u/AstroRide

This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.

Henrietta City Hall served as a symbol of resilience, unity, and order. The building itself stood at its current location for six years. The previous structure was destroyed by a moose with a bomb strapped to it. The motivation for the moose’s attack remains unclear. The new building had to be renovated multiple times due to various accidents. The entire east wing needed to be replaced after someone used a microwave to heat up fish. In spite of these setbacks, city hall remained present in the city. It reminded its citizenry that life can always be rebuilt no matter how extensive the damage.

Everyone in Henrietta hated the byzantine bureaucracy and ridiculous rules that occurred when they entered city hall. They often believed that city employees made up rules to avoid doing their job. Most of the time, they were correct. As a rite of passage, the populace made rude gestures at the abode as they left. It didn’t qualify as a Henrietta tradition, more a triviality. They didn’t believe there was rhyme or reason to the workings of government, and they left repeating the mantra, “I could do better.” None dared try, but it encouraged them to behave in a proper fashion briefly to prove themselves.

When Dr. Kovac’s house rocket crashed into city hall, the reaction was mostly annoyance about the volume of dust it created, especially among people who cleaned that day. Some were concerned about potential casualties and injuries from the crash, but most ignored it. Violent deaths were part and parcel of living in a wasteland. The people who headed towards the site were more concerned about the driver of the rocket than any bystander. Mary arrived first, and she pointed her gun at the wreckage and fired aimlessly into the dust. Dungan rushed behind and tackled her. Her companion, Dorothy, gave her a startled look.

“What is wrong with you? People are injured in there,” Dungan said.

“That monster survived the crash. I know it,” Mary said.

“He is quite scatterbrained. I wouldn’t put it past him to not put any safety features in his rocket,” Dorothy said.

“I feel his breathing deep in my soul. He is having labored breaths, but they are still present. Beads of sweat drop from his forehead onto the ground. If I leave him, maybe he’ll drown in it, but that wouldn’t be right. He needs to die from my hand. The last breath he takes should be with my hands wrapped around his throat. His body shouldn’t have a drop of blood remaining. When he is dead, I’ll burn his corpse. I’ll make sure he is remembered as the stain that he is,” Mary said. Dungan got off the woman and backed away. Dorothy looked around for her son. A part of her knew that she made the wrong choice, but she wanted someone else to correct that issue.

Franklin arrived a few seconds later. Mary turned and pointed her gun at him. He held up his hands and slowed down. Everyone’s vision was obscured. In theory, he could attack her with only being wounded. He knew there was a potential for innocents to be injured, and he didn’t want to be reckless against a determined opponent.

“Why do you want to save him? Do you know the evil that he has unleashed onto this world?” Mary asked. Dungan, Franklin, and Dorothy looked at each other.

“He is annoying, but I don’t know about evil,” Dorothy said.

“I think he’s nice,” Franklin shrugged.

“I just wish his inventions worked,” Dungan said.

“The man is a monster and a charlatan. When I was a little girl, he came to my town.” That sentence caused her opponents to slouch and roll their eyes. “He promised that his work would never hurt us, and he said it might help us occasionally. It was a simple farming community where everyone knew everyone else. We knew the grocer, the mailman, and the teacher. We knew their trials, their triumphs, and their feuds. On Thursday’s, we set aside all differences and played bingo.” Dungan held up his finger to tell her to get on with it, but the gun in her hand held him in place. “My family was farmers. We had a horse drawn tractor because we never got the motor to work. He fixed it for us. He gave it an autopilot feature so we could focus on other tasks. It was supposed to make our lives easier. But it was all a lie. One day, I was playing with dolls in the field. The tractor came for me. It beeped loudly. I leapt out of the way, but it destroyed my dolls.” Tears fell from Mary’s eyes. “That was the start of it.”

“Wait, you want your revenge because you lost your dolls. How long ago was this?” Dungan asked.

“Twenty years,” she replied.

“Twenty years! What the. That’s nothing.” Dorothy grabbed her hair. “I can’t believe I joined you. Get over it.”

“That was what my parents told me.” Mary began to laugh without restraint. Her whole body moved with her cackles.

“And are they still alive?” Dungan asked.

“Yes, but I was sure to hurt them when I left,” Mary said. A cough interrupted this conversation. Dr. Kovac stumbled out of the wreckage. His clothes were dirty, but he was uninjured. Mary smiled and fired at him. The bullets hit an invisible wall and fell to the ground.

“A force field.” Mary put the gun down in frustration.

“It saved me from having to design safety features,” Dr. Kovac shrugged.

“That was expected,” Dorothy said.

“How do you power it?” Dungan asked.

“Batteries,” Dr. Kovac said. Everyone stared at him. “They are big batteries, and it only lasts ten minutes. “I will wait to kill you.” Mary held up the gun.

“There you are.” A small alien stumbled out of the dirt. “I thought today was going to be a good day. I had no meetings, no conferences, and no duties. I’d be able to sit at my desk and relax but no. First, a rocket lands on city hall. It’s going to take forever to clean up the dust especially since most of my staff will be out sick. Then, I have to rebuild which will take so many contractors, and the bidding process is so stupid. To top it off, some idiot fired a gun into the wreckage. Who does that?” Crut got closer to Mary. Mary tried to scare him, but he was too angry to care. “I’ll tell you. A giant idiot.” Crut leapt into the air on Mary’s face. Crut and Dungan’s species had an aggressive form from their days when life on their planet was a constant struggle. Tentacles tipped with claws emerged from their body. A large mouth appeared in their torsos. A loud scream filled the air. Mary fired her gun at the creature, but Crut’s tentacles swatted away the bullets. Mary realized then that she didn’t stand a chance.

Jacob walked to the scene panting. He leaned on Franklin. Franklin wrapped an arm around Jacob.

“Is she still trying to kill Dr. Kovac?” Jacob asked.

“She won’t be a problem now,” Franklin said.

“Why?” Jacob saw the carnage unfolding before him. His eyes widened. “Oh, I guess that takes care of it.”

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r/AstroRideWrites

This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.

Dr. Kovac reached his house in ten minutes. It would take the average person seven minutes to run there. He knew the speed of the vehicle needed improvement, but that was a task for a later time. At the moment, his most pressing concern was the woman who was following close behind him. Dr. Kovac exited the vehicle as fast as he could. His labcoat got caught in the door slowing him down. Sasha sat on her porch watching the scene with an amused look.

“A lady was looking for you earlier,” she said.

“I know.” Dr. Kovac got his coat out of the car and walked into his house. The walls of the house split as metal wings jutted out of them. The end of each wing was tipped with a small rocket. A nozzle pierced through the top of the house. The wood and brick panels were shed revealing a metallic interior. The windows were covered by metal panels.

“Thirty. Twenty-nine” A computerized voice announced. The voice stopped for a few moments. “Five. Four. Three.Two. One”

The ground beneath Sasha’s feet shook, and the air became hotter. A burst of flame lifted the house from the ground. The sound broke all the windows in Henrietta. Except for Howard, Howard swore there was a reason for applying honey to his windows every day. Turns out he was right. Sasha and the rest of his immediate neighbors should’ve been killed by the shockwave alone, but physics followed different rules in Henrietta.

Sasha watched the scene play out with the disinterest acquired from his bizarre behavior being normalized to her. Instead, she laid back and tried to nap. “How dramatic.”

Mary and Dorothy arrived two minutes later. Mary stared at the foundation of the house. A tear fell down her face as her teeth clench. She unleashed a scream that terrified the nearby birds.

“Where did he go?” she asked.

“His house turned into a rocket and flew away,” Sasha said.

“He asked me if I wanted to go to space with him on it. I told him to go to orbit and stay there,” Dorothy said.

“He could be anywhere,” Mary muttered.

“Not really, he never programmed a steering mechanism. It can only go up and down. I believe his words were, ‘The wind will determine my lateral movement,’” Dorothy said. Franklin and Jacob arrived at the scene. Jacob panted and crawled over to Sasha’s front porch to collapse. His shirt was covered in sweat.

“I didn’t say that you can lay there,” Sasha said. Jacob waved a hand at her.

“Please don’t kill Dr. Kovac. Revenge never helped anyone,” Franklin said. Mary responded by tossing bolas at him. Franklin couldn’t react quick enough and knocked over. Mary produced a knife and leapt on his body. Franklin squirmed and held up his arms to keep her from stabbing him. Dorothy walked over to Sasha and Jacob.

“So who wants to make a bet on the eventual winner,” Dorothy said.

“Twenty bucks on her. She’s got the eyes of a killer,” Sasha replied.

“I wanted to bet on her.” She looked at Jacob. “Are you willing to make a big bet on your boyfriend to even it out?”

“I am not making that bet,” Jacob said.

A small car drove to the scene, and Dungan stepped out on the driver’s side. He considered breaking up the fight, but he decided against it. When he saw Dorothy and Jacob, he went to them instead.

“I’ve gotten reports of property damage and houses turning into rockets. I told her to keep her revenge quest clean,” Dungan said.

“Sorry, revenge is always messy,” Dorothy shrugged.

“Can you at least stop her? Disorder technically falls under your department,” Dungan said.

“Nah, we are divided. I am helping her. Franklin is against her,” Dorothy replied. Dungan looked at Jacob.

“And you are useless I am assuming,” Dungan said. Jacob held up a finger to contest the assessment, but he was too tired to properly defend himself. “Couldn’t you at least be on the same side?”

“That’d be boring,” Dorothy said.

The house appeared in the sky stopping the conflict. It fell at an impressive rate for an object with poor aerodynamics. Mary and Franklin stopped their quarrel to observe its descent. It moved past its former foundations. Dungan’s face dropped when he realized its target. The house collided with city hall creating a large explosion. Dust filled the city and hovered in the air.

“So you’ve returned.” Mary began running towards the crash. Dungan returned to his car. Dorothy sighed and started walking. Franklin was still tied on the ground.

“I’ll free you soon,” Jacob coughed.

“It’s okay.” Franklin pushed himself off. “Give yourself a break.” He hopped towards the stop. Jacob lied down and breathed deeply until he felt a kick on his ribs.

“I told you to get off my porch,” Sasha said.

“In a minute,” Jacob replied.

---

r/AstroRideWrites

This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.

Dr. Kovac hated cars. He hated that the loud and inefficient vehicles stole the roads from pedestrians. Cars were the least efficient way to move people around, but their owners loved them so much that they prevented more efficient modes of public transportation from being implemented. At least, that was what he had read in a book.

When the world became a gigantic mess, all forms of transportation devolved to the point where anything beyond a simple cart was considered divine. Cars without adequate security systems became public because all the neighbors would use it as they please unless someone slept at the steering wheel. Even then, people were tossed mid-journey by a larger foe. Busses became homes for families, and they had their engines removed to prevent stealing. Trains were in a similar situation except more spacious therefore more desired. Any form of transportation engineering was largely confined to ensuring the old devices still worked. The masters were held in high regard and were compensated for their skills. Dr. Kovac was not one of these people in spite of his scientific acumen.

Yet that was not the true reason for his hatred of the automobile. When he was three, he enjoyed drawing pictures of machines and concepts. It was the first sign of his brilliance. He took one of those pictures to his father and declared it to be a car. His father rubbed his son’s head and laughed.

“A car has four wheels not six, but you did your best,” he said. Those words stuck with Dr. Kovac. He denied it, but they were lodged deep into his brain. It was the last time that he had ever been treated with such condescension. Since that moment, it was his mission to improve the vehicle.

“What do you think?” Dr. Kovac asked. The new car was designed into three segments connected by rubber tubes. Each segment had its own pair of wheels. As it turned, the rubber expanded allowing it to make sharper turns, and it could do perfect circles if a teenager stole it to make donuts. There were six seats although the segments were so short that passengers had to rest their feet on the connectors which made for an unpleasant ride. Dr. Kovac didn’t build any form of storage. Goods needed to be tied to the roof until he created an attachment for the vehicle. Both options severely inhibited maneuverability of the vehicle which was cause for further modifications.

Jacob, Dorothy, and Franklin stood on the side watching this demonstration. Dorothy and Franklin had rudimentary mechanical skills while Jacob possessed none. All were bored and wanted an excuse to break the monotony of their daily lives.

“I think it’s cool,” Franklin smiled.

“Is that wheel supposed to shake like that?” Jacob pointed at the back right wheel which appeared to be trying to escape the monstrosity of a vehicle.

“It won’t replace my truck,” Dorothy said. “I appreciate all the feedback. Especially yours Dorothy,” Dr. Kovak smiled, “To answer your question Jacob, I’ll be fine.”

“There you are.” Mary stomped into the garage. She pulled out a gun to shoot him. Dr. Kovak screamed and drove away. The vehicle was quick for a prototype, and he left before a bullet hit him. Instead, they broke a window across the street. That was the third time that happened this month to the owner’s chagrin.

Jacob crouched into a ball to avoid Mary’s attack. It was an ineffective tactic that never worked, but it was all Jacob had. Dorothy’s face twisted into a slight smile at the thought of combat. Franklin leapt into the air. His mind was divided between protecting Jacob and disarming Mary. His thoughts slowed as he contemplated the benefits and risks of each. When he began to descend, he realized that he hadn’t decided and landed on his stomach. He pushed himself up and ran at Mary. Jacob’s ball form will protect him.

Mary turned and pointed her gun at Franklin. Franklin moved his arm forward and opened his hand. Everyone assumed dust would fly out, but he carried nothing. The expectation was enough to cause every enemy to flinch. Mary obeyed this rule, and Franklin went low. He wrapped his arms around her torso and lifted her in the air. He brought her crashing down on her back. The gun left her hand. Franklin used his weight to move her away from it.

Mary began struggling and struck at him several times to escape, but Franklin had taken quite a few beatings. Jacob told him he should see a doctor about his high pain tolerance, but Franklin ignored him. Franklin tried to pin Mary. She spat in his eyes causing him to blink. Mary used this as an opportunity to reach into her pocket and pull out a taser. She shoved it to the side of Franklin. Unfortunately, he was not immune to electricity. The shock disoriented him, and Mary kicked him off.

They both stood prepared to continue their battle. Franklin moved to tackle her, but Mary slipped past him and shocked him again. Franklin fell to the floor. Mary produced a knife and brought it down on him. Franklin grabbed her arm before it pierced his flesh. The two were locked in a struggle over the knife until Mary was kicked off by Dorothy.

“Alright, I am ready now,” she said. Mary ran up and tased Dorothy who didn’t react. “Is that all you got?” Dorothy grabbed the device and crushed it with one hand. Mary’s eyes widened as this display of strength.

“Let me escape. I have no quarrels with you,” Mary said.

“Sure, and we are just caught in the crossfire.” Franklin stood up.

“You attacked me first,” Mary said.

“That is true,” Jacob added. “Why’d you start shooting then?” Dorothy asked.

“Becasue Mark Kovac wronged me, and I will have my revenge,” Mary said. Dorothy let go.

“Alright, that sounds fun. Can I join?” Dorothy asked.

“I envisioned my quest as being done in solitude, but you impressed me with your skills. You may come,” Mary said. The two women walked out of the garage. Franklin ran to Jacob.

“Jacob, we have to protect, Dr. Kovac,” Franklin said.

“Your mom is scary, and she’d kill us in a heartbeat,” Jacob said.

“The other woman would, but mom wouldn’t. She likes your bean casserole too much.”

“Oh, tell her I said thank you. Either way, I don’t know if I risk my life for Dr. Kovac,” Jacob said.

“Come on. Do the right thing,” Franklin said. He looked Jacob straight in the eyes. Jacob felt safe in those eyes. Jacob stared at them whenever Franklin rescued him. Jacob’s heart melt in Franklin’s arms, and he’d do whatever Franklin said.

“Alright fine, but I am not fighting anyone,” Jacob said.

“That’s good with me,” Franklin said.

r/AstroRideWrites

This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.

Mary’s arrival sent whispers throughout Henrietta. As the largest city in an indeterminate radius (censuses were distrusted after the Bach incident), it attracted travellers and transplants from across the land. Dave claimed to be from the other side of the world, but everyone knew he was from the town up the street. What set Mary apart was how she carried herself.

Each step was purposeful even though she clearly had no clue where she was going. She wandered the streets in a straight line scanning every building for her target. The residents of those apartments whispered to their neighbors about this strange woman and reassured others that their behavior when she was passed was upstanding and moral. Her clothes were plain, but she was adorned with many weapons. This was a common sight as the world had fallen apart. Mary never greeted any other pedestrians, and they didn’t approach her. It was a bustling metropolis, and they had things to do. Her face hid her true intentions. Her features could be described as neutral. A quick glance would allow the viewer to project any emotion they wish. Staring at the eyes for too long would reveal the hatred that they contained.

For three days, she walked around the city. No one knew where she slept or ate. They didn’t want to ask because they didn’t want to know the details. Rumors about her spread especially among the youth. Some saw her as a phantom to haunt the city streets. Others saw her as a woman who committed horrible atrocities and needed to atone for her deeds. It was in this environment that one teenager decided to approach her.

Sasha enjoyed her freedom from her most recent grounding, and she was determined to stretch that freedom to its limits. When she approached Mary, it was with the reckless abandonment of adolescence. Sasha didn’t see herself as invincible, but she hadn’t met anything that could stop her yet. Mary halted her pace and stared at Sasha.

“So there’s a rumor going around that you’re an alien cyborg sent to kill us all,” Sasha said. Mary blinked at this statement. “I have a bet with Tracy that you aren’t. Could you please say that I am right? I really don’t care if it’s true or not. I just want to win. Speak loudly. Tracy’s right over there.” She pointed at a teenager hiding in the bushes.

“Where’s Mark Kovac?” Mary asked.

“Oh, he’s my neighbor. Turn left up ahead, and keep going until you reach Maria’s. Take a right there. Take a left at the laundromat. Walk another five houses, and you’ll be at his residence,” Sasha said. Mary walked past Sasha without acknowledgment. Tracy got out of the bushes.

“Told you I was right,” Sasha said.

“What? She didn’t say anything,” Tracy replied.

“She asked for my neighbor. That means she has one target,” Sasha said.

“Dr. Kovac is a mad scientist who could be a direct threat to aliens so they sent a cyborg to kill him,” Tracy said.

“Either way, she is only her to kill Dr. Kovac so I win,” Sasha said.

“That is not the important part.”

“Yes, it is. The bet was that she was an alien cyborg sent to kill us all. If one part of that wasn’t true, the whole statement was false.”

“That’s manure, and you know it,” Tracy said. The two women continued to argue while Mary kept walking forward.

When she reached her destination, she stood outside the house for several moments staring. She tilted her head to analyze her kill and lick her lips. Producing several grenades, she tossed them at the house. Dr. Kovac’s residence was meant to withstand his many disastrous experiments so it held steady. Mary expected this. She pulled out a machine gun and prepared for the defense systems to assault her. When nothing happened, her face showed its first emotion. Disappointment. She walked up to the house and knocked on the door. No one answered. Mary could wait, and she did so. She stood outside for two days without anyone checking on her. When the small fecal looking alien approached her, she didn’t break her trance.

“Hello, my name is Dungan, and I am with city hall,” he said. Mary didn’t respond. “It’s not to meet you too. Anyway, your arrival has sparked a bit of controversy, and the most prevalent theory is that you want revenge on Dr. Kovac. Is that right?”

“I will not rest until I crush my heart in his hand,” Mary said. For an intense woman, her voice was quite squeaky. Dungan had to restrain his laughter.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he had a checkered past. While the mayor is understanding, we ask that you do so outside city limits. Feuds have a tendency to cause property damage,” Dungan said. Mary didn’t react. She stood and waited. “Okay, you can do it in the city, but please be careful about it.” Mary was silent. Dungan sighed. “He is not home because he’s been working in a garage on a new form of transportation. I can show you where he is.”

“Take me to him. I want to watch the breath of life leave his lips. I want to feel his bones crush in my hands. His last image will be my face, and he will face his sins,” Mary said.

“A bit dramatic, but sure, that sounds great,” Dungan said.

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r/AstroRideWrites