POSSESSION

PHOENIX STRAND: THE WORLD INSIDE BOOK ONE (10 Page Teaser)

  CHAPTER ONE: MEMORIES OF A FUTURE PAST


       The city sized battle fortress the Law of One emerged from the space-fold gate
travelling from Canis Major to the Kuiper Belt in a matter of seconds. Anchored roughly forty AU from the Earth, the legendary star fighter carrier camouflaged itself within the giant icy bodies of the ring surrounding Terran system. While the Law was in silent running operations, the belt provided better cover than the stealth system’s ‘shroud’ hiding each of the dozens of city ships assigned to the third tier of the Nevaehan fleet. All was eerily calm aboard the ship being prepared to launch a massive offensive against the Intergalactic Sovereign Empire occupying Earth.
  Michael quietly lay in bed beside Brielle while she still slept. Meditating first thing in the morning always seemed to center him upon waking from the disturbing Dream shared with his eight siblings, the debilitating, apocalyptic nightmare they could never recall in their youth. As a result he was distracted, with his mind operating in overdrive, replaying each stage of the attack plan backwards and forwards, imagining any unforeseen circumstance that could place attaining their objective in jeopardy.
  Instead, with his hands above his head twisting the roots of his shoulder length dreadlocks, he staring up at his reflection on the translucent ceiling, with the darkness of outer space silhouetting his star speckled, mocha skin. Frustrated, he shifted his focus to the transparent bulkhead opposite the bed, looking at the other city ships stationed amongst the hefty ice bodies. He tried not to think about every painful event in their turbulent lives that had prepared them for today.
       Being the first morning none leapt up in bed trembling in fear, jaws clenched and teeth chattering from the cold, sweat soaked sheets clinging to their burning skin like a spider’s web didn't help his foreboding. But seeing Brielle still sleeping peacefully instead of tossing and turning had an oddly calming effect he knew wouldn't last. Today was D-day, and perhaps the final day the seers had   prophesied since time immemorial.
  His eyes sought escape from contemplation, tracing the curvy lines of Brielle’s half naked, half covered body. He followed the Hopi necklace nestled between the caramel mountains of her gently heaving bosom like a great river flowing north like the Nile before encircling her neck. Her thick dark curls usually tied in a braid seemed to cascade from the outline of her serene face which showed no signs of the usual early morning distress just before waking.


  If her dark brown eyes were the windows of her soul, then her high cheek bones and full lips were the path to the front door. Time slowed with his unintentional unification with her mind, causing Brielle to react instinctively, slamming shut the gateway damming the memories of their every incarnation throughout the history of the five Spheres, reducing the eternal moment which only existed between the unified beats of their heart.
  “There are more direct ways to wake me up you know.” Brielle grumbled.
  “I didn't mean to intrude.” Michael kissed her on her neck.
  “Let me guess… you were drinking in my gorgeous visage as if for the last time.” Brielle rolled over kissing him.
  “Something like that.”
  “I recognize that tone.” Brielle sighed. “You’re thinking too much again aren't you?”
  “Let‘s see… it’s the morning of the mission to retake Earth and last night not one of us had the Dream that’s plagued us our whole lives…”
  “Whether we like it or not the time for concern is over baby. So let’s just enjoy what little time we have left.” The Alpha and Omega lost themselves in the eternal kiss while the surging fold drives caused the Law’s translucent plating to glow like sapphire. Already excited by their arousal, the hairs  all over their bodies stood like needles with the dance of the of blue and white bands of dark lightening crackling along the outer hull. The dark energy arced several kilometers outside the ship, coalescing into a sphere tapping the dark matter pervading the universe. They felt time hiccup before the blue and white bubble of energy engulfing the ship imploded, like a particle unifying with the wave blanketing corporeal reality, momentarily opening their minds to the timeless All Field radiating from the core of the highest and innermost dimensional Spheres.


  Here, Nu humans could see the past, present and myriad of potential futures in a singular moment. Before revealing the outcome of the pending operation, the fold bubble expanded like a particle separating from the wave, exploding in a blinding flash completing the fold jump. For a brief moment they felt complete serenity seeing the pebble sized Earth and moon for the first time since the great exodus from their home planet.
  Immediately, a thunderous boom preceded the violent shaking of the enormous battleship. “Lights off!” Michael barked while he and Brielle darted up, instinctively activating their Morphogenetic suits. Directed by their will, the genetically grafted suit’s bio-fibres mimicking cotton underwear transformed into a damage resistant leather as it expanded, shooting up over their bodies dressing them in a protective layer of snake-like skin, reinforced by Bja armour, what the ancient tribes of the Earth called the metal of Heaven. Seeing two sets of hands force open the door to their cabin prompted the anxious couple draw the hand guns from the holsters their suits forged under their arms, targeting the two figures cautiously entering the cabin with their own weapons training for targets through the smoke filling the room from the hallway.
  Michael and Brielle’s minds unified as their eyes darkened, revealing the stars of the universe within preparing to unleash their supreterrestrial abilities. Had they been boarded? By how many? Are those combat suits? Are they traitors? Was the mission in jeopardy? Should they kill the intruders then burst into the hallway with guns blazing?
  “Brielle…! Michael…!” the familiar thoughts called out, temporarily setting their minds at ease. Uriel, their lanky, pale skinned brother who’s blonde hair looked to be spun from the sun itself, and Raphael, stout like a young Malaysian bull, with pin straight, jet black hair, tanned skin and dark sloping eyes centered on the dark, motionless mound in the middle of the bed.


“We’re alright.” The relief Brielle and Michael felt seeing two of their brothers unharmed would quickly pass following another series of ship rattling impacts. “What’s going on? Are we under attack?” Brielle asked.
“They hit us as soon as we exited fold!” Raphael shouted over Admiral Brandt’s instruction repeating over the comm. “They were waiting for us!”
  Michael stared out through the transparent bulkhead watching the flashes of light filling the space surrounding the fleet, reminding him of the fireworks display in Hong Kong the previous New Year’s Celebration. “Sit rep.”
  “Weapons and standard communications are down.” Uriel replied. The four entered the corridor noting the once smooth and glassy surface was now stained by the smoke flooding the ventilation system. They crammed into the current of panicked bodies running to and fro, pushing their way towards the main junction.
  “Ordnances?” Brielle asked.
  “The girls were in the launch bay doing pre-flight checks when we got hit!” Raphael reported.
  “And the payload?” Michael asked.
  “Payload’s secure and ready!” Uriel replied. “The strike’s been ordered, we gotta move!”  Uriel advised.
       “You heard the Admiral, move it!” shouted Quinn, the Law’s chief weapons officer at frazzled crew members blocking the passageway on her way to the bridge, snapping them into warrior mode. Before continuing to the bridge, the tall, Malagasy Amazon with east Asian features and sandy coloured skin proudly watched the crew scramble to their posts while the Law’s attack force mobilized amidst klaxons blaring throughout the battleship.


       Hearing her sisters Nicki and Deanna’s mental call, Mariel, the commander of the Nova star group picked herself up off the hanger bay floor amidst the chaos. Inspired by her sisters focus on readying their fighters, she calmly tied back her long black hair while her Morphogenic suit to transformed from the officer’s uniform, covering her olive skin with the same black combat suit and body armour accented in the red highlights of her squadron. “What’s our status?”
       “All pilots accounted for and flight ready!” Deanna, Brielle's Laurasian twin reported activating the cockpit’s systems.
       “All Nova fighters and bombers are fuelled and ready for launch.” Nicki reported while performing remote controlled flight checks of the entire squadron. With fiery red hair and powdery white skin, her M-suit added to her dainty façade a grace their enemies had been taught to fear and respect, or underestimate to their own detriment. In the hands of the sisters, no fighting style could match the grace of the crane.
“All but two BTC Units are manned and ready!” Emanuel added from his single seat compartment, he opened his mind to Mariel allowing her a last look at his husky reflection before the screen lit up with activity. Through his star filled eyes she noted his short wavy brown hair was starting to curl and his goatee needed trimming. Looking through her own eyes she was always too captivated by the long lashes encircling his sparkling blue eyes. How she hoped she would see them again. “Our ride should be here any second.”


“How long do you think we should wait?” Matthew chuckled. Lean with a sporty build and pin straight jet black hair, Matthew was the cocky, lady killer of the group.
“You’ve got jokes… good for you.” muttered Michael.
“There’s plenty more where that came from.” Uriel added.
  “That’s good, we’ll need them.” Emanuel interjected.
“A hundred and forty-four… sound off!” Mariel said climbing into her cockpit.
“Heru-Khuti here.” Emanuel said.
“Se-Bek here.” Matthew said.
“Te-Huti on route.” Uriel reported.
“Au-Sar on route.” Michael reported. While the other BTC operators sounded off, Mariel breathed a sigh of relief knowing at least her sister and brothers were alright.
“Brielle, where are you?” Mariel called.
“We’re just outside the launch bay!” Brielle shouted. “All Nova groups stand ready to launch!”        
       “I need communications Kim!” Brandt shouted as Quinn arrived on the bridge seeing all of the senior staff plugged into the command stations, cerebrally interfaced with the living battleship’s primary systems.
“Status?” Quinn asked seeing snowy interference on the wall screen.
“I’ve got the helm Quinn, Marty needs you on offensive weapons!” Brandt shouted. Brandt was a tall, tawny skinned, powerful man who looked more like a professional wrestler than the commander of Nevaeh’s flagship. Martinez, the sharp featured dark haired Latin dream was showing visible strain being interfaced with both the offensive and the defensive systems. Her eyes darkened revealing the universe within while her M-suit fashioned "Tiamat's eyes" over Quinn’s. Tendrils grew like vines from the pads of bio circuitry connecting the interface device nick to the corners of her mouth, she could feel Martinez’ relief as she submerged into the interface manning the Law’s offensive weapons station, bypassing her sensory organs feeding the Law's scanners, sensors, and detectors directly to her receptors. “All Tiers prepare to receive new target packages.”


The Law of One and other PtahGenic vessels were like fish in the galactic ocean. Interfaced with the Law of One’s external sensors, Quinn had to force herself to ignore the joy of sharing the Law’s space dwelling experience. She had to focus on the swarm of enemy ships seeming to fill the space like schools of piranha surrounding her now city sized body. “Holy Christ… guys are you seeing this?” she thought, broadcasting her perception of the entire fleet being attacked from all sides to her eleven siblings.
“It’s just like you and Nicki said Urie…” Matthew spoke over the comm. “The Consortium’s projections were way off. Aerospace vessels outnumber us three to one”
“Let’s just hope the Dragon Coalition took my land based projections a bit more seriously.” Uriel replied.
“They did.” Nicki said. “Sunny spoke to General Masubi this morning. The entire Laurasian infantry has been assigned to the invasion. They landed this morning.”
“Guys… I‘m sensing a disturbance on the surface…” Matthew thought, “… the land offensive is already underway.”
“Without air support?” Mariel barked. “What the f... who the hell gave the attack order?”
“General Austin is the battlefield commander.” Emanuel replied.
“I always knew that man was a fool.” Nicki added.
“So much for the element of surprise.” Brielle said stopping at the bomber marked with her call sign “Au-Set” staring into Michael’s dark, almond shaped eyes in what she hoped wouldn’t be the last time.


“Don’t worry, we’ve got a few surprises left… Now move your asses!” Mariel shouted.
“See you in a bit baby.” Michael said kissing Brielle.
“I’m counting on it my love.” Brielle thought.
“Watch yourselves out there.” Raphael said shaking Uriel’s hand.
“That goes double for you two munchkin!” Uriel jabbed bumping shoulders.
While Brielle and Raphael boarded the bomber, Michael and Uriel glanced at the ruined elevator then at each other before leaping over the guardrail overlooking the bomb bay. Helmets formed over their heads while falling fifty feet before landing hard on their control chairs, plunging three stories down though the tops of their six story polymorphic spheres nicknamed the Ball Busters, plugging into their BTC Unit’s control centers. Living neural optic cords plugged their M-suits directly into their vessel's neural interface, rerouting the operator’s motor signals enabling the twelve story tall Bio Technological Combat Units to perfectly duplicate human movement.
“The fleet‘s formation’s breaking up Admiral!” Quinn said looking up at the wall screen showing Sovereign ships heavily outnumbering the Nevaehan fleet.
 “What‘s you launch status Alpha?” Brant thought.
“All Novas are ready for launch!” Mariel thought back.
“All infantry is ready for deployment!” Michael thought.
“All bombers ready for launch!” Brielle thought.
“Communications is back up Admiral…” Kimberly reported as the snowy signal covering the image on the main view screen cleared, showing the surrounded fleet in disarray.


“Open a channel to Chief Admiral Naples!” Brant shouted.
Kimberly’s heart sank detecting the wreckage of their sister ship. “Sir… the ‘Three Realms’ has been destroyed. Admiral Kinnley has ordered the fleet to retreat to fall back coordinates.
“Set jump coordinates for the inner Oort cloud.” Brandt ordered.
“Admiral… if we’re ever going to do this we have to do it now!” Quinn advised Brandt as he looked to Martinez for his opinion.
“I concur Admiral. If that Pentacore becomes operational there will be no stopping him…” Martinez added. Brandt looked into the eyes of the remaining bridge crew, seeing the same look of determination.
“Thanks for your recommendations… but when I accepted this mission, I never had any intention of turning back.” Brandt said taking his seat.
"And you're only telling us this now?" Martinez chuckled. "I'd like to be reassigned please."
"Cut our glorious leader a break Marty, he knows if we make it out of this we'll be given our own commands."
"If we make it out of this...? You guys really have to work on those motivational skills of yours." Matthew chuckled.
 “How's this for motivation..? Kim, open the comm. fleet wide… attention all ship Commanders and personnel, I’m taking command of the fleet. Assemble into Burning Spear formation behind the Law and prepare to commence operation deep strike.”
 "Admiral Kinnley is hailing sir."Brandt nodded for Kim to open the channel. The image of Admiral Kinnley's stabbing glare and thin, pursed lips spoke volumes before the utterance of his first words.
 "Brandt, tiers one and two were ambushed while in silent status."
"Now it's a party..." Martinez jabbed.
"If we proceed with the mission we'll be going in alone."
 "You calling off our bet Kin?" Brandt smiled.
"I wouldn't dream of it. You know I love a challenge... but this will be our only shot. If we don't hit the mark it's game over."
"If we retreat and that Pentacore goes operational, we'll have to repeat this whole cycle again... only he'll have the advantage having altered the design."
"In any case I'll see you on the other side my friends." Kinnley smirked. "Good hunting."
“Admiral… reactor output has dropped to 72 per cent…” Martinez advised.
“And the burning spear manoeuvre requires 70 per cent leaving us with barely enough for life support… I know, you have your orders.”
The Nine could feel the pulse of the energy systems increase in rate and strength as the Law began it’s offensive. “Good hunting horsemen!” Nicki shouted as the hanger bay doors opened. To the Archangels, the ability to hear the ultrasonic weapons fire and thunderous, electrostatic explosions circumvent the natural laws of nature was like listening to a symphony the other human branches couldn’t hear.


 Through their PtahGenic connection to Nu, only they could hear the ear-splitting noise of the super dimensional PtahGenic weaponry piercing the eerie vacuum of space. The spears of light blasts streaking back and forth ahead of their exit made their adrenaline rush like a waterfall. Although only the battleships were large enough to power Nova blasts, just knowing the weapons of the Deities were indeed in the hands of unfeeling, space dwelling humans was more than enough reaffirm the urgency of their life long mission.
“Alright Horsemen… give em hell!” Mariel put thrusters to full catapulting her fighter out of the launch bay.  Her sisters followed with an immediate series of twists, turns and close calls as the twenty four Nova star fighters engaged the slower, less manoeuvrable enemy fighters at point blank range. For the Sovereign fighter, fighting the quicker, impossibly maneuverable, heavily armoured Nova star fighters was like a Mako Shark trying to out swim a Sailfish.
The Nova squadron collapsed enemy squadron’s formation in a matter of moments, attracting the attention of the enemy cruisers previously firing on the Nevaehan battleships.
“We got cruisers coming in off the Law’s flank!” Deanna shouted.
“Let’s head em off!” Mariel replied.
“Admiral I’m detecting a massive energy build up on the surface!” Quinn said sending the satellite image of the battle zone from tactical to the main projector, showing a target sign in the form of a familiar energy signature being detected below the surface of the Capitol.
“PtahGen…” Muttered all the siblings sensing the Pentacore reactor powering up. The bridge crew nearly jumped out of their seats hearing the urgency of the PtahGenic weapons detector identifying a target lock. “Admiral, sensors are detecting a massive energy reading coming from the surface! The Pentacore‘s operational!” Martinez reported. “They’re firing!”


  Reacting just in time, Brandt turned the Law of One into the path of the energy blast exploding from the surface, hoping the densified armour would stand up to a glancing impact. But even as the beam of PtahGenic energy destroying a third of the invading fleet merely grazed the Law’s outer hull, the feedback overloaded conduits exploding across the power grid, ripping through the Law’s power distribution network.
Crew members not fortunate enough to be seated with safety harnesses in effected areas were swept by the hurricane winds blasting through the corridors venting out to space before blast doors could close off the series of breaches.
“Brie that last hit damaged the main reactor!” Brandt shouted over the comm. “We‘re not going to last much longer out here!”
“Abandon ship Admiral, we’ll take it from here!” Brielle replied despite the number of enemy ships blockading Earth.
“Negative, we still have weapons, we’ll get you to the run coordinates.” Brandt ordered with pride watching Quinn, Martinez and the bridge crew continued their duties despite the bridge burning all around them.
The Law of One concentrated fire while leading the six remaining battleships ploughed through the enemy fleet’s first blockade line, shielding Red Horse squadron flying a few metres behind. Once clear, the Law of One’s interlocking armoured plating separated, uncovering the bomber squadron while struts anchoring the bombers to the enormous vessel’s hull started to blow.


The enemy fleet converging on the legendary battle fleet launched a final flurry of missiles and energy blasts targeting the anchored bombers. Brielle set thrusters to full power ripping free of the Law then immediately banked escaping the enemy bombardment destroying the entire bomber squadron, leaving the Ball Busters floating helplessly in the debris field.
“Mariners sound off!” Brielle called.
“We’re alright Brie!” Jan shouted as the surviving Archangels blew the shells of their Ball Busters, unleashing their jet powered, armoured exoskeletons. Like the heroes of old they engaged the incoming enemy vessels heavily outnumbering them. “… continue the mission, we’ll hold them here as long as we can!”
“Damn it.” With Brielle’s cruiser being the only one to survive, the Nine knew there was now no margin for error. There would be no backup if they were to fall, no second chances if they failed. “Red, Yellow and Blue squadrons form up on me!” Brielle said commanding the twenty-four Nova star fighters lead by her sisters into diamond shaped defensive formation, leaving behind the surviving BTC Units holding the enemy fighters advance.
The Nova squadron escorted the shrouded bomber through the ongoing space battle towards the war torn planet. The fighters encircling the Nova cruiser had the edge of full PtahGenic technology, the neural interface designed exclusively for Nu human physiology enhanced their ability to think and act with one mind. The enemy fighters were hard pressed to match the squadron navigating the hot zone like a flock of sparrows preparing for the journey south.
“We’re almost in position ladies, clear us a path!” Brielle said as the second line of enemy drone fighters and battle cruisers opened fire hoping to strike the invisible bomber.


“Take it to ‘em Horsemen!” Nicki shouted. The squadron of Nova fighters aggressively broke formation drawing out the enemy ships from the last line blockading Earth. The near invisible Nova cruiser sliced through the remaining ships like a sword, passing the last line a thief in the night. Several drones followed, shooting blindly in hopes of revealing the invisible bomber to the final line of orbital defence. The gigantic, heptagon shaped weapons platforms began indiscriminately blanketing the approach area with ion blasts, destroying their own fighters in the attempt to zero in on the veiled bomber with glancing hits. The alarms blared as the last impact damaged the bomber’s shroud.
“Brie the shroud’s offline! We’re visible!” Raphael reported.
“We’ve already past PNR Raph, divert power to the deflectors… I‘ll try my best to get us there in one piece!” Brielle said as an indirect hit rattled the bomber.
“The deflector’s off line! I‘m increasing armour densification but I don‘t know how long it‘ll hold against those platforms!”
“Hang on to your helmets knights! The final leg‘s going to be a bit rough!” Brielle said proceeding to twist, turn and jump around the incoming fire exploding ever closer. Brielle reacted to a grazing hit on the Nova’s nose as though stuck in her face. She wiped the blood trickling from her nose and shook the pain from her head as she tried to pull the quadrupled image of the platform together. “Da-Heti, if you’re not to busy… we could use some help!”
The Nova squadron broke off their engagement sensing a powerful upsurge of power from the opposite side of the hot zone. An enormous bolt of lightening burned through the center of the combat zone, vaporizing the all but the Nova fighters and BTC Units, striking the weapons platform directly in the bomber’s path.

The siblings felt tremendous relief seeing internal explosions blow the platform to bits with the Castellan, an elegant, thirteen story armoured exo skeleton erupting through the top of the fireball, rising like a winged Tokugawa Samurai.
“Are you guys okay?” Da-Heti asked.
“The deflector’s down but we’re alright! Just watch our backs, we’re going in hot!” Brielle said approaching the northern porthole.
“Alright Novas… let’s light them up!” Da-Heti commanded. The Castellan’s wings expanded, jet thrusters glowing white on it’s back exploded, firing the powerful armoured giant like a bullet, penetrating the hull of the vessel leading the incoming enemy fleet. The Nova fighters hooked on to the BTC Units like winged jet-packs and followed the Castellan inside, unleashing hell while blazing through the ship’s massive interior. The series of internal explosions following the squadron’s eruption out of the opposite end consumed the enemy’s flagship giving the Sovereign fleet pause.
The white central sun of earth’s interior broke through dark clouds smothering the horizon, illuminating several monolithic stone statues. The imposing Tamoanchan figures standing atop the Thirteen Mountains, overlooking Nevaeh City, the capitol city of inner Earth was more than enough to encourage the army approaching the legendary city of the Deities occupied by the Akhromas, the gray skinned human invaders from outer earth. Brielle and Raphael's hearts sank seeing the once endless forest and fields surrounding the futuristic island metropolis had been transformed into a dying wasteland. Enormous flags representing the 12 Divisions linked the seemingly endless front line of a vast land army approaching the massive defensive line of BMC units barricading the Capitol’s colossal fortified wall.


Behind the wall, a large Ziggurat adorned with representations of the zodiac house of Cancer crowned the Citadel, a gargantuan central tower looming ominously over the glass and steel of the mega city. Peals of thunder and violent flashes of lightening seemed to intensify in response to the war cry of a million shouting voices demanding the city's surrender.
Aaron, Brielle’s father and the former head of Special Projects stood chained in front of a wide opening on the Ziggurat's top tier staring with awe and dismay. “Like dawn spreading across the mountains, a large and mighty army comes such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come...”
From Reactor Control deep beneath the Citadel, Seth, the corrupt High Priest and self proclaimed regional ruler activated the city's defenses. He glared at the image of hundreds of warriors charging the defensive line feeling rather confident while routing power from the Pentacore reactor to the ten towers posted along the great wall, emitting sounds like a thousand deep voices trembling in the space between atoms throughout the solar system. “Let them come…”

R.I.P. QUE (Q)

Nearly twenty years ago, a friend of mine invited me over to pick a kitten from the litter her cat had

the litter of silver-grey tabbies was the cutest thing,

it would be more than a dozen years before my ancestral journey would reveal I had an Egyptian Mau 

as we sat down and talked a female snuggled against my thigh while her siblings vied for attention

all but the scrappy little runt with the white paws scurrying and darting about the floor, pouncing at our feet

when asked which I wanted, I said the little one with no interest but playing

the one who has not stopped moving for even an instant

the one with the white paws being her favorite, she picked him up asking about the girl snuggling against me

while she was sweet as a button, it was the scrappy little one with the white paws

squirming and playfully biting my friend to be put down 

when I picked him up he settled some, like putty in my hands

seeing how happy I was, she agreed although parting with sweet sorrow

she asked what I was going to name him 

I told her I'll wait till it comes to me

his head darted about, seeing the room from a different vantage point

eyes shifting, ears turning while I carried him to the car outside

his head tilted up seeing the big blue sky for the first time

I realized I needed to stop to pick up a few things for my new friend

but as he didn't sit still the whole car ride I decided to drop him off first

I introduced him to his new home, watched him explore his new digs with curious fascination 

turned on the TV, turned the channel to Star Trek, and left

got cat food and cat bowls, cat litter, and cat box

decided to put off till tomorrow what I planned to do today

in an excited rush to get home to my new friend

once I got in the side door I smelled burning

followed the smell down the stairs to my apartment opened the door finding a tornado had torn through my room

maybe I should call him a tornado I thought following the path of destruction to the knocked-over lamp

up on my dresser without a shade, the naked bulb had landed on a stack of blank paper

burned a black patch the size of a ping pong ball through sheet after sheet halfway down to the stack's bottom

ready to flare up, making me glad I came straight home

I found my new friend sitting on my Enterprise D toy, watching Star Trek no less

an episode featuring Q, the Enterprise crew's greatest nemesis 

it came to me clear as day, 

I'll name you... Q

on his veterinary file, it was misspelled, Que

a file of nearly twenty years of checkups, shots, getting snipped but keeping his claws

being the scrappiest of the litter he never required much affection, preferring play fighting instead

some might say it was just a cat, not a child or friend 

nearly twenty years Que was with me, making me roll on the floor laughing at his comedic antics

comforting me when loved ones passed

infuriating me with his rebellious behavior

cleaning up fur balls and sick, nearly twenty years of scooping and cleaning his litter box

of feedings, watering, cleaning his bowls, sweeping the floor around his food bowl so as not to attract ants

of being there for the highs and lows, 

of being an energetic cat never requiring much affection

nearly twenty years of being so playful he learned to play fetch with a ball

a cat that loved the outdoors and was content exploring the boundaries of the property  

while I attended never more than a few feet away

a cat disciplined enough to obey and follow when it was time to go inside, 

nearly twenty years of never taking the chance of leaving him outside unsupervised in a suburban world filled with dangers natural and not

in nearly twenty years only going missing two or three times when sneaking through a gap in the fence when out of my sight for but a moment

he was there for breakups and new beginnings, he was around to meet my love

my love who was allergic to and didn't like cats, grew to love him the same as I

once warning us when the cigarette butt from the ashtray dumped in the kitchen garbage was about to flare

a friend that always helped capture or kill spiders and centipedes

a friend who had to adapt when we brought home a kitten left locked out of an uncaring friend's home

left to fend for itself while they took the dogs and went out of town for the weekend during the New Year

in the middle of winter

our fat orange ball of hair Minkya

he taught a cat raised with dogs how to be a cat 

had relations when she was in heat despite being snipped

comforted her each time she would freak out after being sick

ran around the apartment together, fought, and cared for one another

seemed concerned the week she was quiet and unlike herself

gave her space when she sought human comfort when we didn't see the signs she was not well

he followed her around as she walked aimlessly suddenly struggling in what were her last breaths

I left her struggling and shot outside to start my car wanting to warm the engine on that cold winter's night 

I raced inside with the step-by-step plan to get her to the vet, let the car warm while digging out the carrier 

he stood beside her as she lay dead upon my speedy return inside too late

he shared our mourning the loss of our Minkya, rescued 5 years to the day

proving indoor cats live much longer than those allowed outdoors unsupervised

he was sad for a long while, no longer played by himself

became needy, constantly craving the affection that comforted him during his time of mourning

refused to come out from his spot under the bed when checked on by family while a week on vacation

becoming even more needy upon my return

taking long to adapt to the addition of our dog Lola

no longer having the energy to keep up with our spirited young pup

eventually growing accustomed enough to her to sleep again in his regular low spots

I worried every day about what to do with him during our upcoming destination

Lola is a two-year-old bichon poodle that will adapt more easily to temporary surroundings 

Que was the nearly twenty-year-old cat that clung to me after I got home from work

Que was much more than just a cat

it's scientifically proven we experience increased activity along a broad network of neurons

feeling the pervasive impact a loss of any kind can have

it's a process that doesn't distinguish between the loss of human and animal 

he was there when I received word my best friend Marlon died nearly twenty years ago

a member of the family that could never talk but always listened

I had things to do with my mom, planned to take him to the vet after, 

it was my mother and her common sense who advised to do it now

he was weighed and checked, with her stethoscope she listened to what his body could only tell her

what he couldn't tell me

when the vet advised putting him down, I had to ask three times what she meant

despite understanding through her heavy East Asian accent

I thought back on the three times I took him in this last year alone

because he was throwing up his food and becoming dehydrated

three times the shot and medicine prolonged the inevitable

then I thought about how he looked, despondent, confused... barely able to stand

this time no appetite, no interest in water

how I used a plastic syringe to force him to drink then gave him coconut oil, his favorite treat

for a bit, he seemed fine, until the familiar caterwaul that signaled the onset of getting sick 

I called her back, canceling the blood test

all it was going to do is confirm the inevitable

in the meantime, he could be suffering, and I could not abide

for nearly twenty years he was well loved, fawned over by every visitor

lived a happy life of play and comfort, never wanting for much

I spent private time while waiting for my love to arrive, allowed Suzanne a few minutes with our final time

until no longer able to draw out the inevitable

the first injection was an anesthetic to dull his eyes and numb his body

the floodgates opened as he drifted into waking slumber

the second needle took him from me, closing an important chapter in my life 

I raised him from a kitten, trained and taught him well

for nearly twenty years he was my best friend

R.I.P. Que

Lost: A Puzzle Boxed In A Mystery...

LOST

From the very first episode, Lost is exactly what I was. To me it was a Puzzle Boxed In A Mystery, wrapped in an Enigma, hidden in a secret room, in a house on the corner of Question Mark Lane and Haven't A Clue Circle in the city of Timbuk3. In truth, as a writer at that time working on a screenplay, I really hadn't the time nor the inclination to engage in any of the hundred new shows that are released year after year (to which my fiance had excited initial interest in 75% of them, Sci Fi or not)

As stated in previous posts on Sci Fi TV, I rarely get on board with new shows earlier than the second season, partially to give all involved the time to work out all the details with characters, story and the magic that keeps viewers coming back week after week, although mainly, I don't want to waste time investing in a series that won't see beyond season three to the comfortable (and fair) season seven (I am of the opinion shows should at least have seven seasons before a solid wrap up, but it seems these days, TV can't even do that right (as a matter of fact, that will be my next post)

Lost did manage six seasons without being moved to the Friday night death slot (although the routinely scheduled disruptions of the regular schedule left many wondering if our beloved show was being prepped for cancellation due to low viewership) it weathered Presidential addresses, playoff games, reality TV season finales, premiers of new shows, and lengthy between season hiatuses, but in the end they managed to reach the end.

                                                             *SPOILER ALERT*
IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST EPISODE, YOU SHOULD STOP HERE... SPOILERS


CHARACTERS













Coupled with the cost of filming primarily on location in Oahu, Hawaii, the enormity of the cast made Lost the most expensive series on television. The size of the cast is also why I'm not going to be discussing them much at all, at this point I'm not inclined to do multiple parts of this post and I've been trying to make my posts smaller, so we'll discuss the show' mythology and interpretations.

MYTHOLOGIES

 At a time when interest in African History had been rekindled by the Internet and advanced through social media, the inclusion of the Egyptian goddess Tawaret was a no brainer. Like Transformers 2's use of the Pyramids to expand their demographic, Lost takes it's place among the many shows doing the same since the start of the 21st Century

In a Lost Podcast, it was revealed the Egyptians on the Island built the statue sometime well before 1867, leaving behind many other signs of their culture on the island, including hieroglyphs and other structures. Considering the end of the show and the fact that all who had ended up on the island were actually dead, or spirits or physical beings existing on another dimensional plane, the use of the crocodile headed Tawaret, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility was very appropriate.

The name "Taweret" means, "she who is great" or simply, "great one". She is the wife of Apep, the serpent god and deification of darkness and chaos, and although the ancient Egyptians essentially treated Taweret as a benevolent figure, She has been linked with the fierce, soul devouring goddess Ammit.

Taweret became seen, very early in Egyptian history, as a deity of protection in pregnancy and childbirth. As a protector, she often was shown with one arm resting on the sa (symbol of protection) and on occasion she carried an ankh (the symbol of life)

Episodes of Lost included a number of mysterious elements ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena, using these elements to compose the mythology of the series forming the basis of widely demographic fan speculation.

Among the show's mythological elements are included a killer smoke "Monster" that roams the island, a mysterious group of inhabitants the survivors called "The Others," a scientific organisation called the Dharma Initiative that placed several research stations on the island, a sequence of numbers that frequently appears in the lives of the characters in the past, present and future, and a kind of synchronicity between the characters they are often unaware of.

The heart of the series is it's complex and cryptic storyline, which spawned numerous questions and discussions among viewers. Encouraged by Lost's writers and stars, who often interacted with fans on line, viewers and TV critics alike took to theorizing in an attempt to unravel it's mysteries.

Theories mainly concerned the nature of the island, the origins of the "Monster" and the "Others," the meaning of the numbers, and the reasons for both the crash and the survival of some passengers. Several of the more common fan theories were discussed and rejected by the show's creators, the most common being that the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are dead and in purgatory, lol. (*note, I would like to say I understand wanting to keep the truth about the show from the audience till the end, but a lie is still a lie, and that's why many felt ripped off with the explanation that, oh everyone on the island is already dead)

Lindelof rejected speculation that spaceships or aliens influenced the events on the island, or that everything seen was a fictional reality taking place in someone's mind. Carlton Cuse dismissed the theory that the island was a reality TV show and the castaways unwitting housemates.

Lindelof many times refuted the theory that the "Monster" was a nanobot cloud similar to the one featured in Michael Crichton's novel Prey (which happened to share the protagonist's name, Jack) I wonder why?
   

 Perhaps the fact that from inside the black smoke face to face with Echo looked like what appeared to be some kind of "light based" circuitry performing analysis on Echo... (sorry, couldn't find the exact image but take my word for it) why would fans assume nano tech? LOL.

Throughout the consistent elements representing duality (ie. the colours of black and white symbolic of good and evil) The show touched on youth in revolt/rebellion, power struggles among the assumed leadership, morality from a certain point of view (Ben Linus remarked on his position that he and the others despite their nefarious actions are actually the "good guys") retribution, and resolving past issues all made Lost a great show. Again, I didn't get into the show until the end of the first season, mostly because what little I did see in earlier shows that my fiance was watching (I was too busy tweeking my screenplay) left me with the annoyed feeling Lost was a Puzzle Boxed In Mystery.

Being Fit In The 21st Century

Being Fit In The 21st Century

What does it mean to be fit in the 21st Century? To me it doesn't mean looking like the pros we see on the cover of fitness magazines, it means looking healthy and feeling good. As consumers in the 21st Century, companies realize we are much more sophisticated in as far as what it is we want, how we spend our money (especially since 2009) and perhaps most importantly in what we know or what we can learn about.

MEDIA

Yes, with everything from health segments in the daily/nightly news, the expansion of fitness clubs, cooking shows, diet and fitness magazines which often provide recipes for healthy alternatives, and of course social media and the PC and Internet, we are much more savvy when it comes to the human body and it's nutritional requirements.

What's more important, is the fact that physical exorcise as part of a healthy diet is just sensible these days. We don't have the excuse "we didn't know better" because living in the information age... we should.

REALISTIC                                                         VS.                                  UNREALISTIC

Setting goals is key when doing anything, but when it comes to fitness, too many people seek to attain that which is unattainable.

We don't take into account the fact that people in the fitness industry are not only professionals, but that fitness and body sculpting is their life as well as their livelihood. Which means a significant portion of their daily routine is dedicated to training in excess, the chief requirement of body builders.



BODY IMAGE

Okay, so you see celebrities with sculpted bodies in movies, TV and print ads and figure that's what you want, but again, most don't take into account the dedication required, or the fact most celebrities don't look that way year round. In fact, most hit the gym (personal) with a professional trainer when hired for a role and more often than not the dedication to excessive training is left behind at the wrap parties.

Unless your name happens to be Arnold, Sylvester, or Dwayne, and a statuesque physique is your bread and butter (or unless you have the time to dedicate to excessive exorcise) you don't need to look like them.

While stars like Ed Norton (American History X), Christian Bale (Batman,The Machinist) Matthew Mcconaughey (Ring of Fire,The Dallas Buyers Club) and Curtis James Jackson A.K.A. 50 cent (Things Fall Apart) have demonstrated the uncanny ability to modify their look for a specific role, there are a few like Jamie Fox, Brad Pitt and Will Smith who appear to have made fitness a lifestyle. But again, take into account a more flexible schedule (not 9-5 year round) financial abundance allowing for personal training and years of dedication (for when they're ready to return to their normal look, and believe me, once you've become accustomed to having a certain look, anything less is hard to live with)

Problem is, we're denizens of a microwave dinner society. We seemed to have lost the very thing that brought this civilization into the 21st Century... patience. Meaning we want everything faster. Cars, Internet download speed, smart phone download speed, we want what we want now... and with the level of body shaping dreamt of, that's just not possible (and remember, we're not being paid exorbitant amounts of money to do so) we're doing it for something much more noble... happiness and personal satisfaction.

HISTORY OF PHYSICAL EXERTION

The great thing is the human body was actually designed for physical activity. It really wasn't that long ago the majority of human beings walked to our destinations, hunted for our food, ran from becoming food, and warred hand to hand for protection and conquest. What happened...? The 20th century. To balance the heavy labour requirements of the Industrial Revolution, a culture of comfort was created.

With TV being the platform used to deliver product advertising, most bought into the idea of luxurious living made for the common man and keeping up with the Joneses, and over the decades we've seen the emergence of the couch potato, the office desk worker, the driver, coupled with the global expansion of the Fast Food Industry. The scales were heavily tipped in favour of little to no exorcise, and as our work becomes less physically laborious in favour of a more cerebral work culture, the need for physical activity will only increase. Office workers and drivers generally seem to notice mobility issues that stem from sitting at a desk 40 hours a week, and while some companies actually implement some form of physical activity for their employees, I'm of the opinion it just doesn't go far enough. Why? Simple... technology makes us lazy, and that laziness is becoming a culture in itself... starting with today's youth.

GADGETS AND YOUTH

Now don't mistake this section as a condemnation of modern technology, it is here to highlight what I feel is part of the problem with our youth today. Too many gadgets equals less inclination to leave the bedroom much less go outside.

20 plus years ago, I used to skateboard... less than five years ago, my step daughter was skateboarding in her bedroom, on a faux skateboard hooked in to her play station while a digital representation of her performed tricks and skated the course... need I say more? Okay, how about the fact the hours upon hours children used to spend playing outside are now spent in front of a TV playing video games.

Like many things that have become important to our culture, education about healthy diet and exorcise has to begin at a young enough age as to make it second nature to the generation of the future.

INSPIRATION

I can't stress more how important having inspiration for weight loss or fitness goals is than the left picture. Body sculpting is a slow process especially if you're just starting out with little or no experience. The flip side of that coin is muscle memory. Regardless of how long a break you take from even the most novice weight training, your muscles will always remember being in prime condition and actually works to stay that way, but you have to get to a certain point for that benefit... you have to take action.

Grab inspiration from anywhere you can find it (when I first began weight training in my late teens back in the late 80s, my inspiration was... Arnold Schwarzenegger (I had this exact picture from his competition days on my wall) did I for a moment dream of attaining what he had...? Of course not, he was a professional body builder turned action hero star.

It did provide the inspiration to work to look and feel better than I ever could have before fitness became a lifestyle, and 20 plus years later, I still work out, not anywhere near what I used to (3-4 hour sessions 3 times a week) and being experienced I know exactly how to target the muscles I want to grow, and with muscle memory, I can break for the winter (3-4 months) hit the gym in the spring and regain what I lost by early summer.

PLAIN TRUTH

Good enough. No two words are more important to understand with health and fitness training. Too many reach for that unattainable brass ring, then the few that do (non professionals that is) end up allowing it to become an obsession. The rule should be, if you feel good, then that's good enough. If changes in lifestyle provide you with more energy, good enough.

If you're no longer gasping for air when you do something as simple as climb a few stairs, good enough. If you can play with your kids and not feel pain or stiffness afterwards, that's good enough. If you can finally fit into clothing you haven't been able to in a decade or two, that's certainly good enough.

Although I am long past the days of 9-12 hours per week workouts in order to maintain 155 pounds of solid muscle, 8% body fat on a 5'5" body, I have been feeling the urge to mass load again, mostly due to two forms of inspiration, Dwayne Johnson "the Rock" who is two years younger than me and the biggest he's ever been (even as a pro wrestler...)

I've been hearing so much (too often in fact) about how much muscle mass we loose the older we get, and I didn't start to have doubts about my plan to be a healthy golden ager... but then I found my second inspiration...




... and proof I can (and will) be working out into my golden years. If the senior in the picture below left can look like that at 74 years old, what possible excuse do I have? What excuse do you have?

Maybe that's a special case?

A one in a million shot finding a picture of a one senior in a million .

Well, 74 year old Ernestine Shepard may say otherwise. So may 74-year-old Tsutomu Tosuka and Bob Delmonteque, who happened to be 84 at the time the bottom right picture was taken.

Okay, so perhaps you'll use the excuse that they are muscle heads and you don't like weight training. Is it possible to be fit without using weights? Ask the Australian aboriginal males, ripped and muscular without the use of a gym, calorie counting, or fat-burning supplements.

How then? Simple... they are contemporary hunter-gatherers. The way of life replaced by the machine of progress is what keeps them healthy. Now am I asking Westerners to cast off civilization as we know it in order to get healthy? Of course not. But living in the 21st Century, I'm certain we could come up with a world of alternatives.