science fiction
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Chapter Ten Little Mercies Laszlo smiled at Brandon. “Please, sit,” he invited. “All of you,” he added, glancing at Plum, Willam, and Obella. “There shall be time for introductions after.” Brandon pulled a chair out and sat at the ring-shaped table. Alonzo sat, alone, in the central gap in the table. The dark wood made…
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Chapter Nine The Fifth Law The first thing Brandon had noticed about the city was the sheer amount of people. The second thing he noticed was the noise. As he, Plum, and Willam approached the city gates of Algaran, the sound of the crowds grew and grew until Brandon could hardly hear himself think. Brandon…
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Interlude Two The World Outside When Adelaide woke, she felt, for the first time in longer than she could remember, hopeful. Last night, she and Plum had fled the Vermillion Keep. Algaran, and the Fifth Law, promised a better life for both of them, and the chance to make a difference in the world. If…
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How many pilots have I had? I have been in service for nearly two centuries. Through that time I have had dozens of pilots. After that many, they tend to blend together. So, when this one comes on board and I can feel the difference in seconds, I am bound to pay a bit more…
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cw: self-harm, gore there is a beautiful ugly thing growing inside of you you don’t remember when you first noticed it: it got its claws in you early, you suspect, considering you don’t even really remember what life was like before it, and that it’s so mixed in with the pain and the joy of …
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Chapter Eight Interlude 1 Plumeria Plum, for her part, had never had an easier time making a decision. Fleeing to Algaran had been an obvious choice. It wasn’t safe for Addie at the Keep anymore, and even though Plum didn’t trust Laszlo’s motivations, Addie trusted him. That was enough for her, so it would be…
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Chapter Seven The Beginning at the End Adelaide slept soundly for most of the night. At some point, she was dimly conscious of Plum returning and climbing into bed next to her, but she couldn’t rouse herself enough to respond or react to it. She drifted back away into a mostly dreamless slumber, only distantly…
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Chapter Six Into the Light CW: intense transphobia Adelaide stepped out of Plum’s room, squinting at the change in lighting. Plum had, of course, done a perfect job of healing her arm, but part of her could still feel the stinging pain as her eyes adjusted to the light. The servant that had knocked on…
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Chapter Five Cutting Words CW: transphobia; self-harm Adelaide was no more than 20 feet down the hall when she heard Plum’s door open behind her. “Addie,” she heard Plum’s voice call from behind her. She didn’t react. “Adelaide!” Plum said again, louder this time. Adelaide whipped around, tears stinging in her eyes, and Plum stopped…
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“Shh shh, it’s okay,” she said, her fingers slipping through my chassis and into the soft delicate parts of my remaining underneath. “You’re okay.” I believed her, and felt my servos and hydraulics relax—fractionally, barely perceptibly—as her hands dug deeper in. I didn’t know how long I’d been there, alone and cold and rusting. It…
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