Nicole’s head turned, the action sending a sharp stab through her nerves as she took in the sight of her once friend. Maraline hadn’t escaped unscathed, her armor was scuffed and dented, and several rips marred her clothes underneath. Blood leaked from a few wounds, but most seemed superficial at best.
“The hell was that?” Nicole demanded, her voice scraped raw, ...
2024-11-09 09:10:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe twin figures of the enemy generals sent fresh waves of panic through Nicole even as her blood seemed to burn within her. Every nerve in her body screamed that she needed to move, to do something other than just standing still.
“Generals,” Bartran snapped, his voice hitching slightly as his hand closest to the embedded blade twitched. “You were instructed to ...
2024-11-09 09:08:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe world returned with a snap of searing agony.
Nicole gasped, only to immediately regret it as her entire torso seemed to protest the action in the worst way. She curled in on herself instinctively, even as her entire body convulsed from the worst pain Nicole had ever experienced in her life. The world fell away for a moment as there was nothing other than the intimacy...
2024-11-09 09:04:47 +0000 UTC View PostNicole’s limbs trembled as she drove her blade through one of the connecting tissues of the massive beast even as it lashed out with a deafening cry that shattered glass. Once again she was forced to phase through the retaliatory strike. Given the ease with which the creature could crush stone and steel, Nicole didn’t think her chances against the monster were all that favorable...
2024-11-09 09:03:15 +0000 UTC View PostCommander Bartran had served the Sylan empire through thousands of conquests, having directly fought in hundreds over his millennia of existence. There were rare few as long lived as he, and his core DNA was incorporated into each subsequent general that was birthed to subjugate a species. He would never have children of his own, as the capacity to birth or sire was removed from all...
2024-11-09 09:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt was several hours later, and an appointment for the near future, that the pair left the tattoo parlor. Ideas abounded and Nicole felt almost lost for choice. The Ranger was currently torn between a sprawling black rose vine, and some Gaelic poetry. She was certainly leaning towards honoring her heritage, even as far removed as it was. Her grandmother spoke the languag...
2024-11-09 08:24:09 +0000 UTC View PostNicole stretched out, her joints popping as she did. Despite the soreness, she felt amazing, both physically and mentally. She usually wasn’t one to take an afternoon nap, but her classes had been tedious, and she stayed up far too late with Grace the night before. Not that she was complaining about it, but that didn’t change how stiff she felt after the nap. She’d...
2024-11-09 08:13:36 +0000 UTC View PostMoney problems were often the bane of all college students at one point or another. Well, trust fund babies aside. Nicole was no stranger to that pain, having needed to balance her budget constantly to make her government subsidies last long enough to not bankrupt herself before college was finished.
She rode a motorcycle partly because it was cheaper than a car, and mos...
2024-11-09 08:12:26 +0000 UTC View Post“That is concerning,” Carlos said, leaning over a claimed table under a pavilion at the same park they had wrecked a little over a week prior. Whatever the training session had been intended for originally was now thrown out the window in favor of a crash course on hostile Rangers and what that meant for the team, as well as the city. “You’re sure this is the Ranger you saw?...
2024-11-09 08:09:12 +0000 UTC View PostCereal was almost offensive even as a concept in Nicole’s book. She detested almost every variety, yet some cereal bars were edible. She blamed the insistence that cereal had to be eaten with milk that had soured her on the breakfast staple. Such a vile liquid, with a texture that made her want to heave just thinking about it. Teenagers being the cruel bastards they of...
2024-11-09 08:02:51 +0000 UTC View PostIt was difficult to remain a God fearing man in the modern world, made all the more so in the face of demons posing as invaders from the stars. He’d held firm, taken solace that God had sent chosen warriors to defend the people. He’d believed he lived in the end times, that he was destined for glorious purpose in God’s perfect plan.
That poor woman was going to die...
2024-11-09 07:59:38 +0000 UTC View PostOkay, so Maraline wasn’t the last thing that Nicole ever expected to see. She had come to accept that the enemy general had some sort of obsession with her and that she would come after her again. But rather than at the head of a formation of machines, Maraline was sitting peacefully in a park while strumming a harp for a crowd of children.
The woman attempting t...
2024-11-09 07:51:34 +0000 UTC View PostIt wasn’t a date.
Four simple words, repeated like a mantra within the confines of Nicole’s mind. She could almost believe it too if she hadn’t just spent over an hour agonizing over what to wear. Unfortunately, Becca wasn’t going to be back at the apartment until that evening, so she couldn’t pester her for advice. Not that Nicole had any intention of gi...
2024-11-09 07:49:58 +0000 UTC View PostA lazy Sunday wasn’t really in the cards, not with classes resuming the following day. Students were clamoring to finish the assignments given to them for the week, procrastinators suffering the worst of it. Nicole was not one of those people, she’d finished her assignments days ago.
Nicole woke up bright and early to get a start on the things she had planned the nig...
2024-11-09 07:49:05 +0000 UTC View PostGrace stared down into her strawberry shake, she twirled a French fry in the confection then shoved the golden stick into her mouth, chomping away. Nicole had to stifle a giggle at the sight, even if her reasons for being upset were just, it didn’t stop her from being a cute sort of grumpy. At least she looked good in her new shirt.
A message had arrived in the group chat fr...
2024-11-09 07:47:29 +0000 UTC View PostA hacking cough rang out as Nicole swallowed hard, forcing air down in a way that felt like she’d been punched in the chest. She may as well have after Kayla dropped a question like that out of nowhere! Where did she even get that idea?
Worse, Kayla was positively cackling at her misfortune.
“I think you hit the nail on the head,” Jeff said, snickering as wel...
2024-11-09 07:46:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe diner was busier than it had ever been on any prior visit, but then again, it was a Saturday morning. After the attack the prior day, everyone agreed that they needed to keep up with their training if they wanted to keep ahead of the Sylan strikes. Granted, getting everyone up in time was a herculean effort given how exhausted they were. Not even twelve hours of sleep was ...
2024-11-09 07:44:47 +0000 UTC View PostPacing back and forth, Nicole tried to build up her courage; it wasn’t working, which was a bit funny. She could face down Maraline—one of the Sylan invaders—without flinching. Why was her best friend so much harder? She should just rip the band-aid off, get it over with. Yeah, that’s what she would do. She stopped, taking a deep breath as she did and turne...
2024-11-09 07:43:53 +0000 UTC View PostMonitors powered off as the General stepped out of the observation room, two drones with orange stripes waited in the halls. They were the strongest of the automaton forces, and so resource intensive that only eight were in service on the ship at the time. They walked in lockstep, their sole task to keep their charge safe. Drones all ran off a simple VI, and lacked any true sa...
2024-11-09 07:42:58 +0000 UTC View PostHeads turned, frantically looking for the source of the guttural roar. Nicole had feared a mutant would come, and it seemed it finally had, but she couldn’t see it. Worse, they were all worn out from the massive melee, with Kayla barely able to stand after working so fiercely on crowd control.
The officers were looking around in confusion, and it was only by chance tha...
2024-11-09 07:40:18 +0000 UTC View PostPower coursed through Nicole’s form as her form shifted under the expanding light. Not one of the machines wavered from the flash of light that spanned the visible spectrum. The machines weren’t the same as the ones they fought at the Renfaire, these were sleeker versions, with metallic blue stripes along their shoulders.
She couldn’t help but smile as she turned all her...
2024-11-09 07:39:06 +0000 UTC View PostNicole tossed a ball against the wall, watching as it bounced off and back to her. Grace was scrambling to finish the homework her professors had assigned to make up for the lost week of classes. Meanwhile, Nicole was already somehow done with hers. Kayla was out looking for apartments in Maple Grove because apparently she wasn’t actually a resident of the city, she was just...
2024-11-09 07:38:19 +0000 UTC View PostNicole looked up at the midday sun, her visor tinting itself automatically. A blade danced over her fingers, the dexterity of the Ranger transformation making the trick that once resulted in the occasional cut finger now proving trivial. Another day of training was done, at a different park than the last, and she’d just finished going over her actions with the fire department.&nbs...
2024-11-09 07:37:29 +0000 UTC View PostNicole took a seat on the back of one of the engine cabs, the higher ground offering some comfort in the sea of chaos around them. The signage for the Sinclair Institute of Technology stood above, darkened by the lack of power to the now extinguished building. She couldn’t take her helmet off to drink anything, not without risking the nearby reporters plastering her identity all a...
2024-11-09 07:35:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Ah, good timing,” Carlos said as Nicole and Grace arrived. The other firefighters goggled a bit at the sight of two Rangers casually walking up to their station. “As you can see, we have two Rangers joining us. Anyone who thinks they might have a hint at who these two are, lose them now. Learning a Ranger’s identity can be dangerous, both for you and them. ...
2024-11-09 07:35:14 +0000 UTC View PostNicole frowned down at her homework, trying to power through the workload her professors thought was acceptable for a week of downtime. It wasn’t an unreasonable amount for self study, but some people were grieving, or traumatized. She didn’t get a pass just because she was there, neither did Grace for that matter. It was all due on Monday, though some professors would be ...
2024-11-09 07:34:16 +0000 UTC View PostAdrift.
That was a good word for how Nicole felt ever since her parents were killed. She couldn’t even claim a desire for vengeance because even if they were killed during an incursion, it had been human hands that ended their lives. The Sylan were just the excuse that the real monsters used to justify their crimes.
Despite becoming a Ranger, her new respon...
2024-11-09 07:32:05 +0000 UTC View PostNicole looked across the rolling fields of green and gold, a handful of butterflies flitting about in the afternoon light. A nap had indeed been obtained, granted it was barely an hour, but she felt better than she had at the diner. Grace once again picked her up, opting to carpool rather than take their own vehicles to the same place. When Grace messaged Jeff it turned out he...
2024-11-09 07:31:11 +0000 UTC View PostNicole’s French toast was a bit burnt, but that didn’t stop her from eating each and every bite of it as slowly as she could, all to avoid the looming conversation that she could tell Grace was just itching to dig into. Still, she wasn’t an accomplished introvert for nothing, and if there was one thing she was good at, it was avoiding awkward conversations.
“Still stal...
2024-11-09 07:29:35 +0000 UTC View PostNicole shot awake, sweat dripping from her as she gasped for breath. Images of glowing mechanical eyes and bloodsoaked severed limbs lingered as the last vestiges of her nightmare retreated back into her subconscious. The nightmare wasn’t new, but was amplified by the day’s events and made all the more real for it. Looking around, she was on the couch, in her night shirt a...
2024-11-09 07:27:10 +0000 UTC View Post