; there was no moss hanging from the walls or dirt covering the floors. Ornate Greek columns stretched from floor to ceiling. In the center of the cavern there stood a large stone statue. The statue was a giant golem which held a long stone sword in his hands. It stood at least 30 feet tall and its eyes were black stones that seemed almost blacker than black.

Tennyson walked around the statue to find an ornate door on the other side of the room. The door had a carving of Hera on it, but there seemed to be no way to pull open the door. Tennyson put his hands against it and pushed. For a moment, nothing happened and the door didn’t budge at all. Of course, a temple of Hera would have a door that wouldn’t open. Then there was a long groan and the sound of heavy footsteps behind him.

Tennyson spun around to find the golem walking towards him, sword raised and its eyes glowing red. Oh look, something trying to kill me. Typical Hera. Well at least this is a bit original. Then the sword was swung, with lightning speed. Just before the sword hit him, Tennyson melted away into a cloud of sand. Swirling like a tornado, the cloud of sand went through the golem’s legs and stopped behind it. As the golem looked around its feet for a sign of the intruder, the sand tornado grew and grew until it was as big as the golem. Then the sand slowed until Tennyson was reformed, now as big and tall as the golem.

In his hands, Tennyson formed a huge sword out of darkness. “Goodbye, beast of stone,” he said aloud. Then with a huge swing, he cut off the golem’s head.

As the golem fell to the floor, Tennyson’s sword disappeared and he shrunk back down to his normal size, out of breath. Man, that always takes so much energy.

After a few more moments to catch his breath, Tennyson looked up to find that the door was now opening.

Stepping around the golem, he entered the temple’s final chamber. It was a circular room with a large set of stairs that led up to a dais. On the dais was a pedestal that held a small statue. Tennyson hurried up the stairs and examined the statue. Made of solid gold, depicting Hera in diadem and veil, and only half a foot tall. Perfect.

He was about to pick up the statue when he stopped. Examining the pedestal, he saw that the statue was resting on a pressure plate. So that means… He looked up and saw that there was a boulder attached to the ceiling and it would most likely drop on him if he removed the statue.

As he was puzzling over this problem, the Indiana Jones theme rang out in the chamber. Taking his phone from his belt, Tennyson answered it and said, “This is Tennyson.”

“Tennyson, this is Charles Brannon,” the voice on the other end of the phone said, “I have a job for the Rouges of Mystery. Meet me at the address I’ll text you tomorrow morning. Can’t wait to see that Hera statue. See you soon.” There was a click on the other line and Charles was gone.

Tennyson slipped his phone back onto his belt and looked at the statue. Well, I guess there’s no time for caution this time. He grinned. Oh who am I kidding, I never take time for caution. He grabbed the statue and the boulder fell from the ceiling towards him. Laughing like a maniac all the way, Tennyson ran as fast as he could from the temple.

 

 

1:46 p.m. Tuesday, December 11, 2012

 

Neal Gold was hanging upside down inside of a mansion. Now that may seem strange but it wasn’t a very odd place for Neal to be. As a professional thief and con-artist, he seemed to spend a lot of time hanging upside down in mansions. Neal didn’t do what he did for money; he simply stole things from people for the challenge, the thrill of the conquest. Most of the time he even returned the things he stole.

So, Neal was hanging upside down in the mansion of Jericho Gibson. Jericho Gibson was a wealthy businessman. In his personal collection he had the crown of the ancient country of Lagania; and though his security was tight, Neal was going to steal it. He had cut into the skylight above the crown’s case and then lowered himself upside down towards the case.

According to my heat vision goggles, there are no security guards actually posted in the room. This should be a simple snatch and grab, nothing too difficult. He pushed a button on the controls for the pulley system and began to be lowered toward the case.

The room was a small one that just housed a few of the most expensive and rare items in Gibson’s collection. A few seconds later, he reached the case. He then pulled his hood over his head. Legend said that the hood had belonged to Robin Hood. If Hood really had owned this hood, he should have had the Sheriff of Nottingham defeated in days. Regardless of who the hood had belonged to, it was a Novanan artifact that gave Neal the ability to be intangible and gave him many other abilities. For now, Neal just needed the intangibility. Neal reached his hand toward the case and his hand went right through it. Reaching into the case, he grabbed the crown and pulled it freely from its case. Then there was a soft click. Neal paused and then realized what it was. The guard was about to check the room. Dang it.

Neal pulled a strange gun from his pocket, aimed, and pushed the trigger. Cables shot from either end of the gun and embedded their sharp ends in the wall. Neal then slipped the crown into his jacket pocket and pushed another button on the gun. The pulley system detached from his leg and he hung onto the gun as it carried him to the wall above the door.

Holding his breath, Neal watched the guard walk into the room. When he was a few steps into the room, Neal let go of the gun and dropped down behind him. With a quick sweep of his leg, the guard hit the ground. He cracked his head on display case on the way down and went out cold.

Neal quickly flipped the man over and cuffed his hands behind his back with the man’s own handcuffs. I’m sorry, dude, nothing personal. When I return the crown I’ll make sure Mr. Gibson knows it wasn’t your fault. Maybe he won’t fire you.

Just then, the James Bond theme rang out in the quiet room. Neal quickly scrambled for the phone, hoping that no more guards would hear it.

“Neal’s phone,” he whispered.

“Neal, this is Charles Brannon,” the voice on the other end of the phone said, “I have a job for the Rouges of Mystery. Meet me at the address I’ll text you tomorrow morning. And whatever you’re stealing please make sure you return it. See you soon.” There was a click on the other line and Charles was gone.

Neal shook his head indignantly. I was going return it. He looked around the room. Better get a move on. He pulled a crossbow from his belt and fired at the ceiling right next to the skylight. The bolt trailed a long rope behind  it, leaving Neal a convenient way to leave the room. As he rose toward the ceiling, he had one last thought. The one problem with being a thief is that you can’t tell the world how great you are.

 

 

8:18 p.m. Tuesday, December 11, 2012

 

            David Blaze walked down Nightwash Street in the dark. A Senator Jones’s teenage daughter had been kidnapped and David, or more precisely the vigilante of Luna City known as Grimheart, was going to rescue her. David had followed clues for two days until he had traced her to Nightwash Street.

David had become Grimheart a year ago when his world was shattered by the death of his wife at the hands of Wilson Worth, an international crime lord whom she had been trying to take down. Worth’s headquarters were in Luna City, and after being let go from the Order of the Rising Sun, David had taken to the streets of Luna City by himself, aiming to take down Worth. His Grimheart costume was completely black armor with a black cloak, complete with a black hood and the final piece was a bright white skull mask he wore on his face. Two scabbards hung from his sides, housing his swords Night and Day.

A group called the Nightwash Bandits had kidnapped Jamie Jones. They were a small, but well equipped team that Worth let stay in his city because they were incredibly willing to do the most dangerous jobs he would give them, for a good price. They had made ransom demands to the Senator earlier that day but the ransom wouldn’t be handed over until the next day, so David aimed to rescue the girl before then.

David stopped in front of an old apartment building. No registered tenants, yet the owner seems to still be keeping up the building. Add that to the fact that the owner ended up being Worth Incorporated and I’ve got my den of villains. He looked over the building. I’ll go for the direct approach.

David walked up the steps and knocked on the door. After a moment, a deep voice came from the other side, “Go away.”

David shrugged. Well, I gave them a chance. He took a step back and inhaled a deep breath. David had the ability to make his yells concussive.

“Open up!!” he yelled.

The door blew clean off its hinges hitting the man who had come to the door in the back and knocking him down. David was right behind the door. A large burly man jumped towards him first. David landed a double uppercut in the man’s stomach, and when he doubled over, he hit him with a double-fisted strike to the back of the head.

Two men across the room pulled out sub-machine guns, but before they could fire, they felt a great force rip the guns from the hands. They flew into David’s hands, who emptied the clips and tossed them to the ground.

Before the two kidnappers could react, David did a front handspring off the table that separated him from the kidnappers and landed between them. Then he punched sideways with both hands, knocking them both out.

A door in front of him opened up and another kidnapper came out to check on what the commotion was. The man opened his mouth and reached for his gun, but before he got it out, David had leapt forward and knocked him down. David was on him like a cobra; his knees hit the man’s chest, knocking the air from his lungs, and his two katanas were crossed at his throat.

“Where is the girl?” David hissed.

The man’s eyes were wide but he didn’t say anything.

David leaned in closer and repeated himself, louder this time and enunciating each word, “Where is the girl?”

The man finally replied, “I-in the back room.”

David removed his swords from the man’s neck and then knocked him out cold with a blow from the hilt of one of them.

He got up and ran through the building defeating three more kidnappers as he went. When he got to the doorway of the back room, he found the last Nightwash Bandit advancing towards Jamie, who was tied up, sitting against the wall, obviously intending to harm the girl.

Thinking fast, David grabbed a pistol from a table next to him. He fired a shot and hit him in the back of the leg.

David walked over to the man and stood over him for a moment. “This is better than you deserve, scum of the Earth,” he said and hit him hard in the back of the head, knocking him flat.

David took a deep breath and walked over to Jamie. She was shaking and her eyes were wide in terror. Her mouth was gagged and her arms and legs were tied. When he reached his hand towards her, she shied away in terror.

David reached up and removed his mask. “I’m sorry,” he said, “The mask is supposed to scare the bad guys, not you.” He smiled and Jamie visibly relaxed. “Can I remove your bonds?” She nodded. He pulled out a knife and quickly cut the gag and the ropes off of her.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and said, “Are you Grimheart?”

He smiled and winked. “Yes,” he said, “That’s my name.”

“Thank you for coming to save me,” she said.

“That’s my job,” he said. “Let’s get you out of here.”

He helped her up and put her arm around his shoulder. As they walked out of the room, David’s phone rang in his ear. He tapped his ear piece and said, “Da- I mean, Grimheart’s phone.”

“David, this is Charles Brannon,” the voice on the other end of the phone said, “I have a job for the Rouges of Mystery. Meet me at the address I’ll text you tomorrow morning. I assume you’re rescuing Jamie Jones right now. Great job. See you soon.” There was a click on the other line and Charles was gone.

David sighed. Another day’s work to be done. He smiled at Jamie. “Let’s go, sweetheart. I’ve got a family to return you to.”

 

10:36 a.m. Wednesday, December 12, 2012

 

Neal strode into living room of Charles Brannon’s safe house to find Tennyson and David already there. The room was decorated sparsely. There was a simple lamp on a stand and a coffee table with two couches situated around it. Tennyson and David were sitting on one, eating some snacks that were sitting on the coffee table. On one wall opposite the couches was a flat screen TV with a couple speakers hanging on the wall. Across the room on the other wall was a strange painting of a wolf and a polar bear. The only reason there would be a painting that strange on the wall is that there’s a safe behind it. Kinda obvious even for Charles. Must avoid the temptation to steal from it. Still wearing a suit, Neal said, “Don’t you guys think it’s strange that Charles has so many safe houses?”

David took a bite from a large chocolate chip cookie and said, “A man like Charles probably needs as many safe houses as he can get.”

Neal shrugged and said, “I just want to know why we’re at the one named Saturday on a Wednesday.”

It was Tennyson’s turn to shrug. “When you solve the mystery that is Charles Brannon, let me know.”

Neal flopped down onto the open couch and grabbed a cookie. “So what have you guys been up to?” he asked.

“I raided an ancient Greek temple and took one of the statues of Hera,” Tennyson replied.

Neal laughed and said, “Nice, that lady’s a jerk. David?”

David finished his cookie and said, “I rescued a senator’s daughter from some dirtbags called the Nightwash Bandits.”

Neal laughed even harder and said, “The Nightwash Bandits? Where did they come up with that?”

David kept a straight face and replied, “Their base was on Nightwash Street. It was the obvious choice.” Then his face broke into small smile and he said, “What did you do, Neal?”

“Yeah, Neal, we’re just dying to know what you stole this time,” said Tennyson sarcastically.

Neal glared at him and then said, “Actually, I stole the crown of Lagania from that billionaire, Jericho Gibson, then I mailed it back on the way here.”

“You trust the mail system to deliver something that valuable?” asked David.

Neal shrugged, “It’s not like its mine. Besides, that oath is pretty convincing. It’ll be fine.”

Just then Charles Brannon walked in the room and said, “So nothing’s new with you guys. Good, because we’ve got work to do.”

Charles Brannon was a strange and mysterious man. A year ago he had approached Neal and asked him to be a part of a black ops team that would help stop terrorist plots around the world. If I hadn’t been on the run from multiple people, I probably would have refused. But the promise of some legitimate work to get me back on my feet was a good thing. Now I do it just because I like helping people. Charles was as mysterious as they came and in the world of the Novana, there were plenty of mysterious people out there. Neal wasn’t quite sure what Charles’s job was on Earth or up in Skyren, aside from the fact he was also the President of the United States.

Charles had a small white beard that connected to his mustache and wavy, wild white hair that covered his head that made him look like some sort of old business man. He sat down on the couch next to Neal and pushed a button on a remote that was sitting on the table. The TV flashed to life and a picture of four men who were wearing gas masks and trench coats appeared on the screen. “This seems to be the standard uniform of the soldiers of the Acquisition. In case you haven’t been keeping up with news, the Acquisition is a group that haas hit four museums around the world.”

He hit another button on the remote and pictures of a carved stone box, a simple key, and two carved masks appeared on the screen. “These are the four artifacts that have been stolen. Though reports have been sketchy, at each museum it seems that a group of twenty armed men blew their way in and forcibly took the artifact. They have caused at least ten casualties between the four raids. They also seem to have been using some Novanan artifacts. As they depart, they leave behind a bomb and a calling card. They have destroyed many priceless artifacts already. I need the three of you to stop these guys. If they are willing to be this militant just to get some artifacts, there’s no telling what they will do once they get the artifacts they need.”

“Yeah,” said David,”But if we don’t know what they’re after, how are we going to stop them?”

Charles pushed another button and a picture of a museum and another mask that looked similar to the others appeared on the screen.

Neal whistled, “The Musee du Louvre. In Paris. My favorite museum and one of the few I’ve never stolen from.”

Tennyson laughed, “Just don’t start drooling, okay.”

Charles stood up and said, “I believe they will attack during the Egyptian Gala this Friday night. There is another mask similar to the others that will be shown during the Gala. I’m going to go get my laptop, and then we can develop a plan.” He walked out of the room and they heard his footsteps retreating down the hall.

Neal stood up dramatically and said, “Alright guys, suit up! I mean tuxedo up!” He paused. “You know, that doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

Tennyson glared at him. “For the thousandth time,” he said, “I don’t wear tuxedos or suits of any kind.”

“We’re going to a black tie event,” Neal replied, “You have to wear a tux.”

“You know,” said David, “I think he’s right. We need to wear tuxes.”

Tennyson threw his hands in the air in frustration and said, “We’re crawling through air ducts. Why do we need tuxedos?”

Neal tossed a chip into the air and caught it in his mouth. “We’re spies and spies always wear tuxedos,” he said.

Tennyson opened his mouth, “We’re not spi-”

“James Bond wears a tuxedo,” Neal said. “Chuck Bartowski wears a tuxedo. Tony Stark wears a tuxedo.”

Charles walked back into the room, carrying a computer and an apple, and said, “Tony Stark isn’t a spy, Neal.”

“Yes, but he’s just so cool I included him.”

Charles sat down and unfolded his laptop on the coffee table. After biting into his apple he said, “Face it, Tennyson. You’re wearing a tux.”

Neal said, “Ha!” and Tennyson sighed.

Charles stroked his beard and said, “Alright boys, down to business. This needs to be a very low magic-use mission. This will attract enough attention without reports of even stranger things. This mission will be hard, but Lord-willing, you can save the day.”

 

            7:03 p.m. Friday, December 14, 2012

 

Neal Gold stepped into the Egyptian Gala at the Musee du Louvre in Paris and scanned the room. A bunch of woman in long dresses and a bunch of men in their monkey suits. Neal wore a white tuxedo with a black shift and a white tie. My, my, I look good. He straightened his tie, fixed his cuff links, snagged a glass of wine from a passing waitress, and ventured into the sprawling room.

He flashed a charming smile at another waitress and took a sip of the wine. Okay so the plan is for me to watch the room and see if I can spot the Acquistion and find the mask they most likely are going to steal. He examined a jeweled dagger hilt that was thought to be from Biblical Egypt. Just once I’d like to go to a museum when I’m not trying to steal something or catch international terrorists. He chuckled. Unlikely. He reached out with his mind. You guys in position?

Tennyson’s voice echoed in his head. We are in the bathroom and ready.

Neal laughed to himself. Well, at least I’m not stuck in the bathroom. Hmm, what’s this?

He had been walking around the room, examining exhibits and people when he noticed a woman watching him from across the room. Neal casually swept his eyes across the room and pretended not to notice the watcher. The woman was tall, wore a long red dress, and had long flowing brown hair. She had bright red lips and deep blue eyes. In other words, she was beautiful and she was watching him closely.

Neal tried to reach into her mind but couldn’t get in. Not that Neal was an especially skilled telepath but he should have been able to easily get into any human’s mind.

He took another sip of the wine and left the glass with a waiter. Weaving his way through the people, he sent a thought to David. Might have spotted a Novana. Approaching her now.

            Godspeed, Neal. Call for backup at any sign of trouble.

            Understood.

Neal sauntered up to the woman and smiled. He said, “I noticed that you were watching me from across the room. See something interesting?”

Tennyson’s thoughts blared in his head. Do you know the meaning of subtlety?

            Says the man who finds a reason to shoot just about everyone he meets?

The woman’s eyes flashed. She produced an ID card from somewhere and said, “Lana Croft, Interpol. You’re Neal Gold, international thief. Care to tell me what you’re doing here?”

Great, Interpol. Not a good time.

Neal smiled and held out a hand, saying, “Only if you’d care to dance.”

Lana took his hand and replied, “I enjoy a good tango.”

Neal took the lead and said, “It’s a waltz.”

“I think you know what I mean.”

They danced for a few minutes in silence, and Neal couldn’t help but notice how graceful she was.

Lana broke the silence first. “So why is an internationally-known thief at the Musee du Louvre?”

“Just enjoying the exhibits and a chance to wear a tux.”

“Sure. Not looking for the Acquisition?”

Neal let slip a moment of surprise and then controlled the expression on his face. “You’re not just an Interpol agent.”

She grinned and winked at him, then replied, “And you’re not just a master thief.”

The smile transformed Lana’s face. For a moment, her beauty took his breath away, and he realized she was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

No, not probably. She is.

He was about to say something when there was a sudden explosion behind him, followed by the screams and yells of the people around them. Letting go of Lana, he spun to see armed men entering through a hole in the wall.

He spun back to Lana, but she was no longer there, and he couldn’t see her through the crowd of people running this way and that in terror. Her laughter echoed through his mind and he heard her voice. See you later, Hood.

Neal shook his head. A mystery for another time. He drew his gun and reached out to David. Guys, I think this qualifies as trouble.

 

7:45 p.m. Friday, December 14, 2012

 

David and Tennyson rushed out of the bathroom and down the hall towards the gala room. David pulled his pistol from his side and followed Tennyson down the hall. Tennyson charged at the door and kicked it open with a flying kick.

As he went through the door, David took in the scene. At one end of the room, dozens of screaming and yelling museum patrons were hurrying away. At the other end there was a gaping hole in the wall and about twenty men wearing gas masks and trench coats carrying assault rifles entering the room. Neal was at the side of the room, under heavy fire behind a case of ancient spears.

David took charge of the situation. Tennyson, help Neal. He saw five of the men heading toward a case that had the mask in it. I’ve got these guys.

David charged toward the men, but before he could get across the room, one of the men split off from the others and faced him. The man drew a flaming sword and wore a hood that hid his face. David stopped a few feet in front of the man. His left hand crackled with electricity for a moment, and then a shining blue sword appeared in his hand. David’s opponent rained a flurry of blows down on David; he was obviously an accomplished swordsman.

David grinned to himself. He’s got nothing on me. With a quick parry, David went on the offensive. His sword came from every direction, forcing the man to be completely on the defensive. After he had worn him down, David disarmed him with a quick twist of his sword and a flick. As the man’s sword came out of his hand, David hit him in the side of the head with the handle of his sword. The man crumpled silently to the ground as David caught the man’s sword in his free hand.

David looked up to see the other four men heading back towards the hole in the wall away from the now empty case. They’ve got to be heading for their getaway car. Tennyson, can I drive your car?

David walked towards a nearby window as he heard Tennyson in his head. No, absolutely-

Thanks! With a burst of air, David shattered the window and jumped out of the building towards Tennyson’s car below. Geronimo!

 

            7:51 p.m. Friday, December 14,2012

 

The sounds of the room were nearly deafening to Neal’s incredible hearing. The screaming of people, the gun shots of the Acquistion soldiers, the crash of the window that David jumped through, and Tennyson’s voice as he yelled strange phrases at the men he was fighting.

He looked over at the case where the mask had been and noticed a case sitting on the floor. He stood up from behind the case and felt a bullet fly right by his face. Good old luck. Thanks, God. He fired two shots, hitting a man in the foot and the shoulder, then dived toward the case. He tried to move it, but the bottom of the case had literally been melted to the floor. Some sort of Novanan artifact most likely. This could be the bomb so there’s no time to try and move it. He pulled out a dagger and picked the lock on the case. He threw open the case and found the bomb inside.

I wish David was still here!

            Neal pulled out his phone and dialed David’s number. It rang for a moment, and then a voice on the other end said, “What now, golden boy? I’m busy.”

“We’ve got a new problem. I’ll give you a clue and you can guess; it goes ‘boom’.”

“Another bomb!?!” said David’s voice. “These Acquisition guys seems to love their explosives. How much time do we have?”

Neal put the phone on speaker and placed it on the ground next to him. “You’re quite the detective. The timer says one minute and thirty seconds.”

“Is that David?” Tennyson yelled.

“I found the bomb, so I called him,” Neal called back.

Tennyson dived behind a display case and covered his head as a bullet shattered the glass of the display case. “Great time for him to leave! Tell him to be careful with my car.”

Neal ducked a bullet that whizzed by him and said, “Is that hunk of junk all you can think about right now?!?”

“Just ignore him,” came David’s voice from over the phone. “Tell me about the bomb.”

“Okay, um,” said Neal. He studied the bomb for a moment. “It has a timer, a battery, and a detonator attached to the explosive.”

“Okay… okay. This should be easy. Tell me about the wires.”

“It’s like a bird’s nest made of wires,” Neal replied.

“Strange, there should only be a couple wires between each. Listen-” David’s voice cut off for moment and there was a loud crunching noise through the speakers.

Tennyson stood up and launched a fireball at two men peeking their heads around the door. Both of them quickly stopped pointing their guns and began nursing burns on their hands. “Did you crash my car?!?”

“I’ll fix it!” came the reply. “Neal, I need you to focus. There will be one wire connecting the detonator that seems different from the others. Cut that one. You cut any other ones and it will blow up in your face.”

Neal sighed. “Lovely,” he said. “Okay, Neal, focus…  focus. Only thirty seconds left.” There was an explosion and he yelled angrily, “Can you keep it down!?!”

Tennyson picked up an antique vase, tossed it hard at a guard and it broke in his face. “Oh, I’m sorry; would you rather be shot in the back? I could even do it for you.” Another goon dived at Tennyson, but Tennyson waved his hand and the man went flying into the wall. “Get it done, Gold!”

Neal reached into the mass of wire and focused on sensing the electrical current in the wires. He quickly touched every wire he could find. The timer was counting down and Neal was feeling the pressure.

“I’ve only got ten seconds left, David. I can’t find it!!”

“It will be there!!!” came the reply from the phone.

Another explosion erupted behind him. Then, he found the wire. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and yelled, “Go big or go home!!!!” and pulled.

After a second, he opened one eye and looked at the timer. It was blank.

“Thank you, God,” he breathed.

Tennyson stood over the last goon. The soldier tried to raise his head, but Tennyson shot him in the shoulder. Neal gave him a stern look. Tennyson shrugged and said, “What? I’m getting tired of the non-violent route.”

“You guys still alive?” came David’s voice from the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, we’re still tickin’” said Tennyson. Neal glared at him and Tennyson said, “Sorry, bad choice of words.”

“I captured one of the soldiers,” David said, “The rest got away.”

“David, is my car still alive?” asked Tennyson.

“Um…” said the voice on the other line, “You know cars are never alive to begin with, right?”

Tennyson groaned. “I’m never letting you borrow one of my cars again.”

 

 

            8:37 p.m. Friday, December 14,2012

 

Neal and Tennyson slipped away from the Museum just before the police arrived and met David and his captive back at a safe house in Paris that Charles had named Sunday.

David had the Acquisition soldier tied to a chair in the center of the room. The man reminded Neal of a rat with beady, shifty eyes and a long nose.

David had his long knife in his hand and was talking to the man. “I’ll be honest, I’m not going to kill you. But my friend with the fedora there, I may not be able to control him. Tell us what you know.”

The man shook his head and said nervously, “I won’t tell you anything.”

David tossed his knife to Tennyson and stepped out of the way. “He’s all yours.”

Tennyson smiled and walked towards the man saying, “Do you know why I like this knife? Because it has a very interesting poison inside the blade.” He pressed the blade against the man’s throat and the man swallowed nervously. “If I were to nick you with this knife, you wouldn’t die, but you would be in so much pain you would lose control of yourself.” He leaned in so he was just inches from the man’s face. “If I stabbed you with it, you would experience a very, very slow and painful death.”

The man twitched, like he was trying to hold back fear.

Tennyson stepped back and glanced at Neal. “What do you think, Gold?”

Neal shrugged and replied, “I don’t think we have a choice.”

“Yeah, I agree,” said David.

Tennyson nodded and raised the knife high. Just before Tennyson’s arm came down the man yelled out, “Stop, stop!!! I’ll tell you something.”

Tennyson lowered his arm. “Start talking,” he said.

The man’s face was dripping with sweat. “The Acquisition is poised take over strategic countries of the world. They will then force the others to comply with their demands.”

“World domination. That’s a new one,” Neal muttered.

“How do they plan to use the artifacts?” David asked.

The man shook his head nervously and said, “I have no idea. They wouldn’t tell me that much. Only that I would have more power and money than I would want.”

“Power and money, how typical,” Neal muttered.

“That’s all I know, I swear,” the man said.

“Tennyson,” said David as he motioned at the man.

Tennyson tapped the man on the forehead with his finger and he slumped forward, completely asleep.

David looked at his teammates, took a deep breath and then said, “Neal, I need you to go to Charles and tell him what’s going on. We’ll need his help. Tennyson, I need you to figure out what those artifacts might do. We need to know what their powers are. I’ll be doing some detective work to try and find out their targets.”

Both Neal and Tennyson nodded, their expressions somber.

“There’s a storm coming, friends,” David said, “and we’re all that is standing in its way.”

 

COMMENT!!!!!!

Book 1 (Man I really need a title for this…)

Posted on by bookdragon143

I’m trying to do more posts just to simply keep everyone posted so you don’t think I’m just playing games and watching TV shows all day, which I do too much of anyways.

Today I actually worked on chapter 1 of the first book of the main series, The Dragon’s Call series, of Project Infinity. I still don’t have a title. After writing about 300 words I’ve realized that 1. I need to expand what happens in chapter 1 and 2. Even when I do, chapter 1 will still be a short chapter.

Also as soon as I post this I will be posting “Another Typical Day” the first short story in the Rogues of Mystery series. I wrote this for my short story class and I also sent it in for an English Department Scholarship at William Jessup University (I’m not for sure going there but the scholarship stuff was dude last Friday.

Anyways, please comment if you have something to say and so I know you read my post.

Godspeed,

Andrew Corey

Project Infinity

Posted on by bookdragon143

Project Infinity is the new name for the stories that center around Earth and the invisible land of Novana that floats high above the surface of the Earth. On Novana, a race of humans live called the Novana. They have advanced technology and also are born with magical abilities.
The project will be a collection of different books, short stories, and novellas about different characters having different adventures. It will also offer stories that span sci-fi and fantasy, adventure, mystery, thrillers, and superhero stories.
Aside from the main series, which is still titled The Dragon’s Call and will be about 17 books, there will be many series of short stories and novellas that focus on supporting characters and stories that don’t have a lot to do with the major story arcs.
This is an extremely ambitious project but the goal is to create a rich and vibrant world. I am also interested in having others write with me on these stories, though I will be extremely selective in that.
Because I took a short story class last semester, I have the first short story in a series called The Rogues of Mystery written. I’ll be posting that soon.
I also hope to post a few other things soon.
Thanks for all the support!
Godspeed,
Andrew Corey

This Just In: Snow White to Carry Lightsaber and Use the Force in Next Year’s Re-re-release of Disney’s Classic

Posted on by bookdragon143

So with the news of Disney buying Lucasfilm for 4.05 billion and as I watch the latest episode of Merlin and work some on my application for CSU East Bay, I’ve decided to finally attempt to write a possibly long editorial on a few things. So without further ado, allons-y!

First of all, on the subject of the purchase of Lucasfilm, I had the same reaction as most people. This will be the downfall of Star Wars. Thankfully, when I posted that on Facebook  a good friend of mine pointed out that this could very well be a good thing. Lucasfilm needs a good kick in the pants. Aside for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated TV show, Lucasfilm has hardly done anything in recent years. Seriously, I don’t think any serious Star Wars fan can say that they are truly happy with the direction, or the lack of direction, the Star Wars franchise has been taking in the last few years. It needs a shot in the arm more than I can say. Hopefully they will draw from the books and comics which are a wealth of strong stories (not all are strong, so many authors so it bound to be a mixed bag) and they should use that to their advantage.

Another thing, with all of the other episodes, Lucas was extremely invested in the films but for Star Wars Episode 7, which is set to release in 2015 with 8, 9, and possibly more to follow suit, he is only going to be the “creative consultant”. How much of a role this means he has we’ll see, but this is likely going to contribute to the new directions the series takes. I see Lucas as part of the problem, so less of him should be a good thing. (I’d also like to note that I have high respect for George Lucas, I just believe that recent Star Wars material is lacking and logic dictates that it is very likely mostly his fault.)

Also, I’d like to point out that many of us had the same reaction when we found out that Marvel had been bought by Disney. That turned out better than I could’ve expected, like way better. There are five more Marvel movies on the horizon from Disney, and also a S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show with loads of potential (more on that later). If anything, I see the Disney-helmed Star Wars franchise to be a promising one with an even more promising future.

Has anyone ever taken the time to read the comment discussions about things like this? Some people actually seem worried that Mickey Mouse will be in the next Star Wars movie. I mean come on people, use your head. I definitely don’t see Disney remaking Star Wars over. Unlike, DC comics who in 2011, basically rewrote the entire 50 some years of comics, to reboot all of their stories and ruin classic characters. I’m pretty fed up with the direction that DC is taking and now that Disney got Lucasfilm, I kinda wish Disney would pick them up too. (A ton more on this subject another time. That post may be more rant than editorial. I’ll see how much I can blur that line haha.)

Side note: Though there has been no announcement that I’ve seen, we may get another new and better Indiana Jones movie sometime too, since Indiana Jones is another property that Disney gets in the purchase.

Ok, so maybe I sound a little harsh, but seriously people need to take a breath and look at the bigger picture. Disney is not just a company full of fairy tales and princesses. They’ve released action adventures before and are continuing to do so. This is DISNEY! Like it or not, they do know pretty much what they are doing when it comes to entertainment. Sure they may flop this one, but its far from a sure thing like may seem to think. All I’m saying is that we should try to keep an open mind and enjoy the ride.

Oh and as one comment I rode pointed out, Princess Leia is now a Disney princess (technically) and the coolest one at that. 🙂

Next editorial will be about DC and Marvel and why Marvel is besting DC right now, and not just in the movie biz.

Godspeed,

Andrew

P.S. These things all seem like their going to be longer than they actually are when I finish them.

P.P.S. That Merlin episode was fantastic! More people need to watch that show. The first three seasons are on Netflix. Check it out!!!

P.P.P.S. Kyle Paquin is a boss for unknowingly helping me with the best way to write this out.

P.P.P.P.S. I wonder how many of these postscripts I could write…

P.P.P.P.P.S. Anyone catch the Doctor Who reference in there. I’m gonna go for one in every post I think!

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. If this post was a little scattered I’m sorry, I promise to work on it in the future.

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. That’s six not counting this one which is seven. Goodbye!

Superheroes

Posted on by bookdragon143

If I can get to it I plan to write a lot about super heroes and why they are special and what they mean and, well I could go on for a while. I recently have begun reading comics and have discovered an entirely new and exciting library of stories for me to devour. As a little teaser of what I want to write about here is my top 20 superheroes list.

  1. Spider-man
  2. Batman
  3. Iron Man
  4. Captain America
  5. Superman
  6. Wolverine
  7. Nightwing
  8. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
  9. Hulk
  10. Green Arrow
  11. Wonder Woman
  12. Batgirl
  13. Bucky Barnes
  14. Gambit
  15. Rouge
  16. The Flash (Wally West)
  17. Supergirl
  18. Vision
  19. Thor
  20. Shadowcat

Godspeed,

Andrew

Spotify

Posted on by bookdragon143

So those of you who are on Facebook have probably seen something about one of your friends listening to music on something called Spotify. Spotify is a music program for your computer and your mobile devices. All you need to do to get Spotify on your computer is to go to the website, download the program, and make a free account. Then you may listen to all the music you want for free as long as you are connected to the internet. If you want to listen offline or if you want to listen on a phone or other mobile device, you need to pay $10 a month. If you’re like me and you listen to a lot of music but don’t own much of it. (I’ve been using subscription services for a long time not illegal downloading).

Its a great tool to use if you’re not sure you want to buy an album so you can go on Spotify, listen to it a few times and then buy it.

Also you can share and link to albums and playlists and share playlists and music to Facebook as well. The social aspect works really well. So I hope you check it out and enjoy some great music. To start you off here’s a playlist of some great albums that came out this summer. Summer ’12

Godspeed,

Andrew