Chapter 16
Alec wanted to vomit, but the pounding in his head was agonising. The slightest movement made his guts churn. Stale vomit in his mouth, the acid of it in the back of his throat. Rough fingers forced his eyes open, heedless of the brilliant lights that burned into his retina, hands clamped on his jaw, as he twisted, desperate to escape the searing beam that scorched into his brain. They had taken him, had captured him easily, so fucking easily. Continue reading
Chapter 15
Dr Harper and Jackson had finished testing the numerous staff members and had devised an intradermal implant that would register on SHADO’s security systems. Sara had spent the rest of the day making herself unpopular as she injected all the operatives once they had been approved. An uncomfortable procedure but necessary. At least they would not have to re-examine staff every time they arrived for work; the implants would be sufficient evidence. Continue reading
‘Watch out!’
The shout from above made Virgil Tracy twist round, only the harness preventing him from losing his balance and being swept away in the torrent of floodwater. The reason for his brother’s alarm became clear. Continue reading
Chapter 14
Straker tore off his ruined jacket, and covered the face of Alec Freeman. It would do for now, would hide the sight of that face smeared with blood, blood everywhere, drying and stiffening even now on the pillow, on the floor, on Straker’s hands and spattered on his clothes. He would have stripped off and thrown his ruined suit away, but the sudden realisation hit him that there was no-one running headquarters. With Foster in Moonbase and Alec,…. Alec, please God, waiting to be rescued, it was down to him. He scoured his hands, scrubbed off the visible blood, dried them on a small towel was tossed into the bin. Continue reading
Chapter 13
Alec opened his eyes. Darkness. Coldness and darkness. He tried to reach out, but his wrists were restrained. Uncomfortable restraints that bit into his skin, tight on the bones underneath. Pain in his head. He turned his face to one side, but a hand hit his cheek, the unexpected slap stinging his skin. He could feel his pulse beating hard, almost erratically, could sense the strangeness of his surroundings, could smell his sweat, sharp and sour. A blindfold over his eyes, so firm that he could not see even the slightest chink of light. Continue reading
Written in response to one of a series of prompts from ‘dragon’. Max words: 500
Prompt:
Straker takes a detour
He was leaving early for once, not by choice, but Jackson had made it clear. A couple of easy weeks before getting back into the swing of things. And nothing he said would make the doctor change his mind. Instead, he’d made Paul take a week off – anything rather than the constant questions about how he was doing. It was just a damned spacewalk, after all. Easier than driving home in the rush hour. He’d done the repairs, got back in the capsule and back to Earth. Job done. No need for all the fuss. Continue reading
Chapter 11 now added to the story.
Please note that this chapter contains references to. and descriptions of, potentially triggering situations. The story becomes increasingly violent from this point on.
Francis Matthews
2 September 1927 – 14 June 2014
There are some voices you never forget.
